"I can't believe it's been two weeks since Hikaru and Kaoru quit the Host Club." one girl said to her friends as they walked down the hall.
"I know it feels like months, or even a year since I've seen them together." a friend replied.
"The Host Club just is not the same without them." whined another.
"I know what you mean. Quincy and Hibiki have tried to fill their void but it just isn't the same."
"Never fear ladies, I have a plan to ease the pain of your broken hearts." Tamaki said stepping out from the shadows.
The group of girls gave yelps from the surprise appearance of Tamaki, but when his words processed they surrounded him, "Really what is it?"
"I have sent them both messages to meet me here, but instead of seeing me they'll see each other. They will then discuss their problems, and then when they have worked everything out I will emerge and offer their Host Club membership back." Tamaki said with a triumphant smile.
The girls squealed at the thought of the Twins becoming Hosts once more. "When is your master plan going into action?"
Tamaki pulled out a pocket watch and examined it. "One hour and thirty five minutes ago."
"uhh…" The girls looked a Tamaki a little dumbfounded.
"Tamaki!" cried two voices from both sides of the hall.
"Quick girls we must disappear or else this plan will be for naught." Tamaki said disappearing into the shadows once more.
The bodies in the hallway scrambled for what every hiding spot they could find. Shortly after everyone had found a hiding spot two figures ran to where they had just been standing. "Tamaki?"
Tamaki emerged from his hiding place, "What are you two doing here?"
"I've got a message from Kaoru." Quincy announced.
"And I have one from Hikaru." Hibiki said
"What do they say? Why aren't they here?" Tamaki demanded.
Both Hibiki and Quincy pulled pieces of paper from their pockets.
"I'll go first." Hibiki said.
"No, I'll go first!" Quincy responded.
"One of you go and make haste. They could be here at any moment."
"Right!" Both boys said, they then took deep breaths, "Dear Tamaki. I know what you are up to and it won't work. Do you think I would really fall for such an obvious ploy? I still stand by my decision to quit the Host Club and I wish that you would respect my choice. Best in the future,"
"Kaoru" Quincy said with a smile, knowing he had finished first.
"Hikaru" Hibiki said with a glare.
Tamaki blinked. He had not expected his plan to fall apart as it had. But the notes being identical sans the name attached did allow a smile to creep onto his face. There was still hope.
Temperatures continued to drop and rumors of snow began to spread as December wore on. "I wonder what the Host Club is going to do for Christmas?" asked one girl among a group as they walked into the classroom.
"I don't know. I've look forward to it all year. Honey was so cute last year as a gingerbread man."
"I know!" Squeeled a third girl, "Isn't Christmas just so romantic?"
Haruhi walked behind the crowd wondering what was so romantic about someone dressed as an edible sweet. She sat down in her seat with a sigh.
"Don't look so down Haruhi. You've got a busy day ahead of you." Kaoru said, barely containing a smile.
"Thanks for reminding me." Haruhi groaned. She wasn't used to Christmas playing such a large part in her life but since her friendship with Tamaki had begun she found it playing a much larger role, one she wasn't ready for.
One such larger role was the small Christmas lunch party held for Tamaki's friends in Music Room #3. It was after minor protests and slight bribery that the Hitachiin twins agreed to attend. While the twins expected it to be a trap and were on edge they found that their presence in the same room which often brought with it an air of tension, was over whelmed by the good cheer exuded from Tamaki and Quincy. The two blondes sang festive songs and wished them all good tidings, and their happiness was infectious. Small gifts were given to everyone from the two hosts and eagerly watched as they were unwrapped. It was only after the lunch was over that the twins found that everything had run smoothly and that they were free to go without being harassed or caught in one of Tamaki's plans. This of course put the twins on higher alert than normal.
Kaoru stretched as he stood up from the edge of the roof. Having lunch with everyone had nearly cut out his smoke break. He stamped out his cigarette and headed for the door. As he reached out for the door handle it moved, and there stood Hibiki in the doorway. Hibiki gave him a smile. Kaoru returned with a sceptic smile.
Hibiki raised his hands to reveal a small wrapped gift with a tag hanging off of it, "I have a gift for you Kaoru."
Kaoru graciously accepted the gift, "Thanks Hibiki but you didn't have to."
"It isn't from me." Hibiki responded.
Kaoru took deep breath. He took the gift that Hibiki had handed him and looked at the tag "To: Kaoru From: Hikaru". Kaoru let out the breath. "It's from Tamaki isn't it?"
Hibiki began to look around. He could feel Kaoru staring at him. He began to fidget. He felt his resolve begin to slip. He bit his lip to last as long as he could. It was no use. He began rambling, "yes it is I told him that you would know but Tamaki didn't listen to me he told me that the magic of the seasons would take over and holiday spirit would guide you…"
"I get it." Kaoru said firmly handing the gift back.
"How did you know?" asked Hibiki as he looked over the package for any giveaway.
"Hikaru doesn't wrap his gifts." Kaoru explained. "He also wouldn't give me the gift at school."
"Aren't you at least going to open it?" Hibiki asked.
Kaoru closed his eyes. What would be the point of unwrapping the gift, but then again what would be the harm? Kaoru put out his hand. Hibiki placed the gift back into his hand. Kaoru opened his eyes and began unwrapping it. Kaoru looked at the box he held in his hands, he didn't want to proceed further but he knew it was the only way to get Hibiki to leave him alone. Kaoru let out another heavy breath and opened up the box. He turned it upside down and out dropped a snow globe into his hand. Kaoru examined the glass sphere and saw that inside the faux blizzard was a picture of Hikaru and him embraced for a Host Club act. Kaoru returned the snow globe to the box and handed it back to Hibiki. "Happy now?" Kaoru then walked past the stunned Host and walked down the stairs.
Not far away in the maze Quincy was busy trying the same trick on Hikaru. "I have a gift for you Hikaru. It was hidden under the tree and it got passed over."
"Oh really?" Hikaru asked with a raised brow, "I didn't know you thought of me like that Quincy."
Quincy blushed. "Hate to break your heart but it's not from me."
"Oh?" Hikaru asked getting close. "Then who is it from?"
"It's from your brother. He didn't want to deliver it himself. He wasn't even sure he wanted to give it to you at all, but I told him that Christmas is a time for forgiveness and healing, so he let me bring it to you." Quincy said with a warming smile.
Hikaru eagerly took the gift. "What will you give me if I guess what it is correctly?"
"I don't think I have anything that you'd be interested in." Quincy said.
"I'm sure we'll think of something." Hikaru said with a smile. He carefully weighed the box in his hand and made a few inquisitive sounds; he then put the gift up to his ear and shook it. "It's a snow globe with a picture of Kaoru and me in it." He then tossed the gift back at Quincy who fumbled it around before securing it.
"What? How can you be so sure?" Quincy asked shaking the box next to his ear.
Hikaru smiled, "I'm sure you know. You did the same thing with your gift from Tamaki. Although may I suggest a heat source such as heat pack or a hair dryer rather than a knife?"
"Wouldn't that be noisier?" Quincy asked, the gears in his head churning.
"Yes, but when no one is there why would it matter?" Hikaru asked. "Oh, and tell Tamaki that he needs to be less obvious with his plans in the future."
That night, gasps escaped the lips of the guests as they entered the large ballroom at Ouran, as it appeared that they had stepped into a large frost covered forest. Instead they were welcomed to Ouran's Winter Gala. As they entered, the girls grabbed their dates and drug them to the dance floor while parents and other notables mingled in the sea of tables scattered throughout the winter wilderness. However, not all the students were on the dance floor, one in particular was still at his mother's side.
"I have to admit Yuzuha your sons seem to be doing quite well for themselves after they left the Host Club. Hikaru has attracted new interest into the computer club, membership is booming and they seem to be doing quite fine." Yuzuru said with a smile, proud that such happenings had occurred at his school.
"Is it true that Kaoru has helped you design your latest line?" asked another parent.
Yuazuha smiled. "I'm so proud of both my sons. They have been working so hard as of late, although to be honest I think they're forgetting that they are still kids and need to take time to relax more and have fun."
Kaoru didn't have to look at his mother to know that her comment was aimed at him, and he began to feel as if the eyes of the crowd focused onto him. He shifted his tie and looked around the room. He no longer felt comfortable being surrounded by so many people. He tried to stay home with his father but his mother would not allow it. So it was a long car ride to the school as the coldness between the two brothers was felt by their mother who sat between them.
Even from across the large ballroom Kaoru could hear his brother's laughs as he was surrounded by his new friends from the computer club. Kaoru felt the emotions stir in him once more and he began looking for a chair out of the way that he could sit in. After a couple minutes of searching he found an empty table and sat down at it. He pulled a small drawing pad out of his jacket pocket and began to doodle, first they were just simple doodles and then they slowly became dresses, shirts, jackets and boots.
"Mind if I join you for a bit?" came a voice from behind Kaoru.
"Don't you have to work the floor?" Kaoru answered back without looking up.
"I'm hoping that if Tamaki sees me sitting with you, he won't care." The voice answered.
"Well, with hope we can stir him up." Kaoru said.
A dirty-blonde haired young man sat down next to Kaoru, dressed in an exquisite tuxedo. "It's been hard to miss your brother and your mother, but I haven't seen your father. Did he not come?"
"No, he doesn't enjoy events such as these, as he's not the social butterfly that my mother is. How about your parents, did they make the trip?" Kaoru asked adding greater details to his sketches.
"No, my mother had her deadline moved forward and my father had to defend his bill, so neither one could make it here." Quincy answered.
"We can share my mother then; she's social enough for all of us." Kaoru said looking up and offering his friend a smile.
"Thanks Kaoru." Quincy said, he then looked around and spotted three girls rapidly approaching the table. "Heads up."
Kaoru had just enough time to close his sketchpad before the three girls arrived at the table.
"Kaoru, we weren't expecting to see you here." Said the first girl.
"Yeah, we haven't seen much of you outside of school." The second added.
"We're all so glad that you came." Finished the third and final girl.
Behind the girls, Kaoru spotted his brother, for just the briefest of seconds their eyes connected before both brothers shifted their focus once more. "To tell you the truth, I would have much preferred to have stayed home and worked." Kaoru answered bluntly.
"You would have preferred to work than have fun here?" Asked the girls.
Kaoru nodded. Besides being surrounded by all these people, the memories of the Host Club and all the troubles he had before he left his stomach uneasy and tense.
Three jaws dropped.
"Is there a reason why you came over here?" Kaoru asked.
"well…" stammered the first girl.
"We were kind of hoping…" continued the second.
"…that you would dance with us." The third girl finished the request.
Kaoru stared at the girls, they shivered with anticipation.
"I don't feel like dancing, and besides, I'm not a Host anymore." Kaoru said trying to make it clear to the girls. The girls began to frown and wear defeated faces. Guilt began to devour Kaoru and so he quickly added, "But…my friend Quincy here is a Host, and he'd love to dance with all three of you beautiful young ladies." Kaoru could see the reluctance in the girls' eyes. He didn't blame them, he too wasn't satisfied with a replacement, but it was in his interest to sell the idea to them anyways. "I taught him everything he knows about hosting and dancing. So if you close your eyes, you can get a taste of your wish."
Quincy stood from the table, "It would be my pleasure to have three such beautiful dance partners such as your selves."
The girls gave a slight blush before they were lead to the dance floor by the young American. Once everyone had left the table, Kaoru left as well to go to his usual spot on the roof and smoke.
After a handful more smoke-breaks, the party had drawn to an end and Kaoru was helping his mother with her jacket, but his brother was nowhere in sight. While he was curious, he wasn't willing to ask about him, if he missed the car home it was his own fault. Seemingly reading her son's mind, his mother smiled at her youngest son, "Hikaru left already with some of his friends. It will be just you and me on the ride home." Kaoru nodded in acknowledgement but said nothing.
Late that night Kaoru was returning to his room after visiting the kitchen for a late night snack, when the front door opened and his older brother stumbled through the door. Kaoru felt a panic go through him as he had not expected to come across his brother, and now the thought of confronting his brother had churned his stomach, which made the recently eaten snack want to appear for an encore taste. Kaoru's mind became distracted however by the chilling breeze blowing through the still open door. It was obvious that there was no help around, so why his brother thought he didn't have to close the door himself was beyond Kaoru's current comprehension. Now growing interested in his brother's behavior, Kaoru stopped and watched his brother stumble around a bit more before making it to the bottom of the stairway and collapsing. The hairs on Kaoru's neck stood on end and a shiver went down his spine as he saw his twin hit the stairs. In urgency Kaoru sprinted to his brother's side, the panic of fighting with his brother had now been replaced with panic for his brother's wellbeing. Kaoru's heart began pounding as he saw his brother's eyes were closed and his head rested on a step. Yet, as the younger twin came close to his older brother a strong stench of beer and smoke filled the air, and the expression on Hikaru's face was that of glee, not of pain. Kaoru stopped, his brother wasn't ill or injured, instead he was simply drunk. The worry on Kaoru's face disappeared and was replaced with a scowl. He walked to the front door and shut it before walking past his passed out brother without a second look.
The Winter break began and it showed just how different the twins' lives had become. Early in the morning Kaoru's first alarm clock would ring and be quickly dismissed. Followed by a second alarm which was also promptly deactivated. By the third alarm Kaoru was up, and once the maid came round he knew it was time to get out of bed. After a light breakfast with his parents he would depart with his mother to attend meetings. While Kaoru was attending lunch meetings Hikaru was waking up. He would take a few pills to take care of his headache before venturing downstairs for lunch. In the afternoon while he was busy with a development project and networking computers for the computer club, his brother was busy networking with models and photographers. Kaoru and his mother would return home late in the evenings as Hikaru prepared to go out. As Kaoru ate dinner with his parents, Hikaru was busy drinking his dinner with his friends. When Kaoru was busy unwinding watching a movie, playing a video game or reading, his brother was winding up singing karaoke, hitting the dance floor or playing billiards. As Kaoru fluffed his pillow, Hikaru ordered another round. Then a couple hours before Kaoru would awaken, Hikaru would stumble home. And so the winter break went, a time of great distance between the twins.
Haruhi closed her book with a thud and gave out a large yawn. The new year had come only a couple days earlier and she had been awake for most of them. She looked at the time. It was well after midnight once again, but her reading was finally done. Now perhaps she had a chance to take most of Sunday off to relax before school started again. Tamaki had been growing clingier, afraid that she'd be the next leave him and the Host Club, so he wanted to spend more time with her. Her father in return felt that Tamaki was trying to steal his young daughter from him and he too was pushing to spend more time with her. But what she really wanted was time by herself. She walked over and turned her light off and then shuffled to her bed. She crawled into bed and laid her head against her soft feather pillow. She could have quickly fallen asleep had her cellphone not rang. She growled angrily as she tossed the sheets off of her and she lunged for her phone. She looked at the screen and hastily put it to her ear. "Hikaru?"
Silence came from the other side for moment before a response came, "Haruhi? I think I dialed the wrong number again."
"Hikaru, is everything alright?" Haruhi questioned.
"Just peachy." Hikaru responded, although from his tone Haruhi could tell that something was clearly wrong.
"Hikaru, are you drunk?" Haruhi asked. It was a reasonable question, as Kaoru had informed her that Hikaru had been spending most of the evenings out with his friends.
Hikaru responded his voice now filled with frustration. "No…Yes…does it matter? Will you just send a car already?"
Haruhi shook her head; he had been drinking, as it was clear by how he had already forgotten who he was talking to. She had no idea who to call besides Kaoru to get a car to him, and that wasn't a call she wanted to make. So instead she played the role that she was expected to. "I'll need to know where you are at."
"How the hell should I know the address? Just do your damn job and pick me up." Hikaru said, growing angrier.
Haruhi pushed for more information, "Are there any landmarks?"
"I'm in a park." Hikaru said flatly.
Haruhi rolled her eyes; who ever had to deal with this on a regular basis surely wasn't paid enough. "Any other landmarks? Businesses?"
"The karaoke bar was just a couple blocks back. Oh, and there's also a big orange ball just right over there." Hikaru said.
Haruhi face palmed as she knew two things. She knew between Hikaru's description and knowing his previous drinking spots that he was luckily in a park only a few minutes run from her place. But she also knew that Hikaru had tried pointing to the large orange ball over the phone. "I'll be righ…I'll send a car. Just wait there." She then hung up the phone and ran to the door. She tossed her jacket and her shoes on and after locking her door behind her, sprinted down the stairs.
When Haruhi made it to the park she bent over and rested her hands on her knees and took a few deep breaths as she scanned over the park. Her eyes quickly fixed on the lone figure at the swings. She stood back up and walked over to him.
As Haruhi approached she was heard by the figure. "What took you so long?"
"It's just me Hikaru." Haruhi said, "You called me by mistake instead of calling for a car."
"I know." Hikaru said solemnly. "You think I'm that stupid?"
Haruhi was taken aback; Hikaru had called her on purpose after all. Maybe he wasn't as drunk as she thought he was. She walked over to the swing next to her friend. The smell of alcohol was strong. He was in fact drunk as she had thought he was, but that didn't mean his scheming ways had changed. "What did you need Hikaru? Where are your typical drinking friends?"
Hikaru huffed. "They called it a night. Said I was 'harshing their buzz' or something stupid like that."
Just looking at how Hikaru moped about in the swing, Haruhi couldn't say that they weren't correct in their saying. But instead of leaving as they had, she reached out a caring hand and placed it on her friend's shoulder, "What's wrong? Care to talk about it?"
"What's wrong?" Hikaru barked as he jerked away from her, "Haven't you been paying attention the past few months? Everything is wrong!"
Haruhi was slightly taken aback by her friend's sudden change. While Hikaru was known for his sudden mood swings, she hadn't seen one so bad before. "I know that you and Kaoru have been fighting for months, and that both of you refuse to let anyone help you. But it's not like anyone could help you, because none of us know what's going on." Haruhi then muttered, "Well most of us anyways."
Hikaru planted his feet onto the frozen ground. "What did you say?" His voice while still angry now wavered with distress.
"I said that no one can help you because no one knows what is going on." Haruhi answered.
Hikaru shook his head, "But then you changed it to most of you."
There was no sense in lying Haruhi reasoned, "Honey-senpai knows but refuses to tell anyone, saying that it is your own business." Haruhi explained, "and I'm pretty sure then that Mori-senpai knows as well."
Much to Haruhi's surprise, Hikaru didn't freak out upon hearing it, but instead he smirked, "I guess that it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai noticed. I just thought you were going to say Kyoya."
Haruhi raised an eyebrow, why was Honey and Mori knowing not surprising to him. It was clear that they hadn't been told, yet it grew to be even more confusing when knowing that Honey and Mori had spent less time with the twins than the rest of the Host Club to figure it out. It was just another part of the growing mystery. Yet, Haruhi admited, "Well he's figured it out too, but refuses to let the rest of us know."
Hikaru leapt out of his swing and began shouting "Damn it Haruhi I thought you said most of you didn't know. Let me guess, even Tamaki knows."
"Well actually…" Haruhi said raising a finger.
"Fuck!" Hikaru shouted sending a burst of steam into the night sky.
"Calm down, I was only joking. Only those three know and they're all staying very hush-hush over it. They won't tell the rest of us, no matter how much we ask them to." Haruhi assured him.
Hikaru wiped his forehead and then blew on his hands to warm them, "I could use another drink."
"No, what you could use is a friend lending a very open ear. All the problems you two have been having all trace back to what ever happened last summer on your boat. So if we solve that problem we solve all these other issues."
"I thought you said that they didn't tell you what happened!" Hikaru glared at his friend.
"What are you talking about?" Haruhi asked taken aback by Hikaru's growing anger.
"What do you know about last summer?" Hikaru demanded.
Haruhi resisted the urge to scream back at Hikaru, and instead calmly responded, "I just know that after you and Kaoru made it back, that something had changed between you two. I just don't know what it was. I do know however that it was serious."
Hikaru scoffed, "That's an understatement."
"Then why don't you tell me the truth for once?" Haruhi quipped in response.
Hikaru just stared at his friend for a moment then said, "I don't want to talk about it."
"The phone call I received in the middle of the night to come here to meet you begs to defer." Haruhi responded.
Now Hikaru simply turned his back on her and said, "Even if I did want to talk about it, let's face it Haruhi, on the ways of the heart you are pretty naïve. You and Tamaki have been dancing around each other for over a year now and neither one of you is following where your hearts obviously want to go."
Haruhi stared at the red hair in the moon light, "What does Tamaki-senpai and I have to do with your brother and you?"
Hikaru whipped around a pointed a finger in Haruhi's face, "exactly. You don't get it. This is why you can't help. I know the feelings I have, yet you still look at yours as if they don't exist."
"What are you saying Hikaru?" Haruhi asked scrunching her face.
"I'm saying that when you and Tamaki finally pull your heads out of your asses and say you love each other that you damn well better hold on to each other as tightly as you can and never let go. No matter what." Hikaru's voice raged out with a twain of jealousy.
Haruhi stood there for a moment, both trying to digest what Hikaru had said about Tamaki and herself but trying to processes what that meant for Hikaru. It was after thinking of the other clues that she had learned that she came to a conclusion. However that brief silence for processing was too much to bear for the eldest twin whose raw nerves were even more on edge than normal. "Forget it Haruhi, go home." He huffed then began to walk away.
"Hikaru I'm not going anywhere. We've been friends for how long, and you think I would just leave you? While I admit the news is rather shocking, I'm glad that that is all it is."
"You sound like Kyoya, trivializing my problems like that." Hikaru glared at his friend.
"I didn't mean to sound like I was trivializing it Hikaru, I'm sorry. So why not tell me more about it and we can try to solve your problem."
Hikaru was hesitant. The problems ran deep with his brother now and he didn't know what to do. So how could someone who hadn't even realized her own feelings towards someone else help him in his own unique circumstance? "I don't know Haruhi…"
"Have you really given up on your brother so easily? Shouldn't you try to solve these problems however difficult they may be? If Tamaki-senpai has taught me one thing, it's that anything is possible. But even if you don't want to talk too much, you should at least talk a little bit."
Hikaru closed his eyes and tried to collect his thoughts. What was it about Haruhi that could make him feel so relaxed and so safe, that even in the openness of the public park he found himself wanting to diverge such private and personal information to her?
And so Hikaru began telling his friend about how he had felt feelings towards his brother change towards the end of the previous school year. That it was only through friendships he had gained through the Host Club and the special relationship that he had forged with Haruhi that he was able to better understand the relationship he had with his brother. He then told her about what occurred on the yacht and the life raft. He told her how in those moments when he was with his brother, when he was touching his brother, were the times he found himself truly happy and content with the world. When Hikaru finished and looked up at his friend he saw her eyes glaring at him. The harsh glare unsettled him both from the unexpectedness of the glare as well as its severity.
"Why would you throw all of that away Hikaru? You had a chance and instead of going for it you turned around and ran."
Hikaru shifted his gaze to his feet, such obvious criticism stung from the person who he claimed was naïve in love. "I hated to do it to him. To see him every day, wanting him, knowing that he wanted me as well, it drove me crazy. I was going to go for it, to risk everything. But after he got discharged from the hospital, I had a talk with someone. He told me how Kaoru's and my actions had caused a mass fall out in the stock and supporters of our parents companies, and how as we get older our actions were to have an even greater affect. While it made me hesitate, I thought it was still worth the risk, but then the talk shifted to how that affects more commoners like you. Our driver had to sell all of his stock at that point to ensure that his family would be supported, and that some projects at my father's company had been canceled because of the withdrawal of support, which cost people their jobs. Which made me think if that was only because we were lost for a couple days; a scandal such as ours might kill both companies leaving thousands without jobs. I could deal with difficulties of that life for myself; I didn't want that life to bring difficulty to thousands of families."
Haruhi stared at Hikaru, a look of disbelief on her face.
"What? That's the truth." Hikaru said.
While Haruhi was glad that Hikaru was finally thinking of others besides himself as well as acting on his own, what she said however was far from praise. "You're an idiot."
"What?" Hikaru asked defensively. "Since when did you become master of the heart?"
"I said you're an idiot and it's the truth. And it's not a matter of heart; it's a matter of logic because even if you would lose a few investors, it would not be the end of the world. Do you not understand that you've been building your own network of investors at Ouran? Your best friends are some of the most powerful and richest people in Japan. You've seen firsthand how Kyoya has bought and given his father back their family business. You know that Tamaki would support you in anything you do with any resource that he could give you. Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai both have given you nothing but support and have shown no reason for you to doubt that they would stop. Hibiki and Quincy both look up to you and Kaoru. If your reason was for fear of your family's companies, it's a silly reason. You have all the support you could ever need."
Hikaru looked away, his lips started to tremble as Haruhi so easily dismantled the 'logic' behind his actions. While it was against his better judgment, and against his tendency, he decided to diverge more, "Alright, I was looking for a way out. Are you happy? I figured that if I justified it to myself as such that it would then make everything easier. I've always been afraid of losing my brother, and I knew what we were getting into was laying the grounds for just that. I knew that if we got together and something happened, we could never go back to the way things were before, we could potentially be forever distant. So I told myself that if I just let business be the cause for ending our new feelings that our old relationship could remain and we could still remain brothers…"
"And how are things between you two today, have you looked? While you may have stopped any romantic feelings between you two you've also stopped any brotherly connection as well. Hell you two barely even talk or see each other anymore. How is your plan working? Has it worked at all?"
Hikaru couldn't bring himself to respond; he had already long known the answer and had been living with it for months. So instead of answering he stood there trying to wipe away his tears before they froze to his face.
"How did you even get Kaoru to end it for the business?" Haruhi asked. "If anyone else is as stubborn as you, it's him. So that's why you two got in that fight at the Host Club?"
Hikaru sniffled but still remained silent as his body slightly trembled.
It was obvious that something wasn't right, "Hikaru…" Haruhi said as she took a step towards her friend, she reached out a hand to place on Hikaru but before she could, he took off across the park. Haruhi chased after him but his longer legs were quickly putting him at a distance. Hikaru's sudden desertion made things very clear, Haruhi shouted out in winded speech, "Hikaru, you never told him did you?" She noticed as the red head began to slow. Haruhi continued calling out to her pained and scared friend, "No wonder Kaoru has been so crushed. And to make matters worse there actually was no real problem, you've just made all this drama out of nothing but your wild imagination."
Hikaru slowed down to a stop, his shoulders raised and lowered with his deep breaths. "Don't you think I know that?" Hikaru responded through clenched teeth.
Haruhi wanted to shout at Hikaru more about how he obviously didn't understand the situation because otherwise he would already have been home asleep next to his brother instead of talking with her in the middle of the night at an empty park. Instead she walked up behind him and placed a comforting arm around him the best she could before offering the calmer advice of, "go home and do something about it Hikaru. If not to tell him you love him than to apologize and become a good brother again. This can only be solved if you tell him the truth."
Hikaru stood there motionless. Haruhi was unsure if her words, had gotten through her' friend's thick head, or if he was simply ignoring her. Haruhi had lost feeling in her fingers and was about to remove her arm from Hikaru when he finally looked her in the eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close against him and held her tightly. He lowered his head and placed a kiss softly on her wind nipped cheek. "Thanks Haruhi. I should go now." He broke the embrace and began to walk away. "Would you like a ride home? I'm going to call a taxi."
While she was only a few blocks from home she had to admit that her legs were still sore from the sprint that brought her to the park to begin with and made worse by her sudden chase of the red haired boy. "I'd love a ride home."
Hikaru stood in the hall way in front of the double doors, questioning if he should open them or not. Was Kaoru awake, and if he was, would he even want to talk with him? Hikaru took a few deep breaths and made a decision. He looked up and down the hallways, but with it being so dark and so late in the night he didn't know why he even bothered as he wouldn't have been able to see anyone even if by chance there was someone else awake at that hour. He slowly cracked open the door and peaked inside, "Kaoru" he called softly into the room. There was no reply. He could see through the darkness in the room just the faintest outline of the bed that he used to sleep in. Before he realized it he was standing at the foot of that bed looking down at an image he had already decided that he would never see again. His younger brother lay asleep on the bed before him, his arms and legs were holding a long body pillow tightly against his lithe body. After his eyes adjusted more to the darkness Hikaru was able to make out his brother's facial features. He noticed that Kaoru no longer slept with the peaceful smile upon his face that he was so used to seeing, instead now a frown and furrowed brow sat upon his face. Hikaru knew it was his doing that had transformed his brother's sleep from one of joy to one of constant sorrow.
Hikaru felt his eyes grow heavy and his brain sluggishly tried to think. It told him that he needed to sleep and that it was possible to use the bed in front of him to rest, feel close to Kaoru once more and then be awake before Kaoru even noticed. Hikaru climbed onto the bed, careful not to disturb his sleeping brother. Yet he must not have been careful enough as Kaoru let off a soft groan and began to shift in bed. Without even a thought, as it was more out of an old habit or reflex than desire, Hikaru found his brother's hand and entwined their fingers. Koaru stopped moving and settled back down. Hikaru then watched as the frown turned into the more familiar smile that his sleeping brother used to have. And with the joyful breathing out of his name, Hikaru knew he had finally made the right decision.
Author's Notes: So, in case you didn't notice this was the longest chapter yet. We'll just call it a New Year's special to justify its length. It should be the longest chapter for the story. So if you enjoyed the length of this chapter, I'm sorry there won't be any super long chapters again. If you thought it was too long, don't worry they'll be back to more manageable sizes next week. Happy New Year by the way!
AnimeFreaksAreBetter: I enjoyed following your reading reactions the other night. Glad that you have liked the story so far. And yes, when I said "heating up", I meant "heating up". What did you think I meant? ;)
Ratty4949: Once again I couldn't help it. Now you know what happened, but now you will be wanting to know what happens next, or you should be if I did my job right. It's similar to giving a mouse a cookie. Also, thank you for your continued support, and allowing me a playful tease.
Trekkievamplock: As you wish.
Daringly Delightful: Well now you have an answer. Maybe not be the answer you wanted or expected but it was one that Hikaru gave. Also, a Happy New Year to you too. Thank you for the compliment. I've found that sometimes I myself get bored or distracted and have to write captivating in order to continue writing.
EternalFalsity: Yeah, Hikaru really changed from creeper form to jerk form. But you haven't seen his final form yet! But you'll have to wait a till next week to see what it is. As you noticed, Hikaru finally answered the question you've been asking. So yay! That is if you actually believe him… Always so hard to tell with the twins.