"M-mori-senpai… w-what are you implying?" I stuttered. It made me so happy to think that Taka-niichan had recognized me but on the other side I was also afraid. What if I placed him in danger when I tell him the truth? I don't want that.
"Haruhi, it's you, isn't it?" he asked.
I laughed uneasy. "W-what are you saying, Mori-senpai?" I avoided eye contact.
"Haruhi," Taka-niichan repeated and placed his hands on my shoulders and forced me to look up at him. I knew that if I didn't distance myself from him right now, I wouldn't be able to keep my secret.
That's what my mind told me but my heart longed to tell Taka-niichan the truth.
"Please… Please don't ask anymore." I said, almost desperate.
If he finds out the truth, it will be more painful for both of us if we are forced to part again. I didn't want to hurt any of my Niichans by leaving again or by bringing them in danger.
"Please…" I felt tears coming up.
Taka-niichan looked dumbfounded. "Haruhi…" He sounded surprised. "I…"
"Please don't look at me like that, Taka-nii" I whispered.
Taka-niichan strengthened his grip on my shoulders that it hurt.
"What? Haruhi, what did you say?" he asked.
"N-nothing." I turned my head the other way. "You're hurting me, Mori-senpai."
"Haruhi!" he called my name and his voice sounded so desperate.
Surprised by the emotion in his voice I turned my head to him. The expression on his face shocked me and I noticed that his hands were shivering.
"I…" he started. "… when I just met you… I thought that you resembled her so much, in so many ways." He inhaled slowly and broke the eye contact. "It almost made me go insane… but then at the party… you… you…" for a moment he didn't continue, as if he was looking for words. "The hope I'm feeling right now, please don't crush it by lying because it really is you, isn't it, Haruhi?"
My mouth opened and closed without any sound coming out of it.
"Haruhi…"
"Please stop it, Taka-niichan!" I gasped and putted my hands for my mouth as if I could put the words back in my mouth. "I-I…." I stuttered.
Taka-niichan pulled me by my shoulders and suddenly I found myself in his embrace, my words got muffled against the blazer of his school uniform.
"I knew it was you." He said softly. "I knew it."
I slowly started to relax. "Taka-niichan." I knew I shouldn't be happy that he found out but I just couldn't help it.
"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked.
"… I didn't want to bring you in danger." I answered. "I was afraid that you might get hurt because of your relationship with me."
"We can take care of ourselves, Haruhi, you don't have to worry about us. Taka-niichan pushed me a little bit away so he could see my face. "We all missed you."
"Taka-nii, you can't tell the others!"
"Why not?"
"I think it's better that way." I said. "If they know who I am, it might be more painful for them if we have to part again."
"Then we have to make sure we don't have to part again." Taka-niichan replied. "I understand, I won't say anything until you're ready for it."
I smiled, a single tear rolled down my cheek and I hugged Taka-niichan again.
"Welcome back, Haruhi."
"I'm home, Taka-nii."
Suddenly the noise of a door been closed surprised us but it didn't seem like anyone had seen us.
"Maybe we should go back." I said.
Taka-niichan nodded. We both smiled to each other before we went inside the club room.
...
I cut the vegetables and shoved them into the pan while humming a song.
"You look happy, did your friends do something funny again?" Arata asked. We were in the kitchen of my house. Arata didn't went to school today because of the injuries he got from fighting at the party.
"Yeah, today, Taka-niichan…" I fell silent. Was it a good idea to tell Arata that Taka-niichan found out about my identity? Ever since what happened at the party, I couldn't help but distrust Arata.
"Mori-senpai did what?" Arata asked.
"Ah, H-he made a really long sentence today, with more than five words." I said and it wasn't really a lie.
"And you're so happy because of that?"
"Can't I?"
Arata smiled. "I didn't say you can't." he stayed silent for a while. "I'm glad you're happy." He added after a while.
I felt slightly guilty. I'm really sorry, Arata.
...
The next morning I went to the club room with more enthusiasm than usual. Whenever Taka-niichan and I crossed we smiled to each other.
"You and Takashi look happy today." Mitsu-niichan said. "Did something good happen?"
"Not really." I replied and looked over at Taka-niichan, our eyes met and we smiled.
"My daughter! Don't smile to Mori-senpai, you should only smile to your daddy!" Tama-niichan complained dramatic.
"Haruhi can smile to whomever she wants." Hika-niichan scolded Tama-niichan.
"Yeah, don't monopolize Haruhi's smile, Tono." Kao-niichan added and it looked like a quarrel was going to start. "You guys, stop it already." I said and wanted to step between them but slipped on a banana skin – Why the hell is there a banana skin on the floor? – and fell backwards.
I didn't fell onto the cold floor like I expected but bumped against something else. I looked up and saw Taka-niichan looking down at me.
"Are you all right?" he asked and placed his hands protective on my shoulders.
"Yes, I'm fine, thanks Taka-… um Takashi-senpai." I answered.
"Haruhi, since when are you so close to Mori-senpai?" Tama-niichan asked.
"A-ah… um, it just happened like that." I lied.
"I didn't know that Haru-chan and Takashi were such good friends." Mitsu-niichan said and stuffed a piece of cake in his mouth.
I looked up at Taka-niichan and we smiled at each other.
"Haruhi!" Kyo-niichan called me suddenly.
"Yes?"
"Come here." He said and glanced at Taka-niichan.
"What's wrong?"
Kyo-niichan looked like the question surprised him and he glanced from me to Taka-niichan again. "Nothing." He answered and touched his forehead. Could he have a headache?
"There's a guest whom requested you."
"Who?" I asked.
"A classmate of yours, Tachibana Shiori."
"Ah, yes, I know her."
It was a smart, quite girl that I hadn't talked to very often. Kyo-niichan led me to the table where the girl was sitting.
"Good afternoon, Tachibana-san." I greeted her smiling.
"Good afternoon, Haruhi-kun." She said and smiled back. I shivered.
The feeling I got from Tachibana-san made me uneasy and I wanted to take a step back.
Something's not right here…
The chapter was difficult to write since I couldn't decide how Takashi would find out so I updated later than planned. I will also get more busier from next week (I'm going to follow Japanese classes yay ^_^) I feel bad for not being able to update more often but I should be able to at least do it once a month and if the writing goes well maybe twice, I hope you enjoyed this chapter ^_^