Hi everyone! :D I did it! Here's the next chapter one week later! And, as always, thank you everyone who followed and faved. :)

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Ryuu returned to find Hikaru sitting in the living room playing on his DS. "That sure took long," Hikaru said without looking up.

"Welcome back, Ryuu-kun," Akimi said with a smile as she set a tray of tea and cups on the coffee table.

"What is this idiot doing here?" Ryuu asked, pointing at Hikaru.

The Hitachiin twin looked up at him, smirking. "How mean, Ryuu. I came over to play. Come on, don't you have a DS?"

Akimi poured them two cups of tea. "It's nice to see you invite friends over, Ryuu. You should treasure them more and don't call them idiots."

"We're not- I didn't-" Ryuu said, sputtering in disbelief.

"Hurry up," Hikaru said. He nudged Ryuu with his foot. "I'm getting bored here all by myself."

Ryuu sighed. "Fine, fine." He turned towards the stairs. "I'll go get my DS."

"Please go out with me." Emi bowed, squeezing her eyes shut. There was a knot in her throat, and she nearly didn't hear him over her pounding heart.

"What?" Kaoru said.

She raised her head, sneaking a glance at him. His eyes were wide and his mouth open. He blinked at her. "Really?" he said.

She stared back, swallowed, and then said, "Yes. And, um, if it isn't too much trouble, could you give me your answer now?" She grimaced. Demanding an immediate answer was too much. But if I don't get one now, what will I say on Monday?

Kaoru kept staring at her.

"Kaoru-kun?" she said.

He reached up and pinched his cheek. When he winced, his eyes focused on her again. "Okay. Yeah, that hurt. Not dreaming."

She chuckled, gazing down at her shoes. "Sorry to spring this on you so suddenly. You can just say no. It's okay-"

"No," he said, holding up a hand and shaking his head. "No. I mean, like, no I'm not going to say no."

No way. Her jaw dropped.

Kaoru's cheeks were turning pink, and it wasn't because of the pinch from before. He looked to the side, rocking on his feet. "I-I like you too, Emi."

No way.

Emi pulled out her phone and checked the time. Then she glanced up at Kaoru, whose ears had turned red, then at her phone's time again. It was the same. This isn't a dream. This is not a dream. I repeat. Not a dream.

No way.

"You-You're joking," she said, choking on her words.

Kaoru shook his head, looking her in the eye. "I'm not."

What? Emi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. From all my mini tests, this is clearly not a dream, but why in the world would Kaoru-kun like me? She opened her eyes and saw Kaoru leaning towards her. He was gazing at her with warmth, almost mesmerized. Her eyes widened as he jumped back. "Wah!" he said, slapping a hand over his mouth.

"What?" she said.

He was blushing again, and turned away from her. "Nothing." He started walking in the direction of the Mazawa house. Emi hurried to catch up.

Was he about to do what I think he was about to do?

"Don't do that again," Kaoru said, glancing at her, "or I really will kiss you."

Her face burned. "Kao-Kaoru-kun." His name came out like a squeak. Oh my God. No way. He actually likes me?

"Oh." He looked up at the sky then at her. "Yes, Emi. I'd love to go out with you." He smiled, and she felt her own face split into a grin.

"Please take care of me then," she said, and stopped walking to bow.

"Ah, please take care of me as well." He bowed back.

They continued on their path, but this time, with their hands linked.

God I hope my hand isn't too sweaty. Or at the very least that his hand is sweaty too, so then he wouldn't be able to tell that mine is. Agh, I haven't felt this nervous in a long time. Calm down, heart! Nothing crazy is happening. Other than that I am holding the hand of Kaoru Hitachiin, the one and only. Oh my God!

Emi bit her tongue as the mansion came into view. "If it's okay with you, Kaoru-kun, could we keep this a secret?" She glanced at him.

"From the guests?" he said. "Or the Host Club too?"

"Just all the students other than the Host Club," she said. "They can keep a secret."

He nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine with that." Then he squeezed her hand with a smile. "Though it means we won't be able to do this at school."

She blushed. They were nearing the black iron gates. "Yeah." By the doorway, she pressed the button on the intercom.

"Hello?"

"Berty, it's Emi. Could you buzz us in?"

"Yes, Emi-sama. Right away," he said. There was a bzz, and the gate swung open.

Emi turned to the guy standing next to her. The guy who is now my boyfriend. Like, what? "Do you want to come in, Kaoru-kun? At least until the car arrives."

"Sure," he said, smiling. They stepped through and started up the driveway. "Wait a minute." Kaoru stared at the car parked on the driveway. "That's a Hitachiin car."

"What?" Emi said. "But why would-"

The door flew open with Ryuu standing there. "Emi, you're back." Then he gaped.

"Is Hikaru here?" Kaoru said, letting go of Emi's hand. The Mazawa twins followed after Kaoru into the house.

"You- What?" Ryuu said, sputtering while still staring at Emi's hand.

"What?" she said while a smile grew on her face. Then in a whisper she said, "We're dating now."

His eyes widened even further, and it looked like his jaw would break if it fell any lower.

"Oh, you're back?" Hikaru said, seated in the living room with his DS. "Hey, Ryuu, we're not done with this level yet. Oh. You just died."

"Dammit." Ryuu snatched his own DS up and began mashing the buttons.

"Hikaru, what are you doing here?" Kaoru said.

"I was bored cause you were out," Hikaru said, "so I came over to play. Ryuu, you're surrounded."

"No duh," Ryuu said. "Help me, Hikaru!"

Emi giggled. "I'm glad you guys are getting along."

Ryuu clicked his tongue. "Are you kidding me?"

Kaoru went to sit down next to his brother, but seeked out Emi's gaze. They smiled at each other. Then there was a bark and footsteps.

"Roro!" Emi said even before the dog had appeared from the kitchen. She sank to the ground.

"You're back Emi-chan," Akimi said, entering with two tea cups. She knelt and poured some more tea. "And you must be Kaoru-san?"

Kaoru nodded while Emi was busy petting and scratching Roro. "Yes. And you are?"

"Akimi Yamaguchi," Akimi said.

"She's the Akimi-nee-chan they're always talking about," Hikaru said.

"Oh." Kaoru nodded and smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," Akimi replied. "Emi, remember not to tire Roro out."

Emi giggled as Roro kissed her face. "Okay. That tickles Roro." Kaoru joined Emi on the ground, and Roro licked his outstretched hand.

"So how was the movie?" Hikaru said.

"Pretty good. You should watch it, Hikaru," Kaoru said.

"I'm good," Hikaru said. "Probably overrated anyway."

He glanced up and snapped his DS shut. Ryuu sighed, did the same, and said, "Finally, God that was a hard level."

Hikaru took one look at Emi and Kaoru smiling at each other and said, "Did your plan work?"

"What?" Kaoru said, returning his gaze to his brother.

"Otherwise why are the two of you all smiles?" Hikaru said.

They blushed.

"They're dating now," Ryuu said in a whisper and tone similar to Emi's when she'd told him. Her face flushed even more, and she punched him in the leg.

"Don't be such a jerk about it," she said.

"Emi was actually one step ahead of me," Kaoru said with a smile. "I didn't expect that at all."

Hikaru glanced at the girl. "Hm. Well, congrats. Let's go then."

"Eh?" Kaoru said, watching as his brother stood and tucked his DS away.

"Won't you guys stay a bit longer?" Emi said. Hikaru shook his head. "But the tea-" He picked his cup up, handed a cup to Kaoru, and glugged it down.

"Thanks," Hikaru said, setting the cup down. Kaoru blew on the hot tea before drinking. He watched Hikaru grab his jacket and throw it on.

Kaoru set the emptied cup down and stood to follow his brother. "Hikaru." When Hikaru made no move to stop or slow down, Kaoru glanced back with an apologetic smile.

"Guess we're going then," he said. "See you Monday, Emi."

Emi smiled. "See you, Kaoru-kun. Have a safe trip home."

Hikaru's gaze was blank while he nodded at them. Ryuu raised a hand, remaining where he laid on the couch. "See ya," Ryuu said. "Jerk."

"Idiot," Hikaru said.

Then the twins were gone.

It was late when Emi and Kaoru returned, and it was late when the Hitachiin twins left. It was even later when Ryuu tossed on a coat and walked to the park. He didn't expect to find Michi sitting on the swing, a coffee cup in her hands. She was staring at the ground with a vacant look.

"Michi-san," Ryuu said, holding up a hand in greeting. She glanced up and smiled.

"Hello," she said as he sat down in the swing next to her. "What are you doing here?"

"That's what I wanted to ask you," he said.

"I came out to eat dinner, walked around town for a while, and ended up sitting here," she said. She looked out at the park and the streetlights. There was a half moon in the sky, but it disappeared behind the clouds often.

"Doing what?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Just thinking." Then she turned to him. "What about you, Ryuu-kun?"

He shrugged too and turned to the sandbox in front of them. "I came here to think too."

"I haven't seen you in awhile," she said.

"Yeah. I only come here when I want to clear my head." He chuckled and rubbed his neck. "How pathetic."
"What's bothering you now?" Michi said, leaning closer.

He looked at her and managed a smile. Then he stared at his shoes. "Well, my sister got a boyfriend today. I figured it would happen sooner or later, since they both liked each other. I just didn't think it'd happen so quickly."

"Okay," she said. "What's the problem then? Is the guy a jerk?"

"No." Ryuu sighed. "He's decent."

"Does he have pink hair?" Michi said, tilting her head in thought. "And does your sister wear glasses?"

Ryuu whipped around to look at her. "What?"

She met his gaze with a calm smile. "I saw them. They stopped right at this park and started blushing and talking to each other. It was really cute. He almost kissed her, and then they walked that way," - she pointed in the direction of the Mazawa house - "holding hands. They were really cute."

His jaw dropped. "Really?"

"She looks like you. You share the same eyes and nose," Michi said and smiled.

After staring at her and regaining his composure, Ryuu said, "It's not pink hair."

She laughed. It seemed so lively in the still night. "What color is it then?" she asked. Her eyes were twinkling.

"Auburn?" He shrugged. "It's not pink though."

She nodded. "Okay, so what's the problem? You're jealous?"

"What?" Ryuu jerked away, giving her a look. "Of her? No way."

She giggled. "Not your sister, Ryuu-kun. Her boyfriend."

"Oh." He returned his gaze to the play structure. Its bright green, red, and tan colors were dark and dull under the dim lights. "I don't know what to feel. That's the problem. I should be happy for her, right? Cause she's going to be more happy now. Or, like, she doesn't have to deal with unrequited feelings or whatever. But…"

"You don't feel happy?" she said.

He shook his head. Then he sighed and ruffled up his hair. "I don't know. It's a stupid problem, so whatever. This isn't even the first time."

"I find it rather interesting," she said, looking at the moon. "Feelings and emotions." She turned to him with a fire in her eyes. "Isn't it when we're feeling intense emotions that we also feel the most alive?"

Ryuu watched as a small smile curved up her lips and glanced back at the moon. "That's what I think anyway," she said.

A gentle breeze blew by, sending her hair fluttering in the air. He smiled. "Yeah. You're right."

She met his eyes. "There's never a particular emotion you should feel. What you feel is what you feel. You should just face it and go on from there."

He shook his head with a quiet chuckle. "Are you sure you're nineteen?"

She laughed and nodded. "I'm sure."

"So how have you been?" he asked, rocking back and forth on the swing.

"Good," she said.

"How's your research?"

She smiled. "Good."

He raised an eyebrow. "Can't you elaborate on that?"

She chuckled. "What would you like to hear?" So she told him more details about her research, how she worked for the university, and how she had spiders as pets in her apartment as well as research material.

She told him an interesting story about how an intern had once mistaken a male spider for a female one and placed it in the same container. By the time she had discovered the mistake, there were already hundreds of baby spiders everywhere.

They were just discussing high school and university when Ryuu's phone vibrated in his pocket.

"Emi? What is it?" he said, picking up.

"Ryuu, where the hell are you?" Emi said. He winced and held the phone away from his ear.

"What do you mean?" he said. "I just went out to take a walk."

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" she said.

He swallowed. "Um. Eleven-thirty?"

"No, you idiot, it's twelve! Berty went out to look for you a while ago when you didn't pick up your phone. He figured you hadn't wandered far, but I guess he hasn't found you. Anyway, just hurry up and come home."

"Oh." He hadn't been watching the time. "Sorry. Yeah, I'll walk back now."

"Good. Don't worry us like that," she said with a sigh. "Be careful."

"Okay. Thanks." He hung up and turned to Michi. "I gotta go."

She was grinning. "Your sister sounds so lively."

"She's pretty quiet actually," Ryuu said as he stood up. "It's probably because she's tired. Sorry about that." He stretched. "Shouldn't you get home soon too?"

She nodded and got to her feet too. "Yeah."

"Do you want a ride back?" he said. "Or should I walk you home?"

She chuckled. "It's fine, Ryuu-kun. My place isn't far from here."

"Okay." He nodded and started towards his home. He glanced back. "Um, be careful, Michi-san."

"Just call me Michi," she said with a smile. "And thanks, Ryuu-kun. See you." She waved and he waved back. Then the two parted.

Emi knew it hadn't been a dream when she woke up Sunday morning to a text from Kaoru that said, "Good morning! ^_^"

She sat up with a smile and sent a similar text back.

Not much changed when Monday came, aside from Kaoru smiling at Emi from time to time. She was surprised and blinded by each one. His smile made it hard to focus in class, and by lunch, she knew she had a lot of studying to do today.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder when she was walking in the empty halls to the cafeteria. She turned around, and the person grabbed the collar of her dress.

"Hikaru-kun?" Emi said, holding her hands up. "What is it?"

"I wanted to tell you this on Saturday, but if Kaoru found out, he wouldn't be very happy," Hikaru said with a frown. His eyes were narrowed. "Listen up, Emi. If you hurt Kaoru, you will regret it. I'll make you regret it."

Emi nodded. "Okay. I know."

"I'm serious." He shook her. "The day you hurt Kaoru is the day you guys are over."

She raised her eyebrows. Her heart was racing, and not because of any recent reasons like Kaoru's smile. She placed her hand on top of his, and he let go. "I know, Hikaru-kun. I know how important Kaoru-kun is to you, but he's important to me too." She smiled. "I don't want to see him hurt either."

Hikaru scowled. "Just watch it."

Two hallways away, Kaoru had followed Hikaru but had lost sight of his brother. Ryuu came as well, and seeing the Hitachiin twins split and Emi absent, grabbed Kaoru by the arm.

"What?" Kaoru said, glancing at the Ryuu in drag.

"If Emi heard me, she'd be pissed, but just know that you better take good care of her," Ryuu said in a low voice. "If you make her cry, I will whup your ass to the moon and back. Got it?"

Kaoru chuckled. "Okay, okay. I know."

Ryuu's glare intensified and he yanked on Kaoru's arm. "I'm not joking. I will end you if you hurt her."

Kaoru looked Ryuu in the eye and smiled. "I know, Ryuu. If I make Emi cry, I'll want you to kick me to the moon and back."

"I'm not gonna kick you to the moon and back," Ryuu said, frowning, as he released Kaoru's arm from his death grip. "I'll whup your ass to the moon and back."

Kaoru raised an eyebrow while his smile grew. "Or that." Then the two continued down the hall. As they rounded the corner, Kaoru almost ran into Hikaru.

"That's where you were Hikaru," Kaoru said.

"What're you doing here?" Hikaru said. Emi wasn't far behind him. The four of them exchanged various glances, and it didn't take long before they all knew what had transpired.

"Jerk," Ryuu said, glaring at Hikaru.

"Says the idiot," Hikaru said.

"Is that some weird, twisted nickname you guys have for each other?" Emi said.

"No," the two said at the same time.

Emi and Kaoru chuckled. "You two are a lot more similar than you'll ever admit," Emi said as they headed back to the cafeteria.

The expected Monday interrogation didn't happen. Emi saw the girls sitting with Ryuu during the Host Club, but they didn't look at her even once. Instead of relaxing her nerves, it only made her more tense and anxious.

There's no way nobody saw the two of us, she thought, fidgeting with her hands as she sat with Haruhi. I'm sure someone from our school went to see the movie, and we were walking around town too. Or has no one really found out? That would be good. That'd be great.

When the Host Club closed for the day, Ryuu collapsed on the couch. "I can't do this. How long is this stupid game going to continue?"

"Until you are comfortable with hugging girls!" Tamaki said, holding a finger up.

"That'll take forever," Hikaru said. He dropped onto the couch across from Ryuu.

"We'll end the game at the end of this month," Kyoya said. He was standing to the side, writing in his black notebook. Before Tamaki's devastated look could fully form, Kyoya was speaking again. "If we continue any longer, the guests will become bored."

"Eh?" Tamaki said. "But-But!"

"Sounds good to me." Ryuu sighed. Emi stood behind the couch and stared at his pale face. He was really weak with girls.

"So there will be more difficult-leveled questions starting this week," Kyoya said.

"We're going to be kissing girls?" Haruhi said, gathering up her schoolbag.

Tamaki's eyes widened, and he slowly crumbled to his knees, while muttering, "Oh no. Haruhi's gonna kiss girls. She's gonna kiss girls."

Kyoya nodded and pushed his glasses up. "Make sure to live up to the girls' expectations, everyone."

"Yes!" Honey said, raising his arms up. There was cake all over his mouth. Haruhi sighed, swinging her bag onto her shoulder.

Kaoru glanced at Emi and smirked. "Mind if I practice, Emi?"

"What?" she said, looking at him. He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. A stupid grin spread across both their faces. "Kaoru-kun, I don't think you need to practice."

Ryuu groaned and facepalmed. "Oh God, save me."

Kaoru pouted, keeping his eyes on Emi. "But it's annoying how little time we spend together."

Ryuu sat up and swung his legs off the couch. "Okay, we're going home."

"Are you free Saturday, Kaoru-kun?" Emi said, while Ryuu crammed her schoolbag in her hands. He couldn't tear her gaze off of Kaoru. Kaoru nodded. "Then let's go somewhere."

He smiled. "Okay."

Then they were bidding their farewells, and Ryuu was pushing her out of the room.

Did you like it? :) Are you okay with fluff overdose? Or not fluffy enough? Want more humor or angst? Any thoughts or suggestions? Please share! I really appreciate any and all feedback. :)

Get hype for the next chapter! :D :D

Thanks for reading!