STORY INFO: Jonouichi Ayame, Mitsuyama Kanan, and Kuze Takeshi are NOT OCs. They are canon in the manga.

The World of Fantasy is just a fictional game knock off of Akiko's favorite comic book from Chapter 2.

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Between Freedom and Loyalty

Chapter 11: For Our Lips and Naughty Bits, Part 2

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Everyone has a vice, a type of wicked behavior or bad habit that stains their character and can ultimately lead to their own decrepit corruption. It's a weapon in the guise of something seemingly harmless, much like a pair of scissors. Whether by instinct or by carefully crafted habit, Kaoru had a tendency to keep his pair with his needle and thread, never too keen on making use of it. Meanwhile, Hikaru, by wild nature, had a tendency to keep his in his pockets, always within close reach, always ready to cut, always aware of the damage it could cause.

Kaoru's vice was the tendency to decide people's feelings for them. It was how he pushed people away before they even had a chance to really make an impression. It was a careful practice that ended with false expectations and loneliness and was a perfect example that practice doesn't always make perfect. Practice the same mistakes over and over and you don't get any closer to making friends. Practice the same mistakes over and over and all you get is a heart that's too broken to mend, too tired to hope. He may not have used his scissors very often, but who needs scissors when you have your own mouth and teeth? When you have your own words?

Kaoru didn't always recognize his own weaponry, but Hikaru did.

And the only person Kaoru allowed to share their feelings freely and actually listened to was Hikaru. Thus, over time, Kaoru began to learn that Hikaru's vice was forgiveness, or lack thereof, and had mastered the art of running away from his problems. And everyone knows you don't run with scissors…because all you'll do is trip over your own problems, land on your own pride, and end up with a self-inflicted wound to the heart. But that was how they survived in this world.

That was how they protected themselves, by making sure the only people that could hurt them were themselves. Kaoru seemed to be the only one of the two to realize that fact. He prided himself on his ability to be the one to understand their twisted souls. Indeed, it was because of this sure knowledge and understanding of his brother's soul that he knew when looking for his older brother in the midst of heartbreak, the best place to start searching was in the library, for it would be the last place anyone would expect him to be.

Ouran Academy held many prestigious wonders, from its elegant gardens to admired art galleries to the grand central salon and ballrooms. Even the libraries were wonders that captivated students and alumni. The fourth library on the third floor was the biggest in Ouran, nearly three times that of the central salon, it went up two stories, shelves stacked high up to the ceilings, with ladders and spiral staircases scattered precariously about, a librarian help desk that dominated much of the first floor, designer brand carpet contrasting with porcelain tile, computers for research, and the like. Some of the books had been there for over a generation and most had not been touched in just as long. Because knowledge and fantasy were not condoned among the students of Ouran, who were required to concern themselves with matters of consequence, the library often remained relatively empty, the hushed atmosphere only being punctured by the occasional rowdy laughter or conversation.

And so, Kaoru began his hunt, making his way to the back of the library to the study rooms that almost never seemed to be used. Finding one of the doors cracked open, he slipped in almost soundlessly. And as expected, Hikaru sat at the opposite end of the long table, legs propped up on the table and balancing the chair on its hind legs. He was entirely engrossed in his hand-held video game that he didn't look up until Kaoru had almost reached him. He took in Kaoru's dark, long uniform coat with a high collar and matching pants and his eyes darted left and right swiftly. "Uh, did I miss an event for the club or something?" he asked innocently.

Kaoru couldn't help but snort, leaning back against the table as he faced his brother. "Yep. Milord was having us try on the uniforms for the school festival competition for the grand central salon." He shrugged. "And we're also supposed to be helping Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai with making some type of cake stand that Kyoya-senpai wanted to include in host club's event."

His brows furrowed, then cleared, remembering the commotion that had been going on in the host club in the past two days when they received threats and hate mail to drop out of the salon race competition. The school festival was the time for Ouran students to show off their skills in foresight and leadership through their use of money, manpower, and organization of events.

It was less for the students and more for their parents to see their potential as candidates for their respected companies and conglomerates. As such, where a class or club was holding an event was just as important as what the event was, and the best place to hold an event was the grand central salon. Students who took charge of the grand central salon took charge of the entire school festival and were revered as the best and most capable leaders.

Every year, a few brave clubs and classes would put in their names on a list and compete through a series of obstacles. The winners would be granted full access to the central salon. This year, the host club didn't have to throw out their win like the year previous because they had no family business clients within their competition, so Tamaki and Kyoya expected an easy win. Because of this known fact, Tamaki wanted to focus on other aspects more important (but not really) than the competition and death threats, and that was looking absolutely fabulous…

Hikaru looked forlornly at his game, pursing his lips. "Ah, I remember. That idiot-king wouldn't shut up about it the other day." Throwing back his head, he groaned. "The uniforms, I understand, but why do we have to make a stand anyway? We could just hire people to do it for us like everyone else in Ouran is doing."

Kaoru grimaced, equally as exasperated. "Well, ever since Haruhi mentioned that commoner schools make the items used in their school festivals to cultivate a sense of self-sufficiency and teamwork, Milord managed to coerce Kyoya-senpai into agreeing, on his condition that he merely plan things and not actually do any work. But I'm sure Kyoya-senpai only agreed so that he could boss us around," he muttered, looking balefully out the window of the room.

Hikaru managed a half smile. "Yeah, that sounds like Kyoya-senpai alright." His smile faltered, brows cinching together. "…Was… Miyamura-senpai there? It's a cake stand, after all. Meaning, someone has to make the cake."

Within an instant, Kaoru's heart squeezed painfully at the mention of the upperclassman, and he frowned, pushing himself onto the table. "No." He sighed, eyes looking up to the ceiling. "She hasn't been to the host club since the…incident two weeks ago, and honestly, she has no reason to. We haven't had another event because we've been too preoccupied with preparing for the school festival, so we haven't been in need of any catering, desserts, or designs."

Noticing the odd pitch in his twins' tone, Hikaru tilted his head. "You seem rather calm about all this. She was close to you, after all."

The corner of his mouth quirked, and he crossed his arms over his chest. "I've always had a better handle on my emotions than you, and in case you haven't noticed, you're kind of emitting enough anger and self-loathing for the both of us." He laughed at his brother's glare. "I'm surprised that you're taking this so hard, even more than me. I always figured that you didn't really like her since you always treated her so harshly and that it wouldn't be a problem for you if she just walked out of our lives."

"She lied," he seethed, gripping his game console until his knuckles were almost white. "She's no different than any of the other morons that attend this school." Or at least, he hoped that if he said it long enough, it would hold true. But the guilt was eating him alive…because he was the reason for Kaoru's heartbreak. He was the reason Kaoru made that distraught face. And his damn pride wouldn't let him admit that his own actions were wrong, so he had to direct his anger at someone, as irrational as it was…

Kaoru considered this for a moment, eyes examining the tense posture of his older sibling. He uncrossed his arms and leaned back against them on the table. Humming, he added, "Then, tell me, why are you so upset about it if you expected her to not be any different? And…" He gestured to the room. "Why are you coming to the library if you want to avoid Akiko-senpai?"

"I always come to the library when I want to avoid people."

Kaoru shook his head. "Let me correct myself. I meant why did you come to this library, more specifically, a place that you know Akiko-senpai would most likely be? There are three others. In fact, you never come to this one. It's too close to the host club," he reasoned. "Just admit it, Hikaru. You feel guilty."

Hikaru's mouth twisted, as if he was being fed a strange food he didn't find at all appealing. "Hell no. She's the one who dropped that bomb on us."

"And your words weren't exactly the epitome of chivalry either, Hikaru," a voice said off to their left, causing them both to jump a fraction when they spotted Haruhi, hands on her hips, at the door with Haninozuka and Morinozuka trudging closely behind.

Kaoru turned back to Hikaru and gave him a look at said 'I told you so'.

"See? Too close to the host club. Not the ideal place to brood."

Hikaru stood up, shoving Kaoru back without much effort until he was lying flat on the table. "Shut it." Turning to Haruhi, he reigned in his anger. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Tama-chan and Kyo-chan have noticed that you two keep coming late to the club activities ever since your argument with Aki-chan. And you were doing so well before, so Tama-chan asked us to make sure you show up to the host club," Honey-senpai explained, holding Usa-chan tightly to his chest. Determined, he added with an unusual sternness that was not common for the 3rd year, "I think you should stop being so hard on Aki-chan too."

"Honey-senpai is right," Haruhi added. "Do you honestly think Miyamura-senpai, after everything, would just befriend you to use you? You both are far too troublesome for that."

At her comment, Hikaru fidgeted under her gaze. And Kaoru could tell that he was a little more than peeved that they were quick to take Akiko's side. Placating, he decided to step in, "I'm not saying that Hikaru was entirely correct in his accusations, but the fact of the matter is that none of us really know Akiko-senpai, except for Kyoya-senpai. And that isn't exactly comforting. It's easy for us to assume that she was trying to use us."

"Did she ever give you that impression?" Haruhi asked. "In all the time that you, especially, Kaoru, befriended her, did she ever give you a reason to assume that she was using you?"

Kaoru swallowed, remembering coquettish smiles and long, late-night conversations where she simply listened to him complain and never asked to be listened to herself. He remembered the small, flattering notes that were slipped into his seat, the small boxes of his favorite desserts occasionally making an appearance on his desk, and the fond smile that felt like it was just especially reserved for him. Dejected, he bowed his head. "No, she didn't."

"I may not know her very well like Kyo-chan, but I know that she's a good girl," Honey-senpai said with a little wistful, sad smile. "Aki-chan told you that she wanted you both to choose to let her in. You see, Aki-chan has never had a choice before. Everything has always been decided for her – who she talks to, her hobbies, her future. So, it's only natural she would want to give you both a choice too. You both should apologize to her, especially you, Hika-chan. Kay?"

Morinozuka simply nodded sagely, placing a supporting hand on his cousin's shoulder.

Contemplating his upperclassman's words, Hikaru frowned. His argument was starting to seem weaker and weaker, and his resolve was disappearing. "But she's the one who hasn't even tried to talk to us since that day, not even for an apology," he argued.

Honey smiled patiently, a strange mature knowledge shining in those childlike orbs. "But she already apologized for what she did wrong, and she's not the type that's going to chase after you. She's not a swing, Hika-chan. You can't keep pushing her away and expecting her to come back. She hasn't approached you because you haven't given her a chance to. You're avoiding her, so she's going to try to respect your wishes and keep her distance." He shrugged his shoulders, snuggling against Usa-chan. "She's the type of person whose absence is something she isn't afraid to give to those who want it. If either of you doesn't fix things now, she's going to simply step out of your world again."

"Honey-senpai…" Haruhi breathed, rather impressed that the upperclassman had such a keen understanding over others.

Kaoru's heart twisted oddly at his senpai's words. He would be foolish to not admit that over the course of the last few months, making Akiko's acquaintance was the best thing that had happened to him. For once, he had someone outside of Hikaru to talk to about things that he probably didn't have the heart to say to his brother; things like his muddled feelings involving Haruhi, his complaints about this familial spell that Tamaki has placed over them, and his sickening jealousy. Akiko was the best thing he had never planned. And despite all that happened, whatever her reasons were for not telling them, he found that he didn't exactly care. All he wanted was to hear his name spill from those lips, all he wanted was to be told apart.

Given the look of regret that broke through his older twin's mask, maybe Hikaru felt something too.

Just maybe…it was time to expand their world just a little more.

Just maybe…they had the courage to take a step forward.

Hikaru's eyes narrowed, and he shoved his free hand into his pocket. There was something curious about his tone, some softness hidden beneath the façade when he said, "Fine. Just tell me where to find the woman."

.

.

Ootori Kyoya weaved his way through the never-ending streams of construction workers and carpenters, who were receiving instruction for the upcoming school festival, with a cautionary ease. Determined to get passed the headache-inducing noise and clamoring of hammers or other tools, his strides were long and quick, only slowing down once he reached a small branch of an empty hallway leading to the culinary department of Ouran.

He wasn't certain why he was there, or why he even headed Miyuki when he passed her in the hallway earlier by the Black Magic Club, handing a fumbling Nekozawa a bag of skull shaped cookies, and inquired about her half-sister. He had more important things to be doing – like catching the two separate culprits that had been sending letters, some blank and others with threats.

Although, he was fairly confident that he already figured them both out. Tamaki's father was less than discrete and just as idiotic as Tamaki, after all, so it was no surprise that he would send some letters in invisible ink just to mess with his son. And Class 3-B's student council secretary, Mitsuyama Kanan, may have seemed the gentle type, but she was very harsh with her fiancé, Class 3-A's football club president, Kuze Takeshi, and seemed the type to know that the idiot would agree to the grand central salon race merely because of his childhood rivalry with Kyoya. She was never one to like sharing the attention of her fiancé, and Kyoya vaguely recalls a time when he, Kuze, Mitsuyama, and Akiko were children and she was quite wary of Kuze and Akiko's close relationship to the point of self-declaring Kuze as her fiancé. (And the moronic couple had been in love ever since). So, he supposed it wasn't a far-fetched thought to assume she wrote the threats as a way to get the host club to exit the competition so that Kuze could win easily and focus all his attention on her.

Nonetheless, it brought him back to the main question: why was he there, standing in an empty hallway when he could have been spending his free time doing something more profitable? Perhaps it was to merely pander to Akiko and maintain favor with the Miyamura family, perhaps it was at the insistent behest of Tamaki that he check up on her, or perhaps it was because of the dejected expression she wore non-stop for two weeks during class, eyeing the flowers she preserved in her sketchbook with a sadness that he only remembers because he was once the cause for it.

He knew that she was feeling guilty for hiding her knowledge from the twins. It was a needless sense of guilt, in his opinion, and she was justified in her reasoning. But, of course, she knew that too. She was merely the type of person that had a tendency to let her emotions eat away at her until there was nothing but insecurity, complacency, and self-loathing. It was as if she did these things to herself to remind herself of the harsh realities of their world. That no matter how much a person wanted to, they should never get close to others because the other party would always be cautious and wary of their friendship, expecting something profitable out of such a union.

And as much as Kyoya would have liked to make the argument that she was wrong to think in such a way, he couldn't. Because she wasn't. Everything was about profit in their world. Nothing about their relationships with others were pure. Even the members of the host club had something to gain from each other.

Tamaki gained his longing for a family and companionship; Honey-senpai gained his freedom to enjoy cute things and sweets; Mori-senpai gained his desire to see his cousin happy; the twins gained a better outlet for their antics and the skills needed to expand their world; he gained the experience and resources needed to outshine his brothers by congregating with the members of high-class families; Haruhi gained a magnificent education and boundless opportunities provided by Tamaki's family.

They were merely lucky that what they gained was not at all materialistic and that they had become friends and family with a strong, unwavering bond. Never mind that they were some of the most influential people in Ouran. Pureness, genuineness, did not exist within the boundaries of their world.

Not within the host club, and not even with Akiko. Although it was true that she was different than others in Ouran, her motives were not always genuine. She had a role to play as well as the eldest daughter. And he was not blind to see how a companionship with the Hitachiin twins would have benefited her family.

And as much as she hated it, as much as she despised The Game, she knew it too. So maybe that is where her guilt came from; from the undeniable truth that Hikaru was not entirely wrong in his accusations, despite how much she wanted to prove to him otherwise…

Kyoya was pulled from his thoughts by the strong aroma of anise and cinnamon permeating the hallway of the culinary department, followed by the distinguishable sound of someone mumbling to themselves and the clattering of pots and pans. As he reached the end of the hallway and peered into the room, an amused smirk spread across his face at the sight before him.

Midnight black bangs held back by a French braid up the center of her head, a pink apron over her uniform dress which both seemed to be covered in flour, brows knitted in concentration and puffed out rosy cheeks as she kneaded an enormous ball of cookie dough in front of her, all while mumbling obscenities under her breath. She seemed to be in the midst of reprimanding the cookie dough for being so difficult to knead, from the small words that he was able to make out.

She appeared to be doing fairly well, but the number of sweets piled around her was a dead give away of just how stressed she was. After all, he only asked her to make three separate cakes to sample for the cake stand. Yet, here she was, with seven cakes, endless amounts of cookies, and two mounds of sweet rolls.

Soundlessly, he walked into the room, sitting down at the counter that was adjacent to where she was working. Knowing that it would be fruitless to try and get her attention when she was in the middle of baking, he pulled out his laptop and began finishing up his plans for the school festival without another word.

.

.

Akiko wasn't certain of how long she had been baking. School had ended over two hours ago, and she had been milling behind the counter since before it had ended, given that her last class was her home economics elective anyway. With the recent drama that had appeared in her life in the form of two magnificent twins, she had happily agreed to Kyoya's proposal during lunch for a palate for their cake stand that they were going to have present within the grand salon once they won. (She had no doubt that they would win, after all. Kuze was nothing more than a giant oaf whose resentment towards Kyoya would merely cloud his judgment). And so, she found solace in baking, finishing up the cakes with ease.

But perhaps she found a little too much solace in baking because when she awoke from her deep thoughts, she jumped, mildly startled at the number of desserts that now surrounded her being. She even let out a small squeak when she heard movement to her left and promptly whirled around to see Kyoya typing away soundlessly on his laptop. "Kyoya-kun!" Her eyes were wide, clutching a flour coated hand to her chest. "How long have you been here?"

Kyoya looked up from his laptop ponderously, as if he wasn't quite sure of the answer himself. Unable to make a deduction, he formulated his calculations based off of the plethora of desserts. "Since around the time you had enough sweets to feed a small militia."

Given that she now had roughly the sufficient amount to feed a small country, she assumed it had been a while. Muttering under her breath, she shot him a glare as she removed her apron. "You will mention this to no one. I don't need Honey-senpai finding out I can make this amount of sweets in a short amount of time with the correct amount of motivation. His special cake nights are already painful enough."

Kyoya felt the corner of his lips twitch, and he adjusted his glasses. "Whatever do you mean, Akiko-chan? All I see is the hard work of three days of relentless baking. Finish this amount of desserts in just a few hours? Perish the thought," he said calmly.

Despite herself, Akiko laughed, carefully plating one him one of the richer cakes that she had made specifically for him, knowing that he did not care much for sweets. "A thousand times, you have my thanks."

"I was beginning to think you'd never leave the library or the bakery ever again," he supplied, closing his laptop as she reached him. "Although…this isn't exactly the place I thought you'd be once you did leave, it is a small improvement, I suppose."

"I have complete faith in you that you would have led the search party that would have had to dig me out eventually from the limitless, dusty tomes or my grave of sugar cookies." She gave him a lopsided grin, handing him a cup of tea that Miyuki had bought earlier, along with his piece of cake.

"Your faith in me is extraordinary and unwarranted. I see no benefit from coming to aid you," he offered simply, sipping the tea.

"And yet—" she held her arms out wide "—here you are. Admit it, Kyoya-kun. I'm growing on you."

"Like mold on bread."

She rolled her eyes, beginning to pack up the finished sweets in whatever boxes were available. "You can't go a few minutes without saying something absolutely horrible, can you?" She looked over her shoulder to find him feigning innocence with the tilt of his head.

"Lying is bad, Akiko-chan."

She shook her head, her grin spreading fully across her mouth. "Why are you really here?"

He shrugged, taking a tentative bite out of the dessert in front of him. "I thought I'd allow my mere presence to console you."

"Your presence is many things, Kyoya-kun, but consoling isn't one of them," she said flatly, beginning to load the sweets onto nearby trollies.

Hefting himself up gracefully from his seat, he began to aid her in loading up the carts, carefully handing her the packaged boxes without much effort. "Actually, I came with a request that I've been meaning to ask you since lunch, but it slipped my mind with Tamaki's idiotic monologuing about commoner school festivals." Loading the last of the boxes that were able to fit on the trolley, he folded his arms behind his back. "I was wondering if I may be so bold as to ask you to remain close to me for the evening of the school festival."

Her brow hiked up. "Oh? Whatever for? I thought by rule we normally stayed as far apart as possible to avoid any unpleasant interactions with my step-mother and her whimsical notions."

"Normally, yes, but my father will be taking the time to attend, so I'm positive that your step-mother will remain on her best behavior. Besides, you play a vital role in my plans for the evening. And this time around…" His smirk had a mischievous twist to it. "…it should be a little more than interesting."

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Did Kuze-kun challenge you again? Possibly rubbing it in your face that you're the third son to the Ootori family and 'will never be heir to the Ootori family business," she said in false bravado, picking up a nearby orange, narrowing her elfin eyes as tight as possible, and giving her best impression of Kuze Takeshi.

His back straightened so minutely that Akiko almost didn't catch it. Almost. "No," he said a little defensively.

Her brow hiked up even higher. Kyoya frowned under her scrutinizing gaze. "Fine. If it pleases you, yes, he did. Will you agree to my request or not?"

For a moment, she seemed to contemplate his request quite seriously, weighing her options. "Normally, I'd wholeheartedly decline your requests because they never end well for me, but I don't sense any ill intent or humiliation for me to be had, so…" she smiled "…of course. I'd be happy to remain close to you for the evening."

Kyoya resisted the urge to do something entirely uncharacteristic, and instead resigned to pushing up his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose. "Excellent. I'd recommend that you refrain from wearing a uniform, seeing as the host club will not, so I'll have a gown sent to your house this weekend."

An amused laugh escaped her. "Oh, I knew there had to be a catch. Now I don't even get to dictate what I want to wear, and I'm a little skeptical of your abilities to pick out something flattering for me. No offense."

A knowing, familiar smirk edged on his lips. "None taken. I agree entirely." He waved his hand casually. "That is why I left it under the care of Kaoru to pick something suitable for you."

Instantly, her face cleared, the jest losing its shine and giving way to something bordering on befuddled sadness. She scowled, taking in a sharp breath and standing a little straighter, trying to hide that she was not at all hurt by the events that happened two weeks ago. "Then, I'll trust Kaoru-kun's judgment." Kyoya did not miss the way her mouth twisted as if tempted to ask about the younger twin but thinking better of it. "This isn't some kind of a diversion to simply avoid spending the evening participating in our classes event and remain within the host club, is it? Hmmm, Mr. Class Representative?"

"Is our class event really going on at the same time? It had completely slipped my mind."

She pointed her finger at him. "Lying is bad, Kyoya-kun."

Kyoya looked like he wanted to say more, wanted to give her some type of advice that he'd been mulling over in his mind for the last two weeks, but just as he was about to open his mouth to speak, the creak of the door caused both classmates to turn their attention to the new presence in the room, looking as if he was being held hostage and would rather be anywhere else than in the culinary department of Ouran. Kyoya, even with all his extensive knowledge, could not quite pinpoint which twin had arrived in the room at that moment, but Akiko seemed more than knowledgeable. "Hikaru-kun. What are you doing here?"

Hikaru seemed to freeze up when she said his name, looking quite uncomfortable with being picked apart so easily by merely walking into the room. His tone was tight, a hint of anger present behind underlying regret. "So, it wasn't a fluke. You can really tell the two of us apart."

She huffed out a chuckle. "Well, Ayame-chan was right to an extent. You do have a permanent scowl on your face," she muttered.

"What?"

She flicked a negligent wrist. "Oh, nothing. Did you need something?"

He swallowed, eyes flickering to Kyoya for a moment and back to her, face pinched together. "I was hoping to talk to you…alone."

Exchanging a brief glance between the two and deciding to walk back to the table to gather his things, Kyoya inclined his head. "I'll leave you two to it. And Hikaru, you only have a few minutes before you have to rejoin the others to finish the stand," he reminded, bidding Akiko goodbye and leaving the two in a stifling, uncomfortable silence.

He shuffled uneasily on his tiptoes, glancing at every detail and inch of the room except for the young woman in front of him, staring at him with large, knowledgeable eyes that could see straight through him. Their last conversation, two weeks ago, had ended with hurtful truths and muddled accusations tossed in both directions like bombs or bullets – neither of them was entirely innocent. But she admitted to her wrongs, she apologized, and despite being wounded, she wanted to fix things.

If he could only suck up his pride too, then things wouldn't have to stay broken. After all, somewhere in the world, there is a woman who plants flowers in the shells of teargas grenades or a man who crafts crystalized jewelry out of the casings of bullets used in war. Despite using his weaponry, it wasn't too late to mend this, to make something new, to build again. But unlike Kaoru, words were not his strong point, so he could think of no better way to start than to ask in an almost uncertain way, "Um, do you need some help with those?" He pointed to the trollies that were now fully stocked.

Knowing that was as close to an apology as she was going to get out of the twin, the corners of her mouth curved slightly, and she gave a grateful nod. "That would very kind of you. We can only move these two for now. Miyuki will most likely come back for the rest to give to the Black Magic Club."

He watched her with interest as she moved, pushing one trolley a heck of a lot easier than him, and they began their walk down the hallway and to the elevator that would take them up to the third floor. "So, Miyamura-san and Nekozawa-senpai, huh?" He caught her grinning at him from the corner of his eye as he watched the numbers on the elevator count up.

"Not quite. I think Nekozawa-senpai is still trying to wrap his head around the whole concept of a woman having a crush on him. But given Miyuki's uncanny resemblance to his younger sister, and how he does have a bit of a sister complex, I think it might go smoothly in the future." She gave him a look at that was partly haughty as the elevator came to a stop. "But I know that you didn't come all this way to concern yourself over my sister's love life."

He puffed out his cheeks, his agitation at her ability to read him growing, and forced himself to watch her as they reached the host club and emptied out the trollies leisurely. "I…" he struggled for the right words before blurting out, "I was kind of being a jerk the other day, calling you out like that." He rocked back on his heels and rubbed the back of his neck, not knowing quite exactly what to do with his hands as Akiko gazed at him expectantly.

"I wasn't mad that you could tell us apart and didn't say anything. I thought that maybe…maybe you had some ulterior motive for not telling us. Maybe you were just trying to use us." He shoved his hands into his pockets, relieved that the words were finally out. "It wouldn't have been the first time someone has tried to use us…"

She didn't seem at all offended by his honest admission and instead regarded him calmly, taking time to formulate her response. "You weren't entirely off on the mark," she told him honestly, causing a defensive twitch in his demeanor. Before he could snap again, she lifted her hand to stop him. "If my step-mother had any say so in our friendship, then yes, your accusations would have held true, and I would have used our friendship to my advantage in any way that I could. After all, that was her intention for me back in Karuizawa."

She glared at the sweets piled on a nearby table, a small fire edging into her voice, "But my step-mother doesn't have a say so in who I choose to befriend, and since it appears that our fathers seem to have some mild, disreputable past due to some odd circumstances revolving my biological mother, I think it's safe to assume there is no benefit for a friendship between us where my parents are now concerned. Since my father has, by some suspicious nature, rejected all attempts in entering into some business relations with your father. As a result, my step-mother's relations with your mother have suffered as well."

Hikaru blinked slowly, processing the information that was said to him. "Huh, I didn't even know all that was going on between our parents." This earned him a poke to the side and he winced.

"I know that you don't have the pleasure of being pressured into taking over either of your parents' businesses, but you could at least pretend to have some interest in their affairs," she scolded, pushing the empty trollies to a corner of the room. "It might save you from making harsh accusations when you take the time to know the entire story."

He cringed, shrugging into himself. Okay, maybe he deserved that. Scratching his cheek nervously, he mumbled under his breath, "I wasn't a very good person to you these last few months, was I?"

She tapped her chin for a moment, considering his harsh behavior towards her since she became acquaintances with Kaoru. "No, you weren't," she said slowly. "But you had a good reason to treat me with such hostility, I suppose. After all, I was keeping something from you. And…" she added with a gentle smile "…You still have plenty of time to make up for it."

He felt something light inside him at her smile, a small smoldering warmth of something in his chest. Some part of him that felt moved by the sincerity of it all. He had honestly expected to come back into the room and have another argument with her, more accusations shot back and forth. But here she was, willing to lay all her cards out on the table for him and tell him the truth, explain to him that they were both wrong in some way or another. He wanted to tell her he was sorry, but his damn pride was still too strong. His tongue would play twister in his mouth every time he tried to utter the syllables needed.

So, he didn't say anything.

He just stood there, simply listening as she continued on. "You know, I vaguely recall Suoh-san talking about you two back in middle school, about how he wanted you both for the host club and about how you two kept rejecting his advances, even going so far as to blackmail him with his heritage." She gave him a pointed look, though without malice.

"But he was adamant. And it wasn't because you two were part of the Hitachiin family. According to Suoh-san, you both were like two sides of a coin, each with your own unique meanings, but together holding a different kind of value – something special that no one could do anything about, except simply marvel over. I guess, in a sense, I understand his meaning. Your relationship is so special, almost untouchable. You'd do anything to ensure that Kaoru-kun doesn't get hurt, wouldn't you?" she asked with the innocent tilt of her head.

Hikaru's jaw, that was slightly agape, tightened manically shut, determination etching on his features. He wasn't certain about many things, but he was about one. "Of course."

"Well, so would I," she said firmly, honesty heated in her hawk-like gaze. "For either of you. At least, trust me when I say that. I don't choose to befriend many people in Ouran, so at least have a little faith in me once I genuinely decide to."

Her comment was so out of character for anyone aside from Tamaki, so far from what he knew to be true of anyone in Ouran, that he just stared at her open-mouthed. His brain formulated no thoughts other than to register that he was in a state of shock. The cogs in his brain couldn't turn fast enough to take in the information from her wide blue eyes. Every muscle in his body just froze except for the unusual grim curve set on his lips. He closed his mouth, then looked at his toes before glancing back up to catch her eye. "I'll try to hold you to that," was all he could say, was all he could think to respond.

Because somewhere inside him, he was willing to give this a chance, this 'trusting' thing that his brother seemed to have down a whole lot easier than him.

It wouldn't be easy, and he'd probably suck at it. But he was definitely willing to try. After all, Haruhi and she were what they had been waiting for this entire time. Two people to expand their world, two people with such a blunt understanding of others to scold them when they let things get too far, when they started casting people away, when they turned inward to solitude out of habit. And if Hikaru wasn't willing to lose Haruhi, it was only fair that he extend the same chance for Akiko. In some way, Kaoru had let her in a long time ago, but he'd easily let that go if Hikaru didn't want to let her in. Somehow, when he thought back to the face Kaoru made—the face he said he'd never let him make again—he knew shutting her out wasn't an option anymore.

He could only move forward from here – no matter how scary it seemed to be.

When his eyes found hers again, her face was mobile in the way deeply happy and content people are, simply lacking the tension and anxiety he felt by the significance of this moment. Her eyes had a softness to them, something welcoming in those pools of blue. Hikaru somehow felt a little more lost, a little more uncomfortable, each time she gave him that look.

Coughing into his fist, he pulled out a letter from his pocket and shoved it into her chest. "Kaoru told me to give this to you." He tried to pitch his tone with some type of normalcy but given the look she gave him, he figured he failed terribly.

As her hands wrapped around the letter carefully, holding it as if it could shatter in her grasp, Hikaru noticed that her eyes grew fond, and he suddenly felt like he was watching something he shouldn't have been seeing. So, he turned away. "Hmm, was he also the one who told you to apologize?"

At this, his shoulders tensed defensively. "Don't be stupid," he spat, though harmlessly. "I am capable of knowing when I'm wrong, okay?"

She laughed heartily, unraveling the note. "I take that as a 'yes." Once her eyes scrolled over the note, she held a hand to her lips and muttered, "Oh, dear."

"What?" Worried about the contents in which his brother wrote, Hikaru quickly swiped the letter out of her grasp, surprising a sharp laugh from him as he read the note. "Well…crap. I forgot about that, and now I'm kind of glad that I came."

There on the college ruled paper, written in a hurried, square hand:

"I'm being forced into doing manual labor. Send help.

-Kaoru"

Akiko joined in his laughter, ushering him toward the exit with a gentle hand on his back. "Let's go save your brother before his fragile body gives out."

"You know, we're just going to get dragged into it as well, right?"

Akiko shot him a glare, playfully. "I thought you were willing to do anything to keep your brother from getting hurt?"

Hikaru shrugged nonchalantly. "Eh, I have limits. This is one of those."

Akiko then turned back to the table with all the boxes of sweets and plucked out a small box from underneath, looking at him with a challenging gleam in her eye. She feigned a hurt sigh. "Well, isn't that unfortunate? And after all that hard work that Kyoya made me endure to make these cherry thumbprint cookies from the recipe he forwarded me from Misuzu to reward you all for making the stand."

His eyes lit up ever so slightly. Swiping the box from her hands as she reached him. He pursed his lips, trying to fight back a smile. "Well, what do you know? I suddenly have the burning desire to build a cake stand."

"I'm so glad that you're not at all selfish, Hikaru-kun."

.

.

As expected, they got dragged into it.

At least, mostly Hikaru did. He was pulled off somewhere to the side of the courtyard with Haruhi and Tamaki and was receiving instruction from the stoic Morinozuka about the mechanics of building the stand. And by 'receiving instruction', meaning it was mostly silent instruction with a lot of hand gestures and clipped words and Hikaru and the others needing to fill in the blanks, but surprisingly, they all found it rather interesting and soon forgot about the girl that had accompanied the twin to the courtyard.

Akiko felt a bit out of place. Although she frequented the host club, it was merely as a client and not at all something that she usually stayed long after. She was rather unusual in her relationships with others, detached even, but not to the extent of being unkind. She simply enjoyed observing others rather than conversing and was content to keep to herself on most occasions.

As a result, she was not particularly close to classmates like Tamaki, though he was more than sincere with her. She just couldn't keep up with all his raw energy and found him to be a little exhausting. She mostly never interacted with Morinozuka, other than to grow a little shy and flustered in his bold presence. She tried her hardest to avoid all interaction with Haninozuka-senpai, lest she wished to have her ear talked off. And she also didn't like that she could never get a grasp on his character. He smiled often, though it hardly ever reached his eyes, and it was as if all his words had double meanings. Somehow getting the same vibe that she normally got with Kyoya around him, she mostly attempted to keep her distance. All in all, the only people she was remotely close to were Kyoya, Haruhi, and the twins…

Not quite sure what to do with herself, she was about to make her way over to the dark-haired host sitting under the shade of a tree, apparently looking into some type of blueprints of the school and jotting down notes, but as she made her way over, he looked up from his paper with a look that made her stop. It was sharp, with a hidden meaning behind it – warning even. And then his eyes fluttered over to the other twin that was currently studying a blank banner, paints scattered all around him, with a carefree Haninozuka-senpai using washable paint on Usa-chan.

Sighing, she seemed to get the gist of Kyoya's silent comment and cautiously made her way over to the twin, box of cookies in hand and all. Of the two, Honey was the first to notice her presence, eyes lighting up curiously at the box in her grasp, and Akiko somehow felt that she was now in grave danger. He bounded over quickly, with a little hop in his stepped that caused Usa-chan's now purple painted ears to flop about wildly. "Are those the desserts Kyo-chan requested?" he asked innocently, flowers sparkling around his being.

She looked down at the box and then back to him. Unconsciously, her grip may have tightened a bit. "Ah, yes. They're Misuzu's cherry thumbprint cookie recipe that—" before she could even finish her sentence and, with a speed she should have expected from the former captain of the Karate Club, the desserts went missing from her grasp and were currently now trampling off towards a black-haired host sitting under the shade of a tree. "And there goes that batch," she grumbled. "I mean, there's more in the host club, but I'm not sure I should risk saying that aloud near Honey-senpai's presence."

A quiet laugh reached her ears, causing her to look down at the twin. When their eyes met, he smiled so genuinely sweet with just the right touch of shyness that it was enough to make her grow weak at the knees. "Smart move." He returned his attention to the banner, mixing a few paints and leaving them in a semi-comfortable silence.

She tucked her dress under her knees and crouched beside him. She considered bringing up the subject of the previous incident from that afternoon two weeks ago, to try to explain why she did what she did. But her confidence waned when Kaoru appeared to not have an interest in her reasoning and had long moved past the subject. Deciding to let the subject drop, she picked up some of the mixed bases and eyed the blank banner inquisitively.

The project seemed simple enough, and the paints and other materials invested into the stand appeared to be of high quality. But from Kaoru's hesitance, it seemed to be a silent admission that perhaps painting, more specifically calligraphy, wasn't his specialty. Or it could have just been because he'd never had to do some type of labor before that he began to doubt his skills. Akiko began to sense a common trend among the host club, judging from they way Hikaru held the hammer at an odd angle at the opposite end of the courtyard.

Akiko was not at a total loss when it came to building things, for she figured it ran in her blood with her father being a biomedical engineer. So, if needed, she would possibly be able to offer some guidance and skill on the project at hand. For moments like these, when she glanced over at Kaoru, only to see that the twin had now discarded the paints and held a large staple gun a little too close to his fingers for her liking. "Hey!" she protested, scrambling to his side and taking the staple gun out of his grasp carefully. "If you're not sure how to do something, just ask for help. Unless you're trying to lose a few fingers in the process?" She choked back a snort at his startled expression.

Kaoru flushed sheepishly but didn't pull his hand away when Akiko gave the staple gun back to him, guiding her soft fingers along his grip and molding his hands around the staple gun into a position, that, in hindsight, appeared a lot safer. "I'm not used to doing these kinds of things," he admitted, apprehensively stapling the banner to the wooden pole that would hold up the sign.

"Oh, I never would have guessed," she teased, earning a glare. "I'm entirely serious! I figured you'd have a better handle on sharp objects when helping your mother design and craft outfits for the club's events."

"Well, next time I have to use a staple gun on a dress, I'll let you know," he mumbled, returning to his own work and pointedly ignoring the woman who currently had a hand over her mouth.

As it grew quiet again, with only the sounds of the staple gun banging the banner into the pole, he peeked at the woman from under his bangs, watching intently as she grabbed a spare staple gun and secured the other side of the banner with ease and then took the time to mix a few bright blues and pinks. "You seem to be made for this kind of thing," he said suddenly.

She didn't bother looking up from her work and instead shuffled through the brushes in a small box at her side. "My father used to take a lot of pleasure in building things, aside from things at work. Before my younger brother was born, I was the one unfortunate enough to be forced to aid him in his projects." With a small 'ah, ha!' she gathered the right brush. "We built many things: a birdhouse, a ridiculous excuse for a treehouse, even a small catapult."

With his duty finished, Kaoru scooted closer, watching her brushstrokes move skillfully across the banner. In all the months that he had made her acquaintance, this was his first time hearing her talk about her childhood. "Now that sounds cool. For some reason, I don't take you as the kind of person to want to make something so…devious."

"Oh, trust me. I wasn't the type." She held out her hand for Kaoru to hand her more of her blue mixture. "It was all my father's marvelous idea. But funnily enough, I was the one who got in trouble for it. Reina scolded me for hours on the 'proper etiquette of the eldest."

"Here," he said, passing the extra paint. "Still, I think that's cool. You can build things, have an incredible knack for art, and can cook. That's more than me already. The maids banned me from the kitchen for…well, a variety of reasons…but also because things had a tendency to just…explode." He laughed at her sharp look. "But really. I think that's amazing, senpai. At most, I can pull some pretty good pranks, kill at video games, and make Tono's life miserable, but I don't really think that takes much talent. He kind of makes his life miserable all on his own if you leave him alone long enough."

Akiko blinked a few times, her lips quivering in a desperate attempt not to chuckle. "I believe I vaguely recall you getting your arse handed to you by Hikaru-kun back at the cottage when you were playing the video game adaption of the World of Fantasy," she pointed out.

Kaoru put a hand to his chest, acting affronted. "I'll have you know that Hikaru's temper has a tendency to make him a terrible gamer—" He held up a finger "—and, for your information, World of Fantasy doesn't work that way! It emphasizes teamwork and strategy, so no, I wasn't getting my ass handed to me."

Akiko grinned playfully, knowing that she had absolutely no knowledge of how the game worked, but that she enjoyed how easily ruffled the twin could get when someone poked at his favorite subjects. She continued to ramble, grin growing wider at every twitch he made. "I bet Hikaru-kun is ten times stronger than you, and collects more legendary weapons than you, and steals all your experience points. I bet you're a seductive rouge that shoots propelling pieces of string and wood." She added, grin becoming smug. "I bet you're so bad that I can even beat you."

It took a moment for Kaoru to realized she was talking about bows and arrows, then he sputtered, arms flailing at little. "What?" his voice cracked slightly. "I mean that isn't— You couldn't—That's not how any of this works! You work as a team, you can't steal experience points, and they're called bows and arrows! Who even calls them that?" He threw his hands up in frustration, cheeks growing hot as Akiko bellowed loudly, arms wrapped around her stomach.

Huffing his bangs out of his face, he pushed her back playfully, causing her to topple over from her perch on her knees and into the soft grass. As she lost her balance, she shot an arm out and pulled the twin down with her, her laughter simmering down to soft chuckles. Kaoru joined her on the grass with much less grace, slapping a palm to his face. "I'm sorry, Kaoru-kun," Akiko struggled out through her fits of giggles. "You're just so easy to bait."

Rubbing his nose, Kaoru stopped at the sudden use of his name. It just seemed to dawn on him at that moment that Akiko had been telling the two of them apart since she first approached him. It all seemed so natural that he hadn't even noticed. Akiko must have sensed the change in his demeanor because her mirth ended, and she propped herself up on one elbow. "Are you alright?"

"You…You said my name."

"That I did," Akiko said unsurely, staring down at the boy at her side. "I've been saying your name for quite some time now these last few months."

"No. I mean, this is the first time you've said my name without me addressing you first." He put his hands to his cheeks, suddenly wondering if he was so hot because of the afternoon heat or something else. "I'm not used to it."

At his remark, she grimaced, plopping back onto the grass. "I'm sorry," was all she could think to say.

"You already apologized. You don't need to do it again. I get why you did it. We both do." He twisted his body, moving closer to Akiko until their shoulders were touching as if he was trying to see the sky through her perspective, trying to get a glimpse at just how she viewed the world. He didn't miss the way Akiko suddenly tensed at the contact. Then, to his satisfaction, she slowly relaxed and didn't bother moving away.

They laid there in silence for what felt like hours, shoulder against shoulder, breaths almost in sync. And Kaoru began to wonder how he could possibly feel this close to a woman who was definitely not his twin. It urged him to ask, "Do you think we could go back to being friends?"

Akiko blinked, turning to face him. "I wasn't aware that we had stopped," she answered, but there was a strange half smile at the corner of her mouth. As if suddenly aware that they were in the presence of the host club and still on school grounds, she sat up and hugged her knees to her chest. "Besides, we still have an operation to complete together, don't we?"

Propping himself up on his elbows, Kaoru beamed all pearly whites. "For Our Lips and Naughty Bits?"

Akiko cringed. "You really need to stop referring to it as that if you desire for this friendship to continue," she said flatly. At Kaoru's large, infectious grin, she rolled her eyes, standing up and throwing her arms up in exasperation. "Oh, very well then! For Our Lips and Naughty Bits."

"I knew you'd soften up to the idea."

Pursing her lips together, she pushed him back into the grass offhandedly as she walked away, "Goodness, you're insufferable."

A/N: This was a long, hard chapter to write! Oh my goodness!

I didn't want to split it again because everything in here was so momentous towards the plot, so I apologize for the inconsistency that will now take place in my chapter lengths. I can't guarantee future chapters will be this length, but only time will tell.

Nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed!