Haruhi walked home with the twins on either side of her, ignoring the looks girls were giving them at the group of cute 'boys' walking by. It still amazed her that people didn't realize she was a girl, but she didn't care enough to correct them about it.
"So, how was the phone call with Tamaki? I'm assuming since you seem happier that he called you." Hikaru looked down at Himaru curiously.
"Ah-" She flushed a bit at the memory of the phone call. "Yeah, he called. He says hello, and that he shouldn't be too much longer."
Kouru sighed and put his arms behind his head as he walked. "You know, I wish we could have gone with him. I haven't been to Paris for a couple years now, and I love the food there."
"Yeah, especially that little restaurant down town I hear they even have commoner restaurants like McDonalds now!" Hikaru grinned.
Haruhi stuck out her tongue at the mention of the restaurant. "Even among commoners that food isn't very good."
The twins looked down at her in surprise. "Really? We've never eaten there. What's it like?"
"It's got burgers, which are kind of like meat sandwiches." She made a motion of a sandwich in her hands. "They have lettuce and pickles, but it's not very well-made. They don't think much about their food when they make it."
Kaoru hummed thoughtfully, looking up to see Hikaru looking over his shoulder with a look of suspicion. "What is it, Hikaru?"
Hikaru looked back for a moment, his eyes scanning the area for a moment before turning back around to continue walking. "Nothing, I just thought I saw something."
Kaoru looked back as well, but shrugged. "No matter, let's get to Haruhi's apartment so we can start studying. From the way Hikaru's grades have been going we have no time to lose."
Hikaru flinched and glared at his brother. "You're one to talk, Kaoru. I saw that grade on your last test."
Kaoru flinched as well and they both laughed uneasily for a moment.
"So you're both failing?" Haruhi looked up at the both in frustration. "Then am I your tutor or something?"
The twins looked at each other wryly and each took one of Haruhi's arms in theirs. "Yes!" They both said happily. "Haruhi-sempai is our tutor, teach us well!"
Haruhi sighed, wondering if inviting them over was a good idea.
Haruhi sighed as she closed the book in front of her, her stomach growling loudly in protest that she hadn't eaten dinner yet. "We should probably get something to eat. I haven't had a chance to get groceries yet this week, so we'll have to go out to eat."
Hikaru and Kaoru looked at each other with wide eyes then back down to Haruhi. "So where do you want to go? Let's go to Haruhi's favorite restaurant."
Haruhi hesitated for a minute, her shoulders slouching. "I meant the supermarket. I can't… afford to eat at a restaurant this week."
"Then we'll pay. We are your students after all, so think of this as payment for teaching us." Kaoru smiled.
"Yeah, I've learned a lot with the tricks you taught us to remember things. So we'll take you out to eat." Hikaru added.
Haruhi thought for a moment before shrugging. "Alright, when you put it that way it doesn't sound so bad. Alright, there's a really good sushi shop down the road that my friend runs. We were going to go to it last time, but Honey wanted me to cook instead. We can go this time."
"Sushi shop?" Kaoru said in surprise. "You like sushi that much, Haruhi?"
"Are you kidding?" Haruhi laughed. "There's nothing better than sashimi! Come on, I haven't eaten out in a long time." She said excitedly, grabbing both twins' hands and leading them toward the door.
Kaoru laughed in amusement while Hikaru smiled warmly, following after her.
Haruhi looked around the sushi restaurant, the small conveyer belt in the middle of the room rotating plates of sushi around the counters surrounding it. Haruhi brought the twins over to three empty seats, sitting in the middle with the twins on either side.
"So what are we supposed to do?" Kouru looked at the sushi curiously as it rolled by on the conveyer belt.
"You just pick it up, and they keep a tab of what you've eaten- so you have to be careful not to eat too much." Haruhi said, looking at the sushi around her with excitement. She put her hand out to grab one, only to hesitate it and wait, repeating for each one that passed until the entire belt had rotated and she started over.
"Just pick one!" Kaoru laughed at her, picking one off the belt and a pair of chopsticks.
Haruhi grabbed a tuna sampler, looking at it with wide eyes before smiling to Kaoru and Hikaru. "Thanks guys." She said happily before using chopsticks and putting a tuna sushi into her mouth, humming happily at the taste as she closed her eyes to savor the flavor.
Hikaru chuckled and got a spicy tray, starting to eat it before his eyes widened in surprise. "This isn't half bad, actually."
"Yeah, I wasn't expecting this to be this good, no wonder Haruhi likes it so much." Kaoru said around a mouthful of sushi.
Haruhi stuck her tongue out at them teasingly. "I have good taste, you know. Just because I haven't had all the fancy food you have doesn't mean I don't know what's good and what's not."
The twins laughed and continued eating sushi, Kaoru glancing over Haruhi's shoulder to catch his twin's eye. Hikaru looked back and nodded, realizing what his twin was thinking. Haruhi was distracted by their teasing… and though Hikaru still liked Haruhi in a romantic sense… he preferred seeing her happy even if he had lost her to Tamaki.
Hikaru glanced down at the table sadly, glad he had his brother to understand him so well, when he felt so alone and dejected.
They watched Haruhi enjoy her sushi, wondering how she could look so happy after she had looked so lonely earlier. Was that smile she always wore just a mask to hide the pain she was going through? It was an awful thought, depending on how much she smiled. Maybe she was a lot like Tamaki after all.
After they had eaten dinner, the twins brough Haruhi back to her apartment and played board games until her father arrived home. They left with goodbyes to Haruhi, walking out onto the front walk outside her house and calling a limo. They waited for the car to come, looking at the setting sun in the distance and Hikaru sighed in frustration.
"You know, I hate seeing her like this, but there's nothing I can do to help." He said, glancing to Kaoru uneasily.
"I think we are helping, Hikaru. We just have to be there for her when she needs us. I know it's painful, but… at least she'll be happy with Tamaki, right?" Kaoru smiled reassuringly to his brother.
Hikaru snorted in disdain. "No idea what she sees in him that appeals her so much." He muttered.
"Oh come on." Kaoru crossed his arms in front of his chest with a grin. "Probably the same thing that convinced us to join the Host Club."
Hikaru thought about that for a moment and nodded with a long, exhausted sigh. "Yeah… I suppose so."
"Don't be so sad, it's not like Haruhi will be the only girl you'll meet. There are plenty of girls out there." Kaoru set a hand on Hikaru's shoulder.
"Yeah, girls that will see us as Hikaru and Kaoru, instead of the Hitachiin twins?" Hikaru gave Kaoru a meaningful look.
Kaoru looked down sadly, getting the point. "There must be someone else, Hikaru. Someone who will understand."
"Maybe." Hikaru said doubtfully, looking up as the limo rolled up and stopped in front of them. Hikaru opened the door and let Kaoru in first, getting in himself and closing the door in a practiced move that told they had coordinated like that for most of their lives.
"I can't help but think things might have been different somehow." Hikaru muttered. "If Tamaki hadn't realized his feelings for her were more than that stupid 'daddy' thing."
Kaoru glanced at Hikaru thoughtfully and shrugged. "What's done is done. There's no use dwelling on it, so just try to move forward."
Hikaru looked out the shaded window in frustration, watching the apartments and houses roll by as they made their way back to their mansion. That was easy to Kaoru to say… he didn't feel like his heart had been ripped out.
Things look pretty complacent, right? Well if you guys know me, get ready for some action and suspense soon :P Hope you're enjoying it so far, I'll add another chapter after I get a few reviews *hehe holding the story hostage*