Duet chapters 27-30
Title: Duet
Rating: G for now, may go up ^^;
Warnings: spoilers for the end of the anime
Progress: 27-30/47
Summary: In need of a performing arts credit for her transcript, Haruhi seeks piano lessons from Tamaki. The result is a bit more bonding than either of them ever expected. How can you focus on school when you're falling in love... and what complications will arise when a member of the Suoh family is willing to give up everything for a commoner?
Getting closer!
Chapter 27
“Listen up, everyone!” Tamaki came barreling into the music room at top speed after the day’s final period. The other hosts, aside from Haruhi who had been walking with him, jumped in their seats at his sudden and loud declaration. “There are some things I need to tell all of you!”
“What is it, Tama-chan?” Hunny asked, taking another large bite of his cake. He and Mori had their attention on him, and the twins and Kyouya, who had been crowded around Kyouya’s laptop arguing over the latest modifications to the host club website, eventually looked up.
“What is this about, senpai?” Haruhi asked him softly, and he turned his head to her and smiled.
“Don’t worry,” he assured her quietly, and then let his volume rise again. “There are some things I’ve been unclear about, and I think I’ve left you all in the dark for far too long. The fact of the matter is that all of you are my family and I love you dearly, so with your permission I’d like to make some announcements!”
“Go for it, tono,” Kaoru said with a smile, and Tamaki nodded, looking around and feeling all of their support.
“Well, as some of you may know, some time ago my grandmother approached me again about an arranged marriage. This time it was to Kurokano-chan, and I was given an ultimatum. The deal was that if I married Kurokano-chan after her eighteenth birthday, then my position as heir to the Suoh family would be assured and I would move into the main mansion, whereas if I refused, I would be ostracized from the family. I think Kaoru and Haruhi were the only ones who knew about it, and I apologize.”
“Oh wow, Tama-chan…” Hunny said, his brown eyes wide. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“I’m not sure,” Tamaki admitted. “I suppose I didn’t really want to think about it while I was having fun with everyone. But there’s more, of course.”
“Go on,” Kyouya said, with a look that told Tamaki quite plainly that he’d known about everything all along, as usual.
“I decided after some long and hard thought that I simply couldn’t go along with it. So I left the family of my own free will and I moved into a hotel. But after my money ran out, I was living in the music room for a while. But Haruhi kindly allowed me to stay with her until I can figure something else out, and I’ve been there since yesterday.” for a moment there was a rather shocked silence, and Tamaki smiled, feeling more at ease than he had in weeks. “And that’s the whole story. I promise never to keep something so huge from my family ever again.”
Before he knew it, the others were surrounding him and he was being enveloped on all sides by hugs from everyone but Kyouya, who stood just a little apart from the others and simply hugged him casually with his eyes and Haruhi, who was too slow to wedge herself into the group before the others pressed on him.
“You shouldn’t have had to do all that on your own, tono,” Hikaru said, far friendlier with him than he would normally have been.
“It’s true, we would have helped you,” Mori agreed.
“All you ever have to do is ask,” Hunny said with a nod. “And we’ll always be here to help you.”
“You don’t ever have to go through something like that alone again, okay?” Kaoru told him, smiling but still looking like he wanted to scold him for keeping his secret until the end.
“But I wasn’t alone,” Tamaki told him. “I had Haruhi,” he sought her out in the small crowd of faces and smiled at her. She returned the smile with warmth and with honesty, and he was surprised when she pressed a little closer to hug him, pressing her cheek against his chest. He blushed just a little with pleasure, feeling like laughing out loud and taking on the whole world. As they drew back, Tamaki stood there beaming happily.
“I’m still a little pissed that you told Haruhi but not us,” Hikaru said, but Tamaki ignored him, turning to the double doors.
“It’s about time for the guests to start arriving,” he said happily. “Once again it is time for the host club to open its doors to the adoring public!”
At the end of the northern hallway, on the top floor of the south wing, the little family laughed together and started preparing for guests.
XXX
Kanako had not been visiting the host club regularly since Tohru’s formal proposal and love confession, but today she sat among Haruhi’s waiting guests as he finished changing and soaked up the atmosphere.
“Is it just me, or does Tamaki seem much happier lately than he’s been for a while?” she asked Momoka, who was engaged deeply in conversation with Sakurazuka.
“Didn’t you know?” Sakurazuka asked. “He was supposed to have an arranged marriage but he decided against it so he could be with Haruhi. I heard they’re living together now!”
“That’s wonderful!” exclaimed Miyako, clapping her hands a bit.
“It is,” Kanako agreed with a smile. “Does that mean those two are finally seeing each other?”
“I wish it did,” Momoka said with a sigh. “Tamaki told me that he’s only staying with Haruhi temporarily until he finds an apartment because he wanted to move out on his own for a while to see what it was like and couldn’t find anywhere right away.”
“I’m really surprised those two aren’t together,” Kanako replied. “How long has he been staying with him?”
“A few weeks,” Momoka replied.
“And they’re still not dating?” Sakurazuka asked, looking a bit distressed. “How is it even possible?”
“Maybe they’re both too shy?” Momoka offered helpfully. “What can we really do?”
All of a sudden the conversation was cut short by the grinding, whirring sound of motors and gears. A large section of the floor opened up in front of the sofa where the girls were sitting and from the mist that billowed forth leaped Renge, dressed to the nines in Renaissance cosplay.
“My dear Kurokano,” Renge said, shaking her head. “It’s completely obvious what we need to do!”
“Oh?” Momoka asked, cocking her head.
“Yes!” Renge replied from the top of her pedestal, raising a fist to the light. “Girls, we’ve stood by quietly long enough, and that much is certain! I believe the time has finally come to… meddle!”
_______________________________________________________
Chapter 28
Renge found that it was easy enough to plan things without Tamaki or Haruhi being any the wiser. With Momoka’s boyfriend being class president and Momoka being on her ‘TamaHaru LoveLove Squad’, she had optimal means to create an event perfect for setting their plans into motion. Renge had always prided herself on being a resourceful girl, and she pulled out all the stops on this venture, getting Momoka to convince Kazukiyo to allow the class officers to talk to the school’s chairman about the event. She even went with them, for added influence.
“We know it’s after the festival and a little short notice, but we were hoping we could hold a little event for class 1-A next week,” Momoka told Suoh Yuzuru as they sat in his lavish office, his desk covered with photos of his son and the host club.
“Oh?” Yuzuru asked, leaning forward a bit and resting his chin on his hands. “What kind of event?”
Renge, though Momoka and Kazukiyo were the class officers and much more allowed to have the floor than she was, had it all figured out. “An educational ball, Suoh-sama!” she said, raising an excited fist. “The theme will be ’Renaissance’, and while the guests will have fun dancing and playing games, they’ll also be learning invaluable information about the era in question! There will be trivia games with fabulous prizes going to the winners, and much more!”
“There will be a full historically accurate menu, too,” Kazukiyo added nervously. “We’ve got Fujioka Haruhi helping us with the research to make sure it’s accurate down to the last detail.”
“We’ve been reading about Renaissance era England in History class,” Momoka said, smiling. “And we thought it would be interesting to do an event based on what we’ve learned… almost like a salute to our teachers for teaching us so well!”
“Well, that all sounds well and good, and the school would be more than happy to provide the central salon as a location for the event. But really, I’m intrigued. I’d like to know… what’s the real story?” Yuzuru asked, a twinkle in his eyes.
“Excuse me, sir?” Kazukiyo asked, blinking. Renge felt a bit bad for him for a moment; she and Momoka had not bothered to divulge to him the true reasons for their plans to have such a fancy event.
“I think you all know what I’m getting at. An educational formal ball certainly sounds like something every school wants to host, and I have no problems with it… but really. I was young once. I know that no teenager goes out of their way to plan something that will be above all else educational unless there’s some kind of ulterior motive. So, I’d really like to know the true reason for all of this, if you don’t mind,” he gave a wry smile. “I’ll say yes to the event on the condition that you be completely honest with me about your true motives.”
Momoka sighed, giving in before the others, and Renge could taste that they had been caught. “To be honest, it’s probably going to sound a little silly…”
“I’m sure it isn’t. Please, feel free to tell me.”
“Sir, as his father, I’m sure you’re aware by now that your son has feelings for Haruhi-kun,” Renge said with a flourish, speaking to the chairman with much more casualness and less formality than any other student would have dared. Renge was not any other student.
“I had suspected it,” Yuzuru said, looking like he wanted to laugh.
“We’re actually holding this ball so that we might have a chance to bring the two of them together!” Renge announced, only hoping that telling the man she was trying to set his son up with another boy wouldn’t put a damper on their plans.
“What?” Kazukiyo asked, looking rather surprised.
“So please sir, for the sake of true love, will you let us throw this party? For the sake of your son’s happiness!”
For a moment, Yuzuru simply sat and stared, his eyes glittering with mischief, and when he spoke, it was with candor. “If this involves finally getting my son to admit to Haruhi-chan how he feels, then I’m all for it. Under one more condition…”
“What is it, sir?” Kazukiyo asked, and Renge leaned forward, wondering desperately what the answer was going to be.
“That I get to attend,” he answered with a grin.
XXX
When Kyouya entered the third music room on Monday afternoon to grab something he had forgotten, Tamaki was pacing the length of the pink tiles like a madman.
“I don’t know how many times I’ve told you not to pace in here,” he said, irritation flaring up. Recently a rather large fee had been charged by the private cleaning staff Kyouya employed for the music room for removing scuff marks, and that aside he had also not had the sort of day where he was interested in putting up with any of Tamaki’s idiosyncrasies. He hoped he could simply get his ledger and walk out unscathed. Tamaki, however, apparently had other plans.
“Kyouya!” he wailed, rushing toward him. Kyouya saw the blonde missile locked onto target and he braced himself for impact, almost wishing he had a fallout shelter. Tamaki collided with him at full force, wailing and thrashing around. “Kyouya thank goodness you’re here!”
“What is it now?” he asked, irritated beyond all reason. Tamaki was hard to deal with on a good day and now, on this particularly exhausting day, it was like dealing with a sore that had been picked.
“I’ve been pondering all day and I have no idea what to do! I want to tell Haruhi how I feel but as her… roommate, do you think it would be inappropriate? Do you think it’s wrong of me to tell her? Do you think I should do it? I’m going insane wanting her to know and I’m not sure if she’d--”
“You moron,” Kyouya said with a fond sigh, pushing his glasses back into place. “Since when do you care if something is inappropriate? We’re all getting tired of you beating around the bush, and I’m sure Haruhi is no exception. Just do it, alright?” Tamaki blinked at him, looking surprised. He wasn’t used to Kyouya speaking to him this way, and it was amusing to watch. He was surprised, given the obvious depth of Tamaki’s feelings and his inherent lack of self-control, that it had taken Tamaki this long to come back to the point of telling Haruhi about his feelings.
“Are you… sure?”
“Yes. Now if you’ll excuse me…” Kyouya picked up his ledger from where he had left it and turned to leave. “… I have some errands to run.”
“But Kyouya…” Tamaki looked worried, and he was biting his perfectly manicured nails, a habit that he rarely indulged in. “What if… what if Haruhi doesn’t… feel the same way about me?” he looked rather meek at that moment. “What if she rejects me? What if… what if she breaks my heart? What if all of this has been for nothing?”
Kyouya sighed. “You big goof,” he said rather inelegantly, rubbing a hand across his own hair. “I can’t believe you can be this thick sometimes. Of course she loves you. Do you really think that someone like Haruhi would put up with you living in her home if she didn’t have some kind of feelings for you? Wake up, Tamaki. Everyone else knows but you.” Kyouya had little experience with helping Tamaki so directly with decisions, but his patience was wearing thin on all levels, and at this moment he deemed it necessary.
He left Tamaki in the lurid pink room, still pacing, and sighed heavily. “Once an idiot, always an idiot,” he muttered under his breath, biting back a wave of fondness for his friend.
XXX
“Tamaki!” Renge shouted as she burst into classroom 2-A on Tuesday morning before class began. The blonde, who had been talking to Kyouya across his desk, looked up in surprise.
“Renge-chan! Good morning. Do you need something?” he stood up, obviously trying to be polite, and Renge smiled. So what if he was a phony? He was kind enough, and Haruhi certainly loved him. That was enough to clear him in her books, and enough for her to pour everything she had into getting him to be Haruhi’s boyfriend, even if it killed her.
“I sure do,” she said, flouncing over to him with her uniform dress billowing. “This Saturday night class 1-A is having a formal ball. It’s Renaissance themed and we’re going to have it very educational. So of course, if our event is going to be complete, we’ll need a squad of knights! Haruhi will be helping out in other ways, obviously, since he’s in our class, but I was hoping maybe the host club would lend a hand as our valiant knights!”
“We would be honored, Renge,” Tamaki said, bowing low. “And I’m quite flattered that you would ask.”
“That’s not all though,” Renge told him, watching him process the information she was giving him. He loved to be flattered and she knew it, so it was key in getting him to do what she wanted. Renge was not a manipulative girl but she was exceedingly good at manipulating people when she wanted to.
“Oh really? What else is there?” Tamaki asked with an excited smile.
“You aren’t going to be a knight, Tamaki. Five knights will be plenty. I’ve got something else in mind for you.”
“What is it?”
“You will be…” Renge paused, allowing a bit of suspense to flood the room and add to the mystique of everything she was telling him. “… the prince!”
“The prince!”
“Of course! Every kingdom needs a handsome prince and you’re just perfect for the role!”
“I’m quite flattered! I’ll be the best prince I can be, Renge!”
“Oh, I have no doubt that you will! I have the utmost confidence in you, Tamaki!” she told him as she turned to depart before the bell. “Adieu, and don’t forget to make sure your club gets their costumes in order!” she waved over her shoulder. “And bye, Kyouya!”
Renge headed down the hall toward her own classroom, excitement for the unfolding of the plan dancing in her stomach. It was only a matter of time now, and she could barely wait.
“They’ll never see it coming!” she said happily, skipping a bit through the sunny corridors.
_______________________________________________________
Chapter 29
The night of class 1-A’s Renaissance ball was bright. The moon was full and hung low over the school, casting everything in its milky glow. The weather was warm, and the doors in the central salon that led out to the main courtyard were left thrown wide open to let in the bright moonlight. On such a festive occasion, everyone was in good spirits, it seemed. Everyone, that is, but Haruhi.
“Tell me again why I have to wear this?” Haruhi asked with a heavy sigh. Renge, who was overseeing matters, turned to her in her own queen’s garb and smiled.
“Oh, Haruhi-kun, you’re so silly,” she said. “It’s because you look so adorable in it, of course! You have the perfect face for it, even if you’re a boy!”
“But couldn’t Kurokano have worn it or something?” Haruhi asked helplessly. “She’s much more fit for the role than me. Or you, Renge. What about you?”
“I already told you it’s decided!” Renge screeched. “So try to have a good time, okay?”
“It’s kind of hard to even think about enjoying myself when I can hardly breathe in this corset,” Haruhi grumped. “I think I’m going to pass out. I’m serious. Can’t I take that part off?” she was thankful that at least Renge had allowed her to dress herself so her secret was safe, but it was still a rather irritating night, nevertheless.
“Of course not,” Renge told her. “The princess has to wear a corset! It was so fashionable in those times! Plus it shows off your girly figure! Why don’t you just have some mutton and gruel and try to forget about it?”
“If I eat anything, my lungs will rip,” Haruhi explained. “I can’t breathe as it is.”
“Stop complaining,” Renge scolded. “My little princess. Why not compete in one of the games? You’re in charge of teaching people how to play the trivia, so you should probably play yourself, too!”
“I guess you’re right,” Haruhi agreed, trying to take a deep breath and wheezing. She felt rather silly in the flowing pink satin gown she wore. It was decorated with cream colored lace up the bodice and had an ornate matching corset over it, embroidered with tiny pink roses. It didn’t help at all that she was also wearing long hair extensions in ridiculous ringlets or that her very distinctly princess-style hat wouldn’t stay on her head when she moved so Renge had discreetly stapled it to the extensions. Renge had even somehow talked her into ruffled pantaloons and delicate satin slippers that hurt her feet and all in all, she was miserable and felt absolutely absurd.
“I guess I might as well try to have fun,” she muttered to herself, moving toward the game booths. The smell of food was making her mouth water, but she was sure she wouldn’t survive if she tried to eat while stuffed into her corset.
“May I have your attention please?” Renge asked, and Haruhi looked up to see her standing on the raised platform that was being used for lute players later in the evening. “I have an announcement to make. I know you’re all looking forward to the fabulous prizes that will be awarded this evening, so right now we’ll be having a free-for-all written contest in which everyone, even our staff, will participate! The grand prize will be awarded by our very own prince and will come with a free dance with him! So everyone make sure to take the quiz sheets when I pass them out!”
“Haruhi!” she had been immersed by Renge’s speech and she hadn’t noticed Tamaki making his way across the room toward her. He looked very handsome indeed in a cream shirt and a wine-colored vest over his dark trousers, every bit the prince he was playing tonight. “Hello!”
“Hi, senpai,” Haruhi said, managing a smile for him.
“You look beautiful,” he said with a sincere smile, taking her hand and kissing it. She was relieved when she managed not to blush.
“Thanks. I feel ridiculous. I can’t breathe for anything.”
Tamaki laughed a bit. “Maybe because I’ve taken your breath away?”
“You wish,” Haruhi retorted, but she was smiling. For a long moment he looked into her eyes. She was relieved that the other hosts were busy with their knightly duties so they wouldn’t be able to find the time to bother them. Moments like these with her senpai were rare and precious, and she wouldn’t trade them for the world.
“You should try to win the contest, Haruhi,” he said softly, a little too close for comfort, and Haruhi could feel people staring. “I’d love to dance with you again.”
“I’ll do my best,” she assured him with a smile.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”
“Here are the sheets for the contest,” she heard someone mutter to her left, and she saw that it was Kyouya, looking regal in his actual armor as he passed her a stack of papers and a box of pencils. “Take one and pass them on. I’ve been instructed not to give one to Tamaki.”
“Aww,” Tamaki whined. “Why can’t I participate in the contest?”
“I imagine you’d have difficulty presenting a prize and a dance to yourself, Tamaki,” Kyouya explained, and this seemed to be good enough for Tamaki. “You’re the prince.”
Haruhi took her quiz and looked it over. It was a rather odd quiz to say the least.
Question one: What is the rough price of a broken Renaissance vase?
Question two: What brand of instant coffee does tonight’s prince favor?
Question three: What is the name of Morinozuka Takashi’s pet chick?
Question four: What kind of man cannot be hurt by water?
Haruhi could not help finding it odd that the questions had nothing to do with the Renaissance theme. The people around her were muttering, and it was clear that no one else understood the quiz’s relevance, either. She shrugged and filled it out, however, finding that she knew all of the answers. The last one she was a bit unsure about, and ended up just jotting down the answer that came from she and Tamaki’s private joke, though she was sure it couldn’t be right. She passed her paper in feeling rather confident and then engaged in small talk with some of her regular customers. She had nearly put the little quiz from her mind when suddenly Renge’s voice was blaring through the microphone again.
“May I have your attention please?” she called. “The winner of the contest will now be revealed!”
“How is that possible?” someone to Haruhi’s left whispered. “It’s only been five minutes.”
“The winner, and the only person to get all four questions correct is our boy princess, Fujioka Haruhi!” Renge declared, and Haruhi blinked in surprise as a bright light shone on her, nearly blinding her.
“Why is there a spotlight in here?” she asked, shielding her eyes from the light.
“Haruhi, come up here and claim your prize!” Renge shrieked excitedly, her voice a bit more high-pitched then usual. Feeling like she was in some sort of strange dream, Haruhi walked with feet like lead up to the stage. She hadn’t reached it yet when Tamaki stepped down to meet her, smiling.
“Congratulations,” he said warmly, fluffing her hair a bit. He looked over his shoulder. “Renge, I know I’m supposed to give out the prize but… you forgot to tell me what it was.”
“Oh, did I? It must have slipped my mind,” Renge said with a giggle. Behind her, Momoka and Sakurazuka stood looking excited, and Haruhi felt like they were a mob ready to storm her. “The grand prize of this evening is… a passionate kiss from the prince!”
Instantly Haruhi’s eyes widened. Tamaki looked as shocked as she felt. “What?” she asked, backing a bit away from Tamaki. “A kiss? In front of all these people? Are you crazy, Renge?” the squeals from the crowd around her were nearly deafening. She was already lightheaded from the lack of oxygen due to the corset and the situation wasn’t helping.
“What? You aren’t going to claim your prize?” Renge screeched incredulously from the platform, her eyes wide. “Even after you fought so valiantly to obtain it?”
“Renge, if Haruhi’s not comfortable with this, then there is no way I’m going to force a kiss on him,” Tamaki said, giving Haruhi an impossibly tender look that almost made her knees want to weaken. His maturity was surprising, given the fact that he usually loved to play to a crowd, and it was touching. “I respect Haruhi, and I would never want to do something he didn’t want me to do.”
Something about his words made Haruhi step closer to him, feeling impossibly bold with the fuel of his moving words. “One little kiss… might not be so bad.” she said softly, surprised that it was her own mouth the words were coming from. This was perhaps the only opportunity she would ever have to kiss him, and as embarrassing as this whole thing was, she didn’t want to waste it. Tamaki was staring at her with a strange kind of fire in his eyes and his hands lifted to cup her cheeks. His eyes met hers, questioning, and hers trembled in the face of them. She could see herself in his eyes, looking a little pale and a little lost.
“Are you sure this is okay?” he asked softly. Haruhi swallowed hard and then nodded, smiling a bit nervously at him.
“I’m sure,” she replied, feeling the warmth of Tamaki’s hands on her cheeks, of his fingertips pressing her lightly, gently, as he tipped her head up and looked deeper into her eyes. In his eyes she saw swimming colors and emotions she didn’t understand, and then they closed. She could not even hear the deafening squeals around them. In fact, she couldn’t hear anything. Tamaki’s breath was warm on her lips and he simply kept his mouth close to hers for a moment. Eventually she closed her eyes, letting her hands clumsily grip his sleeves. Slowly, delicately, he pressed his lips to hers. His were soft and they were warm. His fingertips stroked her cheeks slightly and for a moment the entire world was a kind of bliss that Haruhi had never known. It was almost frightening. It only lasted for a moment and then he was pulling away, looking a little embarrassed. His cheeks were pink.
“Thank you,” he said softly.
“Sure,” Haruhi squeaked. Her heart was pounding and she felt dizzier than before.
“And now… you still have more of your prize left, don’t you?” Tamaki grinned at her. “May I have this dance, Haruhi?”
“Sure,” she said awkwardly, not wanting to meet his eyes. “It’s part of the deal, I guess.”
“You’re making it sound like you’re not dying to dance with me, Haruhi,” Tamaki teased, pulling her closer and placing one hand on her waist, reaching for her hand with the other. “But of course you are. I know you love dancing with such a handsome partner.”
“Dream on,” Haruhi muttered, and rather than flying into hysterics and sobbing, Tamaki laughed a bit and twirled her. Haruhi inadvertently stepped on his foot.
“It’s so cute how you try to be so tough,” he said quietly, leaning in a bit. “But I know that deep down you have a soft spot for me, and don’t even try to deny it.”
“You can think whatever you want,” Haruhi told him coolly. It was rather difficult trying to keep her head when her entire body still felt like it was spinning from the kiss and it was even harder to breathe in the godforsaken corset when she was moving. They fairly flew across the floor, no longer the center of attention now that other couples were joining the dance. Haruhi found that she was nearly gasping for breath.
“Are you okay?” Tamaki asked her.
“Yeah,” she replied, trying to keep an about face and ignore the pressing matter of her lack of ability to breathe. It became a little difficult to pretend when everything went dark for a moment and she fell against him before regaining her balance. Tamaki froze, and he was obviously alarmed. She felt his hand under her chin, tipping her face up so he could meet her gaze.
“Haruhi, what’s wrong?” he sounded afraid, as though he was bordering on hysterics. Haruhi figured it would be better to simply tell him now and save them both from the scene he was about to make.
“To be honest, I think I’m going to pass out,” she admitted. “I really can’t breathe in this corset. I think I need to lie down.”
“Come with me,” Tamaki said softly, calming down. He let her go and took her hand, leading her toward the doors that led into the hallway. As soon as they were out of the central salon, he lifted her in his arms and started to carry her.
“Hey, you can put me down,” Haruhi protested. “I can walk, really.”
“Shhh,” Tamaki said gently. “Save your energy. It’s alright to let someone else take care of you now and then, you know.”
Haruhi wasn’t entirely sure what to say to that, so she simply lay still in his arms and let him carry her. When they reached music room three and he had closed the door behind them with his foot and carried her over to one of the sofas, he finally put her down on it.
“Thanks,” Haruhi told him gratefully. “And you didn’t…have to do this.”
“I know. I wanted to,” Tamaki smiled and leaned down, pulling at the laces of her corset. It was tied in the front, laced up with ribbon, and Haruhi tried not to be embarrassed as he unlaced the hated article of clothing and then pulled it off of her, setting it carefully aside. “Is that better?”
“Much,” Haruhi told him, taking a deep, wonderful breath. “Thank you, senpai.”
“Of course,” he nodded and simply stood and watched her as she pulled off her hat, taking the hair extensions with it. It felt nice to have this element of the costume removed, and with it and the corset gone she really was able to relax for the first time that night. Tamaki stood still and a bit rigid, and suddenly he looked nervous. He was a little sweaty and a little fidgety, and Haruhi cocked her head in confusion at the way he was trembling as he walked over to the piano bench. He looked like he might be ill, and it was enough to make her concerned for him. She followed him across the room and stood beside him.
“Are you okay?” she asked him, and he nodded and laughed warmly, rubbing a hand affectionately over her hair as he had done so many times in the past. He took a seat on the bench and almost automatically Haruhi sat beside him.
“I’m fine, Haruhi. Thanks for asking,” he said fondly. When he started giving her lessons in music room three, Tamaki had moved the grand piano over beside the windows so there would be a view as they practiced, and now a soft breeze rippled through the trees, changing constantly the dappled pattern of moonlight shadows on the stonework outside. Tamaki began to play slowly, a beautiful, sensuous piece that throbbed out of the piano. Haruhi sat still and in awe, watching and listening and feeling that music as though she had never heard him play before. When he finished, he turned to her and smiled.
“You’ve been practicing outside of our lessons, I hear,” he said, and Haruhi wondered which one of the other hosts had caught her playing.
“I guess you could say that…” she replied.
“So, show me the fruits of that labor, then,” he said, infinitely gentle. He looked deep into her eyes for a moment. “Play for me.”
Haruhi played Moonlight Sonata with a kind of feigned grace that she had learned from watching Tamaki, and she managed to play it all the way through with minimal mistakes. It was the first time she had ever played a full piece successfully, and Tamaki looked at her with warm and shining pride in the dim room. Tamaki hadn’t bothered to turn on the light, and the room was bathed in only gleaming white moonlight. The final notes died away into the silence and Haruhi sat feeling vaguely powerful with her fingers still on the keys.
“Very good,” he fairly whispered, and Haruhi moved a bit closer so she could better catch his soft words. His hand, which had been in his lap, moved to the keys and rested gently on hers. His long fingers closed around her own, warm and rather safe, and Haruhi found herself looking up at him as his eyes caught hers and wouldn’t let them go. “Haruhi…there’s something I’ve been wanting to say to you… for a while.”
“What is it?” she asked him, wondering what he was going to say. Her heart was pounding inexplicably and she found that her throat was dry. Tamaki stared deep into her eyes for a beat. Haruhi had never before experienced the phenomenon of the world standing still, but right now she was certain it was. When he kissed her, things set themselves in motion again so he could pull her closer to him, cupping her face gently with his impossibly tender hands. For a brief moment there was nothing but his lips on hers, warm and soft, and the feeling of his strong shoulders under her hands. This second kiss was different from the first. It was long and uninhibited and made their hearts beat in synch, she swore. She saw stars, grasped heaven, felt the world move. He kissed her with all the passion she had seen him display in the time she knew him and somehow more, until she was breathless and he was drawing back, slightly red, to smile at her. There was absolute silence in the room and their breathing seemed deafening.
“Haruhi… the moment I met you, somehow you changed everything. You’re the only person who has ever given me the courage to stand up to my grandmother, to be the person I want to be, to go where my heart tells me even if it won’t please everybody. Right now, I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life because of you, and there’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be than right here with you. To me, you’re more important than a thousand Suoh legacies and I could never ask for anything more than what I have right now. I… I love you, Haruhi.”
Haruhi choked on nothing, ruining the perfect romance of the moment, and spluttered at him, red in the face, watching him smile in amusement. His eyes were tender and he seemed perfectly content with sitting and watching her fumble for words until she answered him. The nervousness she had detected before was gone. The prince and the princess sat on the bench together in that silence and Haruhi wished she was better with articulating her feelings.
“Senpai…” she said finally when she could speak coherently.
“’Tamaki’ will be fine,” he told her elegantly, taking her hand and kissing it. For a moment she paused to grasp the enormousness of this moment, and the fact that since the moment that vase had shattered at her hands, their time together had been building up to this. “There’s no need to be so formal anymore.”
“Tamaki…” she said, correcting herself, and the simple intimacy of saying his name without honorifics sent her head reeling all over again. “I…” it took her a moment to gain her bearings again and if Haruhi was very inclined to get embarrassed, she would have been then. When she could finally speak with clarity, she smiled at him, treasuring the moment and the fact that his hand had moved up to her face and was caressing her cheek lightly. There was no need to be unsure anymore. “I love you too.”
“Haruhi…” Tamaki said, taking a deep breath. “Will you… be my girlfriend?”
“Yes,” she breathed. He smiled, she smiled, and he kissed her again. At that moment, all the little pieces fell into place and carriage that had weeks before turned into a pumpkin turned into something magical.
_______________________________________________________
Chapter 30
Tamaki knew that it would probably be for the best for he and Haruhi to return to the ball, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave the peaceful silence of music room three at the moment. Haruhi simply sat staring at him with those wide brown eyes he loved so much, and all he could do was stare back and smile.
“Thanks for saying yes,” he said finally into the quiet, and she blushed just a bit.
“Why would I say no?” she asked him, and he beamed confidently and pulled her into his arms, smiling dreamily toward the ceiling. In the bright silence of the room, all he could do was grin. He had been dreaming of being with this girl for far too long, and now that they were finally together, he wondered if maybe he was dreaming. Could this really be happening? It felt real enough; the warm, squirming body in his arms certainly felt real enough. He gave her a tight squeeze, smiling happily.
“I can’t breathe!” Haruhi told him, shoving against his chest a little and squirming more. “Get off of me!”
“You’re so cute,” Tamaki told her, kissing the top of her head.
“You’re squeezing me,” she stated grumpily. “Stop it.”
Tamaki let up on the squeeze, and Haruhi relaxed in his arms a little. “It was a love squeeze,” he told her, pouting just a bit.
“I don’t care,” Haruhi replied.
“You’re so cruel,” Tamaki whined. “Saying things like ‘I don’t care’ to your new boyfriend. Have you no sense of loyalty?”
“If you don’t stop whining,” Haruhi began calmly, pulling back to look him in the eye. “Then I’m going back to the party without you.”
“Haruhiiiii,” Tamaki wailed, letting his head fall onto her shoulder. “You can’t just leave! What about our romantic moment? We just became a couple and now we have to share some romantic time together before we go back to the party!”
“Romantic moment or no, I’ll still leave unless you calm down. You’re being ridiculous,” Haruhi scolded, shoving him off of her shoulder and glaring at him. Something in that stern glare, though it was chilling, was amusing. Haruhi looked so completely serious and grumpy that for a moment he felt like he was staring into the face of an old man. Tamaki bit his lip for a moment, trying to have a bit of self-restraint, but it was too much for him. He burst into giggles, letting go of Haruhi so he could cover his mouth with both hands, trying to shut off his laughter. Haruhi looked offended for a moment, and then irritated.
“I’m… I’m sorry…” Tamaki said between giggles, reaching out to ruffle the hair of a very pouty Haruhi. “You just… you looked so much like my grandfather in France for a moment there and… I’m sorry…”
Haruhi got up from the piano bench, adjusting her dress pointedly. “I’ll see you at the party,” she muttered, sounding more annoyed than offended, and immediately Tamaki felt guilty. As she turned to go, he reached out his hand and caught hold of hers, pulling her gently back to him. He saw the surprise in her eyes as she was pulled back and turned toward him. As suddenly as it had begun, his laughter stopped, and he smiled at Haruhi before standing to be beside her and pulling her against his chest. Before she could protest he tilted her chin up and pressed his lips passionately to hers.
Tamaki may have still been new to kissing, but somehow, when Haruhi was involved, it was effortless. He stroked her hair gently and filled the chaste but fiery kiss with his longing, his love, and his passion. Holding her tenderly in his arms, Tamaki pulled her closer, letting her press comfortably against his chest and almost seem to melt into him. When he pulled back Haruhi looked surprised and he smiled a bit, lifting her hand and kissing it.
“I’m sorry I laughed at you,” he whispered, caressing her hand with his lips once more. He was pulling out all the stops with his host charm and he knew it wouldn’t have much impact on her, but he decided that even if only for one night, despite how awkward it seemed to make her feel, Haruhi deserved to be treated like the princess she was. “I’m just so happy right now that everything makes me laugh. Can you forgive me?”
“I guess,” Haruhi replied, staring at him curiously. Tamaki’s face broke out into a grin and he leaned down to kiss her forehead. He resisted the impulse to tackle her when he noticed the soft pink that crept over her cheeks. Everything about her was far too adorable for him to resist, but for the moment, he restrained himself. He would not tackle her to the floor and make her want to leave the room again. Just for now, he wanted her all to himself.
“Can we dance again?” he asked softly, holding his hand out to her in the darkness.
“Without music?” she asked incredulously, and Tamaki chuckled softly.
“The music is in here,” he said softly, patting his chest. “What do you say?”
“Okay…” Haruhi placed her hand carefully in his, and Tamaki smiled and pulled her closer. In the soft moonlight of music room three, they began to dance. Without music it was harder to stay in synch with each other, harder not to trip on each other’s toes, but Tamaki didn’t mind. Haruhi stepped on his feet again and he just laughed and twirled her in a tiny circle, his heart close to bursting with love and joy. Here in this silence he felt warm and safe, with Haruhi close to him and making his heart race just a bit in his chest. It was at that moment that he truly realized just how much he really loved her, and that it was a feeling that was never going to go away.
“I love you, Haruhi,” he whispered gently, pressing his lips against her hair and feeling the little thrill that shot through him at uttering the words once more.
“I love you too…” Haruhi sounded a little embarrassed, but it just made Tamaki grin and bend his head to kiss her, forgetting all about dancing for the time being.
Outside the double doors of the music room, Momoka stood fidgeting just a bit and wondering whether or not she should peek. Eventually, curiosity won over and she reached for the handle, glancing around to make sure she was alone. Just one quick peek to see how things were going, and then she would go back to the party. As the handle turned under her hand, suddenly a sound behind her made her nearly jump out of her skin. It sounded like footsteps, and a hand fell onto her shoulder.
“Hello, Kurokano-chan,” said the deep, familiar voice, and Momoka turned and stared straight up into the face of the chairman, who was looking very amused.
“Ch--chairman Suoh…” she squeaked, letting go of the door handle. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same question,” he replied, chuckling slightly. “I suppose you could say I came to see how things are going between Haruhi-chan and my son.”
“Me too,” Momoka admitted softly, just a little embarrassed that she had been caught snooping. She laced her fingers together and twisted them awkwardly.
“Then I suppose there would be no harm in us peeking, right?” Yuzuru asked, winking slightly and stepping forward to grab the door handle that Momoka had previously been holding. He turned it downward slowly, so as not to make any noise, and with an agonizing care he inched the door open, bit by bit. When he had opened it just enough for them to look through, he poked his head into the room, and Momoka followed suit. In the moonlight room beyond, Tamaki and Haruhi stood beside the piano, wrapped up in each other’s arms and kissing passionately. Momoka held back a little squeal of excitement and pulled her head out of the room after Yuzuru’s. He closed the door and they stood and looked at each other for a moment before covering their mouths in unison.
“They were kissing,” Momoka squealed softly, feeling a little odd to be speaking this way to her principal.
“I know!” Yuzuru exclaimed, doing an odd, graceless little dance. It was extremely bizarre to see him acting this way, but Momoka could not really focus on much but the fact that Tamaki and Haruhi had been kissing. Her mind could not help going back to how startlingly feminine Haruhi’s body had looked in the dress, however, and she found herself asking the question that had been on the edge of her mind for a while.
“Chairman Suoh?”
“Yes?”
“Why do you call Haruhi ‘chan’?” she asked. Haruhi was feminine for a boy, that much was clear, and it could just be an affectionate way of pointing that out. Somehow, however, Momoka felt there was more to the story.
For a moment, the chairman looked uncomfortable, as though he was making a decision, and then he sighed. “Alright,” he said finally. “I suppose, now that they’re in love, it’s only a matter of time before everyone finds out. But please don’t tell anyone; let them figure everything out on their own. Haruhi-chan is a girl.”
“Oh…” Momoka was somehow not at all surprised, but it was a blow anyway. As she and Yuzuru headed back to the party, leaving the two lovebirds in peace, she smiled to herself in amusement. She had known, somewhere deep inside, for a while. But somehow it didn’t matter. All that mattered to her at the moment was the scene she had witnessed in the music room. It was enough to put a spring in her step.
“Do you want to dance?” Kazukiyo asked her awkwardly back in the ballroom, and she smiled and nodded, letting him lead her out onto the dance floor. As they twirled together in the bright lights of the central salon, Momoka closed her eyes and smiled.
Everything was as it should be.
Rating: G for now, may go up ^^;
Warnings: spoilers for the end of the anime
Progress: 27-30/47
Summary: In need of a performing arts credit for her transcript, Haruhi seeks piano lessons from Tamaki. The result is a bit more bonding than either of them ever expected. How can you focus on school when you're falling in love... and what complications will arise when a member of the Suoh family is willing to give up everything for a commoner?
Getting closer!
Chapter 27
“Listen up, everyone!” Tamaki came barreling into the music room at top speed after the day’s final period. The other hosts, aside from Haruhi who had been walking with him, jumped in their seats at his sudden and loud declaration. “There are some things I need to tell all of you!”
“What is it, Tama-chan?” Hunny asked, taking another large bite of his cake. He and Mori had their attention on him, and the twins and Kyouya, who had been crowded around Kyouya’s laptop arguing over the latest modifications to the host club website, eventually looked up.
“What is this about, senpai?” Haruhi asked him softly, and he turned his head to her and smiled.
“Don’t worry,” he assured her quietly, and then let his volume rise again. “There are some things I’ve been unclear about, and I think I’ve left you all in the dark for far too long. The fact of the matter is that all of you are my family and I love you dearly, so with your permission I’d like to make some announcements!”
“Go for it, tono,” Kaoru said with a smile, and Tamaki nodded, looking around and feeling all of their support.
“Well, as some of you may know, some time ago my grandmother approached me again about an arranged marriage. This time it was to Kurokano-chan, and I was given an ultimatum. The deal was that if I married Kurokano-chan after her eighteenth birthday, then my position as heir to the Suoh family would be assured and I would move into the main mansion, whereas if I refused, I would be ostracized from the family. I think Kaoru and Haruhi were the only ones who knew about it, and I apologize.”
“Oh wow, Tama-chan…” Hunny said, his brown eyes wide. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“I’m not sure,” Tamaki admitted. “I suppose I didn’t really want to think about it while I was having fun with everyone. But there’s more, of course.”
“Go on,” Kyouya said, with a look that told Tamaki quite plainly that he’d known about everything all along, as usual.
“I decided after some long and hard thought that I simply couldn’t go along with it. So I left the family of my own free will and I moved into a hotel. But after my money ran out, I was living in the music room for a while. But Haruhi kindly allowed me to stay with her until I can figure something else out, and I’ve been there since yesterday.” for a moment there was a rather shocked silence, and Tamaki smiled, feeling more at ease than he had in weeks. “And that’s the whole story. I promise never to keep something so huge from my family ever again.”
Before he knew it, the others were surrounding him and he was being enveloped on all sides by hugs from everyone but Kyouya, who stood just a little apart from the others and simply hugged him casually with his eyes and Haruhi, who was too slow to wedge herself into the group before the others pressed on him.
“You shouldn’t have had to do all that on your own, tono,” Hikaru said, far friendlier with him than he would normally have been.
“It’s true, we would have helped you,” Mori agreed.
“All you ever have to do is ask,” Hunny said with a nod. “And we’ll always be here to help you.”
“You don’t ever have to go through something like that alone again, okay?” Kaoru told him, smiling but still looking like he wanted to scold him for keeping his secret until the end.
“But I wasn’t alone,” Tamaki told him. “I had Haruhi,” he sought her out in the small crowd of faces and smiled at her. She returned the smile with warmth and with honesty, and he was surprised when she pressed a little closer to hug him, pressing her cheek against his chest. He blushed just a little with pleasure, feeling like laughing out loud and taking on the whole world. As they drew back, Tamaki stood there beaming happily.
“I’m still a little pissed that you told Haruhi but not us,” Hikaru said, but Tamaki ignored him, turning to the double doors.
“It’s about time for the guests to start arriving,” he said happily. “Once again it is time for the host club to open its doors to the adoring public!”
At the end of the northern hallway, on the top floor of the south wing, the little family laughed together and started preparing for guests.
XXX
Kanako had not been visiting the host club regularly since Tohru’s formal proposal and love confession, but today she sat among Haruhi’s waiting guests as he finished changing and soaked up the atmosphere.
“Is it just me, or does Tamaki seem much happier lately than he’s been for a while?” she asked Momoka, who was engaged deeply in conversation with Sakurazuka.
“Didn’t you know?” Sakurazuka asked. “He was supposed to have an arranged marriage but he decided against it so he could be with Haruhi. I heard they’re living together now!”
“That’s wonderful!” exclaimed Miyako, clapping her hands a bit.
“It is,” Kanako agreed with a smile. “Does that mean those two are finally seeing each other?”
“I wish it did,” Momoka said with a sigh. “Tamaki told me that he’s only staying with Haruhi temporarily until he finds an apartment because he wanted to move out on his own for a while to see what it was like and couldn’t find anywhere right away.”
“I’m really surprised those two aren’t together,” Kanako replied. “How long has he been staying with him?”
“A few weeks,” Momoka replied.
“And they’re still not dating?” Sakurazuka asked, looking a bit distressed. “How is it even possible?”
“Maybe they’re both too shy?” Momoka offered helpfully. “What can we really do?”
All of a sudden the conversation was cut short by the grinding, whirring sound of motors and gears. A large section of the floor opened up in front of the sofa where the girls were sitting and from the mist that billowed forth leaped Renge, dressed to the nines in Renaissance cosplay.
“My dear Kurokano,” Renge said, shaking her head. “It’s completely obvious what we need to do!”
“Oh?” Momoka asked, cocking her head.
“Yes!” Renge replied from the top of her pedestal, raising a fist to the light. “Girls, we’ve stood by quietly long enough, and that much is certain! I believe the time has finally come to… meddle!”
_______________________________________________________
Chapter 28
Renge found that it was easy enough to plan things without Tamaki or Haruhi being any the wiser. With Momoka’s boyfriend being class president and Momoka being on her ‘TamaHaru LoveLove Squad’, she had optimal means to create an event perfect for setting their plans into motion. Renge had always prided herself on being a resourceful girl, and she pulled out all the stops on this venture, getting Momoka to convince Kazukiyo to allow the class officers to talk to the school’s chairman about the event. She even went with them, for added influence.
“We know it’s after the festival and a little short notice, but we were hoping we could hold a little event for class 1-A next week,” Momoka told Suoh Yuzuru as they sat in his lavish office, his desk covered with photos of his son and the host club.
“Oh?” Yuzuru asked, leaning forward a bit and resting his chin on his hands. “What kind of event?”
Renge, though Momoka and Kazukiyo were the class officers and much more allowed to have the floor than she was, had it all figured out. “An educational ball, Suoh-sama!” she said, raising an excited fist. “The theme will be ’Renaissance’, and while the guests will have fun dancing and playing games, they’ll also be learning invaluable information about the era in question! There will be trivia games with fabulous prizes going to the winners, and much more!”
“There will be a full historically accurate menu, too,” Kazukiyo added nervously. “We’ve got Fujioka Haruhi helping us with the research to make sure it’s accurate down to the last detail.”
“We’ve been reading about Renaissance era England in History class,” Momoka said, smiling. “And we thought it would be interesting to do an event based on what we’ve learned… almost like a salute to our teachers for teaching us so well!”
“Well, that all sounds well and good, and the school would be more than happy to provide the central salon as a location for the event. But really, I’m intrigued. I’d like to know… what’s the real story?” Yuzuru asked, a twinkle in his eyes.
“Excuse me, sir?” Kazukiyo asked, blinking. Renge felt a bit bad for him for a moment; she and Momoka had not bothered to divulge to him the true reasons for their plans to have such a fancy event.
“I think you all know what I’m getting at. An educational formal ball certainly sounds like something every school wants to host, and I have no problems with it… but really. I was young once. I know that no teenager goes out of their way to plan something that will be above all else educational unless there’s some kind of ulterior motive. So, I’d really like to know the true reason for all of this, if you don’t mind,” he gave a wry smile. “I’ll say yes to the event on the condition that you be completely honest with me about your true motives.”
Momoka sighed, giving in before the others, and Renge could taste that they had been caught. “To be honest, it’s probably going to sound a little silly…”
“I’m sure it isn’t. Please, feel free to tell me.”
“Sir, as his father, I’m sure you’re aware by now that your son has feelings for Haruhi-kun,” Renge said with a flourish, speaking to the chairman with much more casualness and less formality than any other student would have dared. Renge was not any other student.
“I had suspected it,” Yuzuru said, looking like he wanted to laugh.
“We’re actually holding this ball so that we might have a chance to bring the two of them together!” Renge announced, only hoping that telling the man she was trying to set his son up with another boy wouldn’t put a damper on their plans.
“What?” Kazukiyo asked, looking rather surprised.
“So please sir, for the sake of true love, will you let us throw this party? For the sake of your son’s happiness!”
For a moment, Yuzuru simply sat and stared, his eyes glittering with mischief, and when he spoke, it was with candor. “If this involves finally getting my son to admit to Haruhi-chan how he feels, then I’m all for it. Under one more condition…”
“What is it, sir?” Kazukiyo asked, and Renge leaned forward, wondering desperately what the answer was going to be.
“That I get to attend,” he answered with a grin.
XXX
When Kyouya entered the third music room on Monday afternoon to grab something he had forgotten, Tamaki was pacing the length of the pink tiles like a madman.
“I don’t know how many times I’ve told you not to pace in here,” he said, irritation flaring up. Recently a rather large fee had been charged by the private cleaning staff Kyouya employed for the music room for removing scuff marks, and that aside he had also not had the sort of day where he was interested in putting up with any of Tamaki’s idiosyncrasies. He hoped he could simply get his ledger and walk out unscathed. Tamaki, however, apparently had other plans.
“Kyouya!” he wailed, rushing toward him. Kyouya saw the blonde missile locked onto target and he braced himself for impact, almost wishing he had a fallout shelter. Tamaki collided with him at full force, wailing and thrashing around. “Kyouya thank goodness you’re here!”
“What is it now?” he asked, irritated beyond all reason. Tamaki was hard to deal with on a good day and now, on this particularly exhausting day, it was like dealing with a sore that had been picked.
“I’ve been pondering all day and I have no idea what to do! I want to tell Haruhi how I feel but as her… roommate, do you think it would be inappropriate? Do you think it’s wrong of me to tell her? Do you think I should do it? I’m going insane wanting her to know and I’m not sure if she’d--”
“You moron,” Kyouya said with a fond sigh, pushing his glasses back into place. “Since when do you care if something is inappropriate? We’re all getting tired of you beating around the bush, and I’m sure Haruhi is no exception. Just do it, alright?” Tamaki blinked at him, looking surprised. He wasn’t used to Kyouya speaking to him this way, and it was amusing to watch. He was surprised, given the obvious depth of Tamaki’s feelings and his inherent lack of self-control, that it had taken Tamaki this long to come back to the point of telling Haruhi about his feelings.
“Are you… sure?”
“Yes. Now if you’ll excuse me…” Kyouya picked up his ledger from where he had left it and turned to leave. “… I have some errands to run.”
“But Kyouya…” Tamaki looked worried, and he was biting his perfectly manicured nails, a habit that he rarely indulged in. “What if… what if Haruhi doesn’t… feel the same way about me?” he looked rather meek at that moment. “What if she rejects me? What if… what if she breaks my heart? What if all of this has been for nothing?”
Kyouya sighed. “You big goof,” he said rather inelegantly, rubbing a hand across his own hair. “I can’t believe you can be this thick sometimes. Of course she loves you. Do you really think that someone like Haruhi would put up with you living in her home if she didn’t have some kind of feelings for you? Wake up, Tamaki. Everyone else knows but you.” Kyouya had little experience with helping Tamaki so directly with decisions, but his patience was wearing thin on all levels, and at this moment he deemed it necessary.
He left Tamaki in the lurid pink room, still pacing, and sighed heavily. “Once an idiot, always an idiot,” he muttered under his breath, biting back a wave of fondness for his friend.
XXX
“Tamaki!” Renge shouted as she burst into classroom 2-A on Tuesday morning before class began. The blonde, who had been talking to Kyouya across his desk, looked up in surprise.
“Renge-chan! Good morning. Do you need something?” he stood up, obviously trying to be polite, and Renge smiled. So what if he was a phony? He was kind enough, and Haruhi certainly loved him. That was enough to clear him in her books, and enough for her to pour everything she had into getting him to be Haruhi’s boyfriend, even if it killed her.
“I sure do,” she said, flouncing over to him with her uniform dress billowing. “This Saturday night class 1-A is having a formal ball. It’s Renaissance themed and we’re going to have it very educational. So of course, if our event is going to be complete, we’ll need a squad of knights! Haruhi will be helping out in other ways, obviously, since he’s in our class, but I was hoping maybe the host club would lend a hand as our valiant knights!”
“We would be honored, Renge,” Tamaki said, bowing low. “And I’m quite flattered that you would ask.”
“That’s not all though,” Renge told him, watching him process the information she was giving him. He loved to be flattered and she knew it, so it was key in getting him to do what she wanted. Renge was not a manipulative girl but she was exceedingly good at manipulating people when she wanted to.
“Oh really? What else is there?” Tamaki asked with an excited smile.
“You aren’t going to be a knight, Tamaki. Five knights will be plenty. I’ve got something else in mind for you.”
“What is it?”
“You will be…” Renge paused, allowing a bit of suspense to flood the room and add to the mystique of everything she was telling him. “… the prince!”
“The prince!”
“Of course! Every kingdom needs a handsome prince and you’re just perfect for the role!”
“I’m quite flattered! I’ll be the best prince I can be, Renge!”
“Oh, I have no doubt that you will! I have the utmost confidence in you, Tamaki!” she told him as she turned to depart before the bell. “Adieu, and don’t forget to make sure your club gets their costumes in order!” she waved over her shoulder. “And bye, Kyouya!”
Renge headed down the hall toward her own classroom, excitement for the unfolding of the plan dancing in her stomach. It was only a matter of time now, and she could barely wait.
“They’ll never see it coming!” she said happily, skipping a bit through the sunny corridors.
_______________________________________________________
Chapter 29
The night of class 1-A’s Renaissance ball was bright. The moon was full and hung low over the school, casting everything in its milky glow. The weather was warm, and the doors in the central salon that led out to the main courtyard were left thrown wide open to let in the bright moonlight. On such a festive occasion, everyone was in good spirits, it seemed. Everyone, that is, but Haruhi.
“Tell me again why I have to wear this?” Haruhi asked with a heavy sigh. Renge, who was overseeing matters, turned to her in her own queen’s garb and smiled.
“Oh, Haruhi-kun, you’re so silly,” she said. “It’s because you look so adorable in it, of course! You have the perfect face for it, even if you’re a boy!”
“But couldn’t Kurokano have worn it or something?” Haruhi asked helplessly. “She’s much more fit for the role than me. Or you, Renge. What about you?”
“I already told you it’s decided!” Renge screeched. “So try to have a good time, okay?”
“It’s kind of hard to even think about enjoying myself when I can hardly breathe in this corset,” Haruhi grumped. “I think I’m going to pass out. I’m serious. Can’t I take that part off?” she was thankful that at least Renge had allowed her to dress herself so her secret was safe, but it was still a rather irritating night, nevertheless.
“Of course not,” Renge told her. “The princess has to wear a corset! It was so fashionable in those times! Plus it shows off your girly figure! Why don’t you just have some mutton and gruel and try to forget about it?”
“If I eat anything, my lungs will rip,” Haruhi explained. “I can’t breathe as it is.”
“Stop complaining,” Renge scolded. “My little princess. Why not compete in one of the games? You’re in charge of teaching people how to play the trivia, so you should probably play yourself, too!”
“I guess you’re right,” Haruhi agreed, trying to take a deep breath and wheezing. She felt rather silly in the flowing pink satin gown she wore. It was decorated with cream colored lace up the bodice and had an ornate matching corset over it, embroidered with tiny pink roses. It didn’t help at all that she was also wearing long hair extensions in ridiculous ringlets or that her very distinctly princess-style hat wouldn’t stay on her head when she moved so Renge had discreetly stapled it to the extensions. Renge had even somehow talked her into ruffled pantaloons and delicate satin slippers that hurt her feet and all in all, she was miserable and felt absolutely absurd.
“I guess I might as well try to have fun,” she muttered to herself, moving toward the game booths. The smell of food was making her mouth water, but she was sure she wouldn’t survive if she tried to eat while stuffed into her corset.
“May I have your attention please?” Renge asked, and Haruhi looked up to see her standing on the raised platform that was being used for lute players later in the evening. “I have an announcement to make. I know you’re all looking forward to the fabulous prizes that will be awarded this evening, so right now we’ll be having a free-for-all written contest in which everyone, even our staff, will participate! The grand prize will be awarded by our very own prince and will come with a free dance with him! So everyone make sure to take the quiz sheets when I pass them out!”
“Haruhi!” she had been immersed by Renge’s speech and she hadn’t noticed Tamaki making his way across the room toward her. He looked very handsome indeed in a cream shirt and a wine-colored vest over his dark trousers, every bit the prince he was playing tonight. “Hello!”
“Hi, senpai,” Haruhi said, managing a smile for him.
“You look beautiful,” he said with a sincere smile, taking her hand and kissing it. She was relieved when she managed not to blush.
“Thanks. I feel ridiculous. I can’t breathe for anything.”
Tamaki laughed a bit. “Maybe because I’ve taken your breath away?”
“You wish,” Haruhi retorted, but she was smiling. For a long moment he looked into her eyes. She was relieved that the other hosts were busy with their knightly duties so they wouldn’t be able to find the time to bother them. Moments like these with her senpai were rare and precious, and she wouldn’t trade them for the world.
“You should try to win the contest, Haruhi,” he said softly, a little too close for comfort, and Haruhi could feel people staring. “I’d love to dance with you again.”
“I’ll do my best,” she assured him with a smile.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”
“Here are the sheets for the contest,” she heard someone mutter to her left, and she saw that it was Kyouya, looking regal in his actual armor as he passed her a stack of papers and a box of pencils. “Take one and pass them on. I’ve been instructed not to give one to Tamaki.”
“Aww,” Tamaki whined. “Why can’t I participate in the contest?”
“I imagine you’d have difficulty presenting a prize and a dance to yourself, Tamaki,” Kyouya explained, and this seemed to be good enough for Tamaki. “You’re the prince.”
Haruhi took her quiz and looked it over. It was a rather odd quiz to say the least.
Question one: What is the rough price of a broken Renaissance vase?
Question two: What brand of instant coffee does tonight’s prince favor?
Question three: What is the name of Morinozuka Takashi’s pet chick?
Question four: What kind of man cannot be hurt by water?
Haruhi could not help finding it odd that the questions had nothing to do with the Renaissance theme. The people around her were muttering, and it was clear that no one else understood the quiz’s relevance, either. She shrugged and filled it out, however, finding that she knew all of the answers. The last one she was a bit unsure about, and ended up just jotting down the answer that came from she and Tamaki’s private joke, though she was sure it couldn’t be right. She passed her paper in feeling rather confident and then engaged in small talk with some of her regular customers. She had nearly put the little quiz from her mind when suddenly Renge’s voice was blaring through the microphone again.
“May I have your attention please?” she called. “The winner of the contest will now be revealed!”
“How is that possible?” someone to Haruhi’s left whispered. “It’s only been five minutes.”
“The winner, and the only person to get all four questions correct is our boy princess, Fujioka Haruhi!” Renge declared, and Haruhi blinked in surprise as a bright light shone on her, nearly blinding her.
“Why is there a spotlight in here?” she asked, shielding her eyes from the light.
“Haruhi, come up here and claim your prize!” Renge shrieked excitedly, her voice a bit more high-pitched then usual. Feeling like she was in some sort of strange dream, Haruhi walked with feet like lead up to the stage. She hadn’t reached it yet when Tamaki stepped down to meet her, smiling.
“Congratulations,” he said warmly, fluffing her hair a bit. He looked over his shoulder. “Renge, I know I’m supposed to give out the prize but… you forgot to tell me what it was.”
“Oh, did I? It must have slipped my mind,” Renge said with a giggle. Behind her, Momoka and Sakurazuka stood looking excited, and Haruhi felt like they were a mob ready to storm her. “The grand prize of this evening is… a passionate kiss from the prince!”
Instantly Haruhi’s eyes widened. Tamaki looked as shocked as she felt. “What?” she asked, backing a bit away from Tamaki. “A kiss? In front of all these people? Are you crazy, Renge?” the squeals from the crowd around her were nearly deafening. She was already lightheaded from the lack of oxygen due to the corset and the situation wasn’t helping.
“What? You aren’t going to claim your prize?” Renge screeched incredulously from the platform, her eyes wide. “Even after you fought so valiantly to obtain it?”
“Renge, if Haruhi’s not comfortable with this, then there is no way I’m going to force a kiss on him,” Tamaki said, giving Haruhi an impossibly tender look that almost made her knees want to weaken. His maturity was surprising, given the fact that he usually loved to play to a crowd, and it was touching. “I respect Haruhi, and I would never want to do something he didn’t want me to do.”
Something about his words made Haruhi step closer to him, feeling impossibly bold with the fuel of his moving words. “One little kiss… might not be so bad.” she said softly, surprised that it was her own mouth the words were coming from. This was perhaps the only opportunity she would ever have to kiss him, and as embarrassing as this whole thing was, she didn’t want to waste it. Tamaki was staring at her with a strange kind of fire in his eyes and his hands lifted to cup her cheeks. His eyes met hers, questioning, and hers trembled in the face of them. She could see herself in his eyes, looking a little pale and a little lost.
“Are you sure this is okay?” he asked softly. Haruhi swallowed hard and then nodded, smiling a bit nervously at him.
“I’m sure,” she replied, feeling the warmth of Tamaki’s hands on her cheeks, of his fingertips pressing her lightly, gently, as he tipped her head up and looked deeper into her eyes. In his eyes she saw swimming colors and emotions she didn’t understand, and then they closed. She could not even hear the deafening squeals around them. In fact, she couldn’t hear anything. Tamaki’s breath was warm on her lips and he simply kept his mouth close to hers for a moment. Eventually she closed her eyes, letting her hands clumsily grip his sleeves. Slowly, delicately, he pressed his lips to hers. His were soft and they were warm. His fingertips stroked her cheeks slightly and for a moment the entire world was a kind of bliss that Haruhi had never known. It was almost frightening. It only lasted for a moment and then he was pulling away, looking a little embarrassed. His cheeks were pink.
“Thank you,” he said softly.
“Sure,” Haruhi squeaked. Her heart was pounding and she felt dizzier than before.
“And now… you still have more of your prize left, don’t you?” Tamaki grinned at her. “May I have this dance, Haruhi?”
“Sure,” she said awkwardly, not wanting to meet his eyes. “It’s part of the deal, I guess.”
“You’re making it sound like you’re not dying to dance with me, Haruhi,” Tamaki teased, pulling her closer and placing one hand on her waist, reaching for her hand with the other. “But of course you are. I know you love dancing with such a handsome partner.”
“Dream on,” Haruhi muttered, and rather than flying into hysterics and sobbing, Tamaki laughed a bit and twirled her. Haruhi inadvertently stepped on his foot.
“It’s so cute how you try to be so tough,” he said quietly, leaning in a bit. “But I know that deep down you have a soft spot for me, and don’t even try to deny it.”
“You can think whatever you want,” Haruhi told him coolly. It was rather difficult trying to keep her head when her entire body still felt like it was spinning from the kiss and it was even harder to breathe in the godforsaken corset when she was moving. They fairly flew across the floor, no longer the center of attention now that other couples were joining the dance. Haruhi found that she was nearly gasping for breath.
“Are you okay?” Tamaki asked her.
“Yeah,” she replied, trying to keep an about face and ignore the pressing matter of her lack of ability to breathe. It became a little difficult to pretend when everything went dark for a moment and she fell against him before regaining her balance. Tamaki froze, and he was obviously alarmed. She felt his hand under her chin, tipping her face up so he could meet her gaze.
“Haruhi, what’s wrong?” he sounded afraid, as though he was bordering on hysterics. Haruhi figured it would be better to simply tell him now and save them both from the scene he was about to make.
“To be honest, I think I’m going to pass out,” she admitted. “I really can’t breathe in this corset. I think I need to lie down.”
“Come with me,” Tamaki said softly, calming down. He let her go and took her hand, leading her toward the doors that led into the hallway. As soon as they were out of the central salon, he lifted her in his arms and started to carry her.
“Hey, you can put me down,” Haruhi protested. “I can walk, really.”
“Shhh,” Tamaki said gently. “Save your energy. It’s alright to let someone else take care of you now and then, you know.”
Haruhi wasn’t entirely sure what to say to that, so she simply lay still in his arms and let him carry her. When they reached music room three and he had closed the door behind them with his foot and carried her over to one of the sofas, he finally put her down on it.
“Thanks,” Haruhi told him gratefully. “And you didn’t…have to do this.”
“I know. I wanted to,” Tamaki smiled and leaned down, pulling at the laces of her corset. It was tied in the front, laced up with ribbon, and Haruhi tried not to be embarrassed as he unlaced the hated article of clothing and then pulled it off of her, setting it carefully aside. “Is that better?”
“Much,” Haruhi told him, taking a deep, wonderful breath. “Thank you, senpai.”
“Of course,” he nodded and simply stood and watched her as she pulled off her hat, taking the hair extensions with it. It felt nice to have this element of the costume removed, and with it and the corset gone she really was able to relax for the first time that night. Tamaki stood still and a bit rigid, and suddenly he looked nervous. He was a little sweaty and a little fidgety, and Haruhi cocked her head in confusion at the way he was trembling as he walked over to the piano bench. He looked like he might be ill, and it was enough to make her concerned for him. She followed him across the room and stood beside him.
“Are you okay?” she asked him, and he nodded and laughed warmly, rubbing a hand affectionately over her hair as he had done so many times in the past. He took a seat on the bench and almost automatically Haruhi sat beside him.
“I’m fine, Haruhi. Thanks for asking,” he said fondly. When he started giving her lessons in music room three, Tamaki had moved the grand piano over beside the windows so there would be a view as they practiced, and now a soft breeze rippled through the trees, changing constantly the dappled pattern of moonlight shadows on the stonework outside. Tamaki began to play slowly, a beautiful, sensuous piece that throbbed out of the piano. Haruhi sat still and in awe, watching and listening and feeling that music as though she had never heard him play before. When he finished, he turned to her and smiled.
“You’ve been practicing outside of our lessons, I hear,” he said, and Haruhi wondered which one of the other hosts had caught her playing.
“I guess you could say that…” she replied.
“So, show me the fruits of that labor, then,” he said, infinitely gentle. He looked deep into her eyes for a moment. “Play for me.”
Haruhi played Moonlight Sonata with a kind of feigned grace that she had learned from watching Tamaki, and she managed to play it all the way through with minimal mistakes. It was the first time she had ever played a full piece successfully, and Tamaki looked at her with warm and shining pride in the dim room. Tamaki hadn’t bothered to turn on the light, and the room was bathed in only gleaming white moonlight. The final notes died away into the silence and Haruhi sat feeling vaguely powerful with her fingers still on the keys.
“Very good,” he fairly whispered, and Haruhi moved a bit closer so she could better catch his soft words. His hand, which had been in his lap, moved to the keys and rested gently on hers. His long fingers closed around her own, warm and rather safe, and Haruhi found herself looking up at him as his eyes caught hers and wouldn’t let them go. “Haruhi…there’s something I’ve been wanting to say to you… for a while.”
“What is it?” she asked him, wondering what he was going to say. Her heart was pounding inexplicably and she found that her throat was dry. Tamaki stared deep into her eyes for a beat. Haruhi had never before experienced the phenomenon of the world standing still, but right now she was certain it was. When he kissed her, things set themselves in motion again so he could pull her closer to him, cupping her face gently with his impossibly tender hands. For a brief moment there was nothing but his lips on hers, warm and soft, and the feeling of his strong shoulders under her hands. This second kiss was different from the first. It was long and uninhibited and made their hearts beat in synch, she swore. She saw stars, grasped heaven, felt the world move. He kissed her with all the passion she had seen him display in the time she knew him and somehow more, until she was breathless and he was drawing back, slightly red, to smile at her. There was absolute silence in the room and their breathing seemed deafening.
“Haruhi… the moment I met you, somehow you changed everything. You’re the only person who has ever given me the courage to stand up to my grandmother, to be the person I want to be, to go where my heart tells me even if it won’t please everybody. Right now, I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life because of you, and there’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be than right here with you. To me, you’re more important than a thousand Suoh legacies and I could never ask for anything more than what I have right now. I… I love you, Haruhi.”
Haruhi choked on nothing, ruining the perfect romance of the moment, and spluttered at him, red in the face, watching him smile in amusement. His eyes were tender and he seemed perfectly content with sitting and watching her fumble for words until she answered him. The nervousness she had detected before was gone. The prince and the princess sat on the bench together in that silence and Haruhi wished she was better with articulating her feelings.
“Senpai…” she said finally when she could speak coherently.
“’Tamaki’ will be fine,” he told her elegantly, taking her hand and kissing it. For a moment she paused to grasp the enormousness of this moment, and the fact that since the moment that vase had shattered at her hands, their time together had been building up to this. “There’s no need to be so formal anymore.”
“Tamaki…” she said, correcting herself, and the simple intimacy of saying his name without honorifics sent her head reeling all over again. “I…” it took her a moment to gain her bearings again and if Haruhi was very inclined to get embarrassed, she would have been then. When she could finally speak with clarity, she smiled at him, treasuring the moment and the fact that his hand had moved up to her face and was caressing her cheek lightly. There was no need to be unsure anymore. “I love you too.”
“Haruhi…” Tamaki said, taking a deep breath. “Will you… be my girlfriend?”
“Yes,” she breathed. He smiled, she smiled, and he kissed her again. At that moment, all the little pieces fell into place and carriage that had weeks before turned into a pumpkin turned into something magical.
_______________________________________________________
Chapter 30
Tamaki knew that it would probably be for the best for he and Haruhi to return to the ball, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave the peaceful silence of music room three at the moment. Haruhi simply sat staring at him with those wide brown eyes he loved so much, and all he could do was stare back and smile.
“Thanks for saying yes,” he said finally into the quiet, and she blushed just a bit.
“Why would I say no?” she asked him, and he beamed confidently and pulled her into his arms, smiling dreamily toward the ceiling. In the bright silence of the room, all he could do was grin. He had been dreaming of being with this girl for far too long, and now that they were finally together, he wondered if maybe he was dreaming. Could this really be happening? It felt real enough; the warm, squirming body in his arms certainly felt real enough. He gave her a tight squeeze, smiling happily.
“I can’t breathe!” Haruhi told him, shoving against his chest a little and squirming more. “Get off of me!”
“You’re so cute,” Tamaki told her, kissing the top of her head.
“You’re squeezing me,” she stated grumpily. “Stop it.”
Tamaki let up on the squeeze, and Haruhi relaxed in his arms a little. “It was a love squeeze,” he told her, pouting just a bit.
“I don’t care,” Haruhi replied.
“You’re so cruel,” Tamaki whined. “Saying things like ‘I don’t care’ to your new boyfriend. Have you no sense of loyalty?”
“If you don’t stop whining,” Haruhi began calmly, pulling back to look him in the eye. “Then I’m going back to the party without you.”
“Haruhiiiii,” Tamaki wailed, letting his head fall onto her shoulder. “You can’t just leave! What about our romantic moment? We just became a couple and now we have to share some romantic time together before we go back to the party!”
“Romantic moment or no, I’ll still leave unless you calm down. You’re being ridiculous,” Haruhi scolded, shoving him off of her shoulder and glaring at him. Something in that stern glare, though it was chilling, was amusing. Haruhi looked so completely serious and grumpy that for a moment he felt like he was staring into the face of an old man. Tamaki bit his lip for a moment, trying to have a bit of self-restraint, but it was too much for him. He burst into giggles, letting go of Haruhi so he could cover his mouth with both hands, trying to shut off his laughter. Haruhi looked offended for a moment, and then irritated.
“I’m… I’m sorry…” Tamaki said between giggles, reaching out to ruffle the hair of a very pouty Haruhi. “You just… you looked so much like my grandfather in France for a moment there and… I’m sorry…”
Haruhi got up from the piano bench, adjusting her dress pointedly. “I’ll see you at the party,” she muttered, sounding more annoyed than offended, and immediately Tamaki felt guilty. As she turned to go, he reached out his hand and caught hold of hers, pulling her gently back to him. He saw the surprise in her eyes as she was pulled back and turned toward him. As suddenly as it had begun, his laughter stopped, and he smiled at Haruhi before standing to be beside her and pulling her against his chest. Before she could protest he tilted her chin up and pressed his lips passionately to hers.
Tamaki may have still been new to kissing, but somehow, when Haruhi was involved, it was effortless. He stroked her hair gently and filled the chaste but fiery kiss with his longing, his love, and his passion. Holding her tenderly in his arms, Tamaki pulled her closer, letting her press comfortably against his chest and almost seem to melt into him. When he pulled back Haruhi looked surprised and he smiled a bit, lifting her hand and kissing it.
“I’m sorry I laughed at you,” he whispered, caressing her hand with his lips once more. He was pulling out all the stops with his host charm and he knew it wouldn’t have much impact on her, but he decided that even if only for one night, despite how awkward it seemed to make her feel, Haruhi deserved to be treated like the princess she was. “I’m just so happy right now that everything makes me laugh. Can you forgive me?”
“I guess,” Haruhi replied, staring at him curiously. Tamaki’s face broke out into a grin and he leaned down to kiss her forehead. He resisted the impulse to tackle her when he noticed the soft pink that crept over her cheeks. Everything about her was far too adorable for him to resist, but for the moment, he restrained himself. He would not tackle her to the floor and make her want to leave the room again. Just for now, he wanted her all to himself.
“Can we dance again?” he asked softly, holding his hand out to her in the darkness.
“Without music?” she asked incredulously, and Tamaki chuckled softly.
“The music is in here,” he said softly, patting his chest. “What do you say?”
“Okay…” Haruhi placed her hand carefully in his, and Tamaki smiled and pulled her closer. In the soft moonlight of music room three, they began to dance. Without music it was harder to stay in synch with each other, harder not to trip on each other’s toes, but Tamaki didn’t mind. Haruhi stepped on his feet again and he just laughed and twirled her in a tiny circle, his heart close to bursting with love and joy. Here in this silence he felt warm and safe, with Haruhi close to him and making his heart race just a bit in his chest. It was at that moment that he truly realized just how much he really loved her, and that it was a feeling that was never going to go away.
“I love you, Haruhi,” he whispered gently, pressing his lips against her hair and feeling the little thrill that shot through him at uttering the words once more.
“I love you too…” Haruhi sounded a little embarrassed, but it just made Tamaki grin and bend his head to kiss her, forgetting all about dancing for the time being.
Outside the double doors of the music room, Momoka stood fidgeting just a bit and wondering whether or not she should peek. Eventually, curiosity won over and she reached for the handle, glancing around to make sure she was alone. Just one quick peek to see how things were going, and then she would go back to the party. As the handle turned under her hand, suddenly a sound behind her made her nearly jump out of her skin. It sounded like footsteps, and a hand fell onto her shoulder.
“Hello, Kurokano-chan,” said the deep, familiar voice, and Momoka turned and stared straight up into the face of the chairman, who was looking very amused.
“Ch--chairman Suoh…” she squeaked, letting go of the door handle. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same question,” he replied, chuckling slightly. “I suppose you could say I came to see how things are going between Haruhi-chan and my son.”
“Me too,” Momoka admitted softly, just a little embarrassed that she had been caught snooping. She laced her fingers together and twisted them awkwardly.
“Then I suppose there would be no harm in us peeking, right?” Yuzuru asked, winking slightly and stepping forward to grab the door handle that Momoka had previously been holding. He turned it downward slowly, so as not to make any noise, and with an agonizing care he inched the door open, bit by bit. When he had opened it just enough for them to look through, he poked his head into the room, and Momoka followed suit. In the moonlight room beyond, Tamaki and Haruhi stood beside the piano, wrapped up in each other’s arms and kissing passionately. Momoka held back a little squeal of excitement and pulled her head out of the room after Yuzuru’s. He closed the door and they stood and looked at each other for a moment before covering their mouths in unison.
“They were kissing,” Momoka squealed softly, feeling a little odd to be speaking this way to her principal.
“I know!” Yuzuru exclaimed, doing an odd, graceless little dance. It was extremely bizarre to see him acting this way, but Momoka could not really focus on much but the fact that Tamaki and Haruhi had been kissing. Her mind could not help going back to how startlingly feminine Haruhi’s body had looked in the dress, however, and she found herself asking the question that had been on the edge of her mind for a while.
“Chairman Suoh?”
“Yes?”
“Why do you call Haruhi ‘chan’?” she asked. Haruhi was feminine for a boy, that much was clear, and it could just be an affectionate way of pointing that out. Somehow, however, Momoka felt there was more to the story.
For a moment, the chairman looked uncomfortable, as though he was making a decision, and then he sighed. “Alright,” he said finally. “I suppose, now that they’re in love, it’s only a matter of time before everyone finds out. But please don’t tell anyone; let them figure everything out on their own. Haruhi-chan is a girl.”
“Oh…” Momoka was somehow not at all surprised, but it was a blow anyway. As she and Yuzuru headed back to the party, leaving the two lovebirds in peace, she smiled to herself in amusement. She had known, somewhere deep inside, for a while. But somehow it didn’t matter. All that mattered to her at the moment was the scene she had witnessed in the music room. It was enough to put a spring in her step.
“Do you want to dance?” Kazukiyo asked her awkwardly back in the ballroom, and she smiled and nodded, letting him lead her out onto the dance floor. As they twirled together in the bright lights of the central salon, Momoka closed her eyes and smiled.
Everything was as it should be.