Ouran- SM: Second Life No. 2

6 o'clock in the morning.  All was quiet in the Kita Household.  The servants had either returned to their quarters or gone out for a night off.  30 minutes from now, Miyako's alarm clock would ring, signaling the start of a new day.  For now, the medium slept on, blissfully unaware of the world around her or of the figure standing at the foot of her bed.

He stood completely still, staring down at the young woman with wide, unblinking eyes.  They ran up and down her body again and again.  A grin slowly formed on his face.  

Miyako shifted from her side to her stomach, her clothed back fully exposed and giving the spirit a perfect opportunity.  It clenched it's fingers a few times before reaching out and allowing the appendages to sink into her back.  The spirit's grin widened as it was dragged into the medium's body.  

For another second, Miyako's body remained still, then she began to fidget in her sleep.  She let out a groan as her head jerked in both directions.  She took a breath, but her throat was closed.  Miyako awoke immediately.  She shoot up in bed, clutching her head in her hands and opening her mouth in a silent scream.  She twisted and jerked around, fighting as hard as she could against the invading force.  

Whatever it was pressed against her mind, clouding her thoughts and causing her to almost lose the battle.  Miyako focused everything she had on getting the spirit out, and her struggles paid off as she felt it get sucked back out the way it came.

"AAAAAARGH!"  The scream finally ripped out of her.

She sprang out of bed and grabbed the flashlight she kept beside her.  Shining it around the room revealed nothing, so she sprinted to the opposite wall to switch the lights on.  Breathing heavily, Miyako scanned the room, but there was nothing and no one to be found.  However, she could very clearly hear an unmistakable sound coming from far up above her, in a place no living person could possibly reach.

Laughter.

Taunting, child-like laughter.  

Miyako stared at her ceiling, listening intently as the sound slowly died away.  When it was gone, she groaned a second time and slid down the wall into a sitting position.

"Not again," she muttered.  "I hate it when this happens."

**
Tamaki Suoh loved days like this.  The sun was shining, the weather was surprisingly warm for winter, and his lovely girlfriend was sitting beside him in the Rose Garden.  He took a deep breath, taking in the fresh air.  It was times like this when he was the most happy to be alive.  

"It's so beautiful out here," he sighed.  "I wish we could stay like this forever."

Beside him, Haruhi let out a soft laugh.

"I don't think that would work," she answered.  "Kyoya-senpai wouldn't like it if we skipped the club."

Tamaki's face fell and he started to shiver at the thought of Kyoya's wrath.

"I'm aware that you are excited about this new relationship of yours, but I hope it won't affect your performance in the Host Club.  It wouldn't do with our customers if you suddenly stopped coming, and I myself wouldn't appreciate you shirking on your responsibilities."

"Mother can be so scary," Tamaki whimpered, fearful tears streaming down his face.

Haruhi rolled her eyes.

**
They arrived just on time for club hours.  Luckily for Tamaki, Kyoya only had time to shoot a frightening glare at them before the customers swarmed in.  The couple immediately went to their respective tables, but not before flashing each other knowing smiles that made the girls who could see it swoon.

The first hour went by normally.  Tamaki entertained his guests, Naru-chan sat next to him staring with wonder at the shiny tea set; Elissa cooed over Hunny-senpai; Hoki stood in the background and mocked the girl's behavior for his own amusement.  

Nothing particularly out of the ordinary happened until around 5:00, when the double doors burst open and Miyako charged inside, bypassing Kyoya and making a beeline for Tamaki.  He didn't even have time to issue her a greeting as she grabbed him by the collar and practically dragged him to their usual area.

She let him go, and Tamaki took a moment to massage his neck before opening his mouth to question the girl's strange behavior.  He was unable to, as Miyako beat him to the punch.

"You need to come to my house tonight."

It was a statement, not a question.  Her tone left no room for argument, leaving Tamaki with the implication that the situation was serious.  Plus, there was no way Miyako would invite him into her house otherwise.  Of course,  none of this meant Tamaki had nothing to say about it.

"You… why?" He managed to ask.

Miyako didn't moved, though he detected a hint of embarrassment in her face.  Her shoulders sagged and her eyes fell to the floor as she gave her answer.

"M…ouse i…aun…"

Tamaki blinked.  "What?"

With a growl, Miyako's eyes returned to his.

"I said," she began in a much firmer voice.  "My house is haunted."

"…by a ghost?"

Miyako gave him a flat look.

"Okay," Tamaki answered, recognizing his stupid question.  "How long has this been going on for?"

"Since at least this morning," Miyako was looking away again, as if not wanting to go on.  "It tried to possess me while I was sleeping, but I fought it off."

Tamaki didn't respond right away, his mind was busy processing what she'd just told him and the implications behind it.

"Wait," he finally said.  "Are you telling me a ghost can take over your body while you're sleeping?!"

"Pretty much," Miyako wasn't one for sugar-coating.  "They can't take full control unless you're conscious and allow them to, so it never actually works.  The problem is getting them to come out.  That takes a lot of effort and hurts like hell."

She stopped when she noticed Tamaki cowering in his chair like a small child watching a scary movie.  She scoffed.

"You think you're scared now," she told him.  "Wait until it actually happens to you."

With a sigh, Miyako sat down across from Tamaki and placed her laced fingers on the table.

"You can take your own car, but I'd recommend you stop at home first to get a change of clothes since this'll probably be an all-nighter."

"Okay," Tamaki nodded, until her words sank in and he started.  "Did you just say an all-nighter?  Like, me staying at your house all night?"

"Yeah," Miyako answered with a nod.  "Is that a problem?"

Tamaki sputtered for a moment, and Miyako looked around inconspicuously to make sure no one had noticed.

"It's a strictly professional thing," she explained to him.  "When it's over, you can sleep in one of our guest rooms."

"What about Haruhi?" Tamaki finally managed to get his thoughts in order.  "She may not like me staying at another girls house.  What if she gets the wrong idea?"

Miyako raised an eyebrow at him.  "I may not have known Fujioka for very long, but she doesn't strike me as the jealous type."

'That's more YOUR department,' her expression clearly added.

"But if it really bothers you that much," she continued.  "Invite her along."

"Is that okay," the unsure Tamaki asked.  "She won't get hurt, right?"

Miyako responded with a shrug as she leaned back in her seat.  "I doubt it.  The ghost can't really do anything to her since she's not sensitive to him.  We're way more at risk than anyone else."

Tamaki nodded, and looked over at Haruhi, who was talking to a few girls about something and making them laugh.  He tried not to do this too much during club hours, because he always found he couldn't look away.  Haruhi was just so beautiful and perfect in every way.  The way she laughed.

"Suoh,"

The way she smiled.

"Suoh."

The way she kissed…

"SUOH!"

Tamaki shrieked, drawing more than a bit of attention to himself while beside him, Miyako brought a hand to her forehead and sighed angrily.

**
"No Dad, of course not…" Haruhi said into the phone.  "…yeah, it'll just be me and Miyako-senpai… of course not, why would he be there? …She said she could bring me to school tomorrow.  I have my homework and everything I need in my bag… Okay, thanks Dad… I love you too."

Haruhi turned the phone off and put it in her bag.  When she looked back up, she was met by her boyfriend's questioning eyes.

"You told him I wasn't coming?" He asked, sounding a tiny bit hurt.

Haruhi shrugged.  "Do you really think he'd be okay with this if he knew you'd be there?"

Tamaki thought about this, and had to admit she'd done the right thing.  He'd already had a discussion with Ranka about his conduct around Haruhi.  The tranny had been incredibly firm and no-nonsense about what he expected of him.

SEVERAL WEEKS AGO

"I want you to understand, Suoh," Ranka stepped around the kitchen table, causing Tamaki to move back as well.  "Haruhi is my only daughter and my little angel.  She means the world to me, and she just happens to have chosen you to be her boyfriend."

Without looking away from Tamaki, Ranka reached for a drawer and pulled it open.  

"I've already spoken to Haruhi about this, and I know that I can't stop her from seeing you, nor will I try.  No matter what my opinion of you may be, Haruhi loves you, and for her sake, I won't get in the way of that.  However…"

The tranny smiled slightly and pulled a large knife out of the drawer.  Tamaki gulped and began to sweat.

"If I find out you've been doing anything… unsavory to my daughter, especially without her permission, I'm going to have to use this on you.  Do you understand, Suoh?"

Tamaki nodded rapidly.

"I understand, sir," he forced himself not to stutter.  "I would never do anything to hurt Haruhi, and if I did, I wouldn't blame you for stabbing me."

"Who said anything about stabbing?" Ranka asked, his smile gaining a disturbing edge.

The older man glanced at the front of Tamaki's pants as the knife's blade gleamed.

"This is a CUTTING knife."

"Tamaki," Haruhi called out to the unresponsive young man next to her, who was white and shaking as he crossed his legs together.  "Tamaki, are you alright?"

"NO I'M FINE EVERYTHING'S FINE!!"

Haruhi and Miyako glanced at each other, but said nothing else about Tamaki's strange behavior.

**
The Kita home was just like Tamaki remembered, except the window panes on either side of the large front door looked and smelled like they'd been freshly painted.  The trio walked up the stairs while Kenji drove the limousine into the parking garage.  Miyako pulled out a key and opened the door slowly, allowing Tamaki and Haruhi to enter first.

"You have a nice place, Miyako-senpai," Haruhi commented, looking around at the various decorations.

"I suppose so," Miyako didn't seem to agree.  "Most of it is just Kyung experimenting.  She gets a bit carried away."

Haruhi eyed a seven foot, solid gold elephant statue in the corner and gave a nod.  

"I see."

Somewhere upstairs, a door slammed open.

"MIYAKOOOOOOO!"

Miyako's eyes widened.

"Oh, crap!"

Tamaki then gave a yelp as Miyako grabbed him by the collar and dragged him over to a door.  She opened it, threw him inside, and slammed it shut again.

"What are you doing?" the incredulous Haruhi demanded.

Before Miyako could answer, a figure bolted down the long stairwell and tackled her into a hug.  Haruhi could see that the 'attacker' was a man in his forties, who looked a bit like a male Miyako except with a cheerful grin she never sported.

"There you are," the man cried.  "My darling daughter, Miyako!  DADDY MISSED YOU SO MUCH!!!"

Miyako, for her part, stood completely still against her father.  The effect was that the hug looked incredibly awkward and one sided, even as the female medium gave her father's back and awkward pat.  

"Fujioka," Miyako calmly addressed the stunned Haruhi.  "This is my father, Shinji Kita.  Dad, this is Haruhi Fujioka.  Remember I told you she'd be spending the night?"

Mr. Kita loosened his grip on Miyako as he gazed over at Haruhi.  There was a short pause before the man released his daughter and almost ran to Haruhi.  Instead of hugging her, he grasped her arm and shook it a bit roughly.

"Why yes!" He exclaimed.  "I was so surprised when Miyako-chan told me a friend would be sleeping over.  I know she doesn't really have any."

Haruhi sweat dropped while Miyako began to grind her teeth in annoyance.

"And you're such a polite looking young lady too," Mr. Kita's eyes were practically glowing.  "THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEFRIENDING MY DAUGHTER!!"

"OKAY, thank you Dad," Miyako interrupted loudly as she walked over and not-to-subtly separated her father and Haruhi's hands.  "We'll just be going upstairs, now."

"Say no more!" Mr. Kita answered cheerfully.  

With that, the man ran back up the stairs like a small child running a race.  He stopped at the top of the stairs to call back down:

"Have fun, girls!  And remember, NO BOYS!"

Miyako just gave a fake grin and nodded.  When he was gone, she let out a breath and darted to the closet she'd just thrown Tamaki into.  He sputtered angrily as she pulled him back out, but Miyako spoke before he could yell or demand answers.

"You need to keep quiet and out of sight, Suoh," She told him sternly.  "My father is kind of overprotective when it comes to me and guys.  He doesn't know you're here, nor can he.  He'll kick you out if he finds you."

"So you threw me in a closet?!" He shouted despite her warning.

Miyako shushed him and looked up at the stairs to make sure her father hadn't heard.  Seeing nothing, she turned back to the now slightly calmer Tamaki.

"Alright, fine.  I'm sorry I threw you in the closet," she ground out.  "Just try to stay out of sight until everyone goes to bed, okay?"

"Okay," Tamaki answered with a nod.

Another door opened upstairs.

"Oh Miyako?" Mr. Kita's voice rang out again.  "I forgot to tell you something!"

"Just a second, dad," Miyako shouted back as she once again pushed Tamaki into the closet.

**
12:30 am

Haruhi and Miyako sat in the latter's room.  Tamaki stood across from them, waiting by the door leading to Miyako's personal bathroom in case somebody came in and he needed to hide.  

Yomiko and Yoko had gone to bed five hours ago.  Her father and Kyung usually turned in around this time.  The servants were all asleep in their quarters aside from Rika, who according to Miyako, was on a date tonight.  Miyako listened carefully, both for the door to her father's room to close and for a sign from the ghost.  She hadn't heard a peep from it since this morning, but she had a good feeling it was still there.  She could only hope they'd find it tonight and before it got to be too late.  She knew that when deprived of sleep, she could get a bit irritable.

A door closed, putting the ears of everyone present on the alert.  Tamaki, Haruhi and the three ghosts kept their eyes on Miyako, waiting for her to give the okay.  Another minute passed, Miyako counted the seconds in her head.  She heard no other sound and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay," she said.  "I think we're good."

Both Tamaki and Haruhi let out a breath while Hoki groaned through his teeth.

"Man, I HATE having to stay quiet," The ghost complained.  "It's so difficult!"

"You didn't have to keep quiet, Cretin, they can't hear you," Elissa drawled.  "Of course, you SHOULD keep quiet, preferably forever."

Hoki glared at her and shrugged.  "Whatever, can I watch TV?"

Miyako sighed, waving her hand.  "Just keep it low."

Once he was gone, Miyako and Haruhi stood up and Tamaki walked over.

"So, how is this going to work?" he asked.

"We're going to have to search the whole house," Miyako explained.  "It probably hasn't made any noise yet because of all the people around during the day.  For some reason, ghosts like this prefer to come out only when they believe everyone is asleep."

Haruhi raised an eyebrow.  "You speak as if you have experience."

Miyako stopped, her mouth partially open.  A glance at Suoh showed he was thinking the same thing, even though he hadn't questioned her like Fujioka.  Inwardly, the female medium groaned.  If there was one thing she hated more than situations like this, it was having to explain them to other people.  Normally, this was bearable since she was only telling Kenji, Rika and maybe Mrs. Noda.  This was Tamaki Suoh and Haruhi Fujioka.  The latter she didn't even know very well, not that she and the former were life-long friends either.  Still, she could sense no way around this, and any lie she told would probably sound like something out of a bad horror movie.  

Miyako clicked her teeth together.  "You're right, this has happened to me before."

Dual looks of shock appeared on the couple's faces, but Miyako remained unfazed.

"This has happened with two other ghosts," She elaborated, alleviating some of their fears.  "This is the 3rd time, I believe.  The first two were different each time, that's why I don't really know what we're dealing with here."

"What did the first two want?" Haruhi asked.

"The first one was just scared," Miyako answered with a shrug.  "He was newly dead and didn't understand what was happening to him.  I explained everything, and he went off peacefully.  The second was a bit more…"

Her pause alone made Tamaki's fear grow again.  A million different words flashed through his mind that could easily be attached to the end of her sentence.

"…loud."

That wasn't one of them.

Tamaki started a bit.  "Loud?  What does that mean?"

"He thought it would be funny to jump out at me through walls, scream in my ear at dinner and, like this particular ghost, possess me while I was sleeping.  Once he figured out that he couldn't, he just upped the ante on the other two until I finally managed to get rid of him.  And don't ask how I did that.  It's a long, complicated story that I'd rather not remember.  Any more questions?"

Haruhi nodded her head no, but Tamaki remained still.

"It must have been scary for you."

For the second time that day, Tamaki received a completely flat look from his fellow medium along with an eye roll for good measure.

"Suoh, I've been doing this for years," she told him defensively.  "I don't get scared of something as a harmless as a ghost.  It was extremely annoying, yes, but not scary."

She turned and began walking to the door, but Tamaki wasn't finished yet.

"I just thought you'd asked for me and Haruhi to come because you were nervous after the last time," he explained.  "I figured you didn't want to do it alone again."

Miyako's hand, which had been on the doorknob, fell to her side and clenched into a fist.  She shook a bit, making Tamaki wonder if he'd angered her or said too much.  However, when she spoke a minute later, she sounded calm as ever.

"You're here because this is a good learning experience for you, Suoh," she remained facing the door.  "This'll probably happened in your house someday.  You'll need to be prepared.  Plus, your friends here will be helpful since other ghosts are solid to them."

She motioned towards Elissa and Naru.  The former snorted and rolled her eyes.

"We wouldn't mind helping," she glanced at Naru before aiming an outstretched thumb over her shoulder.  "But I doubt you'll be getting any assistance from the Cretin here."

Indeed, Hoki had spent the last several minutes completely absorbed in an anime he was watching.  In fact, the only time he actually spoke was to loudly comment on the show.

"I don't like the angry midget, he's stupid," the ghost declared.  "The wrench chick could do so much better."

The rest of the group stared at him for another moment, then turned their attention back to the important issue.

"Alright then," Tamaki spoke in his 'forceful leader' voice.  "Let's begin our search.  Miyako, since you know this place best, you will act as our guide.  We don't entirely know what we're up against, so for the time being, we shouldn't split up."

"Sounds fine," Miyako deadpanned.  "Though I have to wonder how you suddenly became the leader."

Tamaki either ignored this, or his current mindset filtered it out.  He whirled around dramatically and pointed at the male ghost, who's eyes were still glued to the TV.

"Hoki!  Can I count on you to man the fort while we're gone?"

"The wrench chick should be with the fire guy," Hoki definitely had a filter on.  "Oh wait, he's with the gun lady… ah well, they can have a threesome."

An awkward silence follow, but Tamaki, being Tamaki, quickly recovered.

"I will take that as a yes!" He declared before turning his outstretched arm to the door.  "Alright, ladies, let's go!"

Flashing each other side glances at Tamaki's behavior, Haruhi and Miyako followed him out, as did Elissa and Naru.  The door closed behind them, softly so not to disturb anyone, but loud enough to somehow pull Hoki away from his trivial thoughts.

"Who's making all that noise?" the ghost demanded glancing in all different directions.  "I'm trying to watch the fire guy roast the skinny worm freak!"

**
1:00 am

The group moved quietly down the hallway.  Tamaki at the front, Miyako and Haruhi directly behind him, and Elissa and Naru bringing up the rear.  So far, they'd found nothing and were currently searching the guest rooms.

Haruhi stood lookout while Tamaki and Miyako searched the room.  Ten minutes passed in utter silence, and it was starting to get to everyone.  

"Are you sure it's still around?" Tamaki whispered to Miyako as they looked under the bed for a second time.

"Of course," The girl answered firmly, a bit too much for Tamaki's liking.  "It's definitely still here, it's just…"

BANG

Everyone jumped, including Haruhi.

Another sound immediately followed, one that sent the hairs on Tamaki and Miyako's necks on end.  

"You heard that, right?" Tamaki nervously asked his partner.

She nodded, then glanced at Haruhi.

"I assume you didn't hear the laughter just now?"

"What laughter?" Haruhi responded with genuine confusion.  "I just heard the crash."

No more needed to be said as they all understood the implications of that.  Miyako, with a great deal of visible relief nodded and started for the door.  The others followed and upon entering the hall, found an over turned vase on the ground two doors away.  In the distance, more laughter could be heard.

"Looks like we found it," Tamaki said cheerfully.

Miyako glared at him, dampening his good mood considerably.  "Not yet, we haven't."

She darted down the hallway towards the fading voice.  Tamaki and Haruhi looked at each other, silently agreeing that something was up with the female medium.

**
1:30 am

The ghost had disappeared again.  Miyako refused to speak to anyone and walked several steps ahead of her companions, never once moving her gaze anywhere except straight.  Tamaki and Haruhi walked behind her in silent awkwardness, each wondering why their friend was so worked up about this ghost.  

In the end, it was Tamaki who decided not to take the quiet anymore, even though a strong part of him didn't think speaking was a good idea right now.

"Are you sure you're alright, Miyako?" He asked softly.

Predictably, he got no response, but that certainly never stopped him before.

"If you want to talk about something, you can," Tamaki continued.  "You can tell me anything.  I won't judge you."

"Is that so?"

The couple jumped when Miyako spoke, neither of them truly expecting her to give any kind of response.  She had stopped and turned around.  Her features were hard as if from a refusal to show emotion, which only served to convince Tamaki further that something was bothering her.

"You wouldn't judge me, you barely even know me," Miyako stated.

Tamaki frowned and gave a nod.  "I know, but over the past few weeks, I really have come to care about you, Miyako."

One thing that amazed… pretty much everyone who knew Tamaki Suoh, was his innate ability to change demeanor in a split second.  For example, at this very moment, he went from quiet and subdued, to energetic and hyper as he leapt forward and tacked the startled Miyako into a hug.  Haruhi just stood back, used to her boyfriends behavior.  Miyako, however, stood rigid, completely unsure of how to handle the situation.

"You're like the little sister I never had!" He gushed.

"…Okay," Miyako responded, while trying her best to politely push Tamaki off her.

Luckily for her, he let go on his own.  Unluckily (perhaps), his eyes were alight with a new determination.  He grabbed her arm and Haruhi's as well, pulling them along with fervor and still going on about his self-proclaimed 'sister'.

"Don't worry," he cried.  "I'll protect my beloved and my little sister from the ghost!  He'll never be a bother again!"

"Suoh, you do know I'm three months older than you, right?"

Naturally, this was filtered out.

**
2:00 am

"Where is it?!" Miyako almost shouted.  

Tamaki glanced at her in response.  He had come down from his self-induced high earlier on, though he still insisted on calling Miyako his little sister.  She prayed that wouldn't become a permanent thing with him.

They were in the kitchen now, it was a good place to look for ghosts since there were a lot of places for them to hide.  Unfortunately, this didn't seem to be the case.  The spirit had already left a few more signs of his or her presence.  Including turning some pictures upside down and rearranging the little figurines Kyung kept on display in the dining room

What struck all of them as odd was the fact that, baring the first time, the spirit hadn't made any noise other than laughing.  It clearly knew there was at least one medium present, was it trying to get her attention?  And did it know about Tamaki?  

While all this was going on, the two ghosts who'd followed were becoming antsy, Naru in particular.  

"This is boring," The child ghost whined.  "I wanna go see the ducks."

"It's too late right now, Naru-chan," Tamaki explained while looking through a cabinet.  "We can go tomorrow, okay?"

The girl gave an impatient, exaggerated sigh and crossed her arms over her chest.  While not displaying it quite as childishly, Elissa clearly had similar feelings.

"I'm just not used to all this quiet," she sighed.  "In the theatre troupe, there was always something going on.  I miss those days…"

"You miss getting rotten tomatoes thrown at you?" Hoki asked cheekily as he came up behind her.

"Yes…" Elissa answered nostalgically, until it suddenly hit her.  "CRETIN!!!"

Hoki burst out laughing, while Tamaki stared at him.

"I thought you were manning the fort," he whined.

"Manning the whatnow?"  

"Hey, Tamaki?"

He turned to where he heard Haruhi's voice and found her standing beside Miyako, who was sitting at the kitchen table staring at the floor.  Tamaki rushed over, a wave of concern hitting him.

"Miyako, are you alright?" He asked, kneeled down to get a better look at her face.

She looked alright, aside from the fact that her eyes were closed for whatever reason.  She let out a breath and stood up straighter, rubbing her eyes as hard as she could.

"I'm fine," she then answered.  "Just a little tired.  I don't usually stay up this late."

"You need a wake up call?" Hoki zoomed over.  "I can do that."

"Hoki, that's not necessary," Tamaki tried to dissuade the ghost.

"I know!" It failed miserably.  "I heard some tourist girls singing a hilarious song the other day!  Now how did it go…"

"It's alright, Hoki," Miyako said as she stood up.  "I'm just fi-"

"Now I remember!" Hoki declared as a light bulb went off in his head.  He took an unneeded deep breath and began singing.  "Soldier A!  Soldier A! The unsung hero of ANIMEEEEEE…"

As the singing continued, Elissa covered her ears and ran crying from the room while Naru began attempting to sing along.  Tamaki and Miyako watched for only a moment longer and then walked out of the kitchen, a confused Haruhi and an oblivious, still singing Hoki in their wake.  

Miyako clenched a fist, already feeling annoyance growing within her.  She tried her hardest not to let it show, and kept her mouth shut even as Hoki's bad, off-key singing grew louder.

'He can't keep it up forever,' she told herself.

**
2:30 am

"He's called upon to grunt or yell or screeeeeam!  Even if his mouth is never seeeeen!"

**
3:00 am

"Today I threw a fiiit!  Today he threw a fiiiit!"

**
4:00 am

"The director says it's time for my dying to commence!"

**
5:30 am

"SOLDIER AAAAAA!  SOLDIER AAAAAA!"

"How many times has it been now?" Elissa miserably asked.

"I lost count after 57," Tamaki answered.

"I suppose I should consider myself lucky I can't hear any of this," Haruhi commented to herself.

In front of them, Miyako stopped.  She'd been walking at a steady pace through the lower levels of the house, and gave no indication that the singing was bothering her.  Her sudden halt brought up feelings of surprise in Tamaki.  Those feelings changed immediately when Miyako turned around.

Her aura had completely changed.  While never particularly chipper, Miyako usually produced an air of calm contentment not unlike Kyoya.  At least, when she wasn't angry at him.

Right now, it was as if the very air around her had turned pitch black.  A shadow, one whose origin he couldn't figure out, obstructed her eyes from view, and it was probably for the best.  Her mouth was set in a deep frown, and her hands remained at her sides, oddly enough, not fisted.  

In short, Miyako looked absolutely terrifying.  Tamaki could only cling to whatever was closet to him and thank the Lord her anger wasn't directed at him.  

Her long black skirt obstructing her feet, Miyako seemed to glide towards Hoki, whose eyes were shut as his song continued.

"Hip Hooray for Soldier A, he only has one line but…"

Hoki's eyes opened just as Miyako stopped in front of him.  One look at her face shut him up completely.  It was the first time Tamaki'd ever seen him so quiet or looking so terrified.

Miyako leaned in close, causing Hoki to step back.  Low as it was, Tamaki could perfectly make out Miyako's voice as she spoke in a deathly tone to Hoki.

"Stop.  Singing.  That.  Song.  Now."

Dead as he was, Hoki probably felt like she'd find a way to kill him again if he didn't obey.  He nodded his head and practically ran away from the female medium.  Meanwhile, Tamaki felt his intense fear die down as Miyako's aura slowly returned to normal.  He began to wonder where Haruhi was, he couldn't see her anywhere.  She hadn't been scared off, had she?

"Tamaki, can you please get off me?"

It was about this time he realized the 'thing' he'd been clinging to was, in fact, Haruhi herself.  Stammering an apology, Tamaki jumped away and spent a few minutes sitting against the wall, mentally berating himself for his cowardly act while Haruhi tried and failed to reassure him that it was okay.

"THERE IT IS!"

Miyako's shout pulled everyone away from what they were doing.  She tore off down the hall, towards a person Tamaki could just barely make out before they ran around the corner out of sight.  Having gotten a head start, Miyako made it first, and stood rigid, causing a weight to drop into Tamaki's stomach.  Unsurprisingly, the ghost was gone when they got there.  A number of doors lined each side of the hall.  It would take forever to search every room and the ghost would probably just run again if they found it.

Miyako allowed her body to slowly fall to the floor as she rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes.

"Hey, are you alright?" Once again, Haruhi was the first on the scene.  "This is the second time now.  You need to get some sleep, Senpai."

"Don't we all," the older girl moaned.  "We've been up all night, and it's still running around.  It'll be here tomorrow night too… I just need some sleep."

Her words became slurred and her breathing evened out.  Haruhi looked at Tamaki, and noticed he was showing an equal amount of fatigue, though he hid it a bit better.  Now that she thought about it, she was pretty tired herself.

Taking a cue from her Senpai, Haruhi sat against the wall and closed her eyes.  Not a moment later, she felt a presence on her other side and allowed Tamaki to pull her into his arms.  He sat her down in his lap and she gently laid her head on his chest, feeling the beating of his heart.  It was a sound she'd come to love and hate at the same time, because it reminded her that Tamaki was alive, but that he came so very close to dying.

"Rough night, huh?" Tamaki remarked with a shrug.  "Our first all-nighter hasn't been very productive."

Haruhi smiled slightly.  "You would make a joke at a time like this."

Above her, Tamaki gave a smile of his own.  Exhaustion was slowly taking over him as well.  He tightened his grip on Haruhi's waist, wanting to keep her as close as possible.  Her warm body felt wonderful against his, and he wished they could stay like that forever.  All thoughts of finding the ghost left him as he closed his eyes and turned his head to the side.  They fluttered open for just a moment longer.

Just long enough to see a grinning head poking out of the wall above the sleeping Miyako.  Instantly, all thoughts of sleep vanished.

"NO!" Tamaki shouted.

It was too late.  The ghost dived into Miyako from behind.  The girl's eyes snapped open immediately and she threw herself to the ground, her body convulsing.  Haruhi jumped out of Tamaki's grasp and ran to hold the older girl down.  It was much harder than it looked as Miyako was struggling very hard against the unseen force.

"What's going on?" Haruhi cried to Tamaki.  "It's like she's having a seizure!"

"The ghost is trying to possess her," he hurriedly explained.  "She's fighting it off!"

Despite her vicious movements, not a single sound erupting from Miyako's body.  In fact, close inspection showed she wasn't even breathing, her mouth open in a silent scream completed the horrifying sight.

"Don't look, Naru!" Tamaki heard Elissa shouted from behind him.

He waved Haruhi away and took over holding Miyako down, he was stronger and therefore more effective.  Miyako's jerking movements continued, but they seemed to be slowing a bit.  Was that a good or a bad thing, he wondered

"Come on, Miyako," he would take no chances.  "You can do it.  I'm here with you.  Your big brother is here!"

He'd never know if she actually heard him, even though odds were she hadn't, but the moment those words were out of his mouth, the scream finally tore out of her throat, and a spirit was practically thrown from her body.  

It sat in shock for a moment, then got up to start running.  Hoki was quicker, and tackled him to the ground before he could even reach a wall.  Meanwhile, Tamaki and Haruhi helped Miyako to her feet.  She pushed them aside, wordlessly assuring them that she was fine and stalked over to where Hoki was holding the offending ghost.

The latter had been attempting to pry himself out of Hoki's grip with no progress.  He froze when Miyako kneeled in front of him and took a good look at her.

"You're not much to look at from the other side," he said tauntingly.  "I never had a thing for girls with skin problems."

Tamaki could see Miyako's aura darkening again, but this time she barely controlled it.

"You're lucky you're already dead," Hoki muttered to his captive.  "She'd kill you again for that."

"Why have you been doing all this," the female medium demanded.  "Do you want something?"

To her immense surprise, the ghost just shrugged in response.

"I don't know," he answered easily.  "Haunting people is fun, and it's not often you get a medium to annoy out of the deal."

"You call trying to possess her 'fun'?" Tamaki demanded as he made his way over.

Miyako shooed him away.  "I've got this, Suoh."

"You don't 'got' anything," the ghost shoot at her.  "You can't make me leave.  I'll just kind bugging you.  You'll have to sleep with one eye open so I don't sneak up on you again."

Hoki, who up until now had been holding the ghost in a chokehold, suddenly let go and whirling the other ghost around to face him.  The ghost gave a sound of protest, which turned to a squeak of fear when he saw Hoki's face.

"I don't think so," the male ghost said in a low tone.

The ghost stared at him, his mouth hanging open in fear.

"It's you!" he shouted, pointing his finger right in Hoki's face.

"Yes, it's me!" Hoki declared in a tough guy voice.  "And you'd better know this:  Miyako here, and Tamaki and… okay, everyone here right now?  They're my people, and you don't mess with my people."

He shoved his face into the ghost's until their noses were almost touching.  

"Got that?"

Lost for words, the ghost nodded.  Hoki let go and the spirit ran as fast as he could down the hall.

"Don't ever come here again, you hear me?" Hoki shouted after him.

The ghost responded with another scream and then disappeared from sight through the opposite wall.

Everyone (sans Haruhi) turned their amazed eyes from the retreating ghost to Hoki, who stood in a triumphant pose with a smug grin on his face.

"How did you do that?" the stunned Tamaki asked.

Hoki whipped around, standing in a pose like a superhero.

"Why, because I'm awesome!" he stated proudly.  

This managed to bring down Elissa and Miyako's amazement, which was enough for him to realize they weren't buying it.  Sighing, Hoki deflated a bit and waved a hand.

"I'll explain later.  Long story."

Honestly, Tamaki was happy with that answer.   He knew none of them were eager to hear a long story right now.  

There was only one thing they wanted to do now.

**
"I've never been more happy to see my bed," Miyako said as they walked into her room.  

The sun was already peeking out over the horizon, but the trio of sleepy teenagers paid it no mind.  Miyako sprawled out on her bed while Haruhi took the couch and Tamaki just let himself drop to the floor.  He was both too tired to find a better place to sleep, and saw this as an excellent opportunity to 'rough it' like commoners did.  Sort of.

"This is the last time I go with you guys anywhere," Haruhi stated from the couch.

"I just hope Hoki's right and that ghost really is gone for good." Miyako commented.  "I'll have to thank him later."

"It sure seemed spooked, for lack of a better word," Tamaki replied.  "I wonder why it was so scared of him."

He managed to lift his head and bit and smiled in Miyako's direction.

"It's weird, huh Miyako?"

"Shut up, Suoh," was her sour response.  "The last thing I want to do right now is talk.  I'm exhausted and I just had to stop a ghost from possessing me for the second time in 24 hours.  You won't be so cheery about it when you have to fight off something trying to take over your body."

"Whose 'cheery?'" Tamaki yawned.  "I'm too tired."

His head fell back down on the floor.  The carpet was much more comfortable than it looked (or was that the sleepiness talking).  He didn't even care if he was found in the morning.  That could be worried about when he was fully conscious.  His eyes lingered for a brief moment on Haruhi.  She looked so cute when she slept, but then she was always cute.  His beloved Haruhi…  

With such thoughts in his head, Tamaki closed his eyes and allowed the peaceful atmosphere to lull him to sleep.

KNOCK KNOCK

The three teenagers shot up.  Their baggy eyes watched the doorknob turn and an elderly woman walk inside.  Mrs. Noda cast an apologetic glance at all three of them, and didn't even comment on Tamaki's presence.  Instead, she sighed and said the last seven words any of them wanted to hear at that moment.

"You have school.  Time to get up."

**
"Suoh?"

"Yes, Miyako?"

"Kill me."

"Maybe later."

The two of them leaned against each other while Haruhi was sprawled over Tamaki's other side.  None of them cared what this looked like to anyone else nor about what they were actually saying.  Haruhi, for her part, hoped that her teacher wouldn't notice her sleeping through class while Tamaki was just trying to keep his jumbled thoughts semi-coherent.  He still wasn't entirely sure how his train of thought had gone from ways to inconspicuously sleep in class to what Haruhi would look like in a Cat suit.

They didn't even noticed when the limousine carrying them stopped moving, and Kenji's slightly nervous voice called out to them.

"We're here."

Their response time was severally limited, so it was around twenty seconds before they finally managed to exit the car.  Naru and Elissa followed, both showing obvious concern for their friends.  The last member of their party exited as well, though he wasn't entirely welcome at the moment.

"Come on, guys," Hoki cheerfully prompted them.  "Cheer up.  We got rid of the ghost didn't we?  That's something to celebrate."

"You expect them to celebrate when they can barely stand?!" The scandalized Elissa demanded.  "You're a particularly stupid Cretin, aren't you?"

Hoki glared at her, but his attention turned back to the living trio as he suddenly got an idea.

"I know what'll get your spirits up!"  He proclaimed.

Even sleep deprived, Tamaki could recognize the look in Hoki's eye, and felt fear rising back up inside him along with a desperation to stop Hoki at any cost.

"Hoki, wait!"

It seemed today was not Tamaki Suoh's day, as Hoki began singing despite the blondes pleas.

"Solder AAAA" he sang.  "Soldier AAAAA!  THE UNSUNG HERO OF ANIMEEEeeeeee…"

He trailed off when Miyako sent another glare his way.  It wasn't nearly as intimidating as the first time, and suffered from her eyes constantly drooping, but it did the job, bringing up memories of exactly what she was capable of and quieting Hoki for a second time.

A moaning sound erupted from the female medium's throat, and she started walking ahead of Tamaki and Haruhi.

"Where are you going?" the latter called after her.

"To either find a place to sleep," Miyako answered without stopping.  "Or find the idiot who wrote that stupid song so I can strangle him."

As she disappeared in the crowd, Hoki, Elissa and Naru all looked at Tamaki.  He responded with tired frustration and confusion.

"Why are you looking at me like that?!"