I'm sorry that this is a short chapter but I couldn't bare to write more, sorry, the reason is typed below.

I don't own Ouran.

Haruhi cracked open her eyes, the sensation scratchy and unpleasant with the dried tears irritating. She sighed as she remembered last night, the words she'd hurled, the pain she'd inflicted and suffered, she slumped further into her pillow wishing she could close her eyes and forget about it all. How could she be so heartless? So cruel? And to a man she loved as well, a fragile man hiding behind a wall of steel. No matter what he'd done to her he hadn't deserved the biting words and rejection that she'd directed at him.

Haruhi sighed again Well, time to get up I suppose, time to face the music. Haruhi pushed up with her arms but found she was going nowhere, she was weighed down onto the bed, she tilted her head forward and saw Kyouya's head resting on her stomach whilst he slept. His eyelids were red and irritated from crying, her bedsheets under his face were crispy from the salty tears. Haruhi felt another stab of pity and guilt to her heart, had she really hurt this man that much? And yet he still came to her, to watch her sleep, to seek comfort from her. I'm the worst. How could I do this? She leant up gently, manoeuvring her arm out of the sheets and reached to touch his silky hair as it fell over his face. Kyouya stirred slightly at the touch of her hand and she smoothed his hair as he slept, then, regretfully, she gently shook his shoulder to wake him.

Kyouya groaned as he began to wake, his eyes cracked as he glared at the body attached to the hand that had dared to touch him. His eyes softened as soon as he blearily recognised the face, he smiled sadly and started to lift himself off her bed.

"Kyouya..." Haruhi blurted as she sensed he was going to leave without a word, Kyouya paused from lifting himself up.

"Haruhi?"

Haruhi swallowed nervously. "I'm sorry!" it just blurted out, not dignified, not structured but it was genuine, the guilt in her eyes and voice and she begged him to forgive her. Her huge brown eyes gazed sadly at him, pleading, revealing emotions he thought had been denied. Kyouya's breath caught as he saw the walls stripped away, the heart revealed.

"You don't need to apologise..." Kyouya hesitated and Haruhi's eyes flinched back with hurt, she thought he was denying her? "Just tell me the truth... He continued, staring into her curious eyes. "Do you love me?" God, please say yes, say that your eyes weren't lying, tell me that you want me the way I want you.

Haruhi blinked and her heart stuttered, his eyes were earnest and desperate as he asked the question and for once Haruhi felt the words stick in her throat. To tell the truth or deny the man that loved her so much, the man that had locked her up, the man that had cherished her, the man that had isolated her from her friends... He balanced up as good and bad, he could be cruel and heartless but he could be so loving, so gentle. "I..." Haruhi felt her heart lurch, her stomach twist, did she want him good and bad? Could she trust him to love her? Trust him not to hurt her, abandon her? Or should she just take the risk, enjoy the good times that would come from being with him, hope that the bad times never come? "I love you, yes..." Haruhi muttered looking at her bedsheets, her heart pounding as she waited for Kyouya to process her answer. Because she was looking down she didn't see the small grin on Kyouya's face.

"Good." Kyouya paused and pulled Haruhi's face up "But what do we do now? Do we date? Or do we try to be a married couple?" Haruhi nervously, cautiously reached out a hand and placed her fingers on his palm.

"I think we should try dating..." Haruhi muttered, waiting for his answer with a churning stomach and a waiting breath. Kyouya nodded.

"I agree." And he pulled gently on her hand and kissed her so gently and softly that she felt like crying.

I'm so sorry that this took so long but my boyfriend dumped in May after 2 and a half years and to be completely honest with you it completely broke me, I was in shock, I lost my best friend and emotional support, I pretty much starved myself because of how ill I felt, it didn't help that the break up didn't make sense and felt too odd to be real. In June he decided that he wanted to try again, the problem being that the distance was too much in our relationship, we sorted things out but my feelings have been too tender the last months to write this.

The reason why this invokes my feelings is that I changed my plans for this chapter, originally it was actually pretty darn unbelievable, that just a confession would sort it out, they'd cry and hug and that would be it. Reading my plans in July I laughed and made up my mind, I'd use my own experience with my boyfriend to write this chapter, use the feelings I felt, afterall it was a break of trust for Haruhi and me, the levels of pain involved were extreme. But trying to write it just highlighted my own insecurity in the make up, in the stability of my relationship and it made me feel physically ill. Only now, after reaching 3 years last month and celebrating it in the nicest way possible with him (a night in with a chick-flick, a homemade meal and chocolate with plenty of adoration and love) did I feel confident enough to write this, but still it makes me feel sick to remember those feelings and questions "should I trust him?" "should I take the chance?". All I can say is that it's worth the risk, I can trust him, I have the most loving, attentive boyfriend I could possibly have, I still feel insecure and in pain but I'm healing and I want to go through this with Haruhi, so let me take my time and I will put all my emotions into this story.

So this is for Anthony, the love of my life, even if he is a stupid man that just won't tell me what's wrong when he needs to :P I love you all xx