"Don't worry. Tono doesn't stand a chance in this."
Sitting in their limo, Hitachiin Kaoru looked at his brother. Hikaru was confident, but not overly so. For once, the older twin had done some thinking by himself. The conclusion was enough to satisfy him. Seeing the look of disbelief on Kaoru's face, Hikaru explained himself.
"Kaoru, we're in the same class as Haruhi. With the amount of time we spend with her, Tono would never be able to do anything funny."
There, thought Kaoru. He was still using "they". Didn't he realise that being in love meant that he and Haruhi might have the need to be alone? Regardless, it was a baby step forward. The younger twin's face fell when he remembered someone, a person who Tamaki would surely turn to for help.
"Hikaru, beware of Kyouya-senpai." The older twin's smile vanished. He had forgotten to factor the vice-president into his equations. He may be good in Math, but when it comes to calculations of this sort, Kaoru was definitely better.
"Thanks for the reminder. Also, no matter what happens, we're still brothers, right?" Kaoru smiled. He was convinced that his brother would never give up the "us versus them" mentality for the rest of his life.
"Of course." Secretly, he hoped that Haruhi would make his brother realise that they would never be together forever. It pained him, but even twins must part company someday...
In the music room...
Kyouya looked at his best friend. Tamaki had his eyes closed. The vice-president knew that the blond only did that when he was thinking hard, and thinking hard was exactly what Tamaki needed right now. The bespectacled teen then turned his attention towards the empty room. The twins had left together without another word shortly after the challenge was laid down. Hani-senpai had left with a loud "Goodbye!", and Mori-senpai remained silent (as usual). The president opened his eyes.
"Kyouya, what should I do?"
"I think it's best that you answer that question yourself." Despite his "stupid" question, the deputy knew that his friend already had a plan in mind.
"I mean... must I really involve Ranka-san?" Kyouya pushed up his specs. Knowing his own disadvantages, Tamaki had already zeroed in on a crucial party.
"Ranka-san's Haruhi's father, after all. Knowing the girl, she would only date a boy whom her father approves of. Also, let's not forget that their impression of you isn't really fantastic."
"Don't remind me." Now, the blond almost regretted his idiotic gestures around the Fujioka family. But, he shook his head. That was his nature, and he would be deceiving others and himself if he hadn't been true to his feelings. Then again, he was a little dense when it came to his own love life, despite his reputation. Perhaps it was easier to observe others instead of looking hard at yourself...
"Would you need my help?"
Tamaki looked at Kyouya. Normally, the teen wouldn't care about such things.
"Thanks, but I'll do this myself." He rose to his feet. At the door, he remembered something.
"Kyouya, I'm really glad that you stayed behind to listen to me."
"I'm used to it. But, more to the point, good luck, Tamaki. You may need it." As the blond teen left the room, Kyouya began tapping away at his laptop. An e-mail to Ranka should help his friend, especially if it came from him...
Meanwhile...
"Takashi, who do you think Haruhi will choose?" Hani had needed some time to gather his thoughts on this issue. Everyone involved was his dear friend: Tamaki, Hikaru and Haruhi.
"..I don't know." Mori wasn't sure what his cousin had in mind.
"In that case, who should we help?" Mori stopped and looked down at Hani.
"Mitsukuni, it would be best for us not to interfere." Hani stared back at the tall teen. His gaze told the short blond everything.
"You're right. Only Haru-chan has the right to choose." Mori nodded in reply. The loli-shota host then continued strolling down the walkway, with his cousin following closely behind...
At the Fujioka Residence...
Haruhi stared at her homework. She couldn't believe that she had only completed half of it. With the laundry and other housework waiting for her, she could ill-afford to waste any more time.
"What's wrong with me," she shouted in dismay. Then, she remembered the answer. On her way home, she hadn't given her problems any thought at all; her mind was in a whirl. She did a recap: she's now supposed to be a male student at Ouran, with bisexual tendencies to boot. Throw in a love triangle involving her club president and classmate...
"Hey! Who ever said that I needed them?!"
"Don't deny it." Haruhi was startled by the voice. It was her inner conscience. She had ignored it in the past, and she would once again disregard its advice. The only problem is, she realised that she could no longer do that.
Hitachiin Hikaru and Suoh Tamaki. Both had seen her when she was most vulnerable, and both teens were in love with her. When she remembered Tamaki's hugs and Hikaru's games, she felt weak. She tried to pray.
"Mother in Heaven, who should I choose? Should I even make a choice?" The girl knew that ultimately, she would have to answer these questions herself...
Afterthoughts
-Please RnR! Sorry for the delay in updates...