Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club.

Claimer: I own all my O/Cs (Emiko "Raine" Morelli, Han and Taro Maki, Leo and Aoki Morelli, and any future O/Cs)

Rating: Eh…for now it'll be K+ but we'll see where this takes us. Yes, I will warn you if I change the rating.

Pairings: Well, right now I'm leaning towards Tama/Haru and Hika/OC/Kao, but we'll see where this goes. Will most likely change though.

Chapter 17 (part 2)

[RPOV]

"You're wearing that?"

Haruhi looked at herself in the mirror. She chose to wear a baggy t-shirt and jeans to her date. A date! In fact, she looked more like a guy than she usually does.

"What's wrong with it?"

I sighed. "Haruhi, you're going on a date. And on a date, you're supposed to look nice and present yourself like a girl." She stared at me blankly, and I had a feeling that the information wasn't getting through her head. "That's why I took the liberty of picking out a dress for you!" I pulled out a dress from my suitcase and held it out to her.

She sighed, but took the dress. "Are you sure? I mean, I don't think Tamaki-senpai will really care what I'm wearing."

"Trust me, he will."

20 MINUTES LATER

Haruhi and I walked downstairs to be met with the host club. I smiled and pushed Haruhi towards Tamaki. "You're welcome."

The two just looked at each other and blushed. Tamaki coughed a little bit before saying, "So, uh, Haruhi…shall we go?"

Haruhi managed to nod a little. I grinned a bit at her embarrassment. It wasn't everyday I saw her face turn into a tomato. It was a photo worthy moment, seeing the two of them act so nervous around each other.

The two left, and I checked my watch. "Well, it's been five minutes. Let's go."

I started walking out the door, when I felt two pairs of hands grab me. "Go where?"

I turned to see Hikaru and Kaoru with confused looks on their faces. Honey looked at me curiously, and even Mori and Kyoya looked slightly interested. I chuckled. "You didn't expect that I'd let them go on this date and NOT follow? Come on now, it's the chance of a lifetime to see what they're like when no one's watching."

10 MINUTES AND 1 MILE LATER

I was hiding in a shrub, watching Tamaki lead Haruhi through the shops at Kuruizawa. I knew that he had no idea where he was going (he wasn't used to open markets), but Haruhi seemed to be having fun showing him around. They stopped at nearly every shop, looking at the different items being sold.

"Take her hand." I whispered to myself, hoping Tamaki would somehow hear me. Right now, he and Haruhi were looking at wooden instruments. "Take the hand." I said again. "Come on, you aren't stupid!"

"Raine, he won't take her hand." Hikaru said simply.

"Hikaru's right. Milord might put on a good act at the club, but he's hopeless when it comes to Haruhi." Kaoru added.

I groaned. If they already kissed, holding hands couldn't be that hard for them. But they weren't even really looking at each other. It was awkward to even watch. Maybe this was a mistake…

[TPOV]

I glanced over at Haruhi, who was explaining how open air markets worked. I smiled at her. She was wearing a dress. She was…cute. So cute. I felt my cheeks heat slightly. I looked away.

"Take her hand…"

I looked around. It sounded like Raine's voice. But I didn't see Raine anywhere. Maybe I had gotten used to her forward personality and was starting to think like her. Yeah, that's it.

"Take the hand…"

I wanted to hold her hand. I cleared my throat a bit and reached casually.

…

She walked away.

I sighed. I would have to try again. And hopefully she wouldn't reject it.

[HaPOV]

"Tamaki-senpai! Over here, I think you'll enjoy this!" I waved him over.

Tamaki walked over, smiling. "What is it Haruhi?"

I thanked the man at the cashier and turned to Tamaki, "It's ice cream. Go on, take a lick." He leaned forward and licked the ice cream. I blushed slightly, as he straightened out and smiled.

"That was delicious! Haruhi, why didn't you tell me commoner's ice cream was so good! I'll have to tell Kyoya to order some for the club!"

I smiled, glad to see him happy. I took a lick on the other side of the cone. "This is the best place to get ice cream. I used to come here with…mom." I stopped and took another lick. It tasted nostalgic.

Tamaki gave me a small smile, "Your mother would know of this place. I'm sure she would've liked to see you enjoy it."

I nodded and shook off the sad feeling, offering him the ice cream cone again. He took another lick and grinned.

Once we finished, we started walking through the market again. I was about to walk into fireworks shop when something caught my eye. I turned around and looked at a small toy stand.

Not that I would admit it to anyone, but I had a small collection of porcelain dolls. When I was younger, mom and I would take them out and play house with them. Ever since, if I came across one, I'd get it.

Which is why I was drawn to the table. Sitting dead center was a porcelain doll in a kimono. I looked over my shoulder to see Tamaki looking at me curiously. I flushed and took one more glance at the doll before trying to walk away. But when I turned, a hand stopped me.

"…Did you want it?"

I turned pink. I shrugged his hand off and said, "It's just a doll. I can live without it."

"I never asked if you wanted the doll." When I didn't say anything, he continued, "I…could get it for you, if you want." Before I could even say it was really ok, I didn't need it, he was already talking to the vendor.

A few minutes later, Tamaki handed me a bag. I smiled to myself. "Thank you Tamaki-senpai."

"J-just Tamaki is ok." I noticed his cheeks were tinted pink.

I had a sense of déjà vu, but before I could mention it, Tamaki grabbed my hand. He looked away, embarrassed. I slowly intertwined my fingers with his. It was…nice, holding hands.

"YESSSSSS!"

We both turned around, only to see nothing out of the ordinary.

"Did you…?"

"I think it's better we don't know."

[RPOV]

I managed to convince Kyoya to buy me a pair of binoculars, saying he could tack it onto Haruhi's debt (what? She won't notice!). We continued spying on their date.

"Aw, he bought her something." I said.

"You know, Haruhi wasn't kidding when she said this place had the best ice cream in Kuruizawa." Kaoru said. "Hey, Raine, want some?"

"Ah…" I quickly turned from the binoculars and took a bite, only to start spying again.

"Raine…"

"What Hikaru?"

He gently placed his hands on my shoulders and turned me around. "You still have ice cream on your face." He put a hand under my chin and pulled me forward. "Right…here." He pressed his lips to mine and gently grazed his tongue over my lips. Surprised, I dropped the binoculars, which landed with a loud clatter. Hikaru, startled by the noise, pulled back. I frowned and picked up the binoculars. After quickly dusting them off, I turned my attention to Tamaki and Haruhi just in time to see them grab a hold of each other's hand.

"YESSSSSSS!" I grinned and lowered the binoculars. "They're holding hands!"

Honey grabbed the binoculars, "Rae-chan is right! Haru-chan and Tama-chan ARE holding hands."

I cracked my knuckles and stood from my hiding place. "Well, my job is done."

"What are you talking about? I thought you wanted to spy on them?" Hikaru asked.

I nodded. "I did. But only for a little bit to make sure things would go smoothly on their own. Since they're holding hands, things are obviously going well. So…I don't really want to pry any longer than I have to." I turned around and started walking back to Misuzu's. "Besides, I'll get all the details from Haruhi later." I smiled and continued walking away, happy to hear several sets of footsteps follow me.

[3rd person POV]

"That girl is so lucky!"

Haruhi knew without looking that the young girl was talking about her. She flushed with embarrassment. She hated being in the center of attention, and now that she was with Tamaki, attention was all she got. She looked down at her feet as her and Tamaki walked through the markets. With each step she felt a stare, some from the vendors, and some from a few schoolgirls cooing.

"Haruhi?" Haruhi's head snapped up at the sound of her name. She was met with Tamaki's face looking down at her. "Are you feeling ok? Do you want to go back?"

Haruhi shook her head. Despite the looks she was getting, she liked spending time alone with Tamaki. She wouldn't admit it to anyone except herself (and Raine…but Raine would figure it out regardless of whether or not she was told), but she enjoyed having his full attention. She gripped the bag containing her doll a bit tighter.

Haruhi looked up, noticing clouds were coming in. Her smile slipped into a frown, "Do you think it'll rain?"

Tamaki followed her gaze up to the sky. "We've got a few hours." He pet the top of Haruhi's head affectionately with his free hand. "Don't worry, I'm here." He subtly pulled Haruhi closer to him.

SOME TIME LATER

Tamaki laughed as he walked along the cobblestone pathway. Haruhi and he had just eaten at a small café, and they were discussing the waitress that had been serving them.

"Did…you…see her face!" Haruhi said in between laughs, "That…was…priceless!"

Tamaki only grinned. The waitress hadn't known he was rich, so when he started ordering off the menu (assuming that the small sushi restaurant had French food) she panicked. And called the manger, who thought the whole thing was a joke. Luckily for the pair, Haruhi was able to explain the situation.

However, they ended up getting kicked out anyways when Tamaki tried to "save" the crab residing in the restaurant's fish tank.

"Hey Haruhi! What's over here?" Tamaki asked, dragging Haruhi to a building.

"This is the local church. It's what Kuruizawa was built around." Haruhi explained. "Would you like to look in-" Before Haruhi could finish her question, Tamaki was already tugging on her hand and going inside the old church.

"Nobody seems to be around."

"It's a weekday. Most people wait until the weekend to come to church." Haruhi looked at the pictures on the glass windows and smiled to herself. She always liked those windows.

Tamaki roamed around the corridor of the church. "Haruhi, don't you just feel…connected! I can feel spirits!"

Haruhi was about to laugh when a loud clap of thunder rang throughout the church. She instantly hid underneath the closest thing she could find. A table set up off to the side.

"Haruhi?"

[TPOV]

I knew I should have taken her back home hours ago, but I was having too much fun. And now she was scared and alone because I couldn't find where she went off to.

"Haruhi!" I called again. The church was dimly lit to begin with, and the storm completely knocked out the power. I was blindly searching for her with the occasional lightning streak as my only source of light. "HARUHI!"

"…over here…"

That was easily the softest I had ever heard her spoken. But I followed that small voice and found Haruhi underneath a table, tears gathering in her eyes. She was curled up and had her eyes squeezed tightly shut. She was more than afraid at this point, she was terrified.

I reached out my hand to touch her face. Lowering myself to the ground, I crawled underneath the table. I cautiously wrapped an arm around her and said, "I'm here Haruhi."

She looked up at me and I saw the tears trickling down her cheeks. I hated that face on her. So scared, so fragile, so broken. That face didn't belong on Haruhi. I tightened my grip on her. I wasn't going to let her be afraid anymore.

"I'm here Haruhi." I repeated.

She hid her face in my chest, and I could feel her body shaking from sobbing. She made me want to cry for her.

"Don't leave me…" she mumbled.

I shook my head, "I'll always be here for you."

There was a long pause before a very faint, "I love you, Tamaki."

I felt my heartbeat speed up. I stroked Haruhi's hair and said, "Yeah…I love you too."

AFTER THE STORM HAD PASSED

[HaPOV]

We were now awkwardly sitting in a car, being driven back to Misuzu's (they started getting worried about us). I couldn't even bring myself to look at Tamaki.

I couldn't believe how childish and rash I had been in the church. We've only kissed once. I couldn't…honestly say I loved him, could I?

The logical side of me was convinced that it was said in the heat of the moment. He was, after all, the person who had protected me from the storm. Logically, emotions that were running wild from fear and attraction (I wasn't denying I had feelings for him) would lead me to express love…as brashly as I did.

The emotional side of me, however, (the side I call Raine's advocate) told me otherwise.

I looked up to see Tamaki staring out the window. I felt my face heat up, so I looked away and crossed my arms over my chest, a nervous habit I never could quite break.

The car ride felt long and awkward. Usually, being with Tamaki invited noise and chatter. Now, he was scarily quiet. I hoped I hadn't scared him.

Then again, he did say it back.

…

He said it back.

I looked up again to see him now staring at me. My face colored to what I assume was a lovely shade of scarlet. "S-sorry." I muttered.

There was another long pause before he said, "Can I ask you something?"

I hesitated a little bit before nodding.

"Did…did you mean it?"

The car came to a stop. I looked at the ground, at my hands, at everything except him. I don't know what came over me. I just couldn't bear to look at him this way.

The driver opened the car for us. I stepped out and nearly ran to Misuzu's, not looking back at Tamaki.

"Haruhi, wait!"

I stopped. Although the storm at stopped, there was still a bit of a drizzle. The water fell down my face, streaking my cheeks like tears. I turned around slowly. "Yes?"

"Please answer my question. Did you mean it when you said you loved me?"

We both stood there for a long time. Just staring at each other. I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn't get the words out. I felt hopeless. Useless. Cold. I hated feeling that way, and he always made me feel this way. Is that what love is? I vaguely remembered Raine telling me about how she knew she was in love.

"It's like…when you see the person, you can see yourself with them forever. And you feel like your heart is going to explode. And all you want to do is wrap your arms around them and hold them as though your life depended on it" she grinned, "but I guess I knew I was in love when the words just slipped out. Like I had fallen in love without even noticing."

"Without even noticing…" I whispered to myself. I continued to stare at Tamaki, who was still waiting for his answer. I smiled slightly and said, "Yes."

"You…you do!"

I let my face break out into a wide smile, "I love you, Tamaki!"

And then he gave me a kiss. A real one.

A/N: HOLY FREAKIN CRAP! …so, I just murdered these characters o_o do they seem OOC to you? I can't tell. Their personalities mature in my head faster than they probably should. IDK. I always think that they're all lost souls.

BTW - about the love thing, well, only the without noticing part is important. Like…it'll show up again later (so pay attention) XD so yeah…the rest of that explanation is kinda BS since I've never really been IN love before. (I'm 16, cut me a break ._. Although technically Haruhi/Raine/Twins are 16 too…man…such mature teenagers. Dealing with all this crap…I don't think my heart could handle it XD)

Winners of the one shot contest:

Song - Vic Mignogna's version of Guilty Beauty Love (Tama-chan's theme song.) A lot of people got this one correct, but PyroxXxManiac got it first. So first place winner, send a comment/PM about what you want your one shot to be about.

But now I feel bad cause all you guys got it *sniff* so, I'm gonna do this: everyone else who got it, send me a comment/PM for a one shot idea and I'll get them done…eventually. But Pyro's comes first, and it'll probably be considerably longer…but I think that's fair.

PDA - Raine got it for Kyoya for Christmas (Chapter title was "Chapter 10"). SingingSyd was the only one who got it right (although, the other guesses were quite humorous XD). So um…I don't know if you have an actual account or not SingingSyd…so uh, comment again if you have a specific plot in mind for the one shot XD. If not I'll just…wing it.