This is my first Ouran fic, and my first fic in a very very long time, so please be gentle with me. Flames accepted, though they will be used to cook ramen!

Italics denote thoughts

denotes fantasy sequences, most likely Tamaki's crazy mind running away with him.

Special thanks to For richer or poorer - ouran . For supplying me with all the info and name spellings.

Would you say it to save me?
Chapter 1: Killing your savior
By: Eternalukyou

The sun came up on Ouran High School just like it always did. Falling beautifully across the landscaped yards, kissing the lips of each blossom and leaf. Everything

was a perfect as it always was, everything was as it should be. Except…

"NANI!" Tamaki's Voice rang out loud, echoing in the 3rd music room. "What do you mean Haruhi isn't here again today!"

"It's the 3rd time this week…" Hikaru nodded somberly.

"She is going to fall behind…" Kaoru added, right on queue.

"Not to mention… her patrons…" Kyoya pushed his glasses up on his nose a bit, but seemed troubled. Much more troubled than he would have been over a few lost dimes.

"Maybe her bicycle is broken!" Mitsukuni piped up, spinning on one foot through the cluster, this sweet little Usagi held over his head. He was as chipper as always.

"No, she would still find a way."

"She is much to stubborn!" Kaoru and Hikaru added as if they where one. Such was their manner though. To be one.

For a long time Tamaki was silent.

"Maybe someone should check up on her…" Stroking his chin uneasily. He spoke boldly, but was greatly intimidated by the though of going to her home again, especially alone.

"That won't be necessary." Kyoya demanded firmly. "Whatever her business, I'm sure she'll let us know when she wants to…"

And strangely, that was the end of it.

And so the day progressed like any other day. Classes came and went, and hosting duties. The girls and the tea, and the flirting.

But Tamaki couldn't shake this feeling in the pit of his stomach. That something wasn't right But he had not the nerve to push the issue with Kyoya-san.

As the long day came to a close, the boys where having their last exchanges before their drivers came to pick them up, and escort them back to their lavish homes.

"Good night everyone." Kyoya excused his self in a strangely hurried manner, and was gone.

As Tamaki headed down to meet this driver, it bothered him. Something wasn't right, he was sure now.

He sat down on the leather seat of his Mercedes Benz, and opened a bottle of spring water. Crossing his legs his mind started to wander.

What is Kyoya-san up to? Why all the sneaking around?

In the end he decided, like Haruhi, his personal business was just that, his personal business.

But then, as his car pulled through the gates to his home a thought occurred to him

…Kyaya-san… and Haruhi! AIYAH! Were they together? Perhaps they where eloping! Dating secretly behind everyone's back! Perhaps they had already gone all the way and Haruhi was to ashamed to come to school! If this is so, they must have secretly married and Kyoya is rushing home to be with his blushing bride! AHHH! What a scandal! Why would Mother betray me! His Royalness's overreaction drive kicked in and began shouting at his driver

"To The Ohtori home! Go now!"

And with a screech of tires they where off again.

Upon reaching the Ohtori house, Tamaki waited at the gate for someone to open it.

The driveway seemed… emptier. The Windows where not as fall of warmth and light, as they usually where at this hour. After a few moments, a voice came over the intercom.

"Gomenisai Master Souh, Master Ohtori is not currently home. He informed us he would not be home after classes tonight. I'm deeply sorry for your troub-"

"Where is he!" Tamaki yelled before the voice even finished.

"I… I have been instructed to not tell you sir."

"You what!" Tamaki was shouting loudly, his mind racing with possibilities and disbelief.

"Ohhh Kyoya-san..."

"Don't worry Haruhi, I will be as gentle with you as I would be with the most delicate flower."

"Ahhh nooo! Driver! To Haruhi's residence! Quickly!"

Will I make it in time? Before my sweet daughter has been taken advantage of… or worse!

Kyoya raised his hand and brought to down firmly to her tear stained cheek. Haruhi fell to the floor, clutching the sheet to her trembling breast. He said nothing, but pulled his shirt on and turned to go…

"DRIVE FASTER!"

It was dark by the time they had gotten through the cross town traffic, and the streets where dark and empty. But as they pulled onto the street where Haruhi's apartment complex was, something was out of place. There where several cars parked out front of her house. Expensive looking cars. Ohtori family cars!

"I KNEW IT! I knew he was taking advantage of her! Don't worry Haruhi! Daddy is coming to the rescue!" He took off at a breakneck speed out of the car, over the fence and up the stairs. He didn't even knock, but threw her apartment door open, smoke coming out of his nostrils, flames in his eyes. He had never been so angry and betrayed in his life. How DARE his best friend take advantage of his sweet daughter behind his back!

There, crammed into the living room, was Haruhi's father, dressed out in his wig, and fell fitting sun dress. Across the small table sat Kyoya, and several of his personal assistance, and one man in a white coat. The air was instantly heavy, and intense. This was not the scene Tamaki had thought he would find behind the door.

Kyoya did not even look at him, only pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Tamaki-sempai, what brings you here…"

"I should be asking you the same thing!" He yelled in one of this strange, spastic moments.

"Ranka-san asked me to be here…" His eyes glared with annoyance. Tamaki froze.

"But… I-I-… I thought…" He seem to wilt under this icy cold gaze.

"Please excuse me Ranka-san." Kyoya stood up and bowed a little to Haruhi's father, and headed for the door, taking Tamaki by the arm and walked him to his car. They sat down inside, Tamaki still slightly limp and sheepish.

"I told you… If Haruhi had wanted you in her business she would have asked you to be here and not I."

"But you! You are taking advantage of our sweet daughter! And I can not allow such actions to be permitted out of wedlock-"

Kyoya would have slapped him had he not been quite so sobered at the moment.

"There is nothing of that sort going on Tamaki! I'm offended you would even imply…"

"Then where is she! Why are you here! What's with the sneaking around!"

"I… She asked me… not to say, to you..." He looked away from Tamaki. Guilt closed his throat, but his complexion stayed calm and serene. He face had never betrayed him. He prayed now would not be the first time.

"Kyoya! What are you hiding! You have to tell me!" He grabbed his friend arms and shook him till his glasses nearly fell off, panic was setting it. This feel of "un-right-ness" was growing, swallowing him up. He felt like the water was rising, that he was sinking. Something… something was so wrong.

Kyoya in her house, her father, the man in the coat… his mind froze.

The man in the white coat… a white lab coat…

"…. A doctor…?"

"From my family's hospital, yes." He picked up his glasses and cleaned them on a small handkerchief from the pocket of his black silk shirt.

"Why would… a…"

Oxygen… it was getting hard to breathe. What was going on, for a moment everything seemed to swirl out of control. He was powerless and confused.

"… Ha... Haru..hi… where is she…" His instincts took over. Tears came to him eyes, without control his mind race through worst case scenarios. Graphic images flashed through his head.

Haruhi's body laying in the gutter

Haruhi's sobbing figure curled up in the rain

Car crashed

Home robbery

or worse

Before he could say more the car was moving. Moving forward, away from Haruhi's home. But this mind was lost in chaos, it was indescribable, as if with out even knowing what was going on, he had already assumed the worst, despite the little voice in the back of his head telling him not to jump to conclusions, but conclusion was an island he already was on.

It took nearly an hour to get back across town. Tamaki had managed to calm himself, but he and Kyoya exchanged no words. Because there where no words to say at this moment. It was as if they where basking in the calm before the storm, and they where both aware of it.

In the waiting room of the 8th floor of the Ohtori Hospital Kaoru and Hikaru laughed together at some little game they where playing with a girl in a wheel chair, she giggled at their sport. After all, entertaining was what they did best. When Tamaki and Kyoya stepped off the elevator they both froze.

"Tamaki-san! What are you doing here?" they smiled in unison, stepping directly in his path.

"You two are in on this as well?"

"We don't know what you're talking about!" They shrugged.

" It's ok, let him go to her." When Kyoya spoke they obeyed. "At the end of the hall there…" He pointed to the door, it was closed with no name plate placed on it, only the number 892.

He nearly ran to the door, but his hand faltered when he reached for the knob. He was frightened of not knowing, of intruding when she has asked to keep whatever was wrong a secret from him.

He felt hands on his shoulder, he looked over his left shoulder, than his right. Kaoru and Hikaru.

"Go on Tamaki-kun! She'll be happy to see you!"

"Yeah Ouji-sama, go on it and tell her hello, i bet It'll put a great big smile on her face!"

Tamaki's violet eyes lit up a little, and then the shine faded.

"But you guys haven't even told me why she's here-"

"Just go in and see her" In unison they opened the door, pushed him inside, and closed it softly. With a sigh they looked into each other's eyes, like looking in a mirror.

"Do you think he'll be ok?"

Kaoru shrugged.

"I sure hope so."

The room was quiet aside from the steady and slow beep of a heart monitor. It smelled sterile, but sweet. He suddenly felt embarrassed he had come empty handed when the table beside the window held so many bouquets of flowers. Her host club uniform was hanging on a hanger on the wall, her shoes set nicely beside it. Her school bag, a little box of chocolates on the bedside table, and a few shojo manga. and then... her.

Haruhi lay on the stark white sheets, her usually warm cheeks where pale and sunken, covered in purple and red bruises. Her deep chocolate hair, that Tamaki so adored, seemed dull, but has been carefully French braided into pig tails and tied off with little pink ribbons. An oxygen mask had been taped to her shallow cheeks. Her slender beautiful arms lay on top of the blankets, and all sorts of machines where hooked up to them. Tape and wires crisscrossing the huge bandages and violet marks that peppered her skin. She looks pitiful, and broken. So fragile laying there, she looked... destroyed. Takumi tried to stand up, but the water was rising, his knees felt week. He stumbled forward and leaned with both hands against the bed. It was rising, rising over his head and he couldn't breathe. He covered his mouth, he felt ill. As he did he must have put to much weight on the bed because, it moved with a grinding noise on the cold floor. Haruhi did not so much as flinch. He winced, and a sob broke, but his eyes remained wide, and focused on her. With one trembling hand he reached up to touch her, her hands as cold as ice.

"Hime-sama..." He whispered softly, because it was all he could manage. he couldn't breathe, he couldn't swallow, he could only look upon her and feel wave after wave pull him under, sucking the very strength from his body.

why?... what is going on here? I don't understand. On Thursday she was so full of spirit like she always was, and now, by Wednesday, this...

And he cried silently, and held her hand, unable to fight the tide, unable to hold back. If no one was telling him what was going on, then it must be the worst.

"Tamaki..." Hikaru's voice was soft, and his brother hands shook Tamaki's shoulders. "Tamaki, we should go now..."

"No... I will stay..." he said through his haze. he had half fallen asleep, half zoned out with his head down on the edge of Haruhi's bed.

"No, You're coming home. you can come stay with us tonight."

He was to tried, his mind was to weak and to raked with questions to fight their hands as they pulled him to his feet and walked him out of the room. he couldn't pull his eyes away from her, couldn't shake the tears from his eyes.

There was so much wrong he didn't know. He was to afraid to ask, to afraid to break down now.

The ride to the Hitachiin's home was a somber one. Tamaki rode hunched over between Karou and Hikaru, one of their hands on each of his shoulders, and he trembled. The twins exchanged sorry looks over his back and would shrug from time to time, as if holding a conversation in their eyes only they could understand.

When they arrived they walked him up to their chambers, one of Tamaki's servants had already brought over a case with his clothing and personal items and they where all laid out on a guest bed that had been brought into the twin's room.

The three had known each other long enough that they knew how Tamaki was going to react, and they where fearful for him. He was their leader, yes, but he was also a lot more fragile than he liked to let on. That's why he could never face Haruhi directly, but would lay down his life for her with out a second thought. Just the way they knew he would lay down his life for them if it.

He sat heavily on the bed, and shaking fell backward to stare up at the ceiling.

"... tell me... everything..." He squeezed his eyes closed.

"Tamaki... are you sure-"

"Tell me Kaoru!"

But Hikaru spoke up, his tone flat and dry.

" I guess it was Thursday night... she was riding his bicycle back from school after host club. The best we can figure is someone grabbed her, we don't know where they took her, only that she was missing for a good twelve hours before she turned up on the sidewalk outside her apartment. she was beaten severely, and Tamaki... she was... raped..."

His dry throat cracked, just as Tamaki pulled his arm over his face, and his sobs broke again.

"Why...?"

Kaoru sat beside Tamaki and stroked hi hair softly.

"These thing... sometimes, they just happen-"

"No! No they don't just happen..." He rolled on his side, burring his face into Kaoru's thighs, not thinking, and sobbed.

"Her father called Kyoya in a panic, they don't have insurance, and had no money to pay to have her taken to a hospital... so Kyoya, of course took her directly to his family's hospital. He's paying for everything."

"She'll only get the best Tamaki... only the best for our hime..." Now Kaoru was crying softly, and he held Tamaki's shaking body.

"What little she said before they put her under was to not tell anyone, to not concern anyone with her problems... especially... you, Tamaki. She was ashamed, she didn't want you to see her, I think..."

Kaoru gave his brother a look, begging him to stop, for with each word Tamaki's sob became harder, rougher. He was coughing, and gagging on his tears, whispering things under his breathe.

After a long, lingering moment, Hikaru left the room, Kaoru and Tamaki where alone.

"S-some... some prince I am... when she needed me most... I couldn't save her... I couldn't rescue her... "

"Shhh Tamaki... these things, they can't be helped..."

"Did... did Kyoya say... she was going to get well?" He paused and lookup at into Kaoru's eyes. He swallow hard, and stared back down into that violet ocean, so beautifully innocent, so strangely like the eyes of a child. That was love, Kaoru knew, that was love in Tamaki's eyes shining like that, beneath the shrink wrap layer of tears.

"Well," He brushed Tamaki's forehead. "She hasn't woken up since they brought her to the hospital, it's... it's on her now... there's little more they can do for her... body." Neither one thought about their motions, or positions as the lays curled around one another. It was not what was important at the moment. This was not the host club, and right now, they where not hosts. Tamaki was just a child sinking slowly into the sea, and Kaoru was his lifeline...

Nothing else needed to be said. They changed into their bed clothes and laid down.

For a long time Tamaki laid awake and stared at the wall, images and words running deep through his mind. how could he sleep? Every time he closed his eyes, she was there, inside of his eye lids. Her skin bandaged and broken, her little heart, oh, how it must hurt. Such an innocent child... how... how could this have happened? How could he have let this happen? If he truly cared for her, why could he not show it. If only he took a little more responsibility for her! Would it really kill him to give her a ride home everyday? This was no longer a question... if she would even look at him again that is. If she ever forgave him for letting her down, if she ever forgave him for not rescuing her. If she ever forgave him, he would break his rule and interfere with her life. He would make things different for her... again.

"What do you think Hikaru…" Kaoru whispered as she quietly crept into bed with his brother. It wasn't something they truly did to often, but tonight, tonight it would be ok. He felt cold and alone, he felt sorry for Tamaki and helpless for Haruhi. He felt numb and empty, so he pressed himself to Hikaru's warm chest, his bare skin feeling smooth and comforting against him.

"I think that Tamaki needs not cry so much." We wrapped his arms around his twin, pressing his face into this rumpled hair. "He's make you upset…"

"But what about Haruhi?"

"She to stubborn. She won't let anyone help, if he wants want to help her..." he closed his eyes and just shook his head. There was nothing more to say.

When Tamaki returned to the hospital, it was alone. He needed to be with her, to be alone in the silence for a long time. To let him think clearly. He had taken the day off from school and club activities had been postponed. Kyoya had build an excuse as to why, and where Haruhi was. As he came up to her room he wondered again why no name had been placed on her door, and why her room was so far away from the other patients rooms, back at the end of a long hall on a floor not normally used for such a thing. He tried not to think as he put his hand on the door and pushed it open. Inside the lights where off, and only the heart monitor glowed slowly in the room. For a moment his stomach rose up in his throat, but he swallow hard and calmed himself with much effort. And then, with all this might, he smiled.

"Good morning Haruhi... Did you sleep well?" De did his best to use his best swagger, his most beautiful smile, his most charming tone. "I brought you something..." he pulled up a chair next to her bedside. "See it's my teddy!" he grinned widely and placed the poor abused bear under her arm. For a moment his fingers brushed her skin, and he saw her eye lid flutter. With a gasp he was on his feet, his chair screeched away with the force. "Haruhi! Haruhi! Can you hear me!" He half shouted looking down directly into her face. "Haruhi! Its Tamaki! Please... if you can hear me! please wake up! please!" His voice became tight. He pleaded with her, unsure if she would even hear his words. "Haruhi..." He cupped her face in his hands. "Please... wake up... please... " But there was no more reaction from her, aside from the steady beeping of the heart monitor.

The knock at the door woke Tamaki up, and through sleep blurred vision he watched the door open and Kyoya walk in.

"Oh, Tamaki-kun, you're still here."
He nodded slowly, rubbing his eyes with one hand, the other was wrapped around Haruhi's.

"Good." He pulled up another chair from across the room and opened his notebook. In silence he scanned the pages, as if he did not come here to talk to Tamaki at all.
For a long time they said nothing, Tamaki only looked from his face to hers, and back again inquisitively. The longer the silence went on, the more upset it made him. Why him... why did he get to be the hero... why did he get to be her prince? It should have been me to save her, it should have been me...
Finally Kyoya spoke.

"She can go home soon. My family will supply her with all the medical equipment and attention she needs, I think she will be safer from a scandal in her home than here..." He did not even look away from his book.

"But her home is so small!" He blurted out with out thinking.

"Would you have her exposed? I have done everything I can to shield her from a scandal. I have hidden here away on this floor, I have stifled any rumor to the media, I have taken care of everything to keep this silent."

"What does it matter if they find out she a girl!"
Kyoya snapped his book closed, and pushed his glasses up on his nose.

"Don't you understand? This is a lot more than that... If this got out, it would reflect back on all of us, on the club, on our school, on our families. On you. Tamaki, I'm not protecting her, I'm protecting the host club!"
Lighting flashed outside the window, for a moment silhouetting Tamaki against the purple flash, casting deep shadows on Kyoya sharp features.
and then the light gave way to the shadows and all was bathed in soft darkness once again.

"I will take her to my home then."
for a long moment the only sounds there the steady beeping of the heart monitor and the faraway rumble of thunder.

"You cannot!" He stood up out of his chair, "You promised not to interfere with her life!"

"I already did! It's my family's money that brought her to this school! It's out club that has taken her in! It's our companionship she depends on! It's our-... It's my fault this happened!"
And again the lighting crashed, loud and bright, as if just overhead. When the blinding light faded Kyoya was staring into Tamaki's eyes full of hurt and anger, and over flowing with tears. He thought of Tamaki in the younger years, when they first started the host club. When Tamaki first promised not to get involved with the girls lives', when they there all so young and naive. He knew it was going to come to this someday. He knew, that Tamaki would loose his heart, and that his head would shortly follow.

"No Tamaki! That would only make the scandal bigger! People will know, they will find out and they will talk! It could destroy you, and what of your father? What of his reputation! A scandal like that could be crippling!"
He wanted to shout at him, and wanted to tell him his was being stupid. But what good would yelling do anymore? What good did anything do anymore. He turned his eyes back to Haruhi's soft face, unmoving in the light. He closed his eyes and swallowed

"You saved her once, it's my turn to protect her... and the host club. Trust me Kyoya. Trust me like you always have. I... I have to do this."

"For Haruhi... or for yourself?"

And the thunder rolled on all night long.