Hey everyone~

Ahh finally chapter thirteen :)

This chapter's a little (or a lot) on the short side. I actually have no idea where I'm going with this story, so bear with me. I'll make it worth it ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC or any of its beautiful characters

Hikaru walked into Melody's studio as if he owned the place. Focusing intently on her computer screen, Melody made a point to ignore him - which wasn't easy, seeing as he was hunkering over her, glowering and angry.

"Hey Mel. Shame you missed the reunion. Tamaki was really looking forward to it."

Melody grated her teeth at the false sweetness of his voice. There was nothing nice about his greeting, apart from the actual words.

"I'm busy, Hikaru. What do you want?"

"We need to talk."

Still not looking up from her computer where she was diligently scanning over spreadsheets, she said, "Fine. Talk."

"What kind of game are you playing with my brother?"

Hitachiin men and their games.

Suppressing the urge to wipe the arrogant sneer off his face, she shot back, "You want me to draw you some dirty pictures?"

Hikaru's lips pressed into a tight line. Lips that looked so much like his brothers'. Of course, she saw the surface similarities between Hikaru and Kaoru, but that's all they were. Surface stuff.

She wasn't in love with Hikaru. She never would be. But she loved Kaoru with ever fibre of her being.

She watched Hikaru step back from her desk, slowly loping over to the window to look down at the crowded city streets below. "You know, I've always thought you were a bit crazy."

He wasn't trying to be mean, and the truth was she didn't take offense. It was just the way she and Hikaru talked to each other.

"I know. And you know I've always thought you were a bit of an asshole."

Finally, a hint of the infamous Hitachiin smirk.

"But here's the thing. I never thought you were stupid, Melody. You're one of the smartest people I've ever met, right up there with Kyoya. Both you and my brother have these big, humongous brains."

Her heart skipped a beat at the mere mention of his name.

"So then, why the hell are you acting so stupid now?"

It killed her not to combat his words with worse words of her own. She wanted to kick and scream and cry, but really, what was the point? Nothing Hikaru said was going to change the truth of the matter.

Kaoru didn't want to love her. And she couldn't do a damn thing to change that.

Except for foolishly hoping that maybe, at some point in the future, he'd look at her and see everything he wasn't seeing now. Because didn't he see that loving her despite himself wasn't enough?

"I've got a lot of work to catch up on," she said in lieu of "get the hell out."

But Hikaru didn't pick it up. Or maybe he did, but he didn't give a single whoop about what she wanted him to do.

"We all know you're in love with him."

She met Kaoru's twin's gaze with clear, direct eyes.

"I am. So ridiculously, pathetically in love with your brother that I can hardly believe it." Melody reveled in the shocked expression on Hikaru's face. "And trust me, he knows it."

After all, she'd only told him a hundred and one times.

Clearly caught off guard by her straightforward admission, Hikaru stopped, stared, then ungracefully flopped down on the sofa. "So then why won't you take him back?"

It was easiest to say, "Because I'm a horrible person."

"You're not a horrible person."

"But it would be easier if you thought that was the reason."

Not just for him, but for her too.

"You're right," Hikaru agreed, "It probably would be. But I'd rater hear the real reason."

She thought about it for a second. "I really don't want to have to say the words out loud to you, Hikaru."

He nodded and she thought that maybe, just maybe, he was going to go now and she owl be left alone to wallow in her misery.

Instead, he said, "All my life, until Haruhi came along, Kaoru was the most important person to me. He was the only one who really knew me. Who could look into my mind and see right through it. But the thing is, I don't think I've ever been able to see all the way through his. I've seen him work himself into the ground. I've seen him date women who are so cold you wouldn't want to touch them with your tongue because it would get stuck. But I've never seen him like this, Mel. Help me help him."

Those were the most words she'd ever heard strung together out of his mouth. Ever. Now it was her turn to be stunned.

"What makes you think I can help him?"

"I can't believe I'm about to say this," he said, looking slightly disgusted, "but on he way over here, I started to see things differently. Different enough that I actually think you're perfect for him. You're not one of those frigid icicles he's always been with. He knew he couldn't fall in love with any of them. But you… well he clearly didn't know what to do about you. Which is why I'm thinking that you might be the only person on the planet who can get through to him. The only person who can actually reach him." She shook his head. "I need to get my head examined after this."

"Good idea," she said, working like hell to fight back the rush of moisture that was bilding behind her eyes at the unexpected words.

But his eyes saw too much.

Damn all the Hitachiin men.

"You haven't told me yet why you wan't take him back. Especially when I can see how badly you want to."

She couldn't sit behind her computer anymore. He legs were itching to move, to run - and keep running. Away from everything that was hurting. But even as she jumped up out of her chair, she realized not only did she have nowhere to go, but that even if she tried, she'd never be able to hide out, she'd never be able to steal away from her feelings.

"I just can't."

"Have you heard a word that I've said?"

"And then some," she muttered. "Look, it doesn't matter what you think or what Haruhi thinks, or even what I think."

She shook her head, hated the way she felt, like she was going to break apart, literally shatter from the inside out.

"It just doesn't matter."

"It does, Mel." He paused. "He told you he loves you. In front of all of us."

Her nostrils flared. She swallowed. Fought for whatever last shred of composure she retained.

"That was really big of him to do it like that. The grand gesture. You must have been really impressed."

"Forget being impressed, Melody. The point is that he did it. He said it. He feels it. So why the hell are we sitting here having this discussion? Why are you sitting here arguing with me instead of making his life a living hell?"

No.

This was where she had to draw the line. She wouldn't sit here and explain how it had felt to hear Kaoru say "I love you" while everything else about him said he'd failed. While every piece of him clearly screamed that he couldn't believe he'd actually gone and fallen for the notorious, the slutty, the wild-child Melody Stevens.

"I want to be with -" She cut herself off and started over. "I need to be with someone who actually wants to love me." She felt the edges of her mouth start to wobble and sat back down behind her desk, putting her fingers on her keyboard in a desperate attempt to steady herself.

"Not just someone who can't help himself."

SakeraDreamerz: aha he tried. Thanks for reviewing!

BrokenSouloftheDarkness: aww I'm sorry. It's coming though!

Alice-Ann: of course it'd be too easy ;) but it's coming soon! Maybe not for another few chapters though. Thanks for reviewing!

Izzyboopers: d'aww shucks. Thanks for reviewing!

And that's chapter thirteen!

Thanks to all of you for bearing with me for so long!

Please please please leave a review! I actually can't describe how much they brighten my day~