With the beginning of this chapter, the story is less than half over. By the end, it's over half over. Hurray for odd-chapter-numbered stories!! I had such difficulty deciding on a name for this chapter. I ended up making it a poll on my LiveJournal. But no one answered it, so I kept it what I was originally gonna call it. This stanza is where the song starts to get real bittersweet and makes me cry…

I wanted to finish this before summer ended. I wrote the first half of this while it was still summer, but the rest…during school time. Please kill me D:

White Houses

Love, Or Something

I sneak into his car's cracked leather seat
The smell of gasoline in the summer heat
Boy, we're going way too fast
It's all too sweet to last
It's alright
And I put myself in his hands
But I hold on to your secrets in white houses
Love, or something ignites in my veins
And I pray it never fades

In white houses

By the time everything had gotten back to normal (or what one could call "normal" in that house), they were well into their fourth week there. Everyone seemed to be gloomy about going home so soon; a final week could pass by in an instant. As if they hadn't seen each other enough the past three weeks, they all tried to spend every waking moment with each other; Haruhi felt herself being tugged this way and that, asked to swim with someone, have lunch with someone else, watch TV with another person; Renge lightened up a little on the boys in terms of controlling them to do her every whim, though whether this was consciously or not, no one knew for sure.

Only Tamaki seemed literally depressed. And while the others either ignored it or knew the reason for his acting that way, Haruhi couldn't figure it out. Yes, they'd all grown attached to each other, but they could always call each other during the school year, or talk online. Plus, there was no doubting he had tons of friends at school, unlike her who abhorred the fact that she'd have to go back and be ignored and mistreated by those preppy, self-centered, whorish bitches. Unless he was having family problems that he didn't want to talk about, Haruhi couldn't figure out any other reason for his depression.

Partially because she didn't want to ask him straight out why he was so upset, she tried to talk to him as if it were an aside in a play. Her demeanor would lighten up, and in turn, so would his. They'd find themselves telling and chuckling at petty jokes, until they ran out of things to say.

This behavior didn't slip by the others unnoticed, and both Tamaki and Haruhi were confronted on the matter.

"You like him."

"Uwa-What!?" One minute she'd been reading a book (in her few free moments of silence), and the next, she found herself trapped in her room with Renge, Hunny and Mori.

Renge rolled her eyes. "Don't play dumb with me! I'm talking about Tamaki, of course. Please; everyone can see it! The way you two look into each others' eyes, and whisper things meant only for you, and laugh at your little inside jokes? You like him."

Hunny nodded vigorously from Mori's shoulders, and added, "And we think Tama-chan likes you, too, Haru-chan!"

Haruhi stared at them for just a moment before speaking. "Uhh…N-No way. I mean, I…I guess I respect him, or something, but I don't love him! No way! There's no way it'd work out; I mean, we're too different, you know?"

"Opposites attract," Mori said.

"…Mother in heaven…Not you, too, Mori!? Look, he's just seemed a bit down lately, and that's not normal…well, for him anyway. I'm just trying to cheer him up, and that's it."

"Please. I know you're not that blind. The poor boy's probably upset thinking that you don't like him back!" Renge pushed. "And you're just going to let him go on like that?"

"How do you even know he likes me!?"

"But Haru-chan-!"

"Guess there's no way to get through to her," Renge sighed. "I guess we'll just have to hope that the others had more success."

"O-Others?" Haruhi asked. "What do you mean, 'others'!?"

Meanwhile, the twins and Kyoya were confronting Tamaki.

"Hahaha…what do you mean, 'like her'? Of course I like her, I mean, we're all friends here, right?" Tamaki laughed. "Oh, but I suppose I am like a fatherly figure to her. That's what you mean, right?"

"Ah, tono, you know what we're talking about," the twins reprimanded him. "We already talked to you about it, remember?"

"You already talked to him about it?" Kyoya asked them.

"Yeah, but nothing came out of it," Hikaru replied, leaning against his brother.

"Not true!" Tamaki exclaimed, "We all went to eat and we went shopping…and…I bought her something."

"Oh? What did you buy her?" Kaoru asked, curious.

"…"

"Well?" Kyoya pushed.

"…It's a secret. No one else can know until I give it to her…well, except Renge, but only because she helped me pick it out…Kind of."

"Renge, too?"

"Well it's not like it's secret that he likes Haruhi."

"Wait…do you mean she knows, too?" Tamaki asked in a panic.

"Probably," the twins shrugged.

"Really?!" Tamaki exclaimed and the twins laughed at his distress. "What should I do?!"

Kyoya smiled and the light glinted off of his glasses. "If we get you two alone tomorrow, do you think you'd be able to tell her?"


The next evening, Renge again found Haruhi alone in her room, reading. "Heyyyy, Haruhiii!" She smiled innocently at her friend.

Haruhi looked up for a moment before continuing reading. "If this has anything to do with me liking Tamaki, then I'm locking you out of this room and you'll be sleeping on the couch tonight."

"Hahaha, no, it's nothing like that!" Damnit…she thought. "I was just wondering if you wanted to go for a swim, just the two of us."

"How do you know the boys won't come crashing in?" Haruhi replied, not lifting her eyes from her book.

"Oh, they're all outside playing some hockey game on the street. They found a ball somewhere in the house and got a bunch of big sticks and are hitting it around, calling it a sport. Well, all of them except Kyoya, anyway. I think he's reading or something." And maybe I'll go sit by him once I've accomplished my mission.

Haruhi considered her offer for a moment. "Alright," she replied, closing her book.

"Great! Hurry up and get changed; I'll wait here."

Once Haruhi had gotten changed, she waited outside the door for Renge when she heard her friend call out to her, "Damnit! Haruhi, the strap on my bathing suit broke; I'm going to have to find my other one. Why don't you go out to the pool? Maybe set up the chairs or something; I'll be out there in five minutes."

"You sure you don't want me to wait for you?" Haruhi called to her.

"No, I'm fine!" Renge called back. Haruhi shrugged and went off to the pool, never realizing that her friend hadn't even started to change.

When Haruhi got down to the pool, she expected no one to be there (especially based on the noises coming from the front of the house). When she saw Tamaki sitting there, she was ready to turn back.

But, shit, Renge's gonna be down here in a minute; I can't just abandon her. And…damnit, he's already seen me! Well, just smile and make small talk until Renge comes, I suppose. Why am I even getting so nervous anyway? I mean, he's just some silly guy. But…my chest feels so light, and my head's pounding! Why…?

"Ah! H-Haruhi! What um…a surprise!" Tamaki tried to appear his usual cheerful self, but Haruhi saw that he appeared a little nervous about something, though it wasn't the same as the depressing cloud that had fallen over him lately.

She tried to be nonchalant. "Ah, hey, Tamaki," she gave a quick wave, "I'm going swimming with Renge; she's coming down in a minute. Hope we won't be interrupting anything?" "Interrupt anything"!? What is there to interrupt!? He's just sitting there!

"Oh no, of course not. I'm just…Er…Hey, you wanna sit down while you wait for her?" Tamaki offered, not meeting her eyes.

"U-uh…Sure…" Haruhi knew her friend would be out before long, but it seemed cruel to deny this simple request.

The two sat in silence for a few moments, looking at the water, the trees, the blindingly white house- everything but each other. Their thoughts racing, the silence finally became too much to bear and so they both tried to speak, though unfortunately it was at the same time.

"Tamaki…?"

"Haruhi…"

"Oh! Sorry, you go."

"Nonsense! Ladies first!" Tamaki exclaimed, hoping to delay the inevitable.

"Well it's just…I know it's none of my business, but you've been…kind of depressed lately. You don't have to tell me if you don't want, but if there's anything you need to talk about, I'm here to listen," Haruhi said, forcing herself to look him in the eyes by the end.

"Oh…Well uh…see, that's what I sort of wanted to talk to you about. I um…" he took a deep breath. Why was this so hard? "I…I um…I…Er, I bought you something. You know, the other day," Tamaki managed to get out, and handed her the package that he'd kept hidden behind the chair.

Haruhi opened the box, her heart racing. She pushed aside the Styrofoam peanuts and gasped. She took out his present, a glass rose, and held it delicately across her palms. The stem was green while the flower itself was perfectly clear, reflecting light off of it, throwing little rainbows everywhere.

"Ta…I…It…" Haruhi couldn't speak. Her chest felt tight and weak; in fact, her entire body felt weak. He had bought her this…it was gorgeous, and must have been so expensive. Before she knew it, she felt tears forming at her eyes.

"Oh…Do you not like it? I could return it for something else if you like…Please don't cry!" Tamaki pleaded, and leaned forward to wipe her eyes.

"N-No, I love it," Haruhi found her voice again, and sniffed, "No one's…ever gotten me anything like this before. It's so beautiful. I just…I don't know what to say. Thank you so much, Tamaki." She looked up from the rose in her hands and saw that he was less than a foot away, as he'd leaned forward to stop her tears.

He smiled. "I'm glad," he said quietly, and leaned forward even more. Haruhi closed her eyes, not knowing what he was going to do, but slowly opened them as she felt him lightly kissing her forehead, though he pulled back after a short moment. "I really like you, Haruhi."

"I…Tamaki…" Haruhi placed the rose back in the box and set it next to her so there was nothing between them, using the time to organize her thoughts. Her heart was beating so fast, she didn't trust her mind at that moment, but she had to say something. "Me too."

"Ah…R-Really? Y-You do?" Tamaki asked in utter surprise, and in turn took her by surprise by hugging her gently. She surprised herself by raising her arms and hugging him back; she rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. She liked the feeling.

They sat like that for a few minutes; neither counted the time. Finally, Tamaki murmured to her, "In that case…would you like to see a movie with me tomorrow evening? Just you and me, no one else."

"…It's not the movie that I'm objecting to. In fact, I'd really like that. But…I can't say I'd feel comfortable walking home in the dark, even if you're there," Haruhi said, still holding onto him.

"Oh. Well, in that case, I could always drive us."

"D…Drive?" Haruhi pulled back to look at him.

"Well yeah. That dark blue car that's always in front of the house is mine. Haruhi…you didn't know?" Tamaki chuckled. "I'm not sure about everyone else, but I know Mori drove with Hunny, and I drove myself."

"But…When we went to town…And then, didn't Renge send the twins to town on errands that one time?"

"First of all," Tamaki laughed, "Not everyone would have been able to fit in both cars, because mine only holds two people. It's actually pretty cool. But anyway, secondly, do you really think I'd trust those two with my car? They probably can't drive anyway."

"O-Oh. Well in that case, it's a d…a date."

"Sure," Tamaki smiled at her again, and took her hand.

"…Let's not tell the others about this just yet, alright?" Haruhi asked, leaning against him; the sun was beginning it's decent down to the horizon.

"Sure."

They didn't even notice that the loud games of hockey-playing had stopped over fifteen minutes ago.


Once it was twilight, the two decided to go back inside, but went in one at a time, Haruhi first. Just as she entered, she saw Renge on the stairs. "Oh, Haruhi! I was just about to go get you. I was looking forever, but I couldn't find my other bathing suit. I fixed the other, but it's a bit late now."

"Oh, yeah. No problem," Haruhi replied, her head still pounding along with her heart, and she quickly hid the box behind her back inconspicuously, and somehow Renge didn't notice. The two started walking back to their room together.

"Well anyway, sorry; I hope you weren't too um…lonely out there for so long?" In reality, Renge had signaled to the others just as Haruhi had gone outside, and everyone had watched the scene unfold from the windows.

"Oh, no! Ta…Ah, I like being alone sometimes. No offense, but um, 15 minutes to myself didn't exactly kill me."

"Ah, I see."

"So…did the others come inside yet?" Haruhi asked, trying to change the subject and shifting the box so her friend couldn't see. Please don't let her see, please don't let her see, please don't let her see…

"Oh, yeah, about five minutes ago. They're all sweaty, though, so they're taking showers one at a time, and the others are confined to their rooms until they've showered."

"You're so strict with them," Haruhi laughed as they reached their room and went inside. While Renge wasn't facing her, Haruhi managed to hide the box with the rose in a corner behind some suitcases.

Renge sighed as she sat on the bed. Why isn't she talking!? "So what did you do while you were waiting for me? Haha, I'm sorry I took so long."

"Oh, nothing really. I got some chairs and towels out and sat down to wait for you…Er, but I put them back before I came in."

Is she…keeping this a secret from us? Could I have seen something wrong? No, no way. Will Tamaki say anything? But I guess I'll have to leave that up to Kyoya. At least that'll give me a chance to talk to him…Oh, Kyoya…Ah! That's it! "So, uh, Haruhi. Can I talk to you about something?"

"You're already talking to me about something."

"Haha, yes well uh. Well, what if I told you I liked one of the boys?"

Haruhi just stared at her blankly, her heart beating on the double, insides melting, thoughts racing. Wait, does she already know? Did they set us up or something? O-Or is she serious? But…that's too ironic. What's she playing at? Should I just go along with it? I mean, it wouldn't be so bad if she found out, but it'd just be so weird!

"Haruhi?"

"O-Oh…y-yeah? Who?"

Renge giggled. "I'm not saying. Just…someone. So what should I do?"

"You're asking me for advice?"

"I just want to see your opinion," Renge shrugged.

Is she testing me…? "I don't know, tell him? I mean, we're all friends. It might be a bit awkward if he rejects you, or even if he accepts you…But uh…" she thought back to when Hikaru confessed to her. "I mean, we all still love each other. In a family sort of way, though. Ah, right, we're like a family, either way."

So she thinks it would be awkward if she and Tamaki were a couple and the rest of us were just out of the loop? Whatever. I'll just be more direct. "Is there anyone you like, Haruhi?"

"M-M-Me?"

"No, the other Haruhi. YES, you!"

"O-Oh, well, I don't know. I'm really not sure." This wasn't a complete lie, anyway. Sure, she'd agreed to go on a date with him, but she wasn't sure she loved Tamaki.

"Who aren't you sure about?"

"…No one."

"But you just said-"

"I'm gonna run to the bathroom; be back in a minute."

Damn.


The next day, the rest of the group noticed the differences in Haruhi and Tamaki's behavior. It was nothing major, just the kinds of things you do around a person when you've only just started going out. They were quick to apologize for little things, and a bit quieter than usual.

With secretive glances at each other, the other six were able to communicate, and left the couple alone by the afternoon, making up various excuses. By the time the last person left, Haruhi and Tamaki were completely alone, television on, and each tried to pay more attention to whatever program was on rather than the person sitting next to them.

However, the other didn't leave either of their minds. They both wanted to say something, but didn't want to at the same time, because the other seemed to be enjoying the TV. Anyway, neither knew what to say.

Over an hour later, Haruhi gathered up her courage and said, "So…The movie…Do you know what time it starts?"

"Oh, um, right!" Tamaki checked the time, "We have about two hours."

"In that case, I'm going to start getting ready. Should we leave in an hour?"

"Yeah, it's a good idea to be early." He smiled at her, and she smiled back.

Maybe this wasn't a bad idea after all.


When Haruhi entered her room, she found a pink dress lying on her bed. She was certain that with all the packing and re-packing she did, and even with all the overly-feminine clothes her father had insisted she bring, that that dress was not hers. As if to confirm this, she found not only various make-up utensils, but a note lying across the piece of clothing:

At least it's not a sexy, revealing dress, and just a cute one! You can't tell me a guy wouldn't like this. Oh, and the make-up is on loan from me, so don't break anything.

You have half an hour.

"R-Renge!?" Haruhi exclaimed. So she did know. Gah, she should've just told me! Stupid little… Nevertheless, Haruhi discarded the clothes she was currently wearing and put the dress on.

She had to admit…it was rather cute. The sleeves were like regular short sleeves on a t-shirt. It wasn't quite form-fitting, but neither was it too loose. It was entirely light pink except for the ends of the dress and sleeves, which flared out a bit and were dark pink.

But cute as it was, she'd never really worn a dress like this before, and felt a little…awkward. Anyway, she didn't have any shoes that would look nice with it, so she dug out a pair of jeans and put them on underneath. She brushed her hair and finally headed to the vanity to put the make-up on. Uhh…Does Renge realize I've never worn make-up before? Though I guess I just need a little… She ended up poking herself in the eyes several times with the eyeliner and mascara, her cheeks bright red rather than a soft pink.

It was about that time that she heard a knock on the door. "Uh…C-Come in!" she called, trying to hide her face and wipe it off with her arm at the same time. She expected to see Renge, but was slightly horrified to see two other familiar faces.

When the twins saw Haruhi's make-up coated face, they just stopped and stared. After a moment came, "K-Kaoru-"

"Got it," the younger twins said and dashed off.

"Really, now," Hikaru scolded the girl, "You've never applied make-up before? Good thing we're here."

"Yeah, well, what are you doing here, anyway?"

Hikaru winked at her. "Transforming your beauty to a point that Tono will want to-" He was interrupted as his brother returned, a damp cloth in hand, leaving Haruhi to wonder, Want to do what!?

They proceeded to remove the make-up Haruhi applied. Then, as Kaoru re-did her make-up, making the changes from her regular appearance subtle, yet not unnoticeable, Hikaru worked on her hair. She ended up with clips adorning her head in all the right places.

"When did you find out? About…y'know, me and…Tamaki?" Haruhi asked quietly once they'd finished.

The two smiled at her and replied, "That would be telling, now wouldn't it?" Haruhi decided to leave it at that; they'd never tell her anything. She grabbed a light sweater and was about to leave before they stopped her.

"What are you doing now?" she asked, remotely annoyed.

"If you bring your sweater-"

"-Then you won't get cold."

"And why exactly would I want to get cold?" Haruhi asked. But the two didn't answer, just giving each other secret looks, and refused to let her leave until she left the sweater behind.

She went downstairs and saw Tamaki sitting in the chair, waiting for her nervously. As her heard her approach, he took a look at her, and was dumbfounded for just a moment before saying, "Haruhi…You're so cute!" and with that, he glomped onto her.

After explaining to him that she couldn't breathe and he let go, they headed out to the car. She felt like she was sneaking out without permission of the others or something, but convinced herself that it was her decision and she could do whatever she wanted. A great deal of the ride was filled with silence, though they kept trying to break the awkward silence with bits of conversation; compliments on each others' outfits and hair, and Haruhi told Tamaki that the others already knew about them, though he seemed too nervous to care that much.

By the time they reached the theatre, Haruhi was more nervous than when she'd left the house. She felt butterflies in her stomach as he asked for the tickets for them, and she must have been looking pale, because Tamaki told her to sit on a bench as he waited on line to order their snacks for the movie. He kept looking back at her, almost to the point where he missed his turn to order.

"Hey, cutie. Whatcha doing here all by yourself?"

Haruhi looked up to see- yes, it had to be- a woman with a boyish haircut not unlike hers hovering over her.

"Ah…I'm uh…on a date?" Haruhi motioned towards Tamaki. This…was awkward.

The girl looked over at Tamaki as he fumbled with the drinks, causing a huge hold-up in the line. "Tch. Forget him. You do know he'll only end up hurting you? Men are all the same. Come with me instead."

"H-Hold on! I don't even know you!" Haruhi protested, trying to back up in her seat.

"Ah, how rude of me! My name is Benio Amakusa. But really now, why don't you leave him and come with me instead? We're both women; we know we wouldn't hurt each other. But men are so unpredictable. Don't you agree? Oh…well, speak of the devil."

Tamaki had finally finished struggling with the drinks and popcorn and was approaching them. "H-Haruhi? Is this a…friend of yours?"

"T-Tamaki!" Haruhi leapt up past Benio and to Tamaki. In a single movement she'd taken a drink from his grasp and clung onto him.

Tamaki was, needless to say, stunned for a moment. "S-Shall we go then?"

"It's not too late…You'll remember this later, unfortunately, that's for sure." The girl sighed.


"Haruhi, are you alright?" Tamaki asked as they took their seats in the mostly empty theatre. She'd clung to him the entire time without letting go, and even now only let go of him reluctantly.

"Y-Yeah. Sorry," she said. She'd only been scared of what the girl had been saying; Tamaki could never be that cold-hearted, right? Impossible… Yet she couldn't stop thinking about it throughout the entire movie, and this didn't go by unnoticed on Tamaki's part. She'd ended up clinging to him- slightly- again, and he pulled her closer so she was resting her head against his shoulder. At first, she was stiff and nervous, but she eventually relaxed into the position. Maybe…a bit too much.

"Haruhi. Haruhi. Wake up. The movie's over. Haruhi!" she heard Tamaki calling softly as he shook her shoulder gently.

"Mmm…" she moaned softly as she opened her eyes. It took her a few moments to recall her surroundings, and when she did, she sat up. "T-Tamaki! I-I'm sorry; I fell asleep, didn't I?"

Tamaki laughed. "Yeah, you did. That's alright, though. You wanna go now?"

"S-Sure." I was asleep for over an hour and he didn't try to pull anything…that's gotta say something, right?


They drove home with the windows open. Despite what the twins said, she wasn't cold at all without a sweater; the day had been hot and the sun hadn't set too long ago, so it was still very warm out. She could faintly smell the scent of gasoline whenever the car stopped. The entire trip was relatively calming, and she felt very relaxed, and was almost upset when they arrived back at the house, the one that was so blindingly white that they could see it even in the dark, ending their time alone.


"K-Kyoya…" Renge had her arms wrapped around his neck, his back against the wall, as she leaned into him more. She put her lips to his, kissing him. He didn't resist, though he didn't completely comply, either. Annoyed, she slipped her tongue in between his lips, and he was more willing to go along with that. He eventually slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her closer. Their kissing was getting messier.

Haruhi and Tamaki came back into the house quietly, so as not to disturb anyone. When they walked up the stairs and turned towards the rooms, they saw Renge and Kyoya there; they were about to greet them, until they saw what exactly they were doing. In that case, they decided to sneak by the two, and while they believed neither had noticed, neither had seen Kyoya open one eye and watch them walk by, hands entwined.

They reached her door, and stood there for a few moments, silent, avoiding each other's eyes.

"Well…thank you for such a nice night!" Haruhi finally said quietly.

"Sure…" It was his tone of voice that made her look up at him. He…wasn't that close a moment ago…was he? She'd barely noticed the closeness of them when she realized that he was kissing her. It was similar to how he'd kissed her that time when they'd played "Spin The Bottle" so long ago, but filled with even more passion than then. She found herself tilting her head; he took a step forward, and held her waist; she slipped her arms around his neck. Soon, they were holding each other closer, closer, and their lips meshed together.

They didn't know how long they were together like that, bodies pressed so closely together, their body temperatures rising, but they eventually broke apart, breathing heavily. They looked at each other momentarily, but couldn't find anything to say. Tamaki leaned down and kissed her gently on the cheek and was gone.

Haruhi walked into her room, shutting the door silently, her head swirling and pounding. She changed into her pajamas in a daze.

He kissed me. He kissed me. I mean…I know he's kissed me before, but that was just a stupid game. And this was…it's only the first time that we've gone out, but he kissed me. I can't deny it feels wonderful, but it feels so off at the same time. It feels so fast…Are we moving too fast? Or is this how relationships are supposed to be? But nowadays, relationships never last for very long…So what does that mean? Can I trust him?

Her thoughts were interrupted as Renge entered the room. "H-Haruhi? When did you get back?"

"Not too long ago."

"Oh. I see. So how did it go?"

"It was…nice."

"Is that it?" Renge probed.

"I'm tired. Can we talk about it tomorrow?"

Renge sighed; she didn't admit it, but she was tired, too. "Whatever…" So, she didn't see us?

Does he love me? Do I love him? Or is this just the feeling of getting high off of someone else's love and kisses?

Hopefully it won't take me as long for the next update; I blame school. Plus I've actually been doing my FMA Advice Column –shock- Anyway. We all know this can't have a happy ending now, so if you think this is all going to be cliché and happy…well, just wait till next chapter. Or the chapter after.

If you didn't know, the girl who approached Haruhi was Benibara…I completely failed with her, but whatever.

And no, it's not strictly TamaHaru. So if I disappointed some of you, just stick with me.