"I don't understand, are you telling us that Senpai-"Haruhi couldn't finish her question, the words seemed to be stuck in her throat.

"He's not doing as well as we hoped he would at the moment. That doesn't mean his condition can't or won't improve, we just have to be patient a little longer." Kyoya replied. "I know it's not the best situation, far from it, but Tamaki is still here and he needs us more now than before. You know how much this family means to him and you need to pull it together. All this time, we've been his support system and that's what he needs now. None of us get to fall apart and certainly not in front of him once we're in his room. We've all given up a lot to be here and yes, I know everyone has a limit. If you need to take some time for yourself, it's perfectly fine,no one can-"

"When will we know if he-"

"It's not something that can be accurately predicted at this point. Anything and everything can change in an instant. That's why doctors never make promises to patients." Yuuichi added. "We didn't think this was going to happen. There's always a possibility with the treatment he's been through, those types of medications are hard on the patient. They're aggressive with the cancer and unfortunately it takes a toll and the rest of the body. He was doing better than we thought he would at the time. The best thing you can do for him right now is to be there. Hope for the best case, but be prepared for it to work against him. I know that's not what any of you wanted to hear, and I honestly wish I had better news for you."

" Be prepared for it to work against him, so you're telling us he's dying?"

"Hikaru!" Kaoru hissed, glaring at his brother. " I told you to stop saying that."

"That's what everyone wants to know, Kyoya-senpai couldn't answer-" Haruhi's heart sank into her stomach, her mind reeling.

"I'm saying it's a very real possibility that he won't have the strength to fight much longer. The reality is...when we started treatment, it already had a strong hold on him. The sooner you find the problem, the better it is for the patient. Unfortunately, there's no magic wand to wave and make all the terrible things in the world disappear, at a certain point, medicine only gets you so far." Yuuichi explained. Kaoru placed his head in his hands while Hikaru rested a hand on his brother's shoulder. Honey and Mori said remained silent, bowing their heads.

"It's not fair." Haruhi sobbed, breaking the short silence.

"No one ever said life was fair." Kyoya replied. "Tamaki is still here, we'll make the best of it. Hopefully, he'll wake up soon and we'll see where it goes from there. In the meantime, I expect all of you to pull yourselves together and don't forget what's most 'll take it one day at a time. This doesn't mean that we don't still have responsibilities to our guests,that hasn't changed. I-"

"If he is dying...shouldn't we-"

"He needs to know that we can hold it together. You'll be able to see him after school, but he'll need that normalcy. When you get here, he'll want to hear about will keep him in good spirits at least. You know how much the club means to him."

"There's nothing else you can do?"Honey asked softly.

"Not at the moment. Tamaki has to improve before we can even consider any other procedures, he's too weak to survive them in his current condition." The oldest Ootori son said regretfully.

The meeting dragged on for what seemed like forever. Finally the hosts made their way silently through the corridor, stopping at Tamaki's room. They paused, hesitating to enter.

"If any of you feel like you need to go, Tamaki would understand and it won't be held against you." Kyoya said. No one moved. They weren't sure what to expect, but they knew in their hearts that they couldn't leave. Not after everything they had been through together. The hosts followed the shadow king into the room, taking their usual seats and watching as Kyoya approached the bed, leaning forward to kiss the blond's forehead.

"We're all here, Tamaki." he announced, stroking the soft blond hair. "We're just waiting for you now. A long silence filled the room, they could hardly look at the pale, unconscious figure. None of the hosts knew what to say.

Suddenly, Haruhi was on her feet, with a soft sigh, she made her way over to the bed, sitting on the other chair. She drew in a breath and took a moment to gather her thoughts.

'Hey Senpai," She began. "We promised to tell you about the weekend when we got here. Everyone missed you and they asked about you a lot. We made it fun for them just like we promised, we even took some pictures. The resort was beautiful and we spent a lot of time on the beach. You guys really know how to plan a trip. You know, I couldn't believe how clearly you could see the stars at night. I heard that's something they usually did with you. The stories the guests told me about you from past weekend trips…" Haruhi paused, allowing a faint smile to form at the thought of the many conversations she had with the guests. She wiped away a tear and continued.

"I think you would've been so proud of the way things went if you had been there. I heard the 'fish story'" The hosts chuckled.

"I remember that,"Hikaru added."Kao and I were there to see it happen. It was way funnier than it sounds."

"The boss didn't think so."Kaoru replied, snickering beside his twin."We really shouldn't be laughing like this, Tono isn't even awake to yell at us."

"It's alright. I'm sure he will be soon enough." Kyoya said. "Sometimes lightening the mood is the best way to get through a difficult situation. He'll understand." He hadn't stopped stroking Tamaki's soft, golden hair. A deep concern filled his heart and he was sure it hadn't gone unnoticed. The only thing that mattered now was Tamaki and doing as he asked.

Kyoya had decided not to share the letters with the others, he would spare them that pain for as long as he could.

"We should tell Tama-Chan about the adventure to the airport." Honey suggested. "And when everyone-" A semi loud grumble interrupted him, causing him to bow his head in slight embarrassment. Kyoya glanced over at the older boy.

"Sorry." he said softly. "We were all so busy right up until we had to leave for the plane." Kyoya sighed, pushing his glasses back into place.

"I suppose it has been a busy day. I could get something delivered."

"But Kyoya senpai, didn't we use the money for the-"

"Don't worry about that right now, it's my responsibility. I'll take care of everything." Something in Kyoya's tone had changed and it hadn't gone unnoticed. The hosts weren't sure what to make of this.

"If you'll all excuse me, I have some calls to make."Kyoya said, moving from the bed. "Would you-"

"We're not going anywhere." Kaoru promised. Once Kyoya was out of sight the remaining hosts sat silently, listening to the machines. Their minds wandering to the conversation in the office.

"It seems more real now, seeing him like this."Haruhi said, breaking the silence. Honey moved to comfort the girl. "I mean I knew when he told us but-"

"But Tama-Chan's still here, like Kyo-chan said. He isn't ready to leave us yet. He's been through a lot and he's tired, but he's here. He'll be proud of you Haru-Chan, for being so brave."

"I wasn't. I had tears-"

"But you still did it."

"W-what do we do..if he-"

"We keep going. That's what Tama-Chan would want us to do. Right now, we have to lend our strength to both Kyo-Chan and Tama-Chan." A moment later, the twins joined them, standing at the foot of the bed. Hikaru placed an arm around his brother's shoulder as Kaoru drew in a breath.

"Please Tono, we love you."