Stars, so many stars dancing across the sky. Up close they were even more beautiful. Screeching, flailing, burning balls of never-ending fire. And they were light, shining wonderfully in Earth's night, but they were dead. Gone by a million years before they even touched his eyes. Stars are like dreams. He thought. Shining and burning and eating away at you until one day you realize they were gone before you ever thought them up. Dreams were beautiful, never-ending, and dead. "Deep thoughts won't do the world any good." He whispered to himself. They really wouldn't. I had been nice though, to break out of his frame for a while, see the world through someone else's eyes. Especially the eyes of such a different person. Ah yes, Tamaki was unique. Unspeakably annoying and flashy, but unique. He was pretty sure no one could be as unabashedly cheesy as Tamaki could be. No! That was all over now. No use crying over spilled milk. But even as he thought that, tears fell from his eyes. The grassy hill was meant to be his one refuge. A place where no one could harm him, no one could make him cry. Tamaki had awoken his dreams and ambitions. He had actually thought, however fleetingly, that he could be the head of the Ootori family. How wrong he had been. A sob forced its way up his throat. He choked and gasped, his thoughts hurting him more than he would admit. He hoped no one knew about this place. Had he told anyone? No, no, he didn't think so. Anyway, who would care enough to look for him? The third son, and a failure at that. Disgrace to the Ootori name!
"KKKYYYYOOOOYYYYAAAAA" A voice ripped him from his thoughts. He looked up to see Tamaki running toward him, arms outstretched. His ridiculous blond hair was all over his face from the wind. Oh hell. The boy on the hill thought. He had brought Tamaki here, back in the days when he thought it would never end. "Mommy, why are you crying" Tamaki asked innocently, cocking his head to the side like a lost puppy.
"Never call me mommy!" The boy hissed, turning his face away,
"Aw, don't be like that! I'm your friend! Remember mommy? The host club needs you" Tamaki persisted
"No it doesn't! The host club never needed me and I never needed it!" Kyoya erupted in irrational anger.
"Why would you say that?" Tamaki's head fell further to the side.
"You did this! You idiot! You made me think I could do impossible things, and look where that landed me! Right back where I started." Kyoya yelled cruelly
"B-but, I just wanted to help you. You can be better that your brothers, I know it."
"And what would you know about that!? You've never had to compete for anything. You've had your life handed to you on a silver platter. And don't give that stupid story about your mother! She's alive and well and you know it!"
"Yeah, I guess. You need to come back mommy" Tamaki whispered, tears started to form in the corners of his eyes.
"To hell with you and your stupid tears Tamaki! You should have left well enough alone! Oh, but you don't know how to, do you?" Kyoya's voice became sickly sweet, "You need to meddle with everyone who comes within 10 feet of you. First me and now Haruhi, all you'll do is hurt her. She can never have our lives, she doesn't even what them. She'll pay off her debt and leave. Just like I did! I paid my dues to you Tamaki and now I've come back down to the ground, so get used to it. I'm not coming back."
"H-h-how can you say that mommy?" Tamaki's voice hitched painfully, "We were f-fr-friends!" His hand reached up to slap Kyoya, anger building up inside the normally placid blond. "I hate you sometimes!" He screeched. Before his hand could connect with flesh, Kyoya flinched. His head pulled sharply back and he pulled an arm up instinctively. "M-mommy? Is something wrong?"
"You" Kyoya whispered. Tamaki's manner changed in a split second. He assumed seamlessly the role of worried friend rather than angry former-acquaintance.
"Okay, yeah, maybe I'm part of the problem. But I'm not what made you flinch and I am certain I'm not what made you quit the host club!"
"You want to be so sure of that, do you?" Kyoya questioned icily. "You really have no concept of how annoying you are?"
"Maybe I don't, maybe I'm stupid, but I have a plan!" Tamaki nearly yelled. He raised his hand again and slapped hard, his palm smacking Kyoya's face in full force. All of a sudden, Kyoya's demeanor changed. He shrank back and put his arms over his face.
"I'm sorry" He practically whispered.
"For what?" Tamaki asked. "You just got angry, I agree you should be sorry, but why are you afraid?"
"I know I am a disgrace to the Ootori name, I don't deserve to bear the honor of being one of its sons." Kyoya said, shrinking even further into the background. Tamaki crouched down to where Kyoya was huddled.
"You're not! You have no reason to be ashamed! Everyone gets mad once in a while."
"Yes I am, you slapped me. You only get slapped for being a disgrace." Kyoya responded flatly, looking up at Tamaki. His eyes were glassy, almost as if he wasn't all there.
"What does that mean?" Tamaki yelped, trying hard to keep his cool. He couldn't figure out what was wrong with his dear friend.
"Y-you're not my father." Kyoya breathed, looking frightened and embarrassed at the same time.
"No I'm not, and I think I have you figured out." Tamaki said, attempting unsuccessfully to hide the horror in his voice.
"You didn't hear anything I just said! Understand?" Kyoya ordered, standing up and dusting off his trousers.
"How can I ignore that?! You just admitted to being abused by your father."
"I'm astounded your tiny mind could infer all that from my words."
"It can and now I'm worried. Did he make you quit, did he make you hate me?"
"I decided to hate you of my own accord, and I quit the host club when I realized it could do nothing but try to revive dead stars!"
"Revive dead stars-? Do you mean dreams Mommy?"
"Tamaki's little brain strikes again! And this time it interpreted a metaphor! This a never-before-seen phenomenon people. Get tickets while you still can!" Kyoya said dramatically and with more than a hint of sarcasm.
"You never talk like that unless you're hiding something mommy. I know I'm right and you need to tell me everything."
"No I don't! I never needed to tell you anything and I still don't! If you could really tell when I'm hiding something you would have noticed my father's abuse long ago!" Kyoya screamed, any pretense of composure he might have had flew out the window.
"Please! I noticed now! Let me help you! You would never leave the host club on your own! I know you like it there." Tamaki pleaded desperately.
"I. Don't. Need. Your. Help." Kyoya growled. Tamaki blanched, realizing that Kyoya really wasn't going to talk. He knew that he might have slap his poor friend again. Even the thought made his stomach turn.
"I'm sorry mommy." Tamaki whispered before raising his hand and slapping Kyoya squarely on the cheek. This time he didn't fall so fast. His hand came up like before, but he didn't sink down. He simple stood, eyes scrunched shut, prepared for the next blow. "You need to tell me what's wrong"
"No I don't." Kyoya remained stubborn, but his voice was starting to crack.
"Please, please, please tell me! I hate the thought of you having to be face you dad all alone. Tell me what I can do!" Tamaki yelled
"I don't want to face him alone either." Kyoya breathed out, barely audible. His resolve was falling away. Do I really hate Tamaki? He asked himself. No, but I can't burden him with my life. He thought. "Tamaki, save me." He whispered.
"Okay, but you have to tell me how." Tamaki answered, putting one arm around Kyoya's shoulder.
"I-I don't know. You can't stop him and you can't call the police. The Ootori name would be ruined."
"Why do you care so much about 'The Ootori Name' as you call it?"
"That's just how I am."
"What can I do then, there must be something."
"No, there isn't. Father doesn't hurt me that bad anyway. A few punches never killed anyone."
"A few punches never-! How can you say that?! Parents are supposed to love you!"
"Really, they are?" Kyoya looked genuinely surprised, and it broke Tamaki's heart.
"Yes, they are supposed to love you and want the best for you and always support you. They are never, ever supposed to hit you."
"Okay then. I think I know what you can do."
"What is it? I'll do anything for you mommy"
"Bring the stars back to life, please daddy."
"Okay mommy, I'll revive every single star out there. And I'll burn out all the bad ones."
"Do you mean my father?"
"I mean all the mean, horrible things he's done to you. I'll burn them all away and replace them with new stars, starting today! Look, the sun is rising." Kyoya looked, one single, bright star was burning away all the dead ones. That star was alive and awake. That star was Tamaki Suoh, daddy. He would burn away all the bad things, just like he had before.
"Let's go to the commoner's mall! Haruhi told me that it opens at dawn!"
"I think she was exaggerating…" Kyoya said as his bright yellow sun dragged him down the hill and to a new beginning. Thank God he never changed. This was the start of a brand-new day!
