I would be lying if I said that it didn't kill me to see them together. Because let's be honest, my lord isn't really worthy of a girl like Haruhi. She's smart and level-headed and everything he's not.

Sitting in one of the many couches in the music room, I look at the moping mess that is my twin. His longing gaze is set on the oblivious couple on the other side of the room and I can't help but hate them for their lack of sensitivity. Prancing around in their newly found relationship while Hikaru is still just getting over her rejection, let alone her new relationship, is just wrong on their part.

I feel a pang of sympathy for my brother but I can't help but feel cheated myself. I stepped down in the race for her all for my brother, but he was never even given the chance. My sacrifice was all for nothing and I often wonder what could have happened had I been the one to chase after her in place of Hikaru. I chance another glance at the sniveling mess beside me.

I shake the thoughts from my head. No, I can't think like that. I made the right choice; my relationship with my brother is more important. I jump at the sound of Haruhi's laughter from her and Tamaki's little corner.

"Ugh, I wish they would just stop. They're making me sick." Hikaru nods glumly at my comment before lifting himself off of the couch. He mumbles something about a bathroom before swaying out of the room. I watch him retreat until my eyes swing to Kyoya who occupies the chair in front of me. I feel the need to follow him, but something stops me.

"Kyoya?" He humphs, not even bothering to take his eyes off his computer screen. "What do you think about Tamaki and Haruhi?"

His typing wavers a moment before going back to its rapid pace once more. I try to take a look at his expression but the light from his computer puts a glare on his glasses.

"Why do you ask?" I shrug my shoulders.

"We all know what Hikaru thinks. And Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai aren't here so I thought I'd ask you." He continues to type for several moments, and I almost repeat my question until he clears his throat.

"It's hardly a surprise." His answer should appease me, but it doesn't.

"That's not the answer I was looking for. I asked how it makes you FEEL." He stops his typing and stares at the couple. His expression is unreadable, and not for the first time, I wonder what he is thinking. He turns back to his computer and shuts it. An emotion I can't quite pin point flashes across his face before disappearing.

"I think that's enough questions for one day." With those departing words, he stands and walks towards the door. It take me a split second before I go to follow him.

"Kyoya? Kyoya!" I run after him down the hall before catching up to him. I grab his arm to swing him around to face me and ignore the llittle voice insice my head that is screaming that this is a bad idea.

"Kyoya, what-" The look on his face stops me. He's calm and placid but I can sense a storm brewing underneath.

"What do you want Kaoru." His hard voice cuts through me and I almost lose my resolve, but I suck it up.

"It was only one question; I don't understand the problem with it. What's wrong, cat got your tongue?" I wink, thinking that the Hitachiin humor can help ease the tension as usual. I was wrong.

"No, I just don't see the point in answering stupid, pointless, questions from mindless idiots." His tone is sickly sweet and makes my inner alarm go on high alert, but it only makes me even more curious. What is bothering him so much?

I can tell he is slowly losing his cool, which is just not normal for the Ootori. Over the past few days he'd been colder than usual and even more detached. He'd been like that ever since...

"Kyoya-senpai...," The dim lighting of the hallway provides no concealment for his eyes, leaving him completely open to me. "Does any of this have to do with m' lord and Haruhi?"

Finally, the storm is set loose. His onyx eyes are sharper and deeper than before and his mouth is set in an ugly, crooked line.

"What are you insinuating Hitachiin?" He asks harshly in a tone as cold as his eyes and as rigid as his stance. I gulp and take in the dark aura surrounding the Shadow King. Even though his anger is evident, I can still see the other emotion on his face plain as day. The same emotion I saw on his face when he looked at Tamaki and Haruhi earlier in the music room. The same emotion I've seen on his face since they've gotten together. The same emotion I see in the mirror on my own face.

"You love her." And with those few words, the one guy I believed was the strongest in our little group, crumpled before my eyes. He leans against the nearby wall and slides to the ground. His shaggy hair covers his face and he pulls his knees up. I watch, shocked, as our fearless Shadow King turns into a defeated mess. Kind of like the mess I saw in Hikaru. In myself.

I stand there awkwardly before lowering myself beside him. We sit in awkward silence until he lifts his head.

"Am I that obvious?" I nonchalantly fold my hands behind my head and lean against them in a false comfortable manner.

"Nah, it all just sort of adds up." On the outside, I'm calm. On the inside, I'm freaking out. Kyoya loving Haruhi? A commoner? Is it even possible? I think about the two and have to agree that they have plenty similarities; so it's not all completely proposperous.

"I helped him you know," He pulls me out of my thoughts and I raise my eyebrow in confusion. "Tamaki. I helped him. He was too big of a goof to realize it on his own."

"Errr...realized what exactly?" He sighs impatiently and I shrug my shoulders good naturally. We're not all geniuses like him and Haruhi.

"I helped him realize how he feels about her. All along I was the one to help him win her affections." He clenches his hands into fists and I can feel the frustration pour off of him. "The big blonde idiot."

We sit in more silence as he takes the time to calm down. "Why did you do it?" I ask.

"Do what?"

"You know. Help him out? If you were in love with her also."

He cleans his glasses on his shirt, using the time to mull my question over. "Because there was no merit to loving her."

I scoff at his answer. "Don't feed me that bullshit. I know you don't really think that." Kyoya may be a selfish guy at times, but I don't really believe that he thinks that. If Haruhi was able to make Kyoya Ootori of all guys fall for her, than it was a bigger deal than Kyoya was making it out to be.

He shrugs and looks me dead in the eye. "I did it for the same reason you did."

Realization hits me hard in the chest. We were the same, me and him. I did everything for my twin; he did everything for his best friend. Neither of us really had a chance with Haruhi because we had other priorities that came in the forms of Tamaki and Hikaru.

I chuckle humorlessly. "We're pretty pathetic aren't we? I have to be strong for my brother while you have to support your best friend. We can't even be upset about Haruhi and Tamaki thanks to the two idiots being in love with her."

"Haruhi is the pathetic one; she's with Tamaki." We both laugh at his comment. We stop abrubtly and go back to awkward silence.

"Kyoya?"

"Hm?"

"She's amazing, isn't she." He sighs.

"Yes," he says with sorrowful eyes. "She is."

It isn't long before we head back to the room. The couple are still talking in the corner and my brother returned back to his perch on the couch. Before walking in, Kyoya gives me a smack on the head.

"Owww what was that for?" I rub the growing bump on m head and glare at him.

"Tell no one of this. Understand? No one." I shudder under his terriffying glare.

"Got it." He nods briskly and walks into the room ahead of me.

I follow him in and take my place next to my twin. Yes, seeing Haruhi and Tamaki kills me. And yes, not being able to express that in front of Hikaru is hell.

I glance at Kyoya.

But hey, what's better in hell than company?

Been a while since I've written, be nice pleasee