The twins and Haruhi exchanged wide-eyed looks while I continued to breathe heavily. The weighty silence was punctured by the rumbling of hooves. The ridiculous carriage Tamaki had ordered thundered in through the garage exit and drove recklessly through the assembled ranks, cutting us off from the enforcers. Honey and Mori stood from its driver's bench. I heard recognition sifting through the black-clad police. None really wanted to face down the famous dojo masters. "If you take the back hills bypass, you can cut them off," Mori tossed over his shoulder to me. He and Honey jumped to the ground and began taking down our wardens with efficiency.
The twins climbed onto the driver's bench, and I moved to follow but noticed Haruhi still rooted in place. Fear was written across her features. I turned to face her, taking her small shoulders in my hands and leaning down to capture her eyes. "Haruhi," I said firmly. Her gaze met mine like a lifeline. "Let's go get that idiot."
Her face cleared and I could tell she was okay again. I grabbed her hand, pulling her with me to the carriage. From beyond our line of sight came groans and the thumping sound of blows.
Dropping her hand, I turned and grasped either side of her tiny waist and hoisted her into the carriage. I scrambled up beside her and heard the reins snap and the horses protesting even as the carriage lurched into motion. I tumbled into the back seat, half on top of her. The powerful black steeds cut a path through the few attempting to block our exit, and we pulled out into the amber hues of sunset.
The ride was manic. Hikaru had had exactly one lesson in driving the horses and he was pushing them hard. Once we left the main roads for the alternate route Mori had suggested, the colossal bumps taken by the carriage were nearly unbearable. After a couple of these, Haruhi leaned against my shoulder and twined her hand with mine as she had that night after the Lobelia crisis. Her huddled form clinging to me just made me more determined to convince Tamaki not to abandon her.
But what could I possibly say? I ran through arguments and possible speeches, but I wasn't sure how to appeal to an emotion-driven person like Tamaki. I thought of the housekeeper's words. He'd left because of our friendship, because he thought he was making my life difficult. That idiot!
Above the sound of jangling harnesses and stampeding hooves, I heard Kaoru's cry. "There he is!" I looked to where he was pointing. Haruhi leaned forward on the seat and searched the road earnestly. Sure enough the red sports car was cruising along on the road below us. I noticed for the first time that a feminine figure sat beside Tamaki.
Well, this just became a lot more difficult.
Finally, the roads merged again just before a long bridge. Hikaru closed the distance. It was impossible not to hear us coming and I saw Tamaki glance out the back and then do a double-take.
Haruhi went to stand on the side of the carriage nearest him. She braced her legs against the forward and backward-facing seats and held onto the frame on either side of the door. Her hair streamed behind her in the breeze and her face was set in determination.
Tamaki kneeled up on the seat nearest us with an agonized expression on his face. "Haruhi! What are you doing?" he called. "Hikaru! Stop the carriage…it's too dangerous!"
Haruhi stood stubbornly in place. "Sempai!" She called as we drew abreast. "Please… don't leave us!"
"Look, just stop the carriage!" Tamaki replied anxiously.
"Nobody wants you to leave, Sempai!"
Tamaki seemed surprised by this. "But everyone says that they are put out by the host club… "
"Sempai," she said, her tone softening. "You really are an idiot. A blithering idiot." Despite her harsh words I could hear the affection in her voice. "After all this time, can't you even tell when we're joking?!"
His startled face suggested otherwise.
"We all like being in the host club," she assured him.
The twins both pleaded with him. "We don't want the host club to end!" they said in unison. The carriage jolted and Hikaru turned his attention back to the horses.
"Don't leave us like this, Boss," Kaoru added.
I stood as well, drawing his attention. He met my eyes and I shook my head somberly, willing him to understand. Don't go. Don't leave me here, brother.
Haruhi spoke again. "Even I…" She paused to allow a smile to creep over her face. "Even I like being in the host club." She held out one hand toward him.
His face melted into the Tamaki we all know and love, and I knew we had won. He leaned down to say something to Éclair and then stood again, climbing onto the seat. What the…?
I recognized his intent a split second before he pushed off from the car, leaping toward…
Well, directly toward Haruhi. She backed up a couple steps, releasing her grip as she did so. But it was clear he was going to land right on her. Releasing my hold on the carriage frame behind me I used one arm to push her down onto the seat and out of harm's way, my other arm flailing wildly as I tried to keep my balance in the jostling vehicle.
Tamaki managed to land on his feet where Haruhi had been standing only moments before, but the sudden impact startled the horses and sent him stumbling toward me. The out-of-control carriage crashed against the low cement wall of the bridge and Tamaki hit me like a ton of bricks, his momentum propelling me backward. We both grappled desperately for a hold on the vehicle or on the other man, but it was too late. Together we spilled over the side, careening toward the murky water below.
In only a few seconds, I smacked into the surface, which was surprisingly painful. Thankfully the river was deep and I didn't hit anything as I plunged under for long seconds. When my descent slowed, I reflexively swam toward the light above. Gasping for air as I broke free, I tread water while I frantically searched the surface for Tamaki. His head was bobbing about five feet from mine. He was breathing heavily, but between gasps said. "I'm okay. You?"
"Yeah." Reassured that we were both out of danger, we struck out for shore. In a minute the water was shallow enough to stand, and we trudged up the incline onto the muddy bank. Tamaki dropped to the ground, still trying to catch his breath. I wasn't much better, but stumbled a few feet further to sit on a retaining wall.
I leaned over, resting my forearms on my thighs. I shook water off my thick hair to fall between my legs, noting vaguely that my shoes were missing. Actually, judging from the slightly fuzzy look of the world, my glasses were missing as well.
Still huffing a bit, I looked over to check on Tamaki only to find him looking my way. "Idiot," I said.
"Klutz," he answered.
A happy spark lit inside me. "Skirt-chaser."
"Tranny." He eyed my outfit. I took hold of the sopping, dress-like, gloriously purple jacket and held it open so my frilly cravat could be seen. A chuckle bubbled up in my throat.
And then I was laughing, and he was laughing. Released from the awful tension we'd both endured for hours on end, we laughed until my sides hurt.
I peeled off the monstrosity and laid it over the sea wall beside me. As I tugged the ruffled tie from my throat I heard Haruhi's frantic cry from the hill above us. "Sempai!"