The morning after that kind of okay day, Haruhi woke up at six in the morning. Her flight was leaving at 9am and she never knew when something could come up, especially knowing the friends she had. While brushing her teeth she realized this might be the last time she would get to relax for the next month. And then it would be time for Mori's wedding. Instead of feeling stressed, Haruhi felt relief. It would be a breather to get away from everything.

She spit out her mouthwash. "Aw crap." She mumbled. "I forgot to tell Mori senpai…" She glanced at the clock. It was 6:15 which meant Mori would be up.

"..." Beep. Haruhi hung up. He was probably busy. She busied herself by making sure everything was set before calling Mori again.

"..." Beep. Haruhi hung up again. There was no way Mori wasn't up yet. She dialed the next person she could think of. "Hi! Takashi and I are on a wilderness trip before he gets married so we won't be around for a while. Leave a message!" Beep. That explained alot, Haruhi thought, hanging up the phone. Just as she was about to put it down, it rang.

"Hello?"

"Miss Fujioka? Your cab is waiting for you."

"Okay. Thank you." Haruhi quickly grabbed her suitcase and purse then exited her room. She figured she could call the rest of the hosts on the cab ride.

Half an hour later, Haruhi arrived at the airport without having called a single host. She looked through her contact list. Why didn't she have Hana's number? The next option was Tamaki.

"Hey! I'm supporting Mori and Honey on their journey-" Haruhi hung up. Of course he was doing that. It was more of a surprise that Tamaki hadn't said anything the day before. The next person was Hikaru.

"Hello?" A woman answered.

"Um, hi. Who is this?"
"Hikaru Hitachiin's new girlfriend. Who are you?"

"I'm...his cousin," Haruhi lied, deciding it was best to play it safe than suffer through whatever jealousy the woman could feel. "Uh, just let him know Kaoru will call him later. Thank you."
"Bye!"

The final person was Kaoru.

"Hello?" Kaoru asked groggily.

"Hey Kaoru! Thank goodness you answered. So listen Mori senpai gave me the invitation to his wedding yesterday but I forgot to tell him I won't be able to leave with you all. I'm going to be in Kyoto for a while and then I'll probably be locked inside preparing for," Haruhi carefully chose her next words. She still didn't want to tell anybody about the mock trial coming up for her or anything related to it. "A case that is due in court on Friday."

"Mhm," she heard Kaoru say. She checked her phone's reception bars. She was in the clear so why did his voice sound so far away. "So yeah. Can you please tell the others? i don't know if I'll be able to talk to you guys very often."

"Okay," Kaoru murmured.

"Okay…" Haruhi said. She was about to ask if he was alright when she heard her flight called on the airport's speaker. "Well, thank you. Bye!"

"Bye." Kaoru said. Haruhi hung up, still feeling unsure about Kaoru but the more she thought about it the more she confirmed that he was hungover. There was nothing else, not even a lack of sleep, that could make him sound so out of it.

The first thing Haruhi did when she arrived at her hotel room was sleep. It was going to be a long two weeks in this convention so she figured she needed all the sleep she could get.


Tamaki woke up to the sound of birds chirping. LOTS of birds. He looked around frantically until he remembered where he was. He had joined Mori and Honey on their wilderness trip!

"Good morning Tama-chan! Takashi and I were about to head out and see what we can get to eat."

"That's great! I'll go with you guys!"

"Are you sure?" Honey asked. It wasn't that Honey didn't think Tamaki couldn't do it but he wasn't sure it was a good idea for Tamaki to dive right into something without some sort of instruction.

Sensing his thoughts Tamaki barged on. "You know what I always say, when in Rome…"

Three hours later Tamaki was not regretful of his decision to join his friends on such a valued tradition but he was angry at himself for thinking it was a good idea to stop and admire the flowers.

Tamaki crouched down on the ground, covered by the shade of a tree. He shivered. He wasn't cold (well, not THAT cold) but he was terrified. Mori had warned Tamaki to stay close because he was new to the wilderness. Honey reassured him that there was nothing to worry about because the bears probably wouldn't get near them, emphasis on probably. Tamaki looked up at the sky. It was getting darker by the second which only made his anxiety worse.

He shrunk into the tree when he heard leaves crunching. 'Calm down, Tamaki. It could be a cute little squirrel or perhaps a dog or…"

"Boo," Two voices whispered on each side.

Tamaki jumped, frantically slapping at the air in front of him. It was only a few minutes after his terrified spasm that he realized he heard laughing. "Hikaru! Kaoru!"

"You were so scared!" Hikaru said between gasps of laughter.

"We should've taken a picture of your face!" Kaoru added, just as red with laughter as his twin.

Tamaki was shaking. "That was not funny! I could have died! And what the hell are you two doing here?!"

Hikaru tried to catch his breath as he explained, "We were planning on coming all along but we had some trouble." He glanced at Kaoru. In turn, Kaoru rolled his eyes.

Honey and Mori walked up to the group. "What do you mean you could have died Tama-chan?"

"I was lost! I didn't know where I was, what time it was, how long I would stay there…"

His response made the twins laugh hysterically again.

"Takashi and I thought you were just meditating or something."

"You knew I was here?"

"Well we could see you. Our camp is right over there after all…"

Mori pointed at the small campsite behind them.

Tamaki nearly began to cry. Maybe it was relief, maybe it was terror. Whatever it was, he just had to learn to survive.


Two weeks later Haruhi was home and completely exhausted. The next day she took a nice shower before plopping down on her desk chair and setting up her laptop. She had three hours to master the case she had been assigned. She sighed every time she thought about the details. It was a murder case in which Haruhi was the one defending the accused assassin. Based on the information given, she thought it was likely the alleged person was the culprit. She closed her eyes, reminding herself that it was never about what she believed but what she could argue. As unlikely as it seemed, Haruhi found that there were some strong points she could focus on but it would still be difficult.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Haruhi jumped, almost dropping her spoon she had been using to stir the sugar in her tea when she heard the pounding on her door. She glanced at her clock. 7am. Of course they would be so early. Haruhi walked to the door. Without looking through the peephole, she opened it. She had told Kaoru about everything but wouldn't be surprised if he had forgotten to tell their friends.

The twins beamed at her, happily.

"Haruhi!"

"Why are you guys here?" Haruhi asked, not angry but tired.

"We're here to pick you up!" Kaoru said.

"For a lawyer, you sure aren't good at connecting the dots." Hikaru added cheerfully.

"I told you guys I'd catch up with you later." Haruhi reminded them.

The twins looked at one another then they looked at her. "When did you do that?"

"I told Kaoru about a month ago. He was the only one that answered the phone."

Haruhi and Hikaru looked at Kaoru.

Kaoru thought about when it could have happened then he remembered.


Kaoru sat up. He looked around, trying to get through the fuzziness caused by his terrible hangover. Where was he?

The room was plain and adorned with dark colors. Navy blue curtains, deep purple bedspread, dark brown furniture.

"Kyoya's." He said, confirming to himself what he sort of remembered. Then he realized something else. His phone was ringing. He rubbed his eyes, answering the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Kaoru! Thank goodness you answered. So listen Mori senpai gave me the invitation to his wedding yesterday but…"

"Mhm", Kaoru said. His eyes were drooping. He was still tired. He looked longingly at the fluffy pillows. Finally, he laid back down.

"...so yeah. Can you please tell the others? i don't know if I'll be able to talk to you guys very often."

Kaoru nodded sleepily. "Okay. "

"Okay…" Haruhi said tentatively. "Well, thank you. Bye!"

"Bye." Kaoru said, falling asleep before the call had even cut off.


"So you were hungover that day." Haruhi said, confirming her suspicions.

Kaoru shrugged. "Yeah that's probably why I don't remember much." He could barely recall the chat he had with Kyoya.

Hikaru snickered meanly. "You're such a bad drinker even Haruhi could out drink you."

Haruhi looked from the black haired twin to the red haired one, sensing some passive aggressive tension. The only sign that it was one sided was the fact that Kaoru looked serene while Hikaru seemed to be throwing irritated glances at Kaoru. Instead of mentioning it she said, "How's your girlfriend, Hikaru?"

Hikaru rolled his eyes. "She's not my girlfriend but I seem to be the only one that understands that."

Now it was Kaoru's turn to snicker meanly.

Haruhi mentally chided herself for thinking she could level their argument for once. She changed the subject before they could start bickering."Well, I'm sorry guys. I have a case today so I'll see you there, okay?"

"Fine." Hikaru said. "I'll see you later then. C'mon Kaoru, we have to hurry or we'll miss our flight."

Kaoru stared after Hikaru, momentarily stunned.

"What's wrong?" Haruhi asked him.

"Nothing…" Kaoru said, absentmindedly. "We'll see you there." He walked away after Hikaru. He smiled to himself. His brother was fine. He didn't know what happened but his brother was over Haruhi.

Haruhi closed the door softly. That was easier than she thought it would be.

She sighed to herself. She had to organize her thoughts and finalize her plan.


Four hours later Haruhi was sitting on a bench, eating her tuna sandwich.

"Oh," Riku said when he spotted her. "Hey, ."

Haruhi only nodded, unable to greet him because of the food in her mouth.

"How are you feeling about your case?"

"I don't think I was terrible, especially since my opponent was really clever."

"I'm sure you did perfectly fine." Riku said, his leg bouncing up and down anxiously.

"But seriously, I should ask her for tips when this is all over."

"Yeah totally." Riku responded absentmindedly.

"Are you okay?" Haruhi asked him

"What? Yes," Riku assured her. "Why?"

"You look like you have something you want to say."

"Do I?" He laughed nervously. "Um, anyway I should go inside. I have to watch the court proceedings."

"Oh of course," Haruhi said. "I'll see you later then."

"Definitely." Riku said before walking inside the courtroom. It was only a minute later that Haruhi wondered why he wasn't in the courtroom during her turn. It was fishier than her sandwich. Haruhi laughed at her little joke.


"Hey where's Haru-chan?" Honey asked when the twins walked up too the group.

"Apparently she has a case today so she'll catch up with us later," Hikaru said, looking for something to do while they waited for their flight to be called.

"I wonder why she didn't tell us." Tamaki said.

"Well she did but Kaoru here," Hikaru glanced at his twin "forgot to let us know."

"I was busy, okay?"

"Busy being hungover at-"

"Well I wasn't the one screwing around with a girl I don't even like!"

"You don't have to like a girl to -"

"It's still messed up."

"I thought Kao-chan wasn't a good drinker." Honey mused.

"Yeah and weren't you the one that thought it was cruel to play with a girl's feelings, Hikaru?" Tamaki added.

"Ha!" Kaoru said.

"Do you really want me to tell everyone who you were with?" Hikaru asked his twin.

Everyone turned to look at Kaoru.

Kaoru's cheeks turned red. "Hikaru, I know I didn't listen to you but trust me it was for the best."

"Then why won't you tell me what he said."

"Because I don't remember!" Kaoru blurted.

Hikaru humphed and looked away from his irritating brother.

"Am I missing something?" Tamaki asked, knowing that sometimes he didn't catch on to things quickly. "Who did Kaoru talk to?"

"That's not important until I remember what was said!" Kaoru said before Hikaru could reveal anything.

"I beg to differ." HIkaru retorted.

"Do you really?" Kaoru glared at Hikaru who met his stare. Eventually, Hikaru looked away.

"Fine. But you better tell everyone as soon as you remember. This isn't crap that can just stay a secret."

"Fine."

The twins' audience relaxed. Even though the truce was tense, the twins would soon be over whatever disagreement they had.


Haruhi and the participants that had decided to stay waited in a lounge room anxiously. It had been ten minutes since an assistant announced that the judges would be "giving an important announcement shorty".

After what seemed like hours, the judges appeared. They waved at the attorneys to remain sitting.

"We have carefully collected the opinions of the jury and the judges as well as our own opinions and have come to the decision that we will announce who will be part of the lawyer team on Monday."

Haruhi wasn't surprised but she wasn't very eager to wait anxiously for three more days. It was pretty clear that everyone in the room felt the same way.

"We hope you understand that this decision is extremely important. Although we would have liked to make the final cut today, there are too many factors to take into account. To reward your participation, everyone will receive a gift card to any place of your choosing. Of course, the name of the place must be sent to us no later than Monday."

The judges paused, observing the reaction of the crowd of attorneys.

Riku cleared his throat. "We thank you all for your effort and time. I hope that you enjoy your weekend."

The judges bowed and exited quietly.

Some lawyers sighed or hung around while others immediately exited. Haruhi stood up, yawning. She checked the time. 'I have time to relax a bit before my flight." As she was walking down the stairs towards the parking lot in the building she heard someone call her name. Suddenly, Riku was next to her. "Hey," he said, nearly breathless.

"Hi. Do you want some water?" She handed him an unopened water bottle she had taken from the refreshment table at the lounge.

He chugged it down gratefully. "Thank you. Sorry, did I startle you? I got held up back there so I couldn't talk to you before you left." He explained rapidly.

"Maybe you should slow down a bit."

"No, no i'm fine. Um I was actually wondering if you could give me a ride home? My car randomly broke down this morning so i had it taken to the shop while I was at work because they told me it was a minor fix but the mechanic forgot to mention he had a whole queue of minor fixes lined up so he's not done with my car yet."

"Of course I can give you a ride but I seriously think you should calm down a bit."

"Really? I think i'm pretty calm already. Aren't I? I mean i'm the same as always."

Haruhi grimaced. Riku took that as a negative response. He sighed. "Okay yes I guess I am a little anxious today."

"I totally couldn't tell," Haruhi smiled. "But seriously do you want to sit down for a bit?"

"No definitely not. Lead the way to your car." He said, grinning.

Haruhi looked him over, skeptical of the probability of him not needing a breather but led him to her car.

During the ride, Riku looked everywhere but at Haruhi even though he was the one making small talk. Abruptly, he stopped. Haruhi fought the urge to glance over at him. Driving was terrifying enough - she didn't want to risk an accident because of a distraction.

"Can i ask you for opinion about a situation."

"As a legal consultant?"

"As a friend. Oh you can turn right here."

"Go ahead." Haruhi said, turning her blinker on.

"But um just to be clear it's not about me it's something i read in a book and it just got me thinking." Riku looked out the window while he said this. He really hoped she didn't look at him because then she would know he was lying.

"Okay," Haruhi said. She began to slow down as the street light turned yellow. A car behind her honked. "Yellow mean slow down not speed up," she muttered to herself.

"You're really aggressive about driving rules aren't you?" Riku said with amusement.

"I have my reasons." Haruhi scowled but shook herself out of her memories before they could overcome her."Anyway what did you need my opinion about?"

"So the guy in the book lied to a girl he met because of some really important circumstances. He didn't plan to actually like the girl because he went in with a business only mindset but then the business was over and he actually wanted to befriend the girl but he's scared that she'll react badly if he tells her lied. What do you think?"

"I think it depends on what he lied about and what type of person the girl is." Haruhi stated immediately.

"Well the guy lied about his occupation and the reason he talked to her in the first place. Of course that led to some lies about why he did and didn't do some things…" He trailed off.

"That doesn't sound too bad I guess." Haruhi said slowly. "But depending on the type of person the girl is it could be considered terrible."

"Well the girl in the book," Riku began, reminding himself and Haruhi that he was supposed to be talking about a book. "Is pretty cool honestly. She's level headed and practical. She's really nice and intelligent. And this has nothing to do with how she might react but she's cute too."

"Hm," Haruhi said, trying to think about the situation but also pay attention to the road. Finally she just pulled over. They were in front of Riku's building anyway.

"That's actually why i thought you would be the perfect person to ask. I mean because you're nice and stuff not because you're cute. I mean you're attractive but not like attractive like…" he rambled on, his cheeks tinted red.

Haruhi only stared at him with no hint of emotion. Finally she said, "If the girl really is like me then I think she would feel betrayed but if the guy was completely honest about everything then maybe she'd forgive him for lying to her. Again, it depends on just how bad the lie was because if it was little white lie to spare her feelings then the girl should forgive him."

"You think so?"

"Yeah." Haruhi said.

There was a silence in which Riku didn't know if it was appropriate to tell her and Haruhi didn't know if it was appropriate to ask.

Finally Haruhi said, "We're here by the way."

"Thank you," he said. "I guess we'll see each other on Monday?"

"Yes and hey if you finish the book by then you can tell me how it ends."

"Will do. Bye!"

The first thing Riku did when he entered his apartment was splash his face with cold water. It was the perfect time to tell Haruhi all about his lie but he didn't.


The Morinozukas had reserved an entire hotel for the wedding guests. The lobby was decorated with various, fully bloomed flowers. She could've sworn she even heard someone talking about the vegetable garden on her way up. It must have cost a fortune if all the "rooms" were as big as basically had a whole apartment in there.

Haruhi began unpacking. She never imagined she would be doing so much traveling that her suitcase would constantly be full of items.

As she put things away, Haruhi planned out her outfit for the wedding. The ceremony would take place in a nearby temple and the reception would take place in a gigantic garden that was basically in the middle of the hotel and the temple. Haruhi had not seen any place except the hotel but she imagined that the other two locations were just as full of nature, if not more so her outfit had to be chosen strategically. As much as she wanted comfortable clothes, the wedding of one of her closest friends called for a much fancier outfit than sweats and a tshirtl

Just as she was getting ready to relax in what felt like the first time in forever when there was a knock. She reluctantly untucked herself from bed and walked to the door. She tiptoed as much as possible in order to look through the peephole.

It was Tamaki. She opened the door.

"Hi," she said happily and completely oblivious to Tamaki's expression.

"Hey…" Tamaki glanced at her outfit nervously before focusing on a spot above her.

Haruhi looked down. "Oh crap. Sorry. Hold on." She closed the door quickly and pulled a tshirt on over her thin camisole. She reopened the door. "Sorry I didn't think I would get company since it's so late. I heard it gets pretty hot at night so I put that shirt on but sometimes I forget how thin it is."

"It's okay. Nothing I haven't seen before right?" He joked.

Haruhi grimaced. "That's not funny senpai."

"Sorry, I know. May I come inside?"

"Oh yeah, come in." She stepped out of the way to let him enter. He dropped his keys off at the kitchen counter before he sat down on the couch in her mini living room.

"Would you like anything to drink?"

"Water. Or maybe some relaxing tea if you have any." He needed something to help him calm down.

She prepared the tea quickly and gave it to him before sitting on the floor, across from him. "Do you want anything else? I bought some small snacks on my way here." Her eyes brightened. "I saw this cute little mousse cake that was shaped like a mouse! It was a total pun on the english word for mouse and I thought Honey senpai would love it so I bought it but between us both we can probably finish it if you want."

All Tamaki could think was that she wasn't making what he had to say any easier. "I'm fine. Did you win today?"

Haruhi stared at him blankly.

"The twins told us you had a case today."

"Oh! Um the decision hasn't been made. I find out on Monday."

"Why the long wait?"

"It's... really important so they decided to think about it for a few more days."

"I'm sure you did great. You always do." Tamaki said reassuringly.

Haruhi tried not to let the flip her stomach did bother her.

"So Haruhi, I have something really important to tell you."

"What is it?"

Tamaki glanced at her on the ground. After a quick debate he decided to sit on the ground too. The coffee table between them would be enough distance right?

"I," he hesitated. "I brought you something." He pulled a small, pink box with a white ribbon around it out of his coat pocket. "Here." He placed the box down in front of them.

"Woah how did that fit in your pocket?" Haruhi marveled.

"You know I didn't think it was going to but these pockets are pretty big."

"I wish my coats had pockets like that." Haruhi read the label on the box. She looked up at Tamaki with surprise.

"You told me once that you wanted to try the pastries at that bakery so I was planning on taking you there today but then the twins told me that you had a case today so I switched my flight then I drove here after buying it."
"That - that must have cost a fortune. I'm really sorry you went through all that trouble. You should have it." Haruhi tried to hand the box back to him.

Tamaki shook his head. "Don't be. I just didn't want you to miss out on trying something you've always wanted to do."

"Thank you."

Tamaki smiled softly as Haruhi took the box again. Before she could open it, she stopped. "I'm sorry." She said. "This shouldn't be happening."

Tamaki's smile fell. "What do you mean?"

"I'm taking advantage of you aren't I senpai?"

"Of course not Haruhi. Why would you think that?"

"You went out of your way to buy me this but I don't have anything for you."

"Haruhi, it's just a small cake."

"It's not just this. It's - nevermind. Do you want more tea?" She asked, already standing up.

"Wait, Haruhi you can't just leave. Tell me what's wrong."

Haruhi looked at him. His eyes were large and so confused. She knew she owed him an explanation at the very least.

"I will always be grateful for what you've done." She sat down in front of him again. "You have protected me from so many things, some of which I'm probably not even aware of. I just feel guilty because it's almost as if you haven't been able to live your own life. You're always making sure I'm okay but I haven't done anything for you."

"Haruhi, you're not forcing me to do this. I do it because I care about you. Besides, what makes you think I'm always prioritizing you?"

Haruhi chuckled. "You're right. That was pretty narcissistic of me but what have I done for you in return? I mean you're always listening to me and my problems but when is the last time I asked about your love life?"

"Well I've never been very open about it either so I guess we're both at fault." Tamaki laughed. "But if it makes you feel any better we can start talking more about me."

"How about right now?"

"Right now? Really?" Tamaki asked. He played with another, smaller box in his pocket. He had planned out how he would say everything.

"We can do it another time then if you like." Haruhi offered.

Tamaki looked at the box then at Haruhi. She still hadn't opened it. Tamaki figured that maybe this would be better than what he planned. He could put it off a bit longer but he would get to it. "I don't mind missing some sleep time if you don't."

Haruhi beamed. "Let's open the box and talk then." Before she could even touch the box Tamaki had snatched it away. "Nope. This is only for you. And I know you'll feel bad if you're eating and i'm not so how about we have some cookies instead." He pulled the box he had been fidgeting with out of coat.

"Seriously, where did you get that coat," Haruhi said, eyeing it jealousy.

"I'll get more tea," Tamaki said. Haruhi opened the box of cookies while Tamaki prepared the teapot and the tea bags on a small tray provided by the hotel. He carried it to the table, setting it down gently.

"What happened to the other box?" Haruhi asked.

"I put it on that shelf." He pointed at a shelf well above Haruhi's height.

"Seriously?"

"It's to stop you from opening it before I leave!"

"But it's only fair if we share it."

"You'll get it back before I leave. It's for your eyes only."

"Fine," Haruhi grumbled playfully.

"So what do you want me to talk about. I'm a little out of practice since I spent oh so many years being quiet." Tamaki said dramatically.

Haruhi picked up a chocolate chip cookie. "Anything you want senpai. I'm all ears."

"Okay well," he thought about. "Oh! You know I had a date the other day." Tamaki said, picking a cookie with fudge stripes.

"Really? How was it?"

"Terrible. She was married to her cousin's husband."

"That's...not legal."

"We thought it wasn't so we left immediately."

"We?"
"Hikaru and I. It was a double date."

"Was that the day you two were at the cafe?"

"Yup. Actually the fact that the girls were married wasn't the worst part of my day."

Haruhi looked at him quizzically. She was chewing but trying to convey the question, 'Then what was the worst part of your day?'

Tamaki, of course, understood perfectly. "The worst part of my day was," he carefully continued the next part. "when I realized that I still have feelings for somebody."

Haruhi began to choke on her cookie. She quickly drank some tea, thankful that it had cooled down. "Sorry," she said wiping away the tears that had risen up. Between short gasps of air in which she tried to control her chest she asked, "Why didn't you tell my you liked somebody, Tamaki! Tell me all about it. I mean, if you're comfortable with it obviously." She looked at him brightly, as if she hadn't almost died because of a cookie.

Tamaki nearly stood up and left but he knew if he decided to abandon ship now, he would never be able to get back on. "Well," he began slowly. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want to admit it myself." He stopped to gauge her reaction, She nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"The truth is I think my feelings might have developed in high school."

"High school?" Haruhi repeated. "That's a really long time ago. Why have you been keeping it in?"

"I don't know. I realized I liked her when she and I were in an argument. I refused to talk to her but I was miserable the entire time. When we finally made it up I became aware of the fact that the reason i was so miserable without her but okay without other people was that I liked her in a different way. I realized I loved her when we kissed for the first time."

"You guys kissed?"

"Yes."

"So she liked you back."

"No. It was an accidental kiss and we never talked about it." Tamaki grimace. Haruhi was more puzzled than ever. A girl in high school? Who could it have been? An argument and a kiss? Tamaki could see her mind going over everything he had just said. She wouldn't realize the kiss had been with her until after he left.


Tamaki wore a grin on his face but watched nervously as a blindfolded Kyoya and blindfolded Haruhi tried to walk to each other. It was weird but they were actually really close to meeting each other at the middle.

Tamaki walked beside Haruhi while Mori walked beside Kyoya to make sure neither would get seriously injured. Even so, they each remained a respectable distance so as to not interfere with their movements.

Suddenly the twins decided to push Haruhi side to side, from Hikaru to Kaoru and back until she tripped. Tamaki began to rush towards her but stopped when her hands flailed out, trying to find something to hold onto. Tamaki watched as she then slipped on a banana peel on the ground, her hands reaching out in his direction. Before he could process what had just happened he felt a tug on his shirt and then he was on top of her.

He was on top of her.

Their lips were touching.

They were kissing! Tamaki quickly tried to get up but continued to slip on some goo on his hands. In his state of shock Tamaki didn't feel that the twins were the ones that pulled him off her. His ears were ringing as he moved to the back of the crowd of hosts dressed as clowns. He saw Kyoya rip off his blindfold with confusion. Then he heard Hikaru shout, "SHE'S OKAY!"

"YAYYYY!"

Tamaki still hadn't recovered when Haruhi sat up slowly. He couldn't hear what she whispered. He couldn't even really hear the crowd around them.

Tamaki turned to see the Kaoru trying to block Kyoya's path.

"She's my date . I have a right to see her."

"Kyoya maybe you should let her adjust to her surroundings before-" Tamaki began.

"Again, I'm her date. I have to see if she's okay." Kyoya said, pushing past Tamaki angrily.

Tamaki followed after him. Kyoya approached Haruhi, immediately squatting down to inspect her. Tamaki remained standing. Despite their different stances, the two extended their arms out for Haruhi at the same time. Tamaki heard Kyoya whisper something about a picture for the album to Haruhi which made Tamaki throw him an irritated glare. The one thing on Kyoya's mind should have been Haruhi's well being not the stupid photo album of their date. The next thing he knew Haruhi had thrown up all over Kyoya's shoes.


"Why didn't you talk about it with her?"

He shrugged. "I didn't want to bring it up because it was clear she didn't reciprocate."

"How could you have been so sure if you never talked to her?"

"She is very straightforward. I'm certain that if she felt anything towards me she would have said something."


Haruhi sat next to Tamaki with a fierce blush on her cheek.

Tamaki's face was just as red.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

She nodded.

"What happened back there…" Tamaki began.

Haruhi shook her head, hugging herself. "I'd rather not talk about it. Is that okay?" She looked up at him.

Tamaki nodded, remaining silent. He wanted to talk about it but what could he do if she didn't want to?


"But you're also a person that says what he feels. I mean if you really liked her as much as you say you did-"

"That's why I decided to tell her today."

Haruhi looked at her watch. It was 10pm. "Then what are you doing here with me?"

Tamaki looked at her "I accepted that I loved her at the same time that my best friend did."


Kyoya walked out of the restroom. "Lucky for you, Haruhi, I had an extra pair of shoes in my limo. I changed them now so if you want to continue enjoying the fair we can stay longer."

"No it's okay. I don't think my stomach could handle any more of that for now."

"Alright." Kyoya said. "My driver can give you something to settle your stomach. I need to talk to Tamaki but you can go ahead to the limo if you like."

Haruhi didn't look at either of the two as she walked to the limo.

"Tamaki."

"Kyoya."

The two said at the same time.

They looked at each other.

"You speak first." Tamaki said. "I need to gather my thoughts anyway."

Kyoya stared at Tamaki for a moment. If Tamaki wanted to think about what he was about to say then that meant it was important. "I think I might have feelings for Haruhi." Kyoya said bluntly.

Tamaki's eyes widened.

"I didn't see what happened but I can guess. You two kissed, correct?" Kyoya's glasses hid his eyes but he observed Tamaki carefully.

"She accidentally pulled me down with her when she slipped."

"But surely you've realized the same thing I have."

"I've accepted it." They looked at each other again.

"You should take her home." Kyoya said quietly. "You two have some things to talk about."

Tamaki remained silent, thinking about everything that had occurred. Finally he said, "A gentleman never lets another person take his date home."

A silent understanding passed between them. Kyoya stood up. "I'm serious Tamaki."

"As am I."

Another silence.

"I'll see you tomorrow Kyoya." Tamaki said before he walked away, in the opposite direction of Kyoya's limo.


"And it turned out that she felt the same way about him."

Haruhi was speechless.

"And they got married so I decided to forget the thought and find somebody else."

"Ta-"

"And I eventually did forget all about my feelings, or so I thought. When I punched Kyoya it felt so exhilarating and I didn't know why. Then something just cleared up and all of my feelings came rushing out."

Haruhi talked when it was apparent that Tamaki was waiting for her to react. "Are you drunk Tamaki?" She forced out a laugh. "Or are you pranking me...maybe?" Her voice wavered on hopeful.

"I'm sorry Haruhi. I know you don't want to hear this right now but if you really feel like you're taking advantage of me, let me say one thing… I-"

Haruhi stood up quickly. "No, you don't. You're confusing pity with love."

"I'm not confused."

"Yes you are. We've been relying on each other so long that it's confusing us."

Tamaki's eyes darkened as he turned to look at her. Haruhi busied herself, gathering the cookies and the tea. His gaze was different from Kyoya's when he confessed to her but also the same. She couldn't pinpoint in what way.

"I've never seen anything more clearly, Haruhi." Tamaki whispered.

Haruhi shook her head. "I'm sure you have. This is just a result of how much time we've been spending together. We need to distance ourselves so that you can see that you don't love me. You're just confused."

That was when Tamaki realized she was scared of what he was saying. She couldn't bear to hear it. At first all Tamaki wanted to do was tell her about his feelings. He couldn't hold it in any longer and he wasn't looking for anything else. But after having said it, Tamaki realized what he wanted was a chance. He just wanted her to give him a chance to show her how much he loved her as more than a friend.

But who was he to force her into doing so when she wasn't ready?

He sat up, forcing a playful smile on his face. "You know what? Let's try it."

She looked at him, her eyes showing fear. She was scared of what he would say next.

Tamaki felt like someone had just punched his chest. He wanted her to feel anything but fear. "If you think we're relying on each other too much then let's distance ourselves for a week. Is that enough time?"

Haruhi felt her stomach drop. He was angry at her. Even as she realized this she knew that he wasn't angry at her for not saying she loved him too. He was angry because she refused to give him a chance. Tamaki didn't expect her to want a relationship; he just wanted her to let him admit it to her and to himself. Even so, Haruhi couldn't do it. Tamaki deserved somebody that would appreciate him more and love him more than anything else in the world. Above all, Tamaki deserved somebody he could have a fresh start with - somebody who could give him a family, which was what he ached for above all.

"Tamaki. I-"

He stood up abruptly, making her trail off. He walked to the door with a spring in his step, as if his heart wasn't hurting as the rest of his body. "Let's start now."

All Haruhi could think was 'I'm sorry' over and over in her head. She pushed away the thoughts that insisted that a week of distancing themselves wouldn't solve anything. It had to! He didn't love her. He didn't. And as for her... She didn't know.

Haruhi turned away from him to quickly wipe away the unexpected tears falling. She could hear Tamaki walking towards the small kitchen to get his keys. When she turned back to him he was at the door.

"Isn't it polite for the hostess to walk her guest out? I thought I would have taught you at least that much in high school."

Haruhi walked to the door silently. She couldn't look up at him because she could feel his heated gaze on her. "Tamaki, I'm sorry."

"I'll see you at the wedding ."

With that he closed the door. Haruhi turned around, leaning against the door. A pink box in the kitchen caught her eye. It was the pastry he bought for her. Tamaki promised her she would get it before he left and despite everything that had just happened, he still put the box on the counter for her.

Haruhi walked over to it. She carefully untied the bow and lifted the lid of the box. It was a small fruitcake. In red, frosting it said 'I love you'.

Haruhi felt like she was going to throw up. It was possible she had just lost her best friend.