Hana carried a tray out from the kitchen and brought it over to the twins' section of the floor. "Let's all play the which one is Hikaru game!" the brothers said, mirror images of each other with their hair covered under messenger caps.

Hana's scoffed and set the tray on the table, saying, "That is the most boring game ever." She was quiet enough that the girls didn't hear her, but Hikaru, with his better sense of hearing, caught her.

"How would you know? You've never even played it before!" he bristled and pointed out.

The bodyguard huffed and turned her nose up at the oldest Hitachiin, "I always knew which one of you was Hikaru because you're the more annoying one!"

"Why, I oughtta…" Hikaru shook his fist at Hanako, and Kaoru held him back by the waist with a sigh. He had adopted the role of mediator between the two of them, and it seemed like things between Hana and Hikaru were never going to get better. Instead, Kaoru found himself coming between his brother and his best friend more often than ever lately.

"Knock it off, you two," Kaoru urged them, "we have guests."

"My apologies, ladies," Hanako bowed to their guests, "please enjoy." Kaoru and Hikaru shuffled themselves again, dancing around the other as they started the game.

"So, can you tell which one of us is Hikaru?" they asked, turning back to the girls.

Hana hated that game. They made a spectacle of it, now, but she knew what it really was. They reinforced their feelings of isolation with that game, and they used it as an excuse to remind themselves that nobody else was a part of their world. It was a trap designed for themselves and for others, and she had never liked it. Watching them staleface at Haruhi, Hana recalled the first time that they had challenged her to that game. It was one day after kindergarten in their playroom, and the twins had told her to play the game. It had come out of nowhere, but after the first time they asked, they had pestered her to play for years until they finally gave up trying to convince her. She always made excuses to get out of it, but the truth was that she hated it and everything it stood for. Watching the twins flank Haruhi, she thought to herself that she didn't need a stupid game to drive a wedge between her and the brothers. In the end, she had succeeded in doing that all by herself.

"I'm disappointed," Hikaru said with a frown.

"Apparently you don't understand the merits of having a pair of twins as members of the Host Club," Kaoru agreed with his older brother. Hana stuck around the twins' section to listen to them explain to Haruhi how they benefitted the club, and she had to admit that they had the numbers to back their point. The girls did seem to love the forbidden fantasies offered by the club. She knew for a fact that there were a handful of girls who enjoyed the twins' incestuous lovers act, some who pretended that their attendance at the club were affairs unknown by their fiancees, and some who liked to imagine that they had a legion of handsome boys fawning over them. Their guests had their own motivations and interests, and who was Hanako to judge what they liked?

"And besides, who hasn't fantasized about twins?" Hikaru asked from one side of a guest, his fingertips lifting her chin ever so slightly, "Having two loves is better than one, don't you think?"

Kaoru joined his brother and added in a sultry voice, "It's a young woman's romantic fantasy."

The girls squealed in delight at the boys' impish behavior, and Hana sighed beside Haruhi, "Honestly, they can be too much for me to handle, sometimes." Judging by her exasperation, Haruhi determined that Hanako meant something completely different from the other girls.

"Hey, Hanako-senpai," Haruhi voiced, remembering that she had been wanting to ask Hanako about this for a while, "what's youre relationship with Hikaru and Kaoru?"

Surprised, Hana's expression changed to one of curiosity as her attention shifted to the short haired student. "Hm?" There were times when Hanako forgot that Haruhi was new to the club. The new host fit in so well with all of them that it felt as if Haruhi had known them since the beginning. It wasn't often that people didn't know everything about her and the relationships she had with the people in her life, and it was even less common for someone to ask her without a trace of accusation in their voice. In fact, Hanako had just gotten used to it when people stopped asking her out of innocent curiosity. "Our mothers were really close friends," Hanako supplied, not quite sure how to fit a lifetime of friendship and sisterhood into the answer.

Haruhi didn't pick up on Hanako's uncertainty and accepted the simple answer at face value. Hana typically spoke with a measured, light intonation that gave her the appearance of confidence. People tended to accept what she had to say without questioning her. "The three of us grew up together," Kaoru filled in, knowing that Hana had a tendency to flounder and forget the details when she was asked about her personal life, "and Hana models for our mom sometimes."

Before Haruhi could ask more questions, Tamaki stormed up to their section with a laptop in hand, skidding to a halt and calling the twins angrily. Hana disappeared in plain sight as Tamaki scolded the twins for something to do with the website. Hana laughed decorously into her hand at the image of Haruhi's face edited onto an appropriately sized male torso.

"You look happier than usual," Kyoya commented and joined her just out of frame of the excitement unfolding in front of her.

"Do I?" she asked. She was smiling with a kind of relief that Kyoya hadn't seen on her face in a long time, and he followed her gaze to the twins who were standing close to each other with bored expressions as Haruhi scolded them.

"Isn't it obvious," Hana caught the boys saying to Haruhi, "you're our toy."

"They've really opened up, haven't they?" Hanako said airily. Seeing the twins with Haruhi reminded her that they were going to be okay. Maybe they still saw people as objects that existed for their entertainment, but at least they were engaging with the people around them. There was plenty of room for them to grow, of course, but three years ago, Hanako hadn't even known if they were going to talk to her again, much less other people.

"Yes," Kyoya agreed, "I suppose they have."

"You want a toy?" a dark voice sounded from the room to the adjoining classroom. Kyoya and Hanako didn't even look up from the clipboard while the other hosts acknowledged their uninvited guest from the Black Magic Club next door.

"We should really get that door locked," Hanako remarked. It was never good for business when Nekozawa and his club members opened that door and tried to sell merchandise to their guests.

"Unfortunately, it costs too much to get the locks on that door changed," Kyoya replied, unenthused. They had looked into it before, but it was just an expense that they couldn't make the room for in the budget.

"If you like toys you should come and visit my Black Magic Club," Nekozawa's eerie invitation developed into his usual pitch. "We've opened a marketplace that boasts black magic items from across the globe. We're also holding mass around the clock. If you visit right now, I'll even throw in a free curse doll. You can have Belzenef as your free gift."

Hanako rolled her eyes when Nekozawa revealed his cat puppet. "I'll go take care of the guests," she said as she realized that another distraction popped up for the Host Club. Leaving Kyoya to take care of the boys, Hana took on the responsibility of managing the floor. She brought out cakes and tea, wiping down tables while the boys were between guests.

"Negida," one of the girls called her over from a table, "what's going on over there?" Hana looked over to the door that the girl was pointing at. Tamaki had joined the first year students, Nekozawa, and Kyoya, and Mori and Honey were the only hosts actually on the floor.

Hana put on her gracious smile for the guests and said, "Please excuse us, ladies. Nekozawa-sama likes to visit the hosts unexpectedly from time to time. I'm afraid our club members are too hospitable to ignore him. I'll let them know that they've been away for too long." Tucking an empty tray under her arm, Hanako made her way to the kitchen. After the last few times that Nekozawa had interrupted their club activities, Hanako put together a kit for these exact instances.

Returning to her club mates, Hana saw Tamaki's calcified expression of horror as he spiritedly told one of his stories to Haruhi and the third year cousins. Tamaki turned and blew his hot air in Kyoya's face while the dark haired host wrote in the clipboard. "I know it was because three days later I woke up and my legs were as heavy as lead!" he insisted. "Just how do you explain that?"

"Your legs were heavy because you ran a marathon the day before, remember?" Kyoya calmly pointed out.

"Is he telling the Beginning Greek class story again?" Hanako asked, coming to stand beside Kyoya.

Nekozawa's hooded figure also joined the second year students, leading with that eerie cat doll of his. "You shouldn't underestimate the dark powers of Belzenef the curse doll," Nekozawa rasped. "All you have to do is write the name of someone you hate on his back." Hanako rolled her eyes and caught sight of the twins standing off to the side. As Nekozawa started to promote his curse doll, Hanako slipped away and joined the brothers.

"Wow, this guy really is dark in more ways than one," Kaoru said to them.

"Get rid of him," Hanako said to the brothers, reaching into her jacket and pulling out matching red flashlights. She handed one to each twin smoothly and crossed her arms.

"Supposedly he hates bright lights," Hikaru mused, flicking the on and off switch. "I wonder what he'll think of this." Hikaru and Kaoru shined the lights on Nekozawa suddenly, causing him and Tamaki to scream in fright, and Hanako stepped back into place next to Kyoya.

He paused in his writing and looked at her proud expression with disapproval, "You shouldn't encourage them like that."

She shrugged unapologetically, "He isn't one to stop talking once he has gotten started on his stupid doll." Hana smirked and watched the twins shrug at each other after Nekozawa slammed the door behind him. "Besides," she added, "it makes use of their mischief." Her smirk faded as they fell into sitting chairs across from each other, ignoring Tamaki and gazing out the window with the same blank expressions that they sported when they lost interest.

"Hey, Haruhi!" the twins called to the newest host. "We've got a favor to ask you."

"This ought to be interesting," Kyoya commented.

"The next time we get a day off…" Hikaru started.

"Can we come over to your place to hang out?" Kaoru finished.

"Why would you wanna do that?" the dumbfounded girl asked.

Hanako's godbrothers got up to answer her, "We're curious. We want to see where you live."

Beside her, Kyoya hummed thoughtfully, "I hate to say it, but they do have a point. Hanako, have you contacted Haruhi's father about a visit?"

She answered with a small shake of her head. She motioned to Haruhi's continuous rejection of the Hitachiins' efforts and said, "I've been under the impression that Haruhi wouldn't exactly welcome a visit outside of school."

"But you do have her home address?"

She scoffed and reached over the hard cover of the folder to flip some pages of the clipboard to Haruhi's file, "Who do you think I am?"

Kyoya smiled with satisfaction at her foresight, "The best of the best."

"We can settle this with a game!" the twins put on their matching caps, and Hanako watched them carefully. "If you can't pick out which one of us is Hikaru, then your penalty will be the two of us coming over to your house later tonight."

"Idiots," Hanako hissed before she could stop herself, and Kyoya pretended that he didn't hear her. What were they going to do when Haruhi couldn't tell them apart? She couldn't understand why they always set themselves up for failure with that stupid game. It was Hikaru's idea, of course. He was the game maker of the two of them, and he always had a harder time than Kaoru when it came to opening up to people.

Haruhi pointed and said without giving it a second thought, "This one's Kaoru, this one's Hikaru." Hanako blinked in disbelief as she regarded the brown haired girl from behind. She let out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding, and beside her Kyoya smiled.

"Well, Hana? Is she right?" her employer asked her.

A wide smile stretched across Hanako's face, and she answered while the twins declared that Haruhi was wrong, "Yes, sir, she is."

"You guys may look alike but you're very different." Hanako's smile shrank into a smaller, gentler one at the speechless expressions on the brothers' faces. A shadow, always present in the Host Club, she watched them and listened to the voices around them while everyone seemed to forget that she was there. The twins looked to each other, and then at Haruhi. They didn't seem to notice that there was a shadow on their side, waiting and wondering how Haruhi would explain how she could tell them apart.

"It's kinda difficult to explain," Haruhi started, giving genuine consideration to the question. "But Hikaru's speech and actions make him come across a little more mischievous than Kaoru."

Hikaru always cried more loudly.

The memory and the sound of her mother's voice danced along the edges of her consciousness as she processed what Haruhi had just said. "I'm impressed," Hanako admitted. "I thought I was the only one who noticed."

"Don't be ridiculous, Hana," Kyoya voiced with his own secretive smile playing on his features. "We're not completely oblivious around here."

Kaoru sputtered and covered his mouth but not his amused amber eyes, "I'm sorry, Hikaru! I don't mean to laugh." That didn't stop the younger brother from laughing at Haruhi's observation.

"Well, I don't see what's so funny," Hikaru said petulantly. "I'm honest, I speak my mind, and I don't hold back. It's sneaky people like Kaoru who are the trouble makers." Well, that was just a Hitachiin family trait that Hikaru inherited from his mother. Kaoru's laughter halted promptly, and Hanako's brow furrowed. She thought about that second part of what Hikaru just said, not sure that she heard it properly.

"Don't turn this on me, Hikaru," Kaoru warned his brother darkly. "After all, I'm the one who's always going along with all of your selfish games."

"I may suggest them but you're the one who really gets into them, Kaoru," Hikaru sneered. "If you hate it so much then why don't you just stop?"

"Hanako," Kyoya questioned, logging this change of events, "what is happening right now?"

"I'm not sure," she replied, her eyes glued on the brothers. She had never seen them act this way. Even when they were kids, it was always Hikaru and Kaoru trying to pin the blame on well-mannered Hanako. It was always Kaoru and Hikaru outnumbering Hanako. Even when Hikaru's derisive, cold eyes were on her and her turned his biting comments toward her, Kaoru was there to hold him together after she tore away what little connection he had to the outside world.

"Because I'd hate to see you make an ass out of yourself in front of everyone," Kaoru's condescending tone sounded foreign to her. "It was your idea to call Haruhi our toy, but I noticed you were quick to make a pass at her. Admit it Hikaru, you're actually in love with Haruhi, aren't you?"

Hanako's heart raced and she pushed down the waves of guilt crashing over her at her last train of thought. Hikaru gasped and a light blush colored his cheeks at Kaoru's serious accusation, and she wondered how it was that she hadn't noticed? She worked hard, and it's true that she spent less time with them. Still, she was observant, and the Host Club gave her more of an opportunity to spend time with them. She should have noticed something like that.

"You've got it all wrong, Kaoru!" Hikaru shot back. "Man, you're such a freaking idiot! Why would I fall for her? I mean she looks like a tanuki!"

"You're gonna pay for that!" Tamaki raged harmlessly, finally distracting the twins enough to get their attentions of each other. Hanako felt the floor rumble as the new installment emerged with Renge on top, spouting nonsense as she joined the other club members. Hana sighed and moved away from Kyoya, unsure of why he approved the machinery in the club room. Concerned, she walked over to the twins and stood in front of them with her arms crossed across her chest.

"So," she started, "what's really going on?" She knew that Haruhi's description wasn't enough to drive a wedge between the two of them. After everything that happened to their family, Hana knew that there was very little that could tear them apart. The brothers didn't even stop glaring at each other to acknowledge her. "Kaoru?" She glanced at her best friend, and he ignored her. "Hikaru?" She turned her gaze onto her godbrother, and he worked his jaw in annoyance. "I can't help you guys fix it if you won't talk to me."

"It's none of your damned business," Hikaru finally said coldly. "Kaoru, why don't you quit counting on Hana to clean up after you? It's annoying."

She cringed as if he slapped her, and then Kaoru yelled, "Cut it out already! You're the one who's always crawling into my bed! Talk about annoying!" A quiet whisper sounded around her, and she pushed down the suffocating feeling of being watched by their guests. She felt a hand on her shoulder drawing her away from the twins, and she looked up to Kyoya's neutral expression in place. She let him steer her away from the conflict and the attention, but her concern over the yelling match never waned.

"I only do that cause you look lonely," Hikaru shot back. "I wouldn't choose to sleep in your bed, you idiot!"

"Who are you calling an idiot? You're the one who sucks at math!"

"Oh yeah? Well, you're failing your foreign language class, you big dummy!"

"The way you grind your teeth is defeaning!"

"At least I don't toss and turn so much that I fall out of bed!"

"Sex pixie!"

"Sicko!"

"Your mama wears too much makeup!" They screamed at each other in unison. "That's it! We're over!"

The rest of the afternoon was heavy with awkward tension, and the twins split off into separate sections. Their guests were troubled with deciding whose side to take and which brother they wanted to sit with, some of them decided to leave and avoid making a decision. Kyoya quickly acted to save what he could of the afternoon, but it was too late. By the time they closed the doors to business, they had lost seven percent of their expected income for the afternoon. Kyoya dismissed the twins early, and they had taken separate cars home.

Hanako and Haruhi were left with the clean up, as usual, while Tamaki and the third years watched the two Hitachiin cars pull away from the window and Kyoya worked on making back the money that they had lost during the day. Hikaru had been particularly harsh with Hanako that afternoon, and Kaoru didn't confide in her why they were fighting. She wondered if this was just a natural consequence of their codependent relationship, but she had always assumed that it would be a more gradual separation. Hana considered that maybe it would be better to reach out later when there weren't so many eyes on them.

The silver tray in Hana's hands slipped and clanged loudly as it hit the ground, startling Haruhi and drawing a heavy exhale from Hanako. Haruhi had never seen Hanako so out of focus before. It was as if she wasn't seeing what was in front of her. Obviously, the older girl was worried about the twins, everyone was, but she seemed downright distraught by their argument. "Are you okay, Hana-senpai?" Haruhi asked.

"Yeah," Hanako said unconvincingly, her expression still faraway. "I'm just worried about Hikaru and Kaoru. I've never seen them act like that before. I hope that whatever this is blows over soon."

Hanako's concern for the brothers didn't lessen after school, and Kyoya noticed that her head wasn't on task while they were working that night. She had her phone available constantly since they left school. She sent texts to Kaoru as soon as she was in the car, asking if everything was okay. Immediately after that, she sent a similar message to Hikaru, asking if he was okay. By the way she kept sparing glances at the device on the table, Kyoya wagered that they weren't answering the phone. He eyed her math on the notebook in front of her and picked out several mistakes on her homework. Mistakes or oversights, sure, but Hanako wasn't one to make that many and not notice.

"Go get some rest," Kyoya said to her with a sigh, moving back to his own work.

"But, sir," Hanako started to protest. She could still knock out her homework and help him with his paperwork for the club and his finances.

He looked up at her again sternly, "Hana, your head clearly isn't here right now. It's alright, I can manage. Why don't you try giving them a call?"

"Yeah, alright," she relented and got up, swiping her phone from the table and stepping out of Kyoya's room into the hallway. She searched through her contacts until she found the number that she wanted. Walking down the hall to her own bedroom, she listened to the dial tone until the woman on the other end of the call picked up.

"Hanako?" Yuzuha answered with mild surprise at the unexpected call.

"Hi Auntie Yuzuha," Hana greeted, opening and closing the door to her room. She turned on the lights with a soft touch on the control pad and continued talking as she removed her jacket, "Sorry for calling so late at night. I was just wondering if everything's okay with the boys."

"You know you can call anytime," her godmother assured her. "As for Hikaru and Kaoru, they were a bit peculiar earlier, but they're just fine. Why are you wondering?"

Relieved but confused, Hana held her phone to her ear with her shoulder and reached down to peel off her socks, "We just had a difficult day at the club, and they haven't been picking up. I wanted to make sure that they're okay."

"Thank you for looking out for our boys, Hana," Yuzuha said with a honey warm gratitude and affection for her goddaughter. "And are you okay?"

Hana pulled her knees up to her chin on the edge of her queen sized bed in the room that the Ootoris provided for her, complete with all the luxuries that she was used to. "I'm fine," Hanako assured her, hoping that she was convincing enough over the phone.

"Alright, get some sleep, now. You can't underestimate the importance of good beauty sleep."

Hana smiled at her aunt's lecture, "I will. Thanks, Auntie. Good night."

"Good night. I love you."

"Love you, too," Hana ended the call and laid back, staring at the ceiling with her phone still in hand. She rolled over and the pictures on her bookcase came into view. There wasn't very much that she had saved after moving out of her home, but the photographs and trinkets that her mother kept on her vanity had stayed with her. Sitting back up, Hana tried to call Hikaru, again, and walked across her bedroom. She picked up a golden picture frame that displayed a photograph of Hanako and the twins from elementary school. The brothers stared at the photographer blankly, but the three of them were as photogenic as ever.

"You've reached the personal phone of Hikaru…" the pre-recorded message sounded, and Hanako sighed, putting down the picture as she wandered back to her closet. "Please leave a message after the beep."

The artificial trill sounded in her ear, and Hanako started to leave one of many messages to the twins that night, "Hey, Hikaru, it's me. I'm worried about you…"

{OR}

The chimes calling for the mid-day recess rattled in Hana's ears, initiating a mild headache as she trudged to the 2-A classroom to meet with Tamaki and Kyoya. She ignored the whispers and the glances sent her way by students noticing the wearied girl leaning against the doorway for support. Finally, she saw blonde and pushed herself off the wall to join them.

She just had to escort them to the dining room, and then she could take a nap in the security office before the afternoon classes start. It wasn't that far of a walk, and she did it every day. But why did it feel so long? Her head felt heavy and her eyelids couldn't seem to hold themselves up.

"Hana?" Tamaki questioned, waving a hand in front of her face repeatedly after asking her twice how her morning classes went.

"What's wrong with Hana-chan?" Honey's worried voice joined them, but Hana couldn't remember when they met with the third year students. Blinking drowsily, she wondered when they had left the second year wing.

"Nothing's wrong," Kyoya assured them, "Hanako didn't get much sleep last night."

"Why not?" Takashi asked. The two dark haired hosts eyed each other with equal measures of suspicion between them.

"You can have Usa-chan for a nap," Honey offered and held out his beloved toy to her.

"I'm okay," she assured them, stretching her arms over her head and yawning. "I was up all night trying to get in touch with the twins. I'll be fine after another cup of coffee."

"Hanako, you better take your lunch with us today," Kyoya advised. "I don't think it's a good idea to eat in the kitchens in your state." She mumbled her agreement unintelligibly.

The host club walked into the refectory together with Hanako walking just behind Kyoya, and they were immediately welcomed by the discord of the brothers' argument, worsened by the chatter among the other students. The yelling was enough to perk Hana up for the time being. Their brightly colored hair made them impossible to notice, and Hana was reminded of their childhood when the boys were designated those same colors during parties.

"I was wondering what all the fuss was about," Tamaki said once they had arrived. "I can't believe you two are still fighting. You're a disgrace to the host club." Hanako yawned again from her place beside Kyoya.

"We've had enough of this!" Mitsukuni declared. "You're both to blame for this fight. Hika-chan and Kao-chan, I want you to make up and go halvsies on this cake! Okay? But I wanna have a piece, too, so I guess we have to go thirdsies…" Mitsukuni's cute voice seemed to drift away from her as her momentary alertness faded. Hana yawned and rolled her shoulders, hoping that she could get a coffee soon. She was so close to getting some caffeine that she could practically smell the espresso. She could feel the handle of the porcelain espresso cup in her hand. She blinked, and when she opened her eyes there was a cup in her hand. Now that she was fully awake, she could see that Kyoya was holding the cup up by the clipboard, waiting for her to drink it without looking away from the twins who were now glaring at each other with irritation.

Lifting the cup to her lips, she took a sip and exhaled with contentment before regarding the twins again. "You both look stupid," she said frankly and enjoyed another sip of her espresso.

"You look stupid," Hikaru snapped back.

"Hey, leave her alone," Kaoru sharply scolded his brother.

Hikaru scoffed, "It's just like you to jump in and save Hanako." Hana scowled, fully alert thanks to Hikaru's snippy tone and the coffee Kyoya had given her.

"It's only because you've been nasty to her ever since she moved in with the Ootoris!" Kaoru shot back. The brothers glared at each other, holding the other's furious amber gaze until Hikaru finally huffed and turned away from his brother and godsister. They watched the pink haired boy walk over to Haruhi, and Hana's attention slipped to Kaoru.

"I don't want to get dragged into whatever you two have going on between you," she told him disparagingly. "I have enough to worry about without the two of you being at each others' throats."

"I know, sis. Don't worry, so much, okay?" Kaoru nudged her elbow with his in an attempt to comfort her before walking to the table that Haruhi and Hikaru were seated at.

Hana returned to her position beside Kyoya and watched the first years and Tamaki with the other club members. "It's not your job to keep the twins in line," Kyoya reminded her as Hikaru closed his mouth around Kaoru's spoon meant for Haruhi.

She sighed, watching her best friend retaliate by throwing a bowl of potatoes at his brother. "I can't help it," Hana admitted as the food fight escalated. "That's just the way it's always been."

They called an emergency club meeting after classes to discuss the situation. Hanako set up a long table with a table cloth and settings in the main floor while she waited for the other club members to arrive. They had the brothers sit on opposite ends of the receiving room while they conducted the meeting and shut the door so that the twins couldn't hear. Tamaki sat at the head of the table, and after the others seated themselves, Hana took the chair opposite of Haruhi.

The club's vice president tapped away at his calculator while the rest of them waited for his verdict, "Looking at the numbers, if this situation isn't resolved, I'm afraid we're going to have to stop offering our brotherly love package. We're down one pair of loving brothers. Oh, Haruhi, I just want you to know there's no reason for you to feel responsible, even though it was your tactless comment that started this whole feud between the twins in the first place, right?"

Her employer's passive aggression wasn't lost on Haruhi, and the younger girl clearly felt the coldness from Kyoya's mask of a smile. "It's not her fault," Hanako defended Haruhi. "They were always bound to lash out eventually, since they never address their problems with each other head on." She stirred her instant coffee thoughtfully. Ever since they were children, Hikaru and Kaoru always brushed aside their disagreements for the sake of keeping the peace between them.

"It's weird for Hika-chan and Kao-chan to be fighting like this," Honey agreed wistfully. "It's never happened before. " Mori agreed with a nod, and Haruhi looked from Hana to the cousins in surprise.

"They've never fought before?" she asked.

"I've known Hika-chan and Kao-chan since we were in pre-school," Honey explained while playing with his stuffed rabbit's arms. "We weren't in the same year, so I never really got to talk to them, but I remember that the two of them always played together."

"Yeah," Tamaki agreed, "that's true. I mean, I've only known the twins since they were in middle school, but they definitely stood out. It seemed like they kept everyone at a distance except each other." Hanako felt her heart ache at Tamaki's memories of the twins. The responsibility she felt for the brothers waxed in her chest as the hosts reminisced. "Believe it or not, they were even more warped back than."

"Can you blame them, though?" Hana asked, feeling defensive and guilty. She was staring into her commoner's coffee, but her thoughts were far away from them. Memories of the twins smiling and playing as they wrestled pieces of jewelry from her when they went through her mother's jewelry box. She knew the twins' world better than anyone, even if she wasn't really a part of it. "After all, they've had to deal with things most people can't imagine." A solemn silence blanketed the host club, and Haruhi looked deeply into Hanako's pensive expression. Her heart went out to the sad second year, and her eyes pricked with sympathetic tears, overcome by the heavy atmosphere and wondering what was making Hanako so sad.

"When you stop and think about it, maybe this fight is a good thing for them," Tamaki mused, his energetic optimism chased away the cloud of grief. "Maybe it means the twins are expanding their horizons a bit. We should just leave them alone and let them work it out."

"Well, Hanako? Being the expert on the Hitachiins," Kyoya asked, turning to his assistant, "how do you think we should handle the situation?"

She considered the problem seriously. It was true that Hikaru and Kaoru had never fought before, but they had business that they had to conduct. Everyone in school had to know about the twins' fight at that point. "You're all right," she said. "They've never really fought before, but for the club's sake, it would be better if we dealt with our members promptly and in private. I love them, but they've never known when to quit. I don't want the club to suffer because they go too far."

"Agreed," Kyoya voiced. "We better take care of this tonight, then." Tamaki stood and adjourned the meeting. The others followed suit, and they opened the doors to confront the twins. In the amount of time that it took the rest of the club to come to a decision, the brothers had managed to fling all of the furniture at each other and build a massive pile of décor that Hanako knew she would have to sort later. Beside her, Kyoya was already logging all of the visible items.

"Don't you guys think that maybe, it's time you give up all this fighting?" Tamaki asked, his exasperation finally getting the better of him. "It's driving me insane!"

"What'd you say?" Hikaru scowled at Tamaki, "It's driving you insane? You've got to be kidding me. How do you think I feel right now? Every time I look in the mirror I see his face. I'm sick and tired of constantly being mistaken for you, Kaoru! The truth is I hate your guts!"

Hana cringed at the vehemence behind Hikaru's words, and her frown deepened as Kaoru returned the sentiment. "You took the words right out of my mouth. In fact, I hate you so much I bought this," the younger brother pulled out a wooden doll from his jacket pocket. "Belzenef, the curse doll!" Hanako didn't care about the stupid curse doll, but she swallowed thickly, her heart breaking as she heard the boys declare how much they hated each other. Honey wrapped his arms around her waist supportively, noticing that the twins' hurtful words seemed to be doing more damage to Hanako than to each other.

"From this day forward, you're going to experience nothing but misfortune and sorrow!" Kaoru vowed to his brother, scribbling onto the back of the doll. Suddenly, Haruhi lurched forward and rammed her fists into the twins' scalps.

"Will you guys knock it off?" she demanded as they yelped. "What do you guys think you're doing? You don't bring something like this into a petty fight!" She threw an arm at Hanako's direction, "Can't you guys see how upset Hanako-senpai is? Don't you care that you're hurting her? Both of you are at fault here but what's really sad is that you've brough everyone else around you into your big mess! Now apologize to each other! If you don't make up right now, I'm never gonna let you come over to my house! Have I made myself clear?"

Just like that, the twins' expressions changed, and identical, devilish smiles stretched across their faces. "So then, what you're saying, Haruhi, is that if we make up, we can come over to your place?" they circled around her like predators, speaking in unison without any problem. They put their arms around each other and towered over the brunette. The twins embraced each other and apologized, picking up their brotherly love act right where it left off, and a tick of annoyance pulsed at Hanako's temple as she watched.

Haruhi dropped the curse doll, and Mitsukuni flailed angrily, "You've gotta be kidding? You guys were faking it this whole time?"

"We didn't have anything else to do," they declared. "We were bored."

Hana stepped forward calmly. She walked past Haruhi and Tamaki, who had fallen to their knees in self-disappointment. She kicked aside the forgotten curse doll, and it rolled across the floor. Mitsukuni yelped and cowed as Hana passed him, her murderous aura flaring around her.

The twins were so wrapped up in their success that they didn't notice her until it was too late. "You idiots!" she shrieked, taking them by the collars and flinging them into the wall. "You were faking it the entire time and you didn't tell me?" The boys slid to the floor and got back to their feet, rubbing their doubly punished heads. "I was worried about you! You should have at least answered my texts! Do you know how many messages I left you?"

Kaoru had the decency to look guilty, and he tried to smile at her apologetically, saying, "Sorry about that, Hana. We needed everything to be authentic, or else it wouldn't work." He shrugged and chuckled nervously.

Hikaru regarded her darkly, the same condemnatory expression that he had been wearing the past couple of days back on his face. "It's not like you didn't deserve it, anyway," Hikaru said to her. The tension returned to the room, but, this time, it seemed far more dangerous than when Hikaru and Kaoru were standing off.

"Hikaru, that's not…" Kaoru started to intervene, again, for what felt like one time too many.

Hanako cut him off, speaking over him and addressing Hikaru solely, "No matter how mad you are at me, it's not right to make me worry just to prove a point. You know that nothing that has happened in the past couple of years has been easy for me! I've been caught between a rock and a hard place, and it's not like I can make any of the decisions I want to make anymore!" Her outburst felt like a a desperate rush of regret, fighting to be spoken after all the years of being suppressed and ignored. She breathed heavily, staring down Hikaru while the host club fell silent. Even Kyoya stopped writing in their notes, and they could have heard a pin drop in the room.

"Maybe we should talk about this at home," Kaoru said uneasily. The fight between him and Hikaru may have been a ruse, but it had given them the opportunity to unleash something real and destructive between Hana and Hikaru that had been simmering for years. He looked between his brother and godsister, hoping that they would take the hint.

"Don't bother, Kaoru," Hikaru said, turning his back to Hana, an action she had gotten too familiar with these past few months. "She won't leave Kyoya's side, anyway."

Whatever patience Hanako had been holding on to finally slipped through her fingers, and she marched up to Hikaru. Snatching him by the collar, she dragged him into the kitchen and slammed the door after them. Haruhi was left with the stunned hosts, blinking after the pair in confusion.

"Are you gonna go with them?" she asked Kaoru, whose worried gaze was fixed on the closed door between them.

Shaking his head, he ran a hand through his blue hair. "No. I really shouldn't. They have to work this one out themselves."

{OR}

After the door slammed shut behind them, Hikaru wrenched himself out of Hanako's grasp, and she let him go. She stood between him and the club room, her arms crossed across her chest making it clear that he had to go through her if he wanted to get back in there. "Listen up," she said sternly, a frown pulling down her lips, "I'm only going to say it once."

"I'm listening," Hikaru said frostily.

"I'm sorry," she let her arms fall to her sides and tucked her hands into her pockets. Her godbrother's eyes widened at the unexpected apology, and she continued, "You're right, and you deserve to be mad at me for turning my back to you and Kaoru the way that I did. You don't have to forgive me, but it's not fair to torture me because you're scared and hurt."

He fidgeted uncomfortably under her steadfast caramel gaze. "Shut up!" he hissed at her, furious at the sudden apology that he had been wanting from her for so long and unsure how to handle it. "You don't get to act like you care about me just because you thought Kaoru had his feelings hurt."

"I was worried about you, too!" She retorted, refusing to let him fortify the wall he had put up between them. "I texted and called, Hikaru. Even though you haven't even tried to talk to me without Kaoru there since I started high school. Just because you and I don't see eye to eye all the time doesn't mean that I don't care about you, too."

"It doesn't matter," Hikaru hissed. "It doesn't matter if you care about both of us or not. You're just going to leave, and Kaoru's too naïve to get that." He lost his traction as he finished criticizing her, and he ended with a voice that was broken and haunted by the ghosts that tethered the host club together.

Hana bit the inside of her cheek, angry with herself for letting him down and angry with Hikaru for believing that she would ever really abandon them. "Where the hell do you think I'm going to go?" she demanded. "I don't have anywhere else left."

She took a shaky breath as the hard truth settled around them, and they were once again confronted with their shared losses. "You can hate me for the rest of our lives if you want to. I deserve that, but don't push me away because you're too scared to trust that I'm going to stick around." Hikaru's resistance wavered, but he fixed his indignant scowl as he listened. "I can never be part of what you and Kaoru share, but you're the only family that I have. We should at least have the decency to admit that much by now."

"What happened to 'family has nothing to do with it, Hikaru,'" he sneered in a mockery of her voice, throwing her words back in her face, "'it's business, Hikaru'?"

"I was wrong," she said tersely, and he finally looked past his anger, stopped telling himself that Hanako deserved the exhaustion, and saw what he had been trying not to see for the past two years. Undoubtedly, Hana had inherited her mother's good looks, and she was still as beautiful as ever, but she was exhausted. She was a worn, beaten shadow of the person she used to be. It wasn't that he hated her. It had never been that. He had convinced himself that he hated her for choosing someone else over him and Kaoru because he didn't want to admit what he was really seeing. They had lost Akina and Yuudai, and Hana was working herself to the bone trying to earn back what had been lost with her parents. The truth was that he hated that there was nothing he could have done to stop her. Maybe a part of him hated himself the same way that Hana hated herself, but what could they have done? They were just kids.

Stepping forward, he closed the distance between himself and Hanako, and she braced herself, ready to take a punch from him if that was what it took for him to forgive her. To her surprise, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in, squeezing her to his chest. She couldn't see his face, but she felt his back shudder as he held back tears. "I'm sorry, sis," he said into her hair, inhaling the same perfume that his godmother used to wear and finally letting the tears spill over.

A/N... Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. I got a little bit ahead of schedule with writing, and I know I'm a little bit behind with my update schedule, so I decided to go ahead and post this now. Drop a review or a PM and let me know what you think :)

What do you think of Hana's relationship with the twins?

Next time: A photoshoot. Hana and the twins meet an interesting new character at a modeling job.