Chapter Two:

It seemed like time had stopped, settling around them as the sun began to give way to darkness. Time in the temple was non-existent and this was not the first time that Hikaru had found his entire day had slipped away from him. This was, however, the first time since they had all said goodbye that he had visited his brother's grave and someone else had been there with him.

She knelt upon the ground in silence, her forehead still pressed gently upon the curve of his shoulder. Every so often her body would shake with the silent effects of a sob, her trembling hands folding gracefully in her lap. Her dirty blonde hair fell from her shoulders and pooled around her in little golden curls. He was grateful for her presence, but surprised that she had remained quiet for so long; she had never been known for her patience.

"What are you doing here, Renge?" Hikaru asked, his voice rough from a mixture of the stress and sadness. "I want to be alone."

"Liar." Her voice was monotone and her eyes remained closed.

For six months every single one of his friends had pussyfooted around him. They had given in to his every whim and excused every one of the tantrums he had thrown. They had pitied him and coddled him and given him space every time he insisted he just wanted to be alone. No one had the courage to stand up to him yet. It was a refreshing relief to have her call him out on his shit.

"You've never been alone a day in your life. You can't want that now." She whispered.

It was almost funny to him, how out of all of the people who had claimed to be close to him it was Renge who could see what he needed most. He tilted his head slightly, pressing his cheek against the crown of her head as they took solace in their joined sorrows. She wasn't Kaoru, but for the moment she filled part of the hole that had burned itself into his chest.

"I miss him, too, you know." She spoke, reaching out and placing her hand on top of his. "We all do. But he wouldn't want this for you. He wouldn't want you to sit here every day like this. He'd want you to forgive yourself and move on with your life."

He turned his hand over, capturing hers and holding tightly to it as the tears once again began cascading down his alabaster cheeks. He knew deep inside him that she was right, that Kaoru would never have wanted him to feel such pain. But he was half a person and without Kaoru he would never be whole again. She couldn't understand that, none of them could. He had never been without Kaoru and he wasn't sure he could be anything except for broken now that he was gone.

"Let's get you out of here…" She started to rise to her feet, but Hikaru tightened his grip upon her hand, holding her in place.

"I don't want to go home." He stated, keeping his gaze trained upon the words etched in Kaoru's tomb.

"I thought you were living with Tamaki and Haruhi for awhile?"

"I don't want to go there, either. They're just so…"

"Happy?" She asked, sighing slightly. If anyone had deserved to find his or her happiness, it was Haruhi. The small commoner girl had been through so much in the time that she had been indebted to the Host Club. Her happiness just happened to come at a very inopportune moment. "Come on then, you can come home with me."

His eyes shifted, staring into her honey colored eyes with an unspoken gratitude. He told everyone he cared about that all he wanted was to be left alone. But all he wanted was to be reminded of what his life had once been. He wanted someone to care for him, he wanted someone to understand his pain and he wanted his brother back. He needed someone to force him back into society… and Renge was just that person.

"I think I've got some commoners coffee at home, too." She tried to give him a reassuring smile, but he noticed the light didn't quite touch her eyes. He had been so lost in his own grief he had taken little notice to how desperately his brother's death had affected the other members of their group.

She kept her fingers laced with his, a gentle grip upon his hand as she half guided, half tugged him through the temple and towards where her town car was waiting for them. Glancing back over his shoulder, he watched as the last bit of incense burned out upon Kaoru's grave. Goodbye Kaoru.

Xxx Later xxX

Steam billowed from within the tiny china cup, his hands wrapped around it as he attempted to absorb any excess warmth. It was almost as if he were willing the heat to melt the ice that had formed around his heart. He needed to feel something again; the emptiness was threatening to swallow him whole.

"Feeling a little better?"

He met her gaze, watching as she moved around the kitchen with grace. This could not be the same loud-mouthed obnoxious girl who had practically taken over the Host Club all those years ago. She was so well mannered. He shook his head. He couldn't lie to them anymore. He was tired of pretending he was okay when he wasn't.

"That was stupid. I don't know why I asked." She mumbled, a blush crossing over her cheeks as she half fell, half sat in the chair across the table from him. "Of course you're not feeling better." She lifted the teacup to her lips and took a long sip, reveling in the taste of the thick coffee.

"Thanks, Renge…" He whispered, staring down at the dark liquid as it swirled around within his cup.

"For what?" She asked, tilting her head to the side cluelessly. This was the girl he had known back in High School, oblivious to everything except for what she wanted to see.

"For making me leave…" He knew he probably would have spent the night in the temple had someone not come looking for him. Usually it was Haruhi who found him on his bad days and usually she dragged him home, put him to bed, and gave him his space.

Space was the last thing Hikaru wanted.

"I'm not going to pretend to understand how you're feeling, Hikaru," Renge began, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "But you can't tell me that being alone is what you really want. Your brother died." He flinched at her honesty, closing his eyes against the memory of Kaoru slumped in the passenger seat of the town car, his hair bloodied from the impact. "I can't imagine losing someone you literally spent every day of your life with and then wanting to be completely alone." She knew she was overstepping her boundaries, but once she started she simply couldn't stop. It was the one character flaw she hated the most. "I refuse to believe that you don't want someone to help you."

You have to tell other people how you feel or they'll never know. And remember, whenever you care a lot for someone, Hikaru, it's important you pay attention to any subtle little hints they drop.

He flinched slightly as Kaoru's words floated through the darker recesses of his mind. How could she see through him? Lifting the cup to his lips he took a long, exaggerated sip of the hot liquid. He had been alone for six months, having someone understand him now was foreign and confusing. "I don't want to be alone…" he whispered, the weight of his brave face falling away with just five words. He was sick of pretending. "I just don't know what to do with myself."

Renge offered him a sad smile, reaching across the table and placing her soft hand upon his. Her touch was warm and comforting but still did nothing to melt the ice that had settled around his heart. "You don't have to be alone, Hikaru. None of us could ever replace Kaoru in your heart but we are all here for you. The whole Host Club loves you and none of us would ever accept leaving you alone if we knew you didn't want it."

Her words held weight he didn't understand, a type of comradeship that he had taken for granted. When he had woken in the hospital and his mother had told him of Kaoru's fate, he had just assumed he would be alone forever. He had given up on the people he cared for most because they weren't his brother. There was nothing they could do and no way he could earn their forgiveness if he couldn't grant his own. When he needed them most he had put up a brave face and tried to pretend he didn't. "I just can't stand being around Haruhi and Tamaki…" He breathed.

"That's understandable." Renge pulled her hand back, using both hands to lift her cup and take a sip of her coffee. "You're hurting and it's hard to be around people who are healing so much faster than you. So you'll just have to stay here for awhile." She shrugged her shoulders as if it were nothing. "Father hardly comes to visit anyway so I have plenty of space."

He glanced around the expansive kitchen, taking every detail and committing it to memory. Now that he thought of it, he couldn't remember any member of the Host Club ever saying they had visited Renge's home with the exception of Haruhi. Once Renge had learned of Haruhi's true gender the girls had spent more and more time together. The rest of the boys, however, had never been invited inside of Renge's home. He had often wondered what her living situation was like, seeing that her parents were back in their home country and she had traveled here mostly on her own. "You don't have to do that."

Renge rolled her eyes and waved a hand at him, regaining some of her obnoxious charm as the sorrow of the day slowly melted away. "Please. You and I both know I wouldn't offer if it put me out or made me uncomfortable in any way. You need some companionship and I am currently not obnoxiously love sick." She knew full well that Haruhi and Tamaki only meant well, but their new and budding romance was almost more obnoxious than she was.

"Thanks, Renge."

"Would you stop thanking me already?" She smirked, rising to her feet and placing her hands upon her hips. "You're going to give me a big head."

"Lets face it, you're head is big enough already." Hikaru huffed, the edges of his lips tilting slightly at his insult.

"See? I knew the snarky jerk was still buried in their somewhere. I'll pretend you didn't just insult me."

Author's / Note: So this story will not be AS dramatic as Forever was… but there's still going to be a lot of tragic twists. I'm so glad to be continuing this story and I hope you all love it just as much.

Alice Kitten: As you know, I'm posting lots of updates for my other Ouran story so this one will be updated at least once a week. I promise to take my time and not rush this one.

CookieMuncher42: This story is mostly going to follow Renge and Hikaru so that's why she's the one who shows up in the end ;]