We were curled together under the sheets.

Suki was very suspicious, but left us alone to go to bed.

My head was on his chest, our hands joined firmly.

"I'm sorry."

"For the hundredth time, drop it," he groaned.

"I feel awful, Hikaru! Please let me make it up to you!"

"You can pay me back by letting it go!"

"I can't do that, Hikaru."

"I don't want anything else!"

"Can we at least talk everything out?"

"No, Kaoru. I don't want you to be upset just because of things neither of us can change."

"Try to understand, Hikaru," I begged softly. He blew a strand of my hair away from his face.

"Kaoru, I know this hurts you, but it really hasn't been too long since I left Haruhi. She's the only person I've ever loved besides you; it'll just take time." I bit my lip "And even if you haven't done anything with Suki, I know you have some feeling for her somewhere."

"We…We have done some things…" I admitted hesitantly. He sighed in frustration.

"Kaoru, just what have you ever told me that's completely true?"

I couldn't be offended, because he was right.

I was a hypocrite too…

"I love you. That will always be true," I replied.

"And I love you, but we need to start being honest."

"…We didn't get much past kissing."

"Kaoru, I wasn't talking about that!"

"I know."

"We're so fucked-up, aren't we?" He sounded so bitter, but I could only laugh and agree.

"It can wait until morning," I dismissed, looking up to kiss his chin. After a bit of struggle, he managed to shift enough for our lips to meet.

"Good night."

The Sunday sky was bright when Hikaru gently shook me awake.

"Time to talk," he warned as I rubbed his neck.

And so we did.

There was much pacing, much hand-kneading, and so many agonized looks from the both of us.

We discussed many important things.

I told him about the pain I went through every time he didn't come home.

He told me about how awkward it was to be together with me and Haruhi at the same. He told me that he always felt like he was cheating, no matter what he did.

I told him how Suki wanted to use me.

We said so much more than words, and a lot of it was hard to digest, but Hikaru was speaking from the heart, so I could only return the favor. We weren't even close to finished when there was a knock at the door.

"It's me," Suki called. "Can I come in?"

Exchanging a glance, Hikaru and I donned our house robes and opened the door.

She was fully dressed, hair curled and bouncing around her head.

"I think you two should get dressed," she said, an order more than a suggestion. Hikaru stared at her with defiant incredulity. I, however, began to panic.

"Do we have guests?" I asked.

"You could say that," Suki frowned, crossing her arms.

"Did you invite them? This is our estate, you know," my brother said imperiously, straightening up and puffing out his chest.

"Hikaru, we'd better just do it," I breathed, bottling up my fear and trying to act indifferent. "If they're already here, we might as well…" I shut the door with a (fake) reassuring smile to the girl outside.

He knew something was wrong, just from the look on my face.

"Kaoru…do you know anything?"

"No; hurry up," I snapped, throwing clean clothes at him. "This is probably really bad."

"Kaoru, what are you saying?" he asked carefully, gauging my expression.

"She's all dressed up for something. I don't feel good about this…"

I couldn't button up my shirt. I held my hand out, frowning as it shook harder when I tried to control it. Hikaru reached out and did up my shirt with a deep frown on his face.

"Someone just got here," he muttered, pointing towards the window. I pulled my pants up, struggling over to see who it was. The car obviously belonged to—

"Ootori? Kyouya?!" Why's he here?!" Hikaru snarled.

We watched him enter the house and I turned to Hikaru, who shrugged and buttoned my pants for me as well.

"Kaoru, let's go get some answers."

Everything was going to hell.

We were all sitting in the private parlor, sipping tea.

Me…

Hikaru…

Suki…

Kyouya…

…and my parents, home early from their business trip.

"Now, Suki must have called all of us here for something important," my mother said pointedly, looking to the girl for confirmation.

She cleared her throat and stood up.

"Yes, Hitachiin-san. I think this is a matter of extreme importance." Her eyes were clear on the surface, and I'm certain that I was the only one who could see the scheming behind the cool façade.

"I would like to make a request to marry Kaoru…when we get a bit older, of course."

Hikaru choked on his tea. I felt myself blanch. Kyouya looked at both of our reactions with his open, too-bright eyes. Mother's lips thinned. Father's eyes widened.

Then everyone turned to me.

"Kaoru? How do you feel about this?"

Everyone's eyes and attention suddenly set my pulse off, and my breathing jumped out of control to try to match it, and the effect was instantaneous.

I fell back in my chair, clutching at my collar and struggling to breathe.

"Shit!" I heard Hikaru's shout as if I was underwater. "Kyouya-senpai! Do you have anything?"

I fought to make deep breaths, doing my best to fight. Suki's panicked face seemed skewed as my body screamed for air. Someone shoved my face into a paper bag and I utilized it gratefully, taking several agonizing moments to calm down.

"Obviously, you didn't consult Kaoru before coming to us," Father commented quietly. Mother seemed a bit distressed, but nodded, looking over the room.

I kept the bag firmly over my chin, looking over to Kyouya, begging him to step in.

"I think you're being a bit hasty," he said to Suki. "Why are you so eager to get married?"

My fingers crinkled the bag.

"Is this about your brother?" I asked softly, staring at the ground. "Are your parents pushing you?"

"They aren't my family," Suki spat, face dropping from defiant to irritated. "But…he's my brother! I can't see him as anything else, and…it's disgusting to want to be like that with him!"

I could feel Hikaru and Kyouya absorb her words. I wanted to shout something—anything!—to justify my own situation, but all I could feel, along with a numb sensation of dread, was…

'…she knows.'

She had to know something from the way she was measuring me up.

I wanted to ask her so much, but all I could feel was fear.

She had power over us, and we both knew it.

"Mother, let me and Suki talk this out. We'll come to a conclusion and get back to you later today," I heard myself say.

"We're glad you're home early," Hikaru added, pulling me up. I glanced at Suki, who bobbed over to stand at my other side, and we left, followed by Kyouya, into the empty second-floor sitting room.

"What do you want?" I demanded when we were all inside.

"You," she replied coolly, eyes flicking over my body. "And I am well prepared to fight for him," she added with a glare towards Hikaru.

"What do you know?" I continued with a frown.

"I know that you're in love with Hikaru, and that you've done things together," Suki stated blandly, gazing warily at the bed. "If you refuse me or kick me out, I'll tell your parents all about it. And I know Kyouya-senpai and Haruhi are involved in this, and I won't keep from ratting them out."

"Why?" Kyouya demanded with his icy countenance flaring beneath the surface. "What purpose could this possibly serve you?"

"I don't…I don't have anything else; I will not let this escape me."

"Suki, what is going on?!" I inquired forcefully.

"Akira…he told me that…he's interested in me, Kaoru!" She looked miserable all of a sudden, but I didn't move, still grasping the paper bag in my tight fist. "He…wants me!"

"And? Are you rebelling by coming here?" Kyouya frowned.

"I knew Kaoru wouldn't turn me away. I didn't expect things to turn out like this…exactly. I mean, I never expected him to be gay! But, it's the best choice I could make for my future. At least consider it, Kaoru! I won't be demanding, and you could still see Hikaru! No one outside this room will ever hear about your…partnership. You can just pretend it never happened!"

"Suki…this is messed up. Do you even know what you're talking about?!" Hikaru shouted, gesturing wildly. "You're so screwed up, and you want everyone else to be miserable!"

"You're wrong," she smirked, sadness dripping away. "It'll be a 'happily-ever-after' no matter what. If you make it easy, I think I could look away anytime you two want to spend 'more time' together."

It wasn't a bad proposal. Hikaru and I could still exist together this way…in secret. No one would even suspect anything.

But I could tell from the way Hikaru was glaring just how much he disagreed.

"Kaoru?" Kyouya prompted me coldly. "Can you agree to these terms?"

"We need time to think about it," I muttered, "and I want to speak with Suki alone for a moment."

Hikaru grasped my hand, forcing my attention to his tortured, angry face, before trailing after Kyouya out of the room.

I turned to Suki.

"How did you find out about us?"

She scoffed. "The signs were everywhere once I looked. Kyouya-senpai separation you and your attempt at switching on him made me curious, though."

"How did you tell us apart, then?"

"Are you interrogating me?"

"Maybe; just answer the question." She looked away, crossing the room to gaze out the window at the bright, clear sky.

"The look in your eyes," she whispered almost inaudibly. "Hikaru's always tend to take a bit longer to focus on specific things, almost like he's trying to watch everything at once."

I didn't know what to think about her observation. It was undoubtedly true, but was she always that perceptive? I found it hard to believe that she spent any amount of time comparing us, the way everyone else seemed to.

"Why me?"

"You didn't take advantage of me all those times when I was so weak. I mean, I guess it all makes sense now…" she remarked stonily, looking away from the cool glass. "Even when you had nothing to lose, you didn't try to make me yours."

"I didn't love you; I still don't and never will. I belong with Hikaru. I will never make you happy."

"You think I don't know that?!" the girl shrieked. Every word I had spoken had twisted her face a little bit, and thus, the offended result. "Do you think I care?! I'm trying to help both of us, Kaoru, but you've always only cared about yourself!"

"You stupid brat! Every single person alive has key interests to keep them sane and alive! Mine is Hikaru, and yours seems to be blind, ignorant persistence! Leave us alone!" I shouted back, as Hikaru would have wished it.

"Shut up! I won't take this from you, if you cooperate like a good boy!"

"Who's being selfish here?! I just want you to be smarter about this! Talk to your family!"

'Just stay away from us! We're finally to a point where we can fix this! Don't touch our happiness!'

"Why do you think I'm here, Kaoru?" She was getting desperate. "I tried talking, reason, threats, bargains…they won't let me escape this. I'm not asking for you to love me, just to save me from them." Suki's eyes turned on me, filling and spilling pathetically. I refused to crumble under her tactics.

"One week. Give it a week. Go back home, and do what you have to to work it out. If not, we can come back here and do this again."

"It won't change anything," she protested, working herself up again, but I interrupted her.

"Just do it! If it doesn't change anything, there still shouldn't be any immediate consequences!"

Suki opened and shut her mouth, searching for something to say, and I took advantage of her momentary break in words to make a dramatic exit, slamming the door as she called out, "Wait!"

Kyouya and Hikaru were waiting outside, apparently having half-heard the negotiation/argument.

"One week? What do you intend to change in a week?" Kyouya asked, jumping up as I attempted to brush past him.

"Not here," I whispered, not breaking pace until we stood securely at the far end of my and Hikaru's room.

Both boys watched me with questions in their expressions.

"Urm…I'm open to suggestions…" I muttered.

They must have—for some reason—expected some intricate, baffling plan, and both seemed angry with my empty words.

"We can think of something!" I encouraged feebly. Kyouya crossed his arms. Hikaru rubbed his eyes. I held my breath, waiting for—

"Kaoru, I'm not bailing you two out of this one; think of something yourselves," Kyouya announced, sitting in Hikaru's favorite armchair.

"Kyouya-senpai…" Hikaru sounded so betrayed, and I sighed heavily, expecting no less from either of them.

"I understand. Will you still give me advice if I ask?" I requested, ready to be shot down again.

"If you think it will help," he replied instead with a shrug. "Kaoru, you've majorly screwed yourself on this one."

"Yeah. He doesn't pick the best friends," Hikaru shot darkly.

"Hikaru, Kyouya-senpai has already done more than a lifetime could repay…for both of us. We should be grateful; I mean, it's really not his problem."

"What do you mean, Kaoru? Hikaru is completely accurate: you have poor judgment when it comes to people."

"What do you mean?" I murmured nervously.

His words held a heavy sense of foreboding, and I felt myself begin to tremble again. They were like electricity, running through my body and all around me.

The door opened suddenly, and there stood Suki beside my parents, a secret, triumphant smile on her face.

"Kaoru, Hikaru, I think you need to explain some things," Father said quietly at the same time Mother bellowed, "What's been going on?!"

How…

How could she?!