A day in the Host Club without Haruhi looked like this: it was still noisy and rowdy but with less people. The remaining hosts- Kyouya, Honey, Mori, Hikaru, Kaoru and Kasanoda- still had their fans but a significantly large percentage of the usual crowd was missing. It was probably because two of the main attractions were gone.

After an unusually tiring afternoon when they held a cosplay featuring them as members of the Greek Pantheon they collapsed on the random red couches on the Third Music Room. All of them were wearing school uniforms instead of tunics and togas.

Kyouya was busy in front of his laptop. He was not very pleased with the financial report that he was going to write. Profit was not hitting an all-time high if there were less members of the work force. It would probably force the club to hire honorary members like Nekozawa Umehito and Takaouji Shirou...

"How's Haruhi?" Honey asked cheerfully as he devoured a large chocolate cake slice. He was wearing Ouran's college uniform: midnight-blue blazer, dark blue pants and a red tie. The brown-haired young man hadn't realized it yet but he'd grown taller; so tall that the top of his head grazed Mori's shoulder. Most of the customers had noticed the rapid growth spurt.

Hikaru and Kaoru were busily flipping through their notes and laptop. The older twin looked up. Neither of them were willing to admit that home-studying with their beloved friend gave them an opportunity to take their classes seriously. Both of them were vying for the top spot in class now. "She's all right. You should see her soon! She's so large like a house..."

"But she's very pretty," Kaoru said, glowering "and motherhood will suit her."

The twins were the only people who saw Haruhi regularly aside from Kyouya. The remaining hosts missed her like crazy.

"I wish we weren't so busy," Honey murmured with his head bowed "Right, Takashi?"

Mori nodded silently. He was more attractive to the rest of the female popoulation because he was a college student now. His dark looks and manly aura made him the object of many affections. But he had no time for those things because his days were filled with caring for Honey.

"Visit her soon!" Hikaru suggested. "She'd be glad for it. Do you want to come with us today?"

Honey shook his head. "I've got to write a term paper and train tonight. Maybe some other time..."

"C-Can I come?" Kasanoda asked shyly. He was eating cake and tea on the farthest side of the couch. Though he was an official part of the Host Club and their friend he still cannot claim

closeness to any of them. They haven't shared much yet.

The twins would've liked to point out that they'd want to be his friend if he wouldn't stop running away from them. Kasanoda thought that he had good reason for that.

"Sure," Kaoru said with a kind smile. He liked Kasanoda a lot. If only Hikaru wasn't so in love with the thought of teasing the redhead to death... "Come with us, okay?"

The trapdoor opened to slowly prush Renge upwards on a round stage as she cackled hysterically.

They stared.

She contorted her boy for a bit in seductive poses before she flashed a victory sign. "Make sure you miss me guys!"

"Why would we miss you?" Hikaru muttered under his breath.

Renge cackled again. "I'm just here to tell you that I will not be coming to the Host Club for two days!"

"You can use the door," Kaoru said with an uneasy smile. "It's that big thing that's in the hall..."

"I deserve a dramatic entrance! Doors aren't enough to announce my beauty!" she declared, not listening as usual "Beloved boys and hosts, don't miss me too much! So take care of my beloved Kyouya-sama while I'm gone!"

"I thought she was a fan of Kyouya-senpai," Hikaru muttered to his twin, mentally calculating. It was a Wednesday. So she would be gone for Thursday and Friday. He let out a sigh of relief.

"She's starting to sound like someone we know," Kaoru agreed.

"Where are you going, Renge-chan?" Honey asked, curious. His brown eyes widened when she smiled sweetly. The brown-haired girl took a deep breath and shouted in her microphone...

"I'm going away to France!"

The Hosts eyes widened like saucers.

"Why is everyone going to France?" Kaoru asked in an undertone.

Kyouya adjusted his glasses. "Why are you going to France, Manager-san?"

Renge smiled winningly. "I have a class reunion to attend to. Then there's my family's annual charity ball and all sorts of activities... I'm sorry, Kyouya-sama, if I can't add to your daily profits while I'm gone..."

Kyouya's eye twitched behind his glasses. He forced himself to smile calmly. "That's perfectly all right, Manager-san. Can you do us a favor though?"

"Say it and it's done!" Renge sparkled.

The dark-haired host smiled for real this time. (The true and frightening real smile was a smile of evil and a sight to behold...)

"Can you check up on Tamaki while you're there?"

Renge gave them a thumbs up. Her brown-eyes were determined. She said in her determined voice, "You can count on me!"

The Hosts watched as she made another grand and dramatic exit through the trap door. They were sure that without interesting customers like Renge, the Host Club wasn't half as much fun. Hikaru and Kaoru turned to Kyouya with raised eyebrows.

"Check up on him?" Hikaru said slowly. "You do that every week."

"A woman's eye misses nothing," Kyouya replied cheerfully "and Renge's a useful bank of information. What might be inconsequential and useless might actually turn out useful in the long run."

The rest of the hosts exchanged glances. Kyouya was a creature of pure calculation.

The shadow king was about to return to work when Kasanoda sat down on the chair opposite his. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Tell me."

Kasanoda told him all about the chauffer, the overheard conversation and the possibility that someone was playing with fate like it was a puppet on a string.

oOoOoOo

Tamaki was sitting on a park bench when a shadow fell on him. He was playing with his cell-phone and pondering on the best approach. Curious, he looked up. "Megumi-san!"

She sat down beside him with a shy smile. The dark-haired girl was wearing a brown plaid miniskirt, long-sleeved shirt and a red tie. On her dark head was a dark brown beret and on her feet were a pair of brown loafers. She looked every inch the sophisticated Frenchwoman.

"Hi," she said softly.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, surprised "You have school, don't you?"

"I'm not going there anymore," Megumi said as she pulled a lollipop out of her purse. She unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth. "I'm transferring next week."

"To where?" Tamaki looked shocked. "Why are you transferring?"

Megumi giggled. "It's a long story. Mother and I have talked about it. I told her that I want to go to Japan."

He smiled at her enthusiastic tone. "Have you ever visited Japan? You'll like it there. It's very different from France but it's a good kind of different. Don't worry, you'll also find lots of friends there..."

She noticed that he became sad. Her heartbeats accelerated. "T-Tamaki-san, do you have a lover in Japan?"

The violet eyes that she liked so much gazed at her with a mixture of surprise and relief. "Yes."

Megumi pushed away her feelings of anger and sadness to become genuinely concerned for him.

"She must be a very lucky girl," she said slowly "About last time..."

Two days had passed since that incident. It took all of her efforts not to rush him and give him space. What could a kiss mean? How will it change what's between them? Megumi wanted to find out so much.

Tamaki smiled kindly. "I don't blame you. You didn't know. I never said anything because it was too painful... I missed her a lot and I didn't stop myself from staying in your company because you resembled her in a lot of ways. I'm sorry if I kept it from you."

Megumi looked up to keep the tears from falling. So she was right. Her intuition was correct. But that didn't mean she wanted to listen to it.

He was a good man with a pure and loyal heart. She was sure that he wasn't the type to stray. There was no chance for her to even ask him to consider her feelings. His heart was with another woman.

She could accept it but that didn't mean she could let it go. As far as she knew, she was allowed to love him to even if he never returned her feelings.

"It's all right. I'm just a friend," Megumi smiled widely. "I understand completely."

Tamaki heaved a sigh of relief.

"Since we're friends, can you do something for me?" she asked thoughtfully.

"What is it, Princess?" he asked with an indulgent grin. They were friends. It was definitely all right to do something for her. It was clear that he was committed and she can expect nothing from him.

"Come with me to my class reunion," Megumi said with a shy smile.

"I'd love to," he replied.

oOoOoOo

"I have something to tell you." Yuzuru's voice was calm and controlled on the other end of the telephone.

She immediately understood that something was up. "Me too."

"How is Tamaki by the way?" he asked slowly.

"He's all right. He had a tiff with his girlfriend the other day but he's fine now. I just wish he'd talk to her soon..."

Yuzuru sighed. "Anne-Sophie, my darling girl, we have a problem."

The blonde woman sat up straight. She was suddenly glad that her son was out. "What is it, dear?"

"Tamaki's girlfriend is pregnant."

Anne-Sophie didn't say anything for a few seconds. She inwardly wondered if that was a joke. If it was, it wasn't funny. She tried to keep her tone light. "Dear, that's impossible. Tamaki's only eighteen and he's as pure as a baby angel..."

Her attention was caught by an email alert. Though she was feeling a bit weak she got up and went to it. Yuzuru had sent an email with an attachment. She opened it hesitantly and then gasped.

"Believe it my darling," Yuzuru cautioned. "I told you because you have to know. We're his parents and we love him more than anything. I've talked with the girl and her father. They're not half as mad as they should be."

"She's beautiful," Anne-Sophie breathed. She heard tales and talk about Haruhi Fujioka, the scholaship student and cross-dressing girl of the Host Club. But she didn't realize that the girl in question was the perfect match to her blond son. "How far along is she?"

"She's eight-months-pregnant," Yuzuru answered wearily. "Aren't you mad at all?"

"How can I be mad at something so cute!" his wife gushed "I don't object at all! They'll make cute babies, I'm sure! I must meet her soon..."

"Darling, Tamaki doesn't know she's pregnant." Yuzuru didn't bother to be delicate. His wife listened this time. "He left even before the girl herself knew that she was carrying the baby. Can you keep it as a secret though? Haruhi-chan mentioned that she wanted to tell him herself..."

Anne-Sophie sighed. He chuckled at her exaggerated and elaborate sounds. "Yes, I understand. But what can we do for her? Should I send him home?"

"Let him make the choice," he suggested grimly "If the Suoh family finds out about his love-child, he's totally hopeless. He's supposed to have a marriage of convenience, succeed me and then uphold the clan in eternity. But if he chooses his girlfriend then he cannot ever hope to get accepted by the family..."

"Oh, let them go to hell," the normally sweet and charming Anne-Sophie snapped. "My son should be happy. He cannot give up his inheritance and position just because he married someone else! It's absurd!"

"Darling, I know Tamaki should be told," Yuzuru said soothingly "and he would know what to do. We'll have to let him make the choice without our meddling. We have to trust him that he'll do the right thing."

"Haruhi-chan would tell him, right?" She wanted to make sure.

"Yes," Yuzuru confirmed. "She will."

"Then I'll hope for the best," she murmured "I'll let him make his own decisions."

Yuzuru smiled sadly. A parent always knows when to step back and let their children grow up.

oOoOoOo

A/N: It's written in a hurry so I don't have much time for messages but I'd like everyone to know that I really want to thank you for what you're doing: reviewing and telling me things that I've missed and stuff I didn't foresee. Thank you for patiently waiting and writing your thoughts without fail. I'll reply to all messages next chapter, okay! Thank you!!!