The Twenty-Third Day

Hikaru wasn't allowed to stay home with Kaoru, he said he was fine and that he could take care of himself, and he felt better if Hikaru wasn't there. It hurt Hikaru deeply to hear Kaoru talk about him like that, but Hikaru wasn't about to argue with his precious darling. After listening to Kaoru cry and whine, it's all Hikaru could do to not break down into tears and sobs infront of Kaoru. Hikaru didn't know if he could keep his composure through the school day, remembering those sobs, those cries, not being able to come in and help his brother because Kaoru thought that Hikaru had left, and coming in would mean Kaoru finding out Hikaru lied to him. Hikaru hated lying to Kaoru. It's one of the things that brought him the most pain in life, Hikaru couldn't lie to Kaoru if Kaoru figured out or thought it might be a lie. Kaoru was just so sharp.

"It's alright, Hikaru," Kaoru had soothed when Hikaru was getting dressed to go off to school. The voice, the eyes, the tears those eyes had cried, all of it made Hikaru's heart ache and he wanted to sob and hold Kaoru, never to let him go. Kaoru didn't want Hikaru, nor did he say that he needed him. Hikaru wanted to hear those words pass those angelic, soft lips again.

"I need you, Hikaru," Kaoru had cried once when he broke his arm from straying from Hikaru's eyesight. So, to stay with Kaoru, Hikaru had gone and broken his arm as well, so he could be with his brother. The twins were supposed to be alike in mind, shape, and form. It wasn't so. They tried to mimick the other's actions so no one knew that they WERE different, that they weren't the same person. Lex saw that. That's what happened to Kaoru. Lex figured it out, and now Kaoru was pulling away.

"I need you, Kaoru," Hikaru admitted to himself as he began walking out the door to go to school. It was quite a bitter cold day, stinging his nose. Usually Kaoru's warm hand was in his.

Hikaru never thought about Kaoru this much.

Never had Hikaru thought about Kaoru this much in his whole life. Kaoru was always a granted.

Hikaru couldn't help but feel that his precious brother and lover was slipping right through his fingers. He felt that he wasn't even trying to block Kaoru from leaving. A thought suddenly hit his mind that he thought was so absurd, he tried to brush it off as impossible. It kept gnawing at his mind, though.

What if I'm leaving Kaoru?

Hikaru couldn't believe it, why did this thought keep coming back? It wouldn't leave him alone... maybe... just maybe, it was true? Hikaru shook his head, he had to get these thoughts out of his mind, he was already halfway through second hour, and he hadn't focused on a single thing the teachers had said. They called on him and he couldn't really reply at all. He got sent to the office and got detention so he'd have to miss club, and he'd have to miss going to see Kaoru earlier than supposed to. Hikaru longed to see Kaoru's face again. To tell him that he was lying to himself.

For some reason, he knew Kaoru would give no such support.

"Hikaru? Are you okay?" Haruhi asked as she sat in the Music Room with Lex sleeping on her lap. Hikaru and Kaoru had both almost forgotten that their torturer WAS only a child, I guess that made them hate her even more. "Is Kaoru alright?"

Hikaru nodded and sat next to her, glaring at the child who was fast asleep. Hikaru wanted to wake her up and scream at her. Life was better when he was pretending, life was great when Kaoru didn't know that Hikaru loved him, everything was better before this damn brat came into the picture. Lying was wonderful when it was to the outside people. Now it seemed like the worst thing to ever even THINK of doing.

"Hey, weren't you taking care of Kaoru?" Tamaki asked, shocked, as he walked into the music room. "I heard that someone had taken time off of school because Kaoru requested having them take care of him. Wasn't it you?"

"Kaoru said I made him feel even sicker..." Hikaru snapped.

"Then who was it?" Tamaki wondered. Hikaru found himself wondering that question as well. Who would Kaoru request that was out of the Host Club? Did Kaoru even trust anyone outside of the Host Club? Hikaru found it hard to believe, and hurt when he tried to think about Kaoru wanting someone outside of his circle, much less of dissapointment however, than he had of knowing that Kaoru didn't want Hikaru to take care of him. Hikaru felt like crying and going home to snuggle with Kaoru. Hikaru found it hard to be happy around these people anymore, he just wanted his darling brother. It didn't matter what people thought. He wanted his Kaoru.

"I want to go home!" Hikaru groaned.

"Don't you have detention?" Haruhi remembered.

Hikaru growled and nodded and he stormed off to go to his detention room. Detention was hell, boredom, and worst of all, Hikaru had time to think. LOTS of time to think because he didn't know anything about his homework and was going to ask Kaoru about it when he got home, for mostly all of his homework was English and language, and Hikaru never paid attention to that crap. Hikaru sighed and moaned as he tried to find something to do, he drew doodles and everything. He couldn't stop thinking about Kaoru. This was something new to Hikaru. Hikaru never in his life had thought about Kaoru this much. It was starting to worry Hikaru and he began crying.

"What's wrong, Hikaru-kun?" The teacher asked as he walked over and kneeled next to Hikaru. "Are you sick again?"

Hikaru nodded and shook his head, but finally decided that, yes, he was sick. Hikaru was given a pass and the school called a limousine to come pick Hikaru up and take him to his home. When he got there, he met an evil, black person.

"What are you doing here, Nekozawa?" Hikaru cursed as he walked into his bedroom.

Nekozawa sat on the edge of the bed, trying to get Kaoru to eat something.

"It smells like a dead rat!" Kaoru complained.

Nekozawa laughed and Hikaru realized that Kaoru had requested Nekozawa to come take care of him. This hurt Hikaru, that not only was Tamaki higher than Hikaru somewhere in Kaoru's mind, but Nekozawa was also higher than Hikaru! Hikaru was angry and he dashed over and pushed Nekozawa away.

"Hikaru!" Kaoru scolded.

Nekozawa didn't say anything, he just rited himself and stood there, staring at the two.

"What do you think you're doing?" Kaoru snarled.

Hikaru shook his head and kissed Kaoru's lips.

Kaoru layed there, shocked. Hikaru removed his mouth and huffed, "I'm staying home with you from now on, got it?"

Kaoru smiled, tears in his eyes. Had his brother betrayed him? Or was that a lie Kaoru told himself?

Again, Kaoru tried to say something, but Hikaru's tongue silenced him. Kaoru seemed to melt under that tongue; those lips always silenced him. Kaoru moaned when Hikaru pulled away and pulled Hikaru back. At home, Kaoru was usually the one who made Hikaru melt; Kaoru was the dominant one at home, but because he was younger, at school they pretended Hikaru was dominant. It was nice, for Hikaru to make his twin shiver, to make him moan. It was nice to experience at home once in awhile too. Nekozawa laughed and left. He had suspected that this would happen all along, which was partially why he did it in the firstplace.

Just like that, the two were glued and couldn't keep their hands, lips, or tongues off of the other person.

"Those twins," Nekozawa laughed as he was getting ready to leave.

Haruhi's POV

Kaoru's getting close to Hikaru, and it's worrying me. I hate to say it, but I think I love Kaoru... but that's not supposed to happen, I'm not supposed to fall in love with anyone. Not yet, I'm too young for falling in love. Kaoru though, he makes me melt, and thinking of him hurt, sick, and alone makes me sad. Thinking of him with Hikaru though, that makes me even sadder. I don't really like the idea of those two together, they're brothers after all. I used to have this crush on Hikaru, but it went away.

I might also like senpai... but... Kaoru is just... I can't really stop thinking about him. I'd never admit it though, everyone would spazz out. I'm a bit like other girls, just not entirely. So, I'm really tomboyish, so what? I can still act like a normal girl and fawn over someone. I just choose not to on the outside. On the inside though, I could be crushing on someone, then totally forget they even exist and focus on some family issues. So, I'm a little weird, whatever.

I just can't help it... there's something about him.