Now, this is the quality HikaXKaoXHaru trash I've been wanting to write since the beginning. While Hikaharu is my romantic OTP, KaoHaru is definitely one of my wholesome platonic ships, following closely to HaruhiXHoney, as well as HaruhiXMori. This one was really close to becoming the original chapter, as opposed to an alternate ending, but due to time and pre-existing story layout, it wouldn't do to have an arc of Hikaru recovering from a broken arm, despite the super cute possible moments of Haruhi joining Kaoru to nurse him back to health.

As she rounded the corner, she spotted him. It was Hikaru, standing alone in front of a painting, he wore only a pair of flannel pants; his pale black gleamed in the blue glow of the moon, one hand was behind his head, seemingly fixing his wild red hair, and before Haruhi could turn around and go back to her room, he seemed to notice she was there.

"Is everything okay, Haruhi?" He asked.

"I just couldn't sleep." She said.

"Are you feeling alright?" He dared to take a step closer, and she noticed, against her own will, so did she.

"It was just a nightmare," she replied. "I'm fine. Why are you awake?" Hikaru sighed, looking back at the painting.

"I don't usually sleep well at night." He said. "Kaoru likes keeping the room too warm." He offered a small smile to Haruhi. One that in the dim illumination of the moon outside, she almost couldn't see.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hikaru asked.

"What?" Haruhi replied, edging closer to him, and the pale blue light from the windows.

"Your nightmare, it usually helps, sometimes..."

"No, it's fine." She said.

"You know, Haruhi," Hikaru ventured. "You don't have to hide everything from me, we're friends."

"It was about the fire." She finally blurted out, feeling to stinging heat from her dream all over again. Before her, Hikaru's face fell.

"I'm sorry," He whispered. "I didn't mean to make you…"

"It's okay." She said softly. "It felt good to say it."

"Come with me." He replied. "I know just what you need."

As they crept along the hallways, Hikaru led her carefully, at one point, he stopped and reached for her hand, surprised, she pulled back.

"We're going into the kitchen." He said. "But there are two steps down and they're concrete." He smiled into the darkness. "Just don't want you to fall."

"Thanks," She said, taking his hand in the dark. His skin was soft, his palms were warm, he trembled just a little, hardly enough for her to realize it, but she could. There were countless times the twins had teased her, touched her face while play flirting, or grabbed her hand to rescue her from Tamaki, or whatever she happened to need rescuing from at the time.

The last time she ever felt Hikaru's hand for more than a second was when they danced together at the end of the Ouran Fair. She danced with each of them, twirling with Honi, a short guided waltz with Mori, a few spins with the twins before she reached Tamaki, only to be nabbed by Kyoya. Her dance with Hikaru didn't last long when she accidentally held onto his broken arm, but that wasn't the reason her heart was racing now. It wasn't the dark either.

Something else happened that day, Something she had nearly forgotten about until taking Hikaru's hand in the darkness. There was another time during that day where he touched her. It was only for a second, when Kyoya's precious police force turned on him, They said they would stop at nothing to protect Tamaki and his fiancee, even if it was by force, and while she stood in front of the twins, ready to protect them, it was Hikaru who grabbed her arm, he pulled her behind himself. It was quick, but not forceful. She never saw his face, but she felt what he felt at that moment, unbridled fear. It was his primal instinct, not to protect his twin, who he would be lost in life without, but to protect her. Just the girl who sat beside him in class. That was why she couldn't keep him out of her head lately. She felt dumb for her feelings, but when Hikaru flipped on the kitchen light, the sudden brightness did nothing to snap her out of her thoughts.

"Here," he said, pulling out a stool for her. "I want you to try something."

"Okay…" She said in surprise.

He placed a glass of lightly colored water in front of her when she took a sip, she realized it was icy cold and very refreshing. It cleared her mind of the awful feeling from her nightmare and rejuvenated her.

"It's a new recipe for iced tea I've been trying," he said. "Black tea with strawberries, kiwis, and some Asian pears steeped in it.'

"It delicious." She said.

"Do you want an almond cookie?" He asked, taking two from a ceramic pot.

"Sure," she said. Remembering what Kaoru told her earlier in the day.

I'll show you my art if you ask Hikaru to bake with you.

This was her chance to learn the twins even better than she thought she could. He pushed an open pot in front of her, and she took one, they were small and oval-shaped, and a sliced almond was baked in on one side, While the other was dipped in white chocolate. Her favorite kind.

"Let me know what you think." He said as she took her first bite when the cookie crumbled into sweet dust in her teeth and the chocolate began melting on her lip, she smiled.

"This is amazing, better than the bakery ones." She said. "Did you make these?"

"You caught me." He smiled. "Don't tell anyone else," He said with a pink tinge to his face. "But baking is my favorite activity."

"You know, Hikaru," She said. "My mom and I used to bake cookies together, every Sunday morning. We'd eat them after dinner when dad got home from work."

"How nice." He said, sitting down next to her.

"After mom died, I didn't have as much fun baking alone. I still enjoyed the cookies, and I know dad loves the recipe, but it's just extra work now."

"I'm sorry…" He said.

"Do you think I could join you next time?" She asked. "When you want to bake something interesting?" Haruhi watched as his face softened, his hazel eyes brightened, and he smiled, it was so big that it took up most of his face.

"Sure," he said. "That sounds like fun."

"It's a date, then." She beamed.

"A date…?"

"I mean, not really." Haruhi said.

"What?" he teased. "Didn't you have fun on our first one?"

"Shut up." She said. Why is it so hard to say it? She demanded herself. Just call it a date, tell Hikaru the truth. Ask him about that night.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked. "From your nightmare?"

"A little," she smiled. "I think I should try to get back to bed."

"That's probably a good idea.

"Maybe we can make something when you come home from lunch with your dad." He suggested. "How about cookies, or maybe Petit fours."

"Petty fours?" Haruhi asked.

"Petit, it's French," Hikaru said. "It means small."

"Is it hard to make?" She asked.

"Not really," he offered. "Just takes a bit of time."

"Let's make those." Haruhi replied.

"It's a date…"Hikaru said, standing up. In his moment of surprise by Haruhi's smile and the fact that she didn't correct him, he didn't realize his foot was caught beneath the supporting bar of the tall chair. It seemed to happen in slow motion, as he fell, Haruhi started to say his name in surprise, until he crashed down onto to shiny linoleum.

"Hikaru!" She said. The sharp pain in his arm brought him back to reality but blinded him with a fiery feeling that made him instantly dizzy.

"Hikaru!" Haruhi yelped as she fell to her knees beside him. "Are you okay?"

"It's my arm," He muttered.

"Can you move it?" She asked nervously. She watched as he strained. The muscles twitched, but he wiggled his fingers.

"You probably rebroke it," She said. She went to gingerly touch it, despite not having a shirt all night, his skin was warm. The skin on his arm where he held tightly was pulsing, warm to the touch, and a bit lumpy.

"It's broken." She said. "Let me get someone."

"The counter," He groaned. "There's a button in the...fruit bowl."

As she stood up, stepping over his crouched form, she found what he was muttering about, it was a simple black button on a little silver device attached to a string.

"Press it," he said. "It'll alert everyone in the house.

"Hikaru, Haruhi!" She jumped in surprise as Kaoru rushed in, also falling to his knees by his brother's side. "Hikaru! Are you hurt?"

"Don't touch his arm," Haruhi warned as she finally thought to press the button. "He fell from the chair and I think it's broken again."

"Hikaru," Kaoru whined. "You've got to be more careful."

Within moments there were guards, maids, and the twin's parents were in the kitchen and dining room. As a guard scooped Hikaru into his arms, Kaoru stayed back with Haruhi., barely even noticing when he clutched onto her hand tightly, lacing his fingers through hers.

"You kids stay here," Yuzuha commanded. "Once he's safe, we'll call."

In an instant, they were alone. Kaoru and Haruhi stood in the kitchen, unsure of what to do, the door was closed, the dust had settled, and Hikaru was gone.

Beside her, Kaoru's hands were clenched into fists, she caught sight of him in the corner of her eye as his face contorted with worry.

She turned to face him fully, placing her hand up on his shoulder as he froze.

"Haruhi?" He whimpered.

"We shouldn't just stand here," she said. "In fact, I think you should check on Aghena, I don't think she slept through all this."

"You're right." He replied.

"Hikaru will be fine." She offered, walking beside him up the stairs to the bedrooms.

"I know." He replied. "I'm not worried about him."

"Yes, you are." She said.

"What gives you the idea?" He demanded.

"Face it, Kaoru." She said. "I can read you two like a book."

It had to be early in the morning if the light in the sky was any indication; when Haruhi finally made it back into her soft bed. She knew she wouldn't sleep, not when she was this worried. Hikaru would be fine, They would perform an x-ray, declare his arm broken, and he'll be in a cast until it healed. It would be an easy fix, so long as he was careful.

As she watched out the window, not even bothering to lay down, she could see small birds fluttering about in the garden, the pool water glittered like diamonds as the slight spring breeze rippled the surface. Hikaru was the one to suggest they go swimming after exams were over, and just thinking about him alone at this early hour of the morning put that tense knot back into the pit of her stomach. In the dead silence, she heard a door close down the hall, she knew Kaoru had checked up on Aghena. She tried to listen for his footsteps to fade, wondering where his room was, she knew it was close by and wondered if she would hear the door close.

No doors closed, and she realized in surprise that the footsteps were getting louder. There was a light knock on the door. She jumped just a little, sitting at the edge of the bed.

"Haruhi?" Kaoru's light voice entered the air, so close, but sounding a million miles away.

Yes?" She answered quietly. He probably didn't even hear her, and as she stood up to open the door, she heard him speak again. "Are you asleep?" She smiled a little, before reaching for the doorknob, she couldn't help when her heart quickened it's beat, a slight dizzying wave knocked into her, but she as she turned the doorknob, she saw his hazel eyes opened wide to make up for the lack of light.

"I'm not." She said. "Probably won't be at this point, honestly."

"Um...Do you mind...if I…" He looked down at his feet, and she opened her door a little wider, just enough to fit herself through if she had to.

"Do you...want to come in?" She asked. He looked up and she could see the pain in his eyes. He nodded and she opened up the door fully, as he slipped in, she left it ajar, hoping to avoid giving anyone passing by the wrong idea. While she sat on the edge of the bed, Kaoru sat at the window. She was glad he chose to distance himself, but she also wished she could do anything to ease his worry.

"You know Haruhi," Kaoru said, breaking their tense silence. "Hikaru must really trust you."

"Why do you say that?" She asked. "He could have fallen with anyone around."

"He wouldn't let anyone else get near his security alarm," Haruhi moved to the other chair by the window, facing him as she leaned in to get comfortable. Kaoru swept aside a stray piece of her hair and tsked at the unkempt mess of it all. "When we were about five, our parents gave us the security button, they said we could only use it if someone broke in and they weren't home, or if we were hurt. Hikaru was always very careful about it, he said he'd be in charge of it, and I haven't even touched it all these years."

"He was probably just panicked," Haruhi replied.

"Maybe," Kaoru said. "I just think it's nice, there's someone out there, someone special.." He smiled shyly, raising his face to look directly into her eyes, and she couldn't help the slight skip in her heart. His smile grew wider, and his eyes shined in the early morning din. "Someone who he can count on."

"That's an odd thing to say." Haruhi said

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Kaoru, you sound just like my father. Back when he tried to set me up with one of the neighborhood boys, he was really obvious, and right now it sounds like you are, too."

"I uh, I…" He trailed off, carefully considering his next few words. If he wanted to, he could easily make a move, to give himself an edge, to make her his. But then, he thought about his brother, how he would watch her leave a room, and how his eyes would still be trained on the door once she was gone, how he seemed to smile only when she spoke, hanging onto every word she said. How it had been her he was alone with when he fell. He shook his head.

"I'm not trying to set you up with anyone," he replied. "Besides what's in it for me if I set you up with Hikaru?"

"I guess you're right," she said. "Sorry for being presumptuous."

"It's okay," he said, secretly sighing in relief. "Listen, you should really try to get some sleep. Aren't you seeing your dad tomorrow?"

"I am." She replied. "You're right." She moved to the top of the bed, bring her knees to her chest as she fluffed out the comforter. "You can stay in here if you want," she said. "You don't have to go."

"Are you sure?" he asked, hopping up from the windowsill.

"Mhmm." She muttered sleepily, nuzzling her head into the soft pillow.

He was surprised by how quickly she drifted off, one look at the clock and he knew she'd only get about three more hours of sleep before her cell phone alarm would go off. He saw it sitting on the table beside her head, and smiled, nodding to himself as a plan set in. He knew she'd appreciate it when she woke up. He picked up the phone, easily navigating the screens just like on his own, and brought up the alarm clock, setting the wake-up time forward an extra hour, knowing she didn't have to be awake until midday at the latest, also knowing her father tended to sleep in on his days off as well. He glanced over at her once more, just a bob of brown hair among the sea of sparkling sheets and thick blankets, as if controlled by a benign but mischievous force, his hand lowered down, meeting the ends of her hair, twirling the soft locks in his fingers, and shifting the loose strand from the tip of her nose. He grinned at how cute she looked with her eyes closed, her forehead creased ever so slightly as the grips of some dream overtook her. He longed to stay there with her, to crawl into the bed beside her, to feel a warm body under his arm, the way he had done with Hikaru since they were little. But that was not his brother, not his sister; it was his best friend.

It's for the best he told himself. She was never mine to have or lose.