No lemon/lime in this chapter.

And no, I did not choose the following song simply because it had 'Mori' in it…it gave me this melancholy feeling that I thought would fit perfect with this chapter.

CH7: Jyukai – Anata ga Ita Mori

"Okaa-san is going to be sooo mad at us!" screamed Tamaki into his phone.
"…Tamaki-sempai, could you call back later? What time is it anyway…"
"It's 1 o'clock."
"…DON'T CALL ME SO EARLY IN THE MORNING! BAKA!" Haruhi hung up her phone forcefully. Tamaki sat down and continued his groveling. Kyouya had set up a quota of customers for the Host Club to reach in the time period he was away…and they had only met half the quota.
"If…if we don't meet the quota, Kyouya will never let me take care of the kids…" groaned Tamaki as tears streamed down his face. "I mustn't give up. Next person!" yelled Tamaki as he nervously dialed Hunny's number. It was an emergency, and emergency's called for drastic measures…drastic meaning waking up Hunny.
"Hunny?"
"...I'm going to kill you tomorrow…" Shivers ran down Tamaki's spine.
"It's…it's an emergency!" No response. Tamaki gathered up his courage and continued talking. "We need to get more customers by the end of Sunday to meet Kyouya's quota! Right now, we're only halfway there…" Tamaki's phone suddenly cracked. He stopped speaking as he felt another shiver run down his spine.
"…Couldn't you have called me…when I'm awake…like say, 9?"
"…Yes…" said Tamaki as he twiddled his fingers nervously. "…But, but it's for the survival of the Host Club! I was so worried so I had to call you immediately to notify you of our current situation―"
"I'll come to whatever you have planned tomorrow!" said Hunny, suddenly changing to his sweet voice.
"T―Thank you Hunny!"
"…But I'm still going to kill you…" Tamaki's phone literally split in half when Hunny hung up. Tamaki shed tears of joy and despair as he began calling the remaining three members of the Host Club with another phone.

Tamaki's plan was really quite simple. Objective? Resort to any means necessary to get to the quota. Location? A lovely field (privately owned by Tamaki's family of course) with an expansive sea of flowers and nice pond for the ladies to enjoy. Time? 12 pm – 12 am on a beautiful Sunday. The catch? Age didn't matter. Yes, pedophiles and 5 year old girls were allowed to coexist in the presence of the gorgeous Host Club just for this one day.
"Well technically, wouldn't we not be fulfilling the quota?" asked Haruhi.
"Of course we are" replied Tamaki.
"But I'm pretty sure Kyouya meant that the quota was for girls at our school."
"…That's just because he's jealous."
"…That made no sense whatsoever. Baka…"
"Just listen to Otou-san and do as he says." Haruhi sighed as she saw the girls, ladies, and grannies file onto Tamaki's field.
"Where are the others?" she asked nervously. It wasn't like them to be this late. "You…called them…right?"
"Of―of course I did! They must be on their way now…but for the meantime, I guess we'll have to team up to take on these women!" said Tamaki passionately. "We have no choice, it's for the sake of our club!" It would have been more convincing to Haruhi had she not seen the thought bubble above Tamaki's head…displaying Tamaki and her running through the field and kissing and such.
"…Hentai." An arrow flew out of nowhere and hit Tamaki in the back of the head.

The Hitachiin Manor was oddly depressing and solemn that morning…or maybe it was just Mori. He had come over early to take Kaoru and Hikaru to Tamaki's event, just as Kaoru had asked him to. But it had been 30 minutes since he arrived and he was starting to wonder why he had to come so early if they took so long. He also started to wonder if all was right between the brothers.
"Come back here Kaoru!" yelled Hikaru at the top of his lungs. There seemed to be a crash upstairs, followed by the generic noises of chaos (plates breaking, cat screaming, etc.) Apparently, all was not well. He stood up and started heading up the stairs to see what was the matter. At the top of stairs was Kaoru, breathing heavily. He turned and saw Mori at the bottom and smiled. Not caring how far away he was from the bottom, he jumped forward, as if expecting Mori to catch him. Lunging forth at the moment he saw Kaoru take the leap, Mori was able to jump, intercept Kaoru's leap midway, and catch him swiftly and safely in his arms. Kaoru stared at him amazed.
"Didn't…didn't think you'd actually try and catch me…" laughed Kaoru nervously. Mori just smiled. It seemed that all was well after all. Mori put Kaoru back on his feet and gave him a quick kiss, breaking it off when he heard Hikaru approaching.
"Oh? Mori? What're you doing here?"
"…Felt like walking with you two."
"I see I see. Where's Hunny?"
"…Should be arriving there right now."

-Scene Shift-
Tamaki flew over a hundred feet across the field as Hunny threw a flying side kick to his face.
-Scene Shift back-

Hikaru walked back up the stairs to change. Mori looked over at Kaoru, who seemed to be in a good mood.
"…Did you guys make up?" asked Mori, worried.
"Yup!" nodded Kaoru. He had a grin on his face so Mori believed what he said.
"…And did you tell him…about…us?" Kaoru's grin turned into a hesitant, half-assed smile.
"Ah, well, you see, the thing is…"
"…You didn't tell him…"
"Well I tried to…" Kaoru really had tried. But admitting he was homosexual, even to his brother, seemed impossibly hard. It was impossibly hard. Kaoru sighed as he sat down, trying to avoid Mori's gaze, imagining the disappointment in his face. When Mori didn't say anything, Kaoru tried to start up a conversation. Only after the conversation fell flat did he realize what was happening again…the silence was coming back. This time, it was between him and Hikaru. He suddenly remembered Hunny.
"Did…did Hunny know you were…gay…before that day?" Mori looked at him questioningly.
"…He already knew…he knew from the beginning."
"Without you telling him, right?"
"…Yes…"
"Do you think Hikaru could be like that?" Mori paused, trying to understand what Kaoru was getting at. "What I mean is, do you think Hikaru already knows? That I'm gay?" Mori looked at him questioningly again. "Then, I wouldn't have to tell him. About us, I mean. He'd probably eventually figure it out" said Kaoru, suddenly sounding hopeful.
"…What if he doesn't?"
"What do you mean? We're together all the time, of course he'll figure it out."
"…What if he doesn't even know in the first place?"
"He knows! I can tell, he definitely knows!" exclaimed Kaoru. But listening to himself, he realized that he was falsely reassuring himself. He pushed his face into his hands as he realized that this strand of hope was fake. He felt tired again: tired of making decisions, tired of trying to gather up courage, and tired of running and avoiding his brother. Mori sat at his side watching him trying to cope with his insecurities. He slipped his arm around Kaoru's shoulder and hugged him close, trying to offer the little reassurance he had for him.
"I don't know what to do anymore Mori…" muttered Kaoru under his breath. "I'm just…so tired…I can't even cry…" Mori could feel Kaoru's breath getting heavy as the boy struggled just to breathe correctly. Worried, he picked Kaoru up like a child and headed for Kaoru's room. "I'm not that tired that I can't walk on my own" chuckled Kaoru. Mori didn't answer. Nor did he smile. His face was stoic and solemn, seeming to be void of all sympathy. "…Mori?" Still no answer. He entered into the twins room, intruding upon Hikaru who was in nothing but his boxers.
"Mori? The hell?" Mori ignored Hikaru's indignation. He set Kaoru down on the bed and turned to Hikaru.
"Your brother has something to tell you…" said Mori. Hikaru stared at him with a curious look…but felt his heart stop as he watched Mori walk over to Kaoru and give him a kiss…a mouth-to-mouth kiss. Mori left shortly afterwards. "…I'll see you two there…" When Hikaru turned to look at Kaoru, he found him crying silently, curled up into the shape of the pillow Hikaru had mistaken him for so many times before.

The event was going smoothly as planned, minus the twins. Tamaki was entertaining a group of women in their early 20's when he decided to do a check on the other members. He first checked on Haruhi, who was entertaining a group of mothers, all of which were crying.
"Haruhi! You can't mess up on a day like this!" whispered Tamaki furiously into Haruhi's ear. Haruhi twitched and shot him an annoyed look.
"I'm doing very well, thank you" she replied sarcastically. The mothers stopped their crying temporarily to notice Tamaki who seemed to have his hands on Haruhi in certain unacceptable positions.
"H―Hentai!" one mother screamed. An arrow flew forth and stabbed Tamaki's hand. "Stay away from that boy! Don't you know how much he's already suffered? Losing his mother and having to care for his father…and now he has to deal with boys like you? HENTAI!" Another arrow flew forward and stabbed Tamaki's knee, making him fall over. The other mothers joined in. "SEXUAL PREDATOR! RAPIST! PERVERT!" Thousands of arrows poured down from heaven and drilled themselves into Tamaki's back.
"MOE!" All the mothers stopped screaming and turned to look at one mother in the back.
"Wh―What? I thought it would've been…appropriate…"

"So the secret's finally out, eh?" chuckled Hikaru. Kaoru didn't respond. He seemed to be absorbed in his own world. Hikaru realized that this moment called for tact and a wise choice of words, so he began to think of ways to lighten the mood. "Ah well, that's alright. Just means more girls for me huh? Wouldn't want my rival to be my own brother after all." Kaoru didn't even react to his comment. Hikaru mentally slapped himself. 'Jokes in these kinds of situations are bad' he noted to himself. He tried again, this time using a different method. "C'mon, now Kaoru…" he said as he sat himself down on the other side of Kaoru's bed. "Did you really think that something like this would make us any less…brotherly?" Hikaru crept closer. Kaoru's silence was killing him. "I mean, we may be twins and all…but it's not like we're supposed to be the same in every way…" Kaoru's silence was like a knife stabbing into his heart. No matter what he said, Kaoru would not answer. "Kaoru…" Tears formed in the corner of Hikaru's eyes. "Don't…don't be like this…" Silence. "We've always been brothers…and we'll always will be. Right?" Hikaru was lying next to Kaoru now, but Kaoru refused to turn around and face him. "Alright?" Hikaru asked, letting a few tears roll down his cheek. "Kaoru…answer me…" Hikaru let out a silent sob.

He had been ignored before, but this time was different. He was spilling out his heart for his brother, being as accepting as possible, trying to show his brother that he really did love him, that he would always be there for him…but Kaoru seemed to brush off all of his efforts like they were nothing. "I'm sorry Kaoru!" His tears ran faster now. "I'm sorry…sorry for everything. Sorry…sorry…sorry for…" He tried to continue but his tears kept getting into his mouth, stopping him from speaking. "I just…I just want you to love me again…I just…want someone to love me…and someone…for me to love, too…" he said as his voice trailed off. He couldn't stand it anymore. Kaoru's utter rejection completely devastated him. He felt like his body was getting split in half, like his other half was being erased, like all the memories that he had shared with him were deemed meaningless and worthless. His body broke down and he began curling into the fetal position, sobbing and bawling like a baby who had been starved. He curled up tighter, trying to withdraw from the world…a world that suddenly seemed so big…so lonely. Amidst his sobs, he was able to make out the faintest of words, which drew him back from his painful reverie.
"Is it…is it really so hard to speak to me face-to-face?" Hikaru looked up from where he was curled up. Kaoru was standing by the doorway to their closet, tears trickling down his face as well. Hikaru looked over to the other side of the bed and realized that he had been talking to the pillow…again. Hikaru got out of bed immediately and onto his knees. He literally bowed his head to the floor. Kaoru got down next to him.
"Hikaru…what're you doing…"
"Apologizing…for everything…" Hikaru said as his urge to cry was revived.
"Don't do that…you're going to…you're gonna…" Kaoru started crying as well. The twins sat on the ground, crying their hearts out hoping that the other could understand him.

Tamaki checked in on Hunny next, who was entertaining a group of 7-10 year olds. He appeared to be having a cake-eating contest with one of the girls.
"Hunny, you doing alright?"
"GO AWAY!" yelled Hunny with a death glare. Tamaki backed off and went to go check on Mori. Tamaki felt Mori was the unluckiest, having to entertain the elderly ladies (60 and over). What he found was what he expected as well. In a little patch of grass in the shade of a large Weeping Willow, he found Mori and the elderly ladies gathered in a large circle…and all of the ladies were sleeping. Except one. 'Guess I don't have to worry about him…' sighed Tamaki as he went back to his own group.

Mori sat silently, staring at the only granny, who was actually quite young, awake in his group. The others had fallen asleep, most likely due to his silent nature. But this granny was eying him peculiarly. "Hey boy!"
"…Yes?"
"Something the matter? You look troubled." Mori sighed. "Tell me about it" commanded the woman.
"…I don't want to bother you…"
"HAH! Bother me? That's all I'm living for now, to be bothered. At this age, there's really no need for me, 'cept for the infinite wisdom I got over the years." Mori sighed again.
"…Do you ever feel…wrong?"
"What, boy? The hell are you talking about?" Mori silenced himself and stopped talking. The woman softened her voice and tried to persuade him again. "Care to explain what you mean?" Mori hesitated, but tried anyways.
"…Wrong…as in abnormal…like you were born a mistake…"
"…You're an unplanned child?"
"…I meant―"
"I know what you meant. I was just kidding." She sat silently for a moment, as if collecting her thoughts. After what seemed like an eternity, she began her monologue. "Everyone feels like their lives are a mistake, at one point or another" spoke the woman gruffly. Mori turned to face the woman completely now. "It's all a part of human nature, boy. A human feels imperfect, or 'wrong' as you put it, when a human can't meet society's standard. Damn society always telling us what we should be or shouldn't be…but I'm not saying you can blame society for everything! Hell, it's human nature that caused that insecurity in the first place. It's human nature to always want the good stuff, to care about society's labels and stereotypes, to look for outer consolation when inner strength should be more than enough…" sighed the lady. Mori listened, somewhat fascinated by the woman's distinct style of lecturing. "And in the end, it's because of human nature that makes us happy. It's because we can get the good stuff that makes us want the good stuff, it's cause society's labels really do make us feel good about ourselves despite the lies, and it's cause we want outer consolation that we constantly seek love. And when any of those things are fulfilled, well, we feel damn good." Mori chuckled at the eccentric woman, and listened intently to her continue her speech.

"But you know what? That doesn't stop humans from thinking like you…doesn't stop us from thinking 'I'm a mistake! The world would have been better off if I was never born!' But that's another quirk of human nature…no matter how right we seem, we're more than likely wrong. Cause you see, if you were never born, or if you weren't the 'mistake' that you are, what would happen to the people who depend on the current you?" The woman paused as if to let Mori reflect. "What would happen to the people who have come to love your weirdness, your oddities, or the flaws you have now? Don't you see it boy? The people you've affected by being the 'wrong' person you are, have come to rely on you in one way or another. They rely on your imperfections, cause in their eyes…your imperfections are the very perfections that they've come to appreciate. So if you really think the world would've been better off without you, then you're clearly forgetting the people who love you, who depend on you, who…who…"
"…who need you…" finished Mori for her.
"Damn right, boy!" chuckled the woman. She smiled at Mori, making his insides feel light…like the exact moment he realized he loved Kaoru. It was like he seemed to understand life better, if only a small fraction of it. Suddenly, she fell face forward. Startled, Mori scrambled over to check on the woman…and found her sleeping peacefully.
"…I didn't even get your name…"
"…Tsunade…(1)" said the woman in her sleep. Mori chuckled peacefully…peace…that was something Mori had not felt in a long time. He sat underneath the swaying branches of the Weeping Willow, savoring the peace he had finally found in himself. The peace he had found in Tsunade, in Tamaki, in Kyouya, in Hikaru, in Haruhi, in Satoshi, in Hunny…and most importantly, the peace he found in Kaoru. The peace of knowing that someone needed him. The peace of knowing that he had a place in this world, no matter how 'wrong' he was. He sat there smiling, wiped away a lone tear on his cheek, and fell asleep as well.

Hikaru and Kaoru laid on top of one another in the middle of their room, finally regaining their composure after crying their hearts out.
"You feeling better?" Kaoru was the first to speak.
"…Yeah…" They sat up and looked at each other. Silence fell upon them both…but this silence did not bother either of them. As they looked each other in the eyes, they seemed to be registering something within their minds…as if their telepathy was working once more. Hikaru finally broke out into a smile, a tired smile, but a smile nonetheless.
"…We've always been brothers…" started Hikaru.
"…And we'll always will be…" joined in Kaoru. He felt a smile creep onto his face.
"…And no matter how different we are…"
"…Or how alike, for that matter…"
"…I'll always be there for ya…" said the brothers in union. Lightbulbs went off in their heads when they realized that there was nothing secret between them anymore…that they were one and whole again…that they could still complete each other, in both words, and thoughts. Hikaru leaned forward suddenly and kissed his brother on the lips. Kaoru sat back, blushing furiously.
"What…what was that for!" asked Kaoru stupefied.
"…Well a hug seemed too generic for the moment. And we've never really kissed before…I mean, it's not wrong to kiss right? We're brothers after all…" Kaoru smiled.
"Yup…we really are brothers…" said the two together. They burst out laughing. Afterwards, the two got up and dressed themselves and headed out for the gathering…3 hours late. But they didn't care.
"Hey Hikaru?"
"Yeah?"
"Kissing's fine and all…but don't kiss me in front of Mori…"
"What? He's the jealous type?" laughed Hikaru.
"Hm…don't know. On second thought, let's kiss in front of him. I wanna see what he'll do."

It was midnight when the event was finally over. When the twins got there, they were assigned the teenage girls group, which they entertained as always with their specialty: the 'Forbidden Brotherly Love'.
"Okaa-san will be so happy!" exclaimed Tamaki as he ran off with Haruhi. Hunny ran after them as well, leaving the twins and Mori underneath a streetlamp. Next to them was a large pond with the reflection of the full moon on its surface, reminding Kaoru of his first time with Mori. He shook off the memory as he remembered their purpose for the night. The twins smiled devilishly to each other and started to carry out their plan.
"Ouch!" exclaimed Kaoru. Mori appeared next to him in an instant.
"…Where does it hurt?" asked Mori.
"…On my lip…" said Kaoru, pointing to a tiny cut.
"…I'll take the pain away…" Mori jumped in surprise. Hikaru was standing there now, holding Kaoru by the chin. He leaned forward, and kissed Kaoru on the lips. The two then turned to look at Mori, who's face was now stoic.

"…"
"Mori?" Mori didn't answer Kaoru.
"Oye, Mori-sempai?" called out Hikaru.
"…He's mine…" said Mori in a low murmur. He picked up Hikaru by the back of his collar…and threw him into the pond.
"Mo―Mori!" cried Kaoru. But Mori didn't care. He dragged Kaoru into his arms and gave him the longest, deepest…and most tongue-involved kiss.
"…This tastes like strawberries…" said Mori after tasting the 'blood' .
"Ah, well…gotcha!" chuckled Kaoru. "But…you taste like…natto…again…"
"…I was in a rush this morning…" Kaoru smiled. Maybe he would develop a taste for natto. The two kissed once more and began to walk the dimly lit path back to Tamaki's house.
"You know…I can't help but feel like something's missing." Kaoru said. He suddenly remembered.
"…Renge was here this afternoon…" The two flashed each other a panicked look. True enough, screams of ecstasy and 'MOE!' could be heard echoing through the darkness. The two broke out into a run.

Hikaru got out of the pond after 10 minutes of swimming…only to be greeted by Renge and her traveling band of merry otakus.
"Where's your brother?" demanded Renge.
"I…I don't…don't know…" panted Hikaru. He was never really a good swimmer. Disappointed, Renge pushed him back into the pond.
"BITCH!"

TBC

Tidbits for the tedious mind:

1) A brief cameo by Tsunade from Naruto. I'm not too big a fan of her, so sorry if she's outta character. I just had to include her though, cause she just looked so perfect for this role.

R&R! I'm a review whore!