Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran or its characters. If I did we'd have seen a lot more shirtless Mori. Standard disclaimer applies for rest of the series. Void where prohibited by law.

A/N: This story follows after the end of the Manga+Omake with one glaring exception. The prologue occurs the summer after Haruhi and the twins graduate.

Kyoya walked slowly up the flight of stairs to the second floor of the middle class apartment complex. Four hours past noon, the hot August sun still beat down unrelentingly. The black wool suit he was forced to wear amplified the heat and humidity, causing sweat to pool in the roots of his hair and drip inexorably down his back, plastering his white shirt to his skin.

She'd told him not to come.

He'd ignored her, of course. Too independent and stubborn to admit she needed someone to lean on. Too oblivious to realize he'd be leaning on her in return. He had no qualms about overriding her wishes when it was for her own good.

He stopped before the door of Apartment 203 and took a deep fortifying breath before giving it a short, preemptory knock. When the door slowly swung open of its own accord he furrowed his brow in concern. Often alone in the apartment since a child, she was always scrupulous about securing the door against potential threats. Always. He hesitated a minute, searching for signs of movement within, and then tentatively stepped into the small entry way.

"Haruhi? I know you said you'd get there on your own, but…" He stopped; the apartment had an unnaturally quiet feel that sent raised goosebumps on the back of his neck despite the heat of the day. Ignoring a lifetime of good breeding, he hesitatingly walked uninvited into the living room. The tatami mats made a light crunching sound when he stepped on them with his black dress shoes. Something wrong, something out-of-place tugged at his senses and his heart raced.

Trying to stay calm, he surveyed the room, cataloging every aspect against his memory of it. TV, table, cushions, shrine, everything was in its place waiting the occupant's return. Out on the balcony, the summer wind chimes tinkled softly with the brush of a welcome breeze.

But something was definitely wrong.

He turned around in a slow circle, this time closely examining every corner. At first his eyes skipped past it, but something made him halt and turn back to look again at the small cupboard against the wall. The two pictures that had sat side by side in it were missing.

Panicking, he bolted towards the bedroom and threw open the door so hard it rocked on its cheap metal rails. Eyes darting frantically, he took in everything. The desk was tidy, the futon neatly folded away, the closet and dresser were full of clothes and her toothbrush remained by the bathroom sink. But his blood ran cold when he spotted the empty places on her dresser where two pictures once stood.

He knew with absolute certainty that she was gone.

Damn her.

~oOoOo~

The twins pounced before he'd finished exiting the car. "Where is she? You said you were picking her up?" interrogated Hikaru in a voice barely below a shout. The crowds of dark-suited people passing by glanced at the group before scurrying on, reluctant to get involved.

"Did she leave before you got there?" worried Kaoru, "Maybe we should send someone to the train station to meet her."

Kyoya stood still under the mix of worried and accusing gazes from the four men surrounding him. Unable to speak, he only breathed in and out slowly; wrapping a veneer of calm around himself as a shield.

Honey peered up at him with innocent eyes full of sorrow and clutched Usa-chan tightly to his chest. "I don't think that's it," he said in the voice that always reminded everyone of his true age. "Kyo-chan, why isn't Haru-chan with you?"

"She…" Kyoya paused, swallowed, and pushed his glasses up as a barrier against the world, "She wasn't there. I don't think she will be coming."

"What!" Hikaru burst out, "Why not? Why wasn't she there?" Mori's comforting and restraining hand came to rest on his shoulder.

Tears welled up behind Honey's large brown eyes and threatened to slip down the tracks already on his cheeks. "I think Haru-chan may have decided to go away for a while, right Kyo-chan?"

Kyoya only nodded in response.

"We have to go find her!" This time it was Karou who exploded, flying towards the shadow king with arms outstretched to grab him. He was barely stopped by Honey's strong arms around his waist.

"Why bother?" Hikaru shrugged off Mori's hand and angrily wiped away tears. "Face it Kaoru, she's abandoned us."

Kaoru pulled away from Honey and reached out towards his brother, grasping him in a tight embrace. "Haruhi wouldn't do that. Not without a reason."

"Takashi and I think that if Haru-chan left it must be because she's really sad."

"Hn."

"But it's us!" protested Hikaru against his brother's neck. "We're her best friends. We'd be there for her."

Honey snuffled noisily into Usa-chan's head, prompting his cousin to rest his large hand on top of the golden curls. "We think it might be too painful for her too be around us right now."

"She'll be back when she's ready," pronounced Mori.

"But what are we supposed to do?" Karou protested, "We can't just leave her on her own!"

"We won't." Kyoya's cool tone cut through the outbursts. "I will find out where she is after…" Kyoya took a deep breath and shoved every ounce of his own pain, distress, and confusion into a box deep within his heart then locked it tight and threw away the key. "I'll make sure she is safe but… but we will respect her wishes and leave her alone until she is ready to return to us."

He surveyed the men surrounding him. The pain and sorrow that had been etched on their faces for days was now even deeper at this second unexpected loss. Damn her. Damn her for leaving them all behind when they needed her the most.

Alone of all of them, he knew he had to keep it together. His role had always been to make sure their little family continued to function no matter what. He would not be derelict in his duty today of all days. He was the Mommy and he'd make sure they carried on.

Adjusting the cuffs of his suit, he fixed the rest with a firm gaze that brooked no opposition. "For now, though, we are going to pull ourselves together, go in there, and try to comfort the Suoh's on the loss of their only son."

A/N part 2: I only have the first part of this story fully plotted out so updates may be slower than I usually do. My goal is at least one chapter every two weeks. I doubt this is an original idea, but I hope my version of it will do it justice. If you like and want to see more, please R&R. Thanks!