Final Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club; the rights go to Bisco Hatori-sama. I do, however, own the plot of this story. This work is purely fictional and does not happen in the real plot of OHSHC, except maybe for a few flashback scenes. Thank you Hatori-sama for creating such wonderful characters for all of us, Ouran die-hard fans.

WARNING: THE FINAL CHAPTER IS SPLIT INTO FIVE PARTS

FINAL, PART V

Chapter 44 – The Beginning of the End

More than a week had already passed by since after the graduation ball event took place and the day for Takashi's special date with Haruhi had finally arrived. Night time rolled in and the stars twinkled brightly against the dark sky; no clouds were in sight and a full moon illuminated the night. Temperatures had dropped for the past week; although still warm enough for people to go out of their homes to do their everyday business.

Haruhi breathed out a puff of air and it was visible in the night. Dressed in a pale cream knee-length, A-line dress, Haruhi fidgeted with her fingers nervously as she was trying very hard to suppress the butterflies that were flying in havoc in the pit of her stomach. She wrapped her beige winter trench coat closer to her body as the cold wind blew by softly and chanced a glance to her side, towards the love of her life and felt the heat on her cheeks began to resurface again.

There was something about Takashi tonight; the look in his eyes held so much determination and resolve yet it was still gentle and loving. He even looked extra handsome, in that simple gray long-sleeved, v-neck sweater.

They arrived at the Morinozuka Household; right after Takashi had picked her up from her apartment earlier. It seems like none of the other Morinozuka's are at home at the moment, maybe they went to an event or something of the like. It made Haruhi curious about tonight but she let it slide off of her mind as she promised herself to just have fun on the date Takashi prepared for them.

Now her curiosity doubled in amount as they took a turn to the side of the house instead of going inside and began walking on a cobbled pathway, strewn with white rose petals. She was slightly deep in thought about what Takashi might have in plan for tonight but she was pulled from her thoughts as Takashi lightly intertwined their fingers together. There was a ghost of a smile on his handsome face when he looked down at her and it made Haruhi blush a lovely pink.

From the corner of her eyes, she caught a twinkle of light and looked up, only to let out a surprised gasp at what was in front of her. Hundreds of lights winked mischievously amidst the crimson winter berries swaying gently in the light breeze. When one stared long enough one would begin to believe they were little fairies leaving trails of fairy dusts as they settled into the winter's jewels, illuminating the pathway with a soft orange glow.

Up ahead, just a few meters away, there stood majestically an ivory mahogany gazebo as the centerpiece of this beautiful setting. Around it more lights settled into its nooks and crannies creating an almost ethereal, fairytale-like glow and roses intertwined themselves around the gazebo's pillars in full bloom, despite the winter season.

Takashi led her up the steps to the gazebo, glancing towards Haruhi with a crooked smile. He led her towards the center of the gazebo where a round table covered with a white linen cloth was placed. He pulled out one of the chairs and told her to sit down. Haruhi did as she was told and began to really observe everything around her.

The scene was so romantic; it felt like the whole scenario fell out from a romantic movie. There were candles placed inside small, round glasses at the center of the table and a few rose petals scattered randomly around the glasses. She also only noticed the framed photos – photos of her and Takashi during hosting activities and hosting photo shoots – placed on top of stacks of hardcover books, draped loosely with a red velvet cloth. Small bouquets of roses were also placed randomly around the photo frames.

There was even soft music playing in the background, like somebody playing the piano, and Haruhi wondered where it came from.

As she was in the midst of figuring where the music came from, Takashi popped open a bottle of white sparkling grape juice and poured the drinks inside two flute glasses. He handed one to Haruhi with a small smile and she took it gratefully.

"Did you prepare all of this?" she started and placed the flute glass down, remembering to use her pinky as a cushion so the glass wouldn't clink.

Takashi nodded, "with a little bit of help from the others."

That caught Haruhi by mild surprise. The other hosts helped as well? The thought itself sends a warm feeling through her body; she feels grateful to the others for finally giving them their blessings to this relationship. They spent the next few minutes after that in a quiet, comfortable conversation.

Just then, a voice interrupted their peaceful atmosphere.

"Good evening," Kyouya announced with a slight bow, "I shall be of your service tonight."

"Kyouya-senpai?" Haruhi blinked confusedly. She looked from Kyouya to Takashi and back again. The latter only smiled knowingly and held one of her hands in his.

"Your starters for tonight will be served momentarily," Kyouya continued, acknowledging Haruhi with only a smile.

"Thank you, Kyouya," Takashi replied with a nod and Kyouya left quietly after that.

"Why is Kyouya-senpai here?" slight bewilderment evident in her eyes.

Takashi just shrugs slightly, "like I said," he kissed the back of her hand softly, "I had a bit of help from the others." He stopped the conversation at that, just as Kyouya arrived with their appetizers.

"Here is your first dish for tonight: Stuffed Mushrooms with Brie, Herbs and Truffle bread crumbs," he placed the appetizers gently in front of Takashi and Haruhi, "please enjoy. I will be back within the hour with your main course dish," he bowed slightly and made to leave.

"Thank you, Kyouya-senpai," Haruhi called after him, with a gentle smile gracing her face. It was more than just a simple thank you for the starter dish. Haruhi knew Kyouya understood what she actually meant.

Kyouya turned around towards Haruhi and the lights from the soft glow of the fairy lights didn't really made his glasses glare, so Haruhi could actually see the genuineness from his eyes.

"The pleasure is all mine, Haruhi," with that he left the two alone to enjoy their appetizers.

…One Hour Later…

About an hour after they enjoy their appetizers while conversing about everything and nothing, one of the other hosts came by bringing their first main course dish instead of Kyouya. Haruhi didn't notice at first because she was engrossed in a conversation with Takashi, but when the host neared, she looked up and let out a surprise gasp.

"Kaoru? You're in this too?" she let out a laugh, clearly amused by all of this so far. "Who else is in this? All of you?"

"That's not my place to tell, Haruhi," Kaoru gave her a mischievous wink, "anyway, here are your first main course dishes for tonight – Smoked Salmon with Citrus Cream Cheese on a Crostini and Polenta Casserole."

"Thank you, Kaoru," Takashi said, grateful of his help for tonight's small event.

"There's no need to thank me, Mori-senpai," Kaoru grinned, "please enjoy the food!" he bowed slightly and turned to leave them to enjoy their dinner.

…A while after the First Main Course…

"Yo!" Hikaru grinned as he appeared with two plates of dishes in his hands. "Time for the second main course dish – this is Risotto with Chicken, Roasted Fennel and Boursin." He placed the two dishes in front of Takashi and Haruhi respectively and refilled their drinks.

"Boursin? What's that? Some sort of cheese?" Haruhi stated with a slight confusion marred on her face.

"You're right, Haruhi. It's cheese, to be exact; it's a soft creamy cheese, originated from France." Hikaru explained with a grin plastered on his face. "Well anyway, please enjoy your dinner!"

He turned to leave them to enjoy their dinner but suddenly paused in his steps and patted Takashi's shoulder twice. Takashi sent a grateful smile towards Hikaru and sensing that someone's eyes were on him, he looked up to see Haruhi looking curiously at the both of them. Hikaru turned towards Haruhi as well and winked at her mischievously.

Haruhi could only wonder what that exchange between those two was all about.

…Sometime later…

"It's Mitsukuni's turn up next right?" Haruhi deduced from her observations as she took a sip from her drink. "Because I have a feeling the piano music I've been hearing is played by Tamaki-senpai."

Takashi only nodded in reply and sent a small smile her way. For some reason, as a certain time was getting nearer, he had a harder time trying to voice out his words. He wondered if it was because of the nerves. Haruhi didn't seem to notice his lack of words though; either that or she didn't think there was anything wrong at all.

"It's finally my turn! Yay~!" Mitsukuni hopped up the steps of the gazebo while carefully carrying two plates of what seemed to be the final dish for the night: desserts. Haruhi could see strawberries.

"I especially made tonight's desserts," Mitsukuni began excitedly, with a hint of pride in his tone, as he placed the desserts in front of his two best friends, "these are Fresh Strawberry Tarts made with hand-rolled, lightly baked sugar dough shells filled with Vanilla Pastry Cream. Since Haru-chan likes strawberries so much, I added extra strawberries on top of the tarts."

"They look really lovely Mitsukuni," Haruhi beamed and took a small bite from the tart, "and it's delicious too!" She ruffled his hair lightly which led him to leave a peck on her cheek from the gesture. He took off from the gazebo and waved good bye at Takashi and Haruhi. She waved back and smiled fondly while looking at Mitsukuni's retreating figure.

It's now or never, Takashi, he mentally reminded as he prepared himself for the highlight of the night. Even if he seemed calm on the outside, do not let your eyes fool you, because Takashi was trying his very best to stay composed and keep his mind focused on the current important matter.

He gently put the flute glass onto the table and took Haruhi's hand and grasped it softly in his.

"Haruhi," he began calmly and she lifted her head up to look into his eyes.

"Takashi? Is something the matter?" she gently rubbed circles on the side of his hand with her thumb, which calmed his nerves down by a lot.

"I have something to say, so… so please listen," he smiled in that gentle manner of his.

"We've been together for… nearly a year now," he paused and took a deep breath to calm his nerves, "but to me, it feels likes we've been together for a very long time. I admit that I have never loved anyone as much as I have come to love you.

"The need to protect you and care for you, since the first day I saw you, became so overwhelming that I didn't know what to do at the very first. I was at a lost because there are so many men out there, some of them who are dear friends to me that want to be with you, to protect you and cherish you, to love you just as much as I do.

"But now, now that you're here, sitting in front of me, it made me choose the right decision to be with you. I have no regrets when I first decided to pursue you.

"Do you remember that first time when I fell asleep in the music club and you stayed behind with me? When I woke up and saw you there so close to me, I immediately noticed things that I have never noticed before; the way your eyelashes lay softly against your cheeks, the way you slightly part your lips when you breathe in your sleep, the way your hair curled against the sofa giving you this pixie-like look and the way you snuggled into my arms and I thought, at that moment, of how perfectly you fitted with me."

He brought her hands to his lips and kissed them softly. This sweet gesture made Haruhi blush warmly and her eyes grew wide in surprise when Takashi took a velvet box out of his pocket. Takashi knelt down on one knee in front of her, opened the box and revealed a beautiful silver ring with a small round diamond stone embedded on top of intricate floral filigree.

"This," he began with a slight tremor in his voice that Haruhi did not miss, "is a promise ring. I promise to always be there for you whenever you need me and that you can come to me anytime you have doubts about everything and nothing. I promise to always protect you. I promise to always care for you and cherish you. I promise to always love you for the rest of my life until my very last breath. Even then, I would still always love you.

"I know that we're both still young, but one day when the right time comes and I'm sure it will, I want to be able to spend the rest of my life with you. Be the husband you'll be proud of, that you can rely on in difficult times and be the father to your children."

She held her tears in as hard as possible because all that has happened from the beginning of their relationship up until now was somewhat overwhelming for her to handle. She wanted to shout out to the world of how much she loves this man and of how she is truly happy to be able to be with him.

"So this ring," he held it between his fingers, then took Haruhi's right hand and gently slid it through her ring finger, "is a promise to all of the things I just stated and all the promises that are to come in our future. Will you be my wife when that time comes, Haruhi?"

By around this time, Haruhi couldn't hold much of her tears anymore as they stream down her pale ivory cheeks. She tried to wipe them away with one hand as Takashi was still holding the other. Once she succeeded, with her eyes red and her face flushed from happiness, she took his face in between her hands gently and kissed him softly, sweetly, lovingly, to the point that she's pouring all the love she's bottled up inside for Takashi into the kiss. He held her firmly by the waist and by the time the kiss ended, they lay their foreheads together and whispered, 'I love you', over and over and over again.

…Somewhere in the distance…

The breeze had picked up, carrying with it the sweet scent of winter berries. Brunette locks were caught in their play, alternately hiding and revealing a pair of emerald eyes glistening with unshed tears. The breeze had carried the confession to him, cruelly taunting him, laughing at him, at his predicament. Noiselessly, he fell to his knees, his breath caught in his throat as the brunette gritted his teeth bitterly against the sobs that wanted him to wail, to scream, to protest against the confession. He wanted to erase the image of Haruhi kissing that man from his mind. He wanted to wipe out the memory of Haruhi's acceptance of that man's proposal. He wanted… no… he needed to destroy the happiness that should've been his. It should've been me. ME.

He clutched the phone he was carrying in his hand to his chest as his head bent forward, feeling sick to his stomach. The anger he felt overwhelmed his reasoning. His eyes were wide opened; his pupils narrowed in disbelief, his lips trembled in a barely concealed rage. A single tear freed itself from the confines of his long lashes and he finally shut his eyes tightly as strangled sobs escaped between his clenched teeth.

"Haru-hime…" he whispered repeatedly, "Why... why him… why him… it should've been me…"

He lifted his right fist in frustration and pummeled the phone into the concrete ground beneath him, not realizing he had drawn copious amount of blood that had now stained the grey stone a crimson red. The pain he felt inside could not – would not – subside. His heart was breaking into a million pieces. Yes, he was in love with her, madly in love – so in love with Haruhi that he would…

He would kill that man with his bare hands…

IT'S FINALLY DONE.

First of all, thank you for sticking together with this story for so long despite the very long hiatus I put you guys through (nearly two years, wow!). I got distracted with a lot of things ^^;; anyway, that's the end of Black and Red Roses. I know I left you guys with a cliffhanger, but that's the joy of it xD

Let's talk about the sequel, everyone. Currently, I'm still revising the plot for the sequel because some parts didn't feel right. So, you might have to wait for quite a bit for the first chapter to be posted. I feel like all I ever do is make you guys wait for long periods of time. I'm really sorry, ne? Let's just say everyone has a busy life out of fanfiction, but I'll definitely work hard to write that first chapter so you guys don't have to wait too long.

I can promise you that I will never leave this story or abandon it. This is my very first fanfiction, it's like my first child. So, don't you worry, I will write until the end.

Anyway, some of you guys were asking if there will be a wedding in the future or if I'll be writing the story until up to that point. Well, you have to find out for yourself! (laughs)

Finally, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this story as much as I had fun writing it! It's been a great journey. Let's hope I'll be making a comeback soon.

Till next time my lovelies~
Much love,
Yuuna Arashi.