I hated this stanza. I ended up staring at the screen for…a few hours, maybe? before finally forcing myself to type. It was like a freaking essay for school ftw. I wanted to have the twincentric thing later on, but it ended up working better here. P.S. I think burnt toast and ice cold helps hangovers? I read it somewhere, but I can't remember where. I hope you can see how some of this is paralleling the actual (manga) storyline…

YES THIS CHAPTER HAS YAOI. YES IT HAS TWINCEST. IT'S OHSHC; WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?

White Houses

Over My Head

It's alright, and it's nice not to be so alone
But I hold on to your secrets

In white houses…
Maybe I'm a little bit over my head
I come undone at the things he said
And he's so funny in his bright red shirt
We were all in love and we all got hurt

The next day, everything went back to normal. Well, almost everything. As Haruhi passed Kyoya in the hallway, she felt herself blush and hurried quickly past him. He, however, showed no signs that anything had occurred between them the previous night, and she began to wonder if he had actually been extremely drunk and just couldn't remember. But he showed no signs of a hangover, and so she decided that couldn't be it. She finally decided that it had only be amusement for him, a "one-time fling" kind of thing, and so there should be no reason to bring it up again, and she tried not to think about it.

However, that didn't mean none of them suffered hangovers. While the twins, whose bodies were more used to the effects of alcohol than the others and suffered only minor headaches each, Haruhi found herself burning toast for Renge and Tamaki, who claimed to remember nothing that had happened. While this appeared true for Renge, Tamaki was able to recall something, if only one thing. He remembered the sweet kiss he had shared with a certain girl: the one who was currently trying to cure his hangover.

"Mmm…Haruhi, what happened last night?" he asked her upon one of her trips into his room. He took the piece of burnt toast she handed him and nibbled at it unhappily. He didn't understand how that and ice cold water helped with hangovers, but as it was actually working, he didn't really mind all that much.

"If you really want to know, maybe you should have stayed sober," she chided him, not meeting his eyes.

Tamaki felt a bit guilty. "Well….the twins said-"

"If they told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it!?" she exclaimed, glaring at him. Wait…why am I getting so angry?

Unbeknownst to her, Tamaki was wondering the same thing, and shut up immediately.

After a moment's silence, Haruhi apologized. "I guess I'm just tired from running back and forth." After another, she added, blushing ever so slightly, "Do you still want to know what happened last night?" He doesn't need to know everything…

Instead of the answer she expected, however, Tamaki smiled and said, "No, not really."

Haruhi deadpanned. All that… "Well, fine, then," she answered, and as she was just about to leave the room, turned back, looked like she was about to say something, but decided against it, and left Tamaki to himself.

However, he wasn't alone long before an identical set of heads popped into his room.

"So…" one started (he never could tell them apart).

"…Tono…" the other continued.

"…It seems like you like Haruhi," they finished together.

Tamaki immediately turned beet red. "N-n-n-no, you must be mistaken!" he exclaimed, waving his arms about violently. He continued ranting on for a few minutes, waving his arms about, before the twins, convinced of his true feelings, interjected.

"Do you want to hear what Renge told us?"

"-And furthermore, if I ever- …Renge? What would she have to tell you?"

The brothers looked at each other with a mixture of slyness that they knew something Tamaki didn't, and satisfaction that they had caught his attention.

"Well," Kaoru started, "We went to see how she was feeling a little while ago. While we were, she told us that last night, she'd left the room for no more than five minutes, but when she came back, Kyoya was leaving it (and he hadn't been there when she had left), and Haruhi refused to answer any of her questions on the matter."

"Of course," Hikaru added hastily, "She's not in much better condition than you, so whether this is true or if she dreamt it we really don't know…"

Tamaki, however, didn't appear to hear him. "H-Haruhi…and Kyoya? Why? How?"

"All I know is that she refused to kiss him after landing on him during our Spin The Bottle game, but that's the last I heard of anything," Hikaru answered.

Oh…So that's all it was last night? "But still, something must be done!" Tamaki exclaimed, ignoring the headache that the twins had only worsened.

"All you have to do is take her to town," Kaoru explained, "Take her to dinner, see a movie, hold her hand a bit, then come back late and have a late-night swim. It's half-way through our third week here; time is running out, you know."

Tamaki had only begun to consider this when the subject of their conversation appeared in the doorway. Surprised to see the twins there, when the other three boys were said to have been out back, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Just visiting our poor inmate," Hikaru seemed quick to answer now that it was Haruhi he was talking to.

"Well, you'd better leave. You're probably making him feel worse. Go hang out with the others and stay out of trouble, alright?"

"Sure thing, mom," the two answered simultaneously, going around her on either side to get out the door. As Hikaru passed, he placed his hand on her head momentarily, then passed by.

"Sorry, I should really hire a babysitter for those two," she grumbled.

"Ah…Haruhi, I was wondering…well, would you like to go to town later this week?" Might as well seize the opportunity while I can…

"Hm? Oh, sure, that might be fun!" she answered, and Tamaki inwardly sighed with relief, until she continued: "Have you asked the others about it yet? I mean, I'm fine with it…do you want me to ask them for you?"

"O-oh. Sure," he replied dejectedly.

"You okay?" she asked him, feeling his forehead, and he blushed. "I swear, if those two made you worse…"

"No! Really, I'm fine!" he replied happily, not willing to let her know the real reason why he was disappointed.

"Hikaru, are you alright?" Kaoru asked his brother as they sat on their bed a few minutes after their visit to Tamaki's room.

"Yeah. I'm fine," he replied, and laid down, staring up at the ceiling. However, within a few moments, his bother's worried face came into his view.

"You can't lie to me," he commented, but didn't push farther. When Hikaru didn't say anything else and avoided his eyes, Kaoru laid down next to him. After a few more moments of awkward silence, he reached for his brother's hand, but no sooner had he touched it than Hikaru pushed him away- literally- and sat up.

"Why would you do that!?" he exclaimed, looking at his surprised younger brother's face in anger.

"What do you mean? It's never bothered you before! Hikaru…you're acting strange. What's the matter?" Kaoru sat up and edged nearer to his brother, who refused to look him in the eyes.

"It's nothing."

"Liar. You're shaking."

"I said it's-! Fine. Just…don't hate me."

Kaoru almost laughed. "How could I ever hate you?" he asked, edging up to his brother, and lightly kissed his nose.

"Stop that!"

"Stop what?"

"That! Kissing and hand-holding and everything else we've ever done. It's just…it's not right! Don't you understand?" Hikaru closed his eyes, trying to block out his brother's face. He could feel tears behind his eyelids, but refused to let them pass.

"What are you talking about? Hikaru, what…? What are you saying?"

"Maybe…Maybe I loved you once. Maybe not. But I can't anymore. It's time we moved on. Just forget everything that happened. I know you must be disgusted with it, too. I mean, really, aren't you bothered by it?"

"Hikaru…?"

"I like Haruhi, ok!?"

Kaoru was silent for a moment. "You can't mean that. You've hardly known her three weeks. You don't even know her yet!"

"It feels like I do. I…I know what I feel! I didn't even want to tell Tamaki what we heard from Renge, because I don't want him to love her, too. I only did it because you wanted to! All those things we've done before don't matter anymore. I. Don't. Love you."

"…I understand," said Kaoru quietly, in a voice barely above a whisper, with a tinge of tears in it. He got up and left without saying another word.

Hikaru immediately felt terrible. No matter what their relationship, the two had always been extremely close; inseparable. He knew that he could sometimes say things that would hurt his younger brother, but Kaoru would always forgive him. Now he knew, merely to get a point across, a point he didn't wholly believe in himself, just for a tinge of feeling he wasn't entirely sure he could distinguish, that he'd only even mentioned because Kaoru kept pushing him, he had crushed his brother. However, he was never any good at apologizing, and so just sat there for a minute. He hoped the knock he heard on his door was Kaoru, but when it opened, it turned out to be the person they had been discussing the second time that day.

"Hikaru…Is Kaoru alright? I just saw him leave the room looking like he wanted to hang himself or something," Haruhi asked.

"It's fine," Hikaru mumbled, though her comment made him feel worse than he'd already been feeling, "We just…had a bit of a disagreement."

"Well that's dumb," Haruhi said straight out, and Hikaru felt a tinge of annoyance, "Whatever happened, you should apologize right away. I mean, I've only known you a few weeks, but I've never seen you two apart."

"What did you come here for?" Hikaru asked to change the subject, tired of the lecturing, and trying not to look her in the face.

"…Oh, right. You want to go to town towards the end of this week?"

He immediately forgot everything else, from Kaoru (well, mostly) to the fact that they'd been the ones to suggest to Tamaki to take her to town. He got off his bed and walked over to her, so that they were standing a little too close for Haruhi's comfort, and she took a step back, remembering slightly the incident of last night. "Haruhi…Does this mean you like me?"

"…What?" she seemed bewildered; however, he tried again.

"Well, aren't you trying to ask me out on a date?"

"…Uh…Not really. Tamaki thought of it. We're all going to go to town at the end of this week- well, whoever wants to. Why? Hikaru…Wait…was that what your argument was about? Do you," Haruhi blushed, "Like me?"

Looking at her face and seeing he may still have a chance, he answered, "I think so."

"I don't," she replied swiftly, though she was still blushing a little, "I'm flattered that you think that, but I think you're misunderstanding your feelings. Think about it: our personalities, first of all, I do not think would go together. How many common interests do we share? And favorite activities? We're too different. And anyway, why do you think you're in love with me?"

"Um…well…I…" he stuttered. Now that he was confronted with the question, he didn't know how to answer it. How was she so prepared for this!? "I dunno…It just feels like it. I mean, like now. It feels different than if I were with another girl."

"When do you recall feeling these feelings first?"

"Well, it hasn't been too long, I'll admit that. But I couldn't get you off my mind last night!"

"You mean after you kissed me?"

"After…I…"

Haruhi couldn't help laughing a little. "Trust me, you do not love me. You're just a typical guy."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Hikaru interrupted her.

"It means you're a kiss-o-holic, or something of the like. Look, you only think you like me because you kissed me, and I guess you liked it? But that's not love. And I'm sure if you think about it, you'll realize that love isn't about those feelings you get when you kiss someone, but the feelings that led you to want to kiss them in the first place, and that does not include getting drunk. And it doesn't matter how unorthodox those feelings may be, if you love someone, you love them. Think about which love is stronger; I can assure you that what you feel for me is just a fleeting fancy." With that, Haruhi turned and walked to the door, but stopped when she reached it, turned, and asked, "Are you two coming to town or not?"

"Uhh…Yeah," was all he could utter after her speech. When she left him, he ended up laying on the bed again, contemplating all she'd said, and not even realizing what half her words implied, before thinking himself into sleep.

"Their relationship is sure strange, indeed," Haruhi muttered to herself as she walked back to her room from the twins'. She hadn't meant to overhear the argument the two had had, but with their raised voices, how couldn't she? Luckily, it hadn't been loud enough for the others to hear, because if it had been, and they'd implied the same things she had, she didn't know what would have happened. She only hoped that her words would solve any issues the two were having.

Although she was an only child, Haruhi knew enough about boys from her father, who constantly warned her about them, telling her stories of all kinds. Besides that, enough people she'd known had been in relationships and broken up after a month (people in school would always talk about private things, even if she was nearby, because they thought she wasn't listening, and because she was "unpopular"). Therefore, through reasoning, she was able to easily guess what was going through Hikaru's head. She just didn't want him to make a mistake, and prayed he hadn't already made one.

When Hikaru awoke about an hour later, he found the covers pulled up over his body. He didn't really need to wonder who had done it; it could have only been one person. As he sat up, he realized the air conditioning was on fairly high, and silently thanked him in his head, and made a resolution to apologize the second he got the chance.

However, that chance didn't come easily. While neither appeared exactly cold to each other in hopes of letting the others in the group be ignorant as to the degree of their argument, Kaoru always seemed to uncharacteristically try to avoid his older brother for the next few days. If he was in the pool and Hikaru came out to join him, he would coincidentally discover that it was getting chilly, and claimed he'd rather be inside. He made sure to take late-evening walks, starting when Hikaru turned in for the night, and took so long that he was asleep (against his will) before Kaoru climbed into bed. Each morning, Hikaru would find the bed empty, as Kaoru had gotten up prior to him.

However, within only three days of their argument (which Hikaru still felt was too long) was the designated date that the group was to go to town. That meant that the two would be in a very close vicinity to each other, whether they liked it or not, giving Hikaru a chance to apologize at some point.

Also during this time, when he hadn't been watching his brother, Hikaru had been watching Haruhi. As he watched her and thought about her, he realized that what she had said had been all or mostly true (that, or he was thinking about the way she said he didn't like her so much that he actually convinced himself he didn't). He did feel affection for her, but more as a friend, or even a sister, not as a lover. Well, he had felt something for her those few hours, but like she said, it must have been a fleeting crush, and he hardly felt anything more by the time they went to town. He became annoyed that he'd done something so stupid as to mis-recognize his feelings, but then, was even more determined to make amends with Kaoru. He also resolved to never kiss Haruhi (or anyone else…besides Kaoru) again.

On Kaoru's part, he didn't want to avoid his brother like the plague, but he knew that when he was mad, he could sometimes stay mad for quite a while, so it was better to stay clear (he obviously didn't know that Hikaru was already eager to apologize). Plus, he knew that if he made his brother feel bad, his anger would dissipate faster. While it hurt him to hurt his brother, he figured it would be in their best interests. Besides, it wasn't as if Hikaru hadn't hurt him first, and Kaoru wasn't sure he'd completely forgiven him for that yet.

As it was, the group first decided to go out to eat when they first got to town (boys were treating, of course). No one could agree on where to go, but when Renge mentioned, "But I hear that Haruhi's never had giant tuna," it was decided; all the boys immediately urged her to let them take her to a sushi place. However, it was only after the group had sat down to eat that they learned there was no giant tuna left, as the next shipment was to come in early the next morning.

What kind of sushi place runs out of giant tuna!? Haruhi thought angrily, resting her forehead on top of the table. The others took the liberty of ordering for her.

It was about halfway through the meal when Kyoya said it. The only two people who were really making an effort to talk were Renge and Hunny. Haruhi made a comment here and there, but she was no doubt still upset over the ruined chance to try her most coveted dish, and he knew Mori's character well enough to know that him not talking was nothing to worry over. In fact, it would be more worrying if he was talking as much as the twins or Tamaki normally did.

But that was just the problem. Neither Hikaru, Kaoru nor Tamaki were talking. He thought over the possible reasons why this strange occurrence was occurring, and while he figured the twins must be fighting over something (it was only natural between family members, no matter how close they were), he couldn't figure out why Tamaki was so abnormally silent, unless he was caught in the middle of it all, and so decided to approach the problem directly.

"Are you three fighting or what?"

Perhaps not the most poetic thing that had ever come out of his mouth, but it sure got everyone's attention (by "getting everyone's attention", we mean that everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at Kyoya like he had two heads, though he was somehow able to keep his cool).

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Renge said to him after a moment.

Kyoya decided to ignore her, which was easier said than done, as she was wearing a low-cut shirt and short skirt. "Hikaru, Kaoru and Tamaki. Are you three fighting?" he repeated.

"We're not fighting!" the twins exclaimed at the same time, though they were sitting a few seats away from each other.

"Oh…yeah, I don't know what's going on. I'm just thinking about some stuff, no worries!" said Tamaki with a fake, bright smile. In truth, he was thinking of how to win over Haruhi's heart, because it was true; for the past week and a half, she'd been filling his mind. There was something about her that caught his eye…she was cute, intuitive…He couldn't even think of every single thing that attracted him to her because there were too many!

Kyoya looked at them silently before turning to Haruhi. If anyone else was likely to perceive anything, it was her. "What do you think?" he asked her.

"M-me?" Haruhi asked, pointing to herself. "Oh…No, trust me, they're not fighting or anything. I'll bet they just stayed up too late last night and are tired." I don't know what's up with Tamaki, she thought to herself, But Hikaru, Kaoru…your secret's safe with me. I know if they found out you really were fighting, they'd want to know why, and I don't think that would turn out so well.

"See? Nothing to worry about!" Renge and Hunny exclaimed happily, and everyone continued with their meals.

Kyoya still had his doubts, but didn't push the matter further, and instead wondered why Haruhi was covering for whatever was going on.

After their meal ended, they went on a shopping expedition. Because Renge said so. They split up almost immediately upon entering the mall, almost before the person who was smart enough to think of it called out the time to meet back there.

It was a good thing, too. Due to differences in speed and the large crowds that were there (it was a brilliant idea to go on a Saturday!), everyone became separated from one another (except for Mori and Hunny, the latter of which was being carried on the former's back). Renge was disappointed that she couldn't drag Haruhi into clothes shopping with her, while Haruhi was glad she could escape Renge's clutches for once; as much as she liked her, she knew she'd have her clothes shopping until they were to meet up with the others. Haruhi used this as an opportunity to buy a souvenir for her dad (Shouldn't it be the other way around? He's the one who's out of the country…). Any extra time and money would be used for clothes shopping. Maybe.

Hikaru fully intended to apologize to Kaoru as soon as everyone else was out of sight, but by the time they were, so was his brother, leaving him to follow in whatever direction he thought his twin had gone in. Kaoru, however, believed Hikaru to still be mad at him, and didn't intentionally avoid him; he figured that if Hikaru wanted to come with him, he'd have followed. Kaoru ended up window-shopping while Hikaru ended up Kaoru-shopping. Mori and Hunny spent their time visiting one sweets shop after another for the entire time, occasionally running into someone else from the group but who had a different destination. Tamaki, convinced that material items were the way to a girl's heart, ended up looking in several department stores. Kyoya ended up in the first cyber café he found; there was no computer or internet in their summer house, and decided it was better to use his time checking up on things than to waste it shopping. Anyway, what kind of guy is into shopping?

As it was, it took Haruhi the whole two hours to find something for her father. She wandered from store to store, looking for something that he might like. Make that something he might like and inexpensive; she didn't exactly have 85 on her for a sewing machine. She ran into Hunny and Mori at one point; Hunny suggested cakes and sweet things (she hadn't realized how much he liked them until then!), to which she lied, saying he was a diabetic. Mori saw through it, and smiled at her, which was rare for him, and patted her on the head, and they continued on their separate ways.

Eventually, almost when she'd given up hope, she found something. She'd hardly been looking; she'd been discouraged to that point, when something caught her eye. She wasn't sure why she was so drawn to it; it was just a picture frame, after all, nothing very extraordinary. The edges were lined with small roses, twisting and twirling about each other. It was pretty, and yet she knew it would be just the thing to get; simple, yet elegant, it would be perfect to hold the picture of her family, including her late mother, that was currently frame-less (she'd accidentally knocked into it while sweeping shortly before her departure for the summer house, and broke the old frame). She decided to get it for him- it was cheap, too!- paid, and left.

Meanwhile, Tamaki had managed to run into Renge. Even though the mall was huge, they both just happened to be looking for the same type of things, and so they found each other about half an hour before they were all to meet back up. He tried to pretend that he hadn't seen her, but he'd already caught her eye; his shirt was bright red.

And when Renge asked straight out why Tamaki would be in the girl's clothing section, he had no choice but to come out and tell her. After a while.

"Uh…well, see…"

"…Yes…?"

"There's…something I want to get."

"…For yourself?"

"No! Of course not; why would I wear girls' clothing?!"

"Then what are you doing in the girls' clothing section?"

"Well…I'm here because…"

"Because…?"

"…C'est au cause d'Haruhi! Parce que je l'aime!" (A/N It might be a bit off, and I don't know how to do accents, but it's French. Translation: "It's because of Haruhi! Because I like her!")

"Tamaki?"

"…Yes?"

"Mon pere est francais. Je connais beaucoup de la langue." (A/N Also might be a bit off, accents won't work, French as well. Translation: "My father is French. I know a lot of the language.")

"Oh."

"So have you told her yet? And by 'told', I mean in a language she actually knows."

"Well…no. Not exactly."

"Not exactly?"

"Well, not at all, really. But that's why I'm looking for something to give her! I'm hoping I can find something she really likes, and I'll catch her alone, sitting by the pool, just as the sun is setting, at that perfect time when the sky is a rosy pink! I'll walk up to her, and she'll look at me with curiosity in those big brown eyes of hers, and I'll hand it to her, silently. She'll look astonished as she sees what it is- 'Oh, Tamaki! You're so thoughtful!'- and invite me to sit with her. Then, we shall watch the sun set together, in each others' arms."

"…Are you quite done? Alright, I'm going to help you. Because you need all the help you can get."

And with that, they set off. Renge had several bags full of clothes already (which she made Tamaki carry, and so people thought they were a couple), so she saw no harm in helping him. Plus, she was the closest out of the group to Haruhi; her advice was sure to be invaluable!

They decided to steer clear of the big department stores and clothing stores; Haruhi was feminine, but not girly. They decided to get her something so beautiful, so exquisite, that no girl would be able to turn it down. They came across a store that prided itself on its glass creations. In the windows they saw pretty little animals, flowers, people, and more made out of glass, and decided to venture inside. In the store, they found dozens of more creations, but while Renge pranced all around the store (as the man at the counter glared at her), declaring, "Buy this one, it's so pretty! Oh, no, wait! Look at these trees with a swing between them! Oh no wait, this one is just so beautiful!", Tamaki had already decided which one to get.

By the time he had paid, it was just about time to meet up with the others, so that's where they went.

Kaoru was the only one missing when Hikaru joined the group. When he came up to everyone else, he was looking worried. "Kaoru isn't here yet?" he asked, and everyone could hear the anxiety in his voice.

"Wouldn't he be with you?" Kyoya asked.

"W-Well…"

"Kaoru wanted to do some shopping by himself for a bit," Haruhi stepped in, trying to keep her voice calm. "I mean, you can't shop for someone if you're right next to him, right? Sorry, I heard you guys talking about it," Haruhi lied.

"Y-Yeah," Hikaru agreed, silently thanking her for making up a story for him. "We were supposed to meet back up, but…" he couldn't even think about something happening to Kaoru. No. Not before he'd gotten a chance to apologize to him, before he'd gotten to tell him…

"We should all go looking for him," Tamaki declared.

"We could tell mall security," Hunny suggested, and Mori nodded in agreement.

"N-No…that's alright. I should find him myself," Hikaru decided.

"Hikaru!"

"But what if-?"

"You guys start heading back. I'll call you when I find him."

"Wait," Haruhi stopped him.

"Yeah?" Hikaru asked, with such an expression on his face that she swallowed, and almost didn't ask him.

"Did you try his cell phone?"

"…He didn't answer." And with that, he was gone. The others decided, with some discussion, they may as well follow his request and return home.

Hikaru tried calling Kaoru's cell phone again, but with no answer. He looked in all the stores he might possibly have gone into; clothing stores, food places, art supplies- but all to no avail. He ended up checking the pet store, the candle shop, the camera place- but he wasn't in any of those, either. Nearly an hour had passed since the others had left, and Hikaru thought he might have a heart attack from the nervousness, worry, and anxiety he felt. What if Kaoru had really been kidnapped? He decided he couldn't wait any longer, and went to find the mall security station. It was only by chance that he happened to pass one of those photo booths, and couldn't help but notice the amount of kids crowded around it.

"Um, what the hell? He's like, sleeping," he heard a girl a year or two younger than him, coated in gaudy make-up and pink, super-girly clothes, say.

"Probably just some homeless guy," Hikaru murmured, but couldn't help but take a closer look. His heart started beating twice as fast when the girl saw him, and looked at him in shock, like she'd just seen a ghost…or a clone. "Ok, everyone, get lost," he waved the kids away.

"Um, you're like, not the boss of us," the girl said to him defiantly.

Hikaru bent down a little to stare her straight in the face. "Get. Lost," he growled at her.

"Ugh. Whatever."

"But Berezenoff and I want a picture…!"

"…Uh. Find another booth. Scram. Get out."

Once everyone had dispersed, he pulled back the curtain. His knees felt weak, and he almost fell down when he saw the same person he'd been looking for for more than two hours.

"Kaoru. Kaoru, wake up," he nudged him, getting in the booth and pulling the curtain back. He kneeled down and shook his brother's shoulder. "C'mon, Kaoru. Everyone's been real worried about you."

Kaoru slowly opened his eyes to see his brother's face, inches from his, his eyes filled with tears. As soon as Hikaru saw Kaoru's eyes open, he buried his face in his arms on his shoulder, trying not to let himself cry.

"Mmm…Hikaru, you 'kay? You never cry…"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean what I said to you, none of it! I was so worried. I thought…I'm so, so sorry, Kaoru." Hikaru blurted out, and his shoulders started shaking with sobs.

"Hikaru…" Kaoru was fully awake now, and sat up, making his brother move his head from his shoulder. He saw Hikaru's tear-stained face before he wiped his sleeve over it, and on impulse, on instinct, Kaoru kissed him. They pulled back for a moment before embracing each other tightly, and Kaoru whispered, "I was never mad at you. I just thought…that you hated me."

"I'd never do that," Hikaru replied, holding him tighter.

"So what happened with you and Haruhi?"

"Don't worry about that. We talked and she made me realize that she's only my friend; at the most, I like her like a sister."

"Then what does that make me?"

"My twin brother. And…my lover."

And they kissed again.

They were interrupted when Hikaru's phone started ringing. He was tempted to ignore it when he remembered his promise to the others to call them. "Shit," he exclaimed, pulling back, and took out his phone.

"Hikaru? Are you okay? And have you found Kaoru yet?" came Tamaki's voice. They were obviously still worried.

"Ah, sorry, tono. I just found him. We're heading back now."

"Ah, that's good!" Tamaki exclaimed, "By the way, on your way back do you think you could pick up a daikon radish?"

"Sure."

"Do we really have to go?" Kaoru asked as soon as Hikaru hung up, and to get his point across, kissed him ever so seductively.

"Our bed's back at the house, though," Hikaru mumbled through his brother's lips.

"Mmm…true," Kaoru answered the same way.

They left the mall holding hands the entire way, ignoring all the stares and dirty looks. As long as they had each other, who gave a damn about the rest of the world?

"Uhh…You know, we're glad you're safe, Kaoru, but why'd you guys buy beer again?"

"We're not gonna fall for it this time."

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT PLAN YOU TWO DEVILS HAVE IN MIND THIS TIME, BUT IT SHALL FAIL!!" Tamaki proclaimed, jabbing his finger at him. Haruhi couldn't help laughing.

"No such luck," the two replied, smiling devilishly, "This is all for us. Maybe next time." And with that, they retreated to their room for the next day without leaving it once. With a case of beer locked in with them, no one asked, and no one wanted to know; they just left them alone.

And the next day when they left their room, no matter what they did, they were always by each other's side.

It was a few days later when Kaoru and Haruhi happened to meet each other alone in the middle of the night, one leaving the bathroom and the other heading back from a late-night snack.

"Ah…Hey, Haruhi! Thanks."

Haruhi stared at the boy in front of her. "Thanks? For what?"

"Hikaru told me that you made an excuse as to why we'd been separated at the mall the other day."

"So why does that deserve any thanks?"

"Because you know more than you're letting on," Kaoru said with a smile, resting his hand on her head. "And you deserve thanks- possibly more- for not letting the others in on it. But I have to ask, why? I mean, aren't you disgusted or anything?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Haruhi answered, "But back at your home, you're not exactly treated well in school, are you? You said even your parents could hardly tell you apart. You deserve to belong, even if it's to as weird a group as us. I didn't want that to be ruined. And…I don't think it should matter who you love, as long as that love is real. I mean, it may not be socially acceptable, but if you think about it, would it be better to be in a fake relationship with someone you don't really love, just because society says so? Married couples kill each other sometimes, and maybe that's why- because they can't be with the people they really love because of society, and have to deal with someone they hate 24/7. If you're really in love, I don't understand how it could be wrong, because if it's real, love is the purest feeling there is."

Kaoru stared at her for a moment, taking it all in. After a moment, he let out a laugh. "You should go into sociology."

"I want to be a lawyer."

"Whatever you say…" Kaoru pat her head, and went back to the room he and Hikaru shared.

Don't worry. I'll keep your secret, Haruhi silently vowed as she walked back to her room and fell asleep.

Say yes to twincest! D No but seriously. Whew. I got stuck a few times, but I got around it. Surprisingly, HikaKao is NOT the main pairing of this story, but I guess it's like the 2nd biggest one? Yeah. As of my current plans. –rubs hands together evilly-

Speaking of, what do you think Tamaki got Haruhi!? Took me a while to think of that too, lol. But you'll see it in the next chapter! Speaking of, I dunno if you caught it, but when he was shopping with Renge, it said Tamaki was wearing a bright red shirt. Later, he made Haruhi laugh. Hence, it fits. Woo! P.S. I added that in at the last moment lol. –cough it's the first time it's really stated that she laughs cough-

Speaking of, yes, that was Nekozawa and Mei (reincarnated?) by the photo booth. I had to alter them a bit. I didn't even think of making it Mei until I realized I wrote "gaudy make-up" lol. I really wanted to have the Lobelia girls hit on Haruhi but…Maybe later? D:

Thanks to Lit for the word "sociology" –dies-

Well. Reviews are lurve! :D