It's been 15 years. 15 years to the day.
"Tamaki, you can't be serious about going to work today." Haruhi sounded, as she made breakfast.
Tamaki slipped into his suit and looked in the mirror somberly as he buttoned his dress shirt and fixed his jacket.
"Haruhi, it's been over a decade. I have to go in, there's no reason not to."
"Of course this is! Everyone will understand! Tamaki, we go through this every year. I'm sure Ouran can survive one day without their chairman, and the company can live without their president for 24 hours."
"I'm going to Ouran today; I have no meetings arranged, so I don't need to be at the company today." Tamaki walked out into the kitchen of their little home. Much bigger than the apartment Haruhi grew up in, but not the Suou mansions by far. It had been their compromise when they had gotten married. The house was quiet except for the sound of breakfast sizzling as it cooked.
Haruhi sighed audibly and fixed two plates of the so-called 'Western breakfast' Tamaki enjoyed so much. She carried them out to the table and set them down, sitting in her chair across from Tamaki. It was silent for a few minutes, and then Tamaki stood up, his plate empty.
"Thank you Haruhi, it was delicious. I'll clean up." He grabbed his plate and headed off to the sink. Haruhi stared at the seat he had just vacated. He always ate so quickly on this day…every year…even after all this time, he acted like he was afraid of confrontation from Haruhi. Tamaki brushed his teeth and rushed through the rest of his routine and was walking out the door when Haruhi stood up and called out to him.
Tamaki blinked and turned back to his wife.
She calmly walked over and straightened his tie. "Have a good day at work." She told him, not looking up into his face and Tamaki smiled gently. He leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the lips, causing Haruhi to blush.
"I love you…that hasn't changed…and it never will. I may be a little late for dinner, but I'll make it up to you. See you later Haruhi." He then closed the door behind him, leaving Haruhi behind. She had to go to the law firm, why did she always make such a fuss about his work on this day? He was fine. It happened so long ago. His smile left his face and he hurried off to the school.
He got to the high school and he stood on the campus for a moment, staring at the giant clock tower, thinking she would've started at the high school this year…the place the Host Club came together.
He swallowed, and then, with a completely straight face, unlike his usual cheery self, went to his office. It was only this day of the year he acted like this. The staff, his friends, Haruhi – they all knew why. They all encouraged him to take the day off, but if he did…he could lose it…go crazy…so he kept up with his daily routine.
Meanwhile Haruhi had cleaned up at the house and headed over to the law firm. She got into her office and sat down at her desk, not having any appointments for another half hour.
She took out a key from her key ring and used it to open one of the drawers in her desk. Haruhi pulled the drawer and inside was one small photo, marked with a date about 15 years ago…15 years and 3 months to be a tad more accurate. She stared at the picture for what seemed like forever. She wanted to cry. She wanted her mom to be there to tell her things like this happen. She hid this photo away and only allowed herself to look at it once a year, on this day, because if she left it at home and Tamaki found it…he could tear it up, or throw it away. He was too sensitive to this in the sense it was the only thing he'd never cried about.
When it happened all those years ago, Haruhi had broken down sobbing in Tamaki's arms. She thought he would have been the one to break first, not her…but he never broke…or maybe he did…just not in the typical way. On this day, every year, he was a totally different person…hard to reach…inaccessible…cold…
When her father arrived at the hospital, he was weeping, and cried with his daughter. Haruhi had lost a mother…and now…
Someone knocked on the door and she quickly put the ultrasound away in the drawer, shoving the drawer closed and locking it once more. "Come in." she called, putting the keys away in her purse.
Her secretary was there. "Mr. Hitachiin and Mr. Hitachiin are requesting a video conference."
Haruhi sighed. "Let them through. She unlocked her computer and the call went through.
"Hikaru, Kaoru-" she rubbed the bridge of nose tiredly. They did this every year, checking up on her like this. Honey and Mori were there too surprisingly. "Honey-sempai? Mori-sempai? What? Why?"
"We were having a meeting today, the four of us-" Meeting, yeah. More like, let's all get together and talk about Haruhi and Tamaki's tragedy and see how they're holding up.
"Have you talked to Tamaki today?" Haruhi interrupted, wanting to see how Tamaki was doing. The four shrugged.
"The boss won't answer any calls from us today according to his secretary." The twins sounded and shrugged.
Haruhi sighed and then there was a notifying sound.
"Kyoya?" she blinked and the others repeated her in a shocked tone. Kyoya tried to keep his distance on this day, figuring his friends could use the space after the others of the old group kept pestering the couple. Haruhi hadn't thought of how this day probably hurt Kyoya…he was going to be the godfather…Tamaki must've called him up every day, blabbering on about how he was going to be a father.
That day in the hospital, Kyoya got there first out of all their friends. Kyoya had been crying too…he said later if his idiot of a best friend wasn't going to react, he'd have to grieve for him. He had sat there, just hugging his friend, as Tamaki sat there motionless, staring straight ahead in shock. Totally out of character for both of them. The others in the group obviously sobbed, and cried for a while.
Haruhi let Kyoya into the video conference and he acknowledged everyone, and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Did you talk to Tamaki?" Kaoru blurted out and Kyoya shook his head.
"No, I tried…but…nothing…Haruhi…this can't go on anymore…You have to confront him tonight. He needs to accept what happened." The group talked about it for a while Tamaki clocked out early, and headed to the Suou mansion #1. He got in, and all the maids welcomed him back, and he smiled gently at them, but otherwise ignored them. He got up to his room, glad his father was probably at the company today, stepping up to plate, knowing Tamaki never accomplished anything on this day. He ignored all the photos around his giant bedroom of Antoinette, his mother, his grandmother and father, his friends…and he pushed open the double doors to his closet. He dug into it, and at the very top, hidden in the back was a small box. He pulled it off the shelf with some difficulty due to all the obstacles in front of it, but managed to get it down. He then sat down on the floor and opened it up. The box labeled with a hastily scribbled on name. He pulled out some small dresses and shirts made by Kaoru…and a small knit cap made by his own mother…when she found out about the baby…she got so excited for her son…
He stared at all the things in the box for a while, the clothing and accessories and some few stuffed animals…Beary was in there…he had been planning to give him to Aiko, to his first-born. But after what happened, he never tried to have another child again. Haruhi hadn't been deemed unable to carry children, it was just some freak accident a month before the baby was due. Tamaki refused to enter that room in the house. It was locked, and where the key was, he didn't care to know.
After sitting there for over an hour, he put everything back slowly and carefully, emotionlessly, and put it back on its shelf, where it would collect dust for at least another year.
He got home earlier than he'd expected to, and got inside to find the lights on, but Haruhi was nowhere in sight. He checked his watch. He got home really early, she wouldn't be home for another 10 minutes…so why were the lights on? He flicked them off, just wanting to curl up in a ball and sleep so the day would end and he could resume his life tomorrow. But there was still a light coming from a different part of the house. He travelled down the hall and pushed open the door to find the nursery. But…this room was locked…How? He stood in the middle of the sweet watermelon colored room, and then the room suddenly went dark. He spun around. There was Haruhi, key in hand. She put in her pocket and entered the room.
Kyoya told her to do this...to get out of work early and set Tamaki up for confrontation in the nursery…and she'd run out of ideas to get Tamaki to open up to her about the topic, so she complied. And Kyoya was always right anyway, so what did she have to lose?
She gently closed the door behind her, so Tamaki couldn't escape, only to find Tamaki pulling back the curtains to the floor-length window and staring at the city lights in the darkness and the moon that shone above it all, trying to avoid Haruhi.
"Tamaki." She crossed over to him, putting her hand on his arm. "It's okay."
He looked at her sadly, afraid and unsure.
"You can cry. You can let it all out now. It's okay. I'm not going anywhere, ever. I promise."
Tamaki slid to the floor and Haruhi went down beside him and then hugged him to her intensely. Usually she was stone-cold one compared to him, but now it was time for her to comfort him while he cried.
"I love you…she would've loved you too. You would be the greatest father on the planet Tamaki." He then broke out into sobs, crying over the miscarriage of his unborn daughter for the first time ever in the 15 years she'd been gone. Haruhi had no idea how anyone let this go on so long, but now, Tamaki could finally start to heal. He clutched her to him in return as he broke into wracking sobs. Haruhi let him do so, and rubbed his back, telling him it was okay over and over. And finally, Tamaki was able to let go of the pain holding him captive…the guilt and pain and misery he'd held inside him for over a decade…and he had Haruhi to thank for that.
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