He watched his brother's limp body sway back and forth through tear blurred vision. "Kaoru, how could you?" He mumbled to himself, blinking the salted tears from his eyes. He kept his eyes tightly shut, remembering the love they'd shared inside the host club and the more intimate moments behind closed doors. Tears leaked down his cheeks as he realized that no more would his bed be warmed by the heat of his brother, no more would those lips of his best friend kiss each inch of his skin which often became clad with goosebumps from the drastic temperature change as the blankets fell away and no more would his own lips caress every scar which his brother kept under wraps, the scars that only he and his twin knew existed. "Why, Kaoru, why? I'm tired of always being the strong one!" He slumped against the tree where his brother swayed. More tears fell as he recalled the past weeks leading up to this frightful day.

"I can't do this anymore Hikaru, I can't keep treating our love like its all just an act!" His brother's eyes were filled with pain.

"Kaoru, you know what would happen if everyone knew it wasn't, its just too taboo." He cupped Kaoru's chin and placed a gentle kiss upon his warm cheek. Kaoru pulled away, shocking Hikaru. "What's wrong?" He asked, confused at the sudden resistance.

"Its nothing." His brother turned away from him and headed to his room, a place he rarely went. Hikaru followed and put his foot in the door before his brother could close it completely then he forced his way inside.

"Kaoru, what's going on?" his voice flooded with concern.

"I told you already, I'm tired of making it an act!" tears brimmed at the younger twins eyes, liquefying his amber coloured irises. Hikaru's own eyes fell upon the waste bin near the bed, it overflowed with bloodied tissues, used bandages and sanguine stained alcohol wipes. He grabbed Kaoru's arm and pushed the sleeve of his uniform up, revealing the scars and fresh wounds which criss-crossed on his soft porcelain skin.

"Kaoru, is this why you've been refusing to wear the short sleeved costumes and change in the same room as me?" Kaoru pulled his arm back and turned away as the first tear slid down his face.

"I can't handle the pain of this act, I'm not as strong as you are!" he sniffled. The elder twin spun him around, his own pair of amber irises filled with empathy and regret.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"I-I didn't want to let you down." Kaoru sighed shakily as more tears rolled down his face. Hikaru gently grabbed the marred arm and kissed each of the scars which littered it up to the sleeve.

"You'll never let me down." he cupped his brother's cheek. "I love you too much." he planted a soft kiss on his twin's lips.

Hikaru stood to his feet and looked up at his brother, his face was oddly peaceful as he swayed gently, as if he were an angel in the hangman's noose. "I love you, Kaoru, I-I'm sorry I made you do this." he clenched his teeth to stop a sob from escaping then, as tears ran down his face, he ran to the garden shed and grabbed a rope of his own. He tied a knot as similarly to his brother's as he could and returned to the tree. "I'm so sorry." he grabbed his brother's legs and hugged them, inhaling the remaining scent and reminiscing about life before this mess. Letting go, he grabbed the chair and tested the branch where his lifeless brother swayed then, when he knew it was strong enough, he tied one end of his rope to it. In a last minute decision, he ran back to the house and grabbed a piece of paper on which he scrawled a quick note then he returned to the tree and stabbed the paper onto a thin, protruding branch. Reclaiming his place next to his brother, he slipped the noose around his neck and kicked the chair away. The world began to fade as an obscured white light filled his eyes. The familiar face of his twin entered his sight. The smile which was similar to his own yet somehow warmer, the eyes which were more loving than his own and the hairstyle which always mirrored his flooded vision as he took his final breath. The last thought to cross his living mind was a memory of a few nights before, the night when he had finally kissed every last one of Kaoru's scars as they lay together in his bed, exhausted from sinful and unlawful activities. Though the memory was so corroded by sinful labels, it was one of Hikaru Hitachiin's most precious.