15 years later...
Haruhi sat in the car, staring out the window while thinking about her son. It had been so long since they had visited the Ouran Academy, yet she wondered if it had been long enough for Tamaki so have recovered. It was a slow process, yet he had put his past behind him finally and heal properly. She had been so relieved when the demons in his eyes began to fade away and his light fight its way back into his life.
Now she was sending her son off to the same school that had been such a pivotal part of their lives. If it hadn't been for Ouran, she probably would never had made a name for herself. She was able to use the education she received to be noticed enough to go to university on a scholarship as well, even though the Suoh family had offered to pay for the entire thing. But no, she could not ask them to contribute any more to her tuition.
Tamaki was quiet in the seat next to her. She knew that it was hard for him to let René go, but he would be okay. He was extremely protective of his little boy, knowing that some day he would lead the family, or at least that's what he used as an excuse. It was his goal to be a better father to his son than his father had been to him. His father hadn't been a terrible man, though he did not always fight for his sons well being against his mother, but she understood that. There is a lot of different ways for a parent to love their child, and Yuzuru loved his son the best he knew how. Tamaki strived to be even better.
"He's okay Tamaki," Haruhi said, breaking the slight silence between them. She was trying to convince herself as well as him. "René has your ability to make everyone smile and get his way. He will have the school under his spell in no time."
She was trying to convince herself of this as well. René had a reserved side to him, making him less outgoing than his father and a little more like her. He was smart though, always calculating his next move. Watching him at times was like watching a chess game; not thinking about the next move, but three moves ahead. It reminded her of Kyoya in that way. There was a strong, silence to him that would one day make him a deadly manipulator.
The car slide smoothly into the driveway, making no noise at all as it approached the front doors. Some days it disgusted her how large and wasteful the space was, preferring a small country home with just enough rooms as they needed. It was times like this that she would remind herself that for Tamaki, this was a reserved, modest home. She was just glad that it wasn't like the guest house that she had spent so much time in with her love.
Tamaki held the door for Haruhi to enter into their home. She sighed, which made him smile gently. It made him feel so good to think he was getting his way, but she would never admit that she did enjoy making him feel like he was annoying her. Secretly, she enjoyed him doing small things like this for her. Every time he did something like holding the door, she could feel how much he still loved taking care of her. He would always try to he her hero, and she would always love him passionately for it.
They had the entire day to themselves now, and she thought that maybe her and Tamaki could comfort each other in their empty home, which hadn't been completely empty like this in years. Clearly, he had other plans for the moment. He took a stack of letters into his study and shut the door. It was a habit of his to go through his mail in the comfort of his sanctuary, while she was free to go through hers at will.
Oh Tamaki, your habits are so hard to break.
She wondered through the empty house, contemplating what she would do with her free time. It had been a while since she had been able to go shopping, and she loved the clothes the twins tended to pick out for René. The downside to this would be having to put up with the clothing they tried to pick out for her. Every time she went to have their help, they would still try to dress her up in cosplay outfits. They thought it was funny, Tamaki thought she looked wonderful, René would laugh and she would silently glare at them thinking about how she didn't like it fifteen years ago, and she liked it even less now.
Or perhaps she could go and see her father, who shouldn't have been working today. They could go out to lunch and catch up with one another. It had been a long while since they had been out without any distraction. There would be no questions of a silly nature. No asking why people would stare when they went out, or who planted all the trees. He was so inquisitive of the world around him, finding wonder in everything.
After making a full loop of all the rooms, she went back to the study. Tamaki would have had enough time to go through all of the mail at this point, and she wanted to see if maybe he wanted to go out with her. He always loved picking out new toys for their son, and sometimes for himself. That, and without her son home she was terribly lonely and needed someone to distract her.
She opened the study door slowly, not wanting to disturb her husband while he was going through his mail. He was completely absorbed in the paper that was in his hands, silently crying onto it. There was a look of longing and pain that she had not seen in his eyes for years. The pain was something he had put behind him, yet here it was, taking the joy back out of his eyes.
"Tamaki, what's wrong? Who was the letter from?" she asked, knowing damn well the answers to both of those questions.
Son of a bitch. Kyoya, couldn't you just have left the poor guy alone?
"Nothing's wrong. And the letter, it's just junk mail cleverly disguised as a hand written letter."
He tossed the letter into the fire, smiling as it caught fire. Kissing her, he escorted her from the room. There was an odd emotion in his eyes as he glanced back into the room. It was a sad sort of happiness. There was no empty emotion to him, just a calm that there was no way to describe. Whatever it was, she felt comforted by it.
A few weekends later, she was again in the house alone. Tamaki and René were out getting groceries together. It had become a routine of them both going to the "commoner" market. He claimed it was to keep René down to earth and not act like he was better than anyone, but in reality, he just enjoyed going out and being able to do things with his son, even if it was something as little as shopping. She also knew that they always got candy and ice cream before they came home which was something she would never have allow.
It made her smile knowing that her boys were out together, bonding in a way that only boys could do together. She would take him out tomorrow so that he could get a hair cut and have his bonding time with his mother, but it was a special bond that the boys had. Tamaki went out of his way to make sure that their son stayed humble while showering him in love. He was a wonderful, loving man that enjoyed showing his affection to those who deserved it.
She walked at a leisurely pace, making her way outside to tend their flowers. It was a family event when everyone was home together. Tamaki enjoyed how the flowers would grow and how his hands could create such beauty; René liked the dirt. They would all laugh together, the sun light casting shadows on each of them, intertwining to pull the family even closer together. It was one of her happiest place to be.
Her gloved hands had soil on them when the mail arrived, leaving slight smudges on the envelopes. She smiled, pulling the gloves off and making her way inside. The intention was to leave all the mail on Tamaki's desk and let him deal with it when he gets home. Normally she would tell him that it was his job as man of the house to deal with the letters. In reality, it was a really good way for her to be lazy without him realizing what she was doing. These plans changed as she glanced down at the first letter in her hands.
Her name was neatly written on it, with no return address given. The paper was an off white, very high quality. She half expected to open it and find an invitation to a royal gala, or a piece of trash mail to be used as tinder in the fire, but no such luck was in store for her. Instead, she skimmed the letter to see if there was a sender's name attached, finding it exceptionally quick at the bottom of the short letter.
She sighed, thinking she should have expected something like this to happen. What the hell do you need from me, Kyoya.