Disclaimer: OHSHC is officially disclaimed by yours truly.
Tamaki sat at her bedside, her hand grasped firmly in his. There was a connection between them, and he was finally able to put a name to it – father and daughter – but that didn't make the pain lessen. The fingers wrapped in his were ice-cold, and she'd already lost so much blood from her injuries.
His thumb stroked the back of her hand as he held it, and Tamaki felt more protective of her than he'd ever felt for anyone. Even without his memories he knew there was no stronger feeling than the one he was feeling. And it hurt him to see her lying so still on the hospital bed, her skin only a few shades darker than the sheets she was under.
"Fujioka-san." Tamaki shook his head. The name just didn't feel right in his mouth. "Haruhi." He smiled. That was much better. "Haruhi, I wish I could have been there for you. I don't know what happened, and honestly it's probably better if I don't." A small, sad smile spread across his face. "If I did, whoever did this to you would be dead right now." He went silent for a moment before his phone began to vibrate in his pocket. Emilie had given it to him – his had been lost and he couldn't remember where – just in case she had to reach him. Upon seeing her name on the screen, Tamaki sighed and released Haruhi's fingers reluctantly. Bending down over her, he placed a light kiss on her forehead before leaving the room to take the call.
The boy had been gone for hours, and Emilie's pacing grew in intensity as she was left at home to wait like a child while he stayed with that…that… Emilie screamed her frustration. None of her servants came to see if she was alright, for she'd been screaming randomly the entire time Tamaki had been gone.
Emilie flopped onto her bed and pulled out her phone. There still hadn't been a response from her contact, and with every passing second her anxiety grew. She wanted that girl gone. The sooner she was dead, the sooner Tamaki would be hers.
At long last Emilie's phone trilled and her attention was taken from her thoughts of Tamaki. She flipped it open, but didn't say anything. The distinctly male voice on the other end began talking. "You said you needed something. This had better be good. You know I don't have much free time anymore, and after the last time –"
Emilie cut him off. "I know about the last time. And I don't care. I know you can get out of anything, if you really want to. Listen, there's a girl I need…removed."
The voice sighed. "You never change, do you? Though I have to admit, this is a little extreme compared to your other requests. What changed?"
"There is no need for you to know. The girl is at the hospital off Third Street, room 1301. And be quick about it. I need her out of the way as soon as possible."
"Yeah, yeah. I got it. I'll send my son over there immediately. Payment the same as usual?"
Emilie caught herself nodding, but realized there was no way the man could know she was in agreement. "Yes. I'll send one of my men to the meeting point after I hear of her…removal." Without waiting for confirmation, Emilie shut her phone and began giggling like a little girl. After she'd calmed down enough to put on a convincing performance, she dialed Tamaki's number. A smile slowly spread across her face. It wouldn't be much longer until she no longer had to put up with her fiancée's ridiculous obsession with the girl.
Tamaki shut the door to Haruhi's room as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake her up. Not that he thought she would, not with all the painkillers she was on. "Yes?" He knew he shouldn't be so short with his fiancée, but he was worried about Haruhi, and he didn't want to leave her for longer than he had to.
"Hello, honey. I was able to contact the Hitachiin twins. They should be heading over to the hospital shortly." Tamaki let out a sigh of relief, but it was accompanied by a twinge of…something.
"Alright. Thanks for doing that. I'll leave as soon as they get here."
"Actually, something's come up, and I need you to come home as soon as possible." Tamaki stilled. What was so important enough that it couldn't wait for the twins to get to the hospital? With a sigh of resignation, Tamaki agreed and shut his phone and went back into Haruhi's room to say goodbye to her.
He opened the door slowly, and a slight breeze came in through the open window. It surprised him – he was positive it had been closed when he'd left the room. He crossed the floor to close it, but the door creaked shut behind him.
"Suoh?"
Tamaki turned towards the man who'd called his name. Red hair, a mean face, and a shocked look greeted him. "Do I know you? I'm afraid I don't remember."
The man laughed. "So it's really true. The great Suoh has lost his memory." Tamaki nodded, a tight smile gracing his lips. "So if you don't remember anything, why are you here?"
"I found her outside the police station. What about you? I'm assuming you're not one of the Hitachiin brothers since I don't see a twin around here."
"I came to…visit her. We knew each other in high school. I'm Kasanoda."
Well, Kasanoda clearly knew him, and Haruhi, though Tamaki worried a bit at his choice of entrance. He sighed. "The Hitachiin twins are supposed to be on their way, and I have to go. My fiancée is calling me home. So if you would at least stay here until the twins arrive, I'd appreciate it."
Kasanoda's face seemed to get even meaner as he looked at Tamaki in confusion. "Wait, you're fiancée?! What happened to –" He stopped midsentence. "Well, then I guess you'd better be running off to go meet her, shouldn't you?"
Against Tamaki's wishes, he said goodbye to Haruhi again – but without the forehead kiss – and shut the door behind him. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Tamaki walked back to the entrance of the hospital. Something kept pulling him back, but he knew that Emilie would be worse the longer she had to wait for him. She just seemed like one of those people.
And, for a reason that was out of his reach, he had chosen her.
Tamaki stopped in the middle of the sidewalk as a sudden pain filled his head. He shut his eyes, hoping to alleviate some of it, but it didn't help. Staggering over to one of the benches on the side, Tamaki pressed the tips of his fingers to his temple, but not even that worked.
A red-headed teenager stalked the tall, silent member of the Host Club through the halls of Ouran, and eventually into Music Room 3. He had a mean-looking face, and everyone he passed tried to blend in with the shadows so as not to incur his wrath. No one wanted to be a human ice sculpture, and with those eyes that chilled them to the bone, it was incredibly likely they could be used at the next Host Club function.
That same teen knelt to the floor, begging the older boy to let him be his apprentice. "My name is Kasanoda, and I don't want people to fear me. Morinozuka-senpai, please, be my teacher!" A grunt was all he got in response, but Tamaki jumped at the opportunity to help him. Everyone should have the chance to love, and if Kasanoda thought he needed to look less scary, it was the job of the Host Club to help him out.
Tamaki sat against the back of the bench and took a deep breath as his memories took him forward a bit. It hurt, but if it helped him regain what he'd lost, he was more than willing to endure the pain.
Kasanoda was in one of the many plush couches that served as a place of relaxation for all the Host Club guests, though he seemed to be the exception. His entire body screamed uncomfortable, from the stiff set of his shoulders to the fists clenched in his lap. Not to mention the beet red color of his face.
He was the only non-host male there, but all the ladies seemed to urge on his forbidden love for the host sitting across from him. It fueled their fangirl moments, but the rest of the hosts were left watching along with their customers.
The boy across from Kasanoda gave no indication of his feelings, but he was polite and courteous, just as he was to all his guests. Eventually the girls turned back to their hosts, and the two were left alone, though everyone kept sneaking glances in their direction.
When the images went away, Tamaki's headache went with them. It was a relief, and the flashbacks had answered a few of his questions. He stood up once he was sure the pain had fled completely and began walking back to Emilie's house.
The host Kasanoda visited also seemed familiar, but none of the names Emilie had given him seemed to match. It wasn't Morinozuka – Kasanoda had been following him, and he clearly wasn't a twin. So that left Ootori and Haninozuka.
Tamaki stopped walking. The host had seemed familiar – too familiar – in a way that Morinozuka hadn't. Like he had seen him before, and not just in the part of his memory that he couldn't remember.
He looked like Haruhi when she first entered Music Room 3.
Kasanoda pulled out his phone and quickly punched in a number. "Dad, yeah, it's me. I can't go through with this." Angry unfinished words came through the speaker and Kasanoda held it away from his ear. No use going deaf early. "No, it's not because I think she's too pretty to kill. If she dies, it will be much, much worse than if you back out of the deal." More angry syllables. "No, she's not a government official or someone famous. Not in that sense. But I went to high school with her."
That made his father fall silent. If she'd gone to Ouran Academy, she had to come from a rich family. There was no need to tell him she'd been a scholarship student. "If we hurt her, it will be known that we did it, and she has some very powerful connections. We'd have to deal with the Ootori, Haninozuka, Morinozuka, and the Hitachiin families. It would be better to step out of the deal."
The other end was still silent, and Kasanoda held his breath. If it didn't work, he'd have to come up with another plan. He wouldn't kill Haruhi. She'd been his first love.
"Alright, I'll contact the girl and make something up. But get out of there and come home before you're found."
Kasanoda released his breath and ended the call before punching in another number. He brushed his fingers across Haruhi's still hand before lifting himself out the window. "Hey Hikaru. Suoh said you and Kaoru were on your way to the hospital and not to leave before you got here, but my dad's calling me back to headquarters. Mind hurrying up a bit?"
Hikaru's response made Kasanoda slip from the rim of the window and tumble into the bushes. "We're in Fiji. We're not heading to any hospital, much less than the one you're at. Why? Who's there?"
"Haruhi."
Kasanoda heard the dial tone beeping angrily at him and, with a frustrated sigh, he shoved his phone into his pocket. Whatever was going on with Tamaki was not good. For any of them.
Thanks to all my reviewers out there! Even the ones who were about to murder me with pitchforks the last chapter ;) Hope this chapter helped alleviate a little bit of the stress built up from no TamaHaru action. Anyways, please read and review!