Hikaru knew long before he received his quiz back that he would only be getting half a grade. It had been a pop quiz for English class, they were learning about America's geography and Mr. Alton had decided that an unplanned quiz would be the best way to test their abilities. They were to label a map of America. All fifty states were required, even though Hikaru had only just returned to school two days ago, and to a new one at that.
Hikaru had labeled what he had known, split the map right down the middle and written in the names. That was all he knew. He had smiled sadly at the paper before handing it in. He had wished that he knew all fifty of them.
"Mr. Hitachiin?" Mr. Alton had asked, and Hikaru refrained from asking which one he was asking about. Whenever someone had said that, he and Kaoru had both looked up and asked them to clarify, if they hadn't already, but his brother was not in that class, had not been since he'd moved there.
"Yes, sir?" Hikaru responded, looking at Mr. Alton and noticing the paper he held in his hand. The pop quiz.
"I know you aren't the only one who didn't know them all, Mr. Hitachiin, but why is it, if you don't mind me asking, that you spilt the map right down the middle?" He inquired, tracing the imaginary line through the paper with his finger. There he went again with the Mr. Hitachiin. He kept calling him that, and Hikaru didn't like it. None of the other teachers here called him by that name.
"Well, I do mind you asking. Just mind your own business and give me my paper back," Hikaru wasn't sure why he had spoken so brashly, though it most likely had to do with the subject at hand. He didn't like talking about it, and this teacher seemed adamant about finding out. It was just a damn test, did it matter why he only knew a certain amount of states?
"Look, Mr. Hitachiin," there he went again, "I know you're new here and maybe at your old school there wasn't anything against students talking back to teachers, but here that is a rule, and I expect you to follow it. Is that understood, Mr. Hitachiin?"
"Stop calling me that," Hikaru said in a low voice.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Mr. Alton asked, apparently not having heard, though Hikaru wouldn't have put it passed the man to just say it anyway. Teachers were like that.
"I said," Hikaru raised his voice slightly higher than necessary, "stop calling me that! That isn't my name!" Hikaru rose from his seat.
"Mr. Hitachiin, I would advise that you sit down," Mr. Alton ordered.
"That isn't my name." Hikaru whispered quietly, though with the room so silent, it was no surprise that most could hear, "That was our name, and I don't get to keep it if he's not here."
"I don't know who he is, but-" Mr. Alton seemed like he was going to start demanding that Hikaru sit down again, but before he could, Hikaru answered his question.
"I memorized one half, he memorized the other. We were supposed to go together, but now we can't. Now he can't go anywhere, and I don't want to." Hikaru grabbed his books and left the room, even though class was hardly over. Some of the students there would have sworn that they had seen tears in his eyes.
"Sir," a girl in the back of the room timidly rose her hand not long after Hikaru had left.
"Yes, Miss Hayashi, do you have something to say?"
She nodded, "That's Hikaru Hitachiin."
"Yes, I am aware," the English man said.
"I know that, it's just, don't you know why he transferred here in the middle of the school year?" She asked warily.
"I don't believe I ever got around to reading the email. Now, will someone please go get Mr. Hitachiin?" He asked. No one moved. The girl spoke again.
"Well, sir, he moved here because his brother died in a car crash. They were twins sir, they were pretty close. Like two halves of the same whole."