Author's note: Exercising my AU muscles. They need a good workout occasionally.

Tamaki was nervous. For the most part the blond King was a straight-forward and honest person. Sure, he had his hang-ups – who didn't? - but overall he was open and rather easy to read. There were, in fact, only two things he could think of that would meet the criteria of Honey's question. One was the way he felt for Haruhi; there was absolutely no way he was going to say anything about that. Not now, not here...not with her sitting mere feet from him. But the other...no. He couldn't bring that up. It was too...just, no.

Around and around this dilemma his thoughts chased each other, through Mori and Honey discussing their post-graduation responsibilities, through the announcement or the twins' first real separation looming over the horizon. He wondered if Kyoya planned to participate in this question. And he was quite curious as to whether or not Haruhi might have anything to say as well. But mostly he thought back to the one thing in his mind that none of them knew anything about, and asked himself repeatedly if he truly had the strength to reveal it to them.

The group was silent, but there was a muted air of expectation that had settled down upon them all. He looked around at this group, these friends...this family that he loved so much, these people who had, through accident or design, become his world. And there in the introspective quiet he knew he had to tell them. Taking a deep breath, he slumped forward a bit and leaned his elbows on his knees.

"You know that my grandmother had intended for me to marry Miss Tonnerre." All eyes were on him now, but he felt no judgment, only curiosity and comfort. It made it that much easier to keep speaking.

"I didn't really care for her. I mean, I suppose she was a suitable choice. The right connections, the proper pedigree. And I so wanted to make my grandmother proud of me. For once I didn't want her to see me as a problem, an unwanted complication. I thought...I thought that maybe, if I agreed to the match and did as she asked, she might be more willing to accept me someday." He sighed.

"You all remember how that played out. Dissolving the Host Club, leaving for France. If you hadn't all decided to bring me back – I don't know if I've thanked you for that – of I could ever hope to thank you enough. You saved me that day, every one of you."

"You don't have to thank us," Haruhi said softly. "We just wanted you to be happy."

"And we could all tell that you would never have been happy with that woman," the twins declared with matching shrugs.

"If we had thought you truly wanted to go, none of us would have stood in your way." Kyoya's voice was nothing if not reasonable. Slightly across from him, Mori nodded his agreement.

"We couldn't let you leave – not when we could all tell how much you wanted to stay," Honey finished.

To see all of them looking at him with such fondness, such care nearly brought him to tears. But he hadn't even begun his confession yet. Swallowing hard, he smiled as best he could.

"Believe me, I am thankful for that. I've spent a lot of time just thinking about how grateful I am that you all spared me the life that I, at the time, thought I was expected to lead. But it wasn't the outcome of the situation that I want...no, that I need to tell to you all." He stopped, glancing down at the sand, knowing that what he said next could forever color their opinions of him. It wasn't an idea he was looking forward to.

"Whatever it is, Tama-chan, you can tell us. We won't judge."

The quiet concern and certainty in the oldest host's voice, followed as it was by agreeing murmurs from the rest, was a balm to wounds in Tamaki's soul that had never quite healed. It gave him strength, and hope. After a few moments he took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. His voice was quiet.

"I announced the dissolution of the Host Club. The next morning I got into a car with her and left for France. But the night in between...my grandmother sent Miss Tonnerre to my house to seduce me."

"WHAT?" The word rang out in several voices as all of the hosts stared at him in open-mouthed shock. He nodded, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"Apparently her father and my grandmother had told her that they expected her to acquire me by 'any means necessary.' That night, after I'd told you all that the club was to be disbanded, I was hurting so much. All I could think of was going home, curling up in bed...honestly, I knew I was likely to cry myself to sleep. It was all so difficult." He didn't see the expressions of sadness, of empathy on their faces – he couldn't bring himself to look up at any of them.

"When I went into my room, however, she was already in my bed. I didn't know what to do. Here I was, giving up everything I cared for – again – to fulfill someone else's wishes. I was tired, and sad, and I just wanted to be alone...and then suddenly there was this girl in my bed, looking at me with this haughty expression, like she...like she belonged there or something. It was too much for me to handle. I asked her politely to go away and to leave me alone."

"She didn't, did she?" Kaoru asked gently. Tamaki shook his head.

"She told me she figured that since our wedding was already being planned, that she saw no reason to wait for me until it was official. But there was something off about her words, and after a minute I realized that it was because they weren't hers. She'd been coached, told to offer herself to me. So I confronted her about it. She just shrugged and said that yes, I was right, but that it didn't matter to her and that I should just be grateful that an illegitimate bastard like myself could be considered worthy to marry into her family. She even went so far as to say that once the marriage was official, that she wouldn't care if I took 'that peasant crossdresser' as my mistress because, now that she had paid off Haruhi's debt, it was almost as though she owned the 'mousy little girl.' She said I could have Haruhi as long as I kept her out of polite society, because, 'after all, Tamaki, she's just a commoner. It's not like she's anyone important.'"

This time the wordless outcries were far more audible, but he didn't let them distract him. He was determined to finish his tale. Closing his eyes and slumping forward, he resumed talking.

"I didn't know how to handle it, what to say to her. By this point she'd gotten out of bed and stalked towards me. I kept backing up while she spoke, not feeling comfortable in the least about this whole situation. I was hurt, and I was insulted, and if I had been thinking halfway straight I would have just walked out, but by the time that thought crossed my mind she'd already...she'd backed me up to the couch. The next thing I know she'd slammed me down on the cushion and..." He stopped abruptly, shaking his head. He couldn't go there, not right now. They didn't need to know everything.

"What...what did you do?" The hesitance and concern in Haruhi's voice was easily recognizable to everyone but Tamaki, who was so caught up in his own recollections to discern her tone.

"What did I do?" He barked a laugh – short, sharp, and completely without humor. "I did the only thing I could."

"Which was?" Kaoru asked for everyone.

"I struggled until I could shove her off of me, wished her a pleasant night, locked myself in my bathroom, wrapped up in a mountain of towels and slept in the tub."

Haruhi was shocked at the anger that welled up in her as she sat listening to Tamaki's reluctant tale. How dare she? That vile, despicable...I can't even begin to think of words to fit that bitch!

"That was a low plan, even knowing it came from your grandmother," Hikaru said firmly, disgust in his tone. Beside him, his brother nodded in agreement.

"And what kind of self-respecting girl would ever agree to such an idea?" Haruhi heard herself asking. "I mean, I kind of understand arranged marriages, but this – I mean, you two weren't even an official couple. To try and...I mean...it's just wrong!"

She wasn't aware of the righteous fury that blazed in her eyes, but when she glanced to the side she could see it shining quite vividly in Kyoya's. In fact, the sight of such – rage? Hatred? - in the Shadow King's countenance made her pause her own tirade, falling quiet, just waiting. That much emotion would have no other option but to come out in some way. Around her, she could feel it as the rest of them came to the same conclusion she had, and in silence they sat waiting for Kyoya's reaction.

He was nearly shaking. Kyoya prided himself on being able to pick up on that which people did not say. So he fully understood the part of the story that his lover had so skillfully bypassed. In a voice chill enough to surpass the winds of the arctic, he spoke.

"How far did she get?"

Eyes widened around the circle, flickering between the furious brunette and the quiet blond.

"It...it doesn't matter. She's gone now and it's not an issue anymore." The Host King's voice was shaky.

"Tamaki."

One word in a tone that brooked no disobedience, permitted no subterfuge.

"I...not far, okay. I mean, yeah, she kind of...well, I didn't – Kyoya, really, it doesn't matter."

King faced King and it was obvious that neither of them was paying attention to the remaining five who were staring, worried, at their quiet leader.

"It doesn't matter." There was no inflection in the youngest Ootori's voice. The complete lack of emotion made Tamaki visibly uncertain.

"No...it doesn't..." he said, watching his partner carefully, knowing he'd never seen his best friend so angered.

"Tell me, if you will please," Kyoya said smoothly, "what is it typically called when one person presses another to indulge in activities of a sexual nature against their will?"

The indrawn breaths from the circle were ignored – or perhaps not even heard – by the prince and the shadow.

"Kyoya, it...I mean, she didn't get...I ran away to the bathroom before she got...well, that far."

"Uh-huh." Drier than dead wood in winter, Kyoya's tone sounded as bland as if he were discussing stork migrations.

"So you'd be okay with someone treating, say, Haruhi the way that woman treated you. As long as she was able to escape before anything happened. Right?"

"What? No! Absolutely not! If someone tried -"

"So it's only not important because it happened to you?"

"I...yes – no – I mean, well..."

"You would do your damnedest to hunt down anyone who tried to hurt someone that mattered to you, wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would!" the blond snapped. "But that's not the point! I just -"

"YOU MATTER TO US!"

Pure, shocked silence followed Kyoya's angry shout. In all the time any of them had known him, they had never heard the brunette raise his voice like that – indeed, had never been witness to that perfect composure cracking more than the most minute amount. They were seeing it now. Eyes flashing, fists clenched tightly, he stared at Tamaki who – startled at the vehemence his best friend was displaying – could only stare back, mouth slightly agape and amethyst eyes wide.

"Kyoya..." he whispered.

"You have no regard for yourself. No sense of self-preservation. And for all that you call us a family," he waved an absent hand around the circle, "you really don't seem to understand what that means."

He looked like he wanted to kill something - or, more likely, someone. Never had the Shadow King held such a frightening amount of energy. It was awe-inspiring, in a sort of horrifying way. But just as they all began to get really, truly worried, it all changed. In what was probably the most impressive display of self-control any of them had ever seen, Kyoya closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. When he opened his eyes again his standard mask was solidly in place once more and his voice was again the even, collected tone they all knew so well.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked calmly.

"I...I was..." Tamaki sighed. "I was ashamed. After the way I'd treated you all, dumped you all, just because I was told to – Kyoya, I was certain that none of you would want to speak to me again. I mean, what would I have said? 'I'm sorry I blew everyone off and ordered the Host Club disbanded, but the woman I'm supposed to be marrying just tried to force me to have sex with her and now I'm a little freaked out.' That wouldn't have gone over too well. I just couldn't."

"And after?"

"After what?"

"After we banded together to rescue you from your own stupidity. Why didn't you say something then?"

"Because...well, because we were all happy again. I wanted to leave the whole debacle behind me. I didn't want anyone to feel like I was trying to gain their sympathy."

"So you decided to keep it all to yourself. To not trust us with your problems. To let it eat at you and never say a word."

"...yeah."

Once more, speech ceased. The other hosts knew that this was something that had to be settled between their two leaders, but expressions of quiet watchfulness resided on every face. Tamaki, entreaty in his violet eyes and shame in his bearing, gazed at his darker counterpart without uttering a sound. Kyoya matched him stare for stare and the moment seemed to stretch like taffy. Eventually, though, even the finest taffy reaches its limit.

"Idiot."

The club watched in surprise as their reserved Shadow King reached over and drew his best friend into a hug.

"Remember, Tamaki, you're the one that calls us a family. And families watch out for each other. Don't try and handle everything on your own, not when we're here for you. And don't ever think that we don't care."

Though his words were aimed at the blond prince in his arms, Haruhi could feel them slide over her own shell as well. She sighed, decision made.

Ranka barely noticed the décor of the Ootori mansion as he followed the appropriately silent servant through the hallway. Even if he had noticed, he likely wouldn't have reacted anyway. He preferred to gauge a person's worth by who they were, not what they had. In the midst of his musings the servant stopped before a door and knocked twice.

"Enter."

"You may go in now, sir," the young woman said with a bow, opening the door for him. Keeping his expression carefully composed, Ranka stepped into the room and got his first look at Kyoya's father.

Imposing in a manner not wholly physical, the dark-haired man sitting at the desk was quite obviously a force to be reckoned with. However, Ranka refused to be cowed. He bowed politely and waited for the other man to speak.

"Fujioka Ryoji. Thank you for coming. Please have a seat." Though the words were perfectly cordial, the tone was that of a man accustomed to being obeyed. Still, though it grated a bit, Ranka saw no reason to be openly disrespectful just yet. As such, the okama walked to the single chair in front of the large desk and sat easily. For a long moment the Ootori patriarch looked at his guest, a completely neutral expression on his face. Ranka could have laughed. He could see where a young Kyoya must have adopted his own mannerisms from. But whereas the youngest Ootori wore the persona with a certain...grace...his father simply looked fake.

"You are not what I was expecting," the businessman said with the air of someone granting a great favor. Ranka simply blinked, perfect calm in his voice as he replied.

"You are exactly as I expected. But I assume you did not extend me an invitation to your home to discuss banalities."

There was a very brief moment of quiet before the other man answered.

"You would be correct. Tell me, Fujioka, have you contemplated your daughter's future?"

"Every day," he said sincerely. It seemed his answer wasn't quite what his host had anticipated, but Yoshio wasn't thrown for long.

"I asked you here to discuss the possibility of a betrothal. Your daughter possesses many admirable qualities that will be an asset not only to herself, but also to whomever she chooses to ally with."

"You're proposing a betrothal between Haruhi and Kyoya." It wasn't a question and both knew it.

"I am."

"I have brought my little girl up to be self-sufficient, to make her own choices and walk her own path. I'm presuming you have good reason for asking me to even consider such a blatant violation of the principles I've raised her to cherish."

He could tell that the zaibatsu head had not been expecting such a response, but he had to give the man credit – aside from a split-second widening of his eyes, there was no change in either expression or demeanor, and his inflection remained steady as he replied.

"As a member of the Ootori family, your daughter -"

"Haruhi," Ranka cut in calmly.

"- Haruhi would have opportunities that she would find difficult if not wholly impossible to achieve on her own. Of course, her future education would be covered in full, however she should choose to use it. It is no secret that she plans to study law – we employ a good percentage of Japan's best legal counsel. She would be able to complete her schooling wherever she would desire, intern at the law office of her choice. After which, the world would be open to her.

"Financially, it would assure that not only Haruhi, but her offspring as well, would be secure in perpetuity. She would never need to concern herself with the minutiae of day-to-day living. As a member of high society she would have the chance to mold her life into anything she wanted."

Ranka stayed quiet, giving every impression of considering the eldest Ootori's words while inwardly thinking how little the man truly knew of the girl he was seeking to join to his son. It was time to see exactly what the man was made of.

"Financial security is all well and good," he said slowly, weighing each word. "But there is more to life than money. What can you offer her that could help to bring her all the things money cannot buy?"

"I've found that enough money can purchase almost anything," Yoshio said dryly.

"I've no doubt it can be useful, but I am speaking of intangibles. How would marrying your son bring happiness and fulfillment to Haruhi's life?"

He could tell that Yoshio was put slightly off-kilter by that question. Still, it didn't faze him for long.

"My son is quite fond of young Haruhi, and if her defense of him to me is any indication she considers him worthwhile as well. I believe they could have a very amicable marriage."

"I have always wished for my baby girl to live a life that had more to say for it than 'amicable' and 'stable.'"

"Entire countries have been built on less sound principles," the brunette stated almost coldly. In contrast, Ranka's smile was warm and genial.

"Ah, but I don't care about countries. What I do care very deeply about is my only child."

The two men regarded each other over the desk, silent in their thoughts. Eventually, Ranka felt it was time to speak once more.

"I will admit that you present an intriguing offer and make some salient points. It would be tempting to accept on Haruhi's behalf. However, I will not agree to any arrangements until I speak with Haruhi. As it is her life, therefore the final decision shall be hers."

"Very well. Then I shall anticipate speaking with you again on this matter soon."

"Certainly."

"I would like to stress that time is of the essence – at least in your case. I am, of course, assuming that you would like to have all of your affairs in order before your health takes a turn for the worse."

His smile was polite, if a shark could be said to have manners. Ranka, refusing to show his shock or disdain, simply stood.

"Indeed. If that is all for now, I will bid you a good day. Haruhi and the boys will be returning tonight, as I'm sure you know, and I have every intention of being at home to hear about how her vacation went."

A few insincere goodbyes and a short car ride later, one very worried redhead walked back into his apartment. He shrugged off his suit jacket and sat down on the couch, running his mind over the strange conversation he had just been part of, and wondering what on earth Haruhi would think of this new development.