Notes:

Italics: thoughts, flashbacks

Chapter Three: Limits He Set

A couple of bodyguards had managed to get everyone in the limo, rather harshly, it seemed. Lionel told the reporters, "The press conference is about to start. Ask your questions then." Once in the limo the French man turned to Tamaki. "Monsieur Tamaki!" Lionel began scolding, "how am I going to cover this mess up. How could you be so careless, and your still late for the press conference!" Lionel was going to lose all his hair pulling on it all the time.

"Please Lionel, you are fine, we'll be only a little late," then Tamaki's eyes gazed at Haruhi. That is when realization hit him, along with the guilt. The press would be hounding Haruhi. How could he be so stupid as not consider that! "I'm sorry Haruhi,"

Sharon and Arisa looked at him with confusion. He really did know her! How? Arisa was thinking, meanwhile Sharon thought: Tamaki is so hot! He and Haruhi really look good together! Uh-oh she looks really mad.

"You should be!" she snapped. He looked guiltily at her. Sometimes he really should think before he acts, but seeing…her. He couldn't resist. He hadn't been able to hold her in years.

"I will see what I can do about the press." Lionel sighed after he quit pulling his hair. "Tamaki didn't mean for it to happen this way I'm sure," Lionel reassured her calming down some, "though he should…"

"This…isn't about the press Tamaki, you baka!" she yelled. Tears were beginning to come from big beautiful brown round eyes.

"Haruhi," Tamaki whispered softly, "I…"

"You left!" she screamed, "You left …all of us," she cried but whispered, "even me," as she fell onto his chest. She then shot up, blushing, suddenly remembering he was shirtless. Sharon and Arisa looked at each other, neither knew what to say. The French man was also astonished. He shook his head, then dialed his cell phone,"

Tamaki brought her back to him and wrapped his arms around her, "Forgive me Haruhi, I thought I was doing the best thing for everyone..," he began, but she interrupted.

"How could you think vanishing, leaving us could possibly be the best thing! After I chased after of you in that carriage, all by myself,"

"I don't know… I just Haruhi… I couldn't stay with my family anymore. I had to…"

"Um, Tamaki I know this is important moment," Lionel began and paused for a little bit waiting to get his attention "but I'm having someone bring down your shirt, I will have these girls escorted to your hotel room," Sharon squealed. Arisa rolled her eyes. Haruhi listened intensely, "so you can finish your conversation, after we handle the press"

Tamaki gave the woman he loved his attention, "Haruhi, is that alright?" he inquired. He sincerely wanted her to be okay with it. She nodded wiping away a couple tears. "Am I sorry Haruhi," he told her as one of the bodyguards opened the door, and handed Tamaki a shirt. The bodyguard by his partner, as the girls got out. "You are the last person I ever want to hurt," with that the door was shut. The limo took off, as the girls turned towards the hotel.

Sharon, no surprise was the first one to speak, "So how do you know him?" she yelled. She was irritated. How could Haruhi know him and not tell her.

"We went to school together," she replied simply as they followed the guards through the back to Tamaki's room.

"You are not getting away with that," Arisa stated, "He isn't just some classmate. You don't chase just some classmate, unless he done something to you. That can be a good or bad thing and I want to know which it is,"

"Fine, I'll explain everything when we are in the room. I think it would bad for Tamaki if I mentioned stuff that he may not want the press to know,"

"Oh Arisa! We can't have that, nothing bad should happen to Tamaki," Sharon grabbed a hold of the black headed girl's shirt. Arisa firmly pushed her off. They continued walking.

"Fine, let's hurry then," hearing this Sharon began to walk faster. Haruhi sighed knowing she wouldn't have much time to gather her thoughts.

"So tell us everything," the blonde exclaimed as they walk into the room. They all sat on a bed, "Tamaki must sleep here," she noted with a sigh. The other two girls rolled their eyes.

"Okay, so tell us Haruhi, How do you know Tamaki?" Arisa asked. Sharon popped up intent on hearing ever detail.

"We were in a club together," Haruhi began, "one where I was dressed like a guy." Sharon and Arisa jaws dropped.

"What!"

"Yeah, he had mistaken me for a guy when we first met. It all really started with a vase, though…," Haruhi told the girls about Host club. Both listened intensely. "I had enjoyed it. Many interesting things happened while I was in Host Club." Sharon wanted to hear more about Haruhi's relationship with Tamaki. She honestly thought Haruhi and Tamaki looked so cute together, "Tamaki was Tamaki, and he appears shallow on the surface. Then you get to know him, and he is so sincere," she smiled fondly, "We were all good friends, the twins, Mori, Hunny, and Kyouya. We all found us doing things we never thought we would do because of Tamaki, some of it bad, some of it good. Then one day, he just left without a trace. I didn't see him until I saw him staring at me on a magazine cover. Now it has been three years since he has attacked me with a hug." She sighed, "Senpai never changes,"

The blonde exclaimed, "You were in a club, ah Haruhi how could you be so cruel as to not let us know sooner!"

Arisa replied, "So is Tamaki the guy who gave you that pen,"

"Yes," Haruhi admitted, "he tried to give it to me once when I was angry. He thought I was going to leave Host Club at that time to go to another school. I was surprised he gave it to me before he graduated. He did seem a little off that day. He seemed serious and so sad, though he would quickly jump back into character."

"Senpai," she looked at the teddy bear pen. She wondered why he was trying to give it to her again. "Um…why are you…um" she was dumbfounded.

He shoved it in her face. His purple eyes seem to be pleading, "Please take this, Haruhi," he bowed his head, "I really want you to have it. I know it isn't much, but it has meaning to us," What was this idiot talking about? Haruhi wondered before taking the pen.

"Thank you," she told him. He had a bright smile.

"Haruhi?" Arisa questioned breaking Haruhi out of her sad trance, "Are you okay?"

"I think so; I just missed him so much. It hurts to think he left,"

"Ah the pains of being in love," Sharon stated dramatically, "what a shame now Tamaki will never be mine, because he belongs to Haruhi." Sharon fell backwards on the bed with a dramatic sigh. Haruhi didn't say anything and Arisa just rolled her eyes.

Tamaki was exhausted. The press conference took a lot out of him. All the reporters were asking questions about Haruhi and he didn't know what to say. He tried to make it clear they were just friends. It didn't seem to work very well, because they kept inquiring how long he was planning to visit his lover. He just wanted to rest, but he still had Haruhi. Who wanted to deal with him. He sighed as he entered the room. Haruhi greeted him with a smile.

He looks really tired, she thought. "Haruhi, maybe your friends should go home. I wouldn't want to waste anymore of their time,"

"No," Sharon exclaimed latching onto him, "I don't want to,"

"Sharon!" Arisa grabbed the blonde and dragged her out, "We are leaving," she gave Haruhi a wink. Tamaki couldn't hold himself anymore. He fell onto the bed right next to Haruhi.

"Tamaki," she whispered softly as he sat on the bed.

"Yes," he acknowledged her.

"We can talk about this tomorrow,"

"No, I own you an explanation, don't I?" he questioned looking up at the ceiling.

"You seem really tired, senpai, have you been taking care of yourself,"

"Yes, Lionel makes sure I'm…," Tamaki could feel his eyelids wanting to close on him. He found himself drifting off to sleep. Haruhi smiled fondly at him, before sleeping next to him.

When Tamaki woke up, he saw a frantic Lionel going around in circles, "What are you doing? You already have problems with the press. Now you are in the same bed with her!" he pointed accusingly towards Haruhi. The Host King looked at her. She had fallen asleep right by him. Her long brown hair was sprawled out. She was curled up, slightly. She looked so cute. Tamaki had the urge to run his hands through her hair.

"Oh Lionel, I would never do that to my daughter, now shush," he told him. He looked over to where Haruhi was. Lionel sighed, and Tamaki pushed him out the door.

When Haruhi woke up, it was dark. Tamaki was staring out the window, deep in thought. Something she saw often, yet it still surprised her. He looks so different when his serious like that. "I suppose this would be the time to talk,"

"Yes" Haruhi agreed. He turned around and smiled sadly. He sat down on the bed next to her. Both felt a little awkward at this point.

He sighed. "I was in love," Haruhi felt a little pain in her heart, "I don't know how she felt about me, but I believed it was unrequited."

"Senpai, I. don't see how that has to do with you leaving,"

"It has everything to do with it," slight angry was in his voice. Haruhi didn't understand why. "I had to give up everything I ever knew. I had to start over," he got up once more looking at the window.

"I don't understand." She approached him.

"If I stayed, I would have had to marry a woman I didn't love. I couldn't do that. There was only one woman I wanted to be with. I would give up everything for the slightest chance that some day she would return my feelings."

"Senpai, if she never asked you to…why would you give up everything. I don't understand who was so important you had to give everything."

"Haruhi," his voice soften, "I did it so I could become stronger, as well as to start over."

"Yes, but why didn't you tell us, we could of help,"

"I know you said I wasn't a burden, but I know at times I really was."

"Maybe, but wasn't I?"

"No," Tamaki replied, "You were a blessing," Haruhi blushed.

There was silence before her voice cut through it, "Was it hard? I mean you started over with no money, no job, no family, and no friends."

"I love commoner's coffee," he replied with a grin. "I was fine."

"Senpai…," Haruhi began.

"I saw my mother," he told her. Haruhi felt so much joy from that statement. After all, he gave up seeing his mother to be with Host Club. She knew how much he missed her.

"She was still beautiful as I remembered her. She was so glad to see me, and Eclarie was as well," Haruhi felt like someone just jerked the carpet from her, and she lost her balance. Tamaki caught her. He helped her regain her balance, their eyes meeting, "She is engaged to someone else now. She seems happy with him. It was nice to see a sincere smile from her. I stayed there for a couple months, before taking off for America." He finished. Haruhi was sure he had a lot more to say, but despite the way Tamaki appeared he wasn't very open with things like that. He wanted everyone to believe he was happy; even when he was completely miserable. "I can have a guard escort you home, if you wish,"

Haruhi just nodded her head slowly. A little unsure, if she really wanted to go. Something made her want to stay with him forever. Was it love?

Author's Commentary:

This chapter gave me a lot of trouble that is why it took so long. Once again I don't own Host Club. Also I wanted to note that Lionel is based upon a character from the anime: Gravitation, which I don't own either. The other characters, most of their personalities were probably inspired from other anime. Yes, so I hope you enjoyed this.