A/N: Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! As you should know by now, it means a lot to me! :D 11 reviews came in for chapter 6! That's a record for this story so far; thank you so much, everyone!! ^_^
And for this chapter's Ouran-related prizes:
For l1nk1n-p4rk-4-3v3r: A scholarship to attend Ouran Academy for your next year of school until you graduate!
For Kitsune Cupcake: A date with Honey to sample cakes at ten different bakeries!
For ShabalbaIggy: The real, original Beary and a costume version for you to fit in!
For zeroworkethic: A very…*ahem*…special DVD Hikaru, Kaoru, Kyoya, and Tamaki all made one summer night when all their free time away from school made them a little too bored…
For Elizibeth Snow: The chance to *be* Haruhi for a whole a week and all the *perks* that could come with it! ;)
For RhythmStickLunatic: The ability to tell the twins apart just by looking at them, even when their hair is parted the same! (Unless you already have this ability…;))
For JashinVampireLuna: The chance to spend Halloween with the host club, including all the vampire versions of the members themselves!
For ELBwashere: The chance to *be* Hikaru for a week and all the *perks* that come with that! ;)
For Melodie Lyric Jones: The chance to have Tamaki write and play a song on the piano specially for you!
For nejiXtenten4everz: One of Antoinette's (Tamaki's dog) newborn puppies! (I know you wanted to neuter Tamaki, but you could neuter this puppy instead!)
For Akitore: Footage I taped of Tamaki and Kyoya after the rest of the club went home one day. *warning* Tamaki is hornier than Kyoya in this footage! :-O
Haha, well, I hope you all enjoy your prizes!
More prizes to come for those who review the next chapter! It's kind of a short and uneventful chapter, but I wanted to give you guys something, and I hope you all still enjoy! =^.^=
CHAPTER SEVEN:
"Uh, boss?" the twins asked. The object of their incredulity was hunched over in the corner, his entire form its frequent hue of snow, his back turned to us.
"Aren't you going to go after him, Senpai?" I asked worriedly.
Tamaki-senpai turned his head around slightly, just long enough to get a glimpse of all of our concerned faces. He then sighed deeply and turned back to the wall, beginning to mindlessly draw circles on it with his finger. "What's the point?"
"What do you mean 'what's the point'? He's your best friend. Even if you don't return his romantic feelings, you at least owe him more than…well, this," I demanded. The twins nodded their heads in agreement. And unison, of course.
"But…but I wouldn't know what to say! I still don't know how I feel!" Tamaki-senpai exclaimed, jumping up from his corner and approaching us.
Kaoru raised an eyebrow. "Just a couple minutes ago, you said you came to the conclusion that you weren't in love with Kyoya-senpai. That's what Kyoya-senpai heard you say too, obviously. So if you were lying, you have all the more reason to clarify that for Kyoya-senpai."
Hikaru added the obvious: "Or else Kyoya-senpai's gonna think you really aren't in love with him, that there's no chance at all, and he's gonna be heart-broken."
"I know…but…maybe it is true. Maybe I wasn't lying. I'm still not sure," Tamaki-senpai said as three strands of his shiny, lemon-colored hair fell across his forehead and veiled his eyes in a very emo kind of way.
I sighed and glanced at my watch again. "Listen, if this is going to take the entire night, can I at least use your cell phone to call my dad, Senpai? He's gonna be really worried."
Tamaki-senpai once again ignored me and continued, "And if I tell him there is still a possibility for us, and then I end up realizing I don't return his feelings, then…well, his heart will be even more fragmented than if I had just left it alone! It would be as if I was dragging him along, playing games, giving him false hope only to break his heart all over again! I couldn't do that to him!"
"Senpai, I really think my dad…" I began again. Tamaki-senpai had by this point descended onto the floor yet again, still engulfed by his own speech as I groaned in exasperation. But then suddenly a thought occurred to me. Ever since I joined the host club, Tamaki-senpai had showered me with attention and affection, no matter how misguided or unwanted. It seemed that his focus was constantly on me, no matter if there was any good reason for it. He seemed mesmerized by every word I uttered, no matter how dull. But tonight…well, he had ignored me every time I began talking about something besides Kyoya-senpai.
"I think you already know how you feel, Senpai," I offered, interrupting him in the middle of some sentence that was beginning to bring tears to his eyes.
He then looked up at me with glossy eyes. "But I don't, Haruhi."
"I think you do. I think you know deep down but are too oblivious…or maybe just too scared…to recognize it," I said. "We all know you have a great deal of trouble turning all your perception on your own self. But is it because you are really a moron like we've all been thinking? Or is it because you're just a coward?"
All three boys stared at me. The twins appeared surprised and almost nervous, but then smirks slowly crept across their faces. I heard Hikaru whisper: "Ouch. That's gotta hurt." Kaoru giggled afterward.
And the laughter didn't end there. The next thing I knew, Tamaki-senpai was chuckling slightly, in that way he always did when he obviously hurt by someone's words. "Don't you think that's a bit harsh, Haruhi?"
"Not really," I replied honestly. "Kyoya-senpai was a coward too up until today. But at least he got over it; he was honest with himself and with you. And you know he has a lot more at stake than you do. His family's business, the respect he so obviously seeks from his father, from everyone around him. And you? You don't care about inheriting the Suoh empire; you don't care about Japanese society's expectations; you don't care what people think about you, Senpai. So what are you so scared of?"
Kaoru piped in: "I would say it has to do with the carriage…"
"God, not that again," Hikaru sighed.
"Wait, hear me out!" Kaoru protested. He then cleared his throat; I mentally prepared myself for a long speech. "Ahem. I would say it has to do with the carriage. Not wanting it to turn into a pumpkin and all that, keeping the family just the way it is…but if the boss and Kyoya-senpai did get together, nothing would really change. We'd be the same family. I mean, in Tamaki-senpai's mind, he and Kyoya-senpai are already husband and wife…"
"That's true," Hikaru agreed. "Nothing would really change. Maybe the two would have to start some kind of new act for the guests. 'Opposites attract act' or something. I'm sure that'd be a big hit; we all know the ladies can't get enough guy-on-guy action. It might bring in even bigger profits than the 'Prince act' and 'Cool act' do separately." Hikaru paused, putting a finger to his chin contemplatively as if he was truly planning future changes to the club. He then snapped out of his digression and back to the topic at hand. "But anyway, a new act wouldn't change the dynamic of our family or anything."
"Listen, mes amies…" Tamaki-senpai began, slowly rising from the floor. "I truly appreciate all your help, your concern for me…I feel I've raised my children well and I'm so flattered that you all want to take after your father and be caring, benevolent creatures. But…I think this is something I have to figure out on my own."
At that, Tamaki-senpai looked down and began walking out of the club. "Wait, Senpai. Where are you going?" I asked. I figured maybe he could give me a ride to the restaurant on his way.
"Kyoya's place," he answered. "I have one of those 'gut feelings' you were talking about earlier, Haruhi. And my gut tells me that I have to find Kyoya. I may need to think all this through by myself, but the problem doesn't end there; it doesn't end with me. There's a whole other someone involved, and he's waiting for me to say something…"
"What is it you'll say when you see him, though?" I asked.
Tamaki-senpai paused; his eyes grew worried. "I honestly have no idea."