But I could never call you mine 'cause I could never call myself yours.

"Haruhi's been ignoring me all weekend." Hikaru sat on the edge of an annoyed Kaoru's bed. Mondays weren't exactly Kaoru's favorite thing, so when his twin decided to pop in at 6:30 (before his alarm rang!) to rant about his nonexistent love life (as he had all weekend), well, needless to say, he was peeved.

"Hikaru, I don't think you fully understand the situation." He pulled the covers back over his head. This led Hikaru to climb under the covers, too, in an attempt to wake him.

"Tell me what I'm missing!" He shook his brother's back. "Come on, tell me, if you're so smart!"

"She likes Kyoya." He grumbled into the pillow. "You beat up Kyoya."

"So?" Hikaru was oblivious to the fault. So what if he beat up Kyoya? That didn't have anything to do with the way she should feel about him, did it?

"So, that makes you the bad guy." Kaoru rolled over to look at Hikaru, shooting daggers from his eyes.

"Oh." He took a moment to ponder this and decide how to fix it. "So… I should apologize to Haruhi…"

"Would you get out of my room?"

Hikaru jumped out of his bed and ran to the door, mentally preparing his big apology speech. When he went to open the door, he paused for a moment and turned back.

"Thanks, Kaoru!"

"Get out!" A pillow hit the back of his now closing door.

Xxx

Hikaru waited all morning for the perfect time to ask for forgiveness of Haruhi, so when home room rolled around, he could hardly contain himself. He had paid little attention during the lesson and instead tried different ways in his head to express himself to Haruhi.

"Ahem." Hikaru cleared his throat. Haruhi, absorbed (or at least pretending to be absorbed) in her biology textbook, paid him no mind. He tried again, a little louder this time. "AHEM." Still no reaction. "Haruhi? I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about what happened on Friday. I lost control and I'm really… honestly… sorry." He wasn't expecting to choke on his pride.

"Hm?" She looked up and let her eyes wander around the room. "Kaoru, did you say something?"

"Um… Haruhi…" Kaoru was unsure if she was serious or not. "That was Hikaru."

"Couldn't have been." She harrumphed. "I'm not speaking to him."

"Real mature." Hikaru pounded his fist on her desk to catch her attention. She purposefully looked away. "I'm trying to apologize here!"

"You didn't attack me, did you?" Haruhi fiercely countered. "Who should you apologize to? I'm sick of what a child you're being lately!"

He was taken aback by her fiery response. His own rage boiled just below the surface. With every ounce of will power he had, he managed a reply.

"Haruhi." His teeth and fists clenched. "I'm not going to apologize to him."

"Why not?" She was about to burst herself. Kaoru moved away slowly, sensing the ensuing explosion.

"Because." He seethed. "I'm not sorry I hit him. I'm sorry you were there to see it."

"What the hell kind of apology was that?"

"Let's calm down a little…" Kaoru said, hiding behind his desk in the "safe" zone. "You're making a scene."

This was true. Their usually quiet homeroom was now a viewing arena for the most interesting fight of the semester and everyone was gathered around, looking anxiously.

"WHO CARES?" Haruhi and Kaoru shouted back at Kaoru in unison.

*Heavy Motor Sounds*

"Ohohohoho… Ohohohoho!" Renge cackled. Microphone in hand, she began to narrate the dispute. "Ladies and gentlemen! A lover's quarrel! This is obviously a spat between two boys whose love has gone awry! How Moe!"

"Shut up, Renge!" Hikaru, Kaoru and Haruhi all snapped at once.

"This conversation is over." Haruhi said sternly as she collected her bag and left the classroom. Hikaru steamed.

"Well, that was kind of rude." Renge muttered.

"You tried, Hikaru." Kaoru placed a supportive pat on his shoulder.

"Not. Hard. Enough."

"Then, go after her." Kaoru whispered in his brother's ear. Hikaru shot him a wary side-glance. "Just don't yell, okay?"

"Kaoru…"

"Just go, already!" He playfully shoved Hikaru out the door. As Hikaru started taking off running, Kaoru sighed and muttered under his breath, "Whose side am I on?"

"Haruhi!" Hikaru shouted down the hall. She hadn't been running, so it didn't take much time for him to catch up. "Haruhi! Wait!"

"What do you want?" She impatiently demanded.

"I'm sorry about that."

"You're sorry you yelled at me, or you're sorry I had to hear you yell at me?" She asked with venom in her voice.

"Look, the whole reason I acted like that on Friday…"

"I know." She sighed. "You don't have to say it. I get it. Just in the future, you should understand that you don't own me, okay? I don't care if you disapprove of my relationship, that's not for you to decide. I'm not yours."

"Are we… okay now?"

"If you apologize properly to Kyoya, we can pretend like it never happened."

"You don't even use honorifics anymore?" He could feel jealousy swelling in the back of his throat again. "I mean… Sure. I'll do that. Now let's get back to homeroom, okay?"

"Fine." They started to walk back to class.

"Where were you going, anyway?"

"I don't know… Away?"

"The pool house for a rendezvous with Romeo?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Shut up."

"Okay."

A.N.: You'll have to imagine that last bit of dialogue as fading into the distance as they start walking into the horizon… hallway? Anyhow…

I guess all it really takes is a good sit down at the old pen and paper to jog the little writer in my head. After putting this off for almost two weeks, I've now finished chapters 1 and 2 (of 10) within 24 hours :)