Title: Kimi no Koe
Written by: Yue Guang Kuroneko
Pairing: KyouyaxHaruhi
Rating: eto...PG-13 due to some mild language.
Written for: Relieving boredom and internet-withdrawal (My internet was down for an entire day TT)
Dedicated to: Kirimy-san, Miyu-chan, IceQueen-san, Empress-dono, and Nya-san because they're wonderful people ' and I've dedicated way too much fanfic to Hojo-dono and FRoP Fansubs. xP
Warning: Beware of OOCness and just general suckage because staying in-character is hard to write when you have Haruhi being romantically involved with anyone. Also, please do not be offended by any references of religion I may have stuck in there! I am not against religion...this is just a fanfic! (And this was intended as a oneshot but internet-withdrawal is scary >.>)
Summary: Life is random and unplanned. Even the finest manipulators cannot control the direction that life has set up for them. However, the greatest manipulators can turn any twist and turn into their advantage. So what happens when they fall in love?

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran or any of its characters. They belong only to the great Bisco Hatori-sama (and BONES)...I would own Ouran if I were any of these people...but my parents dropped me on the head when I was a kid, so I'm not as brilliant as they are :D

Kimi no Koe

By, Yue Guang Kuroneko

--

Chapter One:

Ootori Kyouya never believed in miracles, luck, dreams, fate, destiny, heaven, or anything along those lines. He thought that they were pointless and the only way to succeed in life is to be hard-working, cunning, and determined. As for the afterlife, screw it. There was no room in a businessman's life for religion, not to mention that it was probably a whole bunch of money-stealing bogus anyway.

After graduating Ouran, he continued to work hard at a prestigious, private university and quickly gained an MBA in business. He was brilliant and that certainly gave him the edge of becoming the next leader of the Ootori group but he wasn't going to take his chances. He signed up for studying aboard in both America and Europe and left Japan for a year or two to polish his foreign social skills (and to create any business associates that he may happen to run into) and managed to enjoy himself as he made those he ran into play into the palm of his powerful hand.

He had even managed to get a 'girlfriend' (if one could call her that) during his last short year but that ended splendidly as he regretfully announced that he was leaving the Western world to return to Japan where he solely belonged. Of course, there were protests, screaming, and even attempted biting on the girl's part, but he only gave her that smirk she said she fell in love with and boarded his private jet without looking back. The girl was a nuisance anyway and the only reason he had invited her out to dinner the first night was to create a nice atmosphere with the daughter of a very powerful European company. It was simply a dinner, but the girl assumed too much and he was constantly badgered by her attention-seeking, otherwise unattractive, personality. Other than her, his plans to befriending her father was a success, just as he had planned.

Upon his return to Japan, he found that his father had not yet decided who would take over the Ootori Company and gave a short growl of frustration as he returned to winning his father's favor. Unfortunately, his brothers feared their birth order was no longer in their favor and had started to work their own asses off during his leave. It was an unannounced competition that only riled their resolve farther and the Ootori group thrived under the three sons' willpower.

It was five years after she graduated Ouran when he decided to give their favorite commoner a visit. He researched her whereabouts and found her studying diligently at Tokyo University, majoring in law. It was an unexpected urge to suddenly see Fujioka Haruhi, but he paid it no mind. Who wouldn't want to see how the cross-dressing girl turned out after leaving Ouran? He had no doubt that Tamaki and the twins have visited her a few times and decided that it was probably his turn (not to mention he'd love to see the surprised look on Haruhi's face when he shows up at her doorstep.)

He found that she was living on her own in a rather small flat near Tokyo University and wasn't at all surprised when he found that she had not had a romantic interest since he graduated. He also wasn't surprised that Tamaki had already proposed to her and she refused, stating that a glamorous life was not what she wanted.

She really hasn't changed at all.

"Tokyo University," He told his driver.

"Hai, Ootori-sama," His driver replied before igniting the engine and they started on their drive to the high-status Tokyo U.

They arrived shortly and Kyouya quickly gave the driver some instructions before turning and looked at the school with a smirk. Haruhi was somewhere in those whitewashed walls and he was going to find her.

--

"Fujioka-san!"

Haruhi gave a mental sigh as her ears heard the familiar thrill in that deep voice. Kentaro Yuusuke was a persistent man—he would ask her out on a date whenever he saw her. Quite frankly, he was relatively annoying and very much like that blond-headed idiot she knew in high school.

"What is it, Kentaro-kun?" She asked, turning to meet his excited brown gaze.

"Want to go on a date with me this Friday?" He asked her, placing a heavy arm on her shoulders. "I know this great place…"

"How many times have I answered you, Kentaro-kun?" She shrugged off his arm. "I am not interested in you. Your continuous advancements are irritating."

"Aww, don't say that, Fujioka!" Kentaro whined. "I'm very much interested in you."

"I'm sorry but the answer is still 'no'," Haruhi stated, brushing back her grown bangs. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get to my next lecture."

"Come on, Fujioka—I'm getting sick of being rejected by you," Kentaro's voice darkened. She turned to see him reach out to grab her before…

"She said 'no' quite clearly," The tall figure that had suddenly appeared in front of her said in a cool but dangerous tone. "It will do you good to leave the young woman alone."

"Bastard!" Kentaro shouted suddenly and Haruhi's eyes widened to find that he had swung at the young man who had protected her.

What happened next was a blur: Kentaro had swung at the man but the man had dodged it before catching that punch and administering a punch of his own, leaving Kentaro staggering back into the wall before passing out into an ungraceful pile of meat on the floor.

Passing students had stopped to watch the commotion and Haruhi heard many of the girls whispered excitedly about how 'cool' and 'sexy' her protector was. In all of the excitement, Haruhi hadn't even caught sight of her protector's face. When he turned towards her, Haruhi's eyes widened.

"KYOUYA-SENPAI?"

"Are you surprised?" He asked in his indifferent voice as he walked towards her, leaving Kentaro a bloody mess on the floor.

"Yes! I mean, no. I mean…" Haruhi felt rather flustered as he stood in front of her, his glasses glinting at the edges. "I didn't expect you to be here."

"Considering I've already graduated with an MBA, I shouldn't be here at all," Kyouya said as if it was her fault that he had somehow appeared at Tokyo University when he should have been making some other commoner's life miserable.

"Then why are you here?" Haruhi asked, cocking a head to the side in question.

"Why don't we talk about that over a cup of coffee?" He asked, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. That was not a good sign at all.

"Yes, of course," Haruhi said, shaking any assumptions of Ootori Kyouya's alternative motives out of her head. "There's a coffee shop just across from the university. Why don't we go there?"

"Lead the way," He said almost prince-like but Haruhi knew better than to trust how he sounded to her. This was a serious matter if Kyouya had shown up at her university. He was not the type of person who would seek someone out just for a cup of coffee after six years of no communication.

When they ordered and seated themselves at the coffee shop next to the window, Haruhi finally found the time to study him. She knew that his manipulative nature was still there, hidden under layers of artificial smiles and false, flattering words, but the aura that usually surrounded him seemed even more intense than it had once been during her days as a host.

He was still handsome; with those dark, onyx eyes, a refined face, and a tall but nicely built stature, he was unavoidably and ridiculously good-looking. Of course, the glasses that rested on his nose seemed to give him an intelligent and slightly imposing edge, but she knew better. He was kind underneath that indifferent gaze and quite similar to their idiot King's kindness except more discreet.

"Well then," Haruhi started. "What was it you needed to talk to me about?"

"What makes you think I have a reason?" Kyouya asked, his eyes staring out at the busy streets of Tokyo.

"Kyouya-senpai, you aren't the type of person who would just visit somebody out of nowhere unless you retain merits from the meeting," Haruhi said as their drinks arrived, "and especially not when it involves me."

She watched him as he sipped his drink casually, eyes still focused outside. There was a different air about him, as if he was almost tired and that made Haruhi feel slightly guilty for asking him something so accusing and ungrateful of his presence. Truthfully, she was glad that he had come to visit her and not because he had been there just in time to save her but because his presence was nevertheless calming and balanced.

After moving out of the house (with much protests of her beloved father) she had resolved to live on her own and study to her heart's content. However, there were still times when she felt lonely and a little too reserved when it came to her social life. The twins e-mailed her constantly, but somehow it didn't feel like it was enough. Tamaki's hyperactive personality only made her want to run away to someplace quiet. Hunny and Mori were constantly busy with their dojo and running a famous sweets shop and had very little time to visit her. She felt strangely lonely; thus she was grateful of Kyouya's visit today.

"I see," was his quiet reply. "You haven't changed much, Haruhi."

"You've changed a lot, Kyouya-senpai," Haruhi said, stirring her coffee absentmindedly.

"Hmm?" Kyouya inquired. "How so?"

"I can't put my finger on it," Haruhi attempted to explain lamely. "But you seem to have a different atmosphere about you."

Kyouya gave a small chuckle before he asked, quite suddenly, "Will you go out to dinner with me, Haruhi?"

--

"Eh!" Haruhi's eyes had widened as he turned his attention away from the window.

"Call me whenever you have free time," He had said. He reached into his fashionable jacket, pulled out a pad of paper and a pen before scribbling down his number in graceful handwriting. Placing the piece of paper down in front of her, he stood, paid for both of their drinks and headed back out into the busy streets, leaving her dumbfounded in the coffee shop.

What the hell was I thinking? Kyouya reprimanded himself as he called for his car.

Sure, he hadn't planned on sitting with Haruhi at a commoner's coffee shop, nor had he planned on punching that boy's lights out when he saw him grab for her, but he had definitely not planned on asking her to dinner. It was one of those things about her that made him want to be with her. She had gotten quite feminine during the past few years.

Her hair, which was always a rich chocolate color and cut boyishly short, was now medium-lengthened, reaching almost to her shoulders. Her eyes were always large but they seemed to have softened with a beautiful womanly glow. She was graceful (and thank goodness for that—it would have been very unattractive if she was to knock over another Rune vase) and acquired the minimum curves that made her seem even more beautiful. She was not voracious in body, but rather petite and girly. She spoke in a gentle, lulling voice that seemed to calm all of the frustrations and irritations that he had bottled up.

Kyouya had been quite sure that she was not going to give him a call about any future dates (he had heard her turn down the Kentaro boy, clearly voicing her disinterest in dating) and was left cursing himself as he returned to his luxurious condominium for another day's worth of work. Therefore, he was even more surprised to find that after a shower following another long day of competition with his two older brothers, he received a call from a rather flustered Fujioka Haruhi.

"Ano…Kyouya-senpai?" Her voice seemed to be shaking lightly.

"Haruhi?" He asked, pausing in all movements, including the drying of his hair.

"Hai," Haruhi said in an unsure voice. "About that dinner...I'd like to take up on your offer."

The towel that had been in his hand fluttered clumsily to his bare feet, his dark eyes wide at her answer. His day seemed to be getting better and better at every passing second.

"Kyouya-senpai?"

"Ah," He said unperturbedly, seating himself on his bed. "When do you have time?"

"Is Friday night all right?" She asked after a moment of silence.

Kyouya glanced over at his planner and flipped through the pages. Luckily, he had nothing to do that night.

"It's fine," He spoke, shutting his planner with a single hand. "I'll pick you up at seven."

"All right," She said, allegedly a bit more cheerful. "I'll see you then."

Kyouya stared at his phone in almost-visual disbelief before shutting it with a click, a satisfying smirk appearing across his lips. This was certainly more than he had hoped for.

--

Author's Note: (I edited this chapter due to some advice given by various reviews. Thank you all to those who corrected me and suggested ideas : And please don't ask me when the next chapter is coming out...because I have absolutely no idea. All I do is type ideas onto a word document--as for when I'm finished typing, I have no clue.)

"Hai, Ootori-sama" translates to "Yes, Master Ootori." The prefix -sama is addressed to those above someone else. (Like a servant to a king)
"Fujioka-san!" The prefix -san is used for those who are not close to you and is unisex.
"Kentaro-kun," The prefix -kun is used for (in most cases) males.
"Kyouya-sempai!" The prefix -senpai is used for those higher than you. For example, an 8th grader would call an 11th grader "-senpai"
"Ano..." translates roughly into "umm..."

(I will start to use the minimum amount of Japanese. I'm sorry if I did not do that before.)

Feedback is really appreciated. Constructive criticism is also appreciated. Mean flames are retaliated with my evil dust kitties and their water furballs...so don't try them. You'll regret it. Really.

Thank you for reading