Something I've been intended to write since the OVA aired but have been too lazy to get around to until recently. Enjoy?

Disclaimer: I do not own Hyouka.

Needing You

Houtarou watched wordlessly as Mayaka dragged Satoshi away through the pool.

"Fuku-chan! Yesterday you said you'd definitely have your manuscript done by today! So, is it done?" She scolded him with a knowing glare.

"Well, it's kind of done, but not really..." he shrugged helplessly.

"That means it's not done yet! Right?" She barked.

"T-That's one way to put it..." A drop of sweat fell from the side of his face.

"It's the only way to put it!" She shouted. Mayaka then forcefully grabbed his arm. "Fuku-chan, we're going back and you're finishing your manuscript! I'm not letting you go until you're completely done with it today!"

"There's just a bit left to do! I can finish it on my own!" Satoshi tried to quell her passionate pulling.

"You think I'll believe that?" She obviously was not listening as she continued to drag him along before briefly turning back to the two other Classics Club members. "Ah, Chii-chan, Oreki, sorry. We'll be heading back first. See you tomorrow." She said to them.

"Goodye!" Satoshi added before Mayaka tugged him harder, forcing him to follow.

Houtarou blinked, silently wishing his friend good luck with the library worker as Eru gave a soft giggle beside him.

"I hope they can finish that manuscript." She commented politely.

"Who knows?" Houtatou gave his input. "Well, they say life is good when someone needs you." He suddenly recalled a familiar phrase he had heard more than once before. "Best of luck either way." He offered a final prayer to Satoshi's well-being.

"When you need someone..." Eru repeated thoughtfully. "It looks like I needed you today. Thank you again." She smiled, feeling a bit sheepish since she was always troubling him.

"Seriously. It was a pain." Houtarou stated, as if it had caused much more trouble than it actually had.

"That was mean." She sounded a tiny bit offended and Houtarou grinned to himself because he loved messing with her.

"But you know..." his gaze then wandered over to a pair of children sitting at the edge of the pool. The girl in her pink bathing suit was lightly crying and wiping her eyes as the boy beside her patted her back and offered kind words. "That might not be so bad."

Houtarou muttered, primarily to himself as he witnessed the innocent scene. He could not stop his mind from quickly switching those two figures around involuntarily; of course it felt somewhat nice to have Eru needing his assistance, even for such trivial everyday mysteries as the ones she got herself involved with, but he could not help but wonder what it would be like if she needed him in a different way...

"Hm?" She had apparently heard his aside dialogue and turned curiously toward him.

"No, nothing." Houtarou said quickly before she could delve deeper. Thankfully, she seemed to be satisfied with letting the topic of conversation go, but immediately concocted another.

"Oh, by the way, Oreki-san, how did you know that the white thing was ice cream?" She wondered, still perturbed on the small detail of the now-solved mystery.

"Oh, that? That was easy." He replied simply. "There isn't anything white around here but that." His gaze wondered around the pool area for a few seconds until they naturally came around to rest on the girl in front of him. "Ah. Well, I guess there's one other thing..." he mumbled, quickly looking away.

"Heh?" Eru managed to catch his gaze and immediately attempted to cover her exposed skin when she noticed where he had been looking. A faint red blush appeared on her cheeks and Houtaoru made absolutely sure to keep his view of her peripheral at best, lest he let his own blush be revealed.

They stood in the water together in silence for several seconds, avoiding one another's gazes until Eru found something else to talk about. "I think I should go now, too. Have fun with the rest of your work."

"S-Sure." Houtarou felt his spirits fall quite a bit at her words, and she turned from him and treaded out of the water before he could bring himself to properly wish her goodbye.

"Hey!" One of his temporary co-workers then appeared at the edge of the pool and tossed Houtarou his uniform shirt and hat. "It's you shift now." The other boy pointed to the life guard's chair he had just gotten down from, but there was something about his expression that bugged Houtarou.

It took him a second, but he soon realized what it was; this boy looked somewhat smug, as if he had been watching the entire interaction between Houtarou and Eru. He looked like he suspected something going on between them and was pitying Houtarou for letting her get away so easily.

"Sure." Houtarou responded blankly as he stepped out of the pool and the other boy walked away.

Just then, something came over Houtarou and he could not describe it exactly. Damn it. This is annoying. "What a pain." He muttered in accordance to his thoughts.

Unable to stop himself, he turned around and looked toward where Eru's back was getting further away in the distance. Taking deep breath, he called out to her. "Oy, Chitanda!"

Instantly, she jumped a little before she froze in place. Then, she slowly turned back to face him. "Y-Yes, Oreki-san?" She called back.

Houtarou nodded his head to one side, silently calling her back, and she tilted her head slightly before slowly making her way back to him. "Did you... need me for something?" She asked, somewhat bashfully.

"Well, actually..." he shifted the shirt and hat in his arms awkwardly. "I've got to stay here for the rest of the day as part of my work shift. I have to stay around after closing time and clean up, and I was just wondering..." As he was speaking, he began to realize exactly what he was saying and started to grow embarrassed. "Well, I mean if you have no other pressing matters to attend to today..." He trailed off and let the words speak for themselves.

It only took Eru a split second to catch on and she instantly replied.

"Y-Yes!" She was a bit too passionate to contain her voice at first, so she quickly lowered her tone. "I-I mean, of course I'll stay and help out. I've nothing else to do today, and I was actually thinking how lonely it was going to be at home..." She too, trailed off, and Houtarou stole a glance at her face. Her downcast, amethyst eyes shimmered with a hint of sadness, but it had quickly been overridden by something else. Her small, genuine smile easily told him that she was now excited and even somewhat flattered that he had decided to ask for her assistance.

Houtarou let his own smile show for a second, glad that he could let her experience the momentary happiness of one who was needed by another; did her heartbeat increase slightly, just as his did whenever she declared her unyielding curiosity to him?

Houtarou caught himself staring at her fair, white skin and instantly looked away, grateful that she was still looking downward and had not caught him in the act.

"Really? That's good then." He cleared his throat. "There aren't enough part-timers around here to get it done quickly, so your help would be much appreciated."

Upon hearing those words, Eru raised her head and inhaled quickly, unable to hide her delightedness at being helpful to him.

"That's wonderful!" She exclaimed, her smile twice as bright. "Then I'll be waiting over at the table with my things until your shift is over. I brought a book, so I can read that until closing time."

"Sounds good." He sniffed once, as though his requesting of her to do this was no big deal at all. "My shift is over in another hour, and then there's only another thirty minutes after that until closing, during which time we'll be cleaning up the area."

"Got it!" Eru spun around and almost seemed to bound off toward her table, visibly happy to be of use to him.

Houtarou watched her go before he slipped into the life guard's shirt and put the hat atop his head and climbed into the tall chair overlooking the pool.

Unlike before, he spent the final shift of the day with a small grin on his face.

The hour passed slightly more quickly than the ones before it, and the majority of visitors left the area.

When the announcement was made that the pool would be closing in half an hour, Houtarou sighed in relief as the remaining people packed their things and headed out.

He climbed down from the life guard chair and removed his hat to leave it on the seat before slowly making his way over to the tables in the leisure area which were all vacant aside from one.

Eru sat with a book in her hands and was apparently so engrossed in it she had not even heard the announcement. Houtarou scowled for half a second when he realized she was now wearing her pink sweatshirt over her bathing suit, as well as white shorts to cover a fair amount of her previously-exposed, snow-white skin.

"Chitanda." He said her name as he approached, which startled her, causing her to jump and nearly drop her book. "Calm down, it's just me." He informed her, slightly hurt that her first reaction upon hearing him speak was usually to jolt in total shock.

"I-I'm sorry!" She bowed her head quickly, causing her ebony, ponytailed hair to flip over her head. "I didn't mean to sound so rude. I was just so captivated by this book-"

"I get it. Don't apologize." He waved a hand at her. "Anyway, we have to go around and clean up any loose trash. If you find anything that might be a lost item, bring it to that stand over there." He instructed, pointing her in the correct direction.

"Leave it to me!" She made a fist and gave a determined kind of pose before standing.

"Sure." Houtarou replied briefly before heading toward the empty tables.

He watched her where she was cleaning several yards away in a small, grassy area and could not help but notice how many misplaced items she was discovering. When he passed by the stand he had told her about, he saw she had already collected several pieces of jewelry, a few children's toys, and even a wallet within only the first ten minutes.

Geez, she has good eyes. He thought as he observed how small some of the trinkets were; she had even managed to find the backs of 4 earrings. Maybe I should recommended her for helping out next time... Since his elder sister had signed him up for this job for several weeks now, surely it could not hurt to have Eru along for the ride as well...

Just as Houtarou realized what he was thinking, he shook his head to clear his thoughts before heading to a different part of the pool area.

Meanwhile, Eru's keen eyesight led her to yet another lost item, this time a pacifier, which she placed in her sweatshirt pocket for the time being. This is actually kind of fun! She thought to herself. It's almost like playing "I Spy". Plus, I get to spend a little more time with Oreki-san... She deposited her findings at the lost and found stand several more times, and before long, fifteen minutes had passed. Perhaps we can even walk back home together...

"Heh?" She quickly comprehended just what she was thinking about and felt the blood rush to her face. "Now I'm getting ahead of myself." She mumbled with a bit of a pout, feeling a familiar, fuzzy tickle in her chest.

She skirted the edge of the pool and did not fully realize she was walking toward where her fellow Classics Club member was.

But suddenly, the warm marble lit by the sunlight that was beneath her feet turned cool and wet for an instant, and before she could even catch her breath, she felt herself falling sideways. She lost her balance as her weight shifted, her mind went momentarily blank with panic and she managed to let out a short shriek that was cut off when she fell into the water.

Her head collided with the rim of the pool as she fell, and she felt a searing pain shoot up her left arm and shoulder just before her lungs began to fill with water. She lost her senses for an instant as the air flew from her lungs, and soon was unsure of which way was up as the throbbing pain continued to assault her.

Upon hearing her scream, Houtarou looked up immediately and snapped his head around to look toward the pool, hearing the splash as she disappeared below the water's surface.

He froze, his mind going blank as he tried to comprehend what he had just witnessed, but his mouth was so dry already, he could not even cry out her name. His emerald eyes darted around swiftly, but no one else was around, and before he could stop himself, he was already running.

Just before he had started his temporary job, he had been given a crash course on the basics of life guarding and CPR, the details of which flashed through his mind as he dashed forward.

He reached the edge of the pool in seconds to where he could see Eru weakly struggling beneath the surface. A crimson dye leaked into the water in a steady spiral, and Houtarou forced the terror back down his throat as he jumped in.

Opening his eyes underwater, he swam to her side to find her eyes closed and bubbles draining the air from her mouth. Houtarou quickly wrapped one arm around her waist as he used the other to elevate them both back to the surface. Houtarou coughed the excess water out of his mouth as he pulled her to the shallow end of the pool, letting her go on the wide steps that led into and out of the pool.

"Chitanda!" Houtarou finally found his voice as he knelt on the partially-submerged step beside her, holding her shoulders up with one arm. She was coughing frantically, and he found some solace now that he knew she did not require CPR as long as she was conscious.

Her pink sweatshirt was ruffled to reveal her collarbone, and a red gash was brightly highlighted against the pale skin of her left shoulder; blood stained the pink fabric and a wispy spiral still dripped into the water. "Chitanda!" He repeated her name desperately, still frightened even though she was now safely in his arms.

"I-" She continued to cough harshly for a moment, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "I-I'm okay..." She managed to reassure him between the bouts. Houtarou felt the tension slowly melt from his body as she regained her breath.

At long last, her painful coughing ceased, and though her shoulders were still trembling, she could breathe again. He waited until her shudders subsided a bit more before he spoke again.

"Come on, we have to get you treated." He said seriously.

"It's not that bad." She said in a small voice. She was not trying to deny his demand that she get medical aid, but he could tell she just wanted to reassure his worries. Her eyes, which had previously been dull with alarm were beginning to clear up again now, so he knew she was speaking the truth about her pain.

"Still, we can't just let it bleed like that. It'll get infected. Can you stand?" By now it appeared the commotion had been noticed by the other staff members and several rushed off to gather first aid kits.

"I think so." Eru used her good arm to push herself up as Houtarou supported her back. A wave of dizziness crashed over her and an aching shot through her head and she involuntarily clung onto him, panting.

"Did you hit your head?" A small waver in his voice manifested his worry as Houtarou held onto her back and stomach with both arms until she could stand up straight. "It's fine, just lean on me."

Eru made no objections as she walked unstably beside him, holding onto his damp shirt with one hand as her other clutched her pulsing temple.

Together, they slowly made their way to the nearest bench, where a woman with a first aid kit met them. Houtarou looked on as she disinfected Eru's wound and wiped the blood away. A whimper escaped her lips and Houtarou instinctively took a step forward, but stopped himself from getting any closer as the nurse did her work.

A few other part-timers along with his temporary boss came up to Houtarou and asked about the incident, but after they shared some words with the nurse, it was decided that calling for an ambulance was unnecessary. The wound on Eru's shoulder that had been covered in blood appeared to have been bigger than it actually was, and aside from an understandable headache, she was fine.

"Just make sure you walk her back home, okay?" The nurse smiled as she ordered Houtarou.

"Yes." He nodded once before the others moved away, allowing him to finally step toward the bench and sit down beside her. Eru was still holding her head on one side. Her sweatshirt had been removed and her shoulders were now covered by a white towel. Her injury had been treated properly and was bandaged. "Oy, are you sure you're okay?" He asked levelly, even though her slumped posture concerned him greatly.

"Ah, Oreki-san." She addressed him with a weary voice that sounded like she was trying too hard to be polite. "Y-Yes, I'm..." She stopped herself after her voice shook and the smile immediately fell from her face as she gasped softly.

"Chitanda!" Houtarou moved closer to her and, without thinking, placed his hand upon the one in her lap. "What's wrong?" He asked with a low tone that threatened to break into panic.

"No, no." She shook her head lightly as she continued to cover the aching side, managing to catch his gaze for a split second. "It doesn't hurt..." her voice sputtered a bit as she tried to reassure him that physical pain was not the reason behind her actions. "I doesn't hurt, it's just..." she then let the hand on her head slide down to her cheek. "It was just... it was a little scary..." she choked on her words a little before she could no longer hold back the hiccuping that came along with her tears.

Her other hand curled tightly beneath his palm, and Houtarou was at a loss for words as he watched the outgoing, brightly helpful, and perpetually-curious Chitanda Eru break down into tears right in front of him.

He closed his mouth and swallowed before the tiniest grin found its way to his lips.

She was not crying because she was hurt, but rather because she had been frightened, but ultimately, saved. He assumed that her terror had amounted to that of which he himself had experienced upon seeing her fall, hearing her cry cut off abruptly and unnaturally as the water crashed over her head.

And now, Houtarou felt like crying too, just from pure relief that it was all over, and that she was all right.

But he blinked the tears back as he tightened his grip on her hand. The image from earlier of the young children flashed into his mind, and Houtarou tentatively reached his other arm forward. He almost pulled back, but reminded himself that a 7-year-old kid was better at this than he was, and persevered until he finally placed his hand on her back.

Unlike before, Eru did not jump or flinch, almost as if she had been wanting him to do it.

The towel about her shoulders was damp, but she could feel the warmth of his hand nonetheless. Houtarou gently rubbed her back as her soft sobbing continued, the little gasps she let out on occasion only serving to bring him closer and closer to the brink of embracing her. Resisting the urge with a great amount of effort, Houtarou traced circles on her back, his fingers sometimes trailing off of the towel and making contact with her smooth skin.

He knew that sooner or later he would end up giving in and embracing her completely, but he somehow managed to hold out until her sobs subsided. It had only been about two minutes' worth of time, but he had made sure to savor them.

With one last sniff, Eru lifted her head and took a deep, slow breath before letting it out.

"Thank you, Oreki-san." She said with a gracious smile on her lips as she placed her free hand on top of his. Her amethyst eyes were shimmering and watery and Houtarou had to quickly drop her gaze.

He was about to ask "for what?" but then realized he did not have to. He let the question die on his tongue as he removed his hand from her back and she let go of his other one all too quickly. He drew his hands back into his own lap as Eru fidgeted happily.

"Sure." Was the only reply he could manage at the moment. "Now let's head out."

Standing quickly, he began to walk back toward the table where they had left their things, but stopped himself. Without being too obvious, he slowed his pace and waited for her to stand and catch up to him.

"What's going to happen to the pool?" She asked, tilting her head to one side like a puppy.

"Ah, actually they intended to drain and refill it tonight anyway, so you don't have to worry about that." He shrugged. He wanted to say, "More importantly, are you sure you're okay?" but was a second too late to ask.

"Ah, I'll return this now and thank everyone properly." Eru removed the towel from her shoulders and scurried off before he could stop her.

Houtarou sighed as he gathered his things before she came back and did the same.

As they were slipping into their sandals, Houtarou noticed her unfolding her pink sweatshirt that was still damp. Her white shorts were still wet, too, but there was no helping that.

"Wait," he halted her before she could put on the top piece. "Use this instead." He dug out his own blue sweatshirt from his bag and handed it to her. "I didn't end up wearing it today so it's dry."

"But-" she was about to ask what he intended to do about his own wet shirt, but she stopped herself, realizing that some things were better left accepted rather than questioned. She shook her head and beamed delightedly at him. "Thank you, Oreki-san!" She put her pink sweatshirt back into her bag and carefully slid her arms into his. "It's big, and really warm." She mused, still smiling.

"That's good." He grunted.

He wished his boss goodbye and Eru waved too before they began walking to her home. "Are you sure you're okay?" He managed to ask the question that had been on his mind earlier.

"Yes, I'm all better now, thanks to you, Oreki-san." She replied, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"That's good." He repeated, not having trouble imagining her father suing the park if he found out his daughter had been injured. "Thanks for helping out today, by the way. You have quite and eye."

"It was no problem at all! I'll help you any time you need me!" She offered.

They walked side-by-side in silence for another moment before she spoke again, a bit more solemnly. "Thank you, Oreki-san. It looks like I really did need you today, and you saved me."

Houtarou winced slightly, not having wanted to talk about the incident, let alone think about it or remember the terrible scene of her blood filling the water.

"Idiot." He muttered to clear his mind. "Of course I'd come to save you." He heard her gasp lightly. "I'll come anytime you need me." He declared.

"M-Me, too!" She agreed. "I'll definitely come help you whenever you need me, Oreki-san!" She did not fully understand why her heart was pounding so hard, but it was an elated feeling she could not help but relish.

Houtarou gave her a small grin. "Thanks." He said softly, conveying his honest appreciation as she continued to smile.

The pair walked on together side-by-side in the evening breeze as warm, rose-colored sunlight bathed the path before them.

A/N: I apologize for the OOC-ness but as usual, it is often necessary for the sake of the fluff. Hope you enjoyed!

Please review!