Chapter One

It had just been another day of the Host Club's usual antics. Entertaining young women, except this time they were at the beach. Each host knew their tactics and used them well. Hunny had been collecting seashells, adding to his cuteness charm, while Mori followed him around, like a faithful servant at his master's will. Hikaru and Kaoru played volleyball with the ladies, and when the ball started rolling away the twins chased after it but ended up chasing each other. Kyoya politely offered magazines and other such novelty items in the Host Club theme complete with his relaxed aura. Tamaki entertained the girls' fantasies, sitting with each girl by the waves and, for lack of a better phrase, role-played with them.

So where did that leave Haruhi?

Having to hide her identity as a girl, she was wearing a baggy yellow sweatshirt and long blue shorts. The girls were swooning over her but as Haruhi wasn't doing anything quite as captivating as the other hosts, they put their attention back on the young men. Haruhi wandered along the shoreline, mostly staring at her feet and watching as the small waves coming ashore fell just shy of touching her. She thought of how she came to be indebted to this Host Club and how troublesome all of the events were. She had more important things to spend her time on. Ever since she was a little girl, Haruhi had dreamed of becoming a lawyer as her mother was. But with one crash of a vase, those dreams fell further away.

Having to attend club meetings every day after school for hours left little to no time to study, especially with other essentials to be done around the house. Whenever a holiday came around, even more of her time was devoted to the club and each activity seemed to build up her debt even further as every expense was added by Kyoya. Those costumes and uniforms didn't come free, or cheap. Haruhi scrunched her face bitterly in thought.

Aside from all of that, she was glad that she had gotten mixed up with this bunch of goofballs. They brought excitement to her life that she had never had before; her first real friends in a long time. Even though most of the time the only interactions were for business, the club was really like a family to her. She cared for them, whether she wanted to admit it or not. Sighing, Haruhi stopped, sitting on the sand and letting the water finally brush her toes. Her knees up to her chin, she hugged her arms around her legs and sighed.

"Haruhi!" Looking to where she'd come from, the brunette saw most of the members of her club running toward her with assorted items in their hands. The twins held a flashlight, Tamaki had a bucket filled with wriggling shadows, and Hunny was dragging Mori by the arm, who was grasping a spear. They all seemed to be clamoring and asking the same question. "Are you afraid of this, Haruhi?" or "Does this scare you?"

She had no idea what they were talking about and simply sighed again, brushing them off. "What's with you guys?"

"It's a game that-" Hunny was cut off by Mori's hand over his mouth.

"We just want you to come with us, Haruhi!" The twins chimed together.

"Oh really?" Haruhi arched an eyebrow. "Where to?"

"Up to that cave!" Kaoru pointed toward a large rock that happened to be hollowed out and also had a steep cliff that dropped off in the water.

"It'll be an adventure!" Hikaru smiled with what seemed to be innocent excitement.

"What're you guys up to?" Haruhi murmured, getting to her feet. Before she could say another word, the twins each had an arm and were leading her to their rocky destination. "H-hey! I'm not a ragdoll! And I certainly don't need to be manhandled by you!" With this, Haruhi roughly pulled each of her arms back and placed them on her hips. The twins' eyes glistened with surprise, then mischief once again.

"We're sorry, Haruhi," they chimed together. Hikaru wrapped his arms around the girl's torso from behind while Kaoru held both of her hands in front of his mouth for a kiss, down on one knee. Eyes widening, Haruhi's teeth gnashed together with irritation. Feeling this aura coming off of her, the ginger-haired boys backed off, raising their hands in surrender. "Uh-oh! She's mad!"

"You're damn right, I'm mad!" Haruhi turned back toward the rock that they were headed to, storming in that direction. "I just wanna be alone for a while!"

As she walked further and further away, she could hear the twins calling to her and apologizing even more. She didn't answer nor did she turn around to acknowledge them. When she made it to the top of the cliff, she stood at the very edge, watching the water crash up against the rock down below. It was only a few moments before she heard the light chatter of people behind her. Turning, she saw the girls the hosts had been taking care of for the day. They were glancing over the side of the cliff just as Haruhi was.

"Hey there ladies!" Came a lazy, unfamiliar voice. Three large, troublesome-looking men were crowding around the girls. "How about you come hang out with us?"

The beautiful young ladies, still in their swimsuits, clung to each other in worry, politely denying their offer. The men proceeded to grab at the girls, making Haruhi furious. She grabbed the nearest rock and chucked it toward the men, hitting one of them in the back of the head. He cried out in pain and threw an agitated look at Haruhi, stalking toward her. Grabbing her by the collar, he yelled, "You wanna fight, punk?!" Haruhi just glared back at him.

"Haruhi!" she heard another voice yell. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a light head of hair speeding toward her.

"Maybe you need to cool off." The offending man said before Haruhi felt gravity pull her further down than she expected. Yet again she heard her name being yelled before she was submerged in water. The chill was a shock to her system and before she lost consciousness, Haruhi saw a worried expression on a face that never wore it before. Tamaki had plunged into the ocean right after her. He descended several feet before being able to tuck her under his arm and reach the surface. Wading toward the shallow water, Tamaki's expression was solemn, hiding the agony and bitterness he held inside. Haruhi was still out cold.

Once Tamaki noticed this, he quickly put his ear close to her face. He couldn't hear her breathing. Struggling to reach land as fast as he could, the blonde laid Haruhi down, her upper body on the wet sand while the rest of her was still in water. Tamaki now put his head to her chest. Her heart was still beating, but faintly.

All of the club members were swarming around them, shouting and anxiously shifting about.

"I've already called a doctor. He'll be here soon," Kyoya spoke.

"Tell him to hurry!" Tamaki proceeded to pump his hands on Haruhi's chest. "She's not breathing!"

Each of the young men wore expressions of worry, tensing up in some way. Haruhi's savior put his lips to hers, pinching her nose shut as he breathed oxygen back into her lungs before going back to his previous actions.

"Come on, Haruhi! Wake up!" Tamaki yelled, his eyes intense and solely focused on the brunette. For a few more moments that seemed hours to everyone, Tamaki repeated this process. Slamming his fist into the thick, wet sand, he screamed, "Damn it! Haruhi! You have to wake up! Haruhi!"

Hikaru dropped to his knees, seemingly in shock. Kaoru tried comforting him, but Hikaru just kept staring at the young woman before them. Hunny's eyes were filled with tears and Mori did much the same as Kaoru. Kyoya's brows were furrowed as he concentrated on Haruhi, muttering, "Where's that damn doctor?"

A few more moments went by and Tamaki rested his head in the crook of Haruhi's neck, holding back his tears and focusing on the feel of her skin on his. What if he never got to feel this again? Oh God... He couldn't imagine his life without her! How would he move on? How could-

"Boss, look!" Hikaru and Kaoru shouted. Tamaki pulled back to look at Haruhi's fluttering eyelids.

Haruhi coughed in Tamaki's arms, trying to catch her breath and expel the water from her lungs. Everyone around her was calling her name and it was exhausting to her.

The club leader gripped her lightly, but firmly, by the shoulders. "What were you thinking, Haruhi? Why would you provoke them like that?"

Haruhi arched her eyebrows. "W-what? They were harassing those girls... and..."

"That's no reason to get yourself killed, you idiot!" The amber-eyed girl flinched back, slight pain in her eyes. Tamaki immediately regretted his words. "Haruhi, I-"

"Listen, I was there; I had to do something!" Haruhi shot back. Again, Tamaki's anger flared up.

"You're a girl! You don't know martial arts like Hunny or Mori," he stressed. "We were right here and yet you took them on by yourself."

"Look, Tamaki. I didn't do anything wrong. I have nothing to apologize for. Being a girl makes no difference in what action I take."

"Haruhi, you almost drowned!" Tamaki shouted even louder, eyes blazing as he gripped her shoulders tighter. "Do you have any idea how your actions affect us?!"

The doe-eyed girl shot back, "Yeah, I know I owe you guys a huge debt that just keeps getting bigger; you don't have to remind me! I'm sorry if me dying would've inconvenienced you!"

All emotion left the blonde's face as he stared at her with utter astonishment.

"Fine. If that's the way you feel, I'm not talking to you until you can admit that you're wrong!" Tamaki shouted, taking his hands off of Haruhi's shoulders and walking around her solemnly. The girl stared after him ruefully and confused as the other host members hovered about.

As everyone sat around the table cracking open the shells on their crab, Tamaki awkwardly watched Haruhi as she looked at the shellfish like it was him; cracking open every crevice. He tried to speak to her, both indirectly and directly, only to be reminded by Haruhi that he wasn't speaking to her. Becoming frustrated with both this stubborn girl and himself, he asked Kyoya to show him to his room, to which the black-hair boy obliged.

"Haruhi," Hikaru started. Kaoru cut in to say, "Don't you think you're being a little hard on the boss?"

Haruhi stopped pre-crack as she held a crab leg in her hand, pondering their statement. "Really? I just don't understand what I could've done wrong. The only way that I could've caused trouble for you is by leaving you with my debt, right?"

"You worried us all, Haru-chan." Hunny said, looking at her with sincere eyes. "I think you need to apologize. Especially to Tama-chan."

"You were all... worried about me?" The girl's eyes widened. "But..."

Hikaru and Kaoru wore slightly annoyed expressions, while Mori remained stoic and Hunny chuckled happily. "Duh," the twins said.

"I'm sorry, you guys." Haruhi apologized with a saddened expression pointed toward the floor. "I didn't mean to make you worry."

The twins and Hunny hugged Haruhi while Mori stood close to Hunny. Suddenly, they all heard a gurgling noise.

"I-I don't feel so good." It sounded like the brunette nearly choked on her words.

"H-Hurry, find a bathroom!" Kaoru yelled.

Haruhi washed her face in a granite sink, her stomach now emptied of her meal. She peeked out of the door, reminded that she just rushed to the nearest bathroom. Across the room, she saw a tall, black-haired man wearing black pants and drying his hair with a towel.

"I'm sorry." Haruhi stepped out of the bathroom. "I didn't mean to intrude."

"Don't be silly. It's just me." The man said.

"Oh," she said with recognition. "Kyoya."

"You know, Haruhi, you really gave us all a scare." Leaning over Haruhi and pinning her against the wall, Kyoya dimmed the light switch. "Plus I had to pay for the doctor that never even showed up and send flowers to each of the girls as an apology. Those things are not cheap."

"Kyoya?" the girl asked, confused.

Kyoya grabbed her face, holding one of her hands to the wall with his. She could feel his breath on her as he hovered nearer. "If you want, you can pay me back with your body." With this, Kyoya threw Haruhi to the bed, crawling over her to restrain her wrists again. As Haruhi felt a surge of panic, she was reminded of Tamaki's words. That's no reason to get yourself killed, you idiot! You're a girl!

"Kyoya... you won't do it." The man in question raised his eyebrows. "You wouldn't get anything out of it, Kyoya. You're just trying to prove Tamaki's point."

Chuckling, Kyoya relinquished his grip on Haruhi. "You're an interesting woman, Haruhi. Though simple, you always manage to see through people."

Sitting up on her knees, Haruhi straightened her nightgown as Kyoya put his glasses on. Hearing a creak, both of them looked toward the door.

"Kyoya, do you have any lotion? This sunburn is-" Tamaki was cut off as he took in the sight before him. The bed sheets were horribly wrinkled and the two were sitting quite close on the bed. Stepping closer, Tamaki yelled, "You bastard!"

Standing and grabbing the lotion from his dresser, Kyoya walked past Tamaki and handed the cream to him. "You're such a dimwit sometimes. Here, use as much as you want." With that, he exited the room, leaving Haruhi and Tamaki alone in the dim lighting. An uncomfortable silence was cast over them as Haruhi blankly stared at Tamaki while he peeked out from under his bangs, embarrassed and angry.

"What were you doing alone with him, Haruhi?" his jealousy shown through.

"Nothing." She blinked dumbly.

"Don't you lie to me!" Growling softly, Tamaki turned away from her. "Whatever. It doesn't matter."

Haruhi got up and stood behind him. "I'm sorry, Tamaki. Really, nothing happened."

"Then why were the lights off?" Tamaki asked without turning around.

"Well..." Haruhi refused to give away what had just happened; he'd go mad if he knew his best friend had straddled her just to prove a point. "I have a headache...?" It was more of a questionable statement than an admittance.

"You don't have a he-" Tamaki was stopped mid-sentence as he whirled to face the girl, mere inches away, now blushing.

They stood there for a few long moments, both turning red and waiting for the other to make the next move. Haruhi gently grabbed Tamaki's hand.

"I really am sorry." She couldn't look at his face. "I know now that you were right. Being a girl does make a big difference in how people see me. I just never saw myself that way before, so it was hard for me to understand."

Before she could react, Haruhi was flush against the blonde's body. "No, I'm sorry, Haruhi. I was hard on you. But I was just so worried. You could've drowned and what if I'd lost you?" Tamaki clutched a hand in her hair, the other at her back as he whispered in her ear. "I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I ever let something as horrible as that happen to you."

Haruhi's arms rose and lightly clutched at Tamaki's shirt, her eyes half open in thought and understanding. "I'm sorry, Tamaki. Nothing happened to me, so don't think about it too much, okay?"

Pulling back, Tamaki looked into her eyes. Haruhi realized that tears were running down his face, teeth gritted. "Please, Haruhi, rely on us more often. We were right there and yet you tried to take care of the situation by yourself. We all want to help you."

The girl saw the passion burning in his eyes and stood simply shocked as she looked into them. The blonde's hands were still on her waist, unwilling to let her go. Haruhi reached up and brushed the tears off of his cheeks. She blinked and then chuckled a bit. Tamaki gave her a questioning look and she answered, "You're dripping with good looks, Tamaki."

Tamaki blushed lightly and was caught up in her light-hearted smile. He knew Haruhi didn't think of him the same way that he thought of her. Hell, he didn't even know what his feelings for her were until he blurted them out at Haruhi's home in front of her father. But he knew the relationship he wanted with her now. Tamaki leaned closer to Haruhi, scrutinizing her face for a reaction. To his surprise, her eyes became half-lidded, her face inching toward his. When their lips met, Tamaki inwardly sighed with relief and both of their hearts started racing. He held her head with his hand, slightly gripping her hair. Haruhi had never experienced anything like it; the heat radiating from her whole body, the lightheaded feeling and the tingling that seemed to be everywhere as her stomach clenched. They broke the contact to catch their breath, Haruhi leaning against Tamaki's chest as he held her in his arms.

Haruhi felt him quivering and looked up to see more tears in his eyes. He was so overwhelmed with emotion that he couldn't hold it in. "I love you, Haruhi! I always have and always will!"

The brunette furrowed her eyebrows with emotion as well as he burned his gaze into her. "T-Tamaki..." She placed her head back against his chest, listening to his beating heart. She felt Tamaki pick her up and place her on the bed. He brushed the hair from her eyes, smiling warmly. As he whispered good night and turned to leave, Haruhi grasped his hand, making him look back at her. With a slight redness to her face, she lightly spoke, "Tamaki, will you...sleep with me tonight? I don't want to be alone."

Tamaki's smile became a thousand times warmer, slipping into the bed with her and holding Haruhi against him once again.

"You never have to be alone again, Haruhi."