Author's Note: This story contains mature content about relationships. There is a lot of descriptive lemon as the intent of my stories is to provide sexual education in a fun way. However, I keep thing interesting with a plot as well. Characters may appear OOC because they are not children any more but middle aged. The story is based on the anime.

I do not own Ouran Host Club of any of its characters.

Chapter 1

Haruhi took a step into the hotel bar. It was not the first time she had been to a bar by herself but it always felt weird to be a woman by herself. It had been a tough day and all she wanted to do was sit at the bar, listen to the piano player while sipping a glass of whiskey. And darn it, she wasn't going to let stereotypes about women stop her from what she really wanted. It's not like she was trying to pick up a guy for a one night stand, she just wanted to unwind.

Finding a corner of the bar that was empty, she took a seat and waited for the bartender. "Hello Ms. Fujioka. Long time no see. I guess you don't have much business in Japan these days." He placed her usual drink in front of her.

"Yeah, my clients are thinking of shutting down the Tokyo branch. I will probably be here every week for the next few months until the branch is sold."

"Almost seems a shame to fly that entire distance home just to turn around and come back here a few days later. Well, at least I will get to see more of my favorite customer. This place just isn't the same without you and those beautiful eyes of yours."

"Nobu, you know you don't have to flatter me. You're going to get a good tip regardless."

"But that is not why I like to talk with you," he said as he flashed his dazzling smile that would make any other woman in the room swoon. Haruhi had to smile to herself. He reminded her a lot of somebody else in her life. "Got another customer, but nobody as beautiful as you," he said as he walked towards the woman who had just walked in.

At that point the piano player started playing and Haruhi just looked down her glass of whiskey. She picked it up and took a sip of the glorious liquid that trickled down a sensuous burn to warm her stomach. She had picked up some expensive tastes over the years and enjoyed the smooth flavor of the expensive spirit. It had been years since she lived in Japan although work always seems to bring her back. So much time had passed by and so much had changed.

The day she told her father that she was moving with Tamaki to France. Boy, he looked like he was going to faint. Actually, he might have but it was always difficult to decipher acting and reality with Ranka. It was a choice she had made although she looked back at it with some trepidation. She had everything a woman could want – a career, a handsome husband, 2 beautiful children, financial security. Then why was she so unhappy? Why did she feel so alone? Why did it feel like there was a void longing to be filled, but with what, she didn't know.

She sat there lost in her thoughts with the gentle melody of the piano in the background when a voice from a distant past fluttered by her. She wasn't sure if it was just a memory or reality until she looked up to see a talk dark figure seated on the stool next to hers with his back to her. No, it was probably just her imagination she thought until she heard the voice again. "Dalmore on the rocks." It sounded so familiar but she couldn't place it. Where did she know that voice from? Suddenly the piano player went into a Chopin melody that was her favorite. All thought left her mind as she closed her eyes to block out the realities of her life, even if it was just for that brief moment. Right now, right here, she felt a sense of sad joy, loneliness coupled with a calmness that haunted her. This was why she wanted to be here. To forget about everything else.

An hour later, the whiskey glass was empty and the piano player was taking a break. One drink was her limit, but today she felt like breaking the rules. Waving to Nobu, she pointed to her empty glass. Within a minute, Nobu had another drink in front of her.

"Well well. My little Miss goody-to-shoe is trying to get drunk. I don't think I've ever seen you drink more than one drink."

"Nobu, I am not going to get drunk on two drinks. And anyway, sometimes its good to change it up a bit."

Haruhi had barely finished her sentence when the dark figure sitting next to her this whole time swung around his stool and almost fell off. "Haruhi? Haruhi Fujioka? Or should I be saying Suoh?… My my! It is you. I can't believe I am bumping into you here in this hotel. What are you doing here? I thought you lived in France."

"Kyouyo! I knew I recognized that voice. Oh my goodness. This is quite a surprise. And all this time you were sitting right next to me. How have you been doing?" Getting up from her stool she gave him a hug.

"Nothing you probably don't already know about," alluding to his very public divorce from his most recent supermodel ex-wife. "But why don't you tell me about yourself and what brings you to Japan. Goodness, the last time I saw you was at your wedding. You still with that idiot husband of yours or have you finally come to your senses?" Kyouya asked, flashing a very playful smile at her.

"Yup, still with that idiot, and no, he's still as flamboyant as ever. We actually have 2 kids now. I heard you have kids too now."

"Yeah, but they are mostly with their mother."

"Typical. Why is it that when people divorce, women always get the burden of raising the kids?"

"Well, ms feminist, you haven't changed much since the Ouran days. Still as blunt as ever. Not that I need to justify my situation, but just so you know, they live in the US. Their mother and I decided it would be better for them there, out of the spot light so they can lead normal lives instead of growing up under the scrutiny of the press as the next Ootori heirs. If they lived with me or I moved to where they were, the paparazzi would be constantly following them around. It was not a decision I made lightly."

"I'm sorry Kyouya. I shouldn't judge people's lives without understanding the details first. Anyway, how old are they now?"

"Noriko is 14 and Motoko is 12. What about your kids?"

"Rene just turned 10 and Paul is 6."

"You have any pictures of your kids."

"Somewhere. I'm not the kind of parent that is constantly flashing their kids pictures at every unsuspecting victim. Oh I remember. I took some pictures on my new iPhone." Fiddling with the phone. "Let me see, how does this work? I'm not quite up-to-date on these new mobile devices…Here we go, this one is just from last week when I took them to the park." Holding up the phone, Haruhi showed it to Kyouya.

"They look adorable. And don't worry, I'm a parent too so I love seeing kids pictures." Kyouya started scrolling through the pictures. "How come you're not in any of these pictures?"

"Well, somebody had to take the pictures."

"That's what husbands are for, did you figure that out yet," Kyouya asked teasingly.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Haruhi let a jaded smile pass her lips. "He was busy that day."

Kyouya kept scrolling through the pictures. "Here they are on their bikes and this one looks like a birthday party. Some type of reading function. They truly are beautiful. Any pictures of Tamaki in here? I think the last time I saw him was at your wedding too. Goodness, how long ago was that!"

"Fifteen year," Haruhi slowly took the phone back. She seemed sad thinking about the past 15 years of her life as she looked into her whiskey glass that was now empty. Kyouya waved for Nobu and 2 fresh glasses of whiskey appeared before both of them.

After a moment of silence, Kyouya finally asked, "Do you regret the decisions you made?"

Silence.

"Is it other women?"

"No, no, not at all. He would never do anything like that to me." Haruhi paused, battling with herself if she should say more. But the alcohol was loosening her tongue and all the emotions bottled up started to seep out. "Actually, that is something I could easily live with. Hell, I would be all up for trying one of those alternative lifestyles of swinging or polyamory. That's not it."

"Then what is?"

Haruhi looked at her whiskey glass again and took a deep breath. "Nothing really. I guess I am just being over demanding. I have the greatest husband in the world who gave up his family's fortune to be with me. He would never cheat on me. He spends his days working hard and weekends mowing the lawn. It's just not right for me to ask for anything more. I mean, if it wasn't for me, he would be living as the Souh heir right now, not working hard to provide us the life me have." Haruhi took a huge gulp of her whiskey as she thought about what she had just said. She knew she was lying to herself.

And so did Kyouya.

"Haruhi, Tamaki made a choice on how he was going to live his life. You have nothing to feel guilty about. Giving up a fortune to live your life how you want to and be with the person you want to – well, if I had been Tamaki, I would have made the same choice. I am lucky I was never asked to make that choice."

"I know, but I can't help but feel guilty about asking for more. I see women whose husbands don't work or are total losers and here I am complaining about a man who wants to provide us financial security. Anyway, we shouldn't be talking about useless complaints. Why don't we talk about something more pleasant? Tell me about your life."

"Goodness Haruhi, people say I put up a mask, but I seem a novice in front of you. Sometimes you have to let those feelings bottled inside of you out. Tell me why you are unhappy. I want to hear. We may not have seen each other in a while, but I am still your friend and I hope you can talk to me."

"Thanks Kyouya. Nobody has wanted to listen to my woes in years. Actually ever since the kids were born it's like I ceased to exist. I guess I get upset when Tamaki spends all this time listening to his friends' problems but doesn't seem to notice how unhappy I have been. I mean, if you could see it written all over my face within an hour, why can't he see it living next to me each day? I don't feel like I can approach him with my problems and just talk to him anymore. Last time I mentioned how unhappy I was with my job, he just rolled his eyes. I know I've said it many times before, but sometimes I just want to be able to say it to somebody and have them lend a sympathetic ear. When I tell him there is something that is making me unhappy, I want him to WANT to try to change that, not just say nothing. Is that asking too much?"

"Haruhi, if anything, you never asked for anything. You were always strong, first for your father and now for your husband. But its OK to feel vulnerable and want to be taken care of. That's what life partners are there for."

"Sometimes I feel like we are just roommate living together. We talk about investments and what the neighbors are doing. We discuss the kids' schedules or more like I tell him about it since he is too busy to handle that. We hardly even have sex any more. I mean I know I don't look like I used to and I put a few pounds on since the kids were born, but I think I'm in pretty good shape for a woman my age. But I feel like the pushy girlfriend who is always throwing herself at a man that doesn't want her. A woman, even a very confident one, can take only so many rejections until she starts to internalize it. I think he would rather jack-off in the shower than be with me."

Haruhi could feel the sting of tears in her eyes that she was trying to hold back. "You know I've tried the sleazy outfits and toys. I even read up on blow job techniques. And it got me nothing." Haruhi let out a nervous laugh. She couldn't believe she just said "blow job" in front of a friend she hadn't seen in 15 years. "You must think I'm a nymphomaniac and crude talking to you about blow jobs and sex toys."

Haruhi had quickly finished her third glass of whiskey and it was definitely going to her head. But talking so openly with Kyouya felt good and embarrassing at the same time. While she sat there contemplating whether to order another one, Kyouya signaled the bartender for refills.

"The last thing I think of you is a nymphomaniac. Sex is a big part of life and I don't understand why everybody has to be such a prude about a normal body function. There's nothing wrong with wanting to talk about it. Men want or don't want sex just as much as women. Funny thing is all my relationships have been the opposite of your situation where my libido has been greater than my partner's. Sexual compatibility is a very important part of a relationship. It's difficult to navigate a relationship when the two of you are on different planes of desire."

"Kyouya, it's not just the sex. I want some romance and attention. And want to feel desired and know that somebody cares when I'm unhappy. I don't want to be in a relationship that is so mechanical and practical that all we talk about it future financial planning. I want to be with somebody that is an equal partner in all aspect: sexual, intellectual, emotional and social. I thought Tamaki was that person. He was so romantic and emotional but really smart at the same time. He knew how to have a good time but also valued family and friends. However, over the years, I sometimes wonder if what he really cares about is his work, and the children and I are just accessories to his lifestyle. We have become so distant. Do you know, last month I had a minor medical procedure done that I didn't even tell him. I didn't want to face the indifference if he showed no concern at all. I feel so guilty saying this, because I know he is a good man and the reason he works so hard is to give us financial security. He tells me he loves me very much every day. He doesn't drink or smoke. He totally stopped flirting with other women. Kyouya, tell me why I'm driving myself crazy like this? Why can't I be satisfied is what I have? Why do I want so much more?"

"That's because you deserve so much more." He reached over and gave her hand a gentle squeeze to let her know that it was OK to talk to him. The contact sent immediate electricity through her body that she hadn't felt in years. Quickly withdrawing her hand, she picked up her glass of whiskey and gulped it down. She wasn't sure what was happening and suddenly she couldn't think straight. She needed anther drink. As she waved down Nobu, the charming man came over. "Sorry beautiful, but the bar is closing. I'm afraid I'm actually going to have to kick you out." With that, he slipped two bills in front of Haruhi and Kyouya.

"Kyouya, I really enjoyed talking to you tonight. Please don't take this the wrong way, but do you want to go up to my room and keep talking. This place always has a well stocked mini bar and I never get to actually hang out with friends any more. It's always kids' birthday parties and other boring stuff with socialite mothers who stay home all day with nannies to take care of their kids and still complain about being busy. I really need to just feel like a person beyond a mother and wife."