Disclaimer: I do not own OHSHC.

A/N: This one's a bit longer and sorry for the long wait. :)

Envy

The cherry oak desk shuddered violently as Kyoya's fist came down on it with chagrined force. It was 5:33 in the morning and he hadn't gotten a single bit of work done. All because of that damn Kaoru. He couldn't focus. Every time he had been able to gather his scattered thoughts, a mental video of Kaoru walking away from him shoved it's way to the forefront of his mind. It displayed itself at regular intervals as well. And the more he thought of it, the more abashed he felt. Even when Kyoya had attempted to sleep, the memory still lurked around his mind. He slammed the lid of his laptop closed and stood. He began pacing in tight circles around the middle of his room

"At the Host Club today, I'll just have to observe him. See if he was affected by my abrasiveness. Then I will make the decision from there whether or not I should apologize." Kyoya finally agreed. By now it was about 6:30 in the morning. That was his cue to get ready for the school day ahead. Unlike that idiot Tamaki, he to actually try succeed past his father's expectations while trying not to step on his older brothers' toes.

Kaoru, having woken up abnormally early, was already fully dressed and was now stumbling over his tie. Oddly enough, Hikaru was much better with ties and the like than Kaoru had ever been. Yet Hikaru was probably going to oversleep again. The closer they came to approaching summer break, the longer his (slightly) elder brother slept in. And they had but two months remaining before then. Kaoru sighed and settled with his messily done tie as he tucked it inside the uniform blazer. Now he had lots of extra time on his hands. That was never good for Kaoru. He always ended up thinking of things he'd rather avoid. Like the fact that Hikaru was slowly becoming an individual entity where he and Kaoru had always seemed one in the same. The fact that one day, much too soon, he would be alone and Hikaru would be off with someone. But then his thoughts connected something. He had observed the Host Club enough to know a few things. One day, Tamaki would realize his feelings for Haruhi and they would most likely end up together. One day, Renge would end up falling for either Hikaru or Mori-senpai even if she said she preferred Kyoya. More likely Hikaru as he had noticed lately. She always seemed so put off by their brotherly love act (usually glaring at Kaoru specifically) but didn't mind as much when Mori-senpai and Hunny-senpai performed their acts. Kaoru's thoughts continued. Mori-senpai and Hunny-senpai would easily be able to find someone but they always had each other. They would graduate soon anyway. So then, he realized, if the Host Club split it would be: Tamaki & Haruhi, Renge & Hikaru, Mori-senpai & Hunny-senpai. Then with Renge in a relationship and Tamaki in a relationship, Kyoya would be alone. No stalker and no best friend, no matter how much he avoided admitting it. And Kaoru knew he would probably be alone as well because he had no Haruhi or Hikaru. So maybe, just maybe, he could keep Kyoya some company. At least be there so he didn't feel alone. He knew damn well that Kyoya was already alone. He isolated himself. Each time he opened his heart, it just came back to bite him in the end. He'd surrounded his heart in ice and surrounded himself with shadows. From that point on, Kaoru became determined to win his latest game against himself. He would find his way through the shadows and break through that ice. Just so he could turn around and shatter his senpai's heart. It was a cruel game, but it was what he and Hikaru usually did.

Obsidian eyes that were hidden behind a sheet of glass had themselves focused on the front of the classroom. A slender finger reached to push the bridge of the glasses up an equally slender nose. The second the bell rang a shout came. "Kyoya! I have an idea for the next Host Club cosplay!" Tamaki Suoh. Kyoya knew his voice all too well. The blond annoyance never ceased to truly push his accounting skills. "What is it Tamaki?" He asked in an autonomous tone, the same obsidian eyes shifting to look at the eccentric boy.

"We can dress like common Americans!" Tamaki exclaimed. Kyoya raised an eyebrow. "Mori-senpai would make the best...er...what are they called? Oh yeah! 'Gangster'!" Tamaki gushed. The raven haired boy sighed. Tamaki's latest excursion would definitely cost them a good million yen for each costume. But the twins could always ask their mother to do some for a discount. Or the twins could do it themselves. That was definitely an alluring idea. Also if he found he should apologize to Kaoru, he could always ask him to stay later after the Host Club closed and have his excuse be that he wanted Kaoru to start on a few costumes. Yes. That was what he would do.

The day had gone by in a blur for Kaoru. Maybe because he'd been anticipating starting his game. Or maybe just seeing Kyoya-senpai in general. But he would never admit that. It was just a game. Nothing more. Yet now, as he walked beside Haruhi and Hikaru, he felt anxious. He opened the door to the club room and found Tamaki was prancing about. Then he came to stand in front of Haruhi. "Haruhi! We're going to dress like common Americans!" he gushed. "I'd rather not Senpai." she said, her voice acidic. Almost immediately My Lord went to his corner of woe and began tending to his mushrooms. This was all just a side observation of Kaoru as we was already walking toward Kyoya. The vice president sat at his desk like any other day, typing away at his laptop. Before he got too close, Kaoru's eyes scanned over the older boy. Checked his body language. The muscles in his neck and shoulders were placid and poised for the most part but there was the slightest, anxious twitch there every few seconds.

"You seem anxious." Kyoya looked away from the computer screen at these words. Kaoru now looked over his shoulder the same as he had yesterday. "Kaoru." he acknowledged the boy's presence then returned to his work. "Are you?" Kaoru continued to press. "Not by any means." he answered coolly. "I'm not buying your frontage Kyoya-senpai." Kaoru said. Damn this boy sent to torment me. Kyouya thought, his face staying completely placid. "Then what do you want?" Kyoya asked, working so that it would not come out in a hiss. "I want you to tell me what's wrong." Kaoru said. Is he just feigning vexation? Or is he really concerned? Kyoya questioned within his mind.

"I'm magnificent." Kaoru could tell Kyoya was lying. Trying to get though to him is going to be harder than I expected. Kaoru thought. "If you feel like telling the truth, I'll be over with Hikaru." he said, stalking off. Kyoya sighed. Something odd burned at the bottom of his cold-blooded, glacial heart. He felt a sudden sharp dislike toward Hikaru. Is this envy? No. I have no feelings toward Kaoru of any kind. So why would I care if he's with Hikaru instead of myself? He thought to himself.