Chapter 3

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Tamaki's happy smile lit the room as he led the hosts out of Ohtori manor. Kyouya fell into step beside Haruhi as they walked down the streets.

"Hi, Kyouya-senpai," she said sweetly. He nodded to acknowledge her presence. She looked out across the road at the nearby mansions and frowned.

"There's nearly half a mile between houses… It must have been weird growing up here," she said quietly.

"Not really," He replied.

"But there must not have been many kids around. It must have been hard to make friends," Haruhi said innocently. Kyouya cringed as he remembered how he'd been forced to play with the stuck up children his father chose for him.

"I played with the children of my father's business associates," he said dryly. The monotone in his voice ended the conversation. Haruhi looked up at him. He looked sad. His expression didn't give away anything but there was something about the way he stood that showed how sad he truly was. His shoulders were slumped slightly forward and his hands were shoved into his jacket pockets. His steps were shaky and his head was tipped toward the ground. His face, however, was emotionless. Haruhi sighed, knowing that he must have had a lonely childhood.

After pausing to drop Kyouya's phone off at the twin's house they continued their walk. It was cold and the wind blew in strong gusts that made the hosts shiver and walk closer together. Tamaki was beside himself with excitement. As they approached the theater he grabbed a fistful of Kyouya's jacket and tugged him closer.

"Guess what we're seeing!" he said loudly. Kyouya just looked at him. "We're seeing Ice Age Two!"

Kyouya opened his mouth to reply then closed it when he heard a shout of outrage from Hunny. The twins laughed and rushed ahead. They appeared to be holding Bunbun. Everyone turned to see Hunny charging after Hikaru and Kaoru.

"Takashi! They took Bunbun!" he cried.

Kyouya stayed still as the twins ran from Hunny. Mori caught the twins with one hand and took the precious stuffed animal back from them. He turned to Hunny and handed it over.

"Thanks, Takashi!" Hunny cheered. He hugged Mori around the legs and smiled. Tamaki laughed at the antics of the other hosts.

"Haruhi, have you ever seen Ice Age Two?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, and then to Kyouya she mumbled, "When I was in elementary school."

Kyouya smiled with amusement.

Two hours later the hosts emerged from the theater with contented smiles. Amazingly enough, Kyouya had enjoyed the movie. He'd seen all the classic movies as a child but he'd never really seen children's movies. It wasn't that he was upset about not seeing kid's movies. It was just strange to see one so late in life. Ice Age Two had never really fit the atmosphere of Ohtori manor.

"What a fantastic movie! The commoners have such adorable tastes in movies!" Tamaki cheered. Haruhi grumbled something about being called a commoner.

Kyouya smirked and flicked his best friend in the head and said, "Idiot".

"I love the movies. They're so fun," Tamaki said with a carefree laugh. Kyouya couldn't help but burn with jealousy. Tamaki had a perfect life: he was heir to a big company, he had a kind father who loved him, he could do whatever he wanted without worrying about disgracing his family, and he wasn't abused by the person who claimed to love him.

Tamaki was the son of Yuzuru Suoh and a French woman. His father, who'd had an arranged marriage, had gone to France where he'd met and fallen in love with a French woman. He had divorced his legal wife for the French woman and Tamaki was born. Tamaki's grandmother was still furious and hated him. He'd grown up in France with his mother until she'd grown ill. Tamaki's grandmother had been in need of an heir and she'd agreed to pay for his mother's medical bills if Tamaki came to Japan as heir to the company. Tamaki hadn't seen his mother since then.

Fine, his life isn't perfect. But it's better than mine.

"Yes, they are," Kyouya said mildly. As they walked he continued to wallow in self pity as he mourned his shattered life. He was worried about his phone. If he'd missed a call he would be in deep trouble. Every second he wasted meant another dissatisfied customer. And every dissatisfied customer put him closer to a conflict with his father. He quickened his pace and the others struggled to keep up.

"Hey, Kyouya! Wait up!" Hikaru, the more hot-headed of the twins, called.

"Yeah! Wait up!" Kaoru, the more submissive twin, seconded. Kyouya didn't slow his pace, he kept plowing ahead. That was just how he did things.

"Come on let's run, it'll make us warmer anyway." Haruhi suggested. Tamaki, of course, was ecstatic about the idea and challenged the other hosts to a race. Kyouya played along knowing that he would get his phone back sooner. The twins led everyone through their mansion until they finally came to a spacious parlor. Hikaru handed Kyouya his phone. Tamaki smiled happily.

"See, that wasn't so bad," he said pleasantly. Kyouya reached over and squeezed his friend's hand.

"It wasn't so bad," he repeated. He flipped open his phone and his heart sank.

Ten missed calls. I'm dead.

"Excuse me for a minute," he said politely as he slipped out of the room. He shut himself inside the guest room next door and ran a hand through his hair. Might as well get it over with.