A/N This idea came into my head and would not leave. It is inspired by the line in the opening 'If I have to choose a rose in this garden of romance'. I'm not entirely happy with it but someone may enjoy it. Touches on multiple one-sided pairings with Haruhi but ultimately is Tamaki x Haruhi.
The rose garden
She was stood in the centre of a beautiful rose garden. Low stone walls lined the path that spider webbed out from the circle she was standing in. It was split into six different segments and each segment of garden held a different colour of rose; White, Pink, Yellow, Orange, Purple and Red.
'Where am I?' Haruhi looked around her in confusion. 'How did I get here?'
"Welcome." The voice made her jump and she spun to face her company. Tamaki was sat on one of the low walls that enclosed the red sector. "I've been waiting for you to show up." He stood to his feet in a graceful movement and offered her a hand. "Shall we?"
Haruhi shook her head slightly.
"Senpai, what's going on?" She might have known it was some Host Club trickery. "Where am I? How did I get here?"
Tamaki gave a knowing smile but didn't drop his hand.
"This is the Rose Garden Haruhi. Your Rose Garden." He spun in a circle with the out stretched hand, encompassing the area before landing back facing her. "As for how you got here...well only you know that."
Haruhi frowned, "Stop fooling around Senpai. Tell me what's going on."
Now Tamaki took his hand back and stood up straight with a sigh, running it through his hair.
"You've brought yourself here because it's time for you to choose."
"Choose? Choose what?"
Tamaki merely gestured at the garden with a bow.
"Have a look."
Haruhi gave him a long stare before finally sighing and turning to the nearest roses, those furthest from her elaborate host. These were a brilliant pure white. They dazzled her momentarily and she had to blink a few times to clear her vision before she could examine them properly. Dipping her head she inhaled the sweet fragrance and suddenly she was elsewhere entirely.
The room was as white as the roses she had left behind in the garden and so bright she stood startled, unable to fully absorb her surroundings.
"Hara-chan!"
"What? Hunny-senpai?" Her breath left her in a rush as she was tackled hard by the small senior wrapping his arms around her waist. "What's going on?" She met the delighted, dancing eyes of the delicate looking student and he beamed up at her.
"You are choosing Hara-chan," he beamed and before she could protest that she didn't understand there was a whiskered face being pushed into her own. "Here, wanna hold Usa-chan?"
The bunny was dropped into her arms, just as it had been the very first day, and she looked at it in confusion.
"I'd like you to keep him."
Her eyes shot to his in surprise; they looked wistful.
"Hunny-senpai?"
"He makes you smile. It's good when you smile."
She was struck speechless, not knowing what to say. The blonde gave her another squeeze as he suddenly let her go.
"Don't worry about it, 'kay?" he winked at her.
The white became brighter around her until she could no longer see him. She gasped and shut her eyes tight against the pain...
Haruhi emerged from the scent blinking and holding her head. Tamaki was watching her carefully from her side, his eyes lightly concerned.
"Are you all right?"
Haruhi rubbed at her head. "What was that?"
Tamaki stepped back and looked up at the sky.
"That was the White Rose; symbolising humility, purity and innocence."
"Huh?"
Tamaki dropped his gaze to her again, repeating his earlier words.
"You have brought yourself here to choose."
"I still don't understand you Senpai," she replied slightly irritably but Tamaki just shook his head and pointed to the next sector.
"Keep looking."
Giving him a wary look Haruhi moved to the next roses. These were deep pink, set apart from the path and she had to bend her head a long way and inhale deeply to catch the aroma.
This time she was not in a white room. It was somewhere outside and dark, with a humidity in the air like the jungle. She was moving but not under her own power and realised with a start that she was being carried. There was snarls coming from the darkness around her but the arms that held her were strong and unyielding, holding her as though she weighed nothing. Slowly she lifted her head up to look into the face of her protector.
"Mori-senpai?"
The stoic type glanced down at her but didn't smile.
"Yeah?"
There was a loud growl from the undergrowth next to them and the arms around her tightened minutely as a creature launched itself at them. Haruhi saw a flash of teeth before Mori moved sharply in a kick and the creature yelped. There was a whimper and crash as whatever it was retreated and they were left alone again.
"Thank you, Mori-senpai," she breathed, "you're always there for me," and she remembered day one of her time at the Host Club, how she had yelled for help and he had rescued her from his over enthusiastic boss. Now the host did smile, just slightly and ruffle her hair with a free hand.
"Yeah."
He set her down gently on the ground and stepped away. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"You're going?"
Mori nodded his head once and faded into the darkness.
"It's time," she heard him say.
Again Haruhi found herself standing in the Rose Garden feeling disorientated.
"The Deep Pink rose," Tamaki said from somewhere behind her. "Symbolising gratitude and appreciation, and used to say thank you."
She was beginning to understand, although she disliked where this was going. Without saying anything Haruhi walked towards the yellow roses. Most of these leaned across the walkway, looking as though they would fall over in their efforts to reach the orange roses next door. Both sets tilted to the other, some almost touching.
Careful to try and inhale only the yellow, Haruhi stepped as close as she could and was swamped by the scent.
There were items falling from the sky and crashing to the ground around her. Haruhi gave a small yelp as a melon landed next to her feet and shattered, spraying her with the seeds.
"Haruhi! Look out!" A body knocked into her, shielding her as a large flower pot smashed on the spot she'd been standing.
"Karou," Haruhi whispered gratefully, looking up into the eyes of the calm twin and gasped. "You're hurt." Her finger reached out to the cut he'd received when he'd protected her and Karou flinched his head away.
"Never mind that. Are you all right?"
She nodded quietly and seemingly satisfied Karou got to his feet, bringing his own hand away from the wound with blood on it.
"Hikaru is going to kill me," he muttered as he reached out a hand and helped Haruhi to her feet. The objects were no longer falling but the sky was turning black and the air above them was feeling more charge by the second.
"Karou!" The second, more hot-headed twin ran into view and grabbed his brother by both shoulders. "Let me see."
Karou smiled at the concern but shrugged his brother away. "There isn't time for that now." He tilted his head towards Haruhi. "You have to look out for her, okay?"
Hikaru gave his twin a long hard look before nodding solemnly and turning his attention on the watching Haruhi. Karou flashed them a brief smile before walking out of sight.
Something shuddered inside her, the scene was all too familiar and she was suddenly unhappy with it.
"Karou! Wait!" A peel of thunder ripped through the sky and she felt the terror ripple all over.
"It's going to rain," the remaining brother told her, pointing at the sky, as another roll came over.
"Hikaru?" her voice wavered and broke.
The redhead nodded in concern and looked around for somewhere to hide.
"In here, quick!"
Haruhi dived through the door he opened as the next roll came.
'A closet?' she thought vaguely as she moved into the small space. 'Where did this come from?'
"You question this?" Hikaru grumbled as he squeezed in beside her. "Not the falling melons?"
The door slammed shut on the next flash of lightening and she cowered.
"Hey," Hikaru draped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her close so her face was hidden in his chest. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you before. I'm here now."
She could hear the beat of his heart, like the beat from the earphones he had once used to help drown out the terror, and she couldn't hear the thunder any more.
"Haruhi?"
She looked up into his face and the expression there gave her a strange sensation...right before her feet were ripped out from under her and she found herself sprawled in a net. Hikaru cursed.
"Why did you do that?"
"Do what?" she asked in confusion, struggling to sit upright and not kick him in the face.
"The net," he snipped and she stopped for a moment to look at him properly.
"What are you talking about Hikaru?"
There was a beat of silence while he stared at her and then he sighed.
"Well I guess that's my answer," he said with a bitter tone of lingering anger, but the expression on his face was resigned.
She frowned in puzzlement and opened her mouth to answer but he cut her off.
"Take care of yourself Haruhi," he murmured and everything went dark.
When she emerged she felt completely overwhelmed. It looked like she had passed seamlessly from one sector of roses to the other and the double dose was making her head spin.
"The Yellow Rose, symbolising friendship, gladness and affection, and the Orange Rose, for enthusiasm and desire, admiration and attraction." He scowled slightly. "Those shady twins."
Haruhi sat down on the wall for a moment to catch her breath. Her emotions were rolling from the last encounter and she could still feel the terror from the thunder storm colliding with the warmth from Hikaru's arms, and the look in Karou's eyes as he'd walked away from her, as though he were giving up something precious.
"Haruhi?"
She lifted her head to meet the calm, concerned face of her guide, and felt the tension ease.
"I'm okay Senpai," she told him, getting shakily to her feet. "That was a powerful one, huh?" She smiled. "Where next?"
Tamaki gestured to the next sector. It was full of deep purple roses that she wasn't even convinced were a natural colour. Next door to them were the only other roses she hadn't tried yet, the red ones, and she looked at them with interest before approaching the purple.
"Haruhi," Tamaki spoke from behind her and she turned to look at him. He was eyeing the roses warily. "Just be careful with these ones, okay?" She gave him a puzzled look. "The purple rose means mysterious, and proceed with caution."
She nodded her head in understanding. It made sense given who she suspected was waiting for her on the other side. As it was she didn't have to lean over to the flowers; as she was listening to Tamaki, the scent crept over her and swept her out.
She was sat on a sofa with crinkled leather under her fingers. In front of her a huge desk loomed and there was a soft clicking noise coming from the back of the chair. The room was in darkness apart from an eerie glow that lit up the edges of the chair, its source clearly around the front where she was unable to see. She waited.
"So you've come to choose have you? Come to reminisce? Come to reflect on those memories most dear to you?" The chair swung around to reveal a face lit up by the glow of the laptop, the fingers never ceasing on the keys. "You won't find many of those here." Haruhi sat silent and contemplative, not uttering a word. "You disagree no doubt. Shall I show you?" He raised his eyebrows and placed the laptop down on the desk. Deftly his fingers plugged something in to the side and a light flickered against the far wall.
Haruhi eyed Kyoya warily before turning her attention to the wall. An image had already formed on the surface of a shattered dynasty vase.
"Do you remember how you came to be with the Host Club in the first place?"
She felt the sickening jolt in the stomach again and her eyes narrowed.
"You reminded me enough times in the past, Senpai."
The constant counting off the cost of the debt or adding it on, until she had paid it. The image on the wall clicked forward to one of a bed with rumpled sheets, the one at the beach. This time the memory brought a whole new sensation, like a pressure in her chest but complete calm in her head. She could still remember what it felt like when he had trapped her on the bed.
"I'm surprised you are showing me this one, Senpai."
She turned her eyes from the screen to him, the tone of her voice slightly disappointed. When her eyes met his there was a momentary flash of something that might have been shame, not for the event itself, but for using it in this way. The look was gone in a second.
"You don't think it gets the point across?" he said smoothly.
"Not the point you think it does," she replied, "you assume I was afraid..."
The button rapidly clicked on to an image of them together in the shopping mall. He was demanding that she pay for his lunch.
Now Haruhi was beginning to get annoyed. With a sharp movement she turned away from the slide show and faced the Shadow King.
"Why am I here Kyoya-Senpai? What are you trying to achieve?"
Kyoya stood to his feet, his voice hard.
"I'm showing you memories. That is why you are here. To help you choose."
"Memories that you think are bad, that show you in a bad light." Haruhi paused and took a deep breath. "You could have forced my dad to pay back the vase straight away and we would be in big trouble, but instead you let me work it off. At the beach..." she found she couldn't really verbalise exactly what had happened so decided to be vague, "...you didn't actually do anything or hurt me. You were making a point." She glanced at the final picture on the screen and back to him. "Are you forgetting that you stopped a con man that day? Why do you always want to appear so heartless when I know that you are not?"
He walked around the desk until he was stood directly in front of her, looming over her and she met his gaze with a level one of her own.
"Then why are you really here Haruhi?" His voice was cold and she faltered, uncertain.
"I keep being told that I am here to choose..."
"Don't play coy." His voice was hard. "This was never about you choosing, not really."
"What? I don't understand." Her head was spinning in confusion. If she wasn't here to choose then why was she here? She thought back to the other Host Club members she had spent time with and realised that there was something that was common to them all; she had relived the moments when she had felt the greatest attraction and affection for them. She had also, more searingly, felt like they had all said goodbye.
Kyoya's hands gripped her shoulders, not roughly, and she flashed backwards to the last time that had happened, just before he pushed her onto the carriage, just before he sent her after Tamaki. This memory hadn't been among his pictures, and she knew exactly why. The warmth of his hands melted through her top, and looking into his eyes she saw something there that she finally understood.
"Kyoya-senpai?"
His eyes flashed with worry, concern that she had seen more than she should, and he abruptly let go, withdrawing a distance.
"It's time for you to go Haruhi."
She nodded once, and folded her arms behind her back.
"You have spent this whole time being counter intuitive again, Kyoya-senpai."
He smiled at her from the safety of his desk, and tilted his head at the ceiling.
"I have my reasons."
She sighed and joined his gaze looking up.
"I think I understand them now. Why didn't you...?"
He abruptly cut her off, his eyes now locking onto her own.
"Haruhi, you need to go. He is waiting for you." The room was already fading away when she heard his voice drift back out of the white. "Remember though, there was never really a choice."
When she came to there were tears in her eyes and she swiped a hand across them quickly. She didn't care what his father said about him, Kyoya was amazing.
"There's only one rose left to try Haruhi."
Her eyes fixed onto the red roses, their petals looking soft and inviting. She found herself drawn to them like she had the others but this time the tug was weaker and less demanding, although they looked the most beautiful of all the ones she'd seen and their scent carried to her, reaching her even from a distance.
Haruhi shook her head. "I don't need to," she whispered. "I know what I'll see..." Devotion and adoration in every movement. A selflessness for her own and other's happiness. A good heart. A life turning the sadness into joy, and placing value on the things easily taken for granted by those who'd had them. Someone who could so easily have become bitter and full of hate but instead loved unconditionally, tried persistently to bring smiles to other's faces, and valued family above all else.
She looked at the man standing before her, golden in the light. She didn't need the rose to see what was in front of her eyes.
"You have to choose Haruhi." His face was solemn and quiet.
The brunette stared out at the garden once more, turning in a small circle to linger over each portion of roses – her protectors, her friends – before giving a secret smile to herself and looking at her guide.
"I already have though, haven't I?"
A puzzled look crossed the host's face and he shook his head. "I don't understand."
"Well," Haruhi tilted her head to one side and gestured in a sweeping move towards the blonde, "there's only one person here with me."
Tamaki's eyes widened as he gave a light gasp of revelation, and Haruhi crossed her arms behind her back with a smile.
"This was never about me choosing," she spun to face the garden, looking at the bursts of white, yellow, purple, orange, pink and red, "this was about saying goodbye."
The scene before her blurred into a sea of colour and she felt a light touch on her shoulder.
"Haruhi..."
She looked up into her Senpai's face, his eyes alight and dancing, gazing at her with adoration and love. Slowly he lifted a red rose and presented it to her. Haruhi took the offered flower and pressed it to her nose, inhaling the rich scent.
"Haruhi..."
Tamaki drew her eyes back to him and wrapped his arms gently around her waist, pulling her close until he rested his forehead against her own.
"Don't forget to tell me."
Her eyes blinked in confusion and he gave her a sweet lopsided smile.
"Don't forget to tell me your decision when you wake up."
Haruhi smiled in understanding and clutched the rose tighter.
The dawn light was just filtering through the windows when she opened her eyes. There was a sense of peace settling over her.
'That was a good dream,' she smiled to herself, chasing the tattered remnants through her mind and trying to catch hold of what it had been about. It had felt wonderful and important. Very important. Tamaki's voice drifted back through her memory and she frowned as she tried to remember. "Don't forget what?"
A knock at the door startled her more fully into wakefulness and with a yawn she got to her feet.
Slowly she shuffled her way to the front door and tugged it open, blinking sleepily at the person on the other side. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Tamaki-senpai?"
The blonde prince nervously rubbed at his head and blushed slightly, looking awkward and ruffled, as though he too had just got out of bed.
"Haruhi...I'm sorry it's so early but..." Timidly he offered her a single perfect red rose and her memory stirred with a flood of an unfamiliar, warm, nervous feeling in her stomach. "I thought it was time."
And then she understood.