Author's notes: Yay, go me updating quickly. :D School starts soon for me, so if updates are sparser beware!

A thank you goes out to Keeper of Destiny, for the review and thoughts and musings! I always love to hear from readers what they think and such. :)

Thanks Quatre Winner for your input in the making of this chapter too!

Thanks for reading (89 hits in two hours? Wow.) and I hope you enjoy!

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Most people think, Oh look, how quaint. It's the shadow twin. I wonder how he feels about being controlled by his older twin.

I don't care.

That's his personality. That's what separates us. Hikaru is as dense as a slab of lead. He has the brains to compute differential calculus and to solve tough Organic Chemistry problems, but he hasn't an ounce of people smarts. He's whiny constantly talking about whatever offending or annoying thing that comes to mind, selfish only keeping me to himself, and childish hating to leave me alone for more than a few minutes, as if someone would smash me with a commoner brick if he wasn't there.

What people misunderstand is… If he wants to do something that I don't care about one way or another, I tag along. I'm only affected by his spontaneous whim in direct proportion to how bored I am. The more bored, the more likely to follow.

My point is, is that he's less 'controlling' as he is completely inept at relationship boundaries. Got it?

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"Haru-chan!"

"Heh… Honey-sempai?" Haruhi slowly cricked her neck to look down at her senior.

Flowers falling from the air around him, he gasped pulling away, holding the bunny rabbit up over his nose, eyes wide. "h..Haru-chan…?"

"I only have the sniffles." Her voice sounded raspy and deep.

There was a loud, audible gasp from the Hosts, all with differing faces: concern from Mori, worry from Honey, shock from the Twins, apathy from Kyouya, and finally alarm then disgust from Tamaki.

"The doctor said it's just strep throat." She shrugged.

"J-j-just STREP! You're ill!" Suddenly by the snap of his forefinger and thumb, she was whisked away by Twins in nurses' outfits. "Take Haruhi to the infirmary immediately!"

"Haiiiiiii!" Hikaru and Kaoru had an equally mischievous grin on their faces as they dragged, for once, a compliant Haruhi.

"What are we going to do with today's cosplay, Tama-chan?"

"Honey-senpai! I have the perfect solution!" After which the blonde president spaced out to scene of a sick Haruhi in bed with a flushed face.

'Haruhi feels bad, Tamaki-senpai. Is Haruhi bad for catching this horrible commoner's disease?' Coughing lightly, her tearful gaze looked over the covers at him.

He grabbed her hand. 'I do not fear this strep throat! If I get ill then we'll share the same bed ok?'

A dazzling smile relieved all her pain. 'Tamaki-senpai...,' she said as she gave him a faint smile.

He wiggled around blushing like a newly wed, hands on his cheeks. "Haurhi, so cute!"

"Do englighten us, Dad." Kyouya never stopped scribbling on his clipboard.

"Mama! Mori-senpai, Honey-senpai! The plan lays out like this!"

As Mori stood next to him as always, Honey with a plateful of cake in hand listened held captive by their mad King's whim.

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The Special Male Student Nurse sighed walking out of the curtained off area, Haruhi behind her. "She'll be alright. Her family doctor was correct in his assertion that she's sick. Really, I'm a nurse, not a doctor, remember guys?" She glared daggers at the Twins. "Go back to your club activities!"

The Twins clutched onto each other eyes tearing up pathetically. "Hikaru," Kaoru began the scene the two often played out for their clients. Hikaru grabbed and threaded his fingers through Kaoru's hand, a finger under his chin, leaning close about to respond.

"Your fake tears don't work on me, boys." She crossed her arms, glasses flashing. "Now, OUT."

"Haiiii!" They ran out arms in the air. "Our lord will be displeased that you're holding Haruhi hostage!"

With a repulsed look on her face she watched them go. Then with a smile on her face she turned to Haruhi hands holding her elbows. "Now, Haruhi-kun! You're very contagious right now. I must insist that you follow your doctor's orders and stay home for the week before you make the other students sick."

"I don't want them following me home."

"I'm sure I can help you then..." The nurse smirked.

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A giant piece of plastic was draped around a circular area about thirty feet in diameter holding air in like a balloon, a large air-circulating device thrumming deeply next to it. A facemask over her mouth and nose, Haruhi sat in a plush chair where she could either look outside the window if she so chose or drink from the cup of medicinal tea that sat next to her on a small table nearby. She however chose to do nothing but look irked. This was not what she meant when she refused to stay at home because of her throat.

The Hitachiin brothers came bustling into the plastic room in biohazard outfits seemingly to 'cater' to her, but so far the only thing they did was cater to her with their company. She found them to be the largest nuisance ever, and cursed them, including the rest of the club, for being 'rich bastards' under her breath.

After being shuttled home courtesy of the nurse calling her father to pick her up (which was very troublesome for him, she noted), the following morning she arrived at her usual early time at Ouran High after convincing her dad that she was fine. Stepping foot inside the large entry gate to the school, she was quite suddenly whisked away to the unused Music Room #3, and placed where she was currently at, which included a full-sized bed for rest if she wanted. Of course there were foldable blinds standing to the side, so she could dress into the cute pajamas the club president provided for extra comfort. Yea, right, like I'll get any rest here. She thought.

Tamaki had set the Biohazard mat up after Kyouya had regrettably told him that Streptococcus pyogenes was highly contagious and that she would have stay home unless her illness was properly handled with bed rest, medicine and plenty of fluids. 'If her illness is managed improperly, she could get Scarlet Fever,' the vice president had stated coolly. Tamaki freaked with incoherent babbling at the news, and then Honey-senpai flailing his bunny around cried out. "Waahhh! Haru-chan's gonna die if she gets Scarlet Fever!" To which Tamaki replied that that would never happen with their resources and outlined the 'Haruhi's Disease Containment' plan. Mori just looked on calmly at the madness, opting not to comment, while the Twins stood rapt attention saluting to their president. 'Hail our lord!' they had shouted.

Every time she left the plastic room, inexplicably a male Nurse with gloves and a facemask on would scoop her up and, after passing through the first section cordoned off to keep the disease from 'spreading', place her back onto the chair. After awhile she quit trying to leave, and ended up spending the entire school day in this balloon thing. Of course, it would only make her bored and cranky.

The clock chimed three times signaling that club activites could begin. That's when the Twins showed up in their awkward, clumsy outfits.

"Haa-ru-hi!" They caroused, holding out a notebook. "All the teachers know you're out because you're sick, so we collected your notes!"

She blinked and took it. "Thank.. you." She had forgotten to ask them. By now her voice had degraded to a soft gravely sound. She could hardly speak as it was, when this morning she could pass off her gruff voice to being tired to her dad. Opening the notebook she looked into it finding very neat handwriting.

Crinkling of the side of the her plastic cage alerted her first to Tamaki's presence followed by incoherent babbling of 'You're gong to be okay! Daddy's here!'

She glared at him, then looked at them all outside of her bubble. The Twins, having delivered schoolwork to her, shed the clunky biohazard suits. They were cosplaying some kind of hospital drama. All, excluding Tamaki, in doctor's or nurses' outfits with obvious rank differences. She was stunned. What was she, a freak show for clients? Enraged she stood up to give them all a piece of her mind, and subsequently fainted from low-blood pressure.

"Haruhi!" A chorus of alarm went up,

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She woke up in her own bed, in her own room. Her digital clock washed the room in dim blue light. Looking at the face, she sat up quickly and just as quickly fell back down. School! She thought frantically. How could she have slept through a day, missing another day of school? The sun was setting.

Staring up at the ceiling, she knew she had pushed herself too hard. She always seemed to do that. Seeing shadows from the remnants of the sunlight peeking through the blinds, she looked over to wish it a farewell until the next morning, and was surprised to find half of her room filled with 'Get well soon' baskets, flowers, and stuffed animals.

She secretly liked stuffed animals, but avoided them whenever she could. Laying and staring at all the gifts though urged her to pick one out. Having made her decision, she pulled the card out of the arms of the most cuddable teddy bear, and took it into her arms snuggling it.

Closing her eyes, she drifted off again.

Nudging the ajar door open a little more, cramped in the Fujioka hallway, the Host club members peeked in simultaneously.

"MY TED--!" Hands clamped over Tamaki's mouth. His tears of happiness outpouring that she had chosen his gift above all others!

"Shh, my lord. She's fallen asleep." The Hitachiin brothers had been very quick to silence him.

However Hikaru couldn't help himself, musing "Is this the first time she's fallen asleep with someone else's teddy bear? But wait isn't this your teddy bear, my lord?" Grinning he showed the stuffed animal that indeed belonged to the club president.

Tamaki's face fell and his tears turned cold in his upset.

Bunny in arms, Haninozuka replied, "Yeah… I think that's the gift Renge had picked out for her, but.. I didn't see it in there before…" Mori was quietly watching the bundle that was Haruhi sleep, breathing even.

The calculating Hitachiin brother chuckled. His grin flagged that it was indeed him that Tamaki should focus his anger on. However, both Twins stood up and ran out of the apartment, laughing out at Tamaki's frustrated yelling.

The vice president continued writing whatever he did on his notepad clipboard, a knowing smile on his face. It was he, afterall, who had exchanged the bears.

"You boys aren't planning on staying over tonight, hmm?" Haruhi's father popped up, whispering. "I regrettfully must let you all out. While I appreciate your babysitting over my daughter, it's late. You all have school in the morning, right?"

Honey nodded and spoke in affirmative.

"Then we're sorry for troubling you Ranka-san." Kyouya said. "If there's any way to compensate you for your time..."

He was waved off and giggled at, and the club members were shown the door, all saying their goodbyes. Though the Twins were still out being chased by Tamaki, so they missed the farewells...

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As I said before, if he wants to do something that I don't care about one way or another, I tag along. Whoever says that I only follow has no idea who I am. Hikaru at least knows me well enough that I restrain my impulses, and I have alot if not more than he does. That's probably why he considers me the 'darker' half of our duo.

I think he'd have been more suited as the younger brother. I see things that normal younger brothers don't tend notice. Or is that just an overgeneralization about siblings?

Why can't he ever see that the people I develop an affinity to are never as important to me as he is? Maybe I should return the favor. I've noticed that for some time Haruhi has been the object of his attention.

It was his idea to invite her to Bali with us for summer vacation. He was the one that had a tantrum when a fellow middle school classmate showed up of sudden.

But it was my idea to give her his old cell phone… Maybe… maybe I like her a little bit too.

Don't get any bright ideas. I don't like her that much.

TBC.