Anonymous review reply(s):

LonexWolf: Would you please sign up for fanfiction? Replying to you at the beginning of each of my chapters makes me feel unworthy of reply. –hangs head in shame- NO, I will not stop My Silent Feelings! That was just my thought at the time! Then I had this miraculous breakthrough and…WHOOSH. More chapters. Tis magical! Ooh, chocolate cake…then I MUST update MSF! Hehehe. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on my upcoming chapters! –dorky smile-

To all my reviewers: I officially love you guys. I got so many long reviews here and on my other story, it made my day times a hundred haha. So thanks, really, a lot—the constructive criticism you give me really is worth it, cause I put it into my writing and then you're all happy (hopefully) and then I'm happy and then all of a sudden the world is…Okay I'm rambling.

Enough sap. ON WITH IT!

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Translation: YokataGreat

Chapter 10: Aftershock

Recap:

"Kunio was right," Tamaki whispered. "I…am selfish. I'm not aware of anyone but myself."

Arrows of shame piercing him at every direction, he lay slowly back down onto his bed, a sigh heaving his chest, the memories once again swarming his mind.

Story:

"Oh, Haruhiii!" Ryoji Fujioka called, waving her bag of lunch after her in the air. "You forgot something!"

Haruhi blinked, turning on her heel. "But…I already got my lunch, Oto-san," she said, slowly holding up another bag nearly identical.

"Yes, but this is the one I made!" he said cheerfully. Standing, he walked towards his daughter who stood at the door, and flung the lunch away. Haruhi watched her hard work of a lunch hit the wall and crumple to the floor.

"Yokata," she muttered under her breath in an ironic tone. "Arigatou, Oto-san," she sighed, taking the bag from her smiling father. "I'll eat it…gratefully."

"Bye bye, Haruhi!" her father waved as she stepped out the door. "Oh, and, Haruhi…" he said in a slower tone.

She turned. "What?"

Very gravely, he held up a delicate white handkerchief that lay limp in his palm. "Care to explain what THIS is?"

Frowning, Haruhi took the object from her father; squinting at the small golden initials stitched carefully into the fabric. "T…S." It hit her; she stood there like a fool, staring at the handkerchief with sweat-drops appearing at all sides of her head. "Oh," she said quietly.

"HARUHI, HOW COULD YOU?!" Ryoji cried in anguish, falling to his knees, his fists striking against the wooden floor as he bowed his head. "How could you possibly have an affair with that…with that TAMAKI SUOH!?"

"A-Affair?" Haruhi stuttered. "No, no, that's not the situation, not at all…"

"What situation IS it, then?!" Her father looked up at his daughter with tear-stricken eyes. "Haruhi, you're supposed to tell your father EVERYTHING! You didn't even tell me when your first kiss was stolen! Am I to be cast away in the shadows of your past? Am I?" he demanded, grabbing her blazer, hauling himself up close to her face in a pleading position.

Holding up her hands in defence, Haruhi stuttered, "N-No I'm n-not having any sort of affair w-with Tamaki, I—"

"Ah!" Ryoji sprang to his feet, pointing dead into her face. "YOU CALLED HIM TAMAKI! Without a polite clause at the end! There IS some sort of tenderness between you two, I KNEW it!" he wailed, falling to the floor once again, holding his head in pain.

"O-Oto-san…" said Haruhi helplessly, staring down at her tragic father at her feet. "It's not…that bad…"

A cheerful knock came from behind her. She blinked in surprise, and turned around. "Who is that?" she asked to herself.

Ryoji shrieked and sprang to his feet, covering his face with his hands. "No! Don't open the door! I don't have my makeup on yet! Noo, Haruhi, don't!" He sprinted the other way, retreating under their small table.

Carefully, Haruhi unlatched the door and peeked outside. "Oh no," she whispered.

Tamaki smiled widely before her, his briefcase in hand, his eyes bright. "Haruhi!" he cried, yanking her out the door and glomping her. "I've missed you so much!"

Haruhi let out a breath, going limp in his arms. "Senpaiii…" she simmered.

"Tamaki," she heard him say back to her.

"Oh good grief." She pushed herself away from him, putting her finger over her lips. "Shh! Don't let Oto-san hear you!"

Tamaki blinked. "Oh. He's here in the morning? He doesn't leave for work?"

"Not until 11:00, no. So be quiet!"

"Haruhi?" called Ryoji from the back of her. "Haruhi, whose at the door?"

"Uh, no one!" Haruhi yelled back. Tamaki opened his mouth to say something; she gave him a warning scowl and shut the door in his face. "I'll be going now, Oto-san," she told her father, who was just climbing out from under the table. Grabbing her bag from the ground, she slipped out the door. "Bye!" she managed before Tamaki grabbed her arm and pulled her the rest of the way out.

Ryoji clenched his fists, looking at where she left with a glare. "Tamaki Suoooh…" he growled under his breath, vowing vengeance in his mind on the young man that dared to steal his daughter.

Haruhi groaned as Tamaki pulled her further down the concrete pathway towards the stairs. "Oh, why are you here, Se—Tamaki?"

"I wanted to walk you to school, of course!"

"But your house is miles and miles…"

"I drove," Tamaki snorted. "I wouldn't walk that far."

Haruhi sighed, pushing a strand of hair from her face. "I bet you wouldn't…"

"Wait." Tamaki halted, turning on her with a worried gaze. "This is…what boyfriends are meant to do, right? Or is this too much attention? Am I smothering you with too much attention, Haruhi?" he gasped.

Haruhi raised an eyebrow. "No…no, this is fine…"

"Oh, good," Tamaki grinned. "Come on, it's a long way to go!" Grabbing her hand, he ran down the stairs, dragging him with her.

As the steps flashed by her clumsy feet, Haruhi looked up towards her apartment with a frown. I won't tell Oto-san. About me and Tamaki. Not now.

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"Kumiko-chan!" Renge pulled her friend against the wall, leaning in close to her ear. "Act subtle. But look. Look who's coming!"

Kumiko turned her head, confused. She gasped. "Oh my gosh!" she squealed. "It's Haruhi and Tamaki! Walking into the school…together!"

"Yes!" Renge chuckled maniacally, rubbing her hands together, a dark expression appearing on her face. "This will make the perfect yaori chapter in the Host Club's history…Something besides incest!"

Kumiko giggled, and swooned with romantic notions. "Oh, I can just imagine it! Tamaki and Haruhi…the two of the hottest members in the Host Club…together!"

Renge snorted. "Tamaki? Good-looking? Oh, please!"

"We have to spread the word!" Kumiko gasped, clutching Renge's arm. "We need to inform absolutely everyone!"

"Yes! We'll make signs!"

Chuckling evilly, the girls set off to the art room, their flyer designs in mind. Despite what Tamaki thought, girls in Ouran were just not normal.

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After school, Tamaki walked into the music room, running his fingers through his hair, sighing as he opened the door.

"M'lord," came two dark, identical voices in front of him.

He looked up and cringed at Hikaru and Kaoru's death glares as they stood in front of him, their arms crossed. Tamaki backed away into the double doors of the music room, a sweat-drop forming on the side of his head. "W-What…" he stuttered, his face going white.

"What."

"Is."

"This?"

Concurrently, they held up a sheet of paper with bold pink writing. Tamaki froze on the spot. "I-I've never seen that before in m-my life!" he proclaimed, his face going a deep shade of red.

"Oh really?" asked Kyoya behind them, seated at his desk, an eyebrow slowly raising on his forehead.

"Yes, I swear it!"

Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged glances, then looked down at the flyer they hold. 'Come To The Host Club Today, To See The New ADORABLE Couple of Tamaki and Haruhi!', it writ.

The twins sighed and shook their heads. "Haruhi won't be happy with this…"

Tamaki gasped, cringing as he imagined Haruhi in one of her angry moments. "Will Haruhi get angry?" he whimpered.

Hikaru and Kaoru gave each other side glances. They sneered at Tamaki. "VERY angry," they assured him.

"Ahh! Haruhi cannot be angry at me!" Frantically, he took the flyer from them, ripping it to shreds. Tossing them to the ground and stamping on them continuously, he stepped back, pointing a trembling finger to the remains of the flyer. "H-Hah! See? Now Haruhi will never know!"

"You're forgetting those," Kaoru and Hikaru told him, pointing to the back of them. All across the music room, in a scattered line, pink and white flyers were stapled, taped, and even glued to every place possible.

With a shriek, Tamaki took his hair by the roots, running in chaotic circles. "NO! They're EVERYWHERE!"

"Aha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

"Oh, great," Kaoru and Hikaru groaned, slumping their shoulders as the horrible gulped laugh shattered their ears.

Tamaki stopped dead, turning on his heel and scowling into the distance. "Renge-chan," he said in a low hiss.

Underneath them, the ground shook; slowly Renge rose on her spinning platform, in all her glory. Spreading out her arms dramatically, she sighed with bliss. "Ah, how beautiful boy and boy love is…"

"Boy and—?! Renge, I command that you take these down at once!" Tamaki cried, gesturing to the flyers scattered across the wall.

"Why should I?" Renge giggled. "There's too many to take down, anyone."

"How many did you make?" Kyoya wondered aloud.

"Oh, around one thousand. And nine."

"One thousand…and…nine…?" Tamaki whispered. Slowly, he crumpled to his knees, head in his hands. "I'm ruined…"

Renge hopped off her platform, bending down before him and patting his shoulder. "Oh, not to worry senpai, boys fall in love with their own sex all the time. Why, my friend, just the other day, said—"

"It's not that!" Tamaki wailed, holding up his head, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Haruhi will be so angry! If she…h-he finds out, and sees all these posters advertising our love—"

"Senpai," came a low voice from the door.

Tamaki stiffened, his head slowly turning; Renge looked past his shoulder to see Haruhi standing at the door, a poster clutched in her trembling fist. "What. Is. This."

Tamaki shrieked at her dark expression as her eyes lifted to meet his. "No, Haruhi's angry!" he whimpered, burying his face into his arms and rocking back and forth on his heels.

Renge stood, giving Haruhi a cat-like grin. "Hello, Haruhi!" she chimed, bouncing up to her. "Do you like my artwork?"

"You made these?" she asked in a dangerous voice, holding the flyer up in Renge's face.

"Hai!" Renge nodded, beaming.

With a sigh, Haruhi let her shoulders fall, the flyer floating to the floor. "I suppose it's useless to get angry over it…"

Tamaki looked at her over his shoulder with a pathetic puppy-eyed gaze. She snorted and looked away. The background behind him shattered, and in his mind, he tumbled into a depressing void of darkness.

Without warning, the doors of the music burst open with an ear-shattering bang. "TAMA-CHAN!" Hunny cried, sprinting through the doors, his arms held out in front of him.

Tamaki looked up, blinking in surprise. "Hunny-senpai, what…?"

Mori came rushing in next; with surprising agility, he pushed Haruhi away from the door, taking a chair and positioning it against the door. "Crowd coming," he panted, leaning against the door.

Hikaru and Kaoru sprang forward. "Guard the door!" they shouted, slamming their weight against the doors next to Mori.

Kyoya rolled his eyes to the sky. "Idiots…"

Haruhi blinked, not comprehending. "What's wrong?"

"You didn't think that the flyers would go completely unnoticed, did you?" Renge asked, a devilish grin curling her lips.

Haruhi's eyes went wide. "Oh."

"Quick, Haru-chan!" Hunny ran to Haruhi, tugging on her hand. "Hide in the closet with Tama-chan!"

"What?" she asked, her face falling into a disgusted expression.

"Yes, Haruhi! You must hide for your safety!" Tamaki shoved past Renge, taking Haruhi by the arm and pulling her towards the large room where Hunny kept all of his food. "We'll take refuge in here!"

Hunny slammed the door behind them. He whispered through the crack, "I'll tell you when it's all clear!"

Tamaki and Haruhi stood together for a mere moment; immediately, she pulled away. "Well, this is…wonderful," she sighed, turning away from him. "Why did she have to make those flyers…?"

"Vengeance is mine," Tamaki declared, clenching a fist, glaring into some unknown, inspiring light up in the corner of the ceiling.

Haruhi shook her head at her ridiculous boyfriend. "So weird," she laughed.

Tamaki shrugged, and lowered his arms, giving her a foolish grin. "A little," he agreed.

Outside, they heard the girls break through the door; over the huge noise, Haruhi could faintly hear Kyoya's voice yelling for order. Haruhi chuckled. "Poor Kyoya. He'll get nowhere with those girls."

Nodding, Tamaki added, "They get excited. Too excited." He turned to Haruhi, smiling. "I'm glad you're not like that."

Haruhi tilted her head to one side, frowning. "Like what?"

"Screaming. Tackling. Violent to see any Host member in action. Although your lack of dedication to the Host Club tends to get annoying at times…" Tamaki shrugged, smiling off to the side in an embarrassed way. "Despite that, it's another thing I love about you. You're just…normal."

Haruhi couldn't help but smile. "I thought you didn't like that."

Tamaki's eyes widened; he shook his head hurriedly. "No, of course not!" He took both her hands, pulling her closer to him. "Haruhi, I wouldn't change anything, strictly nothing, about you."

Her smile grew wider. This was just what she wanted to hear. Wrapping her arms around him, she buried her face into his chest. "Good," she murmured.

Tamaki let out a deep sigh, resting his head on hers, a relaxed smile on his face. The screaming girls outside grew to a faint murmur in his mind. All he thought about was Haruhi, in his arms. How he never wanted to let her go. How much he…

"What's that?" Haruhi whispered under him. He felt her go rigid.

"What?" He lifted his head, looking around the room with a cautious gaze.

"I heard…a sound. Like someone tapping their foot against the wall. Did you move?"

"No…where did it come from?"

Haruhi pointed to the corner across from them, behind a few cabinets. Regrettably, Tamaki had to let her go. With hesitant steps, he walked towards where the noise had come from. As he drew closer, he saw a blue and black form crouching against the wall. And as he went even closer…he saw that the uniformed figure had a mop of messy blonde hair.

"You," Tamaki growled, a scowl passing over his face. He flung the cupboards out of the way; they crashed against the opposite wall.

Haruhi flinched with surprise. "Tamaki?" she whispered.

Kunio sat against the wall, head bowed, his blonde hair hanging over his eyes. He lifted his head groggily at the sound. A stupid grin passed over his face. "Hey, cuz," he drawled, his words slurred.

"You're drunk," Tamaki stated, his tone filled with hatred. "Will you ever learn?"

"Eh, so what? Jussa coupla beers 'ere and there…" He shrugged, his arms flopping at his sides. "'Teachers'll get over it."

Haruhi stared at Kunio with a stern frown; he looked as drunk as her father used to look when stumbling in from his work. It brought back memories that she had shoved away long ago.

Tamaki took his cousin by the collar, hauling him to his feet. "Listen," he spat into his face. "I don't want anyone catching you like this—got it? You better pull yourself together and sober up, or else I'll fling you out that window and land you in the pond to wake you up. Understand?"

"Heh, stu'id Tamaki," slurred Kunio, shaking his head, leaning his weight against Tamaki's strong frame. "Al'ays tryin' to be the boss…b't always failin'." He gave out a harsh laugh, wiping his mouth across his blazer sleeve.

"Shut up, you're too drunk to make any sense," Tamaki growled, shoving him away. Kunio steadied himself against the wall to keep from falling over like the cupboards had.

"You're the idiot, Tamaki," he crowed. "I ain't the id'ot, despite all the people saying things say. You were the class reject, you w're the p…erp…" He frowned, teetering slightly over as he frowned down at his fingers, trying to get his words right. "Person that a'ways got beat up a'ter school, riiiight?" He barked out a laugh, leaning in close to Tamaki's face, the smell of alcohol drifting into the atmosphere. "You're the idiot, Tamaki Suoh, or whatever the hell your name is." With this, he picked up his bottle of wine from the ground, taking a hard swig.

Tamaki rolled his eyes; snatching the bottle from his cousin, he gave it to Haruhi in the back of him. "Here," he told her. Turning, he caught her wrist, looking at her pleadingly into the eye. "Haruhi," he said in a quieter tone. "I…I can't let anyone see him like this. It'd…ruin my father's reputation, if anyone caught him drunk."

Haruhi nodded, taking the bottle from his grasp. "I understand," she told him. "I'll create a distraction. Then he can walk away unnoticed."

Tamaki sighed; hung his head. "He's always like this," he whispered. "Always putting other people's reputations at risk. I'm sorry, Haruhi." He raised his eyes to hers, a lopsided smile on his face. "But really, what can you do when you're related to an idiot?"

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10 minutes later; in the food room located in the music room.

"Aw, why'd yer girlfriend leave?" Kunio asked in a loud tone, reaching across the floor for his bottle. "I was just gettin' into the conversation."

"You don't even know what you're talking about," sighed Tamaki with a roll of his eyes. He stood against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. Without any effort, he pushed the wine bottle out of Kunio's reach with his foot.

"Tamaki Suoh, Tamaki Suoh," Kunio sighed, sitting back on his heels and grinning into Tamaki's face. "Sad little Tamaki Suoh. Ya know, you're the same li'le boy that always used to cry whenever someone took your felt pens. Ya haven't changed ooone bit, cuz."

"People rarely do, in the course of 4 years," Tamaki said, half to himself.

"You still get beaten up a'ter school, cuz? Or are the li'le classmates of yers nicer to ya now?"

"We're not in primary school anymore."

"B't we were, and ya gained a bruise ee-everyday." Kunio nodded solemnly, slumping back against the wall. "Why are we waitin' in this god-damned storage room, anyway?"

"Until the Host Club's over. I won't have Haruhi make a distraction all for your sake."

"Ah, THAT Haruhi. Nice girl. Whatta catch…wouldn't m'nd screwin' her myself."

Tamaki rounded on his heel, fist clenched. "Don't talk about her that way," he growled.

"Oh," laughed Kunio. "Ya gonna cry at me now? Like you d'd when I stole yer other girl?"

Tamaki unclenched his fist and let his hand go limp at his side. The memory suddenly came back, all to fresh, appearing in his mind..

"Oh, Tamaki," Suzy fumbled, her hands playing with the bow that was tied around her waist. "I…cannot accept…your letter."

Tamaki blinked; smiled. "Why?" he asked. Surely she had her English wrong; it was all right, he'd just correct her. He loved correcting her. He loved guiding her around the school, watching her stammer over her own tongue as she tried to speak the French. It wasn't that he liked her messing up the language and becoming embarrassed—it was just that, whenever she messed up, she leaned on him for help. Supporting her, being her guide through every day of the school year, made him happier than anything else could.

"I…am…in love with someone…else," she pronounced in her poor French.

Tamaki's face fell. "You're…what?" he asked in a small, defeated voice.

"In love with someone else."

"Wh-Who?"

"Kunio."

"Kunio?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I do not know. But he is funny!" she giggled, her beautiful face lit in a smile. And for once, she wasn't laughing at his jokes. She was laughing at the thought of Kunio. Kunio.

Going rigid, Tamaki clenched his fists at his sides. "Oh," he said through tight lips. A great weight pressed at his heart.

"Bye, Tamaki," Suzy smiled, waving. She turned, and skipped off to the car where her mother was waiting to welcome her with open arms. Obviously, she didn't understand how much her words pierced him.

"In love with Kunio," Tamaki whispered. He found that he couldn't move.

"Hey, son of a slut," jeered a male voice next to him.

He closed his eyes in irritation. Turning, he greeted his fellow classmates with a half-smile. "Hi," he said. "It'd be nice if you could refrain from calling me that every once in a while."

The group of rough, ugly-looking boys laughed rudely. "Oh, what, the poor blondy baby getting scared?" the leader laughed.

"No; just tired." With this, Tamaki turned away; he felt a meaty hand grab his shoulder and spin him around again.

"I wasn't finished talking to you, Suoh," he spat in his face.

Tamaki felt a sharp pain in his leg; one of the boys had kicked him. Unable to recover from the shock of it, he stood there, eyes wide. The fat boy's evil grin was the last thing he saw before he was knocked to the ground.

As they attacked him with fists and feet, crumbled dirt over his face, and laughed names in his direction, all he could think of was how he was going to cover the blood and the bruises when he got home to his sick mother…

"No," Tamaki whispered, in an answer to Kunio's question. "No, I'm not going to cry."

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Heh, shocked? I know, I know…I'm so horrible to Tamaki. He has a horrible past as it is. But I thought hey, why not pepper my story with a bit of bitter angst? P

Tamaki: I shall never forgive you, accursed author! –shakes fist in my general direction-

Author: -waves hand dismissively- Oh, hush, get over yourself…

Tamaki: Don't review her! She's mad!

Author: -thumbs up- Review me! I'm awesome!

Tamaki: -cuts in front of her- No, review ME!

Author: You didn't write a story, numbnut.

Tamaki: O-Oh…-retreats to corner of woe and weeps-

Author: -in a whisper with hands cupping over her mouth- Review me!