Haruhi smiles at her two best friends across from her in the back seat of the limo, readying herself for a new school week. Both identical boys return the smile, neither one uttering a word as they stare at her. They had been quiet the whole way to school which Haruhi had found kind of odd, but decided to brush it off as them simply trying to help her out by offering her the peace and quiet she had wanted.

Taking a deep breath, Haruhi grips the door handle and pushes it open. She plasters a smile upon her face and slides out of the limo, taking a stand before the courtyard to Ouran High. Hikaru and Kaoru scramble out behind her and wrap their arms around her shoulders. She smiles up at them before turning her attention to the crowd before her.

Yellow and blue-clad students congregate around the courtyard in small groups or scramble around to their destinations of choice. Haruhi swallows a nervous knot and begins casually strolling through her fellow students. Hikaru and Kaoru stand around her like guards as they slowly make their way across the courtyard.

Looking around, Haruhi breathes a sigh of relief as Renge and her posse are nowhere to be found. She smiles at the people she passes, slightly taken aback as they walk past her normally or stand around without whispering or gesturing at her.

"Everything seems strangely calm." Haruhi says quietly as she stumbles through the crowd "It feels like something weird is going on."

Kaoru tightens his grip around her shoulders "I don't notice anything out of the ordinary." He smirks over at his brother "What do you think, Hikaru?" Hikaru messes up Haruhi's hair and shrugs "Everything seems fine to me."

Haruhi fixes her hair as they continue through the crowd without a single person paying more attention to them than normal. Her eyes scan the many faces that pass her by, worry building up in her as she wonders why the rumors have stopped so abruptly.

They reach the front door of the main building and head inside, Haruhi holding her breath as she expects something to happen. She takes a few steps into the foyer and blinks in surprise, looking around as things go on normally around her.

"What's going on? Why aren't there any rumors?" She says in frustration, frowning as she looks around at all the students rushing by her.

Hikaru pats her on the head "Stop driving yourself crazy, Haru. Isn't it a good thing the rumors have stopped?"

"Well, yeah. But, it just seems strange that they stopped without a good reason for doing so." Haruhi sighs as she stares up at her two identical friends.

Kaoru crosses his arms and smirks down at her "Relax, Haruhi. Enjoy the day, alright?"

Haruhi takes a deep breath before making her way towards the stairs to class. Her best friends follow behind her, smiling as she lets her guard down.

They head into class and make their way to their usual seats without a single interruption about Haruhi's relationship issues. Sitting down at her desk, Haruhi lets out a content sigh as she looks around the classroom. The twins take their seats beside her, watching her out of the corners of their eyes. A smile graces Haruhi's face as she begins to take her things out of her backpack, readying herself for class. The twins share looks of satisfaction before turning their attentions towards their teacher.

The bell signalling the end of class rings through the air and Haruhi closes her notebook slowly, still shocked by the day being normal.

"Well, that was a surprisingly wonderful day of classes." Haruhi says, smirking as she shoves her stuff into her backpack.

Hikaru stretches his arms above his head and stands up "Are you honestly complaining that things didn't become hectic?"

Haruhi blinks a few times in confusion as she stands up beside him "No, I'm not. Is it so wrong for me to be wary about things?"

Kaoru throws his backpack onto his shoulder and stands up beside her, placing his hand upon her shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with that, Haruhi. We completely understand." He says with a smile "We just want you to relax. You were on edge all week, so maybe you should use this calm to your advantage."

Tapping her chin with her finger, Haruhi heads towards the exit deep in thought. "Don't you guys want to know why the rumors stopped?" She says out loud, causing Hikaru to roll his eyes. He pats her on the head as they head out for lunch "What does it matter? They're over, now. Would you rather they still be going?" "No!" Haruhi snaps, sending an evil glare in his direction. Hikaru chuckles and holds his hands up in defeat as they continue down the hallway.

"Then, let's forget about the rumors and just enjoy the rest of the day." Kaoru says as he wraps an arm around Haruhi's shoulders "Did you bring leftovers today, Haruhi?"

Haruhi stares down at her backpack "I did; those udon noodles from yesterday. Which reminds me, I still need to give Kazuo his."

"We'll trade you lunch for your noodles." Hikaru says with a big smirk "I think they're serving Miso soup with mussels, today."

"I don't believe I've ever eaten mussels before." Haruhi says out loud as she wonders what the taste is like.

Kaoru pokes her in the cheek "I take it that's a yes?"

Haruhi shrugs "I guess so."

Loud squeals of excitement escape Hikaru and Kaoru's mouths as they cuddle her tightly between them, excited to eat her homemade cooking. Rolling her eyes, Haruhi pulls away from them and heads towards a nearby table to save them seats while they go to get their lunches.

Setting up her utensils and bowl, Haruhi hums a tune as she takes advantage of the few moments of peace and quiet without her mischievous friends. Despite the fact that its been a peaceful day, she still would like to know why the rumors stopped.

She measures out her bowl of noodles into even portions for each twin and stirs in some soy sauce.

"Did you make them into sesame noodles or are they the plain ones from last night?" Kaoru asks as he sets his tray down beside her and takes his seat.

Haruhi passes a bowl of noodles to him and smiles happily as he scoots his tray in front of her, enjoying the scent from the soup. Kaoru smirks at her reaction as he scoops up some noodles into his mouth and slurps them down quickly. "Even when it's cold your cooking tastes delicious." He says between mouthfuls of noodles.

Slurping up some of the soup, Haruhi lets out a sigh of satisfaction right as Hikaru takes a seat beside her. "I hope you saved me some noodles." He says, passing her his tray as he sits down beside her. "Sesame noodles." Haruhi says before taking another slurp of soup "Kazuo asked for them, so that's what I made them into."

Hikaru grabs his bowl of noodles and starts to chow down on them slowly, savoring the taste with every bite. He chuckles as Haruhi stares down at the mussels, trying to figure out how to eat them. "Want some help with that?" He says, opening the mussel up and handing it to her "Just slurp it up like you would soup." Haruhi blushes, but takes his advice and attempts to slurp up the mussel, the juices dripping down her chin. Two pairs of eyes trace the trails of juice running across her skin, both of them wishing they could lick it off of her.

Swallowing back their desire, the twins watch as Haruhi dabs her chin and sets down the empty mussel "Thanks for backing me up, today."

Kaoru finishes his bite of noodles "Of course. Were you thinking we'd bail on you or something?"

"Well, I just assumed you'd get annoyed with me because of how mad I was over those rumors." She says, starting on her second bowl of soup.

Hikaru mixes some soy sauce into his noodles "You think we'd stop supporting you because we were annoyed? That's kinda harsh, Haru."

"Sorry." Haruhi sighs, setting down her spoon "You got mad at me for talking about Tamaki, so I just assumed you'd do the same with the rumors."

Chowing down the last of his noodles, Kaoru sets the bowl down and lets out an 'ahh' of satisfaction. "It's normal for us to be annoyed. But, that doesn't mean we're just gonna up and leave you, Haruhi." He says, wrapping an arm around her shoulders "We already told you how we feel, so quit doubting us."

Frowning, Haruhi looks sideways at him "I wasn't doubting you, Kao." A smile spreads across Kaoru's face "I know, silly. I believe you."

"We made a promise, Haruhi. We're not taking it back." Hikaru says as he finishes off the remainder of his noodles. Haruhi watches him eat, a slight flutter in her chest as their words warm her heart. He sets down his bowl and smiles at her "Thanks for the delicious lunch, Haru." With a nod of her head, she packs up her lunch supplies right as the bell rings off, signalling for them to head to Host Club.

"There's my favorite person ever!" Kazuo says, smiling as Haruhi walks into the Host Club "Did you bring those noodles?" Haruhi holds out a Tupperware container of Udon noodles and smirks "Sesame, just like you asked for." His face lights up and he hugs her tightly, pecking her upon the cheek and taking the noodles from her as Hikaru and Kaoru come up behind her.

"You really are like Tamaki." Hikaru mumbles under his breath, slightly annoyed by Kazuo being so clingy to Haruhi.

Kazuo sticks his tongue out at him "Quit being so jealous. It makes you look immature."

Hikaru shoots a glare at him and Kaoru wraps an arm around his shoulders to comfort him. "You gotta quit acting so possessive, Hikaru." Kaoru sighs "Kazuo didn't do anything wrong. Haruhi would have said something if he did." Hikaru rolls his eyes, making Kaoru chuckle at him.

"Besides, I earned these noodles remember?" Kazuo says, winking at Hikaru and making him blush as he remembers the kiss he shared with Haruhi the previous day.

Masahiro claps his hands into the air to silence everyone, preparing them for the arrival of the guests. He shoots them all looks of warning and pulls open the doors of the music room, revealing a slightly smaller crowd than normal.

"Welcome!" the Hosts say in sync, bowing or smiling at the yellow-clad girls as they make their way into the room. A bunch of them run up to Haruhi and smile at her as she bows at each one of them, a big smile of relief upon her face as they completely refrain from asking about the usual rumors from the week before.

Hikaru and Kaoru lead their regular guests over to their normal place in the Host Club and begin cuddling upon the couch, instant squeals of excitement filling the room. Haruhi feels a slight pang of jealousy bubble up in her chest and frowns as she watches the girls cling around the twins. She's been in Host Club plenty of times before and never felt bothered by the girls clinging to her friends, so why is she feeling this way now? Completely taken aback by her thoughts, Haruhi mentally yells at herself to knock it off.

"How was your weekend, Haruhi?" one of the guests asks Haruhi, turning her attention back to her 'job'.

Haruhi shakes her head to clear her thoughts and stares back at the brown-haired girl "It went surprisingly well. I got to go out and play laser tag with my friends." A bright smile lights up her face as she takes a seat upon the couch with her guests, telling them all about the events of her weekend. As she talks, she becomes animated and happy as the weight from the previous week lifts off of her shoulders and she finally becomes comfortable again.

"You know you make me really happy, Hikaru." Kaoru says with feigned shyness, clinging to his brother as they pretend to come close to kissing.

Hikaru runs a hand up Kaoru's neck, making their guests scream with delight "You're the only one that makes me happy, Kaoru." More squeals of giddiness issue forth from the girls, drawing Haruhi's eyes over to the boys as she talks to her guests.

Kaoru looks over at her and catches her eye, smiling sweetly at her as he enjoys the look of contentment upon her face. A guest says something in Haruhi's ear making her blush and giggle nervously. Kaoru feels his heart flutter in his chest as they continue to gaze at one another.

Hikaru notices the look upon Kaoru's face and turns around towards Haruhi, smirking as she quickly averts her eyes. "Do you think she knows, yet?" Hikaru says as he brings his lips close to Kaoru's ear, their guests thinking they're still doing their brotherly love act.

Kaoru stares back at his brother, a slight blush gracing both of their cheeks. "I honestly don't think she does." Kaoru sighs, caressing his brothers cheek with his hand. Hikaru shakes his head and chuckles "She really is dense, isn't she?" With a nod of his head, Kaoru sits back up in the couch "Do you think we should tell her?"

"Tell who, what?" Haruhi says, staring over at them from her place upon the couch. Both boys blush brightly and smile mischievously, wrapping their arms around one another's shoulders. "Err... nothing, actually." Hikaru mumbles nervously, staring sideways at his brother. Haruhi crosses her arms and eyes them curiously, wondering what they're planning.

The bell signalling the end of Host Club rings through the air, dismissing all of the students to their outside lives. Hikaru and Kaoru let out sighs of relief as they drop their brotherly love act, watching Haruhi take a stand from her place in the room.

Straightening out her dress, Haruhi bids her guests goodbye and walks over to where her friends remain sitting. She blushes slightly as she looks down at them, happy to have had such a peaceful day.

"Today was completely unexpected." Haruhi says, gripping the back of a nearby chair. Hikaru and Kaoru smirk at one another and stand up together, both of them smiling mischievously at her. She frowns at them as they walk past her silently, expecting her to follow them out of the music room.

"You guys?" She says, looking at them in confusion as they head into the hallway. Staring at their backs, Haruhi walks behind them in silence as they make their way down the hallway.

"So, what do you guys think of the rumors being over?" Haruhi says out loud, hoping to get them to talk.

Hikaru looks over his shoulder at her and smiles "I think it's a good thing. I honestly don't get why you're still freaking out about it."

"We didn't even notice until you started constantly pointing it out." Kaoru says, copying his brother.

Haruhi sighs as she follows them out of the school and towards their limo "I guess I'll just drop it, then."

The twins smile at her as they approach their limo, Hikaru opening the door for them. Haruhi hops in and slides into her usual seat. She stares at Hikaru across from her, noticing the corners of his mouth upturning into a slightly smug smirk.

"Got something you'd like to say, Hika?" She says, eyeing him from across the limo. He simply shrugs his shoulders and scoots over as Kaoru slides into the backseat beside him and shuts the door. The limo jumps into life and starts its journey towards Haruhi's apartment.

Kaoru looks over at Haruhi and notices a look of annoyance upon her face. "What's up, Haru?" He says, draping an arm around his brother's shoulders.

"You and Hikaru are hiding something." Haruhi says, crossing her arms against her chest as she stares at him from across the limo.

A smirk spreads across Kaoru's face "Honestly, Haruhi, it seems as if you're just trying to stir up drama." Haruhi's jaw drops open and she glares at him, making him chuckle in amusement. She closes her mouth and rolls her eyes, looking out the window.

"You complained all week about wanting the rumors gone and now it seems as if you want them back." Hikaru mumbles as he stares at her from across the back seat.

Turning to glare at them, Haruhi takes in their smirks and lets out a growl of frustration "Why are you guys being so mean today?"

Kaoru blinks at her in confusion "Mean? How are we being mean?"

"If by teasing you we're being mean, then I guess we're sorry." Hikaru mumbles as he turns to look out the window, irritated by her attitude.

Haruhi lets out a frustrated sigh and turns back to the window, remaining silent for the rest of their trip home. Hikaru and Kaoru stare at her, wondering if they should simply tell her the truth behind the rumors stopping or continue their teasing.

The limo comes to a stop outside of the apartment complex and Haruhi quickly gathers her things. "Thanks for the ride." She mumbles as she throws open the back door and hops out of the limo, glad to be away from them and their strange attitudes for the rest of the day.

As she climbs the stairs up to her apartment, the limo speeds off and she breathes a sigh of relief. Despite having a small fight with her friends, the day had turned out better than expected.

She reaches her front door and unlocks it, pushing it open and heading inside. As she sets her bag down and kicks off her shoes, her cell phone begins to ring in her pocket. Grabbing it out, she looks down at the tiny screen and sees Tamaki's name flashing upon it.

Rolling her eyes, she hits the green icon and holds the phone up to her ear "Hello?"

"Hey, Haruhi, how're you doing today?"

"Great, actually. How about you?"

"I'm doing well as usual. It's good to hear you're doing better. Would you mind me asking what made today great?"

"After last week, I'm actually surprised that today turned out the way it did, you know?"

"Actually I don't, really. But, I was wondering if it had anything to do with the lack of rumors, by chance?"

A big smile lights up Haruhi's face and she grips the phone excitedly "Yes, it does as a matter of fact. Thank you so much for your help, Tamaki!"

"Err... well-"

"I couldn't figure out why the rumors stopped and Hikaru and Kaoru had no idea, either. I'm so happy that I finally have an answer!"

"Haruhi, you see- I didn't..."

Haruhi takes a deep breath and chews on her lip "Would you like to go out to dinner sometime? I'd love to thank you for helping me."

"I-I'd love to, Haruhi." Tamaki stutters on the other line, taken aback by the sudden turn of their phone call "How about I pick you up tomorrow night?"

Giggling quietly, Haruhi leans against the door "That's perfect. I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"It's a date." Tamaki says happily.

The phone call ends and Haruhi shoves her phone in her pocket, smiling blissfully as she looks forward to her date with Tamaki. Making her way towards her room, she digs through her closet for an outfit to wear. She scans through the multitude of Hitachiin-made clothing, wanting to look perfect for her night with Tamaki.

Just when she had thought he'd always be selfish; he goes and surprises her by doing the unexpected. Of course, being a counselor might have something to do with why he did it. Regardless, the fact that he stopped the rumors is just amazing, especially considering it had been done so fast.

Pulling out a blue dress, Haruhi holds it up to herself and examines herself in the mirror. With her brown hair and eyes, she always felt that blue really complimented her looks. Satisfied with her choice, she sets the dress aside and winds down for the night.

"Hikaru, go left!" Kaoru shouts as he moves his character to the right on his screen, successfully dodging a grenade thrown at him by an opponent.

Hikaru presses his joystick roughly making his character go left, spotting a group of enemy vehicles trying to escape past his hiding point. "Kaoru, you better get out of there quickly!" He says, throwing a grenade at the center vehicle. It sticks to the side of the vehicle and begins beeping as Kaoru's character stands up from his cover and goes running like crazy towards a nearby building.

Hikaru's character takes aim and begins sniping the enemies that shoot at Kaoru as he runs, trying his best to cover his brother. Kaoru successfully manages to make it into the building right as Hikaru's grenade goes off and explodes the enemy vehicles into smithereens.

"We have one enemy left." Kaoru says, looking around for the enemy.

"I think I know where he is." Hikaru says, making his character rush towards the enemy's starting post. He ducks his character down into a nearby bush and begins sweeping the building with his sniper lens, looking for their remaining foe. A streak of black catches his eye and he spies the guy running out of the back of the building. He quickly stands up and sneaks to the side of the building, aiming his gun and waiting for him.

The enemy runs towards him and stops, staring at Hikaru in defeat. With a smirk, Hikaru aims his gun and shoots, gaining his team another victory over the enemy. "Hell yeah! That's how it's done." He says, giving Kaoru a high five.

A loud buzz echoes between them and Kaoru looks down to see Tamaki calling him.

"Wonder what he wants." Kaoru says, picking his cellphone up and swiping the green icon to answer the call. He holds the phone away from his ear as Tamaki starts to yell excitedly on the other line."Kaoru, you'll never believe what just happened!"

Kaoru hits the speakerphone icon and holds the phone between him and Hikaru "What's up, Boss?"

"Haruhi and I are going on a date tomorrow night. Can you believe it?!"

Hikaru lets out a humph of annoyance, falling backwards onto the carpet "What the hell? A date?!"

Kaoru frowns as he looks down at his brother "Congratulations. When did you ask her out?"

"Just now, actually..." Tamaki mumbles from the other end of the call "But, she was the one who asked me. Something about wanting to thank me for stopping the rumors-"

"Stopping the rumors?" Kaoru says, blinking at the phone in confusion.

"Well, I sorta noticed that the school was unusually quiet today and I asked her about it and-"

Hikaru sits up and glares daggers at the phone as if Tamaki was really there with them "That's because we stopped the rumors!"

"Oh. Well, I tried telling her, but she wouldn't listen to me." Tamaki says quickly "The next thing I know, she's asking me out on a date and was really happy and I couldn't help myself and I said yes!"

"So, you took the credit for what we did?" Kaoru sighs, running his hands through his hair in frustration.

"I didn't mean to." Tamaki's voice cracks as he tries not to anger them "She was so excited that I couldn't bring myself to tell her I didn't know why the rumors stopped."

His fingernails digging into the palms of his hands, Hikaru tries his hardest not to throw the phone "Well, I hope you enjoy your fucking date, you liar!"

"Hikaru, wait-" Tamaki begins, but is cut off by Hikaru hanging up the call.

Kaoru pats his brother's hand to try to comfort him "It'll be okay, Hika. I'm sure she's not choosing Tamaki over us."

"It pisses me off that he gets the credit for what we did." Hikaru barks, punching the floor beside him "That should be us going on that date with her!" He grits his teeth; it should be him going on that date with her

"We should have just told her the truth, then." Kaoru sighs, staring down at the phone "We could have prevented this from happening."

They sit there in silence for a few moments, trying to calm themselves over this latest piece of news. Hikaru closes his eyes, trying to cope with the fact that Haruhi might get back with Tamaki. Kaoru nervously chews upon his lip, trying to think of anything, but Haruhi.

"Why don't we spy on their little date?" Hikaru says, interrupting their moment of silence "Since it's technically our date, we can go spy on them and it wouldn't be too rude."

Kaoru smiles a little at the thought of buying himself some more time to win Haruhi over. "That's a great idea, Hikaru."

"I just hope Haruhi hasn't already made up her mind." Hikaru sighs, his anger slowly dying down as sadness begins to bubble up inside of him.

"Haruhi said that she's taking it slowly, so I'm going to put my faith in her." Kaoru says, his eyes sparkling with slight hope.

Hikaru pats his brother's hand "I guess we'll see tomorrow, right?"

"For now, lets just get some sleep." Kaoru says, forcing a smile upon his face. Grasping each other's hands, the two of them head up the stairs together before going their separate ways.

With sad glances at each other, they make their way into their rooms for the night. As a part of their attempt to be more independent, they had begun sleeping alone.

Hikaru practically falls into bed, feeling his strength drain quickly. He glares up at the ceiling and tries to fight away the anger and sadness building up inside of him. Sure he had been pretty flirtatious and mischievous like before, but he was also trying to be more mature in the hopes that Haruhi might possibly see him differently. Yet his work didn't seem to pay off, seeing as he once again lost to Tamaki. Groaning with frustration, he grabs a nearby pillow and shoves it against his face.

Kaoru tunnels into his blanket and surrounds himself with pillows, hiding from the world as he fights off the feelings of sadness threatening to spill forth from him. He had tried his best to be mature and calm when it came to Haruhi. Yet, try as he might, he just can't stop himself from feeling like crying whenever things went wrong. This newest turn of events practically drained him of what little hope he had left of possibly dating Haruhi. Rolling over and burying his face in a pillow, he lets his tears escape.

Both boys feel the emptiness of their beds, wishing they could cuddle the other instead of being alone with their thoughts.

Tomorrow they will have to try their best to win against Tamaki or else they will have lost for good. Completely drained of energy, the twins drift off to sleep.