salut et quoi de neuf (hi and what's new)! Une Mémoire Préciuse is my first oneshot. i hope everything turned out okay (i was listening to music in three different languages while working on it, so sorry if it has weird grammar, etc). just as a warning, this story has a bit of tamaki and haruhi. read and review, s'il vous plait.

disclaimer: ouran high school host club and its characters do not belong to me, but all original characters are mine. also, Roselle is not me (MistyRose14 equals Roselle, NO).

Une Mémoire Précieuse

Those gentle eyes…they masked pain behind them and were brightly shining like gems. His personality made himself stand out. He was unique - unlike anyone I've ever known. I doubt that I would ever forget him…

Suoh Tamaki silently stared at the laptop screen alone - the rest of the Host Club members were observing him from behind the couch. They were shocked at his solemn state and seemed distant while interacting with customers.

"Boy, what's eating him up?" Hikaru asked from their hiding spot. Kaoru, Mori and Hunny shrugged and continued to watch. "It's not right seeing him like this…by the way, where is Haruhi?" Mori stood up and sat back down to see if she was nearby. He shrugged as a report.

Tamaki rested his head on his hand and sighed. There were so many things he missed about France, but…

"Tamaki -senpai?" Haruhi asked, setting down the tea tray she was carrying and interrupting his thought. "What's wrong?"

Tamaki avoided her eyes, afraid that he might say things that would damage their relationship. She would probably understand, but at the same time, she should not know. She could not know.

"Tamaki-senpai?" Haruhi repeated, leaning forward towards his face. Surprised by how close his daughter was to him, he scooted his chair about a meter away while his face turned as red as a tomato.

"Just let him do his moping," Kyouya advised as he walked by, checking the weekly profits on a palm-pilot. "I doubt that it's a good thing to have him share one of his many problems right now."

"But we can't just let him sit there, he'll scare away the customers!" Hikaru added from behind the couch. Mori popped his head up to nod.

Kyouya calculated what Hikaru predicted and sure enough, it added up. The entire room was quiet as Kyouya pushed his glasses up and worked on a plan. In less than twenty seconds, he signaled the rest of the Host Club to come out from behind the couch. Haruhi, who was tired of thinking about the situation, picked her tea tray back up and continued on her way to refill the teapot.

As the Host Club organized and discussed together, Tamaki kept his eyes on the picture he was studying on the laptop. "Je suis désolè, Roselle…"

I had never been called a "queen". With my plain light brown hair and pure blue eyes, I believed that I would be lucky to be called "princess." My parents named me with the likeness of a rose in mind; I thought that I should not compare myself to such a beautiful thing. I floated along day by day, surrounded by beautiful people in an even more beautiful country. Perhaps I decided to ignore my own lovely appearance due to a secret I had kept all of my life. No one else ever told me that I wasn't fit for the title of "princess".

My 14th birthday was in March and I had decided to make the best out of that year. I was doing well in school, but I felt alone. My sister, Angelique, was a year younger than me, but I rarely saw her during the school day. Sometimes I would wander around the school, searching for something to keep me busy for a while. One day, while walking by a music room, I found something that changed my life.

It was the sound of a piano and whoever was playing it was extremely skilled. I had been taught the basics of piano playing but I could never play that well. At first I tried to recognize the composer, but I gave up, only wanting to enjoy the song. The melody touched my heart and flowed through my body, making me feel like a divine rose for once. As the last notes were being played, I felt a single tear rush down my cheek, moved by what an impact the piano had on me. I heard the pianist collecting their things and the footsteps approaching the door. Panicking, I tried to walk away, but it was too late; the door opened right as I was attempting to escape.

"Bonjour, Mademoiselle," the voice behind me greeted in a warm voice. I spun around, flustered at what a strange situation I had gotten into.

"Bonjour, Monsieur," I replied, facing him and seeing my own reflection in his indigo eyes. "Désolè (sorry)," I apologized and began to take off.

"Hmm? Pourquoi (why)?" his question prevented me from leaving, which I truly wanted to do.

"I-I overheard you in there and was going to leave…and…I'm just sorry." I felt myself losing control of my thoughts and for a third time aimed to flee. He didn't stop me that time, but while running away, I caught a smile on his face. From my first impression of him, I would have never guessed that he would have a smile after such an embarrassing encounter. Could I actually cause someone like him to smile?

"Who's that pretty girl in the picture?" Hunny asked Tamaki as he saw the photo he was carrying around.

"A friend from France," Tamaki answered and took a seat at a table by the window, watching the students of the school going on with their daily lives.

"She seems friendly," Hunny added, hugging his cute pink bunny closer to him. "Do you think she likes bunnies?"

Tamaki smiled while the rest of the Host Club observed from behind their couch. Currently "Operation: Send In Hunny For Happy Tamaki" was a success. Hikaru was doing a small victory dance, celebrating the triumph of his plan.

"Kyouya, did Tamaki ever mention that girl?" Kaoru asked Kyouya who was busy on his laptop.

"No, and I'm looking for information on her," Kyouya replied, searching through a giant database with statistics and facts on almost everyone. "It would be easier if Hunny could get her name-"

"Psst! Hunny, get her name!" Hikaru whispered loud enough for Hunny to hear. Tamaki looked back at the couch sure that he heard something. Hunny nodded, signaling that he received the message.

"What's her name? I bet it's pretty." Hunny added an adorable grin to emphasize his innocence. There was a long pause from Tamaki, his eyes closely focused on the photograph.

"Roselle," he said at last, closing his eyes to remember something. "I'm sorry, I don't remember her last name."

"That's okay. Roselle…like a rose!" Hunny said her name exceedingly loud for Kyouya to hear. Sure enough, Kyouya heard the name and typed it in under a special search page.

"No last name?" he asked Hikaru to relay to Hunny. Hikaru repeated the question to Hunny, but he shook his head. "I don't know how many girls in France are named Roselle, but I can guess that there will be more than one," he sighed, knowing that the search for the girl Tamaki was thinking about would not be easy.

Even though I desperately wanted to go back to the music room, I avoided it as if it were carrying a disease. I limited my exploration time and searched everywhere I went to make sure he wasn't there. Why was I afraid of him? I thought that someone as plain as myself shouldn't bother someone as amazing him. While I believed that, I began to practice the piano again. At first I thought that it was a crazy idea, but as I practiced more and more I felt the music curing me somehow. It was stupid to suppose that I had taken the proper steps to keep away from him when obviously I had picked something up to link us together.

I was nervous the first time I practiced at a music room in school. It wasn't the same one he had been playing in, but nevertheless, I had this fear that he would come in at any moment. I was playing Mozart's Serenade, a song that I had heard Angelique perform several times. In that music room, I felt my own emotions echo throughout the entire space, my minor wrong notes and rhythms barely bothering me at all. The entire time I played, I felt peaceful and ignored any distractions. When I was finished, I heard the door swing open slowly and someone clapping softly. Even though I thought I knew who it was, I dismissed the idea and looked up anyways.

"That was a wonderful performance, princess," he complimented with a gentle voice. My eyes shot open at the mention of myself as "princess".

"I'm afraid it wasn't as good as yours…" I said modestly, scrambling to collect my papers and run off yet again. Suddenly, I remembered about an appointment I had that late afternoon. "I've got to go somewhere, right now, so-"

"I'm sure you have a minute to spare?" he asked and sat down at the piano, as I stood speechless. He began his piece slowly and expressively, gradually speeding up and growing stronger in sound. It appeared that he had no music with him, playing the piece from memory. He had amazingly made many memorized notes and lines become pleasant moods and tones.

I felt myself wanting to play alongside him, but shut the thought out of my mind. There was a certain reason why I couldn't let myself get any closer to him, and I knew that I needed to stop being so irresponsible. Being polite, I waited until he was finished to run for it, but right as I was about to sprint, my feet wouldn't move. They were practically glued to the floor, and I tried urgently to get them to budge. He laughed, noticing how badly I wanted to leave.

"Is my playing really that bad?" he asked, giving me a subtle glance.

"I have somewhere to go…" I said, falling to the floor, exhausted from fighting with my legs. Luckily, when I fell, I ending up sitting, but my papers had been scattered. "It's the truth," I added, incase he thought I was lying. I checked the clock, and knew that I would be late for the appointment that was scheduled.

He smiled, understanding the importance of my situation. "I'll let you go, but I need to know your name," he stated at last, helping me collect my papers.

"Roselle," I answered, trying to get back to my feet. "Yours?"

"Tamaki," he said, walking towards the door to open it for me. "By the way, your name fits your appearance well, Roselle."

As I left, I quietly whispered my gratitude, embarrassed by the fact that everything had been so strange to me. What made me so special? Was it just an act that he was using? Even with the doubt in my mind, there was something else telling me that he would make a huge difference in my life.

Before I was out of the room, I did hear him say a few more words. I thought I was making things up, but my ears distinctly heard: "Someday, you will believe you are a rose…"

Kyouya smacked his forehead with his hand. Their first plan failed, and before they could collectively agree on another one, the twins went in and decided to bug Tamaki, getting them nowhere. Haruhi came over and saw how unsatisfied Kyouya was with the situation.

"Is Tamaki-senpai still down?" she asked, pulling a chair up next to Kyouya.

"Yes…and now the twins are going to drive him nuts…" Kyouya said, having a bad feeling that their plan was not helping. He returned his attention to the search page on his laptop. "We're looking for a girl named Roselle that Tamaki knew in France. I can only guess that something happened to her, but until I get a last name, I can't be sure."

Haruhi looked over at Tamaki - who was still silent even though the twins asked him hundreds of questions repeatedly - and noticed how miserable he looked. His tone was serious, and it seemed as if his mind was far away, probably in France. "Maybe I help…" Haruhi said slowly, walking towards Tamaki.

"Haruhi, save me," he begged weakly, still staring out the window.

She asked the twins to leave, and even though they didn't want to, they did exactly as she said. "You don't have to tell us anything, but it's strange when you aren't yourself. Without the father of the family, how do we know what to do?"

Tamaki remained quiet, thinking that eventually he would have to tell them the story. "I'll tell you soon, but I need time to remember it. The whole event is fuzzy now…"

Haruhi watched as he struggled with his words. She noticed the picture he was holding. "Tamaki-senpai, may I see that photo?" Haruhi asked carefully.

"Go ahead," he replied, handing the picture cautiously over to her. She studied the image, noticing how young Tamaki looked. The girl had brown hair a little bit lighter than her's and blue eyes that reminded her of sapphires. "I was fourteen when the picture was taken," he added, giving her a little bit of information at a time. "I actually do remember everything," he confessed at last, surprising Haruhi. "This was a painful but precious memory, so I'm selective about who knows about it…"

"But why is this important now?" she asked, confused by the situation.

"Because," Tamaki began, watching as a bird flew by his window. "It is the anniversary of…" his voice trailed off before he finished.

"Maybe you could try to tell all of us?" Haruhi suggested in a calm voice. "We won't be as worried about you afterwards."

Tamaki knew she was right, and as the rest of the Host Club came out from behind the couch, he prepared for telling them about the "Queen of the Roses".

After what happened in the music room, I found that he was spending more time with me. At first, it was awkward, but eventually, I loosened up and had fun. I decided to stop fighting against him and give in; I only had so much time left anyways. A month after I met him, I saw how much my opinion of myself had changed and began to flinch less and less when he called me "princess". It was May, two months after my birthday, and I started to notice how much I had grown to like him. I desperately wanted to fall in love with him, like in the movies, but I knew that it was not possible. Someday I would have to tell him about a responsibility I had to fulfill.

We were practicing in the music room, like any ordinary day. Tamaki had persuaded me to perform a piano duet with him in June, so we had some work to do. When we were enjoying ourselves and were feeling carefree, a teacher rushed in, disrupting our practice.

"Roselle, your sister has been rushed to the hospital," she said at once, and I knew how serious the circumstances were. "Your father will come to pick you up and bring you there as well," she added.

I felt my eyes welling up with tears. Typically, when Angelique went to the hospital and there was a possibility that they needed me, I went without a single tear in my eye. I didn't think that I would be that lucky today. Following the teacher wordlessly out of the room, I avoided Tamaki's gaze, hoping that he wouldn't follow me.

"Roselle? Let me come with you," he offered, grabbing my hand. I jerked it free and kept walking. "Roselle?"

"No, don't!" I yelled, looking away from him. "You could never understand how this is going to be!" I took off running, and left him behind. I ran all the way to the front of the school, where my father was waiting. Honestly, I didn't want to hurt him with the truth. If he cared about me, I didn't want to put him through what might happen to me. So I kept running, praying that someday, he might understand why.

When I arrived at the hospital, I learned that I would need to stay overnight, just in case. I fell asleep without complaining, and when I woke up, intended to visit the flower garden in the hospital. As planned, I woke up without saying a word to anyone and went to the garden. The roses had a light mist on them and the fragrances of the other flowers mingled together in the air. I thought I was alone - until I hear footsteps coming closer. I was about to turn and say good morning, but the person spoke before I could do anything.

"What's going on, Roselle?" Tamaki asked, offering a rose to me. I took the rose, and admired its beauty, knowing that he deserved to know. I sat down on a bench and he followed me.

"Ever since my sister, Angelique, was born, she has had poor health. For a couple of years now, she has needed a transplant and since I am the most reliable match, whenever she needs it, I will give it to her…" I left out the part about which organ it was on purpose - I didn't want to hear what he would say if I told him. Carefully, I looked up at him, and saw his expression. He was glad I told him the truth, but at the same time, sad that at anytime, I could be leaving him. "I was told that it might be a year until Angelique absolutely needs it," I added, trying to give him hope that I still had time left.

"Does this hospital have a piano?" he asked, catching me off guard. I looked around, uncertain, and then remembered that there might be one in a reception area.

"Follow me," I told him as we went to find a piano. He took the hand I held the rose in and at that moment, I knew that if I were needed today, I would have no regrets.

Fortunately, there was a piano and it was exactly where I thought it was. We played for about an hour, and then my mother found me, surprised that I had wandered off so early - and with a boy that she didn't know too. Before I returned to my room, I quickly introduced them to each other, and still holding my rose, followed every order my mother gave.

Back in my room, I sat at a chair by my window, watching the normal people who would live a normal life. They probably weren't needed to supply someone else's life. Shocked by such a sudden thought, I looked away from the window and climbed back into my bed. Since when did I think that my life mattered more than Angelique's? Didn't I agree to help my sister live as long as possible, even if I didn't? I stared up at the ceiling silently, and concluded that Tamaki had a strong effect on me, changing the way I thought about how my life was to be lived. But was it so wrong to finally see the beauty in myself?

"Roselle…" a small voice that was Angelique's came from the doorway. Her face had gotten even paler overnight, and she definitely appeared weaker. She walked slowly into my room and took a seat at a visitor's chair by my bed. "Mama told me about him. I'm glad that he cares so much about you," she took my hand and squeezed it tightly, knowing that I was scared now. "That's why…I don't want you to…" she began to cry, wanting her decision to give me happiness.

"No!" I sat up and grabbed many tissues from the tissue box beside my bed. "As planned, I will go through with this. Even if I am needed today, I will remember that I am a rose, and that even though the flower is gone, the symbol never dies."

"Roselle…" Angelique could not stop crying now. She wept so much that I needed to call a nurse down for more tissues. Her tears started falling on the rose, dotting them with extra dew.

As I tried to comfort her, I looked up at the doorway, and saw Tamaki there. Once again, I remembered the words he said: "Someday, you will believe you are a rose…"

"So, Roselle was a friend you had in France…and she was going to die…" Haruhi summarized aloud.

"Yes, but there's still more that happened," Tamaki said, waiting for his picture to come around the circle and back to him. "Angelique sent me an letter and an email today from France, with this photo. When I left, I guess I forgot to keep in contact with her."

Hikaru said nothing as he gave the photo to Kaoru. Both of them had chosen to be more serious with the situation, so they decided to be as quiet as they could. Mori and Hunny where their usual selves, and with Kyouya…you couldn't tell.

Kyouya flipped over the picture and on the other side it read: Merci beaucoup, Tamaki - Roselle Desjardins. He didn't say anything to the others, but passed the picture on and opened up his laptop again. "Desjardins," he whispered, typing the name softly into the search page. "From the garden…?"

Angelique had some tests done on her and it seemed like I would have a year left after all. We left the hospital the next day and Angelique and I spent quite a lot of time with Tamaki after that. He made us forget about what we had to do, easing our pain with simple words that touched us deeply. I tried to get Angelique to do the performance with Tamaki instead of me, but she insisted that I do it. Even if my playing was dreadful, she didn't want me to have any regrets before my time was up. The next month, our performance was the most brilliant thing anyone had ever heard.

Some days I would notice that he wasn't his usual cheerful self. I never asked about his family or anything, but I guessed whatever pain he was feeling was there. He would also come up with strange plans to help others, but I just went along with them, hoping to make others experience happiness. Tamaki was complex in a way - I could never tell exactly what he was thinking, and I was fine with that. In a way, it was good to live on without knowing everything about him.

Angelique had about eight months left, and the three of us were going to southern France for a summer vacation. When I went to Angelique's room to wake her up on the day of our vacation, something was terribly wrong - all of the color was drained from her face and once again she would be rushed to the hospital. I hesitated to call Tamaki when we arrived at the hospital. It wasn't fair to drag him through what was going on with my family. Yet I still called him, knowing that he would want to be there until the very end. He came later that day, busy with something else with his family.

I locked the door to my room. No one would be allowed in, and I surely would not go out. This time, I was absolutely sure that I was done. Angelique had never looked that terrible, and the doctors would not be able to wait any longer. I traced the design of a rose on a blanket I was given by my grandmother when I was little with my fingertips. The feeling gave me some comfort, but I could not ignore the fear pulsing throughout my body. It felt small and alone, my confidence in life shattered, the pieces left scattered around the floor. Still, only one person was in my head - him.

He knocked on my door every hour, and I would turn off all the lights, making it seem like I was asleep. Sometimes he would say a few words or at least leave a gift by my door - mostly flowers or a note. When it was midnight and he knocked right on schedule, I finally opened the door.

"Pourquoi?" I asked, welcoming him in but locking the door behind him. He was the only one I wanted to trust right now. "Why do you care?"

"You look pale…" he responded, ignoring my question. He sat down on my bed, finding a pile of all of his gifts at the foot of my bed. "I wondered where those went…"

"No, answer me!" I demanded, staring him directly in the eye. "You have a charming attitude and a life that you can live as long as you want. Why do you care?" My legs felt weak and I let myself drop to the floor, exhausted.

"I…want to make you happy during the time you have left," he answered simply, noticing how quickly I was beginning to cry. "Shouldn't people make others happy?" he asked, joining me on the floor.

I didn't want to be in the situation I was in. No matter how many times I knew that it was going to happen, what made me so afraid? Was getting so close to the end always this terrifying? "You're only going to hurt yourself…" I reminded him, watching the light of the moon steadily illuminate the room. "I know that tomorrow I won't be here anymore…"

He was silent for a moment, letting my words sink into him. "That's true, but I won't be satisfied until I know that you have no regrets. You're the Queen of the Roses…now what does the queen have as a final request?"

The way he made me feel then was beyond words. I wanted to spend forever being contacted by his charm, safe with him. I met his indigo eyes slowly, wondering if he would ever forget about me. Knowing that I would never get a chance to fall in love, I said faintly, "If you will never forget me…kiss me…" I was embarrassed by my demand, but I never took it back.

"I will think of you every time I am holding a rose…" he whispered softly as he leaned in, an image of a gorgeous rose blooming in my imagination. At that moment, I decided that I would always look after him, knowing that someone as pure as him was definitely real.

"This is not good…" Kyouya muttered silently to himself, seeing everything about the Desjardins family. For the most part, many of the facts were fine, except for the reality about Roselle. Haruhi detected that Kyouya knew information that no one else would know.

"What is it?" Haruhi whispered, trying to find a way to get Tamaki to return to normal. He was still telling his story to Hikaru, Kaoru, Mori, and Hunny, who were hooked onto every word.

"It says here that she died eight months earlier than planned, and there were some complications during the transplant…" Kyouya scrolled down to look at more info. "And at that time, there were some discussion about him going to Japan…he had to leave the hospital before the surgery was finished, but was able to go to her funeral."

Haruhi looked back over at Tamaki. "He's been through a lot in his life…" Suddenly Haruhi's life didn't seem as dramatic as his.

"Definitely," Kyouya agreed. "Good news is that Angelique's health improved greatly afterwards. I guess someday we should thank Roselle. In a way, she helped him become who he is today."

"We all care about him…if I ever go to France, I know what I'm going to do," Haruhi told Kyouya with a deep seriousness to her voice. She never knew that the carefree and crazy Tamaki she was around had been so important to someone she had never met before.

"I wonder how he would act if he went back there again," Kyouya wondered, remembering everything that he knew about Tamaki as well. "This really is a precious memory for him…"

He never left my room and stayed right by my side. I never asked anything else from him and even though he could have unlocked the door and left, he didn't. We could have been hiding from reality, or just counting down those last valuable seconds until we would be separated. The only thing I wanted before the transplant would be to see him one final time.

He told me about how he would have to go to Japan. I was sure that he would make many new friends and spread his personality and attitude to others. Even though his news was heartbreaking, I was glad that he was about to have a new beginning.

The doctors were worriedly pounding on my door the next morning. Tamaki had fallen asleep in a visitor's chair, and I did not want their racket to wake him up. Calmly, I unlocked the door, letting them in. They were surprised at how peaceful I was acting, and let me visit the flower garden one more time alone.

Before I went back, I was sure to pick the most fine-looking rose I saw that morning. At first, I felt guilty, robbing the rose of its life, but then I remembered that we were alike. Time wasn't fair to a rose, and at least there were people who admired it and made it seem to last for an eternity. On my way out of the garden, I noticed a white rose, standing out vibrantly around the red ones. I picked it as well, knowing that I would give Tamaki the perfect gift in return.

While I was out, he woke up, noticing that I was missing. A doctor informed him of where I was, and he ran there as fast as I could to meet me. When I was out of the garden, he found me admiring my roses.

"Roselle," he said my name with relief, but he was out of breath from worry.

"Here," I handed the rose to him. "This one's for you. I want to keep the other one with me during the transplant." I took his hand and we walked silently back to my room. There were no other words to say and even if there were, they would not be able to change anything.

The doctors were waiting for my return, and a few nurses helped them prepare me for the surgery. Tamaki waited outside until I was wheeled out for surgery. My sister would be right next to me, so I decided to save my last words for her, but second to last would be good enough for him.

He helped them move me to the operating room and before they brought me in, I asked for one last minute alone with him. They honored my wish, and disappeared around the hallway. I was so scared, I could feel my skin turning ice cold, and Tamaki grabbing my hand spread welcome warmth through my body.

"Merci beaucoup, Tamaki," I told him from my heart, trying to make the best of that minute. "You've been…like a king…"

He nodded, letting my words go into him, and his expression showing me exactly how he felt. He was frightened as well, but knew that it was his responsibility to keep me brave.

I carefully held the rose tighter, wanting the rest of my words to be meaningful. "Please, keep playing the piano…" The familiar feeling of wanting to perform next to him made my heart jump, probably trying to escape. There was no way to escape now - how could I get out of a promise? "And please don't forget about France in Japan…" It was getting harder for me to say significant things.

Tamaki didn't know what to say either. That surprised me - someone so skilled with words was finally speechless. The clock's ticking echoed in both of our ears and we knew that time was running out. Without another word, he leaned down and gave me a hug, telling me that everything would be okay. His face was hidden, but I wondered if he was crying - I knew I was and my tears were probably getting him soaked. "Je t'aime, Roselle…" he whispered so softly that it was hard to hear, but it didn't matter. If he didn't say it, I still would have felt it.

I whispered it back to him, knowing that those would probably be my final words to him. It broke my heart and I wished that I could stay with him eternally. I had decided that with my final breath, I would hope for him to fall in love with someone that he cared about a thousand times more than me. Asking him to think about me for the rest of his life was not something that I wanted him to do. Instead, I wanted his life to be free and with him doing whatever he desired.

"I will be here," he said at last, reluctantly pulling away as the doctors returned. "Like I always have…" he kissed my hand as I was being wheeled away and I remembered seeing his face, uncertain of what he was about to do next. "Au revoir, my Queen of the Roses…" he waved good-bye, trying to put a cheerful smile on his face to comfort me. As I left him, I had felt lonelier than any other time in my life.

When I was finally in the room, and the doctors prepared to put me to sleep, I spoke to my sister quietly, my voice trembling and nervous. "Make sure…that he gets all of the pictures…" I told her, keeping my rose close to me.

"I will," Angelique was thankful to me, yet she didn't want me to leave. I was her only older sister in the world, and how would she go forward without me? "Anything else?"

"Tell him…that he will be the last thing that I think about, and that I will watch over him…" I tried to keep my voice strong as the doctor who was going to put me to sleep came forward. "Au revoir, Angelique…" I whispered weakly, ready to meet my fate.

"Au revoir, Roselle…" were the final words that I ever heard.

When Tamaki finished telling the story, the entire room was soundless, each person lost in their own thoughts. He kept his picture close to him, and resumed staring out the window, remembering every single event that happened to him in the past two years.

Kyouya broke the silence, and pulled up some other pictures of Roselle that he found. "Tamaki, you should look at these," he suggested.

"Yes, you should," Haruhi added, hoping that he would listen to her. They watched as he left his seat, coming towards them little by little.

"It was strange," he said at last, looking through the pictures Kyouya was showing him. "She never knew she was special…and I felt this connection to her; kind of like how I knew that each of you had to be in the Host Club."

Haruhi paid attention to his words, noticing how true they were. Other than her debt, Haruhi felt a deep connection to each of the members, knowing that they were like family to her.

"But…it's nice how fast you can get to know someone," he added, a smile gracing his lips for the first time that day. "I'm going to the gardens," he declared, leaving the room, every member of the Host Club watching him. "I wanted to go alone, but if I meet any of you down there, that's fine…"

They waited until he had closed the main door to sneak out the side one. Kyouya stayed behind, turning off his laptop.

"You're not going?" Haruhi asked before she left.

"No, but I think if anyone talks to him, it should be you," Kyouya advised, relaxing in his chair. "I've had enough drama for one day."

Haruhi kept his words in mind, and left the room. No one could exactly understand how Tamaki felt, but what could you say to him? She knew that Kyouya was right and took a special route to get to the gardens sooner. Wondering if Tamaki would be fine walking around the gardens alone in his distant state, she took off at a sprint, trying to find him as soon as possible. She had no clue why she was worrying so much about him, but did not reduce her speed. Finally, she spotted him standing around the rose section.

"Haruhi?" he asked, amazed that she was the first person to find him. She found her heart racing and she was trying to catch her breath.

"Why…" she said in between gulps of air. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

He looked away from her, admiring the roses. "It was in the past."

"We were worried about you!" Haruhi yelled at him, frustrated at his dramatic attitude. "I was worried about you! Me, of all people." She waited for him to answer her, but he said nothing, walking past her. "What are you going to do now?" Haruhi was clearly tired of trying to keep up with him.

"Sometimes we have things we can't let go…you understand that, right?" he said, stopping with his back to her. "I have that - do you know what I call it?"

"What?" Haruhi asked, wondering if he seriously was going to tell her. But while she was angry with him, she couldn't help but respect him for caring about someone so much. Someday she would probably understand why he would do anything for her as well.

"Une mémoire précieuse (a precious memory)," he replied, and left a rose on the ground for Haruhi, hoping she would pick it up and realize that with pain, came memories that would last forever.

merci beaucoup for reading my oneshot. i only used a little bit of basic french because i didn't want to translate everything. coments and constructive criticism are welcome.