A/N: Here we come to the end of another story. I hope everyone reading has a wonderful and blessed holiday season and Christmas no matter what you celebrate. Stay safe out there. For this chapter, I was re-watching While You Were Sleeping with Sandra Bullock – if you haven't seen it and you like romantic comedies, I highly recommend it – and it gave me an idea for this chapter. Was anyone surprised that Tamaki was the one actually playing matchmaker? Enjoy!

Chapter 4 – He Gave Her the World

It had taken two days for Chika to track down exactly what he wanted…no, it was what he needed to convince Haruhi he wanted to bring her Christmas wish to life. Even as he carefully wrapped each piece of his apology, shame twisted his gut. He had acted like a complete and utter ass, and for what? Jealousy? Pissed off because of his lot in life? Regardless of the reason, he shouldn't have taken it out on her. The others, well he couldn't exactly say he was sorry for his attitude towards them, and that may have been wrong, but he didn't worry about their feelings like he did Haruhi. Tamaki was right, she was special.

Now came the hard part. He had tried to call her earlier and she hung up on him as soon as she heard his voice. Chika concluded that she was still a little upset about what happened at the ball. There were one of two things he could do, he could go to her house, which would require asking his brother, Mori, or Kyoya for her address. He really didn't want to have to do that; however, the alternative was to invite her over to his house, and since she wasn't taking his calls, it would require asking his brother to help him apologize to the girl. That option left a bad taste in his mouth as well. He was stuck and it basically came down to, which one would get him the quickest results while keeping the majority of his pride intact.

In the end, he didn't have to do anything. His brother and Mori took care of it all.

He had been attempting to call Haruhi again, but alas, she once again hung up on him. How was he supposed to apologize if she wouldn't even talk to him? Before he gave into the urge to throw his phone, he slammed it down onto his dresser. What did she want from him? The mixed signals were sending his head awhirl. Her wish was for him to be happy and for them to become happy, but if that was the case, ignoring him wouldn't bring that wish to fruition.

He could feel himself losing control of his temper and took a deep breath in order to calm himself down. And when there was a knock at the door, he ripped it open with such force, the door handle hit the wall and created a small hole. Seeing his brother on the other side, just added to his ire, "What the hell do you want, Mitsukuni?"

Grinning from ear to ear, Hunny felt like he was about to open presents on Christmas morning, and he couldn't wait to see his brother's reaction, "I need you to come with me."

"And why would I do that?" Chika wanted to hit his brother, wanted to beat him to a bloody pulp, but he held back. Maybe it was the twinkle in Hunny's eye or the almost knowing expression on his face. Chika wasn't sure, but something stopped him from attacking as he normally would.

"I'm meeting Takashi in the park."

"Again, why the hell would that concern me? He's your keeper, not mine."

"Chika-Chan, it was that attitude that got you in trouble with Haru-Chan," Hunny reminded him. While it was normal for his little brother to talk to him in such a manner, he decided to take advantage of the situation…but only a little.

It felt like he had been slapped in the face and doused with cold water. Narrowing his eyes, he growled, "Why should I go to the park with you? I have things…"

Interrupting him, the older teen giggled, "Haru-Chan is coming too." Hunny had seen how hard the past couple of days were for Chika, and he also knew from Haruhi that she had been ignoring him in an attempt to figure a few things out on her own; however, it was Christmas Eve and it was time for the Grinch and his princess to get a Merry Christmas. Even if they had to be forced together.

"She is?" If his brother was playing a trick on him, Chika would show no mercy. And if he had to win by attacking him while he was sleeping, then so be it.

"Yep. Takashi and I invited her out for dinner and then we were going to go look at Christmas lights when it got dark. We're meeting in the park first though because there is an ice sculpting contest and Takashi and I are entered. We're doing Usa-Chan playing Santa!"

That damn bunny again. Taking in another deep breath, he finally consented, "Fine, I'll come."

"Great! We're leaving now!" Hunny grabbed his brother and rushed him towards the door.

"Wait! Stop! I have to get something first!" Chika yelled pulling his arm away from his brother. The problem was, the other man's grip did not loosen. As they passed by a door, he grabbed the doorjamb and held tight.

Hunny felt his brother struggling, but decided to ignore it until he jerked backwards and when he looked Chika was hugging a doorway and it looked like he was trying to get to third base with it, "Chika-Chan?"

"I need to get something from my room first."

"Hurry!"

"I would have already had it if you hadn't pulled me away!"

"Stop arguing and get it! I don't want to be late!"

His hands tightened into fists, but he resisted yet again. Running back to his room, he grabbed the gift back that held his future and his heart. If she turned him down…No, he wouldn't think like that. He had to believe that he could make her Christmas wish come true and in doing so, fulfill his own wish. This bag held everything: hopes, dreams, and wishes.

The ride to the park seemed to take a lifetime, but at the same time, it felt like it took no time at all. Such a contradictory way of thinking, but Chika didn't care. He was nervous and happy, scared and excited, anxious and hesitant. Everything about his mentality was a contradiction and the car ride was just a small pebble in the large pond of contradictions, thoughts, and feelings.

"Where is she?" Chika scouted the area, trying to catch a glimpse of his tall cousin since he figured Mori would be easier to spot than Haruhi in the small crowd that had gathered, but he didn't see either one of them.

"Takashi said that there was a car accident and they will be here soon," Hunny informed him, and then asked, "Chika-Chan, what do you want with Haru-Chan?"

"That isn't any of your business!" Chika snapped.

"It is because she's my friend."

The younger man stopped scanning the crowd momentarily and glanced at his brother, "I just want…I just want to apologize."

"Well if that's all then you didn't have to come," Haruhi stated from behind the younger Haninozuka.

His eyes grew and he spun around, "Haruhi."

"Haruhi, listen to him," Mori told her.

Hunny added, "Yeah, Haru-Chan, give him a chance. He came here just to see you."

She wasn't sure why, correction, she knew why, but it was hard to admit. She liked him, and because she had feelings for him that surpassed any she felt for the other hosts, it hurt when she thought that he might only see her as an object, something to irritate the others with. Like that whole scene with Hikaru. Hikaru confessed and Chika reacted. And that hurt. When she had first sat upon Santa's knee, she hadn't known what to say or what to wish for, but then she noticed two brothers fighting in line and her thoughts immediately turned to Chika, and before she knew it, she was confessing her deepest wish. At the time she hadn't completely come to terms with her feelings, and to be honest, she hadn't actually realized she had any; however, after her wish had been spoken aloud, an inkling started to form in her conscious mind and it grew from there. Coming to terms with her feelings and what happened at the ball, she had wanted to avoid him and no longer could. She should have known Hunny and Mori were up to something when they invited her to watch them participate in an ice sculpting competition.

Her friends were right. She needed to give him a chance, "Sorry. I know you have tried to call me, but I've been…unavailable."

He didn't believe that for a moment, however, he was not going to press his luck by calling her a liar. Instead he said, "I have something for you and was wondering if we could talk for a couple of minutes."

"You two go talk. Takashi and I have to go and get ready!" Hunny exclaimed and started pulling his cousin towards the competition area.

Finding an empty park bench just a few feet from them, Chika motioned for Haruhi to join him there and once they were seated, he told her, "I wasn't very nice to you during the ball…or before."

"No, you weren't," inwardly she cringed at her sharp retort.

Chika's throat felt tight and he was finding it difficult to breathe or speak, but he continued, "I…ahem…I have something for you." His voice cracked and he prayed she hadn't noticed.

She noticed and decided it was best not to comment on it. "What did you want to give me?" Her curiosity was piqued and she truly wanted to know what his plan for her entailed.

Passing her the bag, he spoke softly, "The way I've been acting…it was wrong and I apologize. I shouldn't have stolen that kiss from you and I shouldn't have treated you like you were beneath me. I never intended to hurt you. It just felt like everything was crashing down on me. If anything, I should have treated you like you were…special."

"Why?" She accepted the gift, but did not open it.

His eyes had been on the ground and then moved up to lock with hers, "Because you are. I was jealous of Tamaki because I thought you two were dating."

"We're not. I don't think of him as anything more than a friend. An odd overzealous friend with a daddy complex, but only a friend."

"I know that now."

"If you had a problem with it, you should have asked."

He wanted to snap because the anxiety was building. The more she pointed out the obvious, the more he wanted to lash out. No one liked to be told what they did wrong, and he was no exception, "I know!" He exhaled and in a calmer voice said, "I know. I tried asking everyone else, but no one would give me a straight answer."

Her gaze moved across his face taking in every detail, and when she was done, she asked, "Why were you so jealous?" She shouldn't press the matter, she knew she shouldn't, and yet, she couldn't help herself.

Instead of giving her a direct answer, he told her, "There are three gifts in there and they are actually numbered. Start with number one."

She fought down the urge to demand a straight answer out of him and dug inside the bag. The first gift she pulled out was labeled number two, so she returned it and dig a little more until she found the present with a number one on it. It was kind of squishy and the paper crinkled as she attempted to carefully open it, however, she wound up actually ripping it open because he had used gobs of tape on it. Pulling the paper away from the object, Haruhi was left with a stuffed yellow chick in her palm. It was soft and furry, and when she shook it, it chirped.

"When I was younger, before I tried to fight my brother all of the time, I liked baby chicks. I still do, but not too many people know that. I think only my brother, Takashi, and Satoshi know it. This was always one of my favorites because it was so fluffy and it sounded like a baby chick," he explained.

Her breath caught and a smile pulled her lips upwards, "Thank you."

"Now you can open the second one."

Reaching into the bag, she pulled out the present she had originally extracted. It was a box shaped and heavy. This time, she didn't waste time or effort trying to peel away the wrapping carefully because again, Chika had gone a little crazy with the tape. Once the red glossy paper had been removed, she found a plain white box. Shifting the bag to the bench beside her, she carefully opened the box and noticed something clear and dome like. She gripped the cool glass and pull it out. It was a snow globe. Flecks of white and silver floated around in the water falling onto the world. Inside was replica of the world and on top of that, stood a boy and girl that. They both had brown hair and brown eyes and reminded her of her and Chika, "It's beautiful." Tears burned her eyes and one slid down her face splashing upon the rounded glass.

"It plays Sakura Kiss if you turn it over and wind it up."

Her fingers found the small key and turned it. Soon what sounded like a music box rendition of Sakura Kiss surrounded them. "I love it."

They sat there quietly until the music died and then he whispered, "There is still a third gift."

What else could he give her? He had given her the world and a piece of his past. Gently returning the snow globe to the box and setting it inside the bag, she grabbed the third and final gift. It was a little flexible, but it was also a little heavy and hard at the same time. Ripping the paper off, she found a brown leather bound book. Her questioning eyes met his.

Taking the book from her, he untied the leather strap that held it closed and gently brushed the soft material, his eyes glued to the cover. He told her, "This is a journal. It starts out from the beginning of my third year in middle school and goes through yesterday. In it you will find my thoughts on my brother, my family, Satoshi…and you." When he divulged the last part, he looked at her to gauge her reaction. He could see her shock and disbelief, but he also saw relief and happiness. Another contradiction.

"I don't know what to say."

"I just wanted you to know me a little more and know that…I like you. Being around you makes me feel less irritated and happy. I know that I didn't show it much…"

She leaned forward and kissed him, silencing any other words he might have wanted to say. When she pulled back, she whispered, "I like you too." Her face felt like it was on fire and bright red. It could probably give that McDonald's clown's hair a run for his money.

Their moment was interrupted when Hunny came running up to them, "Chika-Chan, Haru-Chan, we're about to start!" As he approached, he noticed that Haruhi's eyes glistened with added moisture and her cheeks were flushed red. "What happened?" If he needed to, he would fight his brother here and now and teach him a lesson.

Smiling, she answered, "He gave me the world and more."

Hunny's eyes drifted to his brother and he could see the blush forming on Chika's face as well. "Good! If you want to go, we'll understand, but we're about to start."

"No, we'll come and watch," she assured her friend. Carefully, she replaced all of her new treasures into the bag and stood up with Chika, capturing his hand in hers. And in the future if anyone asked her, she would always say that this was her favorite Christmas because she defeated a Grinch, got a prince, and was gifted with the world.

A/N2: If you didn't know, Sakura Kiss is the opening theme song to Ouran High School Host Club. What do you think, do we need an epilogue?