THANK YOU ALL FOR READING MY STORY AND REVIEWING. :) IT MEANS A LOT TO ME TO READ YOUR REVIEWS.

I'M REALLY SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO PUT UP ANOTHER CHAPTER. FIRST, I GOT AN EAR INFECTION AND STOMACH FLU TYPE THING AND WAS BEDRIDDEN FOR A WEEK, THEN I WENT THROUGH SOME EMOTIONAL JUNK SO YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW DIFFICULT IT WAS TO UPDATE. O.o

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN OHSHC IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM. PLEASE ENJOY!

Haruhi's POV:

I was walking in the forest. The moon was shining brightly through the branches of the trees above me and lit my way, making the walk pleasant and relaxing. At the end of the little walkway in the forest, I saw a fork in the road with a sign pointing in both directions. One sign said 'Safe' and one said 'Dangerous'. I didn't understand it so I stood at the fork trying to stare down both paths to see what I saw. Down the path titled safe, there was bright light, green trees and Tamaki standing at the end. Down the other path was purple rose bushes, a lonley looking bench and Kyoya standing at the end of the path.

"Haruhi! Come to me! It'll be easier this way." Tamaki beckoned. "I won't turn you away or ever hurt you. It'll be safer this way."

"It's a challenge to be with me Haruhi but once you've succeeded, your efforts will be rewarded." Kyoya almost purred. "After all, nothing in my life comes or goes without merit."

"I don't understand!" I called to both of them.

"I'm the safest option for you Haruhi! You'll never get hurt and I'll keep you safe from everything!" Tamaki tried to persuade me.

"To get to my heart is difficult Haruhi but to never try to fight for what you want would be to never live. What's life without a little risk after all?" Kyoya spoke softly but loud enough for me to hear. I could see a smirk on his face.

I watched in awe as the once lonley bench was now occupied by the girl from Kyoya's photos. It was Arisu. Her hazel eyes looked right into my very soul it seemed. I shook my head to clear it. "I can't be a replacement for Arisu, Kyoya!" I yelled and tried to walk towards Tamaki but every step I took made me feel colder and more alone. I finally sunk to my knees and wrapped my arms around myself.

I tried to catch my breath as I looked in Kyoya's direction. He looked so emotionless judging by his face but judging by his eyes, his emotions were alive and almost panicked. He shook his head and motioned for me to come forward with his hand.

"Please Haruhi..." Kyoya and Tamaki both said at the same time. Before I could respond, my alarm clock sounded almost deafeningly.

"Ugh..." Stupid clock...just when I was beginning to try to make sense of the dream. I pulled the covers off me and got up to take a shower. When I was dressed in my school uniform, I went into the front room to find my dad standing at the stove with a crutch in one hand and a spatula in the other. "Dad! I can cook for you. The doctor said you shouldn't be on your leg."

"Oh pish posh. I'm just fine. Sit at the table and you can have some pancakes for breakfast." I was about to argue with him but he looked rather determined so I sat down at the table. "So how was the trip? Did you have fun?"

"Yeah. It was great. Sorry I didn't get around to getting you that silk robe."

"Kyoya phoned me and informed me it would arrive by mail in a couple days along with something for you." My dad told me while putting a stack of pancakes on my plate.

"Something for me? What?"

"He said it was a suprise. He wouldn't even tell me." My father said with a little flip of his newly blonde hair as he sat to eat his own breakfast.

"Did you get any trinkets while you were there? I unpacked your suitcase for you last night. I saw you had a couple new dresses."

"Uh, thank you. You didn't have to. And no. No trinkets." I lied as the pearl necklace hidden under my uniform suddenly felt a ton heavier. "I gotta get to school."

"Alright. On the bright side, the school is in walking distance now." My father chirped while cleaning up the breakfast dishes.

"Uh-huh. Try to stay off that leg as much as possible dad. You don't want to have to go back to the hospital." I told him before leaving and starting my walk to Ouran. When I got there, I had plenty of time left so I went to the music room to see if anyone was there. To my luck, Kyoya was sitting at one of the tables with his laptop open. "Good morning senpai."

"Good morning Haruhi. Did you sleep well?"

"Uh, yeah." No need to mention I had just dreamt about him. "You?"

"I slept fine." I stated almost shortly. I looked closely at his eyes. He had bags under them and his eyes were almost dialated looking.

"Doesn't look or sound like you did." I said softly before sitting my book bag on a nearby table. I leaned over his shoulder to look at the screen. It was the budget for the upcoming event. The one we would all wear kimonos for. "My kimono is blue?" I asked.

"Part of it. It's made of a few colors. You'll be cosplaying as a woman for this event."

"Senpai, I don't think that's a good idea. What if people find out..."

"They won't." He said, interupting me. He looked over his shoulder and into my eyes. "You look tired."

"So do you." I said. Without really thinking, I reached past him and shut his laptop. Before he could react, I took off his glasses and folded them before sitting them on his laptop. "It would do you good to rest your eyes senpai."

"That was very untoward of you Haruhi." He stated which made me blush.

"It was...I'm sorry." I looked down and bowed my head as a way of apologizing.

"Haruhi." He called my name softly. I felt his hand go under my chin and lift up my face. He stared at me with those same emotion filled eyes. He stood up and peered down at me, never letting go of my face so as to not give me the chance to look away.

"Yes senpai?" I asked rather shakilly.

"Why do you call me senpai? We've known eachother long enough that you can drop the formality."

"Alright...Kyoya." I bit my lip after I said his name. It really tasted sweet on my lips.

He smirked. "Say it again."

I gave him a confused look. "Say what again?"

"My name. Your mouth looks so seductive when you say it."

My face lit up like like fireworks. Where was this new attitude of his coming from? Am I still dreaming? "Kyoya?" His name came out as a question.

His eyes dropped lower than my lips. He reached forward and touched my neck. I felt the necklace come free of my shirt. When his hand came back, he was holding the pearl necklace by the pearl. "You're wearing it."

"Yes..."

"Good." His smile was definately a smirk but it looked almost like a genuine smile. He reached behind him and grabbed his glasses. Putting them on, he let go of my chin and necklace and allowed me to drop my still blushing face to stare at my shoes.

"It's almost classtime Haruhi. I suggest you head over to your class." He told me as he scooped up his laptop.

He started to walk away and a bubble of panic rose in me. "Kyoya!" I called a little too loudly.

He turned halfway around and raised an eyebrow in my direction. "Yes?"

"You..." I sighed. "You make me feel very confused Kyoya." I admitted before looking up at him.

He stood five feet away from me, staring with those same eyes that made my heart race. After a long silence, he finally smirked and walked towards me. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on my forehead. "That's the objective Haruhi."

He then left the room. I stood there for several minutes, trying to calm down my breathing and blushing face. I tucked my necklace back in and when I deemed myself presentable, I ran to class as fast as my legs would carry me. I made it just in time and took me seat in between the twins. They both raised an eyebrow. "What took you Haruhi? You look flushed?" Hikaru commented and Kaoru nodded.

"I was a little late to school so I had to run to class." I said softly, keeping my eyes locked at the front of the classroom.

"How were you late? You live a block away from the school now?" Kaoru commented quietly.

"I slept in." I said, not looking away from the front of the room so they wouldn't see the lies all over my face.

They didn't press the matter after that. At lunch we all headed to the cafeteria. "We insist Haruhi! Let Hikaru and I buy your lunch today. You'll really like the food they serve to the main students."

I sighed. "You already spent enough money on me last night with the stupid dress."

"On the contrary, we spent no money at all on you. It all came from my mother's private beauty collection. She just designed that dress you wore. Did you like it?" Hikaru stated matter-o-factly.

"Uh yeah. It was pretty."

"So let us buy you lunch. It will be no trouble at all." Kaoru begged and I sighed.

"Fine. I'll have whatever you guys are having." I said before waving my hand and walking towards our lunch table. Honey and Mori were already sitting down and enjoying their lunch. Honey had two trays. One with regular food and one overflowing with sweets. Tamaki and Kyoya were just sitting down as the twins came with our food. They sat down at the end of the table so the only space left was either by Tamaki or the spot by Kyoya. Oh boy...was real life gonna give me choices too?

I tried to make the gesture look casual as I sat beside Kyoya. Tamaki looked a little sad about it but he didn't question it. The twins ended up getting me some kind of Italian tray. It had some kind of pasta, some breadsticks, a couple things of sauce, a piece of french bread with butter, some kind of danish and a bottle with foreign writing. It was some kind of pink bubbly drink that reminded me of what I drank last night at the restaurant with Tamaki.

"Hi everyone." I said awkwardly.

"Hey Haruhi." Everyone verbally replied in various ways except for Kyoya. But it was his response that I noticed the most. His dark eyes darted in my direction and the look he gave me sent chills down my spine. The good kind of chills that linger for a few delicious moments.

"I took Haruhi out to dinner last night." Tamaki proclaimed proudly.

"That sounds nice. Did you have fun Haru chan? What kind of food did you eat? Were there any sweets?" Honey went on and I did my best to respond to all his questions. I noticed that Kyoya was very withdrawn. He had pushed his tray aside and was typing away on his laptop. I also noticed that he never once brought up the trip to Kyoto. I guess it was his intention to not let any of the hosts know I was his guest for the Kyoto trip.

Kyoya had a very faint and almost not there look of irritation on his face as Tamaki went on and on about our dinner 'date' last night. In fact, if I didn't know any better, he seemed almost...jealous? Did that mean that the all knowing Kyoya didn't even know about Tamaki's dinner invitation? That's odd. I figured Tamaki told Kyoya everything. They were best friends after all.

As I thought the words 'best friends', a weight settled in my stomach. I wasn't very wise on the basics of crushes and feelings and junk but it seemed to me that both Kyoya and Tamaki were persuing me. With them being best friends, if I were to choose either of them, it could destroy their friendship... I honestly didn't want that. Could I not show interest in Kyoya like I wanted to just to salvage their friendship? Or should I follow my heart? If that was even what my heart was telling me. Was that what my dream meant when it said Kyoya was dangerous? That he would break my heart?

Before I could ponder on it anymore, Hikaru snapped his fingers in front of my face. "Haruhi! Quit zoning out space cadet. You need to hurry and eat. Class starts soon."

I blushed and set right to work on finishing my lunch. After lunch, I thanked both of the twins for buying it for me and I headed towards class. I ended up stopping at the girl's restroom first and as I was exiting it to head back to class, I heard hushed tones approaching me. I ducked back into the bathroom and listened to the unmistakable voices of Hikaru and Kaoru. I peeked through a little crack in the door as they stopped right in front of the door to talk.

"She's not going with the plan Kaoru. She's showing interest in someone else." Hikaru said shortly, looking flustered.

"If that's what she wants then we can't force her decision. That's the point of the game." Kaoru tried to console Hikaru.

"But her and the boss are MADE for eachother Kaoru. He's in love with her and I know that if we could give them the chance, she'd love him too." Hikaru complained.

"I still say their personalities clash. She fits better with Kyoya. They're both very inteligent and they have the same views on the world in many ways. When you really think about it, there are no other people Kyoya is suited for." Kaoru argued his side and I nearly fainted.

So that was their game...Hikaru wanted me to end up with Tamaki and Kaoru wanted me to end up with Kyoya...I bet they were even taking bets on it all...How could they? "You jerks!" I screamed before I could control my temper. I swung the bathroom door open and stomped into the hall to confront the twins. "So I'm some kind of bet for you two? You try to decide my future? Kyoya or Tamaki?"

The twins both looked like deers in headlights but I wasn't even near done on my yelling tyrade. "What were you two thinking? How could you do this to me..."

They frowned with very sorry eyes. "We were thinking we wanted you to be happy." Kaoru sighed. "We knew you needed a man in your life and we both had our own opinions on which one would fit best. I thought Kyoya was best so I kept Tamaki and other possible callers off your back while Kyoya took you to Kyoto. And yes, we know. We overheard you talking about trip preparations one club meetings before you went."

After Kaoru finished explaining, Hikaru took a careful step forward. "And I helped Tamaki plan the romantic dinner. But according to your guy's distance, we're guessing it went less than perfect. We really are sorry that we did this...the game is over. It's up to you to decide which one makes you happy. We're out of it." They both put their hands up and took a couple steps back.

"You don't have to forgive us Haruhi but we truely are sorry. We never meant to hurt you." Kaoru whispered and they both bowed formally before walking towards class.

I stood there long past the bell for the start of class. I felt sick to my stomach and I didn't want to face the twins for the rest of the day. I went to the nurse's office and told her I felt ill so she'd let me lay down and skip class. I laid on the little couch with a cold rag on my forehead for the rest of school. "Mr. Fugioka, school is over now. You can go home." The nurse told me and I reluctantly got up. I had to handle club activities first before I could go home...

Things would be kinda slow this week and that was my only relief. Then at the end of the week, the kimonos would have already arrived and we'd do the big event. When I arrived at the club room, everyone was rushing around, trying to fix things up for the company. "There you are!" Honey senpai said excitedly. "Hika chan and Kao chan said you weren't in class."

"Yeah...I got sick and laid down in the nurse's office."

"Aww! Haru chan is sick! She should be allowed to go home and lay down." Honey said firmly in his childish little voice.

"No it's fine Honey senpai. I'm feeling better already." I took my place at my table and awaited the guests. The club meeting went by rather quickly. The guests came and went and I was permitted to walk home. Unfortunately, I saw that it was raining. I tried to wait it out before walking home but half an hour later, the rain was still falling. At least it wasn't a thunderstorm. I hid while watching all the other club members and club guests going home and as soon as I thought the coast was clear, I tried to head home with my bookbag over my head.

"Haruhi!" Someone called. I turned around to see Kyoya approaching me with an umbrella. He held it over my head as well as his own. "Were you really going to walk home in this weather?"

"Uh..." But that's all I got out before kyoya swooped an arm around my waist and held the umbrella over us both.

"I'll give you a ride home." He said so firmly, I couldn't question it. A limo was waiting at the front gate. He helped me in and got in himself, setting the closed, wet umbrella on the floor.

"You really didn't have to senpai. I only live a block away from the school."

"It takes no time at all for someone to get a cold. We wouldn't want you getting sick and missing a bunch of club activities."

I repressed the urge to scowl at him. "Of course that's the only reason you don't want me getting sick..." I whispered before peeking at his face out of the corner of my eye. He looked frustrated.

"Don't make assumptions Haruhi." He said softly but his voice was full of annoyed frustration.

"Sorry..." I mumbled, looking out the window as we pulled in front of my apartment. Kyoya picked up the umbrella and walked me to my door with his arm around my waist. For reasons unknown to me, this contact was pleasant and I savored it. At the door, I unlocked it and stepped inside. "Do you want something warm to drink before you head home?" I asked.

"No, that's alright." He answered but neither of us made an effort to move. I dropped my book bag on the little table by the door without dropping our gaze. He took in a careful breath and took a step closer but froze suddenly. "Goodbye. See you at school tomorrow." And then he was gone, rushing towards his limo.

I stared after him with confused eyes until he was out of sight. When I shut the door and turned around, my father was staring at me with serious eyes. "So you've chosen?"

"Huh?" I said, confused.

"Have you chosen someone? Have you chosen Kyoya?"

Angry that he seemed to be on the same wavelength as the twins, I glared at the floor. "I havn't chosen anyone." I snapped before grabbing my bookbag and running to my room. Slamming the door shut, I locked it and slid down the wall before crying out all my frustration. Frustration for Tamaki, Kyoya, the twins' plot, my father's seeming knowledge of the plot and my inability to choose... For once in my life, I had no idea what my next step was...