The sounds of argument echoed throughout the mansion, past the empty hallways with their empty rooms, through the studies filled with relics and long forgotten knowledge, and finally to his fathers study, a place seldom entered by the other members of the household if not for family emergencies.

"Tamaki, I've heard enough. The girl is not suitable for someone of your position, and I forbid you to see her. I trust you will not trouble your father with my decision, he needn't be disturbed."

Tamaki's face drained of color, "Grandmother, you can't." He sounded as if he was choking. "I love her."

"You do not love her, and I will not let you make the same mistake your father made. If you do not obey me in this, you no longer have a place in this family." The finality of her words slashed the deep silence and Tamaki flinched against his seat.

She walked towards the door, shoes slapping the tile though her pace was slow.

"You can't." The door clicked closed and her steps echoed down the long hallway. "No, no, you can't!" He fell to the floor, tears silently dropping to the floor before his fist came down upon them. "I love her."

---

"Listen, I really don't think this is going to be a problem for you. We've gone over the plan a hundred times, what could go wrong?"

Hikaru smirked at his brother. "Everything could go wrong. She already confessed her love to Tamaki, hell, they've probably already fu-… Oh god, I'm going to be ill." He choked a bit over the arm of the chair.

"Oh come on, Haruhi is the definition of virgin. I don't know what your deal is. Besides, if Tamaki did pull a move on her, it wouldn't end well for him." Kaoru seemed sure of himself, but his brothers retching didn't subside.

"What freaking part of 'she already confessed' don't you understand! Women are weak, especially poor women. If he threatened to leave her if she didn't… Oh my god, I'm going to murder him." True flames threatened the innermost depths of Hikaru's eyes and Kaoru took evasive actions.

"Okay, okay, it's going to be alright. Just stick to the plan, make sure to breathe, and you got her! Come on, I know it'll turn out fine, and if it doesn't, at least you tried, right?" He grinned in encouragement, ignoring the note his words had struck in his own heart. Turn out fine?...

His brother didn't seem to notice, being too busy basking in the sense of security his brother had inspired. "You're right, everything will be okay. Well, I guess I'm off!"

"Good luck…" Kaoru mumbled after his quickly retreating figure. A darker emotion was welling up inside of him and it was only a matter of time before he snapped.

---

I walked down the busy street alone, trying to snap out of the anxiety I felt. When I left, Tamaki didn't come to see me out. "He told me to escort you myself…" his grandmother had told me, but I'd heard him shout out as I was leaving. How much trouble had I gotten him into?

I turned into the cheap grocery to get tonight's dinner and walked down the aisles in a stupor, picking up ingredients blindly but surely as I passed. He told me he loved me, showed me he loved me… Yet I still got this awful feeling when I thought everything that was to come.

I turned another corner and yelped when I hit a solid wall of human. "Oh, I'm sorry-." I breathed, but stopped short when I saw who it was.

"I've been looking for you." A cultivated voice spoke gently down to me.

"Kyouya? What are you doing here?" I asked, surprised.

"Put those away," he nodded down at my basket, "You won't need them tonight."