March 14

"Princess!" I was surprised; the nickname was, of course, familiar, but it felt like I hadn't heard it in ages. I turned my head to see Tamaki jogging toward me, alone. I stopped and waited for him to catch up to me, and once he did, we continued our walk to the lunchroom together.

"How are you these days, Princess?" Tamaki asked, his lavender eyes wide. I gave him a tired smile, and it was obvious that he could tell it wasn't as enthusiastic as I wanted it to appear.

"I'm okay. How are you? Where's the rest of the host club?" He laughed quietly, waving the mention of them aside.

"The club is at lunch as usual. I just wanted to sit with you today." I looked over at him, and he smiled that adorable smile: one of his genuine ones, not the ones he used on the girls in the host club. It was contagious, and I couldn't help but to return it. I waited in line with him quietly as he got his five-star food, and we both sat down at a table near the windows. I'd returned to eating at that lunch table, since it was the one I frequented before the host club happened.

"So, what's really happening in your life?" He asked me once we were settled. "I haven't seen you in a long time." I sighed, smiling lightly as I took a bite of my lunch.

"It's been alright. I still write, probably more than I should, but that's nothing new. I don't know if you know that I practice judo, but I've been training more intensely than usual at it and I've gotten pretty strong." I paused for a moment, assessing the expression on Tamaki's face. "Other than that, nothing happens. It's just school, writing, and practicing judo." The blonde in front of me nodded, looking at me thoughtfully. I couldn't tell if he was satisfied with that answer, but he didn't make any moves to continue questioning me.

"What's really going on with you?" I asked. He sighed airily, flipping his hair casually.

"Not much. The host club isn't the same without you in it, honestly, but it's still fun. Those wretched twins are still all over Haruhi, but she seems to gravitate toward me much more often now." I smiled fondly at the genuine happiness that was on his face, and at the fact that the twins (meaning Hikaru) hadn't given up on Haruhi yet. "Kyouya is still busy being annoying and anti-social, always sitting in the corner and shadow-ing all over the place." I raised an eyebrow at that.

"Kyouya? Annoying? Never," I replied sarcastically, causing Tamaki to laugh along with me.

"I know, it's really not new, he is always like that," He conceded, "But since you left, he's been extra introverted. He even talks to me less than usual, and I'm his best friend." I nodded, storing that information away. "Perhaps, if you came back..." He trailed off, and I exhaled.

"I wish I could, Tamaki-senpai, but you know I can't. It just doesn't make sense anymore. Plus, honestly, I'm still hurt and I still don't know what I did to him in the first place." He nodded in understanding.

"I know. It was wishful thinking. I'm not trying to pressure you at all by saying this- really, I'm not- but seeing him like that just reminded me of how different he was when you were around. He was so much more... I don't know." Something told me Tamaki did know, so I waited for him to continue.

"He wasn't like the usual Kyouya, he was so much more open. You made him loosen up, and I miss that. You made us all get along a little better." His comments had me thinking, and I smiled at the compliments.

"I'm glad I could help for the time I was there," I answered honestly.

"Do you think you'll ever come back?" He asked, and I thought a moment before answering.

"Permanently? It's doubtful. I don't know about never, but I don't want to get your hopes up. I am considering visiting, though. It's been a whole month, and I'm having host club withdrawal. I miss you guys." Tamaki smiled, his freaking eyes sparkling.

"I'm glad to hear that. You promise that you'll visit me?" I sighed, but the hopeful look in his eye was more than enough to convince me.

"Yeah. Yeah, I promise." I reached across the table and hooked pinkies with Tamaki, as the unwritten seal of our promise. "Just do me a favor and don't tell anyone else. I want it to be a surprise." I knew it would be difficult to go there and see Kyouya, but if it meant that I got to see the look of surprise on the rest of my friend's faces, it was well worth it. He nodded, and our conversation soon drifted to other things.

We talked about Sachi, who had been away in Dubai and would be for the next month on business with her family. We talked about the crazy girls in the host club, and how they'd had to dismiss another girl for being, well, crazy. We laughed and discussed everything, catching up on what we'd missed in each other's lives, and I honestly can say that it was good to hear from him again. Tamaki had become like my older brother, and as someone who'd been the oldest sibling and taking care of younger ones for a while, it was nice to have someone looking out for me. It made me remember why I stayed in the host club so long, even after Haruhi had warned me about what I was walking into. The host club members reminded me of what it would be like to have siblings close to my age.

I missed it. Not enough to go back quite yet, but I missed it.

After lunch, Tamaki and I split. We had two different classes for fourth period and they were on opposite sides of the school. I decided to take the scenic route through the gardens in the courtyard, thinking I could garner some inspiration from being in nature. It wouldn't hurt to be alone, either; being surrounded only by the sounds of the wind blowing and leaves rustling would be a nice change from the bustling, busy halls.

There were about ten minutes until my next class began, so while I walked the gardens, I spent the extra time thinking about my prior conversation with Tamaki. Every word replayed multiple times through my head, and it wasn't long before the thoughts transitioned into other, older memories I'd formed during my time at the host club. The dance came up first, but the joy of that night couldn't help but be overshadowed by the memory of the fair. My brain was too conflicted to pick which memory would overshadow the other, and I was distracted enough that I accidentally walked directly into someone. The person made a small, surprise noise, but since my glasses had gone askew from the impact, I couldn't tell who it was.

"Oh, my apologies," I began, stepping back and fixing my glasses, but stopped talking as soon as they were righted on my face. Miyuki came into focus in front of me, and I couldn't stop a scowl. That expression was short-lived, as it contorted to pain as she punched me on the side of my face. I fell backward, landing on the ground in surprise - I had no time to react and certainly wasn't expecting that. My hand went to my cheek to quell the stinging, and I looked up at her in surprise. From behind me, I felt a force at my back, pushing me over and causing my glasses to fly off my face and clatter to the ground. I fell forward, my body feeling the physical pain from this next blow but my mind lagging on the fact that Miyuki had actually punched me.

"You thought you could mess with the captain of the judo team and get away with it?" Miyuki laughed, and as I looked up at her with blurry vision, I saw a vaguely pale shape coming toward me. On instinct, I rolled to my left and kicked, and my shoe connected with what I could only guess was her arm. She hissed and I squinted, trying to get my bearings.

"Do you think you can just steal Kyouya from me?" She asked, and this time, I couldn't dodge; she was behind me, I couldn't see a thing without my glasses, and I was too discombobulated to figure out what direction her voice was coming from. I rolled forward when I thought I heard her move to hit me, standing up and turning around. I saw Miyuki's blurry figure on the ground where I left her, but there was another figure right in front of me; the other person! I'd forgotten. I went to punch the blurry person, but she dropped to her knees and delivered a swift kick to my legs. As I fell to the ground again, I began to realize how heavily I relied on my vision to help aid my other senses. Without clear sight, I couldn't tell where sounds were coming from or how far away they were. Somehow, my hearing was blurry because my eyesight was compromised.

I rolled onto my back when I heard the person approach, getting to my feet as quickly as I could. With blurry balance and hearing, my balance was in no position to aid me. I threw a punch and felt it graze what might have been the person's cheek, but another set of hands pushed me to the ground again.

"Stay away from Kyouya!" The figure beside me yelled, so that one must have been Miyuki. She started throwing punches and slaps left and right, knowing I couldn't see well enough to block intelligently.

"He's mine, and you know it! Street trash like you doesn't deserve someone like him." I tried to defend myself as best I could, but it was two (maybe three, I couldn't tell) against one and Miyuki wouldn't stop talking and I couldn't focus. She eventually got the best of me, landing a solid slap to my face and startling me abruptly. I flinched, and in that brief moment the other figure jumped at me. A barrage of kicks came at me from my other side from a third party I wasn't positive was there until right then. I curled up knowing I couldn't stand with six pairs of limbs atop me, protecting my stomach and face as best I could. From my spot on the ground, I caught a blurry view of my glasses frames crushed under the weight of someone's foot.

Feeling the bruises and heaviness of the hits begin to set in, I curled tighter and waited it out. Without my glasses and as disconcerted I was (and being one against three), I didn't stand a chance.

"Finish her off and let's get to class," I heard one of the voices say, "I don't want to be late." Miyuki laughed, and I couldn't tell if she was laughing with the voice or at it. It was an ugly sound.

"Make it quick," I heard her say, "Since you're so worried about class." The third voice sneered,

"Shouldn't take long. Look at her - it's pathetic." Ther attention was back on me thanks to that comment, and I tightened my arms over myself for the barrage of kicks I knew was coming when they fell silent.

Knowing it was coming didn't make it any less painful.