It was the evening of the Winter Ball, and all the hosts plus Haruhi were in the ballroom, with ten minutes to go before the doors opened for the girls. Haruhi would have come in with the rest of the guests, but Tamaki had insisted upon picking her up at her apartment and taking her to the ball. He needed to be there an hour beforehand to make sure everything was set and running, and so, Haruhi had to go early with him.

Haruhi hadn't felt exactly comfortable in her dress. It was a strapless number, pale blue, and it went down to the floor. There were a few embellishments at the bust and hips, which helped with her figure (or rather, lack there of). Her father helped her with her make-up; Haruhi would have rather gone without, but he had insisted upon it.

"You're going to a ball," Ryoji had said, whipping out his make-up bag. "You have to wear make-up."

"Fine," Haruhi had said with a sigh, trusting her father to make sure she didn't end up having too much make-up on.

And, he'd done a good job; her eyes were smoky, but still somewhat natural. They weren't too heavy, thankfully, and her lips were only slightly pinker than usual.

"You look so pretty!" Ryoji had cried when he'd finished. "If only you'd grow your hair out longer…." He touched her hair.

"It's so much easier this length," Haruhi had said, brushing him off. She glanced at the time. Where was-

There was a knock at the door, answering as to where Tamaki was. Haruhi stepped towards the door, but her father jumped in front of her. "You can't open the door," he hissed before opening the door.

There Tamaki stood, looking extremely handsome in a white suit (the boy just didn't seem to like to wear black) and…slightly nervous.

"Hello Mr. Fujioka," Tamaki said, putting on a smile as he stepped inside. "Is Haruhi-" He suddenly stopped, seeing her. He stared, and Haruhi shifted, slightly uncomfortable with the way he was staring; she wished he'd say something.

"Hi," Haruhi said, smiling nervously. Why wasn't he saying anything?

"H-hey…" Tamaki had a strange smile now, as he stepped closer to her. "You look…great," he said, his voice rather breathy. He kissed her cheek. "Are you, ah, ready to go?"

"You can't leave yet!" Ryoji had somehow come up with a camera, and insisted upon taking photograph and photograph of the two of them posing together. It wasn't until fifteen minutes later, with a phone call from Kyouya demanding to know where they were that Ryoji finally let them leave.

"I'm sorry about that," Haruhi said, blushing, as they road in his limo to the school.

"It's okay," Tamaki said. He was holding her hand, still staring at her the way he had when he'd first come in.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You look absolutely beautiful," Tamaki said, grinning at her. He kissed her cheek, and then again on her lips. "So beautiful…."

Haruhi couldn't help but blush bright red at that, but returned the kiss regardless. "Thank you."

Tamaki attempted to turn the back of the limo into a make out session then, but they had reached the school, and Haruhi had to convince him otherwise.

Haruhi had hung in the background while the rest of the club members took care of the last minute things, meaning, Kyouya took care of last minute things and the rest of the club was running around, having fun. She smiled, watching them all. Truth be told, she did miss being a part of the club; she missed spending time with all of them.

Kyouya had given her clear instructions though, to dance as little as possible with Tamaki, to keep the girls from getting jealous. Also, when the doors opened, she was to go off to the side, to give the hosts time to welcome everyone.

Haruhi didn't mind though; she would get a chance to see all her friends and spend time with them all, regardless.

Hikaru wasn't able to take it anymore.

When he and Kaoru had gone gown shopping with her, and he had seen her when she'd tried on that gown, he knew, he knew that he couldn't stand it, that he would never be able to stand seeing her with Tamaki anymore.

She was just too perfect for him, for Hikaru, not for Tamaki. Couldn't she see that? They were perfect for each other. No one else.

And so, Hikaru and Kaoru came up with a plan. She'd see, he was sure, if he showed her exactly what she was missing, being with Tamaki. And so, tonight, Hikaru would get her alone, and tell her, exactly how he felt. Exactly.

The ball began, and Hikaru played the part of a happy host, dancing with every girl that seemed like she would want to dance with him. But, inside, he was anxious, waiting for the signal from Kaoru.

He kept an eye on Haruhi throughout the dance; she danced with each of the members (with Tamaki more than once), though her dance with Hunnie was slightly ridiculous to watch. He was waiting, waiting for Kaoru….

There. Kaoru had caught his eye, winked, and then approached Haruhi clearly asking her to dance. Smiling to himself, Hikaru excused himself from the girl he'd been dancing with. Now, it was time to act.

Haruhi was greatly enjoying herself. While she didn't spend the entire night dancing, she had gotten a few dances in, enjoying a slow dance with Tamaki, as well as with Mori and Kyouya. She had done her best to dance with Hunnie, which was thankfully during a fast song. She would never have been able to dance a slow one with him.

Surprisingly enough, Mori had been the best dancer out of all of them.

Haruhi had been taking a breather, slowly sipping one of the cappuccinos that were being served when Kaoru came up to her.

"Want to dance?" he asked, offering her his hand.

Haruhi smiled, setting her cappuccino down on a nearby table. "Sure," she said, despite the fact that her feet were beginning to hurt. She wasn't used to wearing heals, not to mention dancing in them. Taking his hand, she let him lead her to the other side of the dance floor, near the doors that led to the outside, not into the school. It was odd, going all the way over here to dance, but Haruhi decided not to question it. The twins were a little strange at times.

"Hikaru really did find the perfect dress for you," Kaoru said as they began to dance.

"Thanks," Haruhi said, blushing slightly. The club members had kept complimenting her on the dress all night- even Mori had, though all he had done was whisper in her ear while dancing, "Very pretty."

Still; that was a lot coming from Mori.

"Are you getting tired?" Kaoru asked. "You've been dancing quite a bit."

"Not as much as you," Haruhi pointed out. "I've gotten a chance to rest; you haven't."

"I'm doing fine," Kaoru laughed. "If slow dancing with girls wears me out, I'm probably in trouble."

Haruhi smiled. "You have more stamina than I do then," she said.

"Just rest against me then." He was pressing the small of her back, forcing her closer. Though surprised, Haruhi went with it, letting her head come to rest against his shoulder.

This was a much more comfortable way to dance, Haruhi had to admit.

"Doesn't it bother you?" Kaoru asked suddenly.

"Does what?"

"To see him, dancing with other girls."

Haruhi knew which 'him' he was talking about. "Not really," she said offhandedly. "He's doing his job as a host."

Kaoru made a guttural noise in response, that Haruhi wasn't sure how to take.

The song ended, and Kaoru let go of her, stepping back. "Thanks for the dance," he said, before walking to the crowd of girls that were surely awaiting a dance from him.

Haruhi stood for a moment, trying to figure out what to do with herself, now that she was so far from the refreshments that she dearly wanted to try again. She could wander over through the crowd of girls, though she didn't really want to for two reasons. Her feet were sore, and she didn't exactly want to go through the girls; ever since the publication of the article that said she was cheating on Tamaki with Hikaru, a few choice girls vocalized their disapproval of her dating Tamaki.

"Hey Haruhi."

She turned around; Hikaru was by one of the exits, strangely enough with her coat in hand.

"Hi," she said, hoping he wouldn't ask her to dance. She really wasn't in the mood for another one; she just wanted to rest for a while.

"Want to go outside for some fresh air?" he asked, and Haruhi smiled. That sounded wonderful.

"Okay."

He offered her coat, and she took it, putting it on as Hikaru opened the door for her. Haruhi stepped outside, happily breathing in the cooler air. It was softly snowing now; it had to have started not long ago, as it wasn't even sticking yet. It was a bit refreshing, and she was glad that Hikaru they go outside; Haruhi loved snow.

"This is so pretty," Haruhi said happily, looking around at the school grounds through the softly falling snow.

"It is," Hikaru said from behind her.

"I haven't seen you much all night." Haruhi turned around to look at him. "You must've been busy dancing the entire time."

"Yep," Hikaru said, and he didn't seem happy about it. "I wanted to get a dance in with you though; but this is nicer…. Much more peaceful."

Haruhi nodded. That was true; everything was much quieter when snow was falling. She looked up, at the snow that was illuminated through the lights that were set over all the doorways. It really was beautiful, albeit cold. She shoved her hands in the pockets of her coat.

"You're cold?" Hikaru stepped closer to her.

"A little," Haruhi admitted, and suddenly she found herself wrapped tightly in Hikaru's arms.

"I'll warm you," he whispered in her ear. Something about this was starting to feel a little…off. Like this should be Tamaki doing this, not Hikaru. It seemed like something a boyfriend would do, not a friend. But, grateful for the warmth his arms were bringing her, she kept her mouth shut.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, as Haruhi warmed up.

"Haruhi," Hikaru said, making her look up at him. He said nothing else for a moment, then closed the short distance between them, and kissed her.

CLIFF HANGER!

This is so much easier for me to write; Hikaru and Haruhi make sense to me, not Tamaki and Haruhi.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Please leave constructive criticisms.