Disclaimer: Don't own it, never will.

Tamaki slammed his fist against the wall of the apartment complex, but didn't say anything. Two hands were placed on his shoulders as the twins tried to comfort him. After what seemed like an eternity, he broke the silence. "He has her. I know it, but I can't do anything." Plaster rained down on him and the twins as smashed his cracked and bleeding knuckles into the wall once again.

He felt tears begin to stream down his face, but he kept his head bent so his hair covered his face. He refused to let the Host Club see him as weak. Not after all this time. As their leader and self-proclaimed father, he had to be strong, and for Haruhi too. Filled with determination, Tamaki pushed himself away from the wall, wiped away his tears, and faced the club.

"Alright men. Here's the plan."

Haruhi was forced to remain curled up until the leader was satisfied Tamaki wasn't coming back. With a groan, she rolled out from under the bed, shutting her eyes closed because of the light in the room that filtered through the blindfold. The man crawled out as well, taking the gag from her mouth, as well as untying the blindfold, though her hands had long since gone numb.

Footsteps thudded down the hall before the bedroom door slammed open, shaking the pictures on the wall. The leader, a squat, balding man with bushy eyebrows, crossed the room and grabbed Haruhi by the front of her shirt. "You called him, didn't you?"He slapped her across the face, dragging a ring against her cheek. Warm blood slid down her face, but Haruhi refused to flinch away. "ANSWER ME!"

"I. Did. Not."

The impact of a slap throbbed after he struck her again. "Don't lie to me!" His anger seemed to calm down then, and he released his hold on her shirt. She slumped to the ground. As she hit the floor, her ankle twisted painfully under her, but she refused to cry out. The leader just stormed out of the room and didn't look back.

A pair of hands lifted her up and took her into the kitchen. The younger man walked as gently as he could so as not to jostle her, and as he held her, tears began to slide down her face at a nearly forgotten mmemory.

The harsh, bright sunlight streamed through the oak leaves onto the pages of Haruhi's law book. A shadow fell across it, and the girl glared up at whoever was blocking her light. Her glare melted through, as she met the eyes of her boyfriend. "I thought you weren't going to be able to meet me today."

He heard the question, but just shrugged and held up a picnic basket. "Hungry?" Grinning, she hopped off the bench and hugged Tamaki as hard as she could. The smile that crossed his face was tender and happy, and as she began to loosen her arms to step away, he just hugged her even harder. "I love you Haruhi." Tamaki was so serious on that moment that she was speechless. He looked so fragile, so broken, and there were no words that could be spoken. It crossed her mind to ask why he was able to see her – he'd said he was busy all week – but she didn't want it to seem like she wasn't happy to see him, so she just kept quiet.

A light breeze rustled the giant oaks, and a leaf wafted down to land on Tamaki's head. She laughed, and the spell was broken. The deep, rich tenor of his voice joined hers, and he grabbed her hand, pulling her towards a clear spot under the largest of the oaks.

The afternoon sun slipped further down until the sky was bathed in the pinks and oranges of dusk. Haruhi was resting beside Tamaki, her body curled up beside his. Rolling over, she rubbed her eyes and stretched before looking at her watch.

"Seven o'clock?! Tamaki come on, we have to go. The Host Club was going to meet us at Luigi's for dinner! Her words jostled him awake, but instead of panicking, he merely grinned and rolled onto his stomach while Haruhi hurried to pack up the remains of their picnic.

He wrapped an arm around her waist, still grinning, and pulled her down beside him. "Relax, love. We have plenty of time. And I haven't gotten to see much of you lately." He pushed his bottom lip out in a slight pout, and she stopped in her attempts to escape. "You've been studying so much. I miss you."

Relaxing in his arms, Haruhi sighed and kissed his cheek. "I know. And I miss you too." Slightly mollified, Tamaki loosened his hold around her waist, which was just what she was planning on, but it didn't go as well as she'd hoped. She jumped up, Tamaki's arm falling away from her, and as she was almost away, slipped on a rock and fell into a large pile of leaves. Tamaki's eyes grew wide with shock, and he shot to his feet. "Haruhi!"

A laugh broke through the leaves, and Tamaki's shoulders sagged in relief. His girlfriend popped up from the leaves, reds and yellows flying about her. She reached toward him, her arms outstretched, but instead of pulling her upright, Tamaki picked her up, cradling her to his chest.

"Tamaki, put me down!" Her fists beat uselessly against his chest, and he merely grinned down at her.

"Nope, I don't want to."The light of the setting sun illuminated his golden hair. The sight took her breath away, and she gave up freeing herself then. Instead, she let herself relax in his arms. She trusted him completely, and nothing could ever change that.

Haruhi shook her head to rid herself of the memories, and the feelings he'd stirred in her. Besides, they'd broken up a week later. It was of no use to her to dwell on the past.

Her ankle gave a painful throb then, and a soft whimper escaped her. "Shh, it's alright. I'll protect you." In her pain-induced haze, Haruhi could almost imagine the voice belonged to Tamaki. But the illusion vanished when she opened her eyes.

The boy placed her on counter and went to grab the first aid kit. The bandage he brought back pressed against her ankle uncomfortably tight, but it otherwise reduced the pain. She thanked him then, but the words sounded false, even to her own ears.

Neither broke the silence that seemed to stretch into oblivion until the front door slammed, shattering the fragile peace. "He's gone," the boy whispered, before taking her gently around the waist and bringing her down to her feet. He seemed to hesitate, conflict clearly written in his eyes, before releasing her. Turning, he led her to the door and opened it. "You're free. I won't keep you here."

Haruhi didn't know what to say to that, so she merely nodded her head – which seemed woefully inadequate – and made her way slowly, painfully to the entryway. She didn't question him to know if the other man was still there – she instinctively knew he wasn't – nor did say anything more than a simple thank you as she slipped out the door.

The bench he was on was anything but comfortable. The cold metal that never seemed to warm provided no comfort, and the small screws dug painfully into Tamaki's back. But he hadn't slept in three days, and the time was beginning to take its toll on him. Dark purple bruises surrounded his eyes, and his head throbbed at the slightest movement. But it would all be worth it if he found Haruhi.

Hesitant footsteps approached, but Tamaki didn't open his eyes. It wouldn't matter – whoever it was would leave him in peace. Not even the twins would disturb him now. The person stopped, and he could feel their eyes in him, but neither said a word.

"I'm sorry."

Tamaki's eyes flew open at the words, startled by the sound of her sweet, bell-like voice. She was the last person he'd expected to see in Japan, and also the last person he wanted to see. Sighing, he closed his eyes again and said in French, "Just go away Emilie. I don't want to see you." Not after what happened last time. Not after he'd lost Haruhi.

"But Tama-" "I told you to leave me alone!" he yelled, his anger overpowering the manners he'd been raised with. They were of no use to him now, anyways, and he was tired of having to play by the rules.

Emilie looked down at the ground, and a tear rolled down her face. There was no guilt though, in either of them. Words still had to be spoken, even if Tamaki didn't want to hear them.

"I heard what happened to your girlfriend, so I rushed right over from Paris. I thought you would want me here for moral support." She leaned slowly over him to hug him to her. His body stiffened, but he could not move his body away, for he was trapped between her and the bench, nor could he pushed her away – her slim arms were stronger than they seemed, and he was already weakened from the lack of sleep.

His eyes slowly drifted off, and the last thought he had was that Emilie's perfume smelled vaguely of lavender and vanilla and smoke. It was odd, but it didn't fully process in his tired mind.

Emilie smiled indulgently before taking off his jacket from his sleeping form. Her hand reached into the pockets and pulled out the contents, hoping to make him more comfortable before placing it under his head. It wasn't the best accommodations, but it would do. She lightly kissed his forehead and patted his shoulder, all with a small smile on her face. He needed his sleep, and she wasn't about to interrupt it. But she'd be back – he needed her, after all.

Okay, you know the drill. Read and review, please!