It's April! :) I hope the weather is getting better and warmer to those in the Northern Hemisphere!

BizzyLizy: That's right. ^-^ Only fellow writers know the joy of seeing a review. :) Thanks for all your support!

JadeCrispy: Oh lol, Ryuu does seem like the older one. Thank you! :D And you shall see about the bullying problem hehe...

Otaku's Melody: Lol I hate bullies too. :P I hope everyone else does as well. The bullies in that manga you're talking about seem pretty weird haha. XD Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Neon Wish Likes Pine Trees: XD Your reactions to the chapters are always entertaining. Thanks for the continued support! :)

Chapter 27!

Bertrand drove straight to the hospital the moment Emi limped into the car. There the doctor ran an x-ray on her foot, wrapped up her ankle, and prescribed some painkillers.

"Are you okay?" Akimi said, upon seeing Emi walk into the house on crutches.

"Emi!" Ryuu leaped from the second floor to the living room and crushed her in his arms. He pulled away and held her at arm's length, studying her face. The phone rang and Akimi disappeared back into the kitchen. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she said, sucking in air to regain her breath. "Chill. There's no need to worry."

"But-" Ryuu glanced at her foot. "It's in a cast!"

"It's not a cast. It just keeps my foot in place so I don't make it worse and so it can heal properly." She reached out and gave his hand a squeeze.

Akimi returned with the phone in her hand. "Your mother, Emi-chan."

Oh boy. Emi dropped onto the couch before taking the phone. "Hello?"

"Oh, Emi dear," her mom said, words gushing out in a hurry. "Are you okay? You're okay right? I heard all about it from Akimi-chan."

"I'm fine, Mom. It's just a sprained ankle."

"How did it happen?"

Emi relayed the events, trying to make light of the situation. When her mom said, "Who's this Kaoru-kun?"

"Oh, um, you know, just my boyfriend," Emi said. "Kaoru Hitachiin. Anyway, I'm fine so-"

"Hang on, hang on. Emi, you have a boyfriend? And he's a Hitachiin?"

Emi swallowed. "Um. Yes."

"When did this happen?"

Darn it. Emi sighed inwardly. "Just this weekend."

"Oh good," Mrs. Mazawa said. "Well, I'll have to give him my thanks sometime for taking care of you. Now, Emi dear, ice your ankle and don't use it for-"

"The next two to three days. I know. The doctor told me."

"Good. I've told Akimi-chan everything she needs to know, so you just listen to her. Don't ice too long or you'll damage your nerves. Elevate your ankle when you go to sleep, okay?"

"Okay."

"Good. Take care then. Love you, dear. Bye!"

"Love you too, Mom. Bye."

Emi swore that if it were possible, the entire house would have flipped over with the way everyone reacted. After hanging up and handing the phone to Akimi, Emi found another phone thrust into her hands.

"The pictures you wanted," Ryuu said, crossing his arms.

Emi grinned and began flipping through the pictures of the Hosts all dressed in kimonos. They were so handsome. "Thanks, Ryuu!" She sent a few to her phone - mainly ones of Kaoru and Haruhi.

That night, rather than fretting over her ankle like the rest of the household, Emi had only one concern on her mind: Now what are we going to do on Saturday?

The whispers and rumors were intense on Friday. No one knew what had happened, and Emi told her friends that she'd tripped down the stairs. That wasn't too bad. What bothered Emi most was Kaoru. His previous smiles were now worried looks. Every one pained her more than her foot did, twisting her heart and gut.

She followed the Hitachiins to the Host Club after school, while Ryuu did his routine of going home as Ryo and returning as Ryuu. When they'd entered the room, Emi grabbed Kaoru's sleeve.

"Kaoru-kun," she said.

"What is it?" he said. His eyes were dark with concern.

"Please stop making that face," she said.

"What face?" The furrowed brows and clouded face disappeared, replaced with a confused look.

"The worried face," she said, leaning on her crutches. "The I-feel-guilty-and-sorry face."

He stared at her and then sighed. He ran a hand through his hair with a smile. "Sorry."

"Don't feel sorry," she said. "You shouldn't."

His smile widened. "Okay."

"And, about Saturday." She reached into her pockets and pulled out two tickets. "They're premier tickets to see a new romantic comedy."

He chuckled. "Oh really?"

"And since Ryuu wouldn't be interested in watching this," Emi said as a smile bloomed on her face too, "would you like to come instead?"

He grinned. "I'd love to."

They decided to have dinner together before the movie. Then, as the Host Club convened to have their meeting, Emi sat down on a couch and iced her ankle. Like this, Friday passed by peacefully. The girls didn't approach Emi, as promised. They didn't even look at her.

Then it was Saturday.

Kaoru came to pick her up, and they went to a multileveled restaurant. It was a place where limos and other high-priced cars drove by, much like the Hitachiin car, and dropped their owners off.

Emi hopped out with her crutches, while Kaoru watched with a small cringe.

"Kaoru-kun," she said, shooting him a gaze. "Seriously, stop that."

He tried to smile. "Sorry."

"It's not as bad as it looks," she said. "What kind of place is this?"

"You've never heard of it before?" he said as they entered. A waiter took their coats, bowed, and walked away. Another asked for the reservation name and then led them to a table not far from the entrance. "It's my family's favorite French restaurant."

The floor was carpeted with a rich red and edged in gold. The tables shone. Everything was clean and crisp, including the waiters' uniforms and hair. Emi looked around with wide eyes. There was even a small basket by the table to put purses or bags. The waiter pulled out the chairs for them and set the menus down. Once Emi was seated, he took the crutches and set them on the other side of her, away from the aisle and people.

"If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask," the waiter said. "May I start you two off with some drinks?"

This has got to be the fanciest restaurant I've ever set foot in. Emi thought as they ordered and leafed through the menu. The prices are crazy! One entree is at least ten thousand yen?

"Do you like French food?" Kaoru said. A worried look was on his face again, but not because of her injury.

She nodded and smiled. "Yeah, but I don't really know what to order. Any recommendations?"

He leaned forward with a glimmer in his eyes and a growing smile, and he began pointing out various entrees. Each one came with a story, about a time when the waitress mistook their father as a servant or employee of their family, and another time when he and Hikaru ordered all the desserts on the menu.

Emi liked seeing his face lit up in excitement. It wasn't hard to tell that this was a special place to Kaoru and how important his family was to him.

They ordered and continued with light chatter, exchanging stories about their twin and their parents.

"Your mom actually gets you and Hikaru-kun mixed up?" Emi said.

"Yeah," he said with a shrug, "but sometimes I feel like she's pretending."

"But why? It's not that hard to tell the two of you apart."

He smiled. "I don't know."

The food arrived within fifteen minutes of ordering. It was exquisite. From the presentation of the food to its delightful flavor, everything was seen to with meticulous care.

Ryuu is gonna be so jealous when he finds out. God, this place is amazing! Emi thought, taking bite after bite.

"I don't have any favorite restaurants in Tokyo," she said, "but next time, can I treat you to dinner somewhere?"

"Sure." Kaoru grinned.

About an hour later, the two entered the movie theater. It was as packed as last week, though this time with a different audience. No one was cosplaying a character, and there were more couples in the crowd.

"Are we really doing this again?" Hikaru said with a sigh, as he and Ryuu sat down a few rows behind Emi and Kaoru.

"Yes," Ryuu said, "besides, I actually want to see this movie. My cousin's in it."

"Who?"

"Nozomi Mazawa," Ryuu said. When Hikaru showed no knowledge of the name, Ryuu continued, "I'll point her out when she appears."

Hikaru smirked. "Is she cute?"

Ryuu stared at Hikaru and shook his head. "Too bad for you, Hikaru, but she's already got a boyfriend."

Hikaru pouted and sank lower in his seat. "How boring."

The two stole out of the movie theater the moment it ended, while Emi and Kaoru remained in their seats for the credits.

"Arcade?" Ryuu said when they were outside.

"Sure."

Meanwhile, the other half of the twins was standing up.

"That was good," Kaoru said, "and your cousin is really talented."

Emi smiled. "She's only two years older than me but she's way more amazing!" His smile grew at the sight of her sparkling eyes.

"I think you're more amazing though," he said, leaning closer.

Her face burned, and her head buzzed. "Kaoru-kun," she said, shying away.

He chuckled and straightened up. "Come on, Emi. Let's get out of here."

He's way too smooth for me to handle, Emi thought, as they made their way out of the theater. As smooth as melted butter, or maybe even smoother. How does someone get so smooth? It's not like he's been in a relationship like this before. Then again, he is a host.

They walked to the Mazawa mansion again, talking about anything and everything: movies, music, books, school, the Host Club, and their twins.

"They followed us, didn't they?" Kaoru said in a deadpan tone.

"I know Ryuu did," Emi said. "There's no way he didn't. He followed me and Kei-kun-" She stopped and shut her mouth. Glancing over, she saw him smiling.

"It's okay Emi. You can talk to me about him."

She looked at him as they paused on their path. "You don't feel awkward?"

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well…"

Emi smiled. "It's fine, Kaoru-kun." They continued down the sidewalk, with the rhythmic sound of the crutches striking the concrete. "Do you think Hikaru-kun was following us?"

"I'm pretty sure I saw him," Kaoru said.

"At the movie theater?" She glanced over at him.

He nodded. "Last week too."

Emi giggled. "They're gonna be good friends at this rate."

"I hope so," Kaoru said with a smile.

"Me too."

A few blocks away, in a dim arcade filled with flashing lights and pounding music, Ryuu sneezed. "Crap," he said, when his character sustained some damage. He shot the closest zombie off.

"If you're sick, stay away from me," Hikaru said.

"I'm not sick," Ryuu said, rolling his eyes. He shot three more zombies down. "Hey, Hikaru, you know this is gonna happen more and more right?"

"What, you sneezing?" Hikaru said. They continued through the level, and more zombies crawled out of the ground.

"Not that, you idiot."

"You're the idiot."

"Ugh, you jerk." Ryuu scowled. "I'm saying, Emi and Kaoru running off by themselves."

"So what?" Hikaru said. "Are you suggesting we come and shoot zombies every time they go on a date?"

"I'm saying - no, I'm asking - what are you gonna do?"

"When they're on dates?" Hikaru said.

Ryuu growled, a quiet noise of frustration, and splattered two zombies' guts onto the screen. "I'm asking you what are you going to do now that Kaoru's going to spend less time with you? How are you gonna, like, cope with the fact that the two of you are becoming more distant?"

"We're not becoming distant," Hikaru said, killing the last zombie to beat the level. As the level changed and their health was restored, he looked Ryuu in the eye. "We'll never grow distant."

"Easy for you to say," Ryuu grumbled and the two returned to the game.

"You just want advice, don't you?" Hikaru said.

"You're the only other twin I know," Ryuu said, "and you're going through something similar to me."

"You want to know how to cope with your twin dating? I thought you've done this before."

"I have." Ryuu frowned. "That doesn't make this time any easier though."

Hikaru fell silent, and Ryuu risked a glance over. Hikaru's lips were pressed together, and his eyes dark and brooding. A thud brought Ryuu's attention back to the screen, and he sent the zombies clinging to his character flying.

"It's not easy," Hikaru said.

"What?" Ryuu almost didn't hear him over the general cacophony of the arcade. Hikaru was quiet again, and made no move to say anything else. So a while later, Ryuu said, "It's just that the last time this happened, Emi grew distant from me. We didn't talk as much, and we didn't spend as much time together. It felt like she was independent—like she didn't need me."

"That's not going to happen!" Hikaru said, slamming the plastic gun on the control panel. Ryuu stared with wide eyes at Hikaru, whose eyes were blazing.

"I wasn't-" Ryuu lowered his own gun. "I didn't mean-"

Hikaru cursed under his breath, straightened up, and went back to shooting the zombies.

Ryuu sighed. "Hikaru, I'm not saying the same thing is going to happen to you and Kaoru."

"It's not," Hikaru said through a clenched teeth.

"The two of you are a lot closer," Ryuu said, turning back to the game. They'd both lost a fair portion of their health. "You're the same gender. You're identical twins. You guys have been through a lot more together than Emi and I have. And Kaoru… he's the kind of guy to put you over everyone else, including Emi, which pisses me off a bit."

They managed to scrape through to the next level. When Ryuu glanced over, he could see that Hikaru had relaxed. The tension in him was, for the most part, gone.

Ryuu shook his head. "You're such a pain in the ass, Hikaru."

"What?" Hikaru said, frowning.

Ryuu smirked, still shaking his head. "Who's the idiot now?"

"What?" Hikaru said, but the level had started and the zombies were coming for them again.

There was no Hitachiin car parked when they arrived at the house.

"I thought Hikaru would be here though," Kaoru said as the two trekked up the path.

"Maybe he went home after the movie?" Emi said. "Will you come in then, Kaoru-kun?"

He nodded. "Sure. Oh yeah, Emi, when are you going to drop the honorific?"

"Honorific?" Her eyes widened, and his smile grew. "You mean, just call you Kaoru?" They paused on their path, staring into each other's eyes and blushing. She glanced away. Her face was burning.

"Ye-Yeah," Kaoru said, nodding but avoiding her gaze as well.

"That's a bit fast," she said. "I need some time."

"That's okay," he said and they looked at each other again. They smiled, approaching the door.

"Okay." She beamed and they entered the warm house. "I'm back!"

"Welcome back, Emi-chan!" Akimi called from within the kitchen. She poked her head out and grinned at the sight of Kaoru. "Kaoru-san, hello."

"Hello." Kaoru chuckled, scratching the side of his head before dipping down in a bow. "Sorry for intruding."

"Oh no, you're always welcome here," Akimi said, as she carried in a tray. Emi and Kaoru sat down on the couch. "Help yourselves to some cookies and fruit."

"Thanks, Akimi-nee-chan," Emi said.

"Thank you."

Emi was reaching for an apple slice when Bertrand bustled through the living room from the kitchen. "Emi-sama, I'll be going to pick up Ryuu-sama now."

"Oh where is he?" she asked.

"At the arcade," Bertrand said, with a tilt of his head. Then he nodded at Kaoru. "He's with Hikaru-sama."
"Eh?" Kaoru said, mouth dropping open.

"They're still together?" Emi said with equal surprise.

Bertrand shrugged. "I suppose. I'll be back soon." Then he disappeared out the door with the keys jangling in his hand.

"They do both like playing video games a lot," Kaoru said.

"Yeah," Emi said, still staring at the closed door and munching on the apple. She smiled. "Guess they're getting along well."

"Yeah."

Emi and Kaoru talked while waiting for Bertrand to return. There was something about Kaoru that made it easy for her to talk to him. The words came easily, and everything Kaoru said was new and exciting.

They were back soon, with Hikaru in tow as well.

"Hey," Hikaru said, nodding at Emi and Kaoru when they entered. His face was blank, though it seemed like a weight hung down on him, stooping his shoulders.

"Hikaru!" Kaoru grinned, leapt up, and ran over to hug his brother.

"What-" Hikaru stumbled back, blinking and glancing at Emi in confusion. "Did something happen, Kaoru?"

Emi smiled. "Are you okay, Hikaru-kun?"

"Eh?" Hikaru's eyebrows furrowed even more.

Ryuu sighed and sat down next to Emi. "Told you you're the idiot now."

"What do you mean?" Hikaru said, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists.

Kaoru reached up and patted Hikaru's head. Hikaru relaxed, and his fist unfurled. With a smile, Kaoru said, "Let's go home, Hikaru."

"Sure," Hikaru said, swiveling his gaze to Ryuu, "but not until you explain what you meant."

Ryuu shrugged. "You're so easy to read, Hikaru. That's all."

"What's easy to read?" Hikaru said.

"You're upset," Emi said.

Hikaru glared at her. "What makes you think that?"

"Alright, alright," Kaoru said, pulling his jacket on. "We're going, Hikaru. I requested the car while waiting for you."

"Fine, fine."

Kaoru winked at Emi while pushing Hikaru out the door. "See ya, Emi. Today was fun."

"Yeah it really was," she said with a smile. "See you Monday, Kaoru."

He waved, and Hikaru did too. It was only when the door was almost closed that Kaoru's eyes widened and he caught Emi's eyes. The two blushed.

Ryuu sighed, sinking into the couch and crossing his arms behind his head. He closed his eyes. "Man. What a pain."

"So how was your date with Hikaru?" Emi said, popping an orange slice into her mouth.

"Ah, it was alright," Ryuu said. "We just-" He sat up with a jerk, staring at his sister and the wide grin across her face. "No. Emi, no! That was not- We were just- it's called hanging out with friends."

She giggled and nodded. "I know, Ryuu. I'm glad to know that you and Hikaru are friends."

"We're not friends," he said.

"You just said it was called hanging out with friends though," she said.

He groaned and buried his face into his hand. "Oh my God, Emi."

"Was it fun at least?" she asked, stifling her giggles.

"Ah, he's a pain," Ryuu said, "but he's also the only person I know who likes video games as much as me and he's good at them."

"Mm-hm." Emi nodded.

He shot her a glance. "Stop that."

She giggled, but the smirk wouldn't disappear. "Sorry. Was he upset cause of Kaoru dating me?"

"Yeah," Ryuu said. "Well, he was more upset at the prospect that Kaoru might start caring about him less."

"Why would that happen?" Emi asked, furrowing her brows.

He wouldn't look at her.

"What did you say to him?" she said. All traces of the giggles were gone.

"You don't…" Ryuu sighed and stood up. "I'm going to bed."

"Ryuu, wait!" Her hand shot out as he tried to pass her. She pulled him closer. "What are you trying to say? You have to say it out loud for me to understand. I can't read your mind."

He glanced at her. "I told him about how the two of us grew distant when you started dating Kei, that bastard."

"Don't call him that," Emi said in a low voice. "And we didn't-"

"Yes, we did," Ryuu said, his voice tightening. "You were just too wrapped up in your own world to notice." Then he tromped away, feeling her hand slip out of his.

Ryuu. She dropped into the couch, sighing and watching him climb up the stairs. Why does this have to happen?

She grabbed her crutches and pushed herself onto her feet. Then she made her way to the stairs, clambering up each step at a turtle's pace. She was near the top when a hand appeared in her vision.

Emi glanced up. Ryuu stood staring at the ground, while his other hand was in his pocket.

She took his hand. "If what you said was true-"

"It is," he said without looking at her.

"Then this time will be different," she said, stepping onto the top step. "I promise, Ryuu."

He glanced at her. Then he sighed, dropping his hand. "It's okay, Emi. As long as you're happy." He ducked into his room.

"Why does this have to happen, Ryuu?" Emi said.

"Because I don't want you to make promises that you can't keep," he called back from within his room.

She walked closer to his room, her crutches clunking loudly. "It'll be different, Ryuu. It's a promise, and I'll keep it." She glanced into his room as a cold draft rustled her skirt.

Ryuu was crouched on the open window sill, crawling out.

"Ryuu, what the hell are you doing?" Emi said, scrambling closer. He dropped down, clutching the window ledge. She rushed towards the window as he dropped to a first-floor window.

"I'll be back!" he called before hopping to the ground and running off.

"What the-" She stared at his disappearing form. "Ryuu! Be careful!"

Ryuu ran until he couldn't see the Mazawa mansion, then he slowed to a walk with shaky breaths. Sometimes he wished he'd been born a girl, or Emi had been a guy. If they'd been the same gender, things would have been easier - so much easier.