Kyoya stared at the image in front of him; a sad little smile flitted across his lips.
The picture showed him with the six people he loved. They were all happy and smiling as they crowded around a table at a restaurant. They'd all been filled with dreams, love, and hope.
The dreams were for the success of the future.
The hope was for eternal happiness and a good life.
The love was for each other, because with love they could face anything.
Kyoya knew what love was, it was a great power that made smart people do stupid things. It was a mystery that everyone knew. Love was a sense of attachment, a belief that the person or thing was special in such a way that made you care what happened to them.
He would never admit it to anyone, but he loved his fellow Host Club members. True, they were all grown and scattered across the world, but they kept in touch if any of them had a problem the others would be there in an instant.
This was a given that had been tested when Tamaki's grandmother passed away the year before. Kyoya had been in Australia; the twins were in France; Mori and Hunny had been in the U.S.A. but not an hour after getting the call from Haruhi they had all been at the airport, waiting for the next flight to Tokyo.
None of them had thought about it, they had just known that the one they loved had needed them.
That was love.
It went hand-in-hand with true friendship.
Neither time nor distance could dull it.
Unfortunately, relationships weren't the same thing.
Kyoya knew this, but it hurt him to acknowledge it.
He'd put his own dreams and goals aside to let the one he loved most, his best friend, have a relationship with someone they both loved.
And now it was all for naught.
Haruhi and Tamaki had broken up.
It was a matter of circumstances more than emotions.
During their time in university they had continued to date and go to school together. But for them it was long distance. Their schools had been five hours apart. They saw each other on holidays and weekends.
Over the years they had seen less and less of each other. Their programs were demanding and Tamaki had become even more involved in his father's business. So they put their relationship on pause. It didn't move forwards, but it never moved backwards either.
They had always told themselves and others that this would end when they graduated. They'd move in together, start their careers, and push the start button again.
Kyoya had watched from across the ocean as Tamaki had graduated and taken up a position in Suoh Industries while he waited for Haruhi to graduate.
They'd signed a lease together and begun planning things out, Kyoya had tried to keep the envy from his gaze as they rushed around, planning out the future.
And then it had all fallen apart.
Haruhi's job had fallen through; she'd been offered a paid internship in the America instead. Tamaki had protested, saying he could take care of her until she found a job near him.
She'd refused, her work ethic and pride were too strong to let her depend on anyone when there were other options.
He'd gotten hurt and angry. They'd quarreled before deciding to just take things one day at a time.
Haruhi had waited to sign to sign the contract for the internship and continued to search for a position near Tamaki. Nothing had come up, and, eventually, she had to sign or lose the position.
Not long after the signing Tamaki called her in despair and, in a broken voice, said that their relationship had been on pause for too long, and, even with the love, it wasn't strong enough to hold. Haruhi had been near tears when she agreed with him.
They broke up and Kyoya had received a long distance phone call from Tamaki, he had been in tears and wailing that his life was over.
Later he'd heard that Haruhi had called the twins and asked them to make her laugh again – they'd done their best.
Now it was three years later and Kyoya couldn't help the uneasiness that was coiling in the pit of his stomach.
Haruhi was coming back from America for the first time since the breakup.
She'd originally planned to be gone for only a year, but once she no longer had Tamaki to call her back she'd stayed longer. No one had seen her in person since she'd boarded the plane. Everytime one of them had gone to America for business she'd been busy or out of town or something.
Only Skype had let them know that she was still alive, and she had never used it often enough to suite them.
The car pulled to a stop at the terminal and Kyoya stepped out into the sea of people. It took him awhile to wend his way through the crowd, but eventually he reached the area where everyone else was waiting.
Mori stood with his American wife, a sleeping toddler in a carrying case on his back. Chelsea was a little odd, but completely devoted to Mori. Kyoya considered them one of the most interesting couples to observe. Their body language said a lot more than their words ever did, they obviously loved each other and had a strong foundation in their relationship.
Next to them were Hunny and Reiko with their twin boys, Fusao and Genji, sound asleep and parked in a stroller in front of them. Their marriage had shocked a lot of people, but their devotion to each other and their relationship was unmatched.
The Hitachiin twins were idly sitting on a bench and texting their girlfriends back in Europe. The Koenig sisters were a pair of German twins that kept the twins in line quite well. It rather amazed Kyoya that they'd managed to do what everyone else had failed at.
The first person to notice Kyoya's arrival was Tamaki's new girlfriend – Alianore.
"Ohtori! Glad you joined us!" She let go of Tamaki's hand and ran over to Kyoya, her red hair flowing behind her like a cloak. "I was worried you got busy at work or something. I can't wait to finally meet your friend. You always look so happy when you talk about her."
Kyoya put a smile on his face and tried to hide his shock. He couldn't believe that Tamaki had brought Alianore to the airport to meet his ex-girlfriend. Didn't he realize how wrong that was? What if Haruhi had been lying and still wasn't entirely over the destruction of the relationship? Didn't Tamaki consider how she would feel at the sight of some new girl hanging all over him?
Images flashed through Kyoya's head of Haruhi arriving. She saw Tamaki and Alianore, she broke down in tears and ran off. Or gained a really stoic expression, said something bland, and then just robotically walked over to baggage claim. Somehow these scenarios ended with Kyoya comforting her.
A blush stained Kyoya's checks at the thought of kissing Haruhi while comforting her. The blush disappeared an instant later when a realization occurred to him.
Since Tamaki had Alianore did that mean he could finally see if the love he felt for Haruhi was strong enough to build a relationship with? Could he confess to her and not have to worry about upsetting his friend?
Yes, he could, couldn't he? The Host Club survived Haruhi and Tamaki's breakup; surely it could survive him confessing?
Though, he wouldn't actually confess, not at first. He'd ask her to dinner and then, if that went well, he'd ask her to another. They were both adults, so they should have an adult relationship.
This plan firmly in mind Kyoya's smile broadened as he nodded about whatever Alianore was rambling about to him and Tamaki.
"Is that Haruhi?" Hunny asked as he tried to look through the sea of people pouring out of the gate.
Kyoya looked over and then whispered, "Yes, that's her."
She looked beautiful.
A happy smile was on her face and she waved when she saw them. Without even thinking about it, Kyoya waved back. Love and emotion poured through him into that wave. He loved that woman, and, hopefully, he'd have a stronger relationship with her than she had with Tamaki.
"Hey, who's that with her?" Tamaki asked, a slight furrow appearing on his brow.
Kyoya's blood turned to ice as he noticed the handsome young man holding Haruhi's hand.
"Maybe…" The twins were studying Haruhi and her friend. Then, as one, they gasped.
"Kaoru…is that a?"
"Yes, it is!"
"What's what?" Reiko asked as she pushed the stroller over and joined them, trailed by Mori and Chelsea.
"On Haruhi's finger-" Kaoru exclaimed.
"-is a diamond ring!" Hikaru finished.
And, with those few words, Kyoya's dreams came crashing down. So, that was what she had been so excited about during their last Skype conversation. He'd known she was excited about something, but he had figured it was that she was returning to Japan, he'd never imagined that she'd gotten engaged!
No one saw the look of heartbreak momentarily sweep across Kyoya's face. None of them knew that the love he felt for Haruhi was a little different than they love they felt. And, they never knew that he had been dreaming for years about turning that love into a lasting relationship.
And, as he watched Haruhi happily introduce her fiancée to them, he realized that love might last forever, but a relationship didn't.
Tamaki and he had both learned that, but at least Tamaki had gotten one with Haruhi. All Kyoya had was love.
And that was cold comfort when compared to a relationship.
Epilogue:
Hunny and Reiko have three sets of twins. They end up becoming the loving grandparents of sixteen.
Mori and Chelsea have four energetic boys. They proceed to have two grandchildren.
Hikaru and Kaoru marry the Koenig twins and have three children between the two of them. They end up with nine grandchildren after becoming in-laws with Hunny and Reiko.
Alianore and Tamaki have two little girls. They end up with six grandchildren and a lot of headaches.
Haruhi marries her American and has one little boy. He never has any children, but he does take the world by storm, leading it into the future from the United Nations.
Kyoya eventually enters into an arranged marriage. The marriage is based on trust and honesty and so is very strong, but love never appears. The two of them have a little boy and a little girl. They end up with five grandchildren, and a peaceful, content life. Though Kyoya always wonders what would have happened if he had been allowed the chance to turn love into a relationship.
Author's Note:
I don't consider this one of my best stories, but I wrote it to make myself feel better, so take it as is.
Today is July 22nd. Four years and ten months ago today I asked Zack to be my boyfriend. Four days ago he asked to end it. Actually, he asked me to ask, cuz I started the relationship. Apparently I have to do everything. Whatever.
So, if this story doesn't make sense somewhere or feels weird, I'm sorry, I wrote it with no planning. I stole all of the original characters from my Façade Universe. So if the names sound familiar, that's why. Alianore has now appeared in six of my fanfictions. Pretty good for an OC I came up with at the last minute to give Tamaki a love interest in Façade.
Oh, random trivia over, back to discussing this story: I even originally intended to let Kyoya get Haruhi at the end, but my mood isn't good enough to let that happen. So you got a semi-tragedy.
Well, with any luck I will be gone to South Korea when we reach five years exactly. If I'm still here you might get another tragedy. We'll see.
And, only because I put this at the end of every chapter:
Enjoy! Read! Review!