Hey! I'm co-writing this fanfic with LifelessStar, my best friend in the universe, so if you like it, give her some credit too. This is my first Ouran fanfic ever, and hers too. We're both INCREDIBLY excited to finally be putting it up; we've been working on it for a good year now. We hope you like it as much as we've like writing it (:

We don't own Ouran. Or else Renge proooobably would have fallen off that damn platform by now. Or it would have exploded...

This is going to be a LONG fanfic, by the way. Upwards of 30 chapters, some of them a little more than 4,000 words. Just letting you know what you're in for.

This story has a lot of songs in it. You know how in a movie there's always a song on that fits the situation perfectly? It's kind of like that. Only our songs are better (: or at least I like to think so. Songs are in italics.

We kind of cheated while writing this. We kind of combined aspects of the anime and the manga. It's mostly the anime, with bits and pieces of the manga thrown in here and there.

I think that's all my notes. Enjoy (:

XxXxXxXxXxX(sorry, I lied. one more note. that means my notes are over :)

"Ow," Tamaki mumbled. "Note to self. There's a door there."

Kyoya threw his head back and laughed. "Well, yes, Tamaki," he said. "There generally is a door at the entrance to a room."

"I thought it was open more than that," Tamaki said defensively. The twins joined in Kyoya's laughing.

Still smiling, Kyoya stepped forward to open Tamaki's bedroom door. "Why won't the door open the rest of the way?" Kyoya asked, annoyed, as he tried to shove the door open more than the few inches it already was.

"I got it," Tamaki sighed, frustrated. He moved Kyoya out of the way before throwing his whole weight onto the door. It gave way as the pile of clothes on the other side moved and Tamaki fell to the floor.

"Owww," he groaned, sitting up. Kyoya stepped in, laughing again, followed by Hunny, Mori, and the twins. "It's not funny. That really hurt."

"Are you okay, Tama-chan?" Hunny asked.

"Thank you for your concern, Hunny-senpai," Tamaki said.

"He's fine," Hikaru said. Tamaki shot him a playful glare.

"What happened to your room, Tamaki-senpai?" Kaoru asked. "It looks like something exploded."

"My dresser," Tamaki said. "I couldn't find my uniform shirt this morning."

"It was already out, wasn't it?" Kyoya said.

"...Maybe," Tamaki said. Kyoya smiled. Tamaki rolled his eyes and started gathering the pile of clothes by the door. He threw them on top of his dresser. "I'll fold them later," he mumbled.

"Why not just have the maids do it?" Hikaru asked.

"The maids don't come into Tamaki's room," Kyoya said, sitting in Tamaki's windowsill. "He asked them not to."

"Why?" Hunny asked, sitting on the floor. Mori took the chair at Tamaki's desk.

"They cleaned my room a few times," Tamaki said, throwing the last of his clothes onto the dresser. "When I first moved here. I had all my things where I wanted them, and when I came home from school, the maids had come through and I couldn't find anything. So I asked them not to come in here anymore."

Hikaru laughed. "Do we have a slight case of OCD, Boss?"

"Maybe a little," he said with a smile, taking a seat on the floor at Kyoya's feet.

"Hey, Tamaki, when's your grandmother coming?" Kaoru asked, sitting on the bed, next to Hikaru, who slipped his arms around his brother.

"Ahh, she's coming, don't remind me," Tamaki said.

Kyoya kicked him. "She'll be here in two weeks or so," he said to Kaoru.

"Or so," Hikaru repeated. "Hopefully that means longer."

Tamaki smiled. "My thoughts exactly."

"Where's Haru-chan?" Hunny asked, looking around and noting her absence. "Didn't she say she was coming?"

"She said she'll be here a little later," Hikaru said. "She had to help her dad with something, and then she'll head over here."

Hunny nodded.

"I was thinking about going to get her," Tamaki said. "Just so she won't have to walk. It's hot today."

"I don't think Haruhi would appreciate all of us showing up in front of her house again," Kyoya pointed out, remembering the amount of attention they attracted last time. "But you can go get her. We can stay here."

Tamaki looked up at him, smiling. "You know this house almost as well as I do now," he said. "Maybe better."

"Well, seeing as I remember where the doors are..." Kyoya said.

Tamaki rolled his eyes. "Will you guys be okay here without me for a bit?" he asked the others. There was a general murmur of consent. "Okay," Tamaki said, standing. "I'll be back in a few."

He stopped with his hand on the doorknob, turning to face them again. "My dad might get here before I come back," he said. "He's coming to pick something up. He knows you guys are here though. Kyoya, just tell him I ran out to get Haruhi."

Kyoya nodded and Tamaki headed out the door. He pulled out his cell phone as he headed down the stairs and dialed Haruhi's number. She was now listed on Tamaki's plan rather than the twins'.

She answered on the second ring. "Hey, Tamaki," she said brightly.

"Hey," Tamaki said.

"I'm about done here, I was just about to head out."

"Stay there," he said. "I'll come get you."

He could almost hear Haruhi's smile as she said, "Thank you, Tamaki."

He smiled too, just as audibly, as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "I'll see you soon."

"Should I get the limo ready?" one of the butlers asked.

"No thank you," Tamaki said. The butler nodded as Tamaki headed out to the garage. He hit the button on the garage door opener as he stepped into his car, a birthday present from his father. He plugged his iPod into the car's speakers and hit shuffle, smiling brightly when the first song started.

I was fading last night, lost out in the cold, couldn't see the light. Then she opened up the door. I came in from the dark, fell into her arms just in time. And now I know that I can leave the past behind and let it go. You could tell me tonight that maybe the world would end. That the sun wouldn't rise and it was gonna rain again. Just as long as she's in my arms, it's gonna be a perfect day.

He hit pause and drove in silence, still smiling to himself. Haruhi's apartment was only a five-minute drive away. He pulled up in front of the apartment and cut the engine, getting out and heading to Haruhi's door. He rang the bell and stepped back, his hands in his pockets. Haruhi pulled the door open, smiling brightly up at her boyfriend. Tamaki smiled back, taking her in his arms. He kissed the top of her head as she pulled away.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

She nodded. "Bye, Dad," she called over her shoulder.

"Goodbye, Mr. Fujioka," Tamaki said.

"How many times have I told you, Tamaki?" said Haruhi's father as he walked into the room. "Ranka."

"Right," Tamaki said.

Haruhi walked over to her father and hugged him. "Have fun, Haruhi," he said.

"I will," Haruhi said.

"Tell the others I said hi," Ranka said. "It was nice to see you again, Tamaki."

"You too, Ranka," Tamaki said, smiling.

Tamaki and Haruhi headed out. He opened the car door for her, closing it after she got in. He got in himself and started the car, picking up his iPod and pressing play. Haruhi smiled as she listened.

There's a look in her eyes that makes me feel alright, lights a perfect sky that I couldn't see before, that she helped me to find. Now that I've seen her shine, I know I'll never be alone. Now I know that I have love I can't deny, won't let it go. You could tell me tonight that maybe the world would end. That the sun wouldn't rise and it was gonna rain again. Just as long as she's in my arms, it's gonna be a perfect day. I think I lost you in another life, a part of me that I left behind. Don't want the world without you. And now I know that I have put the past behind. I let it go.

"You did that on purpose," she said.

Tamaki laughed. "Accidentally-on purpose," he admitted. "I didn't originally plan for that song, but it came on and I went with it."

"I like it," she said, smiling wider.

"I thought you might," Tamaki said, pulling away from the apartment. Then, thanks to the tank-top Haruhi had changed into, he noticed the large bruise on her arm. "What happened there?" he asked, concerned.

"Oh," she said. "A couple of those jerks from the basketball club."

"Was Takanaga there?" Tamaki asked, angry.

Haruhi nodded.

Tamaki scowled; hostility had grown between the two clubs lately, reminiscent of that they'd had with the football club a while back, and it was growing irksome. Their leader, Takanaga, was the worst of the bunch. He liked targets that were less likely to fight back, and, Tamaki was happy to say, Takanaga had learned the hard way that Hunny as not part of that group. Takanaga homed in, instead, on two others. Haruhi, as the honor student, was an easy target, as she was frequently alone, and few outside the Host Club and its customers were kind enough to defend a commoner. Kaoru, who had taken a sudden interest in books in the recent few weeks and made frequent trips alone to the library, was becoming another favorite of Takanaga's. Takanaga was noticing that Kaoru was much closer to his former, shier self when Hikaru was not around and avoided confrontation, giving the basketball club no opposition more than a scowl and occasionally a few words.

"So what did you have to help your dad with?" he asked, simply to change the topic.

"Nothing important," Haruhi said nonchalantly. "We were actually done a while ago, we were just talking."

"About...?"

"You mostly," she said. "He wanted to know what we were going to be doing, so I told him. He really does like you."

"I should hope so," Tamaki said. "I'd be in trouble if he didn't."

Haruhi smiled. "I hope you guys didn't do anything fun without me."

"I ran into a door," Tamaki said. "Does that count as fun?"

"Yes," Haruhi said. "Did you really?"

"Important safety note, Haruhi," Tamaki said. "Turn knob, open door, then walk through. Not turn knob, walk through, then open door."

Haruhi laughed. "I wish I'd seen that," she said truthfully.

"I'm clumsy," Tamaki reasoned. "You just might get a replay."

Haruhi laughed. "You're adorable," she said.

"As are you," Tamaki said, smiling.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Okay. How was that? A little slow at first, I know. It picks up, I promise.

Anyway. Reviews? Anyone, anyone? Good ones or bad ones, I have little preference (although the little preference I have is, of course, for good ones if you have them). Just give me your thoughts. I like thoughts.

And if your thoughts are good, I would appreciate if you'd be so kind as to shoot a message to LifelessStar, my partner in crime (:

Songs in this chapter:

Perfect Day by Clay Aiken