Meanwhile, as the others continued with their dinner, Kaoru walked slowly down the hallway, bracing his unsteady frame by placing his hand on the wall now and then. By the time he reached the staircase that would take him down two levels to the ground floor and then to the exit, his energy was almost spent and his head was spinning. So rather than risk losing his balance and falling down a few flights of stairs, Kaoru sat down on the top step, drew his legs up and rested his head on his knees, hoping the dizziness would pass soon so he could get home.

A few feet away, Mori watched as Kaoru reached the stairs, and for a few anxious seconds, the tall third-year feared that the smaller first-year would actually attempt them. He tensed, ready to spring forward at even the slightest hint of the younger twin losing his balance, but thankfully, all Kaoru did was simply sit down and curl up on the top step.

Now, eventhough Mori was indifferent to the various and sundry antics the twins got up to on a daily basis, the sight of the usually cheerful boy sitting alone in the shadows was enough to fill his heart with a sense of compassion. He stepped forward, shoes barely making a sound on the floor.

"Kaoru," he said softly.

The boy started slightly, then raised his head and turned to look back over his shoulder.

"S-Senior Mori."

"Are you alright?"

Kaoru returned his head to his knees. "Just a little dizziness. It'll pass."

Mori crossed the distance in a couple of long strides, crouched down on the steps in front of him and gently raised his head, placing one palm against his cheek and forehead.

"You're not well," the senior murmured. "You should have said something." Then he caught himself and shook his head. "I am sorry. You did say something, they didn't believe you."

Kaoru blinked, a little unused to hearing the usually quiet boy speak so many words at one go. "Its alright."

"How are you going home?"

"I was supposed to walk home with Hikaru." Kaoru cast his eyes to the ground.

Then he yelped in surprise as Mori gently lifted him to his feet and carefully put an arm around him, bracing him against his side.

"I'll take you home," he said.

"Mori," Kaoru said, forgetting to address him as senior. "Thank you."

Mori's lips twitched into what Kaoru suspected was a bit of a smile. Then, slowly and carefully, senior and junior made their way down the stairs and out to the black luxury car that was waiting for them under the porch.

The drive home felt longer than it normally did to Kaoru as he sat leaning against the door, watching the world whizz past the window from under drooping eyelids. He shivered once and pulled his jacket tighter around him for the second time that evening. The next minute, Mori was draping his own jacket around the boy's shoulders. Kaoru looked up and canted a small smile in his direction.

"Hikaru will be alright," Mori said quietly. "Tamaki will probably offer to give him a ride home."

"What makes you think I'm worried about Hikaru?" Kaoru asked.

"You always worry about him," Mori replied. "Eventhough he's older, you have always been the one looking out for him."

"He just gets very emotional sometimes," Kaoru tried to defend his brother. "Sometimes he just lets his emotions confuse him and doesn't know what to do after that."

"Maybe its time you let him learn for himself."

"I'm afraid he'll get hurt." Kaoru sighed. "I don't want him hurt by anyone or anything… not even me. He's not used to being hurt."

"And you are?" the older boy looked at the younger one. "Are you used to the way he hurts you sometimes?"

Kaoru didn't answer, but Mori noticed him blink hard, as if fighting back tears.

"He… he doesn't mean to," Kaoru said at last.

"That doesn't give him the right to keep hurting you. He must learn to think of others and not only of himself."

The younger boy gave a slightly bitter laugh. "I've never heard you talk so much like this before."

"I don't speak unless there is an absolute need to. Sometimes you learn things more by listening than by speaking."

"That was a hint, wasn't it?" Kaoru asked.

Mori smiled that rare smile of his again. "Maybe."

The car turned a corner and pulled up the short drive to the Hitachin mansion, prompting the driver to announce their arrival at their destination. As soon as the vehicle had stopped under the porch, and the butler had opened the door, Mori got out and helped Kaoru into the waiting arms of his mother.

Lady Hitachin embraced her younger son gently.

"Thank you for bringing him home, Mori-san," she said over Kaoru's shoulder. "I'm very grateful."

Mori bowed. "It was my honor to be of service, Lady."

"Oh, your jacket," Kaoru said suddenly, remembering. He passed the sky-blue coat to the older boy, who draped it over his arm. "Thanks again."

"You're welcome," Mori replied, bowing once more to mother and son, before getting back into his car.

As the vehicle drove off, Lady Hitachin led her son into the mansion.

"Where is Hikaru?" she asked. "Why didn't he come with you?"

"He had some work to finish," Kaoru replied with a mental sigh. "He said it was better if I came home first." The boy leaned against his mother as they went up the stairs. "I think it would be best if I slept in one of the guest rooms. Don't want Hikaru to catch whatever I'm having."

"Funny you should say that," Lady Hitachin said. "Your friend Kyoya already called ahead to tell me you were arriving, and suggested the same thing. He also said a doctor from one of their hospitals is on his way here to take a look at you."

Kaoru smiled wryly to himself. It was so very like Kyoya to be that observant.

"There is one other thing, darling," Lady Hitachin continued. "I have to fly to Milan tomorrow morning for an event, and wont be back till Monday. Your father's already there organizing everything." She gently stroked Kaoru's red-brown hair. "But if you want me to stay, I can call and…"

"No," Kaoru interrupted. "You should go. Its probably nothing, and I'll have Hikaru and the maids here to look after me. If anything happens I can always call Kyoya. They have the best doctors."

Lady Hitachin kissed her son's forehead. "You're my brave Kaoru. I love you."

Kaoru gave his mother a weak hug. "Love you too, Mom."

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A/N - Firstly, thanks much to all reviewers for your comments...

Secondly, i think a few issues are in need of addressing... beginning with how names are spelt... now, i do not have access to the anime episodes 24/7, therefore i rely on my 8 Volumes of Ouran manga for referencing, so i spell the chara names the way i see them in the manga, ie: Hitachin, Kyoya, Suou, etc... there are also some chapters in the manga that havent been put into the anime yet..

also, regarding the OOC-ness in Chapter 1... well.. canonically, Ouran is a comedy and some things that work well for comedy, such as the banana peel, Renge coming up through the floor, etc.. dont really translate well into a drama fic without completely killing the mood of the story.. furthermore, for Hikaru and Haruhi, it was mentioned at the beginning of the story that it had been a long day for them all, and sometimes when you're exhausted, you tend to do and say things you normally wouldnt and vice versa..

being a comedy anime/manga, many of the charas also tend to be taken at only surface levels sometimes... what i like to do is strip away some of those layers and see what lies underneath and makes them tick... Sure, Hani's always talking about cake most of the time, but he's number one in his class... there has to be intelligence there somewhere, and i believe he's capable of serious conversation when the need calls for it... same with Mori... he may not speak alot, but it doesnt mean he doesnt speak at all...

this is also, only the first chapter of what i have a feeling will be a considerably long fic, so dont jump to conclusions simply by reading an introduction... at no point was it stated that i was leaving out Kyoya's notebook.. be patient, it simply hasnt made its appearance yet... as for the laptop.. in vol 6 of the manga there is a scene of him sitting in the Music Room in front of a laptop, hence why i used the imagery in this..

Thirdly, regarding this chapter and the use of terms to address the Hosts parents... Hitachin is their mother's last name, thus she is the head of the family there.. i felt using Mrs. Hitachin felt a bit too... commoner... granted that they're all rich and own heaps of property, i decided to use Lady Hitachin instead, in that she is the Lady of the house.. so to speak.