"I'm told that I'm a victim of obsession, that's what my friends say. Oh, I'm a fool for having ever let her tempt me."


Adrenaline pumped through Hikaru's entire body as he willed himself to just go a little faster. He was running, faster than he ever had before, but it just wasn't good enough. His legs numbed under the pressure of his speed. Where he was and where he was going: he wasn't concerned with that. All that Hikaru really knew was that if he stopped for a second, everything would catch up to him.

The cold, night air tingled against his bare arms, and his naked feet pounded against the cold asphalt of the street. All he could hear was the pounding of his own heart, until suddenly, there was a set of tires screeching out in the night. Headlights spun past him as a car whizzed by, turning him to face a church that seemingly came from thin air.

Haruhi.

He knew she was there, and he had to go there, too.

No sooner did Hikaru step towards the church then a bolt of lighting hit the ground directly in front of him. He stumbled two steps back, hearing the resounding smack of thunder filling the world around him. A look of determination crossed his face. If Haruhi really was in that church, nothing would stop him from getting to her.

He ran through the doors, not even bothering to slow down as he burst into an abyss of white light and rose petals. With a blink or two, Hikaru tried to assess the situation and his surroundings, but everywhere he looked, it was white.

"Haruhi!" Hikaru shouted, but he only heard his own echo.

"How do you know my name?" Hikaru turned to see Haruhi's familiar frame, draped in a white silk nightgown. Her nose wrinkled in confusion at the sight of him. "Who are you?"

"Haruhi!" He was so excited to see her that he ignored her strange behavior and wrapped her in a tight embrace. "I'm so glad you're okay," he whispered into her short hair. She surprised him by struggling against his strong arms, and finally managing to pry herself away.

"Seriously," she snapped. "Who the hell are you?" Fury painted her fragile face.

"You're kidding me right?" He placed his hands on her shoulders, the way he'd seen Tamaki do a thousand times when she was being unreasonable. "It's me, Hikaru. I'm one of your best friends…"

"What are you talking about?"

"Hey, Haruhi, is this guy bothering you?" Kaoru's clear voice cut through the blinding whiteness. He too was clad in white from head to toe. He came over and rested a protective hand across Haruhi's shoulder.

"A little bit," She admitted. "I have no idea who he is."

"Oi! Who are you, anyway?"

"Mori? Who is that person?" Honey asked sweetly from Hikaru's left. Mori's indifferent grunt followed.

"If you can't properly identify yourself, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave," Kyoya's cold, calculating tone sounded from his right. All of these familiar people— these usually friendly voices— slowly circled Hikaru until he was nearly blinded by the whiteness. He squeezed his eyelids shut, refusing to accept this apparent reality.

When he opened them again, he was sure he'd gone blind for real. Darkness covered him completely. To test himself, he raised one hand to eye level, but in the pitch blackness, could not recognize it.

"His world is still so small," A booming voice sighed. "What a pity, really."

"Tono? Is that you?" Hikaru asked the voice.

"Tell me, who are you, Hikaru?"

"I am… Hitachiin Hikaru!"

"What does that mean?" Tamaki's voice responded calmly. "Who are you?"

He felt hot, angry tears stream down his reddened face.

"I don't… I don't know!"

XxX

In Class 2-A, Hitachiin Hikaru woke with a start, feeling a thick sheen of cold sweat on the back of his neck. He looked around to see that aside from one student reading intently in the corner, the room was completely empty. He groaned.

"Hikaru," Haruhi looked up at the sound. "Are you okay?"

"I'm… I'm fine," He blushed. "It was just a bad dream, I think."

"That's good." She smiled sweetly. "You were thrashing in your sleep, and sensei wanted me to tell you that you have detention next Monday."

"What for?" He asked groggily.

"For disrupting class, obviously." She answered. "Kaoru already went up to the club, so whenever you're ready, we can go, too."

"Do we have to go today?"

"To the club? I think so. Kyoya's still in France, so the club is short today, anyway."

"Well, let's at least take our sweet time getting there," Hikaru smiled as he rose to his feet.

"Okay," Haruhi chuckled, as they set off down the plush hallway.

"Say, Haruhi," Hikaru began after realizing they had fallen in step together. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, I guess."

"Without Kaoru, who do you think I will be?" He looked down at his feet as they padded against the carpet.

"Look, Hikaru," She said slowly, "I know that this individualization thing means a lot to you, but I don't really think it will work the way you think it will."

"What does that mean?" He asked, more curious than mad.

"You think being your own person means being nothing like Kaoru, but it doesn't. You two were raised together. You have the same blood. It's not like saying you're individuals will change any of that. People don't change over night."

"Haruhi." He grabbed her wrist and stopped walking. "Who am I now?"

She looked back at him, her brown eyes quivering under his intense gaze. "What do you mean?"

"Am I Hikaru, or am I just Kaoru's twin?"

"Hikaru." She said decidedly. He dropped her wrist and combed his fingers back through his hair. "No," She pulled his hand away from his head. "That's not why. It's not because your hair is different. You stopped being 'just Kaoru's twin' a long time ago."

"Huh?"

"It's like I said, people don't change over night." She showed no expression. "Come on, they're probably wondering where we are."

"Okay."

In that moment, Hikaru knew that he couldn't keep it to himself anymore. He had to tell someone— he had to tell her. He was in love.