Ouran High Band AU: I'm Not Alone!

Note: None of the members or settings in this piece do not belong to me.

Haruhi's eyes blinded as she pushed open the doors to Music Room 3, the afternoon sun pushing its rays through the expansive window. Haruhi had come early for band practice as usual. Ignoring the light switch, she fished her earbuds out of her backpack, dropping the pack near a mic stand. She managed to untangle the earbuds before reaching her guitar case, which leaned against a grand piano, the row of ivory keys reflecting the sunlight; Odd, since the owner of this piano was usually constant in bringing down the fallboard to protect the keyboard.

How very odd, Haruhi thought as she absentmindedly pinged a key on the bare piano. She returned to setting down her guitar case to the floor and flicked the clasps that held the instrument secure. Out of the darkness and into the light! She thought as the front of the case swung back. Inside was a very pink, very electric, guitar. Haruhi lifted the pink guitar and sighed relief at feeling the weight of the instrument in her hands. My instrument shines too! She thought, bringing the guitar up to a sun ray.

A breath escaped her lips as the light reflected off of the glossy pink surface. Haruhi sat down on the piano bench, facing the keys. The earbuds slid smoothly into the Input Jack. Her left hand gripped the neck of the instrument comfortably. Her right hand trembled with anticipation; Haruhi stretched out her arm, then her hand, then her fingers. This calmed Haruhi before she played.

There is always a moment of pure, unadulterated bliss as Haruhi would commence the first cascade of her fingers down the guitar strings. Electricity traveled through her fingers and reached its way up to her temples after each strum. This is why I am here before anyone else: to make music. Music becomes me. I feel whole with the reverberation that comes from my pressure of fingers against the strings of my guitar. Yet... Haruhi tilted her head back and closed her eyes, leaning her back as she mesmerised herself by her own playing. She leaned even further back now, and further. Music Room 3 had disappeared, in its place flashed images from her past. She saw the pink guitar, held by someone else. Then, she was shakily playing the guitar for the first time, her hands being guided by another. White spots danced behind Haruhi's eyelids, and her playing faltered a bit. No. I must go deeper, Haruhi thought as she closed her eyes even tighter and leaned further back on the bench. She attacked the guitar now, dissonant chords forming from desperation. The white spots formed into white lilies in a vase. The pestels of the lilies parted and then... there was an overwhelming rush... as her back collided with the floor.

Haruhi groaned. She squinted her eyes due to the throbbing pain in her head. Looming above, a shadowy figure took up most of her vision. Fluttering her eyes open in panic, she faced Tamaki Suoh. Tamaki smiled down as he crouched above her.

"You play well, you know?" Tamaki commented through his smile.

"And you're great at greeting people. When did you come in and how long have you been listening to me?"

"More like, how long have you not noticed I was in the room as well"

"Ah. And you didn't turn on the lights because..." Haruhi piqued.

"The same as you. Practice comes easier when it's dark," Tamaki answered. "You are always so observant my little Haruhi. I was sure you would have noticed I was here since the curtains of the windows have been drawn back and because the piano is open. What is so different about you today, hmm?"

Haruhi looked at Tamaki's eyes; Reflections of light danced in his eyes, accentuating the baby blueness of his irises. He was searching into Haruhi's own eyes, worried for Haruhi. Tamaki Suoh was quite the flamboyant boy when it came to pleasing his adoring fangirls in band shows or in school halls. Haruhi was sure that every girl attending Ouran High had to be in love with Tamaki, the prince, at least to a certain degree. But in rare moments like these, Tamaki acted with quiet generosity rather than acting out a dramatic performance. These were the moments in which Haruhi considered Tamaki a real prince; In these moments she noticed he spoke more with his eyes rather than his lips. I wonder if he has even had his first kiss yet, Haruhi thought, He gets so much attention from the ladies that he has had to kiss one of those dames at some point. Haruhi's attention was brought back to Tamaki's eyes..