Sorry for the delay on this chapter. It still came faster than some of my previous chapters. *cough*2*cough*

This chapter was difficult to write. We don't LIKE angst per se, we like the resolution of it. But knowing these characters so well, I really considered each one's perspectives. More will come to light from here on in. It won't be easy, but I think Kyouya and Haruhi expected some speed bumps.

Buckle your seat belts, guys.


Chapter 7: Little Earthquakes

Haruhi sat her exhausted self down at her desk before the twins came onto the scene, Haruhi inhaled deeply, trying to settle the butterflies in her stomach as she procured a textbook from her bag and opened it. It's just another day. Play it cool, Fujioka. Her self-motivation was a lame attempt to psyche herself out of her current mental state.

"Ha~ruhi~!" There came the sing-song greeting in stereo that she had been dreading. She cleared her throat lightly before responding.

"Hey Hikaru, Kaoru," she greeted with a smile mild enough to mask the strain she felt as she put it on her face. "How was your break?"

"This one couldn't put the game controller down long enough to study for the French exam," Hikaru jibed in his brother's direction. Kaoru reacted in utter denial, his eyes slitting at the blatant exaggeration of the truth.

"Well, you couldn't get your nose out of the November fashion issues! Like you studied, either...pfft," the younger twin shot back before turning to the honorary third member of their little association. "I would assume you studied your ass off, Haruhi."

"Indeed I did," she said with a chuckle. Inside, she was sighing with relief that the subject immediately turned into something of the usual sort. Haruhi resolved herself to enjoy the everyday conversation and put the larger matter as far from mind as possible. "But it sounds like you guys are screwed."

Hikaru and Kaoru slid their arms over the female host's shoulders, drawling in unison.

"That's what you're here for," they countered. "You can just let us borrow your notes again, right?" Haruhi found herself sandwiched between the identical siblings. Their bodies against hers made her overly aware, for the first time, of their proximity, as it reminded her of how it felt to be close to Kyouya. That notion, in turn, led her to consider how Kyouya would react to situations like this in the club room now. An awkward, uncomfortable new feeling washed over the honors student and she did her best to shrug off the presumptuous doppelgangers like she normally would, despite the new feeling of discomfort that accompanied it.

"Get your own notes, you two!" she growled, a little harsher than she had intended. Her tone of voice garnered matching bewildered looks. They glanced at each other, then back at her. Although this wasn't the first time she had denied them a cheat sheet, she had never been this adamant about not obliging them the favor. The Hitachiin brothers knew better than to press their luck with their thick-skinned, commoner best friend. They shrugged simultaneously and took their seats on either side of the girl in question as the first bell rang.

Downstairs in the upper level classrooms, Kyouya had his own situation to manage. When he walked into classroom 2-1, there were only a couple of his classmates present. One happened to be a blonde-haired halfer whose nose was practically wedged in his physics book. The intuitive Shadow King knew it was his friend's way of attempting to ignore his presence. With a sigh he approached his desk which sat next to the solemn host king.

"Good Morning, Tamaki," he said, sounding completely unaffected by the events of the last week.

Tamaki moved to pull himself away from the book and paused, a million miserable thoughts and possible responses playing on the tip of his tongue. He stared down at the pages before him, paying no heed to the information that lay within them. He tried to ignore the fact that he'd been trying to reread the same pages for about 10 minutes. How do I lie to him, and pretend like everything is fine? He couldn't bring himself to lift his head to greet his best friend, whose title he admittedly now questioned.

"Good morning...Kyouya," he forced with as pleasant of a tone as he could muster. Tamaki promised himself he wouldn't ask, but he couldn't fight the curiosity burning acidly inside him. "So..." Don't pry, you know you won't like the answer..."How did Friday night go?" he uttered in a low tone, only discernible to the vice-president's ears as he finally turned to face his partner in dialogue.

Kyouya nearly choked, not wanting to answer his question right at that moment. He knew to keep it minimal, as not to skewer the blond's heart any more than it would be, until they got to the club room.

"Like I had mentioned when you called, it went very well. We had a lovely evening," Kyouya said, matter of fact, hoping that would keep him quiet. And to that end he was successful, or so he thought. He pried his own physics text from his bag and opened it to the chapter for that morning's test. No sooner had he read the first page, his concentration broke.

"What'd you guys do?" Tamaki really wanted to kick himself, but the little voice in the back of his mind wanted to dream that him on that date with her; anything to play in his deluded Mind Theatre would be better than having to picture the scenario with Haruhi and Kyouya. The Lonely Prince heard Kyouya sighed in exasperation.

"We went to dinner, if you must know. And your three phone calls interrupted our first bowling string," he replied, purposely omitting the scenario from later that night.

Tamaki turned back, bleary-eyed, to his desk to pout.

"Sounds like fun," he mumbled, a nearly visible gloom beginning to hang in the air around him. Thankfully for the unsettled brunet, there were no further questions as class began.

This is going to a long, torturous day, he thought to himself, rubbing his forehead to prevent the anticipated headache.

A few hours later, the lunch bell rang and all three grades of Ouran's High School flooded into the halls, heading for the dining room. As usual, the twins tried to convince their scholarly sidekick to join them at lunch. But it was, once again, to no avail. Striding in tandem down the broad promenade of the main corridor of the first floor, Kaoru, who had been rather silent for most of the way, caught his brother's attention.

"Hey, Hikaru. Is it me or is Haruhi a little off today?" Kaoru asked, his concern evident. Hikaru glanced over at his brother and nodded.

"Yeah, I did notice. But Haruhi has had her off days before," he replied. "I just attributed it to her being a girl. They have their, err, days, you know."

Kaoru couldn't help the snicker that escaped as a result of his brother's astute, albeit mildly chauvinistic, remark.

"You could be right, Hikaru...but I just get this feeling there's something she's not telling us about."

"Well, I guess we'll never know. It seems like prying it out of her would be more trouble than it's worth. We'd probably just piss her off even more," Hikaru said sarcastically, shrugging nonchalantly.

They entered the ballroom-sized dining hall to see their senpais ahead of them in the line, obtaining their lunches. Hunny-senpai noticed them and waved. The twins waved back and watched Hunny and Mori head to the usual table.

The line moved quickly and it was only a matter of a few minutes before they were joining the other four hosts at the elegantly crafted hardwood table. Mori sat next to Hunny, and Tamaki next to them, across from Kyouya, leaving their two usual seats across from the two third years. After greeting the rest of the club they sat down and started in on their meals.

At a quick glance, everything seemed normal: Hunny with twice as many sweets before him as there was actual lunch; Mori quietly picking away at his meal whilst keeping an eye on his half-pint counterpart; Kyouya doing Heaven-only-knows-what on his laptop with his right hand and occasionally stabbing at his plate with his left. But as for Tamaki and his endless nonsensical ranting, Hikaru and Kaoru looked at the unusually tepid host king and then to their senpais who had caught them observing his baffling silence.

Hunny gave the Hitachiins a doleful look as he shrugged his shoulders. Hikaru grimaced and turned back to the blond sitting diagonally from him.

"Hey, Tono. What's your deal? Are you sick or something?" Hikaru asked a bit gruffly, trying to ruffle the club president's feathers.

It was then that Tamaki finally realized how obvious his mood was. So he decided that passing off his heartache as possible illness was a good idea. He looked over at the four to his right with a daze still lingering on his face.

"Oh...yeah," he replied modestly but with a subtle flare. "I woke up this morning feeling out of sorts. But we had a big physics test today and I refuse to do make-ups."

"Will you be alright to meet after school to plan this weeks hosting hours?" Hunny asked with adorably wide-eyed concern.

"Yeah, are you all right?" Mori echoed, garnering a flicker of surprise from the twins and the king.

"I'll be fine if I take it easy," Tamaki reassured with a weak smile. "The Hosting Hours aren't until Friday. I'm sure I'll be better by then."

Kyouya remained quiet during the entire exchange, his thoughts, although intermittently distracted by stocks and figures on his laptop screen, remained mainly focused on the one absent member of their club. Deep down he knew she wouldn't come today, his gaze occasionally drifted toward to the dining hall in the small hope that Haruhi would have decided to join him at the table. He caught himself as Tamaki spoke up, reminding him exactly why she wasn't here today.

She'll come tomorrow, after the secret's out...hopefully. I...miss her.

As the realization of his feelings hit him, a small smile graced his lips. After a moment he had to force himself to stop, knowing if he was seen with such an expression, someone may get suspicious. He looked up and connected with the elder twin's stare. Damn it. Too late. Think fast, Ootori.

"Kyou~ya-senpai~," Hikaru drawled. "The silent Shadow King smiles in the corner? Is hell freezing over?"

Five pairs of eyes were instantly trained on him, to which he raised a brow. He looked at his computer and back to his fellow hosts.

"Actually, I didn't tell you all yet. But during the Ouran Faire, I bought my father's medical supply company out from under both him and Grand Tonerre," Kyouya said letting another satisfied smile ease onto his features as he readjusted his glasses on his face. Jaws dropped, eyes widened. It even elicited a gasp from Tamaki. "Well, I just happened to check the stocks on it, and share values have officially doubled in the last ten days...So, yes, I can't help but be quite pleased with my purchase."

A mere half-truth to keep them off the scent. But it seems to have worked.

"Congratulations, Kyo-chan!" The young Haninozuka cheered. "That's really good news!" Mori-senpai hummed in agreement. Somehow it seemed, though, that Mori's eyes told Kyouya he was wise to his cover up.

They all started to pick up the remains of their meals, along with their trays. Kyouya shut his laptop and put it in its bag. Hikaru cut through the momentary calm in the chatter.

"Oh and guys, be careful around Haruhi today. She seems kinda irritated," he advised the group. "It could be, ahem, 'girl problems'."

"Oh, my darling daughter needs a hug from her daddy!" Tamaki swooned, suddenly overtaken by the need to comfort her and letting it get the best of him.

"Don't go getting her sick, Boss!" Hikaru shot back. The all-too-familiar gloomy aura returned as Tamaki realized he couldn't risk getting caught in his little white lie, nor cause more friction with his dearest friend. With a sigh he resigned himself to be as neutral as he possibly could, and temporarily shook off his blues.

Everyone collected themselves and made their way back to their respective classrooms to finish the day.

At the end of final period, the bell rang for the last time, signaling to both Haruhi and Kyouya that it was time to put the plan into action. Haruhi placed her books back in her bag and stood to leave. She paused and gulped as she refound her confidence.

"Hey, Haruhi," Hikaru said, eyeing the slightly nervous expression on her face. "You've been weird all day. What's going on?"

"Don't worry, Hikaru, I'm fine. I'll talk to you guys later, okay? Let's just get up to the club room," Haruhi said, brushing off his inquiry.

Haruhi and the twins got to the third music room to find Hunny and Mori sitting at the long table, and a laptop sitting open but unattended across from the table from them.

Kyouya must be in the back room, Haruhi assumed. But Tamaki's late...that's odd. She dropped he bag on one of the red divans as the identical redheads flopped themselves down on the other.

"Anyone want something to drink? I'm going to grab something for myself," the nervous brunette offered.

"We should have more of the African black tea out back," Kaoru reminded her. Everyone else nodded at the idea. She smiled and turned to exit through the side door to the back room.

There, as the door shut behind her, an arm slid behind her back and drew her into a warm embrace. Haruhi didn't need to look up into those dark chocolate eyes to know the body she rested against. His scent, his quickened heartbeat spoke to her and calmed her. They said nothing in the silence filled by steady breathing. Finally she looked up from his chest. Kyouya gave her a soft smile before leaning in to place his lips gently upon hers. After lingering a few seconds, he pulled away, his face even and serious.

"We can do this, Haruhi. Let's just play it cool until Tamaki gets back from his father's office," Kyouya reassured her. She followed his lead over to the cabinets.

"Yeah, I know..." she began, her voice betraying her lack of assurance. "But I know this is going to be, at the very least, incredibly awkward. I'm just nervous, Kyouya." Her shoulders relaxed, feeling better after speaking her mind. Haruhi opened a cabinet and began pulling cups from a particular favorite tea set to prepare for their tea. Kyouya just watched her for a moment before pulling out a tray to put their tea service on.

"I heard the bit about the African tea. Also, there are a few cakes left from the fair that have been in the freezer. I set them out to thaw before lunch," he explained as he handed her a large tray of desserts. "That should be fine for Hunny-senpai. Here, take those cakes and these tea biscuits out to the table. Just go sit next to my laptop, I'll be out with the tea momentarily."

With a nod and a genuinely calm expression, she turned and slipped through the door.

Haruhi was sitting right where she had been asked, across from Hunny and Mori, while the devious doppelgangers hatched some prank to mess with Tamaki over on the divan. Kyouya walked in from the back with another large tray with two tea pots, a sugar bowl, a flagon of milk and seven cups. As he placed the tray and its delicate contents on the long conference table, the elusive president walked through the door.

"Never fear, your King is here!" he announced, a healthier semblance of his usual dramatic self. This made both Kyouya and Haruhi simultaneously relieved and more nervous. Whether he was truly feeling better or burying his feelings for them to violently resurface later, they were unsure. They eyed each other knowingly.

"Business first," Kyouya murmured to his unsettled girlfriend. "As planned." Haruhi exhaled slowly as Kyouya called over to their illustrious leader. "Tamaki, we are all ready to begin discussing matters. There's tea, if you'd like some."

The twins made their way over and sat at one end of the long table and Tamaki took his usual place at the head. Kyouya poured him a cup of the dark fragrant liquid and handed it to high-spirited host king.

All seven hosts took a moment to take in the situation. This was the first meeting together since the drama surrounding the Ouran Faire. They looked at each other with relief and turned to Tamaki, awaiting his word.

"Everyone, I want to both thank you...as well as apologize," the blond began, suddenly a bit more solemn. "If it weren't for all of you, we wouldn't be sitting here right now." His eyes misted over as he recalled the debacle from over a week a ago. "And it is also part of why I want...no...need to apologize to all of you for doubting the strength of your friendship. I can't believe I nearly left on a plane to France. I can't believe I nearly left six of the most important people in my life behind me."

"We're really happy you didn't leave, Tama-chan!" The little Lolishota cried. There was a resounding chorus of agreements, accompanied by warm smiles.

"Yeah, we weren't going to let you do something that stupid!" Hikaru jibed.

"And since no one, other than the club and some of our family members, knows about what happened, this Friday will just be 'business as usual'," Kaoru pointed out.

Everyone's positive reinforcement slowly etched a permanent smile on Tamaki's previously teary face. Kyouya cleared his throat.

"I do concur, we should do something exciting for this Friday to follow-up the buzz we created at the Faire. But it will have to be within the confines of our current budget," he stated, taking the edge off the excitement in the room. There were audible sighs, but they did not faze the ever-shrewd vice-president.

They went on to plan a circus theme for Friday, and over the course of an hour and a half they had outlined what they needed for the menu and scenery. Tamaki had suggested live animals for the circus, which was quickly shot down by the club, so that no one would get eaten that day. The club members settled on Kaoru's suggestion of renting private taxidermy specimens. Though some disagreed with taxidermy as a whole, they agreed that it was the best alternative to live animals or animal cosplay. Which was the catalyst for the current topic. They always saved the cosplay discussion for last, as there was always dissent over who gets to play which role.

Right off the bat, Tamaki was to play the Ring Leader. But they needed clowns, acrobats, or freak show exhibitions and things of that nature.

"Well it's obvious to me that the twins could either be Siamese twins, which were common at the side shows, or maybe clowns," Haruhi opined.

"Who are you calling a clown?" The twins retaliated in stereo. "Why not you or Kyouya-senpai?"

"Well, I guess I could be a clown. But Kyouya should be something like the magician or the lion-tamer..."

As soon as his name left her mouth without the proper honorific, the room went quiet and her voice drifted off as her thought quickly left her in exchange for panic. Oh crap.

She slowly looked around the table to find four people staring at her incredulously, and a deflated blond hanging his head at the painful reminder.

"Well, Haruhi, I guess we ought to tell them now," Kyouya said calmly, taking her hand in his under the table and giving it a squeeze. The doe-eyed 'Natural' shuddered as she exhaled heavily. In spite of her nerves, she held her head high.

"Everyone..." she paused as she carefully chose her words. "There's something you should all know..." She swallowed hard before continuing, trying her hardest to continuously make eye contact with her friends. "Kyouya and I have started dating."

"WHAT?!" came the stereo shout from one end of the table, making Haruhi flinch, while Hunny smiled almost inhumanly wide. Mori's flickered with something vague as his eyes widened slightly. Tamaki, however, disappeared into his dark corner to sulk, as she and Kyouya assumed he would.

"That's so CUTE, Haru-chan! YAY!" Hunny squealed.

However, Hikaru growled under his breath while Kaoru tried to calm his brother down.

"Kyouya-senpai, how could you!" The visibly upset twin spat, jumping to his feet and gripping the table, as if it were the only thing keeping him from lunging at the bespectacled boy. "We all know Tono has been in love with Haruhi for months! How could you be so underhanded?" Hikaru revealed, stunning everyone.

The room went quiet and all eyes were directed at him. Kyouya deep down knew Hikaru was right about Tamaki. But his righteous indignation began to boil underneath the surface. He clenched his jaw, bitter words poised like daggers on the tip of his tongue. But Haruhi beat him to it.

"Hikaru! That's incredibly rude, not just to him, but to me!" Haruhi slammed the table in a moment of anger. Hikaru's jaw dropped then shut, silenced by her rare display of force. Tamaki was even shocked out of his woe and turned to heed the girl's words. "You considered Tamaki's feelings so important, and ignored my own? Was I not allowed to date anyone because someone else has feelings for me? Because that would be equally unfair."

"You know, I had been blissfully unaware of any personal feelings, including my own, until recently," she began to explain. "Since the early on in the school year, I have considered each and every one of you dear friends... We've been through a lot together; and you are all irreplaceable in my eyes." Her tone softened as she expressed her appreciation for everyone in the room. "But I found myself thinking about Kyouya a little...differently lately. We ended up spending some time together over break, and well...what can I say?" Haruhi squeezed Kyouya's hand back under the table, prompting him to visibly soften a bit. "We clicked, plain and simple."

She turned to Hikaru. "And for the record, Kyouya was honest enough to tell me about Tamaki's feelings...on our first date," Haruhi divulged, giving him an affirming look before glancing over at Tamaki, who had yet to fully return from his self-imposed segregation.

"And besides, just because we may be an item, it doesn't mean you guys stand in his..." Haruhi paused and giggled, realizing what was about to come out of her mouth. "...Shadow. Pun not intended, I promise."

Kyouya chuckled, cracking a wry smile as his tension began to ease. "Good one."

"So this is why you were acting weird all day," Kaoru pointed out.

"Yeah, I have been nervous all day. But could you blame me? I love you guys. I didn't want anyone to take it the wrong way. Like Tamaki-senpai always infers we are kinda like a family...in a very loose sense," she replied.

"Well, I'm happy for you and Kyo-chan!" Hunny declared, then suddenly lowered his voice, leaning forward toward the couple. "Although, Haru-chan should probably talk to Tama-chan one-on-one."

Haruhi nodded. "On that note, I'll gladly talk with everyone individually in their own time. But I should get home, I promised Dad I'd cook dinner tonight."

The twins came up to her and hugged her. Hikaru was noticeably reluctant to do so, but he did and apologized as well. Hunny bounded over the table and jumped up to hug her as Mori came around to pat her on the head and give her an approving smile. Though something sad flickered in his eyes, betraying his brotherly display of affection. The four of them all walked out the door, leaving Tamaki still quiet in his dark little corner, heartbroken. Haruhi gave Kyouya a look, and he nodded, moving to clean up the tea service while she headed over to the other young man in love with her.

"Tamaki-senpai..." she called gently to him, as she squatted beside him, resting her hand on his shoulder. "Can we talk?"

He turned to her, his eyes shaded in embarrassment by long golden locks. A flush lighting his face in a luscious red. He was silent a moment, drowning in the thought that his secret was now in the open. Everyone knew...except for me.

"What more is there to talk about, Haruhi?" he asked with a surprisingly dark tone in his voice. Haruhi sat down next to him against the hard, carnation pink wall, her knees to her chest and crossed arms resting upon them. She tilted her head toward him in an inquiring gesture, reminiscent of a psychiatrist.

"A lot actually. There is a lot to clear from the air so that we can still be friends," she retorted in an a lighter, more sympathetic tone. "Would you like me to start, or do you?"

A heavy silence hung in the air, like the oppressive humidity of jungles in southeast Asia, until finally Tamaki began to speak.

"I don't know what to say...the only one I have said anything to was Kyouya. But it was already too late," he said as his gaze dropped to his feet. "You two had already...started on your own path." He paused a moment examining something intangible in the vacant space before him. "The first inkling I had-but denied - was when Bossa Nova came to see you at the club. I was so jealous."

Haruhi was taken aback by his blunt confession. But she sensed that there were still words on the tip of his tongue, so she held her own as he continued.

"Haruhi, please tell me honestly...when you came for me, the wild goose chase in the carriage, was it all really just out of friendship?"

There was no reflection necessary for her answer, but she hesitated knowing this would be difficult for him to digest.

"Yes, Senpai-"

"'Tamaki,' please. No matter what, we are beyond 'senpai and kouhai'...at least do me that favor," he asked of her with courtesy that thinly veiled his dolor.

"Tamaki...as your good friend and someone who genuinely cares about you, I, along with the rest of the guys, willingly did what I could to stop you from ruining everything you had worked so hard for." As she talked she placed a hand on his shoulder to ground him in reality. "I know you miss your mom...because I sure as hell miss mine. But if you play your cards right, you will have her back in your life once again."

Violet eyes met hers as she hit one particular nail right on its head, holding their gaze as she made yet another point.

"You have to be strong for her...for yourself. But back to your question, yes, I will always be your friend. I just hope you can accept me as such," Haruhi finished her thought simply and thoughtfully. Another nail in the coffin. Despite that, there was far more on the handsome host's mind than he'd initially realized.

"I really am an idiot, huh? So much so that it hit me where it counts," he smiled grimly to himself before looking to her and turning his whole self to face her, both emotionally and physically opening himself to her. "I need to be honest and say something just this once, so I can eventually let it go." Tamaki readied himself as well as he could.

"Haruhi, I am in love with you."

The words, though expressing something already known, were still a shock to both of them. Haruhi's breath caught at his direct approach. Tamaki resisted the tug at the corner of his mouth as he noted her reaction. Despite that, he willed himself to continue.

"But...I know that you are in love with my best friend. And out of care and respect for you both, I will try my best to move past this so we can all stay a family." He choked slightly on his last words, feeling the staunch finality of them but trying to control himself. He stood and brushed himself off, Haruhi followed suit and faced him. She gave him a concerned look.

"Don't worry, Haruhi," he said with a wink. "I'll be all right." He moved toward her gesturing for a hug, with his arms open wide.

It's just a friendly hug, at least on my part...I may as well indulge him this once. She stepped into his arms and returned the hug.

"Tamaki, thanks for talking with me," she said with a final squeeze, ending the brief exchange with a smile. "I'm glad we did that."

The blond awkwardly shuffled and shoved his hands in his pockets as Kyouya entered the room.

"Me, too." He turned to his best friend, who was headed toward them. As the raven-haired host neared, Tamaki closed the gap and hugged him. "I'm sorry I've been such and idiot about all this, Kyouya. Please...forgive me."

For a moment, the young Ootori froze, trying to decide whether to reciprocate or not. All his feelings of guilt, competition and exasperation bubbled to the surface. And for the first time, to his recollection, he hugged another male willingly.

"I'm sorry, too, Tamaki. I should have been a bit more considerate in my approach to all this. You are my best friend, after all," he replied, eventually prying himself gently from the Frenchman's grasp. "But we can talk more later, alright?" They gave each other a nod. Kyouya turned to Haruhi. "Ready to go? I know you wanted to stop at the store first, and it's getting late."

She nodded, humming in the affirmative as she reached for her book bag.

"Let's get going," she replied before turning back to acknowledge Tamaki one last time. "Goodnight, Tamaki."

With that the new couple left Tamaki alone in Music Room Three. The silence, in that moment was indeed deafening, as reality screamed loudly of his solitude was both literal and poetic.

Finally, Tamaki succumbed to the weight he'd been bearing all day and dropped to his knees, his tears falling freely to the rosy tiles beneath him.