Tamaki sat back up, a smile on his face.

"I missed you," he said softly to the slightly overwhelmed brunette who was leaning back against the seat of the limo. Maybe kiss-attacking Kyoya as soon as he showed up in his car to take them to the airstrip wasn't the most responsible thing to do, but seeing the normally composed Shadow King breathing hard and looking dazed had now become Tamaki's new goal in life.

"I...missed you too," the dark-haired one said softly. Like a true prince Tamaki didn't push for more. He knew Kyoya still wasn't completely comfortable with overt displays of affection – honestly, if the youngest Ootori ever did reach that level of comfort his lover would likely have him examined for brain injuries. 'Kyoya' and 'publicly demonstrative' didn't even belong in the same country, let alone the same sentence. But he'd been willing to respond to Tamaki's affectionate greeting in kind and that made the Host King happy. With the privacy screen up between them and the driver there was no reason to sit separately, so Tamaki scooted over until he was leaning against Kyoya's side. After a moment of hesitance he felt his love shift to rest his arm across his shoulders, pulling him a bit closer and making the blond sigh happily.

"I'm looking forward to this trip," he said excitedly. "Are you?"

"More or less," Kyoya said non-noncommittally, prompting a pout from the exuberant King.

"Aww, you don't sound happy. Is it...because Haruhi won't be there?" he finished in a low voice. He could feel the other boy's shock in the way his arm tensed.

"Why would you think that?" he asked Tamaki guardedly. The blond shrugged.

"I know I'm worried about her. It won't be the same without her there." He sighed. "I still haven't gotten a chance to apologize, what with tests and everything this week. I hope she'll still be willing to listen when I get a chance to talk to her."

"She will."

"How do you always sound so sure of everything, Kyoya?" he asked, sitting up to meet the dark gaze of his partner. "I've rarely ever heard you sound unsure or worried."

"Worry is for the ill-prepared," Kyoya said softly, but the look on Tamaki's face said that more explanation was needed. "I sound certain because I make sure I have as much of any situation under my control as I possibly can, and have reasonable ideas of how to handle any unexpected events that may arise."

"That doesn't leave much room for spontaneity or surprises." Kyoya simply blinked at that.

"Surprises are rarely pleasant. And in case you haven't noticed yet, I'm not normally a big fan of spontaneity."

"Well, I foresee more of both in your future, mon amour, if I have to put them there myself." The Shadow King just shook his head, allowing his lips to curve in the hint of a smile. With a happy sigh Tamaki rested against the other host and settled back to enjoy the ride. Before long they'd arrived at the airfield, and he sighed sadly as he sat up, already missing the warmth against his side.

Getting out of the car he noticed the Hitachiin's limo pulling up just behind them. He was still ashamed of the way he had acted towards them, but it seemed they were willing to let it all blow over, at least for now, and as such he was reluctant to bring it up. Still, he felt a bit of hesitance when speaking with them, almost as if he was subconsciously waiting for their retribution. He made the decision then and there to try and talk to both of them in the next few days.

"Good. Everyone's on time." Kyoya's calm voice helped the blond return from his mental distraction to the present and the four walked towards the plane awaiting them. Not a lot of conversation was had while they boarded and settled into the comfy plush seats. Tamaki wasn't sure whether or not his new love was ready for their friends to learn of their new relationship yet, so rather than cuddling with the dark host as he had in the limo he simply sat beside him, sighing softly. Across from them the two redheads were talking quietly, holding hands with their fingers intertwined. Tamaki was no fool, despite how he acted. He'd known for a long time that their 'Brotherly Love' act was not really an act at all. It didn't bother him, though on occasion he felt sorry for the two. Eventually the connection they had would have to be set aside as life and responsibilities came into play. Once more he was glad he started the Host Club. If nothing else it was as much a haven for his friends – his family of choice – as it was for the clients they entertained.

"Hey, Kyoya," the unified voices said from his left. "Honey and Mori should be there by now and...everything should be settled, right?" There was an odd sort of undercurrent to their words, he thought, but Kyoya's reply didn't give any indication that there was anything unusual so the blond figured he was just imagining things.

"Yes. The cousins should have arrived a couple of hours ago. I'm certain everything is in order." The duo nodded, satisfied with his answer, and silence fell once more. It wasn't uncomfortable, but Tamaki felt the need to break it anyway.

"I hope Haruhi doesn't overwork herself helping her father's friend," he mused, looking out the window at the clouds as the plane gained altitude. He didn't see the small smirk Kyoya successfully hid or the look Hikaru and Kaoru shared. He was too busy staring at the world beneath them as he thought of his father's advice – and what he would do if Kyoya's sire really did push for a betrothal between his son and the commoner they all loved so much. His wondering kept him occupied through the entire flight, but as the plane began to descend he was no closer to answers than he had been before they left.


She could hear the plane approaching and sat up, placing her book on the ground as she listened. She knew for a fact that the campsite was well-hidden but that didn't stop a seed of worry from taking up residence in her mind. More and more often she was beginning to feel guilty for the deception, for dragging her friends into her issues with Tamaki that should have been solved long ago had she the slightest idea of how to begin. As the sound of the aircraft grew louder she made a decision. If by the last day of vacation no one had slipped and given away her presence, she would seek out the blond prince herself and set things straight if she could. For all that he irritated her, she had to admit she didn't like being mad at him. She had to be honest with herself about one other thing as well: she missed him terribly. Annoyances and all.

Her mind made up, she stretched out on the soft sand and picked up her book once more.


"I know we agreed to wait until after dark," Hikaru complained as he flopped down stomach-first on the bed and watched his brother unpack his suitcase, "but I just want to go see her now."

"Hika, we can't," Kaoru said patiently. "It won't take long for the Boss to settle in and then he'll be knocking on our door to drag us off for some goofy activity." Hikaru huffed and pillowed his head on his arms.

"I know, I know. I just wanna make sure she's okay – that she's comfortable."

"Me too," the younger said as he walked over to the bed. In one fluid movement he leapt onto the mattress and straddled his brother's hips, leaning forward to squeeze Hikaru's shoulders. "Geez, you're tense," he murmured. "Take off your shirt – let me work out some of these knots." He raised up enough for his brother to comply before settling back in place and gently rubbing Hikaru's back, determining where the worst of the tension was. With skills borne from years of practice and an unparalleled familiarity with the body in question, Kaoru dug his fingers into his brother's shoulders. Working patiently from top to bottom, the younger twin eased the muscles into relaxation accompanied by moans and growls as he smoothed out particularly stubborn areas. It didn't take him long to finish, the sounds of Hikaru's sigh music to his ears.

"Kaoru, you're so good to me," the elder twin murmured as his brother slid down to stretch out beside him.

"Don't worry. You'll get my bill." Amber met amber with a smirk that was quickly cut off by the press of lips against lips. It wasn't a kiss of great passion, though they both knew it could easily become such. Instead it was a gentle, loving embrace. They parted with matching sighs and curled closer to each other, relishing the freedom of four days away from the usual responsibilities. From outside came the sounds of the wind in the trees, the softly calming swish of the waves on the sand...and the excited voice of their fearless leader growing ever louder in direct relation to his proximity to their cabin. Sure enough the door was flung open to admit one very enthusiastic Host King, a grin lighting his expression.

"Come on, you two – you've got all night to make out. Daytime is for us to have fun as a group!"

"We weren't making out!" they grumped in unison before matching wicked grins curved their lips. "But we could be...you know, if you wanted to watch..." Kaoru curled his head against his brother's still-bare chest, sliding his hand down to rest just below Hikaru's navel as they both looked up at Tamaki through eyes gleaming with fallen innocence. To their shock instead of getting flustered and blustering like he usually did, Tamaki just shook his head with an indulgent smile and propped one hip against the door frame, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Maybe later, you demon spawn. Right now, though, change into your swim trunks and meet us on the beach – I've got a surprise for everyone!" A final stunning smile and the prince was gone, the door closing behind him. Two sets of catlike eyes met with similar degrees of confusion in their depths.

"He didn't get all weirded out?"

"I know! I wonder if there's something wrong with him."

"It's the Boss, Hika. Of course there's something wrong with him."

"True enough." They sighed, still baffled by their leader's out-of-character playful acceptance. "Maybe we should get dressed like he asked and go see what fresh hell he has planned for us now." Kaoru nodded his agreement and the two got up off the bed and went to don their swimwear.