Ok, this is my first fanfic... Hoping it goes well!

I do not own OHSHC.

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Day 1

Kaoru lay on his bed, hands clasping and unclasping in nervous anticipation. His head was filled with anxieties and fears.

For a few months, he'd been fighting bone cancer. He'd forgotten how long it had been since the diagnosis. How could he forget that day? The crushing despair that had plummeted to the pit of his stomach and stayed there, forever, it seemed.

The doctors entered the room, followed by a lawyer. He sat up and cleared his throat. He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his thinning hair.

When they found out, the Hitachiin family had hired the best doctors. Not that it mattered much to Kaoru. That feeling in the pit of his stomach reminded him every day that he was going to die.

"Kaoru." One of the doctors said. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but you only have a week to live. At most."

This was it. The moment that Kaoru had been expecting for months. But now that it had really come, it didn't hurt as much as he had expected it to.

'Oh well.' He thought. 'I suppose we all have to die sometime.'

"If you want to make any changes to your will," The doctor continued, "We have a lawyer present." Kaoru shook his head. "I am satisfied with it." He replied. His voice was rough and hard, so unlike the voice he used to have.

The doctors nodded and, with one final pitying look, they left the room.

Kaoru curled up on his side and, for the thousandth time, wished that Hikaru were there. He'd been wishing that for the past ten years. But of course, he wasn't there. And he likely never would be.

Ten years ago, Hikaru announced his intention to go travel the world with Haruhi. He said they'd be traveling for six months. It turned out to be ten years. After they'd been gone for seven months, and with no communication from either of them, Kaoru went to the police. They'd searched, but they were unable to find any trace of them. It was like they'd disappeared off the face of the earth.

He took it badly. To lose his brother and his long-time love, in one blow, was too much. He'd sunk into a depression that lasted three years.

He wondered if he could have done more. Stopped them from going, or maybe searched for them himself. But if the police couldn't find them, how could he expect to?

His thoughts turned to the old days, in high school. The Host Club. It was fun. Maybe too much fun, he realized. But still, he did't regret one second of it.

He remembered Haruhi with a smile. The way she'd crashed into their world, breaking all the barriers he and Hikaru had previously established. The way she could tell between them. The way she knew them as two separate people, instead of just one unit.

He remembered the other members. Honey, Mori, Tamaki, Kyoya. Tamaki. He really was an idiot back then. Still, a nice idiot. He and Hikaru were idiots as well, but they weren't as clueless as Tamaki.

He wondered what they were doing. Now that they were adults with busy lives, they rarely talked. Still, they sometimes called each other to chat. But since Kaoru's cancer, he hadn't called a single one of them. He didn't want to tell anyone. He didn't want to hear their pity. At first, anyway. And later, he just kept putting it off.

He decided to start now. 'They have to know sometime, right?' He asked himself. He grabbed the phone book and started thumbing through it.

He decided to start with Kyoya. He would be the least likely to have a fit of emotion. He picked up the phone and dialed the number quickly before he could regret it.

Kyoya answered on the first hint of a ring. "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Kyoya Otoori?"

"Yes. Who's this?"

"Kaoru. Kaoru Hitachiin."

"Kaoru? That's you? You sound different."

"I know."

"So, what's new?"

"Cancer."

"Pardon?"

"Bone cancer. I have bone cancer. And only seven days to live."

There was silence on the other end.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Kyoya asked.

"I… I don't know." Kaoru replied. He sighed and said, "I wish Hikaru were here."

"You know, when he first went missing, I was surprised you didn't ask for my family's help."

"Pardon?"

"Well, more specifically the Black Onion Squad."

Kaoru blinked in surprise. 'Oh right, the Black Onion Squad.' He thought. Then he blinked again. 'The Black Onion Squad!

"Kyoya…" He said slowly.

"Yes?"

"Do you think they'd object to a case that was ten years old?"

"Object? No-one objects to anything their superiors say."

Kaoru smiled. Was it really possible, that after ten years, he could be reunited with his brother?