Intangible
An Ouran High School Host Club Fic
Rating - T
Featuring - Kyoya because he's cool, litterally
Pairing - Tamaki / Haruhi because Freud would have a field day with them
Disclaimers - Standard
Author's Notes - I wasn't sure that I was going to update today, but I guess this means that I am! Why, you might ask, would I not update today? Because today is my birthday! balloons and streamers fall Yes, another year has passed in my life, so now I enter my 23rd year of life. (As a matter of fact I'm quite secure in my age so I don't matter telling.) At any rate this is a kind of serious chapter (with some unexpectedly heartwarming and funny moments) so pardon the lack of a happy, bubbly Tamaki. He'll return upon the next chapter (granted he's actually in it...).

Kyoya looked at his watch with a frown. Honey had said that he and Mori would be on time, yet according to the time keeping device on Kyoya's wrist, they were ten minutes late. With a sigh he pulled out his cell phone to call them, but a car pulled up beside him as he did so and the two college sophomores piled out of the car.

"Kyo-chan!" Honey cried as he bounced up to Kyoya. Mori gave a silent nod in greeting. "Have you been waiting long?"

"Oh, not long," Kyoya said with a forced smile. "We'd better get going if we want to find our seats with enough time."

"Right!" Honey said, marching ahead. The young man was dressed in a light gray suit with a pink button down shirt, and despite the serious clothing still looked happy and bright. Mori looked somber in a black suit and gray button down shirt, and his serious expression was the same as always.

Kyoya had picked out his black suit and a dark gray shirt. He knew that Tamaki would be dressed down in black, something that the Host Club King usually avoided, so he opted for something that was conservative but not completely black. The trio walked towards the giant sports arena, which was the only place on campus that could hold the entire school, kindergarten through seniors. They were using only one entrance so that each student could pay their respects to Tamaki and his father.

Kyoya halted as a group of freshman streamed in, each bowing respectfully to Tamaki and Yuzuru. "Let's wait for the twins and Haruhi."

"Okay!" Honey said and Mori nodded in agreement. The trio stood watching the students shuffle by. Once the freshmen were done filling their designated seats, the juniors came shuffling by. When Satoshi and Yasuchika came by, the younger Morinozuka smiled and waved at his older brother and cousin while the younger Haninozuka ignored his older brother and cousin.
"I see Yasuchika is as friendly as ever," Kyoya noted. "But why didn't he attack you?"

"Because of the memorial service," Honey answered. "He's being respectful of Tamaki's family."

"Indeed," Mori said in agreement.

Once the juniors had filed past, the seniors started to take their seats, and several of the girls smiled and waved at the former Host Club Members. Towards the back of the pack came Haruhi and the twins, the former sandwiched between the latter.

"Hika-chan! Kou-chan! Haru-chan!" Honey called, waving at them.

The trio looked at their friends and waved, Kaoru letting go of Haruhi to go running up to his former club mates. "Hey Honey-senpai! It's been a while!"

"Yeah, it has! Since Kyo-chan and Tama-chan's graduation!"

"Almost a whole year," Haruhi noted. "Hello Mori-senpai, Honey-senpai, Kyoya-senpai."

"Haruhi," Mori said with a small smile.

"Where are we supposed to be sitting?" Hikaru asked, brushing his bangs from his face.

"With Tamaki," Kyoya answered. "As special friends of the family, we'll be sitting with them. Shall we go?"

The group walked towards the entrance to the arena where Tamaki and Yuzuru were greeting the last of the students. Tamaki's somber expression brightened some when he caught side of his Host Club reunited. "Everyone, you're here."

"Of course, Tono, as if we would miss it," the twins answered in their perfect unison.

"We are very sorry for your loss," Honey said for himself and Mori as they bowed respectfully.

Kyoya said nothing, but merely bowed to his friend.

"Tamaki-senpai?" Kyoya looked back to see Haruhi looking shyly at Tamaki's hands. "I am very sorry for your loss. If you need anything, please, let me know."

Tamaki, who had managed to keep from crying to this point, suddenly found his eyes watering. It was such a simple gesture that Haruhi made, but it had touched him deeply. "Thank you, Haruhi, but please, don't trouble yourself over me."

She looked up into his face and Kyoya could feel his heart squeeze tightly in his chest. She didn't look at him disdainfully like she usually did; instead the look was that of sympathy and love. Perhaps, maybe, just maybe, Haruhi had realized that she was in love with Tamaki.

Haruhi had come up closer to Tamaki and suddenly embraced him. "Don't worry, Tamaki-senpai, you're not alone."

Hikaru chose this moment to find out what was keeping Haruhi and Tamaki. "Wh-" Kyoya's hand clamped down on Hikaru's mouth.

"Leave them be," Kyoya said softly.

"But they're hugging!" Hikaru said, but it came out muffled due to Kyoya's hand.

"This has been a long time coming," Kyoya said, shooting a glare at the unruly Hitachiin twin. "Let them be." The look clearly added, Or else.

Hikaru's frame sagged as Kaoru joined them. Looking at his brother's pitiful state and then up at the cause, pain flashed in his eyes for a moment before he murmured, "About damn time."

"Come on, let's find our seats," Kyoya said, and with the help of Kaoru pulled Hikaru into the arena to join up with Honey and Mori.

When Tamaki and Haruhi came in, they were holding hands, which cause Honey to squeal in delight, Mori to smile, Kaoru to nod approvingly, Hikaru into another round of glaring at his Tono, and Kyoya to sigh. If this kept up, there was little doubt that Haruhi would accept Tamaki's proposal. Of course there was the little obstacle of Ryoji, but if Tamaki didn't say something stupid (or do something stupid) Kyoya knew that the charming Host Club King would win over the okama.

The memorial service was an elaborate affair with ringing bells, a moment of silence, and then a passionate and moving speech by Yuzuru about his mother's life. Kyoya had to wonder how much of that speech was genuine and how much the head of the Suou family was embellishing. Kyoya had been a part of Tamaki's life for the last five years, so he knew that even though Yuzuru had bowed to his mother's will, he clearly had his own idea about how the family should be run.

As Yuzuru's speech was winding down, all of the color in Tamaki's face drained. Haruhi leaned over and whispered something to him and he nodded mechanically, but he didn't look any better. Kyoya suddenly felt a chill over his body and knew that Tamaki would have to say something about his grandmother. The entire Host Club exchanged worried glances. Mori was stoic as ever, but Honey looked close to tears. Hikaru and Kaoru sat forward in the chairs, each anxiously biting down on their thumbs. Kyoya prayed that Tamaki could use all of the natural charm and grace that he'd been bestowed with at birth and pull it off. Not even Haruhi could calm him down.

After the polite applause that had followed Yuzuru's speech, Tamaki stood mechanically and walked to podium. He swallowed and then looked back at Haruhi as if looking for support. She gave a slight gesture of the hand to encourage him, and he gripped the sides of podium and began to speak.

"My grandmother was a wonderful and generous woman. She gave me support when I most direly needed it."

Kyoya felt like he was going to be physically ill. Somehow, over the course of their five-year friendship, he had begun to think poorly of the Suou matriarch. He knew that he was cold, callous and manipulative, but Tamaki's grandmother had made him look like a saint. The fact was that no matter how removed Kyoya tried to be from the other members of the Host Club, he was attached to them because they had given him something he had never had before.

They had given him their friendship.

Oh, he had known what they said about him when he wasn't around. He knew that they didn't fully trust him, for fear of what his retribution could be. He was known as the Shadow King. He could manipulate the simple-minded Tamaki into doing his bidding; all the while the Host Club King claimed the credit for the ideas. He had kept the Host Club running despite all of Tamaki's outrageous demands and expensive tastes. He had been the true brains of the Host Club, but Tamaki was much more suited as the public figurehead.

Tamaki continued with his speech, which began to focus on the philanthropic work of his grandmother. He never sounded bitter or angry, but Kyoya noted that he was a little flat and reserved, not the usually bubbly and charming Host Club King. Sighing, Kyoya sat back in his chair and wondered how Tamaki found the courage to speak at all. If Kyoya had been in his shoes, he knew that he would have exposed the woman as the old bat she was.

When the speech concluded, many of the girls broke into an enthusiastic applause, but the Host Club members, the former and the current could only look at their King with sad eyes. Even Haruhi looked distressed. Kyoya watched as Tamaki turned around and returned to his seat. Haruhi gently patted him on the arm, to which he responded by placing his hand on hers. It was love. Beyond that, it was a deep, pure, and loyal love that would stay with them into their old age. The proposal was sure to be accepted.

Yuzuru returned to the podium to thank the students for coming to the memorial and then dismissed them. The arena emptied much quicker than it had filled, as each class headed back to their respective places. The original members of the Host Club headed up to the stage and gathered around their King.

"Hey, Tama-chan?" Honey asked, looking up at his (usually) fearless leader.

"I'm fine, Honey. Really."

"You're such a liar," Haruhi said in her usual blunt and zero-malice intended but hurts the deepest reaches of your soul way.

Tamaki chuckled. "You're right. I'm not fine. I just…"

"Tamaki!"

The Host Club collectively looked at Yuzuru. He looked at his son and sighed. "I know it was hard on you, but you had to do it. Thank you for not saying what was really on your mind."

"What was on my mind was why I could never make her happy."

"She was a stubborn woman who punished a child for the sins of his parents. I'm so sorry that you received her wrath so often. I wish that I could have done something. What I can't believe is that you were never bitter or angry towards her."

"I don't hate her," Tamaki said slowly. "I never have. All I ever wanted was to make her happy, and have her accept me."

"Don't worry about her, Tamaki-senpai," Haruhi said. "You once told me that you were you before you were a Suou. That you would follow your heart and do whatever you wanted to. I seem to recall you saying that you could be a male model or a pre-school teacher."

Tamaki chuckled as he placed a graceful hand on Haruhi's head. "How right you are. I am not bound to anything, least of all her."

Kyoya had always known that Tamaki had selflessly come to Japan to save his mother. He only wanted what was best for everyone. He only did what he felt was right in his heart. He only thought of the well being of others.

Next to him, Kyoya looked like evil incarnate.

Can it be that our beloved Shadow King is suddenly suffering from image problems? The hell?!

I can't help be feel that Kyoya is secretly pulling for Tamaki and Haruhi to get a clue, even though he knows that it probably means a lifetime of loneliness for him. Don't worry, I have absolutely no plans for him to hook him up with Renge. The rabid otaku is better suited for someone else. No, I'm sure there's someone else out there...I just have to find (or create) her.

Leave me reviews. Constructive criticism and critques are welcome. Suggestions are pondered. Flames will be deleted with a sadistic laugh.

Mercy-Angel-09