AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a rejected chapter. I had intentions of continuing further, but it felt right to end the story at Chapter XVII.

CHAPTER XVIII: "Zombie Crossing"

Then they stopped kissing. Kaoru nearly asked why, but he understood straight away and respectfully stepped back. He remarked on how late it was and that he should probably go home. And as he turned to see himself out, he felt again lips on his own – a quick consolation kiss. Kaoru smiled; a little upset. He thought Kyouya would have no problems… Of course it scared him, kissing an older classmate, an acquaintance through the Host Club, yet those details were superfluous in the face of Kaoru's feelings. He left the Ootari mansion, almost angry.

And Kyouya watched, almost angry too. They had leaned forward equally and kissed with similar strength, only for him to suddenly end the moment without a single good reason. As their lips brushed softly, melting their souls in the darkness, Kyouya thought that kissing Kaoru was wrong – should be wrong – instead of how they were together at last without struggling over the affections of others. He also thought that kissing a colleague, a member of the Host Club, was wholly unprofessional and incongruous with the man-and-wife act. This kiss was not an act and it was not a rehearsal: it was a genuine expression of love and there was not a thing to be gained by it.

So he ended it. He pulled out.

And Kaoru wondered why as he climbed the stairs at seven in the morning, the hour he finally entered the Hitachiin estate after moping around on a neighbouring golf course. Alcohol could affect people in several ways, either bringing gladness or sorrow, and Kaoru being one of the latter, scuffed to his heart's content the pristine surface of the golf course with the aid of his shoes and an abandoned golf club. And as if that outburst could not possibly be enough, Kaoru additionally buried every spare golf ball discovered in the depths of every sandpit.

He was not a happy bunny.

And still in this mildly destructive mood, Kaoru stamped a sequence of muddy footprints all the way up the marble staircase before collapsing halfway down, in the middle of vandalising the opposite side, where he closed his eyes to go to– 'AAAAAAAAAH!' shrieked a broomstick that was bashing him on the head.

'What's with all the commotion?' asked the sleepy voice of Hikaru from the top of the stairs.

'IT'S A ZOMBIE!' screeched the maid. 'IT'S A ZOMBIE!'

'What are you talking about? Halloween was last…' Hikaru scrutinised the zombie. 'Oh,' he said, and held out his hand, which received the maid's broomstick and promptly snapped it in two. 'One for me and one for you – would you like to hit the zombie first?'

Kaoru snatched the broomstick from his brother and gave it back to the maid. 'Sweep somewhere else or I shall be very upset.'

'Y-yes Mr. Zombie, sir!'

'You can't tell her what to do,' argued Hikaru.

The maid paused to consider this. 'He's right,' she realised, 'because you're dead, you're not alive! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!'

She ran away.

Kaoru clutched his head. He had such a splitting headache!

'Bye-bye,' waved Hikaru, walking past him down the stairs.

'Hikaru…'

'Was that the voice of a ghost?'

'Hikaru, please…' Kaoru looked tired.

Hikaru stopped. Instinctively, he embraced his brother and pressed foreheads to say it was fine; it was okay; they no longer had to fight, you know…

And Kaoru smiled, saying that he knew; that nothing could ever keep them apart…

Yet Hikaru wasn't so sure – not anymore. Kaoru had been independent of late, always going somewhere by himself or in the company of other people. In leaving Hikaru alone, to mainly overcome the 'flu, Kaoru had also left a challenge; and once Hikaru had tackled the hurt and managed the pain, it was like Kaoru was trying to explain something, like "this is how it feels and this is what it's like". It could not be forever, this twinhood they shared, he was saying. They would have to move apart someday, and do things apart someplace, but if they could do that, look at what they would be able to achieve! They could do so much more when not together!

They could fall in love!

Hikaru blinked away tears and held Kaoru tight. He liked Haruhi, he really did… And he also liked Tamaki and the rest of the Host Club... But he could not imagine sharing the world with more people… The world could be no bigger than that, so there had to be another way… It couldn't just be like this, or end like this… He wanted it to happen a differently…

'Hikaru, I can't breathe.'

He loosened his arms, letting his brother sleep. Maybe he would give the future more thought… see if Kaoru was right.