{Fic} And the world is our stage

Title: And the world is our stage
Pairing: AKAME
Summary: Kame needs to take Jin back. Jin wants to stay.

The curtains closed and his heart stopped beating.

For a moment he felt time stood still.

“Kazu?” He whispered at the person standing in front of him.

“Bakanishi.” The other guy nodded his hello. “May I sit down?”

Jin blinked. Then moved to make room for his old friend. “Sure. But what are you doing here in LA?”

“I’m here to take you back.” Kame answered as he sat down on the park bench and crossed his legs, “So? Shall we return home?”

“No one’s called me that in years.”

“Bakanishi? You’ll always be Bakanishi to me.”

Jin’s brow furrowed, stared at the person beside him. There was something different about Kazuya Kamenashi. Oh he looked the same, pale, skinny, beautiful.

Kame was always beautiful.

“You changed.” Jin finally responded, “I mean..You look exactly the same like when I last saw you..Only…relaxed?”

“Well. I don’t have much to do now.” His friend replied, smiling his real smile. The Kazuya smile Jin rarely saw, even before. “You look well.” He added, eyeing Jin’s designer jeans and jacket. “You always were suited for fame.”

“You were the one who left.” Jin accused.

Kame nodded. “I was the one who left.”

They sat side by side. Jin watched his surroundings, in front of him; he can see parents play with their children in the grassy open space in the middle of the park. He can feel the wind whoosh as the spring air blew past him and Kame; he can smell the taste of hotdogs being served to the customers waiting in line.

He felt right at home.

Jin wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans.

He can feel everything but the beating of his own heart.

“A-aaah.” He groaned. “I’m nervous for some reason.” He faced Kamenashi. “You’re making me nervous for a reason!”

He stared as one perfectly plucked eyebrow rose in question. “I make you nervous?”

Jin shrugged.

“Is there something you should be nervous about?”

“I don’t know. You see, you left us 3 years ago. I haven’t seen you in three years. And now, suddenly, from out of nowhere you appear and decide that you want to take me home.” Jin stood up and started pacing, Kame silently looked on. “Why the sudden interest? Did the agency call you and begged you to come get me? Why now? You didn’t care before. You don’t even talk to me unless you have to. You don’t return my calls. You don’t accept my peace offerings and one day you were just…Gone. We never expected it. I didn’t even know what happened to you, you just simply disappeared and the rest of us disbanded. That’s that. End of KATTUN. Kamenashi is a bastard who didn’t give a shit. And now you want to take me back home?” He kicked his friends’ left boot. “I demand to know why!”

Kame smirked. “You haven’t changed at all. You’re still a child at 28.”

“Am not!” Jin stuck out his tongue, and then collapsed on his knees on the pavement. “Ow!”

“Are you alright?” Kame immediately wrapped an arm around him and helped him up.

He rubbed his chest as he tried to stand. Painful, so very painful. It was as if someone stuck a thousand needles in his naked heart and started stabbing it one after the other. He fisted Kame’s white shirt. “Ow. It hurts. Everything hurts. I hate you Kazuya. Whenever I’m with you I get this pain in my heart and it gets worse every time I see you. It gets worse and worse until I can’t feel anymore. You hurt me just by being here.” Jin took a deep breath and wiped the tears falling from his eyes. “You hurt me just by being here.” He whispered again, burying his face in Kamenashi’s neck. He relaxed as he felt his friends’ hand rubbing circles in his back. Strangely enough, he suddenly felt better the moment Kame touched him.

“Hush.” Kame brushed his bangs away from his face. “You’ll be fine. And that’s a really insulting thing to say to someone you haven’t seen in three years.”

Jin closed his eyes. It was hurting again, this time worse, and a lot stronger. He was already shaking from the pain. His heart felt bruised, like someone threw it in the middle of the street and everyone just started stepping on it. He took deep breaths, his hands unintentionally wrapping themselves around his friend’s body. He had to keep himself from biting Kame’s neck in pain. “I think I’m experiencing withdrawal symptoms of some sort.” He moaned in pain at the constant piercing. “Maybe I need to get away from you.”

“What you need to do is go home back to your life.” Kazuya answered and pushed Jin away so that he can place a warm hand on his heart. The pain immediately ceased. “Escaping here won’t make a difference. Everyone’s looking for you, you know. They want you back. You have duties to fulfill, fan girls to please, friends and families to go back to. They’re all waiting for you to return, Bakanishi. You can’t stay and hide here forever.” Kame clasped their hands together and pulled him close. “We are not the same people we were three years ago. I have my own life now and while it’s not ideal, I am happier than I have ever been in my life. You have your solo career to return to, you can’t just leave the people counting on you the way I did. I was stupid Jin. I regret that. I regret a lot of things. But past is past and even if I want to change the stupid decisions I’ve made, it’s too late now. I waited too long and even if I could, I don’t have the right to face the rest anymore.”

Jin bit his lip. “Return with me? Maybe Johnny will allow us to re-establish KATTUN once you’re back. Maybe we can be AKAME again. May— Why are you laughing?” He pouted, “I’m serious!”

Kame started walking, still holding Jin’s hand with his own. People ignored them as they strolled the pavement, a few joggers were doing their usual pace and a couple of teenagers were feeding the pigeons scattered around the park.

Jin thinks that maybe he can get used to this kind of life.

“What are you thinking?” Kame asked him, slowing his pace and matching Jin’s stride.

“That I could live here with you. We can be happy.”

The other guy shook his head no.

His eyes widen in realization. “Oh my God. You married? Did you marry? You impregnated someone and had a family? Is that why you left?!”

“No.”

“….You…Are you sick with some incurable disease?”

“No.”

“Are you living with someone? Like,…Are you gay?”

“No to the first and I don’t know to the second.”

A cough. “How can you not know?”

A smirk. “We never tried.”

“KAZU!”

“I missed that scandalous shriek.” Kame smiled at Jin, “I missed you.”

Jin looked down as he walked, licked his suddenly dry lips. “I missed you too.” He mumbled. “I mean, you know…everyone misses you.”

“I miss them too.”

“So how come we never tried?” Jin asked quietly, dreading the answer. He clutched Kame’s hand tighter, he was going to force an answer out of him, and this might be his only chance. “You knew, I know you knew.”

“I knew.”

He poked Kamenashi’s cheek. “Stop doing that!”

“Sorry.” Kame took a deep breath and let it out, “I got used to repeating what anyone says because everyone here usually understand even without explanations. I forgot that you’re the Bakanishi.” He poked Jin’s cheek back. “It was my fault I guess, I was scared, young, you were old enough and maybe you already know yourself at that time.” He faced his old friend, “I was confused and it didn’t help that the company was forcing us to do the whole fan service thing. When you returned from here, I couldn’t bear to be around you so much, everyday, every hour, every minute. You were everything I wasn’t, you reminded me of the kind of person I wanted to be. I was jealous. Jealous of your popularity, of your talent, of your charisma, Sheesh Jin, you only need to smile and people immediately love you.” He shrugged, rubbed his neck with his free hand. “I work hard. I’ve been working hard since I entered Jimusho and I haven’t stopped working until the very day I left. Yet you, everything comes easy to you. You can sing well, dance well, compose well, and you have the face, the market value, you didn’t need to work for it like the rest of us. You were a natural at everything, and to top it off, you aren’t as dumb as the others make you out to be. You have street smarts and you use it to your advantage, you play the whole dumb blond game yet you probably have more common sense than the rest of K-TTUN combined.” Kame laughed, not a derisive laugh, laugh, but a sheepish, sort of embarrassed laugh. “Mah, we shouldn’t be talking about this anymore. It’s not relevant to the current situation.”

“Yes it is.” Jin murmured softly, touching Kame’s hand to his cheek. “I’ve always wondered why you hate me.”

“I never hated you. If anything, it was the complete opposite.” Kame answered, slowly stroking the soft pale skin with the back of his hand. “I was just…Smarting?”

Jin eyed the soft, pink lips in front of him, “Why don’t we try now?”

“It’s not that easy you know.”

“You love me, and I’ve always made it clear that I love you. You’re free, I’m free, and we are here, just the two of us. Alone. Together. So why can’t we try now? When we still can? Isn’t this a second chance? Aren’t we supposed to take advantage of second chances?”

Kame released Jin’s hand and faced him until they’re eye to eye. “Did it ever occur to you that we are not meant to be in this lifetime?”

“We are meant to be, even our former fan girls agree.”

“You know, I do believe we are. Just not today and not here.”

“Why? Do you have somewhere else to be?” Jin questioned incredulously.

Kame winked. “I need to get you home before everyone else decides that it’s no use waiting for you.”

“But I want to stay here with you!”

“You can’t stay here Jin. You don’t belong here. I don’t belong here. We both have somewhere else we need to be.”

Jin stared at him, “What are you talking about?! This is LA! I’ve lived here! I can stay here! Jimusho will just have to find another talent to build! I’m not that hard to replace you know!”

“And Yamapi? Yuu? Toma? Reio? Your parents? What about them? Are you going to leave them behind?”

“I can visit them anytime!”

“If it were that easy I would have visited you a long, long time ago.” Kame looked at him seriously, “Do you know why I’m here? Because you’re here, because everyone knows that you’re looking for me and that you want me to be here. Do you know why I willingly went here? Because I want you to go back home, I don’t want you to follow me Bakanishi, we can’t be together, I live a different life now and I can’t be selfish. Taking you with me means leaving a lot of people behind. I don’t want you to sacrifice anything because you have a choice.” Kame closed his eyes, whispered, “A choice I never had.”

Jin memorized his friends’ face. That angular jaw which can open into a wide smile, those ridiculously perfectly shaped eyebrows, that moist pink kissable lips, those big soft brown eyes. He will always remember Kazuya’s face. He might forget a lot of things from time to time but Kame’s face is something that will forever be imprinted in his memory.

“I love you. I never had a chance to personally tell you that.” Jin bit his lower lip, trying to prevent the tears slowly trailing down his cheeks. “I will always love you.”

Kazuya raised Jin’s chin, “I know Bakanishi.” He whispered softly against his best friend’s cheek, “I love you too. When you need me, find me here.” He tapped Jin’s heart.

Then kissed him.

A warm, fluffy, addicting kiss, making Jin dizzy.

He can hear his heart beat again.

---

The air felt stale.

His moaned, “My throat hurts.” He tried to speak.

Someone gasped.

There was a moment of silence before he felt everything happen all at once.

“Kazu.”

---

He opened his eyes to two faces he recognized, “Uh.”

“Someone give him water.” His mother raised his bed and slowly placed a glass of water under his lip.

He took a sip.

“Are you alright?” His father asked, looking relieved.

Jin nodded.

“You scared us for a moment there.” His mother said, Jin noticed that her eyes were red.

“Reio?” his voice was scratchy.

“Asleep.” His father answered, “He’s been crying the whole afternoon.”

“Yamapi?”

“Outside. Do you want to talk to him? He and the rest have been here since 4AM.”

He nodded. “I need to ask something from him.”

His mother fluffed his pillows and soothed his hair, “We’ll just be outside okay honey?”

“Thanks.” He whispered as his parents opened the door to leave the room. He watched Yamapi enter and sat beside his bed. His best friend looked nervous, confused.

“You scared us.”

“I’m sorry.” Jin looked at him. “What happened?”

Yamapi’s brow furrowed, “Don’t you remember? You were speeding and hit a van at around 4 in the morning.” He looked at Jin, “They say you were trying to kill yourself.”

“Was I?” He asked, “Was I trying to kill myself?”

“Why don’t you tell me?”

“I’m tired. I don’t want this life anymore.”

Yamapi gripped his hand. “So you thought you can solve that by ending your life?! Did you even think about us?! Jin you were dead!”

“Calm down. I wasn’t trying to commit suicide. It was an accident. I’m here! I’m alive!”

“No. You were dead. You were pronounced dead when I arrived here in the hospital.” Yamapi stood up and looked at his friend and colleague, “You were already dead when they tried to use CPR on you.”

Jin’s mouth opened his shock. Electric. It was electric, not needles. He swallowed, “I was…dead?”

“We were already mourning you, they covered your body with white sheet and we were all crying, then you suddenly moaned and called out Kame’s name.” He slapped Jin’s arm. “What the fuck Bakanishi?! You scared us shitless! Your mother was in shock for hours! Reio literally had a break down and your dad thought he was going crazy! Heck, I though I was going crazy! No one knew what to do, thank God a nurse was there and had the presence of mind to call a doctor.”

“I see.” He said, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Pi shook his head at him, “You can be so …”

“Why did you stop calling me Bakanishi?”

Yamapi blinked, “Did you hit your head that bad?”

“You haven’t called me Bakanishi in 3 years, why now?”

“You stopped being an idiot for 3 years, until now.”

They stared at each other.

“How’s Kame?” Pi walked toward the door and twisted the knob open. “Well?”

Jin stared out the glass window of his room and studied the city lights. It was already dark out and the tall buildings surrounding the hospital are slowly starting to glow with brightness. It looked calm to Jin, peaceful.

He can feel his heart beat faster.

“Happy.”

“Then you should be happy too.” Yamapi told him before killing the lights and shutting the door.

Jin smiled and closed his eyes.

Tomorrow, the curtains will rise again. He won’t be Bakanishi anymore. He’ll be Akanishi Jin, the number one Johnny’s idol in Japan. He will be made to face the media and apologize to his fans for causing them alarm over the accident. He will smile, say “I’m fine and on the road to recovery.” He’ll pose for the cameras and give his fans what they always wanted, a shy smile, a naughty wink, a flying kiss.

And he’ll keep on doing those same things over and over and over again every chance he gets and every lifetime he has. He’ll continue to do it until he meets Kazuya again, and when that day comes, they will live the greatest love story ever told and the world will be their stage.

YAMAKI FANFICTION: Episode 2

They stared at each other while her parents look on. 

He smirked at her. "Well, hello again. So when do you want to get married?" 

"How unromantic." Maki raised her perfectly shaped eyebrows. "I heartily decline."

Her mother let out a  little laugh, "Now, now, Maki-chan, really, we talked about this. How about next month? It's christmas and --"

"I said, I decline." She stood up and made an action to leave. His smooth voice stopped her. 

"Whether you accept or decline does not matter, your parents have accepted my proposition and frankly, I own you now." His smile mocked her. "Unless of course, you want you and your parents to be out of business and living in the streets within the next 24 hours?" 

She blinked at him. "What?" her head turned to face her father, "What?" 

Horikita Saotome met her daughter's eyes. "Yamashita-san now owns the company. Your mother---That is...We..we borrowed money from him to save the company from bankruptcy but we weren't able to pay it."

"I don't understand! What has this have to do with me?! I don't need the company! I can live on my own! And surely you have enough money to last you a lifetime?!" She asked her mother. Aghast. 

Her groom to be laughed, "No. They don't. Why do you think they pawned you to me?" He winked at her, his face laughing, but his eyes, colder than snow. He stood up from his chair and tilted her chin up to face him.  "Your family is poor now. Your dad won't stop gambling and your mother cares more about what society thinks more than she cares about you. So suck it up and choose a wedding date princess. We are getting married."

"Yamashita-san!" Maki's mother voiced out, "That is not true, I care about my daugh--"

"Stop." Her father interrupted and faced the young tycoon. "We'll leave you two to talk." He bowed and dragged his wife outside, closing the door behind him. 

She pushed his hands away from her face and sat down on the sofa, "I won't marry you. You asshole, i'd sooner fuck your lover." 

Maki saw his eyebrow raise, "Interesting...I have a lover? Pray tell, inform me about her, i'd love to know my taste in women."

"In men, you mean." 

"Men?" 

She was not prepared for the next scene. The so-called young tycoon opened his mouth and let out a booming laugh. His eyes crinkled at the corners and his face looked younger, healthier....

He looked beautiful, Maki couldn't tear her eyes away from his face. He had the reddest lips she had ever seen in a man. 

"My relationship with Toma is of no concern of yours but since you're going to be my wife. Expect to see him in the odd moments of the day."

"Are you deaf?! I said I won't marry you!" She shouted at him, "I will not! I won't! I don't care if we go bankrupt, I can fend for myself! No once can force me to marry you!"

Yamashita sighed mockingly, "So young and so selfish. Did you once even think about your parents? Your mother will lose all her friends, your father, his business partners. Where will they go? What will they do? Both of them are used to the rich, easy life. What will happen to you? Barely out of college and nowhere to go? Sooner of later you're going to end up using your body to support yourself. Would you really want that?" 

"I can work! People will hire me! I'm sure my parents have benefits and can live on their own."

He tskd' and gathered his coat. "Stop being silly dear, I think you're misunderstanding the situation. Your parents owe me money, they can't pay and even when they used the company as collateral, it isn't worth much." 

Maki eyed him warily as he leaned down and whispered, "That's why your mother sold you. She accepted money for it. A large amount, if I may add. If you as much as run out on our wedding, I will hunt your family down and you can be sure all of you will suffer the consequences of my wrath."

She stared shocked at the cold, unfamiliar face looming before her. 

He moved forward and pressed a surprisingly warm kiss on her frozen lips. 

"Sleep tight Maki-chan."

Was the last thing she remember him say. 

A treasure's gift

Fiction: Ouran High School Hosts Club

Pairings: TamakiXHaruhiXKyouya

Rating: G

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran.

A/N: I’m a little shocked. I was scanning through my things when I chanced upon this old floppy disk, I used my mother’s computer to look at it and I found this! It seems that this is the first Haruhi/Kyouya pairing I’ve ever written. (August 06) I can’t even remember writing it! (Not to mention that this is also probably the LONGEST I’ve ever written! It’s OOC, corny and cheesy but I’ll post it anyway.) How weird is that?

Treasure and Gift

Kyouya Ohtori watched his wife’s sleeping figure and had to smile. Haruhi is even more beautiful asleep. He placed his hand on the bump on her tummy and caressed it as if it was the most beautiful thing he had ever felt. He remembered what it was like all those years ago, hating the feeling of love, trying to hide it from the person who matters to him the most. He had expected the worse, but was shocked at the turn of events. If there was one thing that Kyouya was thankful for in his life, it was meeting Tamaki Suoh.

He had never met anyone quite like him; the first thought that crossed his mind upon setting eyes on Tamaki Suoh was that he was a complete idiot. A lucky bastard who was going to inherit the Suoh Empire just because he had the audacity to be the illegitimate son of Yuzuru Suoh, the Chairman of Ouran Gakuen.

Kyouya learned early on that his first impression was correct. The blonde was indeed an idiot. Although he wasn’t prepared to be impressed with the guy, he was actually amazed that for someone so idiotic, Tamaki, was probably one of the most intelligent and perceptive person he had ever met.

He remembered the time Tamaki said that Kyouya gives up easily. He resented that, but upon learning of the Host Club King’s situation, he realized that at least he had a choice. He can go after what he wanted and actually succeed without feeling like kid trying to get his grandmother to like him. He hated that woman since then, she might be beautiful, regal, rich. But her heart will always be made of stone. And Kyouya believed that a woman like that does not deserve a grandson like Tamaki.

It seemed that their friendship was destined to grow. The shadow king cannot fully understand how it happened. All throughout his middle school years, he was used to being left alone, sure, he was always invited to the grandest parties, the most expensive vacations, and the newest gimmick places. But it was only because he was an Ohtori, not because they consider him a friend. He always made sure that he distanced himself from his classmates. While he does not mind being an Ohtori, he hated being used. He had many acquaintances, too many, in fact, to even mention. It was what business is all about, connections. But he never had friends. None, until he came along.

They never really talked about being best friends. It was almost like a silent understanding. Sure, Tamaki had announced that they were best friends when Kyouya offered to escort him to Kyoto. But somehow, both knew that they became friends when Kyouya had allowed Tamaki to see another side of him. The carefree Kyouya, the one who can afford to let out a big booming laugh. By the time they tried the Kotatsu in his room. They were already more than friends.

I guess it could be said that they shared more than normal people. While many are not aware of it, they rely on each other more than what was actually shown. Although everyone says that Tamaki relies on Kyouya too much. They were wrong. Koura Ohtori, would be nothing without Tamaki Suoh.

The brunet smiled as he remembered the first time he allowed the Host Club King to look through his black notebooks. Those notebooks contained all his data gatherings, his day-to-day experiences, his observations, his goals and just about every secret hopes and dreams he could possibly write. He and Tamaki were doing their homework at Kyouya’s room when:

“Kyouya?”

“Hai.” He replied, erasing a wrong answer.

“What do you write in those things?” Tamaki asked, indicating the black notebooks in the corner of his room.

“Everything.”

“May I read them?”

Kyouya raised his head and looked at the blonde. Tamaki stared at him silently, waiting for his answer.

“Sure.” He remembered saying.

Tamaki stood up, gathered five notebooks and started reading. The brunette worried that he made the wrong decision, instantly berating himself on what possessed him to allow the guy to read his inner most secrets. “I should have said no!” he had thought, “he’s probably laughing at me now.” Kyouya remembered waiting in agony for any reaction from Tamaki. He watched the blonde from the corner of his eye while distractedly answering the rest of his homework. When Tamaki put down his notebook, he looked up and waited for any sign of humor in the King’s face. He was treated to a serious look, which made him more nervous.

“Kyouya?”

“Hai.”

“I don’t believe that this is all of you.” Tamaki said referring to his latest entry, about his goals.

“I see.” Kyouya replied coldly, a little hurt.

“You undermine yourself, you are more than this.”

Kyouya had to smile at his friends’ loyalty, only the Host Club King can say something like that and make him feel as if every goal he has, he can fulfill.

For some reason, ever since then, he allowed Tamaki to go through his things, he welcomed comments and never really bothered to worry that the blonde might blab to the rest of the world about his personal life. If there’s one thing he really admired about the King, it was the fact that he respected other people’s secrets.

Tamaki is also the only person who knew the password to his pineapple laptop, the blonde didn’t exactly ask for it. When Tamaki borrowed his computer during class to do last minute check up of his homework, he gave it without a second thought. He already knew that whatever the King will find there, he won’t judge him based on that.

In the same way, Kyouya was also the only person Tamaki shared himself to. While the blonde may look like the most open person in the world, he is in fact, the one who keeps the most secrets. Granted, some of them are open secrets. But it does not change the fact that keeping secrets like those must hurt a person to the point of loneliness.

Kyouya remembered the first time he was in Tamaki’s room. It was very different from the brunet’s own quarters. While Kyouya’s room was as cold as a mausoleum, Tamaki’s was as warm as sunshine. The King even had a collection of robots, at the corner of is bedroom. Indicating that he really was a child at heart. He noticed that at the side table was a picture of Tamaki and the most beautiful woman Kyouya had ever seen. He took hold of it to see it fully.

“That’s my mother.” Tamaki had said; smiling fondly at the picture Kyouya was now holding.

“Where is she?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never heard from her again when I left France. My grandmother won’t accept her because she’s my dad’s mistress.” “Same way she won’t accept me.” Tamaki had replied with a sad smile.

Kyouya was shocked at what he heard, what kind of person would deprive a child of his mother just because she was a mistress?

“Sou ka, she’s very beautiful.” Kyouya praised.

“Isn’t she? We had so much fun times together, I’m only sorry because I’m not with her anymore. She taught me how to play the piano.” The blonde replied still smiling but unable to hide the hurt in his eyes.

“I’m sure you’ll see each other again. They can’t keep you apart forever.” Returning the picture frame back to the blonde.

Tamaki caressed his mother’s picture then held it in front of Kyouya,

“Okaasan, this is my close friend, Kyouya, he’s going to be the heir of the Ohtori empire I talked to you about!” The King announced, introducing the brunet to the picture.

“Pleased to meet you.” Kyouya replied inclining his head at the person inside the frame, smiling at the blonde.

“See, she’s pleased to meet you too!” Tamaki said excitedly before placing the picture back at the table then faced him again.

“Kyouya?”

“Hai?”

“My mother would have really loved to meet you. She never met any friends of mine since I never really had any.”

“I would have loved to meet her too.”

It was during a vacation they took before high school when Kyouya acknowledged that indeed, Tamaki had become his best friend. Kyouya’s family bought a new resort and his father had asked him to get a feel of how it could become a world-class vacation get away. He had invited Tamaki, who was more than willing to come. They had to share a bed since the suite was the only room not being renovated. Kyouya woke up to the sounds of his bedmate’s whimpering, Tamaki was thrashing around and muttering “Okaasan, don’t leave me” over and over again. He shook the boy’s shoulder trying to wake him up from his nightmare.

“Oi, Tamaki! Shh. It’s only a dream.”

“Okaasan?”

“Tamaki! It’s me! Wake up!

“Kyouya?” the blonde opened his eyes and sobbed. “She’s not here.”

“It’s fine, you’ll be fine.” Kyouya had replied, touching the blonde’s shoulder, not sure what to do.

“I left her Kyouya, I left her! I shouldn’t have come here, she must be sick with worry.” Tamaki had replied, burying his face on the brunet’s neck.

Kyouya felt the King’s tears on his neck and couldn’t help himself, he wrapped his arms around the blonde guy for comfort and positioned him in such a way that Tamaki’s face was in his chest. He let his friend cry at his shirt and felt the tears fall from his own eyes. He realized two things that night. One, was that he would never do anything that would contribute to Tamaki’s ache. And two, that he was wrong about his first impression; he was actually the lucky one. He had everything he could want by working hard for it. He had go on so much about life being unfair, not being able to inherit, he had envied Tamaki not knowing that his friend had more problems that even he, couldn’t solve. Kyouya finally understood that although he had known so much more about life and experienced more feelings than he thought possible, he never realized that he was luckier than Tamaki Suoh would ever be, because Kyouya Ohtori never knew the real agony of pain.

“It’s her birthday today.” Tamaki had whispered in his chest.

“Happy Birthday, Tamaki’s mother.”

“Will you come with me later? I want to celebrate it with you.”

“Sure.” He had replied, caressing the blonde hair and feeling cold from the wetness of his shirt.

“I’m sorry, I used your shirt as a tissue.” Tamaki sniffed.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Why are you also crying?” his friend laughed.

“Maybe because I want to help you but I can’t.”

“But you did, I’m glad you’re here.” Tamaki answered, wrapping his arms around Kyouya, giving him a hug.

It was then when Tamaki started referring to Kyouya as mother.

They never talked about that night. But every year, they would celebrate Tamaki’s mother’s birthday together. They’d go anywhere, eat, stroll, and offer prayers. None of the Host Club members knew, and they never shared. That day is special only to the both of them for different reasons. Kyouya found someone he can call friend.

He had kept his promise, he helped Tamaki in any way he can, and not allowing him to get hurt more, than what was inevitable. Help, included getting him and Fujioka Haruhi together, it was an honest intention, his best friend had been struggling with his feelings for quite a while and Kyouya had finally took pity on him and arranged a blind date for both of them, in a pretense that it was for the benefit of the club.

It had gone well, when Tamaki confessed, Haruhi accepted him. And to Kyouya’s surprise, it had hurt.

“I can’t believe I fell in love with her! Kyouya! What kind of person are you?!” His mind screamed at him that day, everybody in the Host Club accepted that the Special student and Their King are finally together. Everyone, except Kyouya Ohtori. He couldn’t believe it. He worked so hard to bring them together yet found himself wishing that it was him instead of Tamaki.

He had always known that he liked her, he never denied that to himself, she was the oddest among all the members of the Host Club but she was what kept them together, hosting was never really that exciting until Haruhi came along. Although dressed as a guy, she was never able to hide that femininity to Kyouya, her skin as smooth as silk, her hands, smaller than a child. And although the face was not that striking, the deep brown eyes more than made up for it. She was silently beautiful, not loudly stunning. And the shadow king found himself drawn.

He never told anyone about it, never wrote it down in any of his notebooks, never typed it in his computer. Nothing, not one single trace that he looked at Haruhi as more than a Host, more than a friend. But deep inside, Kyouya knew that his best friend suspected it. For who else knew him better than Tamaki Suoh?

They never discussed it, he knew that the King wanted to but Kyouya never even gave him a chance to open “that” topic. And so they left it as it is.

It was during Tamaki’s 26th birthday when the turning point in Kyouya’s life happened. Haruhi organized a party for the Former King but he wasn’t able to arrive in time because of his delayed flight from France. Tamaki asked him to stand in so that Haruhi won’t be disappointed. At the end of the party, when everyone has left, he found her sitting in the dark at the Suoh’s living room. She was crying silently to herself. Kyouya approached her and did what Tamaki would have expected him to do, hug his best friends’ girlfriend while she cried at his chest. It reminded him of Tamaki all those years ago.

“Haruhi, it wasn’t his fault. I’m sure he’s on his way by now.” Kyouya said quietly.

“I know that. Tamaki would never be intentionally mean.” She had replied.

“Then why are you crying? I know you, you won’t let something as little as this affect you.”

“Kyouya?” She looked at him while he wiped her tears with his handkerchief.

“Hai?” He asked, looking in her eyes.

“You really are a nice person.”

He didn’t know what possessed him to do it, he never even imagined that it would happen, he dipped his head low and kissed her. Softly, as if waiting for some sort of reaction. He felt her kiss him back, he bit her lower lip and grazed his teeth along her tongue, she sighed, “Kyouya.”

The brunette woke up naked, in bed beside his best friend’s fiancée. He remembered feeling numb. Sitting on his friend’s bed staring at the equally naked girl, sleeping beside him. He loved her, he didn’t doubt it, he was willing to marry her, take care of her for the rest of his life. And somehow, he knew, the feeling was mutual.

But he loved his best friend more. So he chose him. Tamaki deserved to be happy.

Kyouya had never felt more ashamed of himself than at that moment, for how could he feel so wonderful making love to his best friend’s girlfriend? He not only ruined the girl, he probably ruined their friendship.

They never talked about it, never mentioned it, never discussed it. The shadow king doubted if Tamaki knew what had transpired between his two loved ones. There were moments when he felt as if Haruhi wanted to talk about what had happened but she never opened the topic, he never volunteered.

And so they left it.

When Tamaki proposed, Haruhi accepted and Kyouya became best man. The night before the supposed wedding date, the brunet found the love of his life sitting on his doorstep watching the rain pour.

“We have a doorbell you know, the maids could have let you in.,” he had told her sarcastically.

She gave him a sad smile.

“Do you love me?” she asked softly.

He had originally refused to answer but had decided that Tamaki’s future was at stake.

“No.”

She raised an eyebrow, “You like sleeping with your friend’s girlfriends?”

He gritted his teeth. “Haruhi, I don’t have time for games, you asked your question, I answered, if there is nothing more, please leave. Your wedding is tomorrow and you need to rest.”

“I’m going to tell him tonight.” she said, patting the empty space beside her, “He would know by tomorrow night anyway.”

Kyouya sat down, feeling like the lowest kind of life form. “I’m sorry Haruhi, I made a mess of things haven’t I?” he asked her softly, burying his face on his hands. Wishing that he were back in high school where his only major problem was calculating her debt.

“We both did.” She hugged her legs together, “I love you, you know.”

“Don’t say that.” He pleaded. “Not now.”

“But I do, I wanted to break off the engagement but I felt so guilty about cheating on him that I forced myself to accept things the way they are. And I shouldn’t Kyouya, I really shouldn’t. But after everything he’s been through, I couldn’t bear to hurt him.”

The brunet stayed silent. He knew she wanted to say more.

“I know you love me, I felt it in the way your touch. Yet you chose Tamaki, somehow, knowing that makes me love you even more. You’re not as cold as you appear to be, or as cunning or as evil as people often thought of you.” She looked at the sky, “You really are a nice person.”

Kyouya gave a little smile, “If I were really that nice, I would have kept my hands to myself.”

Haruhi glanced at him, “I’m going to tell him.”

“Don’t.”

“I don’t have to mention you but I will tell him.” she stood up, “He deserves to know.”

“Haruhi.” he whispered her name as she left.

The wedding day was rainy, the skies were dark and Kyouya stood near the altar as he waited for his best friend, unlike in the movies, Haruhi was dressed and waiting patiently at the changing room while the groom was nowhere to be found. He sighed. His brain was telling him that Tamaki Suoh was probably somewhere nearby.

He whispered to the priest and left his place to find Haruhi.

He found her- or rather- them, talking in the gardens behind the church.

“I love you, I accept whatever you did.” Tamaki had said quietly.

“Will you really?”

Kyouya interrupted, “Excuse me, I believed that there’s a wedding we have to do?”

He realized he made the wrong choice to disrupt when he saw Haruhi looked scared and realization glazed his friend’s eyes.

“You.” Tamaki uttered.

Before Kyouya knew what was happening, he was hit in the face and was thrown back. He heard Haruhi shout as she tried to stop Tamaki from hitting him again, her off-shoulder gown, caked with mud.

“No! Stop.” She exclaimed as the blond struggled to be free of her.

“Leave us.” The blond told her.

“Ta-“

“I said leave us.” He said in a cold voice, eyes, colder than winter.

Haruhi gave him a pleading look, her tears blurring her vision.

Tamaki ignored her.

She turned to leave.

Kyouya stood up and touched his swollen cheek. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?! Sorry?” Tamaki cried, tears falling from his eyes, “I though we were friends, how could you betray me? How could you?”

“I don’t know. I’m sorry.” He answered quietly.

He was hit again, his stomach this time. He didn’t bother retaliating, he felt better with every punch his friend can give. God knows he deserves it.

“Why?” The blond sat down on the wet grass, feeling lost.

Kyouya sat down beside him, the worst was over. Tamaki wasn’t the type to stay aggressive for long. It wasn’t in his nature.

Both of them sat in the middle of the rain.

“I love her.” He answered honestly; this was no time for lies.

“Why have you never told me?” He sobbed on his knees.

The shadow king felt his own eyes water. “I didn’t know what to say, you deserve her more than I. I would never deliberately hurt you, you should know that by now.” He tried to keep his voice calm, even. But it cracked with every word. He can feel his entire body shiver from cold.

“I would never have come between the two of you. I would never have courted her if you only told me you loved her. I thought you gave up, I thought you already got over it during college. I really am stupid aren’t I?” Tamaki mocked himself.

“Don’t say that. You deserve to be happy.” He said quietly.

He was met with silence but he can almost hear his friend thinking.

“Thank you.” The blond whispered.

The brunet stared at him in shock.

Tamaki gave him Haruhi’s engagement ring, which she returned earlier. “Here.”

“What?”

“Take it. Marry her.”

“WHAT?!”

“You love each other.”

“I’m not going to take that. This is stupid. Both of you should get married.”

“I’m obviously not the correct groom.”

“Tamaki! If you don’t marry her today, people will talk!”

“They’re already talking anyway.”

“Get up, we’re going to the church.” He tried to pull on his friend’s arm but Tamaki started laughing.

He can only look in vain.

“This is silly.” The former Host Club King said in between breaths, “Are we really arguing about whom should Haruhi marry? Shouldn’t she be the one to decide?”

“Somehow, it’s not that funny.”

“No it isn’t.”

“Are you still angry?” Kyouya asked.

Tamaki faced him, looking serious.

“Hurt is the correct term, but I know you were only thinking of me, really Kyouya, you cannot look after me all your life. I thank you for thinking of me but there are moments when you really shouldn’t be this considerate.”

“I’ll try.” He hesitated, “Does it hurt so bad?”

“No. I may have lost Haruhi’s love but I still have yours, and I love both of you too much to stay mad. Just, do the right thing, okay?” Tamaki smiled at him, a sad one but not lonely.

He turned away, “Yeah, okay.” He murmured, was it really just that easy?

“I wish Kuma-chan was here.” The blond said out of the blue.

“Why?” He asked, confused.

“I need a hug.”

“We can borrow Huni’s usa-chan.” Kyouya replied, he would never understand Tamaki Suoh.

“I’m cold.” He whined.

“Really Tamaki.” He started but before he knew it, the blond idiot wrapped his arms around brunet’s torso.

Tamaki buried his face on his friends’ neck.

Kyouya was wet, tears clinging on his cheeks, shivering from the cold, but he felt good.

So good, that he hugged his friend back.

That was 5 years ago, they braved the rain and ran to the church, which was in chaos as it turned out that this time, it was Haruhi who had gone missing. They laughed at the absurdity of it all and Tamaki had explained the he cancelled the wedding.

2 months later, the same guests were shocked to receive another invitation to another wedding concerning Fujioka Haruhi, but this time, the Groom was Kyouya Ohtori and the best man was Tamaki Suoh.

It created quite a stir in the social circle, but all of it died when they saw the three together.

Kyouya and Haruhi were made for each other. And Tamaki Suoh, looked more than happy to be their best man.

Now, Kyouya touched his pregnant wife’s forehead, Haruhi stirred and opened those striking deep brown eyes he loved about her.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, touching her stomach were the brunet’s other hand lay.

“I was thinking, could we name him Tamaki?” Kyouya asked his wife.

Haruhi gave a beautiful smile, “I was planning on asking you the same question.”

They fell silent.

“Kyouya, do you think he’s happy wherever he is?”

The shadow king smiled, “Yes. I think so, He’s with his mother now isn’t he?”

“Yes, he is. They’re probably playing the piano as we speak.” She rolled her eyes.

He smirked, that oh so familiar smirk which Haruhi have not seen for years.

“Really, He’s long gone and yet, we still worry about him.,” he said.

“That’s because we all love Otoosan.” She teased.

He rolled on his side, “You should sleep, it’s not good for the baby.”

“Hai, Stop thinking. With any luck, he’d be exactly like his uncle.”

Kyouya groaned. “Maybe we should use another name.”

“Kyouya!”

He grinned, “Good night.” He said softly as she closed her eyes.

If there was one thing Kyouya was thankful for in his life, it was meeting Tamaki Suoh, he was everything the shadow king never expected, he showed him how life is supposed to be lived, how friendship, deserved a deeper meaning than how Kyouya would defined it. Tamaki, was the only person who understood him fully without judging him. Who taught him to reach for everything and anything he wanted out of life. He was the reason Kyouya is the person he is now. Tamaki Suoh was his Treasure, and Fujioka Haruhi was his gift.

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