DISCLAIMER:

I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. Good thing, too, because I can't draw for my life (especially anime!).

So. Struck by a lightning bolt of inspiration. I'm actually typing another fanfic at this moment, too, but I've got writer's block (there's a first time for everything, right?), so I figured I'd try my hand at this. Now, something important: don't admonish me if my facts from the story (or spellings of the names, I'm not Japanese by any definition) don't work with the facts I present in my story here. I'm only on chapter 41 right now (I'm waiting for it to load, it's taking forever), so I'm doing the best I can here. I'm not entirely sure how this is going to turn out, I'm just ~going with the flow~ so if you guys have got ideas, feel free to leave them in the review section (with a review, of course!). Wish me luck. Read, enjoy, and review.

Here we go.

Chapter 1

"Tamaki-senpai, do we really have to wear these costumes? I mean, I've gotten used to the normal cosplay, but... this is absolutely ridiculous." Haruhi looked down in dismay at her bunny costume, and around at the others dressed in disguises of various other animals deemed 'adorable' by Hunny. It had been his birthday last week, but as there was a bombardment of tests that everyone had had to study for, no one had the time to properly celebrate, and thus the small third-year got to choose the costumes for today as a special gift from the host club. (Of course everyone else had gotten him other presents as well, but he was a rather hard little boy to disappoint).

Still waiting for an answer, Haruhi looked up at the king. "Senpai...?" She stepped slowly away from the president of the host club who was looking at her in her bunny costume as if she were a...a... Haruhi didn't even know. Another one of those weird looks that Tamaki got whenever he was in his fantasy-land. [Right now, unbenknownst to anyone but himself, Tamaki was daydreaming about he and Haruhi hopping about in a field of lilacs and having a picnic with her dressed up in her bunny costume, a homemade lunch awaiting them while she fed him]. Haruhi rolled her eyes at Tamaki, walked away from the high-fiving twins (having finally gotten her into the bunny suit) and towards Hunny.

"I hope you're happy," she said with a somewhat hopeless smile, which quickly turned into a frown as she noticed Mitsukuni wasn't in a costume himself. "Hey, why aren't you dressed up?"

Hunny chuckled. "Are you kidding me? Those outfits, however cute they might be, are totally ridiculous..." They all glared at him, and he made a quick save- "...to eat cake with. The crumbs would get all over the fabric."

"It's not like we'd need to wash them, anyway. We never cosplay with the same theme more than once", Haruhi sighed, looking around at the Host Club. Besides her in her bunny costume, everyone else (even Kyouya) had dressed up. So as not to inflict the wrath of such a martial arts master, Kyouya was wearing a fox suit, Tamaki was wearing a puppy suit, the twins were two siamese cats, and Mori was a bear cub. All of the costumes uniquely suited each personality type, and Hunny had loved picking them all out. The Host Club, much to the satisfaction of Kyouya, got a lot of business that day, and a lot of satisfied customers promising to return. Everyone was just cleaning up the last of the decorations (they had taken the costumes off as soon as the ladies had left, much to the sadness of Hunny [Mori had kept his on to please him]) when Kyouya got a phone call. Looking at the caller ID, he frowned.

"That's odd..."

"What is it, Kyouya?" Tamaki asked, gliding over to see who it was. Not recognizing the number, he turned and went back to helping Haruhi wash the tea dishes (something not completely necessary with the maids all around, but Tamaki's new 'commoner obsession' [as the twins had dubbed it] was commoner chores).

"It's one of our family-owned hospitals..." Kyouya murmured, not loud enough for anyone to hear. He picked up the phone, and leaned back with one hand in one pocket and looking towards the ceiling as he usually did when talking on the phone. "Hello, this is Kyouya Otori speaking. Is everything all right?"

Murmurs on the other side of the telephone. Suddenly, Kyouya's hand shot out of his pocket and up to his forehead, and he stood straight up, his eyes alight with confusion and something that resembled...anger? Sadness? The club couldn't make it out, but everyone's head snapped up at his loud, "What happened?"

More murmurs, and Kyouya nodded, even though the person on the other end couldn't see. "What is it?" Tamaki whispered to Kyouya, trying not to be distracting and failing. The boy on the phone waved the King, off, who went to go clutch Haruhi's sleeve and whimper, "Daughter, Mommy's being mean to Daddy." Haruhi, however, wasn't paying attention to her senpai- she was instead focused on Kyouya and his conversation with someone who was apparently delivering some very bad news, indeed.

She didn't know just how bad it was going to get.

"Yes. Yes. I've got it. Yes, I will. I'll tell her. Thanks." Kyouya hung up.

Haruhi's blood ran cold, and Tamaki stopped his whining and looked up at her with concerned eyes. All movement in the room had ceased- the Hitachiin twins looked up from their sweeping, brooms frozen in hand. Hikaru especially was looking at Haruhi with worry, and Hunny's big eyes were focused, along with Mori's analyzing ones, on Haruhi's reaction.

Because Kyouya had said that he would tell 'her'. There was only one 'her' in the room, and by now everyone had gotten who was calling. The Otori family had a huge investment in medical staff.

The hospital was calling for Haruhi. And that meant only one person.

Kyouya fixed his glasses, eyes closed, thinking, analyzing how to best resolve this. Because, in the end, it wasn't something that could be resolved. He sighed deeply, and then looked up to Haruhi.

"What did he get himself into this time?" Haruhi asked, trying to keep a calm voice but her eyes betraying the panic and absolute fear she was feeling for her father. Of course, he worked at a gay bar at night, so he had gotten a couple of scratches and bruises from some nearby bar fights, but...nothing from the hospital... and with Kyouya's look on his face, that face that no matter what the situation never betrayed the slightest hint of any emotion that could be mistaken as caring...it was bad.

"Haruhi, I'll explain it in the car. There's no time to lose. Mori-senpai, you and Hunny were just about to leave for home?"

The two nodded solemnly. "You can take our car", Hunny said. Kyouya nodded.

"Good. I'll get a last-minute police escort from our force."

A couple of phone calls later, they all were already sprinting down the halls of Ouran and into the waiting car. Haruhi was afraid she would fall several times. Her legs felt so weak. She couldn't handle this. Her dad was all she had left. If he wasn't there for her... a single tear flew away from her cheek as she ran so fast that by the time it hit the ground, she was already far away.

No one questioned the whole of the club coming. They were Haruhi's family, now...in more ways than one, depending on how bad Haruhi's dad's condition was. Quickly they had all informed their servants and parents that they would be home late, and as they all piled into the car Kyouya started explaining, summarizing everything over the wail of the police escort.

"Your dad was on his way home from work. It was dark out, and a drunk driver came swerving around the corner."

Haruhi tensed, and Tamaki moved closer and took her hand for support. Hikaru, on the other side, did the same. Haruhi clasped back with strength enough to make both of them lose some circulation in their hands, but none of them noticed over Kyouya's story.

"There was a woman and her young daughter walking around the corner. Your dad was on the sidewalk when they started crossing the street. Out of nowhere, the drunk driver came swerving around the corner. He would have easily killed the woman and the child, both, but...you dad jumped out and saved them."

Haruhi choked back a sob. "Is he..." she couldn't finish.

Kyouya shook his head. "The woman called the police, but by the time they got there he had lost so much blood that he was unconscious. He was in a coma when they called, but his condition is extremely critical, and..."

"And what?" Kaoru asked for Haruhi, who was too paralyzed with fear to be able to speak.

"There's a 90% chance that he won't make it."

Haruhi shoved her face into Tamaki's shoulder, willing herself not to cry, though her body shook from the effort. The King looked down at her sadly, so sadly, and stroked her short hair while wrapping an arm around her. Hikaru continued holding her hand, and the others all looked on with different expressions. Kyouya, with pity breaking through his uncaring mask- Kaoru and Hikaru with the sadness from seeing their closest friend besides each other suffer- Mitsukuni with distant eyes, in another world, unable to comprehend Haruhi's pain, and Mori (still mostly trying to be a reassuring presence to Hunny) was looking at Haruhi with those eyes that said so much more than his voice did. Tamaki closed his eyes against Haruhi's hair, just trying to block out the world except for them to try and get them through the last two minutes until they arrived at the hospital.

They all dashed through the halls, towards the room Kyouya had reserved in the back for Mr. Fujioka (hospitals aren't supposed to have VIP rooms, but it was the Otori family, after all). Haruhi in the lead, she was the first to burst through the swinging doors...

And into a world that she never wanted to experience. The nurses all turned around slowly, sadly, as Haruhi's heart stopped at the sight of a figure her dad's height and shape- the figure, impossibly, of her father- motionless, a sheet pulled over the face.

No. No. This wasn't happening. This couldn't. Be happening.

Her legs gave out, just in time for Tamaki to catch her as the others ran into the room and saw the same sight. She started sobbing uncontrollably, not caring whether or not the whole Host Club was watching her break down. Her father...

Well, the flat line on the monitor said it all.

Tamaki took her into his arms and carried her out into the hallway and sat down on a large bench, along with the rest of the club. No one's eyes were dry, not even Kyouya's with his exceptional breeding in the art of apathy. The twins and Hunny joined Tamaki to embrace Haruhi, trying to comfort her. Mori eventually joined in too, when Hunny started crying along with Haruhi, and for perhaps the first time the Hitachiin twins' tears weren't fake. Just sadness, sadness and death, surrounding everyone in the room, as Haruhi lost the only family member she had left.

After some while, a nurse came out. She was regular height with blonde hair and a sad look on her face. Haruhi tried to stand up to talk to her, but found she didn't trust her legs. The nurse shook her head sadly as the whole club got up to follow Haruhi into the room. "I'm sorry, but only the direct family of Mr. Fujioka is allowed into the room right now." Haruhi went pale. There was no way she would be able to do this alone. The rest of the club sat back down patiently, but Tamaki remained standing. The nurse shot him a dirty look. "It says here his only direct family is Ms. Haruhi Fujioka."

"I'm coming with her."

The nurse eyed him, and then her, and then him again, and shrugged and led them back into the hospital room. Tamaki helped Haruhi walk over to a chair, never letting go of her hand, his heart breaking at the pain and nothingness written all over Haruhi's face.

"Are they still here?" Haruhi asked dully, in a voice completely dead. Tamaki flinched at how much pain and suffering was behind her eyes, all shut away to try and deal with this situation that could have never been imagined.

"Yes. The mother took her daughter home but came back. She's actually in that chair, right there." The nurse pointed to a woman in the corner of the room, who got up and hesitantly tried to approach Haruhi. She seemed to eye Tamaki and ask for permission. He gave none, though he didn't reject her- he couldn't act as Haruhi's father when her real one was now lying dead under a sheet. So,the woman inched forward and eventually put a hand on Haruhi's shoulder.

"I- I just want you to know that your father is the hero of my daughter, my husband, and myself. If it weren't for him, little Clara and I would be... well, neither of us would be here. Your father saved our lives, and for that we are eternally grateful and will do whatever we can do in our power to help you."

Haruhi nodded. "Thank you. And I know what you're probably thinking and feeling right now. You're probably thinking that I'm mad at you for being then and there, and you're probably feeling pretty guilty about the circumstances, too."

The woman looked down and nodded. Tamaki squeezed Haruhi's hand, unsure of what she was doing.

"Don't be."

The woman looked up, surprised. "What's you and your daughter's name? How old is she?"

"I-I'm Nancy Harrison, and my daughter's name is Clara. We moved here from America a little while ago. She's five now."

Five.

Five.

That hit Haruhi like a blow unlike any other. She was glad she was already sitting, because her knees would've given out again.

"Ah. Well, then, I'm really very happy for you, and on behalf of my father, you're welcome. You see, I lost my mom to a drunk driver when I was five years old."

Nancy's eyes widened impossibly, and Tamaki put an arm around Haruhi and squeezed sadly.

"Oh..." Nancy said sadly. Then she looked up, troubled. "Wait... your mother's dead too?"

A flash of pain through Haruhi's eyes and an evil look from Tamaki made the woman realize that A) she probably shouldn't have said that in a room with a girl's father also lying dead, and B) she was now an orphan. Because if this man wasn't even the direct family of the man that had saved her and her daughter...then Haruhi was all alone.

And she was.

The nurse tried to talk again, but Nancy said good-bye first. "Here's my number, honey. Don't hesitate to call if you need anything at all."

"Thanks", Haruhi said dully as Nancy handed her a napkin with her number scrawled on it. She shoved it in her pocket and asked the nurse,

"And the drunk driver?"

"It was a hit-and-run. The police got his license and his address. They're bringing him to the hospital before they take him in- they should be here in about a half an hour or so."

"That's not how police usually do it..." Tamaki muttered, before remembering that Kyouya probably got his family's private police force on the case. The drunk driver had no chance of escape.

"Now, there are some things that need to be addressed", the nurse said kindly. "I'm sure your dad's lawyer will get in touch with you shortly-" She paused while Haruhi stifled another wave of tears.

"We don't have a lawyer. We haven't had one since Mom died. She was our lawyer, and dad said that no one could ever do it right like she did. But I can probably sort that out, I suppose [remember, she did go to Ouran to become a lawyer]."

The nurse nodded sadly. "And that'll also take care of the body. I'll leave you alone for a little while to pay your respects. Other than that, there's really not much the hospital can do."

Haruhi nodded. As the nurse was leaving, Haruhi asked, "Did he- did he say anything?"

The nurse nodded. "Right as we got to him he lost consciousness, but before that he said... 'Tell her I love her.'"

The nurse left, and Tamaki tried to comfort a lost little girl enveloped in a world of misery and pain.

Soon, the Host Club all came piling in through the doors to say their last good-byes to Mr. Fujioka. They all reminisced about the few times they had spent with him, admiring how much he cared about his daughter (shown by all the times he secretly stalked her [ex. the grocery store, Lobellia Girls' Academy, etc.] but no one from the Host Club mentioned that), how he had always been so firm in what he believed in, what he wanted to be, and what he was, and how he had always tried his hardest at everything. Inside, each member of the Host Club had a little moment with Haruhi's dad that made them admire him a little, and they all thought of those moments silently. Tamaki especially had a sort of one-way conversation with Mr. Fujioka, thanking him for all he had done to raise Haruhi, silently paying his respects, and in the end just one thought:

Don't worry. I'll take care of her.

Of course, Haruhi wanted some alone time with her dad before they took him to the morgue. Everyone filed out, and as Tamaki shut the door behind them, she found herself alone in a room with her dad's lifeless body before her. More tears slipped out as she started speaking.

"Hey, Dad."

For the first time ever, he didn't respond.

About ten minutes later, after she had said good-bye to her father and bid him to meet her mother up in heaven, she slowly trudged out of the hospital room. Much to her surprise, everyone was still there. Hunny was nearly asleep in Mori's arms, his bunny Usa slightly stained by his tears shed in sorrow. Kyouya's expression had almost gone back to its unwavering state, but as he looked at Haruhi a slight tint of pity and sympathy came back, reflected through his glasses. Hikaru and Kaoru looked up at her in unison with uncomprehending eyes, holding hands for comfort. Mori was of course occupying his time with comforting Hunny, but his body language made it obvious that he was just as sad as the rest of them. Tamaki was pacing the hall anxiously and his head snapped up when Haruhi came out, his eyes ablaze with sadness and sympathy and something of anger at fate. He slowly walked over to her and gave her a hug, and Hikaru and Kaoru rose in sync and joined. Hunny jumped out of Mori's arms and ran over, while the tall dark-haired protector followed. Kyouya watched and eventually walked over and placed a hand on Haruhi's shoulder. Haruhi couldn't stand anymore, so Tamaki picked her up like a small child sadly.

"Ha-Haruhi?" Mitsukuni asked sadly, quietly, concern heavy in his voice. She looked up (or, rather, down) at the small boy as Tamaki carried her over to the bench again.

"Yes...Hunny?"

"I know that it's probably not much consolation at a time like this, but...I just wanted you to know...that no matter what happens, we're still your family, and we're all here for you", he said in a small voice. Everyone nodded their agreement, even Kyouya, and Tamaki squeezed Haruhi.

She rubbed her eyes. "Thanks guys...that means a lot..."

Kyouya pushed his glasses back and looked at Haruhi apprehensively. "Haruhi, I did some research on you when you first joined the Host Club, and I noticed... you don't have any other family on either side."

The whole Host Club froze and looked at Haruhi again, who just shook her head in confirmation, and said in a small voice, "...what am I going to do? I don't have anywhere to go... I'll have to go to a children's home or something..."

"Absolutely not," chorused the Club firmly.

Haruhi looked up in surprise. "Wha...?"

"You can stay at our house until you figure out what to do", Hunny offered, and Mori nodded in agreement.

"Our ours, if you'd like. You could have a huge wardrobe selection, and our house is a little closer to Ouran", the twins said in unison.

"I'm sure that I could arrange something for your situation. In the meantime, my father certainly wouldn't mind you staying at our mansion while we sorted everything out," even Kyouya offered generously.

"...We'd be honored to have you stay at our mansion as long as you would like," Tamaki whispered in her ear in a sincere voice.

Haruhi's eyes watered up. Never before had she had friends so kind and genuine... willing to help her through so much. She nodded in gratitude, trying to decide whose house (or, rather, mansion) she'd select.

But she already knew. She would stay with the person she needed most right now. The one who knew her better than anyone else, even if they didn't know it.

"I- I-" she swallowed, trying to get the words out. "Uh, thank you very much for your offers, everyone. I'm honored that you would all allow me to live with you until we...until I get things sorted out with my dad, but I think I'll stay at Tamaki-senpai's mansion for now. If nothing else, it's the closest to the school, and I've already met his dad, so I don't think he'll mind too much, I hope."

The club nodded, all realizing the other reason for her decision. Tamaki was the only member of the Host Club to have lost a parent in any way, something that Haruhi desperately needed to relate to right now. And Tamaki would protect her.

He nodded solemnly. "I'll call our housekeeper and let her know that the Suoh family has a guest. I'll send for a car, too." As he went to make his call, the others also called their drivers for a ride home. Kyouya was the first to return.

"I've made arrangements for some of my people to carefully bring your things to Tamaki's place. I thought that it would be a bit... premature to go back to your apartment just yet. Is that okay?"

Haruhi nodded thankfully. "Thank you very much, Kyouya."

He returned the nod and placed a hand on her shoulder. "If you need anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to ask." Haruhi gave him a weak smile as the others returned. They sat down on the bench in silence until their rides all came, a line of metal beetles as black as the night and the death inside of it.

Haruhi clambered into the car with Tamaki as he gave their chauffeur instructions to take them home. It had started drizzling, and the two were a bit damp from their walk to the car. After a couple of minutes of driving, Tamaki noticed he was still holding onto Haruhi's hand. A bit awkwardly he tried to retract it, but found that she had his hand in an iron grip, and that her small body was shaking slightly from the effort not to cry.

"Oh, Haruhi..." he said sadly, pulling her head onto her shoulder and brushing back her bangs to kiss her lightly on the forehead. She pressed herself against him, the tears finally spilling over like the pouring rain outside. He held her close while she tried to deal with the act that she had just lost her last (and possibly closest) remaining relative.

A flash of light...BOOM.

Haruhi cried out and pushed herself even closer against Tamaki, whimpering. He took off his coat and put it over her own (she still hadn't changed out of Ouran's uniform), and hugged her tighter, looking up and cursing the sky. The worst possible time for a thunderstorm.

He held the shivering Haruhi all the way home.

When they got to the mansion, he took her in his arms and ran inside as fast as he could, trying to shield her from the rain. He burst through the doors and immediately his maids ushered them up to their rooms, but when they tired to show Haruhi to her own guest bedroom she ran back to Tamaki with pleading eyes full of terror.

"Please don't leave me, senpai."

He nodded and had the maids bring them to his room, instead. They had been informed that Haruhi was, in fact, a girl, and brought dry clothes and a pair of pajamas to her and Tamaki (his were men's, of course). The maids set up to changing dividers and they both quickly started changing into new clothes, knowing they wouldn't be able to sleep. For now, the thunderstorm had stopped...or...

BOOM.

Haruhi dropped to the floor and curled up into a ball halfway through changing, whimpering. Immobilized by fear, she put her arms over her head and tried to block out the sound.

"Haruhi?" Tamaki asked with concern, knowing how petrified she was by thunder and lightning. "You okay?"

BOOM.

Her whimpering grew louder, and Tamaki grew more concerned. "Haruhi?"

BOOM, BOOM.

"I'm coming over there, okay?" he asked and cautiously peeked around the divider to find Haruhi halfway through changing and cowering on the floor. She had her pants on, but her belt was still on the floor and her shirt still sopping. Some part of Tamaki realized that he himself wasn't wearing a shirt, but he didn't really care. Instead, he went over to Haruhi to try and help her through the thunderstorm.

"Shhh, it's all right", he said soothingly. She was freezing, shivering so hard it looked like she was having a seizure, her teeth chattering so loud Tamaki was surprised they hadn't chipped yet. She couldn't get a cold, she had to get her damp clothes off...but she was too petrified to move. Tamaki sighed at what he was about to do, but it didn't matter anymore.

He grabbed her belt on the ground and helped her run it through her belt loops, somewhat awkwardly. Even under the circumstances, Tamaki noticed how slim and petite her waist was when he slid the belt through.

The thunder became even more frequent with no sign of letting up, and Haruhi could barely breathe from fright. Still, Tamaki couldn't let her just sit on the floor sopping wet, so he gently pulled her shirt off. She shivered slightly from the cold, and he gave her a nearby towel to quickly dry off with. She started to dry herself off, but another marathon of thunder and lightning paralyzed her even more, so Tamaki ended up trying to dry her off as best as he could with her curled up in a ball. It then became blatantly obvious to him that Haruhi was topless in his bedroom with only her bra on, and as his cheeks lit up like a wildfire he threw the towel aside and desperately fumbled for her dry shirt. He tried to shove it over her shoulders, but ended up only hitting her head.

"Oww..." she muttered from her position on the floor, turning around to try and give him an evil look before the thunder started again.

"Sorry..." he apologized as he desperately tried to keep from looking any lower than her face. Together they managed to get her dry shirt on, and he ran back to his side of the dividers to put on his, too. The storm had suddenly stopped, and as he went back to Haruhi to check if she was all right, he buttoned up the last button on his shirt and found her sitting on his bed, her damp clothes neatly stacked on the floor and the divider folded up next to them.

"I'm sorry you had to see that..." she muttered. "And...uh...do that..."

"No, that's fine", he said reassuringly. "I don't mind."

She looked at him funny, and he realized what he had said. "Uh, I mean...that is, I don't mind seeing you like that...I mean, I don't mind helping you...I mean... I'm not a pervert, I swear!"

Haruhi laughed weakly, tiredly, but a laugh all the same. Tamaki smiled to see its dim effect light up her face momentarily. "You mean you don't mind helping me through the thunderstorm?"

"Yeah, that's it", he said affectionately, rustling her damp hair.

"Next time, though, senpai, just call a maid. There are about ten of them out there, you know, and they're all female."

Tamaki blushed again and looked away. "Right. Of course. Hadn't thought of that."

They sat awkwardly on his bed for a moment or two, and then...

ding dong

The bell to enter Tamaki's room rang, and entered...

Five other boys, all dressed in their pajamas with sleeping bags and pillows.

What? Haruhi thought at the sight of them.

"Sleepover", Mori explained briefly.

"Yeah, milord said you'd need moral support, and we wanted to come anyway, so we're all having what you commoners call a 'sleepover'. We've even brought the traditional 'sleeping bags', though we don't understand how these are supposed to have as much support as a mattress", the twins said in unison.

Haruhi blinked at all of her friends, ready to tough out the night on the floor to support her. She smiled weakly, and looked over at Kyouya. "Even you, Kyouya?"

"Well, to be honest", he said pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "I was dragged into this. Still, it'll be an interesting experience, and I'm glad to help in any way I can."

Haruhi nodded wearily. "Thanks."

Tamaki hopped down from the bed to help his friends set up their sleeping bags. "Hey, Haruhi, the maids put your pajamas where you left your clothes. The bathroom's at the end of the hall to the left, if you want to change. You're probably tired." She nodded, took the pajamas, and went to change as the Host Club all turned to Tamaki with accusing stares.

"Where you left your clothes?"

"Pervert."

"What?! No! It wasn't that!" Tamaki tried to explain frantically, his cheeks turning to fire. "I was just helping her through the thunderstorm! There were dividers when we were changing!"

"And were you helping her while she was changing?"

"Erm...well...yes..."

The twins got ready to jump Tamaki, but his eyes clouded over with the memory of a few minutes ago and they stopped. "She was so scared... and I don't think she was just scared of the thunderstorm..." They all looked at each other sadly, but before anyone could say anything else Haruhi came back in.

She was dressed in a regular nightshirt and sweatpants (both, of course, extremely expensive, however). [She had kept on her bra, because really, she was going to be sleeping, apparently, in a room of six other boys.] "And you guys are sure that you're going to be able to handle the floor all night?"

"Pssht", the twins snickered. "I think we can handle it. We are men, after all."

"Yeah, men", Haruhi said without amusement as she observed all the boys crowded onto Tamaki's bed, snoring. Apparently, the floor was unsupporting, hard, and smelled like feet. Go figure. She sighed as she pulled a cover over herself on the sofa in Tamaki's room that was actually bigger than her bed at home. She remembered earlier in the first couple of minutes that the boys had toughed out the floor.

"Hey, Tamaki-senpai", Haruhi had said in surprise, "your floor is actually more comfortable than my bed at home..." This statement had evoked that look of 'commoner pity' from the rest of the club, which Haruhi had returned with a glare. Shortly after, they had all given up and retreated to Tamaki's bed with their sleeping bags, insistent on retaining some commoner sleepover spirit. Haruhi gave a small chuckle before the frown returned to her lips and the piercing sadness to her heart. As she looked out the window in Tamaki's bedroom at the moon, she remembered stargazing a few years ago with her dad...

"And that's the little dipper, and that's the big dipper, and that's Orion's belt..." Haruhi's dad said with excitement, pointing out every constellation visible in the sky.

"Daddy, how do you know so much about the stars?" Haruhi had asked in amazement. She was still at the age where everything her dad did was amazing, absolutely fantastic.

"Well, honey, I took an astronomy class in college. I might've become an astronomer, actually."

Haruhi cocked her head. "Daddy, what's 'college'?"

Her dad laughed, and then his eyes became slightly misted over and he ruffled her hair. "Somewhere you can wait as long as you want to get to. Just keep on being daddy's little girl, and you'll be fine."

It was the little things. The simple things, just like that, that Haruhi would miss. Having her dad always burn dinner. When he would follow her to the supermarket to carry her basket for her. Freaking out over missing open house. Stressing out over what to wear every day, and how he would do his hair. And, suddenly, it came crashing down on her that she would never see these things ever again, that all those little dad-isms were lost forever.

Her father was dead.

The realization struck her for the second time that day, but this time was far more devastating. This time, she had already accepted the truth as real, that unbearable truth- it was now inevitable, impossible to avoid. She wasn't daddy's girl anymore. She would never be daddy's girl again.

Mmmm, thought Tamaki, rolling over in his sleeping bag. He snuggled in deeper to try and go back to sleep, when he saw Haruhi on the couch...sobbing quietly to herself. He quietly unzipped his sleeping bag and walked over to her. He gently lifted the sheet she was clutching to herself and picked her up, cradling her as he lie down on the couch, pulling the sheet back over them, comforting his close friend on the (surprisingly large) couch while she cried herself to sleep. Just before they drifted off to sleep, close together, she heard him whisper,

"I'll always be here for you, Haruhi."

Well, that was a long first chapter! I'm sorry, I know that it kind of sucked, but I've got a better idea of how to write the next couple of chapters...hopefully... aaaanyway, let's hope this gets better -_- It's probably going to turn into a Haruhi and Tamaki story, but hey, one of my new OTPs :). The next chapter is probably going to be Haruhi trying to figure out what to do next. Please review. Any opinions are appreciated. Love you all, darlings ~ I'll try to update soon.