A/N: I'm sorry this took so long, but my mind was in constant Procrastination Mode! For those of you who all added this story to your watches/favorites, thank you very much! And a big thanks to Jenn Habel, when the stars go out, talon dreamer, Lillywarrior, HitachiinGirl1, and loves2readandwrite for reviewing!
Here is the next chapter, without further ado!
Tamaki was annoying through lunch about how Kaoru had done unspeakable things to his daughter until Haruhi shot him a glare that could have put Kyoya's icy gaze to shame.
Then he just grew mushrooms in the hallway closet, which no one paid much attention to besides a confused look from Kasanoda.
As lunch drew to a close, Renge came into the room and got everyone's attention, telling them it was time for the next date to begin.
Tamaki was back in the room at the speed of light. "Who has her this time?" he asked, obviously praying it would be him.
"Mori was chosen this time," Renge said, not noticing as Tamaki deflated like a balloon and went to his corner. "It starts in 15 minutes. Get ready~"
Mori stood up and went to the main hallway to take a look at the map of the mansion that had been put up there for the convenience of being able to know everything the place had to offer.
"Haruhi, let's go brush your hair!" Renge said, pulling the other girl back to her room.
"Renge-chan, my hair is fine," Haruhi insisted. "It's not a big deal to look perfect to me, you know?"
"I know, but I just wanted to talk to you. About the first date you had! We didn't get a chance to discuss it!"
"Oh…" Haruhi thought for a moment. "It was fun, I guess. We played and joked. I don't usually get to spend time alone with just Kaoru, so it was a change."
"Hmm…I see…Well, I've been waiting to ask, but I can't anymore; which guy here do you like best?" the fangirl asked excitedly.
"Huh? Um…that's…I mean…they're all my friends, right?" the brunette laughed a bit awkwardly.
"But which one do you like most as…"
They were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Oh! Time for your date with Mori! Go, go!" Renge urged her.
Haruhi nodded and opened the door, smiling up at Mori. "I'm ready."
He nodded to her wordlessly and held up a basket. "You didn't eat much at lunch."
"Huh? Ah, I guess I was a little worried about everything that's happening. Not worried, but preoccupied, rather…"
Mori nodded and took her hand, looking at her as if to say 'Is this okay?'
She smiled and nodded. "Let's go."
He led her out to a section of the grounds with a willow tree by a small pond and set the basket down, getting out a blanket and spreading it under the shade.
Haruhi was pleased to have something simple like a picnic as a date. It was a beautiful day as well, which made her smile slightly.
The two sat down on the blanket and began to eat, not saying much. Haruhi made a few comments on this and that, to which Mori would think for a moment before nodding or shaking his head.
To most, it would have been awkward, but to Haruhi it was peaceful. Mori was never much of a talker and it was nice that she could have quiet with just him. She knew he was far from anti-social, so it didn't bother her at all.
"Hey, Mori-senpai…" she began, "…do you think that even after this game show is over, I'll still be able to be friends with everyone?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"Well…I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but I know that I'll have to choose only one person to win, and that makes it hard. I just…"
She stopped talking when she felt a large warm hand pat her on the head.
"We all care about you," Mori said simply. "This show can't change something like that. You don't need to worry about us. Just think about your feelings for this."
Haruhi blinked in surprise. He wasn't sure if she'd ever heard him say so many words like that before.
But then she smiled. "Yeah. I guess you're right. Thanks, Mori-senpai."
He smiled slightly back at her, patting her one last time.
The rest of their date was spent in quiet, looking up at the clouds, Haruhi telling him about how cloud-watching worked and you tried to see shapes in them.
Then they spent a while pointing shapes out to each other.
Haruhi almost didn't want to go back to the mansion with all the commotion and noisiness, but she knew she didn't have much of a choice since she'd signed a contract to do the show.
She and Mori walked back, holding hands, only to be pulled apart by Tamaki who glomped Haruhi and Honey who glomped Mori out of happiness that they'd returned.
As she half-heartedly pushed Tamaki off of her, Haruhi felt better than she had before. She didn't have to worry about if they'd be friends or not because they all really did care for each other.
As long as they had that, they'd be fine.
"S-so, Mori was civil with you, right?" Tamaki asked her.
"Of course he was, senpai. In fact…I think he really helped me figure something out…I can actually look forward to my dates for tomorrow."
"HE TURNED YOU INTO A VIXEN!" the blond sobbed.
As always, he was ignored and Haruhi, Mori, and Hani went to rejoin the others in the entertainment room.
She realized things could never change too much.
Tamaki would keep being a drama king, Kyoya would keep calculating how to make profits off of anything he could, the twins would still be pranksters, Honey would keep eating cake, Mori would keep being the silent guardian of a man, Kasanoda would keep being sweet in his own way, and Nekozawa would keep to the dark.
The only thing that would possibly change was Haruhi. She realized this. She may grow to care for one of them more than she thought she would.
But only time would tell…
A/N: So, yeah…It's kinda on the short side, I guess, but this is the chapter. The next chapter will be the next day and the next date.
If you don't review, I may not be motivated to update, so review!
