Thank you for being patient with me! I've been up to my eyes in studying…Exams are all of next week (its very frightening). But I decided to not care, and write this chapter, all for you loverly people!

Should I really state the disclaimer? Nawww. ON WITH THE STORY!

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Chapter 9: The Dark Side of Me.

Recap:

With an effortless shove, Tamaki sent Kunio flying across to the other side of the room with terrifying speed. As Kunio crashed into the plaster, Tamaki looked towards Haruhi with a hurt gaze. "Haruhi…"

She frowned at him. "What is it, senpai?"

"You should have told me. That you were with him. Didn't I tell you not to go near him?"

Haruhi went rigid. "Senpai, nothing—"

"Didn't I?" Tamaki asked in a louder voice, advancing towards her with clenched fists. "Why did you deliberately talk to him, and why is he suggesting that—" He stopped, realizing all the eyes on them. He stopped. Straightened. Turning away from Haruhi, he mumbled, "Forget it."

Walking towards the door, his hand flew out, and he grasped the handle of the door, yanking it open. With a calm, collected manner, he shoved his hands deep into his pants' pockets, and walked out.

Haruhi stared after him, her look exasperated and confused. "Senpai!" she called after him. He didn't look back.

Story:

"Quick, behind this corner!"

Five of the seven Host Club members shuffled around the corner and pressed against the wall on Kaoru's demand. As soon as Mori placed Hunny on the ground, the small blonde began walking out of the shadow of the corner. "I want to see Haru-chan…" he began.

"No, Hunny-senpai!" Kaoru and Hikaru tackled him at once, yanking him back from the open. "You have to resist!"

"This way we can see what happens," Mori explained to Hunny as he opened his mouth to protest.

"You all have to be quiet, so we see what happens," Kyoya told them with a frown. Peering over the corner, looking towards Haruhi and Tamaki, not even he, amidst his jealousy, could withstand from knowing the end results of Haruhi's argument with the Host Club King.

Up ahead, Haruhi snatched Tamaki's shoulder and wheeled him around to face her. "Senpai," she said sternly.

He blinked, surprised. "H-Haruhi, what—"

"Why did you run off?!" she demanded, throwing up her hands in exasperation.

"I-I didn't know you'd come after me…"

"What? That's…Senpai! What made you upset in there? What did Kunio say?"

"I ran…because of you and Kunio…"

"Nani?"

Tamaki slowly fed into the argumentative mood Haruhi was in. "Listen, Haruhi, if you love Kunio, you should tell me—and him—that you do, straight out."

Haruhi's eyes widened. "Senpai, that is ridi—"

"And why didn't you tell me that you talked to him yesterday?"

"I had to lead the conversation, senpai, it was only polite. Nothing happened. Why don't you trust me?"

"Because it's KUNIO, Haruhi, he's dangerous." Forking his hair back, he let out an explosive sigh. "It's not a matter of trusting you, it's just a matter of…of trusting what he might do!"

"Well he hasn't done a thing to me yet. I think there's a deeper issue, senpai. What do you have against him?"

"Th-There is no deeper issue!" Tamaki protested, putting up his wall of hardest defences. "I just don't want to see you getting hurt."

Haruhi opened her mouth to retort; then stopped. Her anger smouldered as she realized that he was just looking out for her; to make sure that she didn't get hurt by Kunio, or anyone else for that matter. It was just Tamaki's way. Sighing, she softened.

Taking a step closer to him, she clasped her hands together in front of her, eyes downcast. She could sense that he was still tense from yelling. "If we're going to be together…we have to trust each other, right?"

Tamaki nodded, also looking downwards. "You're right…"

She gazed up at him with a small smile. "So do you still want to go on that date?"

"Hmm." Tamaki thought for a moment, then brightened. "Haruhi, I will forgive you and at the same time apologize and we will walk away happy IF—" he paused for effect, "—you call me by my first name."

Haruhi raised an eyebrow, a look of disbelief passing over her face. "You're serious, aren't you?"

Beaming, Tamaki bent over to tap her softly on the nose. "Just one word. Three syllables. Taa maaa kiiiiii."

Closing her eyes in frustration, Haruhi said, "Fine, fine! Tamaki. Tamaki. Tamaki! Happy, Tamaki? Should I say your name a few more times, Tamaki?"

Tamaki let out a long sigh. "As many times as you want, Haruhi…" he said in a dreamy voice, love hearts popping around his head.

"Oh, let's just go," Haruhi grumbled, grabbing his sleeve and yanking him in the direction of the staircase. "Wait…" She stopped, and turned, frowning towards the Host Club door.

"What is it, Haruhi?" Tamaki asked, leaning down to her eye level, his eyes on the same object she was staring at. "Do you see something?"

"No…I just thought…" She gave him a hesitant grin. "It's just that I have the oddest feeling someone's watching us."

"Kunio?" Tamaki snapped his head in every direction, suddenly alert.

"No, not him. I thought I heard Hunny's voice, that's all."

A few metres away, five Host Club members stiffened, sweatdrops appearing on each other their heads. "She's better than we gave her credit for," whispered Kaoru to Hikaru.

With a smile, Tamaki slipped his hand into hers, their fingers entwining. "Well, we are near to the music room."

Haruhi nodded. "You're right…I was just jumping to conclusions." She glanced up at Tamaki. "Should we…maybe go?"

"Yes!" Tamaki cried, launching into a skip. "I've been waiting for this all day!" he whooped, dragging poor Haruhi after him as he made great strides down the empty hall.

A silence hung over Kyoya, the twins, Mori, and Hunny. After a few moments, Hunny found it safe to breathe, "Haru-chan and Tama-chan? Kawaii!"

"If they fight on the first day of being a couple, their fights will never end…" said Mori in a low voice, mostly to himself. Closing his eyes, he leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and nursed his wounded heart [better word??. Although his love for his cousin had been inhibiting his heart for a long time, Haruhi also took up half the space. [cause its too repetitive

With a chuckle, Kyoya ran his fingers through his dark hair. "Baka. Just like him, beating us all to it."

"I'd like to call him something stronger," Hikaru muttered, looking off to the side, face clenched in a scowl. "Why should he get Haruhi? How was he any quicker? How could she even choose him?"

"She'll still be your 'playmate'," Kyoya told him with a raised eyebrow. "I wouldn't be worried."

Kaoru gave his brother a worried frown; placing a hand on his rigid shoulder, he whispered, "Hikaru? Are you all right?"

Through taint lips, Hikaru replied, "I'm fine."

"Takashi, Takashi! Let's get cake now!" Hunny cried, taking off in the direction of the music room. Sighing, Mori followed reluctantly, his figure hunched as he travelled after his happy cousin.

Kyoya blinked, as if waken from a daze. "Oh…it's only 4:30. We still have guests." He gave the twins a look. "I expect you to come, too. We're on full duty, with Haruhi and Tamaki gone." This being said, he casually stuck his hands back into his pockets, striding back to the music room. Although he had taken an interest in Haruhi temporarily, Haruhi and Tamaki's newfound romance didn't strike him down.

Kaoru bit his lip, tapping his knuckles against the wall. "We should follow," he stated to his brother.

Hikaru nodded absently, his jaw clenched. "Soon," he said in a distant voice.

"Is it that much of a shock?"

Hikaru turned his head to frown at Kaoru. "What?"

"Is it that much of a shock," Kaoru repeated. "That Tamaki got Haruhi in the end. Weren't we expecting it? Last week?" When Hikaru still looked blank, he continued, "Remember how we were betting who was going to get Haruhi first? Kyoya, Mori, you, or m'lord?"

Hikaru snapped his fingers. "Ah." With a small shrug, he turned, digging his toe into the wall, his shoulders hunched. "Yeah…but…I didn't want to believe it. I thought there was some hope that maybe she'd choose me."

Sighing, Kaoru said with a wave of his hand, "Don't dwell too long on it. You'll lose any grip on reality." Pointing to the music room, he said, "I'm going to go back. Do you…?"

"Soon," Hikaru told him, a wry smile twisting his lips as he turned towards his twin. "I think...I'm going to think for a few more minutes."

"Think?" Kaoru repeated. "Well…okay." Frowning at Hikaru one last time, he pivoted on his heel. "Oh…wait." He turned back to his brother, frowning. "I think I forgot my pencil case back in the Science Lab."

Hikaru stared at him blankly. "Is it that important?"

"Yes. It has my calculator in it. And I need it…"

"For math homework," Hikaru finished for him with a sigh. "All right, let's go get it." Pressing his palms against the wall, he pushed himself away from the plaster, getting a head start down the hall. Meekly, Kaoru followed, his hands in his pockets.

Ahead, Hikaru kept his vision hung towards the ground, his scowl burning a hole in the tiles. Tamaki? With Haruhi? But she should choose me, shouldn't she? We had the date. We had the connection. It was awkward; but I was starting to have fun towards the end. So me fantasizing that we could have a relationship was another one of my lame attempts at happiness?

"Hikaru…" said Kaoru softly behind him.

Hikaru lifted his head, turning to look at his younger twin. "Yeah?"

Shaking his head, Kaoru pulled his eyes away from his brother. "Never mind."

With a casual shrug, Hikaru swivelled his gaze back in front of him; as he did, a shadowed figure caught his eye. The shadow stood against a doorway of a classroom, solid and unmoving. It was a male, no taller than himself; and by his thin frame no younger, either. Frowning, he walked faster, to see who it was.

"Hikaru? Hikaru," Kaoru groaned as his brother broke into a run. "What is it?" He jogged a few steps, then stopped, not willing to start a chase.

Hikaru slowed to a stop when he was right in front of the figure. He opened his mouth to call out, ask who it was, when he saw the figure lift a finger to his lips, signalling silence. Hikaru scratched the itch in the back of his head, frowning.

Slowly, the figure stepped further into the light; Hikaru's eyes widened and his fingers stopped in mid-movement as he saw the face of Kunio. I thought he was trapped in the music room? He must have escaped. "What…" he murmured.

Kaoru, who was well ahead of him by then, let out an explosive sigh and stopped. "Hikaru!" he said in an irritated tone. "What is wrong with you?"

Hikaru waved his brother away dismissively. "You go on ahead, I'll catch up," he told him.

Sighing, and shrugging one shoulder casually, Kaoru continued down the hall, frowning at the curious behaviour of his brother.

Hikaru stared down at Kunio's grinning face for a few more moments. He looked rather ghostly, tucked deep into the shadows, his face candled with an eerie glow from the fluorescent lights of the hall. "What are you doing back there?" he finally demanded. "Hiding from your girl fans?"

"Actually, no; they gave up the chase as soon as I left the room." He stepped forward, his hands deep in his pockets. "Tough situation, eh?"

Hikaru stiffened. "What are you talking about?"

"The love triangle between you, Haruhi, and my cousin. Hurts, doesn't it?"

With a scoff, Hikaru turned on his heel, his back to Kunio. "No; I don't even mind. M'lord can have Haruhi 100 percent to himself; he's more than welcome."

"Hmm. Well, my cousin is one to break hearts; whether it be girls' or boys'. In elementary school, you should have seen him; a girl fell in love with him twice every day. Rejected them all, of course. And him staying open just made everyone even more distressed."

Hikaru gave him a side-look, over his shoulder. "I don't see how this has to do with me."

"Let me continue then. One day, I broke his chain of hear-breaks; or, rather, he did, I just took advantage of the situation. He fell in love with a girl in our class; a dark-eyed foreign girl who couldn't speak much French. He followed her everywhere, like a puppy; took care of her whenever she needed it. Then, one day, I stole her."

Hikaru turned, giving Kunio a strange look. "What? Stole her?"

"I stole her heart, that is," explained Kunio with a foolish grin. "Snatched her right from Tamaki's grasp. He was depressed for days on end, and wouldn't talk to anyone."

"I still don't—"

"Oh, for the love of God," said Kunio with a roll of his eyes. Advancing on Hikaru, he clasped a hand on his shoulder, leaning in towards his face. "Don't you see? He didn't fight back. He didn't even try to get the girl back for himself; he just let it be. He's not aggressive when it comes to his own heart breaking."

Hikaru nodded slowly, frowning at Tamaki's strange cousin. He still didn't completely grasp the point.

"So, if you try to steal Haruhi, my friend…" Kunio laughed and shook his head. "Tamaki won't do a damn thing to stop it. He'll be too swamped in his own misery."

Hikaru raised his eyebrows; he had never considered that aspect of the situation. "Oh," he said in a small voice.

"Think about it a bit," said Kunio. He stepped back, his grin staying pasted on his face. "And come to me if you need any of Tamaki's weak points; God knows I know 'em all." With a wink, he pivoted on his heel and strode down the hall.

Hikaru turned his head to watch Kunio's retreating form, even as Kaoru stepped out of a nearby room. He walked up to his brother, smiling, holding his pencil case like a trophy. "Got it!" he announced.

Nodding distantly, Hikaru didn't move otherwise.

"Hikaru?" Kaoru leaned forward, waving his hand in his brother's face. "Something the matter?"

A slow grin appeared on Hikaru's face. "Nothing," he said. He turned to Kaoru, his smile growing wider. "I've just come to a realization, that's all."

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Tamaki flopped onto his back, hitting the bed with full force. He sighed, sinking into the sheets, his eyes closed as memories ran through his mind.

His cell phone rang an irritating tone, shattering the silence. Reaching into his pocket, he flicked out his phone, holding it to his ear. "Moshi moshi?" he sighed.

"So, how was the first date?"

Tamaki gasped, sitting upright. "Kyoya!" he cried, nuzzling the phone to his cheek, as if it were his friend sitting next to him. "Yay, you called!"

"Yes, because you left 20 voice messages on my phone…" Kyoya grumbled on the other line. "You didn't answer my question."

"Oh." Tamaki's shoulders fell. "How did the date go? Well…I'm not…sure," he shrugged.

Kyoya was quiet for a moment. "What happened?"

"Nothing! Well, something. We went to a coffee shop, got some food, talked…"

"That's hardly worth missing the Host Club for."

"Gomen, Kyoya, gomen! It's just that after school is the only time we can see each other—"

"Well see each other in the Host Club from now on."

"No, I can't hug her and…you know! It'd give away her sex!"

"Not like you don't glomp her anyway…"

"But," said Tamaki, pausing thoughtfully. "There was something wrong, when she talked to me. She acted like she almost didn't want to be on the date."

"You don't say," Kyoya said in a flat tone.

"And…"

"And?"

Tamaki let out a quiet sigh, crossing his arms, his phone balancing in between his shoulder and his ear. "And we kept seeing Kunio."

Silence on Kyoya's line.

"He was everywhere! I tried to hide her in a dress shop, and made her try on some dresses, but then he passed there too, and grinned at us! Then he had the nerve to come up to us in the coffee shop and TALK to her! You don't TALK to people when they're on dates!"

"Oh, really."

"I was ready to result to violence, Kyoya," Tamaki told him in a grave tone. And he was. The whole time Kunio talked to Haruhi, Tamaki had his hand dangerously put on a saltshaker.

"I hardly think you're capable of violence."

"How did he find us so many times? It's impossible for him to be that lucky!"

"You haven't considered that it might be a case of stalking?"

"Well…Well, I suppose it could be…" Tamaki froze, his eyes widening. "Is he trying to steal someone else?" he asked quietly.

"I wouldn't put it past him."

Tamaki bolted to his feet, fists clenched. "No!" he cried, pointing high to the sky. "I won't allow it to happen! Haruhi is mine, and she will stay that way! If Kunio even dares to lay a finger on her, I'll bombard him with DRESSES!" Tamaki threw back his head, laughing manically.

Kyoya let out a long, exasperated sigh on the other line. "You do that."

"And then, I will steal his toy monkey, and all will be well!"

"Yes, Tamaki. Goodbye."

"What?!" Tamaki summoned a tear at the corner of his eye, clutching the phone to his ear. "You're not leaving, are you?"

"You seem perfectly capable of keeping up the conversation without me. And I have homework."

"Oh…" whimpered Tamaki in a pathetic voice.

"Just one thing."

"Yes?" he asked hopefully.

"Next time you go on a date with Haruhi, consider what the rest of the Host Club might be thinking."

"Huh?"

"Hikaru, Kaoru, Mori-senpai, Hunny-senpai. Next time you take Haruhi on a date, and detach her from the Host Club just for yourself, consider what they might think; after all, from what I've heard, they love her too."

Tamaki nodded. "O…kay…"

"Talk to you later, Tamaki," said Kyoya in a more cheery voice. The line went dead.

"Bye," said Tamaki softly, although he knew he was talking to air. He sat back down on the edge of his bed, his hands resting on his legs. He stared blankly out into the distance, a flashback stirring in his mind.

"You're so selfish, Tamaki."

"What?" Tamaki turned to Kunio, a confused expression on his young, eight-year-old face. "What do you mean? I share my teddy with my friends all the time!"

Kunio shook his head, snorting rudely. "I don't mean that kind of selfishness, stupid. All the girls like you; so why don't you accept them, instead of turning them away?"

"Oh, easy! Because I'm waiting for the perfect one," said Tamaki with a large smile.

"At the same time breaking everyone's heart?"

Either he didn't understand; or he didn't mind. Either way, Tamaki nodded, his smile growing. "Yeah!"

Kunio stared blankly at him. "Wow," he said softly.

Tamaki blinked. "What? What's wrong?"

"You're meaner…than me."

Perplexed, Tamaki stood there rigidly, not comprehending. "Meaner than…you?"

"At least I don't reject every girl that I see. I at least have the courtesy to be nice to them afterwards. You; you totally forget about them, there's so many." Kunio gave him a dark look, rubbing his sleeve across his runny nose. "I don't like you anymore, Tamaki." With that, he turned on his heel, marching away from the wounded Tamaki.

Tamaki sighed, bowing his head. He had kept true to his word. He never spoke a kind word again; his playmate was lost. Thus, they evolved into enemies. Hated their very faces. Tamaki hated Kunio, because of his violent personality and ability to snatch everything he loved from under his nose; Kunio hated Tamaki because of his good looks and ability to get any girl he wanted, but not take advantage of it.

"Kunio was right," Tamaki whispered. "I…am selfish. I'm not aware of anyone but myself."

Arrows of shame piercing him at every direction, he lay slowly back down onto his bed, a sigh heaving his chest, the memories once again swarming his mind.

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Hehe, I should have been studying for exams, but wrote this instead. A much better use of my time, since I haven't updated in a while. This chapter was kind of scattered…I was running low on ideas. I promise the next one will have more structure; this is a mad time for me, so I'm trying to wrap my ahead around this plot.

Wellp, that's all folks! Now, do your duty…P

-KuroHinote