A/N: I know you guys were waiting anxiously for this, so here it is. I'm not sure how I feel about this because I sort of rushed to get it done before I'm occupied with a trip for the next few days (in which I am not going strictly for fun), but I hope you like it even though it is mostly just development. Also, this is in Kaoru's POV and idk how I did with it because I haven't written from his POV very often, so feedback is greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer (rewritten): My wonderful friend Maria Penner gave me some advice so I rewrote the disclaimer here for your benefit. A certain word is used in this chapter that I consider very offensive (just the thought of writing it made me feel awful) but I included it because writing it the way I did created a bigger impact/affect in the writing itself. It is not at all meant to offend anyone but this is just so you know about it.

Chapter 25: Something

"Hikaru, I'm okay now. I don't need help getting dressed."

The older Hitachiin looked uncertainly at his brother. "Okay… If you're sure."

"Yes, I'm sure," Kaoru affirmed, smiling slightly at the brotherly, worried look on Hikaru's face. "You should dress yourself anyway, dummy, or we'll be late for school."

Normally, Hikaru would have rolled his eyes or at least smiled… But, instead, he flinched, his face falling and his eyes going dark as his thoughts went off to some corner far away.

"Right. School." And then he went off to the closet to get his uniform.

Kaoru watched for a moment, gold eyes solemn as they stayed trained on his brother's sluggish movements. He knew there was something bothering his twin, something he was in the dark about, but he could pretty much figure it out for himself. He was sure that it could be traced back to one thing: Blaise.

From what he had learned the night Hikaru got home and the day after, the school's Halloween celebrations hadn't been the smoothest. Some jerks attacked Blaise and a huge fight broke out. Later that night, when Hikaru came home, Kaoru had immediately noticed the bruises forming on his face and the stiff way he carried himself. At first, the older twin didn't want to talk about it and seemed angry and frustrated about something—there was even a far off look in his eye, like he was lost. Then, after a shower and some continuous coaxing, Hikaru finally cracked.

It was an understatement to say that Kaoru was angry. No, he was pissed. Who the hell had the nerve to attack Blaise and during a school-sanctioned event and why?! She of all people didn't deserve something like that. She hadn't done anything to anyone to justify that kind of treatment. The fact that it involved a guy attending to his conceited ego made it worse.

But watching Hikaru stumbling around like a zombie, Kaoru took a breath. He knew there was no way he could by any more upset than his brother was. It was clear to anyone even remotely paying attention that Hikaru was closer to Blaise than Kaoru was. Than anyone, really. Besides, it's not like Kaoru was actually there to witness what had happened. Hikaru definitely had a right to be more invested in the situation.

And it was evident that he was as they went through their morning per usual. Hikaru was quieter than normal, more subdued. He barely talked at all while getting dressed, eating breakfast, or even on the ride to school. Yuzuha and Kousuke noticed too as they glimpsed their children getting ready for the day. Neither of them were strangers to what had happened—the school had called the day after the incident—and gave Kaoru pointed, worried looks. But he could only sigh and shrug. He was pretty much useless until he could figure out the whole story. And it looked like that was going to take a while.

Arriving at school was just as disconcerting. When the twins exited their limo and headed into the school, they were met with the girls in the courtyard.

"Hello," Kaoru greeted, trying to be cheerful so he could compensate for his apathetic, older brother who was lagging behind him, bag slung over his shoulder as he stared at nothing.

"Hey, guys," Haruhi returned with a smile. "Glad you're back, Kaoru."

"Yeah, me too. I was going crazy being locked up in that house all the time. I needed this."

As he finished speaking, he noticed Haruhi's doe eyes flit behind him to stare at his brother. Then she turned her attention back to him and sent a questioning look. He only had to shake his head as a warning to signal that she drop it.

"Thanks for the notes you took for me, by the way. They helped a lot."

"No problem. I would have hated it if I was sick for that long and then had to make up all that schoolwork."

"I would have too," Blaise added softly. She caught Kaoru's attention and smiled, looking like she was hiding by the way she stood there clutching her shoulder strap with both hands. "We're glad you're feeling better."

Then Kaoru felt a presence beside him and heard footsteps against the pavement. Hikaru had finally stepped forward and joined their little social circle, but he didn't say anything. Then he looked up, golden eyes immediately locking on vibrant emerald ones. For a fractured second, the two stared at one another, each seemingly stunned at the eye contact.

Blaise looked away first, dropping her gaze like a brick and leaving it there. Hikaru stared at her a while longer, eyes taking on a sliver of emotion, searching for something. But something else held him back, something inside him that was unyielding, unforgivable, and he glanced away again, bitter and defeated.

Having witnessed this exchange, Kaoru and Haruhi exchanged concerned, questioning looks. But they didn't say anything, and instead subtly prompted the group inside.

Inside the classroom wasn't any better. The four of them sat down, each at their own desk, and left the atmosphere silent and tense. Kaoru's eyes kept flitting between his brother and their bespectacled friend, trying to figure out what was wrong and why they weren't bantering with each other like usual. He stopped when he heard a chair scrape back. Haruhi stood and walked by his desk. She paused purposefully in front of him, glancing at him with a pointed look. Understanding each other, they nodded, and Haruhi went to sit in front of Blaise, leaving Kaoru with his disgruntled twin.

"Hikaru."

"Hmm?" said ginger answered, carefully staring down at a page in his notebook that was now serving as a doodle pad. His mechanical pencil simply traced continuous lines across the white surface, creating an extensive maze that would most likely never be solved.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Don't play it off," the younger insisted, though he made it sound more like a statement. "I could tell something's been bothering you since Friday night. You can't hide anything from me."

"Nothing's wrong. I'm fine."

"Hikaru…"

"I'm just tired. It's Monday," he answered, voice neutral yet dissonant. He didn't even bother to look up from his drawing. "Give me until third period, then I should be fine."

"…Right." Kaoru's chair squeaked softly as he leaned back, staring at the front of the room.

Silence easily swept over them.

"Class, please stand," the teacher said a few minutes later after the clock tower had rung and he had entered the room. Chairs scraped as the students stood, gave a unified greeting, then sat down again.

"Pull out your weekend assignments to hand in. Hitachiin, De Luca," he added, looking to the back of the room. "You two are wanted in the front office… Uh, Hikaru Hitachiin. Welcome back, Kaoru."

There was a beat of silence as everyone looked to the aforementioned students. The two wanted in the office, meanwhile, sat still, staring at the front of the classroom looking equally surprised.

"What's that about?" Kaoru whispered.

"Not sure." Hikaru had returned to what had now become his default: neutrality. But his expression cracked briefly when Blaise walked behind him without stopping and was out the door. The flash of hurt faded when he glanced at his brother and stood up. "I guess I'll let you know."

The class went on after they had gone, everyone taking notes on lecture and Haruhi and Kaoru periodically glancing at each other before moving on like nothing happened.

When the two of them came back, it was separately. Blaise arrived first, going straight to her desk and sitting down with her head bent to her notes. Hikaru walked in minutes later, glancing at her for a millisecond before sitting down next to his brother.

"It was about Friday night," he informed, eyes set forward to where the teacher was writing on the board.

"What did they want?"

"They asked us to give statements on what happened. It was like being called in to a police precinct or something." Hikaru didn't bother taking notes and instead crossed his arms, subtly glaring at the front of the classroom. "Apparently the assholes who attacked Blaise tried to spin it and say they were the victims, so the chairman wanted to get as many eyewitness accounts as possible. Chika and Naomi were there too."

"Wow. That's so petty."

"Definitely petty. They said that Blaise started the fight when she punched a guy in the face and broke his jaw." A small glint appeared in Hikaru's eyes and a smirk pulled at his face in obvious pride. "Of course, she did, but it wasn't to start a fight. They were just angry that their victim left more marks on them than they thought she could."

"Hmm. Well good for her," Kaoru commented lightly as he casually took notes. "It was a pretty good idea to make her learn self-defense, huh?"

Hikaru's expression reverted back to his suddenly common stoicism. "Yeah. It was."

Things continued that way for the next several days. The interactions between Blaise and Hikaru remained sparse and tense at best. They rarely spoke to each other if at all. It was almost like they didn't notice each other, like they were invisible. They acted around one other, making it look like they just happened to avoid each other. It was disconcerting for all the hosts, not just Kaoru, and when it went on the whole week without letting up, he got worried.

"They can't keep doing this," he hissed to Haruhi Thursday afternoon. Classes were just about to end for the day and they would soon head to Music Room three. "This isn't healthy for them. They've gotten too close to suddenly stop talking to each other like this. It's like shoving themselves into boxes and duct taping them shut."

"Not that I don't agree with you," Haruhi muttered, glancing at the two in question as they sat silently at their desks. "But this seems like it stems from a problem between the two of them. Best friends fight, and sometimes that's something only best friends can resolve. And anyway, we don't even know what's wrong."

"Well they need to resolve it soon. They're best friends for a reason, and if they just quit like this…" Kaoru wasn't sure he wanted to think too hard on the consequences. Neither of those two were close to a lot of people, and they were closest with each other. Cutting themselves off from others, and most importantly each other, could be disastrous.

Haruhi didn't say anything, she was probably thinking similar thoughts as they sat there. Then the clock tower tolled, and classes ended for the day.

"You guys go ahead to the clubroom," Blaise said, standing next to Kaoru's desk. "I need to check a book out from the library."

"I'll go with you," Haruhi volunteered. "I need to return something." She stood and gathered her things. "We'll see you guys in the clubroom."

Kaoru didn't have to see Haruhi's expression to know her intentions. "Okay. See you." Then he turned to his brother to get him to the clubroom and possibly get some information out of him. He saw him watch Blaise and Haruhi walk out before he spoke. "Come on, let's go tell the boss where they are."

"…'Kay." Hikaru's nonchalance didn't cover up how he felt, at least to Kaoru, but he didn't say anything as his brother got up and they left the room to head to the Host Club.

They walked the halls in relative silence for a while. Students walked by them on their way out of the school, talking and laughing with their friends, leaving Hikaru and Kaoru to walk in unusual silence. Kaoru simply studied his brother. He couldn't figure out why Hikaru and Blaise were still fighting. Sure, neither of them were very outgoing or good at actually talking about their feelings, but, to be blunt, they were too into each other not to talk to each other. That may just be Kaoru as the biased, inner shipper/matchmaker brother talking, but how they felt about each other was pretty obvious. The reviews for this story are proof enough.

"Why are you avoiding Blaise?"

"What? What are you talking about?" Hikaru asked, glancing sideways at his twin.

Kaoru easily met his gaze and never stopped staring at him long after he had looked away. "You two were practically inseparable before I got sick, and that's saying a lot. What happened?"

"I told you, nothing happened."

"And obviously that's not true." He could tell from the way Hikaru practically snapped at him. He was like a pot of water that was on the verge of boiling. "Come on, I'm your twin brother. You can tell me anything."

"There's nothing really to tell," Hikaru grumbled, glaring at the pink floor underfoot. On the other side of him, through the window, sunlight shone from a cloudless sky onto the gardens.

Kaoru gave a soft sigh. "You can't keep saying that. Denying it will just—"

"I'm not denying anything!"

They came to a sudden halt outside the familiar double doors of their clubroom. Kaoru blinked at his brother, who was fully facing him now, eyes smoldering with anger. He couldn't remember Hikaru ever truly getting angry with him.

The older redhead glared full force, fists clenched tightly at his sides. "I'm telling you, nothing happened! Nothing at all!"

For a long moment, it was deathly silent, the twins staring at each other.

"…Nothing. So something was supposed to happen?"

"Hikaru, Kaoru." Suddenly the doors cracked open and Tamaki appeared. "What's going on out here?"

"Nothing," Kaoru answered, a bit agitated that the boss had interrupted what would have been something extremely important. But something in the blond's intense, violet eyes made him pause. "What's going on?"

For a few seconds, Tamaki remained uncharacteristically silent. Then, "Come inside and keep your voices down. Do not make a scene that could draw the attention of the entire school. Understood?"

The twins glanced at each other warily, but nodded and followed their king inside. Kaoru wasn't sure what he was expecting—maybe Tamaki was harboring some troubled damsel again or Usa-chan was missing and Honey had gone on the warpath… but he wasn't expecting the clubroom to be in shambles.

Tables were upturned, couches were ripped up, chairs were flipped every which way and in some cases laying all the way across the room like they had been tossed there. The various vases set about the room were either spilled all over the tables, on the floors, or just smashed altogether, the flowers they had once held lying about in puddles of water. And the graffiti was everywhere. Garish colors spattered the walls in childish, simplistic pictures that looked like they were painted by a brat who was given a spray can and left to do whatever they wanted. Not only that, there were messages on almost every wall, ones that Kaoru didn't want to think about too much. Worst of all, spattered across the windows in huge font and red letters, was one, awful word: FAGGOTS.

Hikaru and Kaoru were stunned into silence as they stood at the front of the room and took it all in. They were wide-eyed and slack-jawed, minds barely able to comprehend just what they were looking at.

"What the hell happened?" Hikaru took the words right out of Kaoru's mouth.

"Someone decided they would amuse themselves by trashing the clubroom." Kyoya was standing a little away from them, clipboard under his arm and cellphone flipped out in front of him. He was panning around the room, pausing to document what had become of it. When he finally came to face them, they saw his cold, hard eyes and his subtly clenched jawline. "Don't touch anything unless I tell you to."

"We found it this way," Tamaki added, glancing around the room grimly. "Where are Haruhi and Blaise?"

"In the library," Kaoru answered, still somewhat speechless.

"Good." The host king nodded. "Maybe it's best they're not here to witness this."

"Why?" Hikaru turned his gaze on him, looking skeptical. "They're going to find out soon enough."

"Besides," his twin added. "I don't think either of them would appreciate being kept in the dark. And it's not like this mess will be cleaned up before they get here."

"They have a point." Kyoya was now standing beside one of the only upright tables, typing away at his laptop. He spared Tamaki a quick glance before returning to his computer. "You can't protect them forever."

It was quiet for a beat. "I suppose… you're right."

For the first time since the twins arrived, Kyoya smiled slightly. "Well, you wouldn't be the resident prince if you didn't try." Apparently something on the screen did not make Kyoya happy, and he returned to his demon lord façade. "This incident will leave us bankrupt. Tamaki, I recommend that you appeal to your father and get the board involved in this. We may need funding to help with repairs and I certainly don't think we can conduct an investigation without school aid."

"We don't need an investigation," Hikaru growled, and Kaoru knew what he was going to say before the words left his mouth. He was thinking the same thing. "I can tell you who did this."

"I am assuming you believe this is connected to what occurred Friday night?" Kyoya didn't bother looking up. "I came to a similar conclusion."

"Kushitani?" Tamaki looked perplexed. "But he's been suspended. He can't come onto campus without passing security."

"The bastard probably sent some of his skeevy friends to do his dirty work." The older Hitachiin brother spat, eyes blazing with rising anger. "He's a coward. First he gets his friends to hurt Blaise for him and then he gets them to attack our club. He's gonna wish he hadn't even stepped foot in here in the first place."

"We can't take action against him without proof," Kyoya interjected. "That's why we need to wait for someone from administration to get involved so we can take legal action. I am not looking forward to having to bail you all out of jail nor provide your legal counseling."

"Under normal circumstances, I would say that's a joke, but this is Kyoya-senpai and that statement is pretty valid," Kaoru stated, nonplussed.

"What happened in here?!"

All heads turned toward the voice. Haruhi was standing several feet away from the four boys, doe eyes wide and disbelieving. Behind her was Blaise, looking frozen in the doorway, her eyes just as wide.

"Haruhi," Tamaki began, sounding almost surprised as he stared at her. It wasn't often that the honors student raised her voice.

"Someone thought it prudent to pay the club a visit while its members were absent," Kyoya supplied. "As you can see, they enjoyed themselves."

"What?" Haruhi looked so confused. "Who would do that? It's not like the Host Club goes around picking fights."

"We have a working theory."

"It's him, isn't it?" Blaise hadn't moved from her spot in the doorway. She stood there, eyes cast to the ground, hands either gripped hard around her bag strap or at her side. "Kushitani."

"Well who else would it be?" Hikaru growled, looking in her direction. "What other bastard would have the nerve to pull something like this?"

"I… I'm sorry." Suddenly Blaise turned apologetic, guilt-ridden, and Hikaru blinked in surprise. They all did.

"Blaise," Hikaru said softly, slowly walking over to her. "You don't have to be sorry."

"Yes I do," the girl answered sharply, but it was like she was spitting on herself. "This only happened because of Friday night. It's because of me."

"Kushitani being a jerk has nothing to do with you." The redhead was standing in front of her now, face hard-set with resolve. "This only happened because he's a jackass with a big ego, not because you stood up to him. Besides," he continued, sending her a small smirk, "don't flatter yourself. If it wasn't you, I'm sure one of us would have still called him out and this still would have happened."

For a second, her bright, emerald eyes met his. "But…"

Hikaru furrowed his eyebrows. "What? What's the matter?"

"I… I just…" Blaise didn't seem able to say anything else. Instead, she turned her gaze to something to her left and bit her lip.

"Blaise-chan." Honey appeared in the doorway beside her, Mori just behind him. Kaoru saw the sad look in the short blond's face and wondered how long the two college students had stood behind the door, how much they had heard. "You should tell them the truth. They can help."

"Help?" Hikaru's forehead creased even more as he looked from Honey to Blaise. "Truth about what?"

That haunted look returned to Blaise's eyes. She glanced at Honey, betrayal and hurt briefly flashing across her face. But then her gaze fell back on Hikaru and the rest of the hosts, and she sagged slightly, guilty but resigned.

"For… for the past couple of weeks, someone's been stealing my notes, hiding my things… putting trash in my desk. It all started after Kushitani left the clubroom that day."

"He's been bullying you?!" Hikaru asked immediately, shoulders tensing as he took a step forward. Blaise flinched at his sharp tone. "Why didn't you say anything?!" Without waiting for an answer, the ginger stepped around the girl and made to leave, but Mori stepped in his way, purposefully blocking him.

"Wh-where are you going?"

"What does it look like? I'm gonna go beat the crap out of that guy!" He barely glanced back at Blaise before looking up at his upperclassman. He looked ready to snap at him too, but caught himself and instead said through gritted teeth "Mori-senpai, please get out of the way."

"No."

"Why the hell not?!"

"Acting out in anger isn't a smart thing to do, Hika-chan," Honey interjected, looking up at him with the same eyes he had given Blaise. "Takashi just wants to protect you from that. We all do."

"Well what am I supposed to do?!" Hikaru whirled around, golden eyes burning. "First he picks a fight with Blaise, then he bullies her, attacks her, and trashes our club room. You expect me to just sit here and take that? It isn't right and you all know it!"

"What about Blaise?" Mori's ever-calm voice cut through the air. "This centers around her. Have you asked her how she feels about it?"

There was a beat of silence in which Hikaru just stared at the wall. Then he turned, slowly setting his eyes on the girl in question, whose head was bowed.

"…Blaise?"

For a moment, she didn't say anything. Her grip on her shoulder bag tightened and she continued to bite her lip.

"…I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she said, voice soft as she spoke to the ground. "The only reason Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai know is because they saw what happened once and then I made them keep it a secret. I didn't want to get you involved—any of you. This was… this was my problem and I had to handle it by myself."

"Blaise." The sound of her name made her look up, right into gilded eyes. "We're all your friends. We're called that for a reason. We're here for you."

"But I didn't want to risk you getting involved. I didn't want any of you to get caught up in something like that. And you… I never told you because I knew you would act this way. You would have gotten angry and gone looking for a fight and I couldn't have you getting hurt for me. I don't know what I would have done if…"

She seemed to stop herself. At her words, Hikaru looked like he had frozen, his eyes widening a fraction. But Blaise was the opposite, moving quickly to turn toward the other hosts and bow to them.

"I'm sorry I caused so much trouble."

"Blaise, don't do that!" Tamaki said quickly, looking flustered. "Hikaru is right—we're your friends. There's no need for any of this."

She glanced up at him, back straightening slowly. "But still, I should have told you guys. Then maybe we could have stopped this before it happened and—"

"It's no use worrying about what could've been," Haruhi cut in. She smiled gently as she reached Blaise and took her hands between her own. "Let's just focus on working out the future. Together. Alright?"

Gradually, Blaise's lips twitched in a tentative smile. "Alright."

"And in the meantime," Kyoya added from his computer. "You could help clean up this room. It's best that we have it ready for hosting as soon as possible by being efficient with our time. That will be apology enough." His voice retained its usual "cool" quality, but for a moment, his charcoal eyes flitted to Blaise, and the look he gave her could only be described as soft—marginal as it was for the demon Ootori, but there nonetheless.

Regardless of the subtlety, Blaise seemed to catch on and her smile grew slightly. "Of course. I'll get right on that, Kyoya-senpai."

But apparently Tamaki didn't. "Kyoya! You can't say that to her! Blaise has been through a trauma and has just had an emotional moment! How can you be so insensitive?"

The dark-haired teen briefly glanced up at him, glasses flashing. "She has taken responsibility for this incident and is obligated to provide compensation. I simply provided a fair means in which we can receive that compensation. Is that a problem?"

"Yes, it was insensitive. And anyway, as the president of this club, I should have a say in how and if she must pay compensation!"

"Would you rather I had increased her debt instead?" Kyoya raised an eyebrow. "If you have a better suggestion, then by all means, Mr. President, do as you will."

"Wh—Fine! …Blaise, you are now ordered to help clean Music Room three as compensation for the events that have occurred here!"

"Moron."

"Hey!"

"If you had been paying attention, you would have heard me begin with the phrase "you could help," meaning that Blaise was not forced to clean nor would she be doing so alone should she agree."

"Mommy," Tamaki began, face set in a pout. "I do not appreciate the way I am being treated. This is not how a healthy family should behave."

"I suggest you all go home for the day," Kyoya announced, blatantly ignoring his apparent "life partner." "Club activities will obviously be canceled until further notice and we will not clean up until the chairman has acknowledged our predicament. Hikaru, Kaoru, please post an announcement on our website to that effect."

"Sure thing, senpai," Kaoru answered, but his mind was too occupied to spare the upperclassman more than a glance before his attention was back on his brother.

Hikaru hadn't moved since Blaise's apology. He was still standing by the double doors, unmoving and almost like he wasn't breathing. He never stopped staring at the girl which, honestly, wasn't new. But now, it seemed like Hikaru had absorbed Blaise's earlier turmoil. His golden eyes were lighter than they had been earlier with his blind rage, yet deeper with thoughts swirling just behind them. He looked confused, more torn than he ever had been for the past week. He looked haunted, conflicted, and Kaoru knew it had to do with what Blaise had said to him.

He knew that something had changed, and for one unsettling second, Kaoru was afraid to know what it was.

"I don't get it!" Hikaru hissed, pacing briskly across the floor, one hand running through his hair. He and Kaoru were home now, inside Hikaru's room with the door shut. Kaoru was sitting on the bed, palms placed on the mattress, his eyes trained on his twin. "Why is it like this?"

"What's like what? Hikaru, just take a deep breath and talk to me."

Kaoru didn't receive an answer immediately. Instead, Hikaru continued to pace the room, looking more and more agitated.

"Last week," the older began, "Blaise and I were just fine. We were actually having fun on Halloween and it was great. And then—then those assholes show up and there was that fight, and then we're in the clubroom and she's cleaning me up. She was so close and it felt like… I mean I wanted to…"

Hikaru paused, standing on the other side of the room with his back turned, but Kaoru was stunned into silence and before he could say anything, his brother pressed on.

"But she's my best friend. It hurt not to talk to her for a whole week and that was all I wanted the whole time—just for her to talk to me like she used to. And—and I got so mad when I saw the clubroom and I found out he was bullying her. But when she said she didn't want me to get hurt for her, it was like she was talking about me, like it could only ever be me and I just—I didn't know what to do. I'm not even sure what to say to her anymore—what the hell am I supposed to say!? I get so mad when anything happens to her and I really shouldn't and it's so confusing! It's almost like—"

He stopped himself again, the abrupt halt making Kaoru stare at his brother who was standing still again. He was practically holding his breath at what he thought he almost heard, so he had to ask:

"…Almost like what, Hikaru?"

Hikaru was silent for a long time, golden eyes simply staring at the wall, hands now dangling limply at his sides.

And then he said it.

"It's almost like… I'm in love with her."

A/N: So please review! Also, please leave your thoughts on what you think could happen next. I've decided to start asking this to help me with getting ideas/motivation for chapters and to assess my predictability as a writer.

See you next time!