Hikaru had successfully avoided Kaoru for the remainder of the day. He hadn't even shown up for their shared classes. Tracking had been turned off on his phone, and he wasn't answering calls or texts. He did reply to Haruhi's apology text telling her not to speak to him ever again. He was tired of everything being taken away from him, all because of Haruhi.

He had loved her since that first date, though he didn't understand his feelings at the time. He just knew Tamaki's infatuation and Kaoru's incessant flirting caused a tight knot of anger to form in the pit of his stomach. And when her "friend" confessed his crush, Hikaru was jealous. He could never just tell someone like that. He knew nothing would come of it when Kaoru asked Haruhi for a date the next week. She was already fighting feelings for Tamaki.

The more time Haruhi and Tamaki spent together, the less time they spent at the host club. Without him, they lost a lot of their clientele and Kyoya was forced to dismantle the club. Kaoru joined the basketball team, and Kyoya left with Tamaki. Honey and Mori went off doing whatever, often having tea and cake with girls during lunch. Hikaru didn't have anything to take part in. He watched his brother practice after school, and ate lunch with Honey and Mori when Kaoru wasn't around, but he mostly kept to himself.

When Kaoru got home, Hikaru's side of the room was empty. He had spent the entire afternoon moving all of his things into one of the eight unused guest rooms they had at home. He leaned back against the headboard in the center of his bed, headphones blaring and eyes closed. Around him, a collection of open textbooks, his laptop balanced on top of them, and a notebook filled with messier-than-usual handwriting. Kaoru stepped forward and put a gentle hand on Hikaru's shoulder.

Hikaru's eyes snapped open, and he grabbed Kaoru's arm before he could register who it was in front of him. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to startle you. I just came to talk."

Hikaru looked down at his homework, staring through the page. "I have homework to do." He says, picking up his pen and carelessly scrawling another sentence.

"I know you're upset, but this is ridiculous. Haruhi and I are friends. She needed to get out of her own head for a while and I-" Kaoru was interrupted by Hikaru's music being turned up to a deafening volume. He reached forward and slammed the laptop shut, causing his brother to look up with a start.

"What do you want from me, Kaoru? I thought you wanted us to do things on our own, so that's what I'm fucking doing. I don't care what you do with Haruhi. But she's just going to drive you away, and you're going to leave me behind like everyone else anyway." He was yelling now, but Kaoru could hear the tightness in his throat from trying not to cry.

"I miss him too, you know. Even Kyoya...sort of. But this isn't Haruhi's fault. You know Tamaki is impulsive, especially when he's hurting. He had the opportunity to see his mom again, and he took it. Wouldn't anyone? Think about it Hikaru." Kaoru flopped down next to his brother, shoving books and papers out of the way. "He was the first person to really try and get us to open up to others."

Hikaru turned toward his twin, resting the side of his head on Kaoru's. "But if SHE hadn't broken up with him, everyone would still be here. We'd still all be together. This isn't fair, Kaoru!"

Neither boy moved for quite a long time, just taking in the feeling of being in the same room together "I'm not like you. Everyone I get attached to leaves, and I'm just stuck here. So I don't make friends. People don't like me and I don't like them."

Kaoru pulled himself up to sit at the edge of the bed, turning his head toward his twin. "You know that's not true. Everyone tries so hard to be friends with you, especially Haruhi. You just have to open up a little. And think about how they feel, too. I'll be in our room if you need me."

Kaoru walked out, leaving the door slightly askew. Hikaru shoved the books off his bed and flopped back, staring at the ceiling. Was he really pushing everyone away, or were they just tired of his personality? If she had just chosen him, none of this would have happened. Was it because of the date? He fixed everything, but still Kaoru never let it go. Was he really still disregarding the feelings of others?