I almost thought I wouldn't have this up until way later (it's been a shitty day), but I pushed through for all you wonderful readers (especially my reviewers, you guys seriously make me smile). Hope this chapter doesn't suck.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran...

When Tsubaki's shrill alarm went off, she turned it off with a glare and shuffled back in her cocoon. She hadn't gotten a lick of sleep, realizing what a terrible sister you are tended to do that. So, there was no way she was going to get up and throw on her usual attire of an ugly yellow dress and a smile; she just didn't have that in her.

Hearing the click of her door, she knew it was Hinata having come in, probably to chastise her for being late.

"Tsu," Hinata called out as she got closer, and Tsubaki only curled into herself more underneath her blue blankets. "Oversleep?" she asked, placing a hand on Tsubaki's shoulder, and Tsubaki almost wanted to laugh. The problem was she hadn't slept at all.

"Just go without me," she finally muttered, and she could feel Hinata's hand tighten.

"You don't feel good?" Hinata asked, and Tsubaki hummed in response. Hinata gave her sister's one final squeeze before leaving the room. She went downstairs first, digging through her bag as he father worked on some dishes.

"Everything okay?" their father asked, glancing at Hinata over his shoulder.

Finally grasping her phone from her bag, Hinata drifted through her contacts. "Tsubaki doesn't feel well. We're going to stay home," she replied. They were both going to stay home because there was no way Hinata would leave her sister all alone in this house that wasn't quite a home yet. Besides, Hinata was sure she wouldn't be able to handle Ouran without knowing her sister was close by; she liked the students she'd become close with, sure, but that didn't mean she felt comfortable at the school yet.

"Should I cancel my meeting?"

Hinata shook her head. For once their father was actually going out, talking with some people at the publishing house he worked with. "We'll be okay."

He still looked unsure but eventually relented, placing the girls' bento boxes away for later. "I'll leave my phone on for you."

Hinata gave her thanks before making her way back upstairs and to her room, phone in hand.

Tsubaki was sure Hinata was going to be off to school once she'd left. However, it wasn't too long before Tsubaki's door opened again and Hinata popped in.

Tsubaki peeked over her blankets and saw her sister was back in sleepwear instead of her collared shirt and slacks. Without even a word, Hinata slid herself in beside her sister, both pressed against each other because of the small space.

"School…."

"Reiko-san and Kasanoda said they'd get our stuff, and Haruhi will bring it by on her way home," Hinata relayed. She'd just messaged the others while getting changed, telling them that Tsubaki wasn't feeling well enough to go to school. It had warmed Hinata's heart to see how quickly her friends jumped to help. Kasanoda had even said he'd bring by the work until he remembered a family thing, and Reiko had mentioned casting some spells for Tsubaki's health. Hinata hadn't even messaged Haruhi, but the brunette had been hanging around Kasanoda before school and had been told about Tsubaki's situation. She'd stepped up once Kasanoda had mentioned he couldn't drive by.

"That's…very kind," Tsubaki muttered, heart warming up as well at the news. She hadn't known Reiko for long and she hardly knew Kasanoda at all, but they were going out of their way for the twins. Looking over at Hinata, who was resting with closed eyes now, Tsubaki couldn't help but think of how good Ouran was being to Hinata. Tsubaki supposed it'd been good for her too, giving her real reasons to smile, reuniting the twins with Haruhi, who they really needed to start bugging more, and Tsubaki had had an epiphany. Good things, though some of those things were making her feeling pretty shitty right now.

Tsubaki pressed herself closer to Hinata, wrapping her arms around her younger sister. "You know I love you right?"

Hinata didn't hesitate to return the hold. "I know, I love you too."

Tsubaki let out a breath at that. It was silly, to think that Hinata hated her now, but after everything Tsubaki had done, failed to do, she couldn't help but have that fear. She couldn't help but fear the worst, but Hinata still loved her, still cared for her.

She felt shitty at the moment, but she knew her epiphany had been for the better, it would hopefully lead to the twins fixing their relationship. Tsubaki just wanted things to be equal again, not even realizing Hinata was working towards the same thing. Both wanted to make up for the past, for a past they blamed themselves for.

It was almost funny, how blind they were due to their endeavors.

Tsubaki fell asleep soon after that, relief flooding through her at simply knowing she still had her sister's love.

Hinata, however, just watched her sister sleep, occasionally running a hand through her hair or along her back. She knew Tsubaki wasn't physically sick, and she wondered if her mood had something to do with yesterday. Kaoru had mentioned Tsubaki seeming upset, and Hinata had noticed the mood carry as the twins arrived home. Tsubaki had shut herself away as soon as they got back from school, declaring she had work to do, though her and Hinata had the same classes.

Hinata had left her be, knowing that sometimes a person just needed time to themselves, but Tsubaki looked as though she hadn't slept at all and that worried Hinata. She wondered what had happened yesterday to cause her sister to be affected like this.

Tsubaki awoke a few hours later, and Hinata suggested they she bring up their bento boxes. Tsubaki was fine with going downstairs to eat, but Hinata wanted to spoil Tsubaki a bit. Getting back with the boxes, Tsubaki had pushed herself into a seated position on her bed, and Hinata pulled over Tsubaki's desk chair to sit in.

They ate mostly in silence, both wondering what to say to ignite the much needed conversation between them.

It was only when Hinata was placing both empty boxes on Tsubaki's desk, that Tsubaki cleared her throat and decided to just go for it.

"Can you promise me something?"

Hinata sat crossed legged in the desk chair, looking at her sister with a confused expression. "Anything," she replied confidently.

Tsubaki took in a deep breath, clutching her blanket in her hands tightly. "I don't want you to have to grit your teeth and bear anything with me, Hinata," she admitted, because while Tsubaki had always let the insults fall off her in waves, Hinata had held it in, just acting as though it didn't bother her. Hinata would pretend it didn't affect her but Tsubaki knew it did, and she never wanted her sister to pretend around her. She never wanted Hinata to ever just take what Tsubaki was giving if she didn't want it. "So, I need you to promise to be honest," she pressed before Hinata could say a word. "If I do anything that you don't like, I need you to tell me."

Hinata watched as her sister broke down, tears pooling in her eyes, though she held them at bay. "Wh-What are you talking about?" she couldn't help but ask, the words not truly computing in her head. She couldn't say Tsubaki was wrong; she had let Tsubaki do things she didn't like, let Tsubaki try to force them into a mold. However, she accepted the difficulty of the situation because their relationship didn't just work one-way. Hinata could handle a minor annoyance until Tsubaki reached a conclusion on her own; she didn't want to force her sister into a way of thinking.

"I need you to confide in me, to tell me what you want so we aren't…battling against each other," Tsubaki continued, and Hinata's gaze flickered to her lap.

Confide, that had been what Kaoru had said. He had told her to confide in her sister and vice versa, and that was what Tsubaki wanted now. Hinata didn't want to make her sister do anything, something she thought she'd be doing if she voiced her thoughts and feelings, but maybe she'd been looking at it wrong. Tsubaki wanted to talk about everything that bothered them so they didn't keep running a course that was only driving the wedge between them further. Maybe Hinata needed to take Kaoru's advice, listen to her sister, and talk. Maybe this was the epiphany she had never knew she needed.

"Only if you do too," she said after a pause.

Tsubaki couldn't help but smile at that, a true, honest smile. "Promise?" she asked, holding out her pinkie.

Hinata smiled as well as she wrapped her finger around her sister's. "Promise," and she couldn't help but feel lighter. Tsubaki wanted her to talk to her, meaning Hinata wouldn't just be making Tsubaki bend to her will. They would talk, get a sense of the other's feelings, and perhaps finally be sisters again.

That's all either of them wanted, to be sisters.

Disconnecting their fingers, they leaped at each other in sync, wrapping their arms around the other on Tsubaki's bed. Their bodies were tightly pressed together, hardly any space between them.

Hinata ran a hand up and down her sister's back, and Tsubaki couldn't help but run her fingers through Hinata's short hair.

"You should wear your uniform," Tsubaki spoke, breaking the silence between them.

Hinata paused in her movements, in shock at both the noise and words spoken. "I don't know," she replied honestly. She still didn't know about the dress.

"I know you like it," Tsubaki said, she'd known how her sister felt about the dresses the moment her father had purchased them for the twins. She didn't, however, understand why Hinata wouldn't just wear it. Fiddling with her sister's short locks, she came upon a realization. Hinata seemed to be set on them being opposites; maybe she had carried that desire to clothes as well. Maybe Hinata didn't want to wear the uniform because Tsubaki would be wearing the same thing. "I don't have to wear it. If you want to wear it, you should," she suggested. Tsubaki didn't really like the uniform much anyway, the color wasn't really her style.

Hinata pushed away in surprise. "I don't want you to do anything you don't want to do."

"Well, I could say the same," Tsubaki replied, and now they were at a stalemate.

Hinata knew they were being silly. "If you want me to wear it and I want you to wear it, we should both just wear it," she reasoned, but her heart still quickened at the idea, something Tsubaki seemed to pick up on.

"But you don't want that, right? You don't want us to look the same." Tsubaki pushed aside her bitter feelings, focusing on what mattered.

It was a uniform, Hinata mused, everyone was wearing it. It wouldn't be just the twins dressing similarly. It wouldn't be breaking the rules. Searing that thought in her head, Hinata let out an anxious sigh. "Everyone wears it," she repeated.

Tsubaki let out a sigh of her own, trying to think of something to ease her sister's worries. "Ouran's not like Middle School," and she felt her sister's hold tighten around her, "Besides, our hair is different. Maybe we could just…try it out?"

Hinata forced herself to relax, not wanting to hurt her sister because of her tight grip. Taking in Tsubaki's words, Hinata knew she was right. Their hair was different, from all angles the twins could be told apart, and Ouran wasn't their old school. Things were good at Ouran.

"We could try it out," she agreed, and though nervousness still gripped her heart, she couldn't help but smile at her sister's quiet squeal.

Each twin couldn't help but think they owed the Hitachiin twins their thanks, though maybe the boys' egos were large enough...