Daddy Issues

"Daddy!" In complete and utter shock, Kyouya stared at the little munchkin that was gripping his right leg and sobbing her little heart out. Another little munchkin came charging down the hall that looked so much like the first one and he screamed at the top of his lungs, "I didn't do it! I didn't do it!"

Nervously, Kyouya detached the little girl—his little girl, probably—and gave her an awkward hug that he wished his father had given him as a child. Her warm little body was racked with big sobs and Kyouya gave his—possible—son a fatherly but disapproving glance. The child gave him an ashamed look and Kyouya congratulated himself for as confused as he was Kyouya thought he was doing a pretty good job at this probably-father-like-thing. For all he had to do was act like what his father never was but what Kyouya had yearned for. His little girl continued to cry as he rocked her and hummed a little tune. Soon she quieted and Kyouya got down to business, "Hey, what happened?"

"Tama-nii pushed me down the stairs!" She cried out. Kyouya safely concluded that the now upset little boy was "Tama-nii".

"No, I didn't! She fell down them by herself! Her fault, entirely!" Tama proclaimed and his sister began to wail at his harsh tone. Kyouya gave his son a harsh stare but he was surprised by how smart children of this age really were. These children were no more than four or five years old. Tama looked down ashamed, "… might've… Usa-chan…."

"Tama, speak up and look at me, please." Kyouya crouched down to Tama's level to speak and listen to the children.

Tama finally looked up with tears in his beautiful, onyx eyes, "I might've dropped Usa-chan on the stairs and when I remembered I dropped her I went back and nee-chan had already fallen down them!"

"Well, be more careful next time, okay?" The little boy nodded. Kyouya pried off his daughter from his neck with great difficulty. She was no longer crying but her pleasing brown eyes were still red and she had little hiccups even while she sniffled away, "Could you ever forgive Tama-nii?"

"He never apologized!" She stomped her little foot but she didn't seem to really mean it. Kyouya chuckled at her stubbornness. Kyouya turned once more to his son, "Please, apologize to your sister."

Tamaki hugged his sister from behind very tightly before saying quickly, "Sorry Haruhi."

Before Kyouya had time to react to the name a beautiful woman with long brown hair and big drown eyes came marching along the hall. She donned a classy-looking beige business suit that hugged her curves quite nicely. She had a naturally unarming smile on her face as she took in the scene before her, "Kids, stop bothering your father; you know how busy he is these days."

The bobbins scurried off at the sight of their mother. Kyouya looked at her in surprise, "… Haruhi?"

"Yes, Kyouya? Is something wrong? Can you make it quick I have a few clients I need to talk to before supper." Yep, definitely Haruhi, she still had the same bluntness as they did in high school. Kyouya took her face gently into his hands with confusion evident in the way he furrowed his eyebrows. Everything seemed completely surreal to him, "What on Earth is going on?"

"Oh no! Kyouya, they said that the medicine was supposed to stop the memory loss." This furthered Kyouya's confusion.

Haruhi quickly ushered him back into the same office he had come out of. So they were still in his old mansion. In that strange grace that only Haruhi possessed, Kyouya was led to some armchairs that were most certainly not there before. She gently pushed him down to sit. It felt like she had done this many times before and Kyouya felt immediate guilt at this feeling. As she began to pace she began to talk, "Kyouya, what do you remember last?"

"I was in here, preparing for the wedding."

"Whose wedding?"

"Yours." He supplied quietly. Haruhi nodded with a small, sad smile on her face. She played with the little trinkets above the fireplace and Kyouya studied her like he used to while he waited for her to say something. She finally turned around but she still hadn't looked him in the eye, "That's good. Usually, when you've gone as far as the day of the accident you aren't so nice to the children. It scares them but when you finally remember them you seem a lot happier."

"They took me by surprise."

"You always say that."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Haruhi kept her eyes averted.

"What happened the day of the accident?" Haruhi heaved a heavy sigh when it began to drizzle outside. The music box above the mantle began to sing and Haruhi seemed to lose herself as she watched the children spin to the music.

Kyouya was about to retract his question when she answered, "You and Tamaki were headed towards the chapel when it began to rain. It wouldn't have been too bad but it was pretty foggy out too. I remember telling you that it was a bad idea to have a summer wedding but you never listen do you?"

Haruhi gave a little laugh but Kyouya didn't join for it lacked its old mirth, "Next thing we knew I was getting a call that my groom hadn't stood me up but he was in the hospital and our best man was hardly in better shape."

"Did Tamaki…?" Haruhi nodded at Kyouya's implication. She didn't cry nor show any signs of grievances, "I told you later not to feel bad because I had been saved of lying to myself. I never loved Tamaki or any of the other members of the host club at least no like that. I didn't even realize this until after Berkley. I kept wondering what exactly I was drawn to about Tamaki. He was attractive, kind and he had a bit of a hero complex but that was it. He was my hero and I mistook admiration for adoration."

The music box snapped shut and Kyouya noticed that the rain was beginning to pound harder against the window. The droplets seemed to be begging to get in. Kyouya asked, unsurely, "How did we end up together?"

"Don't worry, it wasn't out of love but out of merit. You proposed the idea to me when your father was going to marry you off to some strange, possibly incompetent woman. I needed someone to help me through law school expanses since my former supporters were no longer available. Life was beyond adequate even with your constant memory loss. Not to mention, you were made your father's successor after marrying me. And as you can see, I have produced a suitable male heir and we have expanded your father's company beyond what was thought to be possible."

Kyouya's life had turned out perfect. There wasn't a single hitch besides this blockading memory loss but still, something felt somewhat off about this whole explanation. However, Kyouya wasn't about to dent himself this moment of pleasure. So he continued on with his questions, "How old am?"

"Twenty-seven."

"So it's been eight years since the wedding." Haruhi nodded while Kyouya pushed on, "How old are the children?"

"The twins? They're five."

Kyouya's eyebrows went up in surprise, "You say that like there's more?"

"Yes, our oldest, Yoshio was six." Haruhi stated quietly and weakly. Kyouya pushed for more, "Was?"

Haruhi's long, brown hair shimmered slightly as she sat in the armchair across from Kyouya. He wished that she would look at him. She wished that he wasn't so persistent. This wasn't the first time Yoshio had been talked about in hush tones between them but that didn't make explaining any less difficult. Even if she was just a simple merit to Kyouya she was at least somebody to her children. She swallowed hard, "… last time I saw him was a few weeks ago. You sent out your best men and they've been looking for him ever since. His birthday was yesterday. You told me that more than likely he's dead."

Kyouya nodded sympathetically. If there wasn't a single note then more than likely they had killed him out of spite and just the body would be found in a few days. Even then, Haruhi was in pain. Kyouya although he would never admit it but he loved this woman dearly and would do anything to ease her suffering, "Tell me about him."

"Is that a command or a request?"

"What an interesting concept." Haruhi finally looked at him and Kyouya was taken aback by how dim the spark in her eye was but felt secretly hopeful by the thought that it wasn't entirely dead. She wore a shocked expression but laughed. She laughed harder than Kyouya had thought she would but it was a welcomed sound nonetheless. Haruhi sobered up, "Maybe some other time but for now, I need to get the twins ready for bed."

"Goodnight, Haruhi."

"Goodnight, Sempai." With that Haruhi left a slightly amused Kyouya to find his quarters. He drifted off to sleep with a nagging feeling resounding in his body.

"Kyouya wake up!"

Kyouya woke up with a start as his blonde best friend screamed characteristically in his ear. The Frenchman beamed at Kyouya who growled. He knew that dream was too good to be true. Even if it felt so real there was no way that Haruhi would accept any sort of marriage proposal he gave. She would always want her knight in shining armor and he would always be the dragon.

"What do you want, Tamaki?"

"We're going to be late for my wedding! I don't want Milady to be upset!" Tamaki cried out.

Kyouya grumbled once more and kicked Tamaki out of his bedroom before trying to get the kink out of his neck. He changed slowly just to torment his friend. Even though Tamaki pounded on the door Kyouya continued to move agonizingly slow. He looked at his wristwatch and rolled his eyes, "Idiot… we have twenty minutes until it starts."

"Mommy! We can't be late! It takes half an hour to get there!"

"Not if we speed." Kyouya snapped at Tamaki as he pulled open the door.

Tamaki slumped over in his corner of despair, "But the weather is supposed to be really bad tonight!"

"Well, that's on Haruhi…." A strange sense of déjà vu overcame Kyouya and against better judgment he pushed on, dragging Tamaki along with him. There was no sense in letting them be even later than they already were. Not when Haruhi was the supposed "Blushing Bride". Kyouya could practically see how much profit he was going to gain by selling the couple's wedding photos. At least something good could come out of this fiasco.

The rain began to pick up and pound harder than in Kyouya's dream.

Tamaki stared worriedly out the window as the fog didn't seem to want to let up and neither did the rain. Neither the boys nor the forces of nature seemed to want to give up in their quest.

"Tachibana, could you drive faster?" Kyouya snapped at his best driver.

"Kyouya, I don't think we're gonna make it." Tamaki said nervously. Kyouya faced Tamaki since he was on the opposite side of the limousine from him. A strong, determination filled Kyouya. He wanted Haruhi to get her knight in shining armor and he never wanted the light in her eyes to dim even in his darkest dreams. He reassured the groom, "You're going to make it. I promise."

The car screeched and the men yelped out but one was cut off quicker than the other. One of them wouldn't have to ever see Haruhi cry ever again and one of them would have to see that sad smile of hers every day. She wouldn't ever forget him and she would wish she had said something more to him because in reality she loved him just as much as he. The two would never ever feel each other's warmth no matter how much she yearned for it.

The other man, the one who survived would never be quite the same afterwards. Not much compares when you've lost your best friend.

Kyouya pitied Tamaki since he already lived through this.