Hey you guys, sorry for the long wait but a lot has happened in the last few months. I graduated high school, got into college and I start in a little over a week. I am both extremely excited and absolutely terrified of college. For those of you in or done with college, please ease my fears? Anyway, I know I haven't updated in a while but this chapter took a while to come to me. I hope you enjoy it just as much as the other chapters. Please tell me what you think.

Haruhi stared out of the window as the twins had their way with her hair and makeup. Part of her was upset with herself for giving in so easily on an issue she was so passionate about but another part of her was happy that she could please them. The twins' childlike behavior was something she cherished as it reminded her of her father. While she knew that the twins had had anything but a sheltered life from hate and cruelty, they managed to remain somewhat innocent from the harsh reality of the world. Haruhi may have only known the twins for a little while, but she knew that she would fight tooth and nail to ensure that said innocence remained intact. They reminded her of a small child that while being spoiled, still was not accustomed to getting what they wanted. Whether that was true could be debated but whenever she gave in to them, they treated it as a rare gift that they may never get again. It was definitely infectious and Haruhi loved to see the smiles on their faces.

She felt the pins being taken from her hair and when her hair fell down her back she felt blinding, all encompassing fear. She didn't think that she could handle this. She wanted to keep the twins happy but the feeling of her hair down her back reminded her of how her mother wore her hair. She could feel her heart beating harder, faster. She suddenly couldn't breathe. Her lungs tried to grab hold of the air that was around her but it slipped like sand through her fingers. She couldn't see clearly. Sheer panic raced through her veins and she was helpless to its crippling effects.

She knew that she was being completely irrational, but she had not had her hair down in public since her father explained to her how her mother died. She couldn't bear the thought of following in her footsteps. She was all her father had. She couldn't be another person he had lost. She tried to calm herself but the more she thought about it, the more restless she became.

The twins immediately noticed, "Haru-chan, what's wrong?"

Hikaru kneeled in front of her and grabbed her face. "Haruhi, sweetie look me in the eyes." His voice was low and silky; it immediately began its work, slowly eliminating the panic racing through her veins. Her wheezing breath slowly disappeared.

Hikaru stroked her cheek and held her gaze. "It's alright Haru-chan, deep breaths in and out. There you go. You are safe here; I won't let anything happen to you."

Haruhi completely believed him. She swallowed loudly, her throat dry, "I know. I'm sorry about that."

Haruhi shook his head before she could finish, "Haruhi, don't ever apologize for being scared you hear me? I'm just glad I was here to help you through it."

And help her he did. He must be used to dealing with this, she thought.

As if he read her mind Hikaru frowned slightly. "I've gotten a lot of practice trying to calm Kaoru down during a panic attack. Being left in that locker for so long really shook him up and whenever I closed a door on him he nearly lost it every time. I started learning how to calm him down whenever they happened."

Haruhi nodded.

"We can stop now if you are uncomfortable. I'm not going to force you into doing this."

Haruhi shook her head before she could think. "No, I need to do this. I may not like being feminine but I should be able to handle it for a few hours. I just thought that I preferred being unattractive, I didn't know that I was terrified of being attractive. This is good for me, strange, but good."

The twins stared at her for a moment, to ensure that she was telling the truth and continued their work.

"We're done."

Haruhi stood slowly and walked toward the door leading to the music room. Before she could reach it, the twins grabbed her again.

"Wait Haru-chan, don't you want to see yourself?"

She shook her head, "I think I need a while to get used to feeling this let alone seeing it."

They nodded and let her go.

When Haruhi walked back into the room, there was a brief moment of complete silence. She shied away from the stares she felt burning into her flesh. This kind of attention made her feel slimy and sick. She steeled herself against it. Her reaction was irrational and she needed to adjust herself to this. She moved toward Honey and Mori and sat down.

The moment she did Honey jumped into her lap and moved his face closer so it was an inch away from hers.

"Ooh, Haru-chan you look so pretty, like a princess!"

She couldn't hide the blush on her face. She definitely wasn't used to getting compliments.

"Um, A-arigatou Honey-sempai."

He just giggled and jumped back into Mori's lap where he nuzzled into his clothes. Mori met her eyes and nodded once.

"You look nice."

She smiled slightly as she opened her mouth to thank him, the doors burst open.

Tamaki walked into the room with the grace of a true aristocrat. The room fell silent for several moments and Haruhi could definitely understand why.

Tamaki looked more beautiful than ever. His hair was a mess of curls that fell to his lower back. As he moved they fell over each other and slid over his shoulders as though they were living entities. What shocked her more however, were his eyes. They were a striking shade of blue purple that took her breath away. He looked almost completely different from how he normally looked but Haruhi thought that this look suited him more.

She couldn't look away from him, his eyes drew her in like a moth to a flame and she couldn't understand why his eyes had such a strong effect on her now when they hadn't in the past. Is it just the change in color? Even as she asked herself that question she knew that it wasn't true. This color seemed to match him so much more than the dark brown, was he wearing contacts?

Across the room, those eyes met hers and she felt a chill run down her spine like a spider with a hundred legs. He began walking towards her and she couldn't breathe. Why did this boy have to be so beautiful? Does he not have this effect on anyone else but her?

He stood in front of her now, more beautiful than anyone had a right to be. His eyes held hers hostage, she couldn't look away from them even if she wanted to. She could see something in them, something scary and intense but she couldn't comprehend what it was. They were so bright; it reminded her of a cat or a snake.

"Haruhi, you look absolutely stunning."

His voice was different too, raspier yet smoother at the same time, the sound of it made her shiver. How could he have no idea the effect he had on her? Is he really that oblivious?

She tore her eyes away from him, her cheeks flushing at the compliment. He used to same tone of voice that he used last night, the one that made whatever he said so much more important than it really was. He was so unerringly charming; it's no wonder that he had the entire world wrapped around his finger.

"A-a-arigatou." Her voice cracked slightly and only made her blush harder.

Something in his entire demeanor changed instantly. His body straightened and it felt as if he grew even taller in seconds, he seemed to tower of her now, even though nothing had really changed. His body seemed to tense and relax itself simultaneously, like a feline. His strong jaw became more prominent and his eyes just changed. She couldn't describe the look in his eyes. It was similar to the look a tiger makes when it notices prey is nearby, a sudden pique of interest or awareness. She couldn't explain what was happening but Tamaki was acting as though he just happened upon the most intriguing thing he has ever seen.

He smiled and it only confirmed her theory, this smile was different than the others. His teeth were still just as beautiful but they looked almost lethal. Their appearance had not changed at all but Haruhi felt uneasy around them. This was not a smile; Haruhi thought to herself, it was more of a baring of teeth. The kind of thing a lion does to remind its prey that resistance is futile. His eyes still lit up but in a way that worried her. They looked predatory, savage-like. Haruhi felt like a defenseless bird right now and had no idea how to turn the situation into something she was more comfortable with. Because he was so close, she noticed two small holes on the sides of his smile, had she not paid close attention she would have thought they were dimples but they were small scars, from what she had no idea. Part of her felt a strange sense of relief in finding a small flaw in the Prince but another part of her was frightened of what that could mean.

"What brings you to the Host Club today, Hime?" His voice grew even silkier, even raspier. There was something else there too. A strange accent mixed in with the Japanese. She couldn't decipher what it was but it made her inwardly swoon.

Haruhi tried to gain her bearings but Tamaki was somewhat intimidating at the moment. She didn't feel in danger around him but something was definitely off and it worried her.

She was reminded of the night he walked her home. The image of his scowl was burned into her mind like a brand. He had looked so scary that Haruhi felt frightened. Not necessarily because she thought that he would hurt her. No, she may not have known Tamaki for very long but every fiber of her being was certain that he would never hurt her in any way. She was frightened for whoever caused that expression. She was frightened of what he would do to that person, what that scowl meant he was capable of. It shattered her perception of him as the perfect prince of Ouran Academy. Before then, she had compared him to the romantic interest in a romance novel, chivalrous, disarmingly attractive, kind, sweet, basically everything most women would want in a man. After that, however, he became the man that chased after a woman who was resistant to his charms. He slowly worked his way into her mind with his disarming charm and wit and slowly broke down her walls and earned her attention. He became the dark and brooding character that every women wished to have, the forbidden fruit that most can never resist.

Kyoya walked over and patted Tamaki on the back, "We have some business that we need to attend to."

Like the flip of a switch, Tamaki was back to normal. It happened so quickly that Haruhi questioned whether it had truly happened at all. Tamaki was such an enigma; she had no idea what to think of him anymore. She did know one thing though; whatever he was thinking about while he was smiling at her was something that she was definitely not ready to face.

Tamaki looked up at Kyoya and frowned, "Code K?"

Kyoya smiled apologetically, "I'm afraid so."

He looked at Haruhi, "I'm sorry for anything that happened, I have a strange medical condition that is similar to sleepwalking but it happens during the day. My subconscious is a cocky son of a bitch and whatever I said or did to you I apologize."

Haruhi nodded "It's okay, nothing happened." This was yet another flaw to add to the prince. It definitely helped her see him as a person and not as a god reincarnated to both please and torture every woman on Earth.

I really would like to hear some things about college life and how to survive in a place where you don't know anyone. This has been something I've been worried about since I graduated. As always, leave me love and tell me what you think of the chapter.

I love my readers so much. You guys are the best and I couldn't ask for anything better.