Chapter 4: Resolution Between Two Lovers(?)
On the path leading to Haruhi's house (yep, the one in the forest, where she met the old lady. And yes, it's not that far away from the castle):
"Wait! Haruhi! I can explain!" Tamaki shouted breathlessly, as her started to catch up with her. Haruhi continued sprinting down the path, with home as her only goal in mind. "I told you wait already!" Tamaki said, finally managing to grab hold of her right wrist.
"Let me go! I don't want to hear any explanation whatsoever!" Haruhi declared at the top of her lungs, before trying to fight for the freedom of her hand. When she gave up struggling, she just turned her head away from him, still remaining captive. Tamaki then quickly put his hands on her shoulders, allowing her no time to escape, forcing her to face him.
"Haruhi, I know this may sound really ridiculous, as we've only just met, and you also probably feel as if I've just betrayed your trust, but, please believe me, I've really fallen in love with you. It's not a feeling that I can easily describe, but my heart races when I am near you, my heart skips a beat when I feel you might be hurt, and I have this strong feeling, like I just want to be able to protect you for ever and ever. Oh man, I know this sounds really stupid, but I have this gut feeling that I needed to tell you all of this, or I might just live to regret it. But, the reason I lied to you about my identity… It was because I had felt a strange attraction to you, and… I didn't want my being a crown prince to scare you away, or change the way you treated me. I wanted you to see me as just another man, and not as some stuck-up, snooty person of royalty!"
All this time, Tamaki had been staring straight at Haruhi's downcast eyes. Waiting for some sort of reaction, watching, as finally, he saw it, a tear trickled down Haruhi's smooth cheek. Tamaki, with no hesitation, took Haruhi into his arms with one sweeping embrace.
"Haruhi, I don't need to hear anything else, but please… please just speak those words I long to hear…" In his head, Tamaki prayed and prayed. He prayed to anything he could think of. He prayed to Norse gods, he prayed to Jesus, he prayed to Buddha, he prayed to totems, he prayed to the sun, the moon, the earth, and all spirits and life forms on earth. Then, miraculously, as though she read his mind, his prayers were answered.
"I… I… actually I… think I love you too…" Haruhi said, almost in a whisper. But, to Tamaki, her words were not soft at all, and they rang clear in his ears, spreading a strange warm feeling around his body, that soon found its way to his heart.
Tamaki wrapped his arms tighter around her body, never wanting to let go, and she responded by hugging him back. Tamaki had never felt such euphoria before in his entire life, and he wanted this moment right here, right now, to never end.
"But will your family be able to accept me? I mean… after all I'm just a peasant…" Haruhi's worry interrupted the moment. Not hesitating at all, Tamaki answered, determination burning in his eyes, "No, I will make them accept you… No matter what it takes…"
Next Chapter: What is going on Yuzuru's side…O.o…