A/N: This story is the sequel to my previous fic 'Spirit Minded'. If you are reading this and you have not read Spirit Minded, I STRONGLY recommend to do so now or else you will not understand anything that happens in this fic.

For those of you who HAVE read Spirit Minded, I'd like to thank you for your reviews and favorites. I hope you will continue to stick with me through the sequel.

That said, please enjoy!

There was something very different about Tamaki Suoh.

Everyone noticed it; his father, his guests, his best friend, his fellow hosts; everyone noticed, and everyone had different theories as to what it was.

His guests firmly believed that their Host Club King was in love, and it didn't bother them in the slightest. On the contrary, they all very much liked the idea, if only because of who most of them agreed was the object of his affections.

Haruhi Fujioka. Known among Host Club regulars as 'The Natural Type', and arguably the most popular Host aside from Tamaki himself. There was nothing to confirm the relationship, of course. They never exchanged 'I love you's' and they certainly never kissed. But something about their interactions with each other had changed since Tamaki woke up from his coma. Haruhi seemed a bit more eager to spent time around Tamaki and vice versa. Not to mention the little smiles they would occasionally share when one walked by the other's sitting area.

For the most part, things were business as usual for the Host Club, but those brief, fleeting moments were enough to send roughly 85 percent of the girls into a frenzy over the potential 'yaoi love' between Tamaki Suoh and Haruhi Fujioka. Of course, they already had Hikaru and Kaoru for that sort of thing, but there was something about a secret love, one that's hidden from the world and only visible for seconds at a time that made it all the more romantic and beautiful.

One can only wonder if they'd still feel that way if they knew the truth about Haruhi, but that speculation is for another day.

The Host Club knew for a fact that Tamaki and Haruhi were in love. The couple had made it abundantly clear the day after Tamaki woke up. They explained that they'd talked it over and agreed to keep their relationship a secret at school until Haruhi's graduation so she wouldn't have to leave the Host Club. Kyoya had been skeptical at first, but after seeing the reaction the couple's little 'slip-ups' caused in their guests, quickly changed his tune and all but encouraged them to continue.

Even so, he wasn't the only one with some doubts. Hikaru, when he first heard the news, became oddly silent and withdrawn. Not even Kaoru could figure out what was on his mind. He had an idea, since the older twins attention remained on Haruhi for the rest of the visit and later that night when they drove her home, but he didn't say anything.

In truth, the Host Club noticed something different about Tamaki too, but unlike the girls, they had absolutely no idea what it was. They'd occasionally see him standing in the corner, not crouched down and crying like one would suspect, just standing still and whispering to himself. He also spent a lot of time on the phone, but none of them could figure out who he was talking to since he remained quiet and secretive about that too.

Haruhi didn't have the same confusion the rest of the club did, leading them to believe she was in on whatever Tamaki was hiding. The only thing they could do now was come out and ask. Kyoya was very close to doing just that.

There was one more odd thing that began happening around a week after Tamaki returned to school. Kyoya kept a steady log of all the Club's guest, which made up almost the entire female (and a bit of the male) population of Ouran. There was one particular girl, however, whom he knew for a fact had never come to the Host Club even once before Tamaki's accident. One day just recently, she had opened the doors with no fear and strode forward, calmly requesting Tamaki as if she'd been doing it every day. Kyoya had been surprised, but hid it well as he directed her to Tamaki's table. Things only got stranger when she approached him, said a few words in his ear, and then Tamaki stood up and directed her to a small table all the way in the corner where no one could hear them.

It began happening like this almost every day. She'd arrived in a business-like fashion, inform Kyoya that she was here to see Tamaki, the two of them would go sit in the corner, and she'd be gone twenty minutes later while Tamaki returned to his regular table and greeted his next customer like nothing had happened.

Kyoya wasn't the only one to notice this either. Many of the customers who weren't fans of the whole Tamaki/Haruhi idea theorized that this girl was Tamaki's true lover. It would certainly explain their desire for complete privacy, these girls reasoned. The vast majority of 'TamaHaru' (as the couple had been dubbed) fans argued against this with increasing ferociousness. Some even took to glaring hatefully at the girl when she passed by and whispered rumors that she was trying to steal Tamaki from Haruhi.

If they only knew the truth of the situation, who knows what they would think. As it was, Miyako Kita could care less about their stupid babbling, and pointedly ignored all the negativity they threw at her, going about her business like it wasn't even there.

Two weeks had passed since she started visiting Tamaki. On this day, she arrived a bit later than usual and was breathing heavily as though she'd been running. Kyoya approached her with a smile as he did every day, a smile she never returned.

"Good Afternoon, Ms. Kita," The Shadow King said pleasantly. "I assume you're here for Tamaki again?"

"You assume correctly," Miyako answered with a nod.

With that, she walked passed the Ootori boy and made her way to the table in the corner where Suoh was waiting for her. She heard the usual whispers from other guests as she passed. Just the usual drivel about how she was 'such a harpy' and 'trying to destroy the perfect yaoi love'. All their comments did was make her feel like burst out laughing in their faces. It didn't help that a certain male ghost did just that almost every time, including right now as he waved hello at Miyako, earning a small smile that the now quite affronted girls could only assume was directed at them.

Tamaki grinned when Miyako stopped in front of him. Seated, he had to crane his neck up to see his classmate's face, but was face-to-face with her companion, one nobody alive but they two could see.

"Hello there," Tamaki smiled warmly at the female ghost, who shied away from him, hiding her face in the folds of Miyako's dress.

She was a bit older than Naru-chan, probably seven or eight, a bit chubby with brown hair up in pigtails and wide brown eyes with bags underneath.

Tamaki held out a hand in an effort to convey that he meant her no harm.

"It's okay," he said gently. "I won't hurt you, I'd just like to meet you. I'm Tamaki Suoh. What's your name?"

Again, he got no response. The girl's face wasn't even visible anymore as she'd buried it into Miyako's leg.

"She won't talk to me either," Miyako sighed as she sat down, careful not to disturb the girl too much. "I was hoping you could get something out of her, like why I had to chase her all around the campus. Twice."

Tamaki blinked. He glanced down at the girl again, but she was still trying to hide herself from sight. He wasn't the only one confused by her actions either. It probably wasn't helping the mysterious girl's anxiety that another little girl was currently watching her intently with wide eyed wonder. But then, Naru had always been very inquisitive. It made Tamaki wonder what kind of person she would have been had she lived long enough to grow into adulthood.

Ever since he'd revealed to them that he could see them, Tamaki's three ghost friends, Hoki, Elissa and Naru had been following him pretty much everywhere. It didn't really bother him, so long as they left him alone in the bathroom and while he was changing. And while on dates with Haruhi, of course.

Right now, Hoki was busying himself looking over Kyoya's shoulder to see what he was writing about (even though he'd claimed numerous times that it was all just 'boring junk') and Elissa was hanging out by Hunny-senpai and Mori-senpai, cooing over how adorable Hunny-senpai was and how he was the sweetest little boy she'd ever seen. Tamaki hadn't gotten around yet to telling her Hunny wasn't a child.

Unlike the other two, Naru preferred to stay close to Tamaki. Be it nervousness around so many strangers or just liking his company, she was almost always sitting beside him during club hours. As long as she stayed quiet, she wasn't a bother at all, and she was always happy to see Miyako especially if the female medium brought someone with her, like today.

"Why's she so scared?" the little girl asked Tamaki, who shook his head.

"I don't know, Naru-chan," He answered before looking at Miyako. "Any ideas?"

"Would I be here if I had one?" She asked in a flat tone.

"YES!" Hoki shouted from across the room, earning a glare from the female medium and a nervous chuckle from the male.

"Anyway," Miyako grumbled. "She's going to have to talk eventually if we're going to help her. I've already tried everything I can think of, now you're up, Suoh."

Tamaki gave a slight nod, taking note of Miyako's slightly frustrated tone and figuring she didn't like not being able to successfully reach the small ghost. The spirit in question was still hiding her face from view, and if she hadn't responded to his voice before, she probably wouldn't now. Tamaki scratched the back of his head, trying to think of a solution while Miyako waited expectantly.

"Let's see," He said to himself. "What do little girls like…? Oh! I know!"

Tamaki shot up out of his seat and sped off across the room leaving a bewildered Miyako behind with the two little ghosts. He returned a few seconds later, holding something brown, and quickly rearranged his chair so that it's back was facing the other people in the room. Tamaki sat back down, and in this position revealed exactly what he was holding.

"Suoh…" Miyako stared at the object in his hands. "Why do you have a stuffed bear here?"

Tamaki gave a child-like grin, but didn't answer her question.

He held the bear out while Miyako looked around to make sure nobody was watching. The nameless ghost peeked out from her hiding place for a second, and her gaze caught on the stuffed toy.

"This is Kuma-chan," he told her in a soft voice. "He's a good friend of mine, and I think he'd like to meet you."

The girl stared at the bear for a few seconds but made no indication that she was going to say or do anything. Then she stepped away from Miyako and tentatively approached him.

"He's a nice bear," her voice was dry and cracked.

Tamaki grinned, while Miyako could only stare, surprised that it had actually worked.

"So, what's your name little one?" Tamaki said in a funny voice as he moved Kuma-chan around a bit to make it look like the bear was the one talking.

"Akemi," the little ghost answered softly. "Nagata Akemi, I'm 6 ½."

"It's nice to meet you, Akemi," answered 'Kuma-chan'. "Is there something or someone you're looking for?"

At this, Akemi brightened a tiny bit, though her voice still betrayed more than a hint of sadness.

"I'm lost," she answered. "I ran away. Our house got on fire and then my mommy and daddy said we had to go see this pretty light, but it was scary! So I ran away, and now I don't know how to go home!"

Miyako listened carefully during the whole story, pleased that the girl was finally opening up to them. She heard a sniffle, and didn't even have to look to know that Suoh was crying. She withheld a sigh, he was just too over emotional sometimes.

It wasn't like Miyako didn't feel bad for the girl or anything, she'd just been doing this for so many years, she'd gotten used to seeing ghosts as young or even younger than Akemi-chan (as she thought this, she briefly glanced at Naru-chan). Suoh had only just recently gained the ability to see ghosts, so he still wasn't accustomed to things like this. Miyako tried her best to be patient with him, and he really could be helpful, but at times like this she really just wanted to smack him upside the head and yell at him to suck it up. It's not like he's seen the worst of it yet anyway.

Because when he did…

"Miyako?"

The female medium jerked from her thoughts as she heard Suoh call her name. He was looking at her with some light concern, as was Naru-chan and Akemi-chan.

"Are you alright?" Suoh asked.

Miyako blinked, then shook her head to clear her mind. "I'm fine, just thinking about some things."

This seemed to satisfy Suoh as his concerned look changed to one of cheerfulness.

"Well, Akemi-chan was just telling us her address. We can go there after Club Hours, or do you have something to do later today?"

Miyako shook her head, "No I'm free. Is Fujioka coming?"

Lately, Suoh's girlfriend had been accompanying them on 'jobs' if she had the time to. Even though she couldn't see or hear the ghosts, she was helpful when it came to getting information out of the living.

"She might," Suoh answered. "I'd have to ask her."

Miyako glanced over at the girl in question. Fujioka was sitting down with some of her own customers, who were laughing as if she'd just told them a hilarious joke. Fujioka herself was just smiling lightly. It was actually kind of amazing how good at this hosting thing she was, and she really did look like a convincing boy, it was no wonder even Miyako herself had been fooled. Beside her, Suoh was staring at Fujioka like she was a Goddess on a pedestal. Pretty much his default expression when it came to the one year younger girl.

"She's so beautiful," He gushed, literal stars in his eyes. "I can hardly take my eyes off her. My beloved Haruhi…"

Miyako gave the lovestruck fool a flat look. "You know you're drooling right? That's not exactly romantic."

Seconds later, everyone in the Third Music jumped in shock as Miyako Kita's angered and annoyed voice rang out.

"DAMMIT SUOH, GET OUT OF THAT CORNER RIGHT NOW!"

When Club Hours ended, Tamaki walked with purpose to the main entrance, Haruhi and Miyako on either side of him. Akemi stuck close to Tamaki, as did Naru, who didn't look exactly pleased to see another ghost (figuratively) clinging to him. Hoki and Elissa brought up the rear, a tense air surrounding them as the latter had once again managed to do something the former found offensive, but instead of yelling about what a cretin he was, Elissa had opted to just give him the cold shoulder, a sentiment Hoki had no problem returning.

"Okay," Tamaki said in an authorative 'leader' tone. "I don't think Akemi-chan lived that far away. Kenji can find it, right?"

"Right," Miyako answered with a shrug. "He's been around the Bunkyo district enough times to drive blindfolded. I called him a few minutes ago, he should be outside waiting."

The twenty-something chauffeur was indeed there when the group exited the building, however, he was a bit too preoccupied at the moment to notice them coming.

"We gotta hooold ooon, to what we've gooooot," Kenji sang very badly along to the song blaring out of his headphones, using his tire iron as a fake microphone. "It doesn't make a difference if we make it or noooooooot!"

Haruhi raised an eyebrow and glanced at Tamaki, who glanced at Miyako, who appeared completely unaffected by the older man's display. Hoki laughed raucously in the background.

"OOOOOOH, WE'RE HALFWAY THE-ERE!" Kenji sang as loudly as he could. "OOOOOOO-OOOOOOH! LIVING ON A PRAAAAaaaaa-"

Kenji whirled around in an awkward sort of dance and finally noticed he was being watched. Eyes wide with embarrassment, he straightened up, dropped the tire iron and pulled his headphones off, allowing a short silence while he tried to figure out what to say.

"…Hi!" Was all he could think of. "Uh… You guys have fun today?"

"Probably not as much as you've been," Miyako answered flatly.

Kenji chuckled nervously and rubbed his neck. "Yeah, it would be really cool if you guys didn't tell Rika about this."

Miyako just shrugged, then noticed Suoh and Fujioka's bewildered faces looking to her for an explanation.

"You'll get used to it," was Miyako's only response as she walked to the waiting limousine.

Akemi sat back in her seat as much as she could. Hoki had tried to give her his, 'don't think about the seat' advice, but Tamaki quickly stopped him. He noticed that Akemi seemed much more, for lack of a better term, lively than before. He wondered for a moment what she'd have been like as an adult, but ended that train of thought almost as quickly as he'd thought it up. He already had Naru for that train of thought anyway.

He knew that he was being overly sensitive. Miyako had told him more than enough times that he would have to get used to seeing deceased children as young as or even younger than Naru-chan; she was bad enough as it was. A girl as sweet and energetic as her didn't deserve to die. He didn't even know what had happened to her, even though he'd thought about asking. Somehow, he just couldn't do it.

"By the way, Akemi-chan," Miyako broke the silence. "Why did the light scare you?"

The little girl blinked up at her, a tiny frown appearing on her face.

"I don't like bright lights," She answered. "They hurt my eyes and they make weird shapes."

The two mediums glanced at each other.

"Well, this light won't hurt your eyes," Tamaki took over for Miyako. "It's a good light, it'll take you and your mommy and daddy to a wonderful place were you'll be very happy."

"Will Hana be there?"

Whatever response they were expecting, that wasn't it.

"Who the hell is Hana?" Hoki piped in.

Miyako glared at him as did Elissa, but Akemi didn't seem to mind the language.

"Hana's my dog!" She answered. "She um… she ran away when the fire happened. The truth is, I didn't run just 'cause I was scared, I wanted to find her too."

Tamaki glanced at Miyako, who silently urged him to answer.

"Well," He started. "If she wasn't in the house when it burned down, she probably survived, so…"

He trailed off. Akemi's wide eyed stare showed pure desire for an affirmative response, one that Tamaki couldn't give. Again, he looked at Miyako. The girl was giving him the same face as before, silently telling him that he had to answer. It would hurt, she knew, the little girl would not be happy at all to find that her beloved pet couldn't come to Heaven with her. He opened his mouth, trying his hardest to get the words out, but he simply couldn't.

This wasn't the first time he'd had this problem either. They had encountered a teenager who'd died in a car accident and didn't realize she was dead until they found her. Tamaki had tried to explain the situation to her, but a combination of empathy and an innate desire to never make a girl sad for any reason completely blocked him from voicing the truth, and in the end, Miyako had to be the one to give the bad news. Just as she would have to now.

"No, Akemi-chan," The female medium responded. "I'm afraid Hana won't be there."

The girl's head snapped around to Miyako, and though he couldn't see her face, Tamaki was sure she looked ready to cry. He could never figure out if it was a good thing or a bad thing that ghosts couldn't.

"You know," Haruhi's sarcasm-dripping voice suddenly appeared after an extended silence. "One of the best things about coming with you guys is that you always keep me in the loop."

Tamaki blinked, then his face heated up in embarrassment as he shrunk back a bit in his seat and shakily brought her up to speed on what was happening.

Akemi remained quiet the entire rest of the way. She looked like she did earlier that day when Miyako had first brought her. Many times, Tamaki wanted to say something to her, but he had no idea what to say that would cheer her up. It made him feel rather sad, he never had this problem hosting. Something about knowing the ghosts he met weren't alive anymore made him feel more than a bit nervous around them, though Miyako assured him that feeling would eventually go away.

"We're here!" Kenji said a few minutes later while pulling the limousine to a stop.

Getting out, Tamaki noticed they were getting more than a few stares. It didn't bother him much, nor did it Miyako, but Haruhi clearly had something to say about it.

"Maybe next time, we should use something a little less conspicuous?" She suggested to Miyako.

"We could use the Porsche," Kenji called to them with more than a hint of enthusiasm.

"I think that would attract about the same amount of attention," Miyako answered him. "This isn't the richest neighborhood."

"…but I like driving the Porsche."

The three ignored him and, along with the four ghosts, stepped out in front of the house. Or rather, what usedto be the house. Akemi hadn't been kidding when she said her house had caught fire. There was literally nothing left aside from a pile of charred wood and the remains of what appeared to be a mailbox.

Tamaki suddenly recalled something he'd briefly seen in Kyoya's newspaper a few days ago about a enormous fire that killed an entire family. He probably should've suspected Akemi was part of that family, but somehow, he hadn't. Now, knowing this, he felt another wave of sadness and pity for the poor child and her family. He could only hope they'd find peace in the next life. But first they'd have to actually findher family.

"See any cops?" Miyako asked. "Firemen? Anything?"

"No, I think they'd have left by now," answered Haruhi. "What about you two, are Akemi's parents here?"

The two mediums, along with the ghosts, took their cue to begin searching. It proved to be harder than one might think. They searched around the remains of the house and the surrounding area. It wasn't easy for them since they didn't know what Akemi's parents looked like and couldn't tell the difference between a human and a ghost unless one approached them. In the end, they looked in vain for almost twenty minutes.

"They couldn't have left or something, could they?" Haruhi suggested at one point. "Maybe they were looking for Akemi-chan?"

"It's possible," Tamaki answered, defeated. "But we'll never find them if that's the case."

"I don't know," Hoki wandered over. "I bet this'll be like a TV show and we'll find them right when everything looks hopeless, kind of like right no-"

"MOMMY! DADDY!"

Akemi, who'd previously been being watched by Elissa along with Naru-chan, wrenched her hand free and ran to a man and woman across the street. The couple did the same as soon as they heard the little girl's voice.

"Akemi!" The woman cried, grabbing her daughter into her arm. "Thank goodness, we were so worried about you."

The family of three shared a group hug while everyone sans Haruhi looked on.

"See, what'd I tell you?" Hoki asked in a self-satisfied fashion. "Didn't I tell them, Elissa?"

"I'm still not talking to you, Cretin."

"How could you run off like that?" Akemi's father was saying. "We looked everywhere for you."

"I'm sorry," Akemi answered tearfully. "I was scared, and I wanted to find Hana, but I couldn't and I know she can't come with us, but…"

As the small family had their reunion, Tamaki stood back with his friends. This was the first time he'd seen an entire family of ghosts like this. He felt… well, he honestly didn't feel as sad as he thought he would. They were all dead, yes, but at least they still had each other.

"What's going on?" Haruhi whispered to him. "Akemi-chan found her parents, right?"

"Yeah," Tamaki answered with a small smile. "I guess they can move on now."

"It's sad that we didn't find out about her dog," Naru murmured. "I always wanted one too."

"Excuse me!"

Tamaki jolted at the new voice, as did Haruhi, which told him it was coming from a living person. Indeed, a middle aged woman was walking towards them, eyeing the limousine with a look of caution.

"I don't mean to be a bother," The woman said. "But what exactly are you three doing here?"

Tamaki was taken aback by the woman's rude tone, but Haruhi and Miyako were more ready to respond.

"Is there a rule that says we can't stand here?" Miyako answered in annoyance.

"We're just passing through," Haruhi jumped in quickly. "We heard about the fire and wanted to stop and pay our respects, that's all."

At this, the woman's face softened. She suddenly looked less angry and much more sad and tired.

"I see," She answered, her voice was softer too. "Forgive me, there were a lot of reporters around here the last few days, and they were all very selfish and rude people. The Nagata's were good friends of mine and my family, you see, I hate the thought that their memory is just being used to get higher ratings for a bunch of heartless news channels. I've never liked the news anyway…"

The woman trailed off, mumbling something to herself. Behind her, the door to the house she'd come out of opened again, and a teenage girl stepped out along with a large dog she held on a leash.

"Hey mom," the girl called out to the woman. "We're going for a walk!"

"Alright, dear," The woman shouted back. "Be home in time for supper."

The girl nodded and let the dog guide her down the sidewalk. As they crossed the street, Akemi's eyes widened, and she began to struggle to get out of her mother's grip.

"THERE SHE IS!" The small ghost screamed. "IT'S HANA!"

"That's Hana?" Tamaki responded before he could stop himself, earning a confused look from the woman.

"How did you know that?" She asked him.

Put on the spot, Tamaki could sense Miyako's glare without even looking at her. Luckily, this was a living person he was dealing with.

"I recognize her from when Akemi-chan used to walk her through the park," the Host Club King lied easily. "That's how we knew her and her family. We frequented the same park. I'd been wondering what would happen to Hana now that Akemi-chan and her family are…"

He didn't need to finish, the woman understood completely and gave a nod.

"Yes, I know," She said solemnly. "Akemi-chan loved Hana, that dog was her best friend. I felt it was only right that we should take her in, rather than let the pound have her. I've worked with animals before and it's not exactly the best place for some dogs."

Tamaki nodded, a smile forming on his face.

"Then I suppose Hana will be okay now," Haruhi piped in. "She's found a good home."

The woman gave Haruhi a look of thanks before apologizing for her disturbance one more time and taking her leave. When she was far enough away, Tamaki turned his attention back to the family of spirits. Akemi's parent wore identical looks of gratitude for their former neighbor, while Akemi remained silent, clearly processing all of this.

"So… Hana is alright?" she asked no one in particular. "She's happy?"

There was a slight pause, then Miyako stepped forward when a warm smile and crouched down to Akemi's level.

"She's very happy," the female medium told her. "And one day, I promise you'll see her again, but until then, know that's she has a good home and watch over her from heaven, okay?"

The girl looked from Miyako to her parent and back, then broke out in a smile.

"Okay, thank you Miyako-san," she said with a polite bow. "Thank you, Tamaki-san!"

He gave her a nod in response as a white light appeared around Akemi-chan and her parents. Bright as it was, it didn't hurt his eyes, though looking up, he couldn't see what it led to.

"There it is again," Akemi's mother said in awe. "It's so beautiful."

Akemi's father nodded in agreement. The small girl stood between her parents, holding their hands. The family gave one last look of thanks to Tamaki and Miyako as they were bathed in the Heavenly light.

"Thank you for finding her!" Akemi's father called to them.

They began to slowly disappear from sight, the light growing ever brighter, and when they completely vanished, the light did as well. Tamaki had been reduced to tears, as he had every other time he saw someone go into it. The first time, he'd bawled like a baby for ten whole minutes, and earned little more than odd looks from Hoki, Elissa and Naru-chan, and intense annoyance from Miyako.

"After you've seen it enough times," The girl explained later when Tamaki asked why she didn't cry. "It stops being special."

Her words were cold, but Tamaki supposed he understood. He was new to this, having only received his abilities after a near-death experience. Miyako was born with it, and grew up with the knowledge that ghosts existed and eventually went on to a better place. Still, he'd probably never stop tearing up a bit every time he watched a spirit leave this plane and go on to the next.

Sad as his new job may have been sometimes, this always made it worthwhile.

They drove Haruhi home first since her place was the closest. Like a gentlemen, Tamaki insisted on walking her up the steps, even though Haruhi could do it herself and constantly let him know this.

It didn't really bother Haruhi as much as she let on. She'd long ago realized that it was simply Tamaki's nature to be overprotective, even when he clearly didn't need to be. It was honestly an endearing quality of his, because she knew it showed just how much he cared about her.

They walked up the stairs together and down the walkway to Haruhi's door. Tamaki seemed lost in thought, which piqued Haruhi's curiosity.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

Tamaki blinked and then looked at her, as if only just realizing she was there.

"Oh no," he answered with a light stammer. "It's nothing, I was just thinking about today…"

Haruhi nodded and smiled. "I'm glad Akemi-chan found her family. I hope they're all okay now."

"They are," Tamaki responded with a nod of his own. "They have to be, it is Heaven after all. It just sad that Akemi-chan had to… had to die at all."

He stopped walking and Haruhi followed suit.

"It's not like I haven't seen ghosts that young before," He continued. "But just the thought that people can die so young, it…"

He trailed off, but Haruhi kept silent. She could tell he had more to say no matter how hard it may be.

"I often wonder if I can really handle it," he finally finished.

Haruhi studied Tamaki for a moment. She'd seen him look sad before, but never quite like this. It was both humanizing and strange, and she much preferred to see him smiling than anything else. In truth, she knew there wasn't much she could do to ease his sadness.

When he'd first told her that he was seeing ghosts, she hadn't believed him. Sure, Miyako-senpai could see them, but she was born with it and Tamaki wasn't. Surely then he couldn't actually be serious. He was, as she quickly found out.

It was something she could never truly share with him, and she knew it. She was just as blind to the world of the dead as anyone else, but even so, she wouldn't let that stop her. Haruhi loved Tamaki with all her heart, and she'd do whatever she could to help make this easier for him.

With that in mind, Haruhi wrapped her arms around Tamaki waist, taking him by surprise from the sound of his soft gasp.

"You can do this," she whispered. "I know you can… but if you ever feel like it's becoming too much, know that I'll always be here for you, and you can cry on my shoulder all you want."

Tamaki listened to her words with utmost attention, and they brought a different kind of tear to his eye. He thanked God everyday for giving such a wonderful young woman to fall in love with. Tamaki gently grasped Haruhi by the shoulders and moved away from her a bit so he could pull her into a kiss more easily. Haruhi responded immediately, and they spent the next few moments completely lost in each other. Haruhi's hand ran through Tamaki's hair as he deepened the kiss, opening his mouth a bit to-

"AHEM!"

The couple sprang apart. Tamaki's eyes snapped open, revealing Ranka Fujioka leaning against the open door to his and Haruhi's apartment. The tranny was glaring at Tamaki with a mixture of anger and fatherly protectiveness. Even though Haruhi's father had always known they would eventually be together, it seemed that still wouldn't stop him from holding Tamaki in contempt. Though to be fair, he was beginning to warm up to Tamaki, he hadn't shoved his head into the carpet for five days now!

"Have fun Ghost-hunting?" The tranny deadpanned.

Tamaki and Haruhi stood stock still for a moment, before Haruhi finally gave a sigh and flashed her boyfriend an apologetic smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" She got up on tip-toes to give Tamaki a quick peck on the lips. "I love you."

"Love you too," Tamaki answered somewhat inattentively.

He was a bit distracted at the moment by Ranka's cold glare. The older man's eyes continually bore into his even after Haruhi entered the apartment, and Tamaki didn't dare make any sudden movements until he was sure the danger (read: Ranka) had passed.

The tranny lifted a hand, his middle and index finger pointed outward and aimed them at his eyes. He then turned them on Tamaki, making his message abundantly clear and reigniting fear in the blonde's stomach.

Ranka wordlessly walked back inside and shut the door hard behind him. Tamaki remained for a few moments, allowing his fast beating heart to calm down before he walked back to Miyako's limousine.

It seemed no matter how sad or frightening the ghosts he encountered were, nothing would ever terrify him quite as much as the anger of Ranka Fujioka.

A/N: Okay, the first chapter is done and... I honestly think it could have been a lot better. I don't even know WHY it was so hard to write, only the last part was easy, everything else I ckept getting stuck over and over again. Oh well, I suppose it's not terrible and it IS mostly just meant to re-introduce the characters. I promise the next chapter will be much better.

Just a few quick things I want to note because I know I'm going to get asked about this.

1. Yes, Ranka knows about Tamaki being a medium. That'll be elaborated on more in later chapters.

2. No, the Host Club (sans Haruhi) doesn't know. Yet.

3. Tamaki's Father and Grandmother don't know either, however a few of the people who work for him do, including Shima. Once again, there'll be more on this in later chapters.

That's about it for now. :D Thank you for reading and I'll see you next time!