My first fanfic...Well, no it's not. But I deleted the other one because it sucked. Expect a lot more one-shots from me. And I know this one sucks, but whatever. Please don't be too harsh on me. Enjoy?

It was a warm and sunny day. The youngest Hitachiin twin was sitting, propped up against a beautiful and blooming cherry blossom tree, while reading carefully from a ridiculously thick book. Wisps of caramel-colored hair were covering his eyes from view, and his left hand was supporting his chin. It was quiet, and he was all alone. Usually, this boy would be studying with his brother, but he had other plans. Sometimes, Kaoru would envy his brother-he was still single, his brother was not. But at the same time, he also felt happy for him. Oh yes, and not to mention, relieved. Hikaru's girlfriend wasn't the girl of Kaoru's dreams.

As much as he didn't want to think about her, he just couldn't get her out of his head. He knew that no matter how much he loved her, she'd never love him back. And the truth pained him terribly. After Hikaru met Hana, Kaoru finally felt it was okay to play around with her. It never worked the way he planned. She'd never respond the way he wanted her to, but giggle and smile sweetly. He would have done whatever it took to get out of the friendship zone, but nothing was good enough.

Kaoru realized he zoned out, and went back to focusing on his studies. Nobody knew it, but he'd always come to this spot whenever he needed some alone-time. It was peaceful, quiet, and perfect for loners like him. It was the only place where nobody could bother-

"Kaoru?" A familiarly bland voice said from a distance. He raised his head and saw Haruhi Fujioka leaning against the same tree.

Stay calm, he thought, putting down his book "Haruhi, what are you doing here?"

She shrugged cutely. "I got bored so I decided to look for you."

"Oh."

"Can I sit with you?"

He nodded, and she dropped down next to him. Their shoulders were touching. She tried to look at him without making eye-contact. It's been a while since the last time she took a good look at him. And with that one look, she remembered. She remembered why she had a crush on him in the beginning of the year. His beautiful face, charming gold eyes, the hair, his sweet and soothing voice, what made him different from his brother, the way he'd always be there for her, the way they talked, and his pure kindness. It was enough to drive her crazy. And for a moment, she forgot why she was there.

"Kaoru..." she began, "it's our last year here."

He bit his lip and looked down. That was the sad, sad, truth. "Time flies, doesn't it?"

"It does..." She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Before I came, were you studying?"

"Yeah, I was."

She paused. "If you need any help, just ask me."

"Thanks, Haru. So you wanna help me?"

"If you need it, I'll be more than glad to."

"Help me out."

"Show me it."

He showed her the page, and she began explaining it. Her bland voice was so good to hear; he thought it was just perfect. Her voice was his favorite thing to listen to. He was still a bit confused, but by the time she was done, he understood it perfectly well-or so he told himself. All that mattered to him was that it was Haruhi helping him out with his studying. She was such a brainiac, and it turned him on.

"Do you get it now?" She asked kindly.

He nodded and grinned. "I do. Thanks a lot."

"Are you sure? I don't mind going over it again..."

"No, I'm sure. I get it, it's alright."

She looked away. "Oh, okay."

Awkward silence.

He didn't know what to say. "You're really smart. How do you do it?"

Haruhi shrugged. "Beats me. I study a lot, that's all."

He thought about it. "Hm, maybe I should start studying..."

She laughed. "You're pretty smart yourself."

Kaoru shook his head "Nah. I'm not."

"Smarter than your brother."

"Well, I guess I am."

They both laughed, and she smiled. It was adorable. And suddenly, he was fighting against himself. Against the urge to confess his undying love to her, and cuddle her tightly in his welcoming arms.

"We should hang out more, Kaoru. We don't have much time left."

He agreed sadly. "I never get to see you anymore, and sooner or later, it'll all be over..."

"Have you thought about college yet?" Haru asked.

He shook his head. "No. Me and Hikaru were planning to apply for a bunch of different schools, and seeing which ones accept us both. But things have changed since, and I don't know what he wants."

"And what do you want?"

"I don't wanna go alone." He confessed quietly.

Another silence. Except this time, she was thinking.

Aha! A lightbulb turned on inside her head.

"Kaoru, how about you and I apply for a few colleges, and we go together? We're both smart, chances are we'll get accepted into most."

He smiled, but in the inside, he was smirking. That's exactly what he wanted to hear her say.

"You-you really think so?"

"Yeah, I do. So how about it?"

"Sounds good to me," he said, slowly sliding his hand on top of hers. Haruhi looked at him, and they stared into each others eyes for what seemed like an eternity. They simultaneously looked down, and looked away.

Kaoru noticed that when she got there, he completely forgot about where he was. He thought he was doing good so far-she didn't try avoiding his hand this time.

"Hey, Kaoru?" She said, after a few minutes of silence. A calming breeze was passing in the air.

"Yeah, Haruhi?"

Oh, shit, am I really gonna tell him?

She gulped. "There's something I wanna tell you."

He sat up. "Alright, tell me."

She bit her lip and closed her eyes for several seconds. Her heart was beating at the speed of light. This might be the biggest mistake she'll ever make; it might mean losing the one man she wanted, and the one friend she relied on the most.

I can't believe I'm doing this...

She took a deep breath.

"I, um, I like you." She stuttered.

He was blushing. Did she really like him?

The young man looked into her eyes. "I like you, too."

She shook her head. He misunderstood her. Great, I'm already off to a bad start.

"No, I mean, I like you-more than a friend."

"I know. That's what I mean."

She gasped in total shock. "Y-you do?"

"Yeah, I do...I've liked you for a while now."

Her eyes widened.

"Really? Why didn't you tell me before?"

Kaoru sighed. "I...I wasn't the only one who liked you. Hikaru did, too. And I was afraid that if I told, it would ruin my relationship with him."

"Oh...oh, Kaoru, do you think if we started dating one day, your brother would mind?"

He took a while to answer that. "As far as I'm concerned, he's lost all romantic feelings for you."

She smiled. "Good. You know, even if it would piss him off, I'd still date you."

Another silence. Kaoru broke it. "I know it's too early to ask, but-"

"I'll be yours."

"How did you know I was gonna ask that?"

She shrugged. "I figured."

"You smart, smart girl." He kissed her cheek, and she wrapped her arms around him, blushing.

He looked around at his surroundings to see if anyone else was in their vicinity. Haruhi did the same. The sun was setting, and it was lovely.

"It's getting kinda late." She said, looking at the sun in awe. It was beautiful.

"Yeah..." He replied, not really listening, but staring dazed at her.

"Kaoru?" She stared back, slowly inching closer to him.

He raised a brow, with the feeling he knew what she wanted.

And before she could say, warm hands were cupping her face, their noses were touching, eyes closed, and moist lips came crashing down on hers.