Chapter 10: Tangled Webs.

The moment the lunch hour bell sounded on Wednesday, Kaoru pushed his chair back from his desk and reached his arms over his head, groaning in relief as he stretched muscles that had become stiff from sitting still too long. "Finally! I thought that class would never end!" He said with a grin, as he turned towards the others, "I'm starving, who's coming for lunch?"

Hikaru nodded mutely as he climbed to his feet and Kaoru had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at his still sulking brother. Instead, he turned to Haruhi but she was already pulling an obento from her satchel and holding it in a suspiciously tight grip.

"No, I have my lunch with me, and you are not getting your hands on it this time." She said, but smiled as Kaoru held his hands up in reluctant acceptance. He turned his questioning gaze on Renge, expecting her typically enthusiastic agreement, but blinked in astonishment as he saw that she too was pulling a boxed lunch from her bag.

She saw his look of surprise and her lips quirked into a smile, "It seems our little Haruhi has made quite the impression over the past week; she's even managed to make homemade lunches fashionable." She gestured around the room and Kaoru turned to see that a number of the other students were also remaining at their desks. They were tucking into various elaborate obentos, while pretending, quite unsuccessfully, not to be paying any attention to Haruhi or the others.

"My, my Haruhi, you've become quite the trendsetter!" Kaoru said, chuckling as he saw Haruhi's barely contained annoyance at having her usually peaceful lunch hour invaded by so many chattering students.

"Oh absolutely," she muttered, "Soon I'll have them all drinking instant coffee, eating instant ramen and only shopping at commoner markets too." Hikaru snorted in laughter and Kaoru looked up at him in surprise. For a moment he saw the familiar humorous glint in his brother's eyes, but Hikaru's smile soon faded, his eyes regaining that same shuttered cast that they had carried for the past few days and Kaoru hissed in irritation.

"Well, we'll leave you ladies to enjoy your lunch," he said, with forced cheerfulness, "Come on Hikaru." He turned to make his way from the room and felt, rather than heard, his twin come to walk beside him, but as the silence grew between them, so did Kaoru's annoyance.

"How long are you planning on keeping this up?" He asked finally, as they entered the dining hall.

"What are you talking about?" Hikaru asked.

"This latest sulking episode of yours." Kaoru said, talking a seat and reaching for one of the menus.

"I'm not sulking." Hikaru said, flipping listlessly through his own menu, then pushing it away.

"Really?" Kaoru asked, striving to keep his voice calm, "Is that why I've barely heard two words from you since Monday morning?"

A dull crimson blush coloured Hikaru's face, but he said nothing and a moment later, a waiter appeared beside them to take their order. Hikaru just pointed at a random item on the menu without really looking and Kaoru waited until the waiter had left before turning to face his brother determinedly. "So, are you going to tell me what's going on in that head of yours or should I just make an educated guess?" He asked with a strained smile. Hikaru remained stubbornly silent, picking up one of his chopsticks and fidgeting with it.

"Okay, guessing it is!" Kaoru chewed his lip and furrowed in brow in a parody of pensiveness, "I wonder. Could it be global warming? No? Okay how about the worsening unemployment situation? No, of course not." He rubbed his chin as he stared at the ceiling as if looking for divine inspiration. "Hmmm, then could it possibly be that you're upset that Haruhi wanted us to go to the ball as a group instead of only being your date?"

Kaoru watched from the corner of his eye as Hikaru's hands stilled their restless movements. Hikaru finally raised his eyes to meet Kaoru's uncertainly. "Why do you look so surprised? You weren't exactly subtle about it." Kaoru said, turning to face his brother. "Did you really think you were going to make her change her mind by sulking all week?" As he saw Hikaru's cheeks darken further with embarrassment, he felt a brief stab of guilt and continued in a gentler voice, "Why didn't you just ask her out sooner if you're interested in her? You've known about this ball for ages!"

Hikaru's eyes flashed with anger, "How could I ask her out when you like her too?"

Kaoru raised one eyebrow in consternation, "What?"

"Well, it's true, isn't it?" Hikaru said, waving a chopstick at Kaoru, "That's why you've been acting strangely, right? You snipe at me for keeping things to myself lately, but you haven't talked to me in weeks! Not like you used to."

Kaoru felt a chill of uneasiness wash over him, realising that he had not been as adept at hiding his recent preoccupations from Hikaru as he had thought. It was soon followed by a wave of guilt, as he realised that, not only had he made Hikaru worry, but his brother had jumped to entirely the wrong conclusion, and was putting his own happiness on hold for Kaoru's sake.

"Hikaru, I don't -" he began, but his brother was already muttering furiously.

"Of course I wanted to ask her out, but I couldn't, not when you were obviously mooning over her too…"

"I wasn't -" Kaoru tried again but Hikaru was in full flow.

"You were always hugging her and smiling at her…"

"I didn't -" Kaoru said, raising his voice, but Hikaru ploughed on.

"We always like the same things; of course we would fall for the same girl…"

Kaoru banged his hand loudly against the table to cut his brother off and Hikaru stared at him in shock.

"Believe it or not, Hikaru. The entire world does not revolve around you. Or Haruhi!" Kaoru said, through clenched teeth, "I'm not obliged to always like the same things you do, so just stop trying to make those decisions for me!"

Hikaru was still staring at him incredulously and the dining hall had suddenly become very quiet. Kaoru glanced quickly around the room and saw that quite a few of the other students were staring over at them curiously, muttering to each other behind their hands. Grimacing, he lifted his stinging hand from the table and rubbed the palm of it gingerly. He took a deep breath and continued in a lower tone, "I'm sorry if you got the impression that I was interested in Haruhi, but let me assure you that I'm not. So you can stop using me as an excuse to avoid dealing with your own feelings."

He saw the vague glint of hope that appeared in Hikaru's eyes and released a sigh of relief, one that was very short-lived, as his brother's brow furrowed thoughtfully. "If it's not Haruhi, then what has been going on with you lately?"

"We're not talking about me," Kaoru said, leaning back in his chair and picking up his napkin, draping it over his lap, "We were discussing you and Haruhi."

"Not anymore." Hikaru said, turning to face Kaoru fully.

Kaoru turned to meet his brother's questioning gaze and for a brief moment he contemplated just laying all his recent worries and feelings on the table. After all, he had always been able to share everything with his brother. Surely Hikaru would understand? Then he recalled his twin's usual petulant behaviour when something upset him, and he felt a knot of apprehension form in his stomach. What if Hikaru couldn't accept that Kaoru didn't want the same things he did?

Instead, he forced a smile into place, wagging a reproving finger at Hikaru, "Your crush is far more interesting than what's going on with me!" He laughed, hoping that Hikaru would take the bait. He saw Hikaru's eyes narrow in displeasure and cut in before he could force the issue. "Honestly Hikaru, it's nothing important," he searched for something to latch onto, something his brother would believe, "I just miss the host club, and hanging out with the other guys." A very small part of the truth, but he hoped that Hikaru would accept it.

His brother stared at him for a long moment as the waiter returned with their food and Kaoru strove to keep his nonchalant guise in place, as he picked up his chopsticks and began to eat. "So, are you going to tell Haruhi that you like her?" he asked, and held his breath.

"Maybe," Hikaru replied after a long pause, then he began to tuck into his own meal, "I could do it at the ball, I was thinking that…"

Kaoru sighed in relief and smiled as he listened to Hikaru list the many ways he hoped the ball would go and his plans to woo Haruhi, and he tried to ignore the niggling feelings of guilt he felt for the secrets he kept. After all his brothers happiness came first.

OoOoOoO

That same afternoon found Tamaki and Kyoya sprawled on the grass beneath the shade of an Ume tree as they ate their lunch, having quickly abandoned the crowded and noisy dining hall, in favor of the warm spring sunshine and relatively empty gardens. Tamaki was leaning back against the tree's trunk, one leg bent before him and Kyoya's iPad propped against his thigh, where he could easily read it as he alternated between eating, flicking through various web-sites and chattering at Kyoya.

"…chocolates? Or maybe you should bring flowers…" Tamaki said, one finger trailing down the screen as his eyes scanned the article he had found online. "…roses are always good. Unless Haruhi has a favourite flower. Do you know?"

"Hmm?" Kyoya murmured, and Tamaki looked up to see that his friend's attention was no longer focused on his own lunch or what Tamaki was saying. Instead, he was plucking absently at the grass that lay between them and watching the small groups of students making their way through the courtyard, as if he were looking for someone.

"Hey, pay attention!" Tamaki said, dropping the tablet on the grass so he could reach over to smack Kyoya across the head. "You can moon over Haruhi later. We have to convince her to go out with you first!"

"I was not mooning over anyone." Kyoya said, glaring at Tamaki as he gingerly rubbed the back of his head, "As foreign a concept as it may be to you, I was merely thinking."

"Of course you were," Tamaki said, gathering up the iPad once more and settling back against the tree, "I should have guessed really, as you normally wreak devastation on the local plant-life whenever you have an idle thought."

Kyoya regarded him in confusion and Tamaki grinned, nodding pointedly to the ground between them. Kyoya followed his gaze there and finally noticed the large patch of bare earth that had appeared in the meticulously manicured lawn, and the small pile of uprooted grass that lay beside his own leg. He glanced quickly down at his hands and frowned in annoyance as he saw the few incriminating blades of grass that still clung to his slender fingers.

Ignoring the blonde's laughter he brushed his hands clean and slid his bag over to cover the damage, as he asked, "What exactly was I meant to be paying attention to anyway?"

"To me, of course!" Tamaki said, taking a sip of his soda, "How else are you going to win Haruhi over, if not with my expertise?"

"I thought you spent the last two years trying not to have girls fall for you." Kyoya said as he turned to face him, folding his legs gracefully beneath him to sit comfortably cross-legged, "How exactly is that level of expertise meant to help me?"

Tamaki scowled at him for a moment, but couldn't contain his excitement for long, as thoughts of playing cupid for two of his best friends ran riot in his internal theatre. Ever since Kyoya had unintentionally revealed his feelings for Haruhi, Tamaki had spent every free moment trying to wrangle any piece of information he could from his reticent friend, about what had happened between them. Kyoya would never lower his guard enough to actually put words to his feelings of course, but Tamaki could easily see from his friend's unusually distracted air and thoughtful silences, that the ebony haired boy was clearly besotted. Although Tamaki's current situation had caused his own burgeoning romance to grind to an unfortunate stand-still, it didn't mean that he couldn't use the romantic expertise he had gained from many months of host club activities, to help his best friend get a love life of his own.

"Well, obviously I was too charming for my own good, since even my best efforts couldn't stop them falling for me." He sighed dramatically with a feigned frown, then laughed as he saw Kyoya roll his eyes at him.

"Oh? And I'm sure it really had nothing to do with your family's money or business connections." Kyoya said, removing his glasses to polish them, "Let's face it Tamaki, the most enamoured girls that attended the host club, were there to improve their own, or their families standing in society by being associated with one of us. I think it had very little to do with our charm."

"True," Tamaki agreed, laughing softly as he ran a hand through his golden hair, "but my dashing good looks certainly didn't hurt!"

"Oh absolutely not," Kyoya said, smirking, as he slid his glasses back in place, "What girl could resist the combination of money, family connection and good looks?"

Tamaki's laughter trailed off and he eyed Kyoya seriously. "Haruhi could," he said, with a small shrug, "She's the only one in this school that is completely uninterested in any of that stuff. She actually liked us despiteit all."

"And that's half the problem, isn't it," Kyoya said, "How do I convince a girl, who is completely unimpressed by everything that I was taught to deem important, that I could be a viable option?"

"Don't tell me that the great Kyoya Ootori is feeling unsure of himself?" Tamaki laughed. He saw an all too familiar glint appear in his friend's eyes and realised that Kyoya was actually relishing the challenge of winning Haruhi over.

"In normal circumstances, when I know all the variables and probable reactions, I can act with a reasonable expectation of success," Kyoya raised a hand to massage his temple as he deliberated aloud, "but Haruhi rarely reacts the way anyone would expect. I just want to take the time to learn what those variables may be, to ensure the best outcome.

"You're talking about it like she's a business acquisition, Kyoya." Tamaki said, frowning over at him, a little disheartened by Kyoya's overly analytical approach to matters of the heart, "She's a girl you like, not an object. The only variable you should be concerned about is if she's interested in you too, and there's only one way to find that out."

"So you suggest I just go and ask her out?" Kyoya asked slowly.

"That would be the next logical step. Unless you want to skip straight to a proposal?" Tamaki said, grinning as he gestured to the iPad resting in his lap, and the article he had been reading, "So… chocolates, or roses?" He laughed at the dark glare that Kyoya threw his way. "Okay, no chocolates or flowers; but you are going to ask her out, right? I mean, it seems pretty obvious to me at least, if you really do like her?"

Kyoya sighed heavily as he inclined his head in acknowledgement. "She's… exceptional," he said, shaking his head slightly as if trying to find the right words, "She always has been of course; but she's also ambitious yet unassuming; intelligent, beautiful… everything I could want in a partner, except -"

"- except she's a commoner." Tamaki finished for him and Kyoya nodded mutely, oblivious to how Tamaki's features darkened in annoyance at his silent admission. "I really thought after all our time together in the club, even you would have grown to see past those prejudices." Tamaki muttered angrily.

Kyoya looked up in surprise to meet his friend's accusing glare and chuckled softly, raising a placating hand as he saw Tamaki's scowl darken further. "Don't be ridiculous, I don't put any stock in those prejudices anymore. How could I, after spending any time at all in Haruhi's company." He said, "Our upbringing doesn't make us better than commoners, only more fortunate."

Tamaki's brows drew together in confusion, "If you don't care about it then why would you allow Haruhi's status to stop you…"

"Just because I've changed my views, doesn't mean my father has." Kyoya cut in, "You can hardly think he would be impressed if I started dating a commoner; not when he has made it very clear that he judges every move I make, only on how it reflects on him or the corporation." Kyoya sighed running his fingers through his hair, "If Haruhi were to agree to go out with me, my father could choose to make things very difficult for her. I'm not willing to put her in that position; especially if it could mean an end of her studies here or her future plans to become a lawyer."

"Don't you think you owe Haruhi the opportunity to make that decision for herself?" Tamaki asked.

"It's inevitably her decision of course," Kyoya said, then smiled, "but that doesn't mean that I can't take the time to highlight Haruhi's winning attributes to my father. He may be biased against commoners, but I'm sure I can find a way to make him see what an exception to the rule she is. To be more precise, I hope to find a way for both he and Haruhi to see the merits of such an association."

Tamaki smiled at his friend's typically adept scheming, and was about to reply when a door banging closed across the concourse drew his attention away. He watched as the familiar auburn-haired forms of the Hitachiin twins strode from the dining hall. Their arms were slung about each other's shoulders, and they were laughing loudly as they chatted together, oblivious to the curious glances they received from some of the other students.

Tamaki raised his hand in greeting, smiling broadly as Kaoru happened to glance in their direction. He saw a matching grin form on the younger twin's face and watched as he nudged his brother in the ribs alerting him to their presence. Hikaru looked up and grinned as he saw them, grabbing Kaoru's arm to drag him over to the tree. Tamaki straightened in anticipation, but just then the bell signalling the end of the lunch hour sounded and he saw the twins falter in their approach. Hikaru muttered something to his brother, offering Tamaki and Kyoya an apologetic shrug as he turned to make his way back to class. Kaoru nodded sadly, flashing Tamaki a rueful smile and a wave as he turned to follow his brother.

Tamaki dropped his hand back to his lap, sighing dejectedly as he watched them disappear amongst the other students who were leaving the courtyard. It had been weeks since he had been able to talk to any of the other hosts, and although he would always be grateful that Kyoya was in his class and that they could still hang out, he had to admit that he was missing the others terribly, and one far more than the rest.

He turned back to see that Kyoya had come to his feet and was gathering the remnants of his lunch to dispose of in a nearby bin, dropping the empty tray on a bench for one of the school staff to collect later. Tamaki smiled and shook his head as he saw the familiar calculating look etched on Kyoya's face, the ebony-haired boy obviously still trying to concoct the perfect plan.

"There's something else you may want to keep in mind, Kyoya," Tamaki said, a hint of a mischievous grin forming as he too climbed to his feet, "You may not have as much time as you think to catch Haruhi's attention."

Kyoya looked over at him curiously as he slung his bag over his shoulder, "And why's that?"

"Now that her secret is out, I wouldn't be surprised if many of Ouran's eligible young men were lining up to ask her out, especially with this ball coming up on Friday. I mean, what if she has a date already?"

Kyoya's face darkened in annoyance at the thought, and Tamaki shrugged. "As you pointed out last week, she has already gained quite a few admirers. Even if she doesn't have a date, I don't think she'll be lacking for dance partners. In fact, from here I can see one such gentleman who has been waiting for his opportunity for quite some time." Tamaki nodded across the courtyard at the flame-haired form of Kasanoda who was chatting with other members of his gardening club as they too made their way to class.

Kyoya eyed the red-headed boy pensively for a long moment and Tamaki reached out to rest a hand on his friend's shoulder, pulling him from his thoughts, "Just don't spend too long, planning the perfect way to get everything you want… only to find you've already missed your chance."

Tamaki tried not to dwell on how well those words described his own situation and turned to make his way back indoors, leaving Kyoya to follow in pensive silence.

OoOoOoO

Renge stared out the window of her car, oblivious to the passing scenery of her homeward journey as she tapped a stylus thoughtfully against her lips, before glancing down at what she had just written in her diary.

Wednesday 24th.

Ugh, this week has been BORING! I can't wait for the ball on Friday to liven things up…

For a moment she contemplated erasing the less than accurate words, but then started typing again.

…okay, so this week hasn't exactly been boring, but then again, nothing has exactly gone to plan.

First, my great idea of how to get Hikaru to escort me to the ball backfired pretty spectacularly. I mean, I had a niggling feeling that he might like Haruhi, but wow, I really didn't expect him to just jump at the opportunity and ask her out before I even finished speaking... Really not my finest hour!

I tried to put a brave face on it, but I really must not be as good an actress as I thought, as Haruhi saw straight through it and came to my rescue. Now we're all going as a group instead...which should have made me happy right?

Well it didn't, because Hikaru has been giving all of us the silent treatment ever since. So that's been pretty unpleasant; but I guess Kaoru must have gotten through to him today somehow, as he was back to his usual chatty gorgeous self this afternoon. Unfortunately that same chatty gorgeous boy only seems to have eyes for Haruhi… and the worst part? Is that she doesn't even realise that he fancies her, and she's so oblivious to the effect she has on him that I can't even be mad at her for it…

What are the odds that both of the boys I've had crushes on since coming to Ouran only have eyes for my new (and newly female) best friend. Not that I care about Kyoya anymore, but Hikaru…

Renge's feature's creased into a rarely seen frown and she dropped the device back into her lap, chewing dejectedly on the stylus as she tried to ignore the sting of disappointment that ran through her veins. She took a deep breath, straightening her shoulders as she fixed a smile back in place.

Haruhi has actually been great since she found out that I like Hika, in fact she spent most of lunchtime today trying to convince me to just tell him. Maybe she's right. Maybe if he knew that there was someone else out there that could see him for who he is, someone who can tell his cheeky grin from Kaoru's, a mile away; or knows that his voice is just that little bit deeper than his brother's; or that he pretends to be worse at English than he actually is, because he knows that Kaoru loves discussing Shakespeare… And maybe if he happened to see that certain someone looking particularly fabulous on Friday night in my new Jason Wu gown…that may or may not show just a little bit of leg; then he might….

Hmmm, okay Renge…..calm down, let's not get ahead of ourselves…

Speaking of dresses, Haruhi is still refusing to come over to my house for a fitting, even though I have the perfect gown picked out for her. I think she's worried that I'm going to force her into something ridiculous - as if I would own anything that wasn't utterly gorgeous- but I called Ranka last night and he promised that he would help me "kidnap" her tomorrow after school, so I can have Marie make the necessary alterations.

Haruhi is going to wear that dress, even if I have to force her into it myself! And if that little number doesn't catch Kyoya's eye I don't know what will.

And, on the topic of the youngest Ootori… We haven't seen Kyoya all week. I keep telling Haruhi that she have to actually leave the classroom if she wants to see her little crush; but she keeps acting like she doesn't know what I'm talking about. Yeah Haruhi, you just keep telling yourself that! Well at least she won't be able to avoid him at the ball.

Renge looked up to see that they had arrived outside her house and quickly finished her diary entry, before throwing the tablet back in her bag.

One things for certain… Friday night is certainly going to be interesting…