After their mother left, the twins had dinner. While they ate, they talked and joked about nothing in particular. There was only one topic both of them deliberately avoided. Kaoru was relieved that Hikaru had let it drop for now. Hikaru was happy just pretending things were back to normal. When they had finished eating, Kaoru dozed while Hikaru did his homework.
Later on, Hikaru turned off the light and crawled into bed next to his sleeping brother. "Mmmm," mumbled Kaoru rolling over to look at his twin, "You coming to bed? What time is it?"
"Almost 11:00. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Hikaru apologized, wrapping an arm around his brother.
"It's okay, I didn't mean to sleep so long. Those meds really wipe me out." Kaoru snuggled closer to his twin, enjoying the warmth he brought to the bed.
"You needed the sleep. How are you feeling?"
"Better I suppose."
"You coming to school tomorrow?" Hikaru wasn't looking forward to facing another day at school alone.
"I don't know. It will be hard seeing everyone."
"If it makes you feel uncomfortable, you don't have to come. But I'm sure they would all like to see you. They are worried about you too." Hikaru reminded his twin.
"I know, but what if they start asking questions? What will I do then?" he implored.
"It will be okay. You don't have to answer anything. I will be right there beside you. If anyone bothers you, I will take care of them," he assured him.
Kaoru knew his brother was speaking the truth. He could count on his twin to be there to protect him. He drew himself closer into his brother's embrace. "Thank you," he whispered.
"Besides," added Hikaru with a smile, "Brotherly love does not make a very good solo act." To his surprise, he felt Kaoru stiffen in his arms. He was trying to make his brother feel better, not scare him. "What's the matter?" he asked, concerned.
"It's nothing," he claimed, unconsciously backing away from his brother. This was exactly the kind of intimacy that had caused all the trouble to begin with.
"Do you not like our brotherly love act? Are you bored with it? Does it make you uncomfortable?" Hikaru was becoming worried. Brotherly love was so much a part of who they were, he wasn't sure he could give it up now.
"No, no, it's nothing like that. I love having you near me, holding me." He reached up and caressed his brother's cheek. "It's just that, lately, I worry what other people think."
"Not to worry, the girls still love the act," Hikaru reassured him. "Brotherly love will always be popular with them."
"That's not what I meant." Kaoru argued. "What about other people, outside of Host Club? What do they think?"
"Who cares what they think?" he declared. "We do it for us…for the girls."
"But what if they think it's wrong?"
"Do you think it's wrong?"
"No…I don't know. I'm confused. It doesn't feel wrong. But they said it was."
"Who said it was?"
Kaoru's eyes went wide. "No one!" he blurted and rolled away from Hikaru. "We should go to sleep now."
"Who said it was wrong?" Hikaru persisted. He moved closer to Kaoru, and with a firm hand on his shoulder, gently rolled him onto his back. He looked into his brother's face and saw tears in his eyes. It was then he realized what this was all about. "It was them wasn't it. The people who hurt you. They said it was wrong. That's why they did it."
Kaoru looked up at him, in silence. A tear ran down his cheek. He didn't have to say a word, Hikaru knew. "Oh, Kaoru! I'm so sorry." He embraced his brother once again, and both of them cried.
oOoOo
The next morning, Kaoru decided that with Hikaru by his side, he could go to school. The girls all made a fuss over poor injured Kaoru, but Hikaru kept them at bay. He also fielded the onslaught of questions with elaborate responses that answered nothing, but kept the prying students happy. Kaoru took such comfort in his brother's presence, he didn't think he could love him any more than he did right now.
After classes ended, the freshman trio walked to Host Club together, with Kaoru in the middle. Not even Haruhi could part the twins today. Nor would she want to. She was so pleased to see them side by side again.
The other club members were happy to see Kaoru as well. No one asked a single question. They greeted him with gentle hugs and ruffled his hair. Their family was whole once again.
Kaoru had decided that Ranka was right. He did have a good family and good friends. He could rely on them to support him. And he knew that he would do the same if they needed him. They could help him protect Hikaru if need be. He would tell them the truth.
With Hikaru seated by his side, he began nervously. "Before Host Club begins, I should probably tell you all what happened."
"No need," interrupted Tamaki. "We already know."
"You know?" blurted the twins in unison. "But how?"
"Well," began Tamaki, taking on the roll of a detective at the denouement, "The physical evidence," he waved a hand at Kaoru, "tells us what happened. The time of his disappearance tells us when it happened. The interrogation of our customers yesterday led us to the scene of the crime. All that was missing was the culprit and the motive. We have Kyoya's keen observation skills to thank for unraveling that bit of the mystery." He nodded to Kyoya, who walked to the side room and opened the door.
"Will you join us out here please?" he asked of someone inside the room.
A moment later a girl stepped through the door.
"Mariko-Sempai!?" the twins chorused in astonishment. They both recognized her immediately. She was one of their best customers. "What does she have to do with this?"
Tamaki graciously pulled up a chair for her. "Would you care to explain, Miss?"
The girl looked down at the handkerchief she held tightly in her hands. Her eyes were red from crying. "There is a boy," she said, her voice wavering. "He came to me a few months ago to confess his love. He is from a Yakuza family, and he scares me. I told him I was not interested, but he persisted. He kept coming around with his two friends. One time he told me he had seen me with the Host Club, more specifically with the twins. He said he hated them. He said terrible things about them, about their brotherly love. He threatened to hurt them, but I never thought he would actually go through with it. But when that girl said she saw three boys with black hair, and one of them was tall, I knew it was him. I should have spoken up, but I was scared. I didn't know what to do."
"And can you tell us the name of this Yakuza?" prompted Tamaki.
"His name is Masao Shinoda," she confessed. All eyes turned to Kaoru, and he nodded in confirmation.
"And so, the mystery has been solved," concluded Tamaki. "Now all that remains is the matter of retribution. What shall be done to punish the perpetrators of this heinous crime?"
"Wait!" interjected Kaoru in alarm. "They threatened to hurt Hikaru if I told anyone!"
"Ah, but you didn't tell us," Tamaki pointed out.
"No, but they won't know that," he argued.
Kyoya walked over and calmly placed his hand on the twin's shoulder. "No need to worry. Plans are already being made to resolve the situation. You and Hikaru will have our complete protection. Those boys chose the wrong person to pick on." Kaoru just hoped he was right.
oOoOo
A/N: I think this story will be wrapped up soon. One more chapter ought to do it, but sometimes the story seems to have a mind of its own. All of your comments have been very inspirational. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy. :-) Thank you!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Host Club characters. I am only borrowing them. I promise to put them back when I'm done.