Kaoru kissed me. I didn't want him to. Did I? But then...why was I kissing him back? What about Kyouya? What am I going to do? Questions spun in Tamaki's head. He knew there was a reason that he had enjoyed Kaoru's embrace-he just couldn't figure out what it was. He knew he wasn't in love with the young Hitachiin-he was still trying to get over Kyouya. Was that what it was? Had he kissed Kaoru because he needed to forget Kyouya? That was what he had told the other boy, at least, so it must have been at least part of the reason.

The fact of the matter was that Tamaki had found himself in a predicament that he simply did not know how to deal with. Sure, he'd dated other boys, but Kyouya really had been special. No one else had ever been able to make his heart beat so fast, or make him forget what he'd been thinking about so easily. No one else had ever driven him so crazy.

And above all, Tamaki had never needed a rebound. Breakups had never been hard-most of the time, he'd been waiting to be broken up with, simply because he never wanted to break anyone's heart. He never really found himself wishing for another chance at love. But this feeling of being lost that he had...could it be that he needed someone else to get him back on his feet? Someone like Kaoru? But that was using Kaoru for his own means. It was toying with the younger boy's feelings. That wasn't allowed, right?

Tamaki sighed. This really wasn't easy at all. There was hardly anyone he could talk to, too. The only person who might have been even remotely understanding was his own father, but the chairman probably didn't even know that Tamaki was gay. Who knew if he would be accepting or not? Still, he was the only unbiased person that Tamaki knew. Tamaki weighed the pros and cons in his mind, and then made his decision: he would go to talk to his father, and he would take whatever advice the man had to offer.

*skip across, Tamaki is now outside the chairman's office*

Tamaki took a deep breath and put his hand to the door, then hesitated. Was this really the right choice? The boy shook his head, and pushed away any doubt in his mind. Whether or not this was the right decision was of no concern to him-he needed to get his feelings out in the open.

He knocked on the door tentatively. "Yes?" a secretary called.

"I'm here to see my father, if he isn't busy," Tamaki replied.

"Oh, just a moment, Tamaki-kun. He will be with you shortly." After hearing the word 'father', the woman had realized that she was speaking to her employer's son, and she had immediately become more cautious of the student at the door.

It only took a few minutes for a man to exit the office, saying his goodbyes to Tamaki's father.

"Ah, Tamaki! Come in, come in, my darling son!" the doting chairman said, smiling warmly at the violet-eyed boy. Tamaki nodded and quickly followed his father into the office.

"So, what is it you wanted to talk about today?" Yuzuru asked after closing the door firmly.

"You see, father, I wanted some advice."

"Is this about Kyouya-kun?"

Tamaki blushed. "How-how did you know, Father?" he asked, both embarrassed and curious at the same time.

"If I didn't monitor the rumor mill of my own school, what kind of chairman would I be?" he responded, winking. "Anyway, what's on your mind?"

"As I'm sure you're aware, Kyouya and I had to...take a break...for a while." The pain was evident in Tamaki's voice, but he continued on, "so we haven't been seeing each other for a while now. And this next bit really confuses me. Yesterday, Kaoru Hitachiin kissed me, and I don't know if that's okay."

Yuzuru blinked in surprise, but quickly masked his shock and answered the boy. "Tamaki, at the end of the day, it all comes down to whether or not you enjoyed it," he said frankly, "That's usually a good indicator of what's in your heart."

"To be honest, Father, I don't know. I did, but it feels wrong. I know I love Kyouya with all my heart, but something about Kaoru felt so...different. Like it felt so right, but it was so wrong."

"Sometimes what seems wrong is actually the right choice, son. Like I said, just go with what your heart says."

"I can try to, but I feel so torn between them. I know that I was with Kyouya first, and we did break up involuntarily, but this feeling I get around Kaoru...It's strange. More free and untamed. Not as controlled and secretive."

"And right now what you need is probably an escape from all the sneaking around. People change, and you're no exception. You seem to like Kaoru, so I would go for it. If it doesn't work out, then it's okay, you know what I mean?"

"Yes. Thank you, Father." Tamaki rose, bowed, and turned to leave.

"Tamaki, wait," his father called. The boy spun around, confused. "Come here." Tamaki obeyed, and was startled when he received a warm hug from his father. "You should come by more often, since I can't see you at the main estate."

"I'll try," Tamaki replied. Once again, he walked towards the door, this time leaving and shutting the door quietly behind him. He nodded politely and smiled at the secretary and began to walk back towards the front of the academy, where his limo was waiting.

After Tamaki arrived at the entrance and pulled open the door to his car, the driver stopped him abruptly. "I'm sorry, Young Master Tamaki, but I'm afraid you cannot come. There has been an emergency at the main estate, and I am required to tend to your grandmother at the moment. I do apologize, sir."

"An emergency...? By all means, go then," Tamaki replied, bewildered. I hope everyone is okay...

"Are you alone out here? What happened to your ride?" a voice asked. Tamaki turned toward the sound, to find Kaoru standing a few feet away bearing an expression of concern on his face.

"I don't know...something happened, and my grandmother needed that limo urgently. I don't think I can call for another car, so I guess I'll just walk, then," he replied.

"Come with me."

"Oh...Thank you!" Tamaki walked towards Kaoru, and was briefly surprised by the redhead when he intertwined his fingers with Tamaki's own. He relaxed a bit in a second, remembering the decision he had made with his father's help.

Kaoru opened the door for him, and he blushed slightly. "Thanks," he murmured, settling into the seat. Kaoru slid in next to him and shut the door gently.

"So..." he said.

"So..." Tamaki replied. The two boys laughed a bit.

"This must be that awkward 'So what do we do after we kissed?' thing," Kaoru said with a smile. Tamaki just barely heard a nervous tremor in the younger boy's voice, and he wondered if Kaoru could possibly have been scared.

"Kind of. So, um, I've been thinking," he said, awkwardly brushing an invisible strand of hair from his face.

"About what?" Kaoru asked.

"I think we should try it. A relationship, I mean."

"Really?" Kaoru looked surprised-whether or not that that was good, Tamaki couldn't discern.

"Really. Is that...bad?" Tamaki asked tentatively, tears starting to appear in his eyes.

"No, of course not! I was just so surprised. I thought you'd reject me."

"I would never." Tamaki smiled and inched slightly closer to the other boy, and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. Kaoru's face flushed from embarrassment and joy, and he couldn't hide a small but steadily growing grin.

Just then, Kaoru's driver interrupted the two. "I'm sorry for the intrusion, Young Masters, but we have arrived at the Second Suou Estate," he said curtly.

"Thank you for the ride, Kaoru. I'll...call you?" Tamaki asked.

"Don't forget," Kaoru replied, winking. With that, Tamaki waved goodbye to his friend and entered his home, only to be greeted by a worried Shima.

"Master Tamaki, something terrible has happened!" she said urgently.

"What is it? Is everyone alright?" he asked, confused.

Shima shut the door before answering. "It's your grandmother-she had a heart attack just a few minutes ago."

"Is she in the hospital? I should go see her," Tamaki said. His grandmother may not have accepted him, but she was still an important figure in his life.

"Yes, sir. However, the car of this estate is still at the hospital-you will need a car."

"I've got it covered." Pulling out his phone, Tamaki dialed the number he'd memorized only a few moments earlier-that of Kaoru Hitachiin.

"Hello?"

"Kaoru! My grandmother, she-" Tamaki's voice broke off as the full force of his worry hit him, and he gasped. Shima shot him a look of undeniable concern, but she took the phone from him and continued to speak to Kaoru.

"Hello, this is Shima, Master Suou's maid. His grandmother has just had a heart attack and is in the hospital. Unfortunately, the car of this estate is tending to matters at the main estate. My master would like to request a ride, if possible."

Of course! I hope she is okay. I'll be there in a few minutes.

"Thank you. We will be ready."

Kaoru stayed true to his word and arrived shortly. Seeing his new boyfriend's worried countenance sent Tamaki into a frenzy. He ran into Kaoru's waiting arms, muttering unintelligible comments about how scared he was for his grandmother. Kaoru held him for a minute before gently prodding him, telling him that they had to go. "She's waiting for you," he whispered softly into the blonde's ear. Tamaki broke free of the tender embrace, and let himself be lead by Kaoru into the limo, and they took off at full speed for the hospital.

Within a few minutes, they were running in to find out the room that Tamaki's grandmother was in. "I'm sorry sir, but even if she was in something of a stupor upon arrival, your grandmother made it very clear that I was under no circumstances allowed to give visitor privileges to you. You are Tamaki Suou, yes? You match the description perfectly."

Tamaki was taken aback, and hot tears threatened to spill over his eyes. He swallowed, then gave the nurse an expression of pure sadness before pleading with her. "Please, miss, but my grandmother's life is in danger. I...I want her to accept me before she, you know..."

The nurse looked torn between explicit orders from her patient and a request from the desperate, beautiful boy in front of her. Surely, no one could hate this kind soul, right? But he looked so sorrowful, as though there was nothing more he wanted than to see his deteriorating grandmother. Then again, defying orders from the head of the Suou group was sure to have its repercussions for the hospital.

"Let him through. Those are direct orders from me." The group spun in the direction of the mysterious voice that had spoken. Tamaki gasped. It couldn't be.

But standing in front of them with a fire in his eyes was none other than Kyouya Otori.

"Go, Tamaki. Room 215. They can't argue with me-my family owns this hospital."

Tamaki couldn't deny the pull in his chest that led him towards his raven-haired savior, but he understood that he wouldn't get another chance to see his grandmother in the near future. "Thank you, Kyouya," was all he said before he took off running towards the ICU wing, Kaoru following closely behind.

212, 212, where is it? Tamaki thought as he frantically scanned the doors for his grandmother's room number. He found it and tore the door open, panting hard. "Grandmother," he said.

Grey eyes fluttered open and looked in the direction of his voice. "You," she said with hatred evident in her voice, "I told them not to let you through. I don't want to see you on my deathbed-filthy child."

Each word hit Tamaki like a stab to the chest, and he slumped against Kaoru, who tightened his hold on the other boy. "I'm sorry, Grandmother, I truly am. But I couldn't let you go without at least trying."

"Then I suppose you're done here. Get out." A solitary tear rolled down Tamaki's cheek as he took in her harsh command.

Just then, a group of EMTs was heard running through the corridor outside. Kaoru turned to look at the commotion, and his eyes widened as he covered his mouth in shock. The boy on the stretcher was, without a doubt, Hikaru Hitachiin. "Hikaru!" he yelled, tearing the door open and leaving Tamaki behind. He ran behind the doctors without even stopping to think for a second. "My brother-dammit, what is he doing here?!"

A/N: I KNOW. CLIFFHANGER. On purpose ;) But hey, THIS CHAPTER WAS MORE THAN 2000 WORDS! I feel really accomplished. Also, I spelled Kyouya's last name wrong before-upon closer examination and a look at the Japanese, it is Otori, not Ootori. Whoops. So I fixed it here, but not everywhere else.

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So, REVIEW. Especially this chapter, because I'm particularly proud of it.

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