"And then he tripped... and over his own two feet, no less! Can you believe how silly that is?" Hikaru was grinning, despite the embarassed flush rising to his twin's cheeks. "Such a clumsy guy!"

Frowning, Kaoru lowered his head. "That's horrible of you, Hikaru," he mumbled, drawing the attention not only of his brother, but also of the girls that were sitting and watching in barely veiled anticipation. "To speak so of your brother while he's sitting right next to you... that's horrible!"

Hikaru blinked, turning to face Kaoru at that statement, and immediately, he pulled his twin from the chair to rest in his arms, speaking into his hair. "I'm sorry. I was so inconsiderate... forgive me?"

The girls nearby squealed over the show save for one, who stared through her dark bangs for a moment before quietly sipping her tea...

All Fall Down

Club activities were as normal. As soon as the guests had cleared out, Kyoya had set to going over finances, his eyes mostly hidden by a sheen on his glasses. "The brotherly love set is up," he stated calmly. "Hikaru, Kaoru... with the summer theme coming up, we may consider another photoshoot, seeing as how you two are selling quite well."

Sitting relatively to one side, Haruhi arched her brow. The way Kyoya spoke sometimes, it was like all of them were rare goods as opposed to people who were selling an act.

Near to her, Tamaki all but leapt from his chair, running his hand back through his hair in a pose more melodramatic than it really ought to be. "We'll need to have everyone working together for the summer theme," he announced. "This will be a grand party! Young men in simple attire, not too fancy while not too plain, entertaining lovely young ladies in spring dresses... ah, Haruhi!" The expression on the lone girl's face was not one of joy at hearing her name called. "Would you wear a dress for this as well? Daddy's picked out some very lovely ones for you!"

"Absolutely not!" Haruhi returned, expression growing annoyed. "I don't really like wearing dresses anyway, and besides, wouldn't that give me away?"

The twins both leaned their heads back to look at them, expressions perfect mirrors. "You know, Highness," they stated in unison, "we could have Haruhi bind. Then all the girls who've been wanting to see her in a dress can, and they'd never be the wiser."

Haruhi was shocked. "H-hey!" she blurted. "Whose side are you on!"

"Ours," was the mirrored reply, both of the ginger-haired pair wearing Cheshire cat grins.

This was where Hani spoke up, bounding over beside Haruhi to look her over before smiling brilliantly. "I agree!" he chirped as Mori gave a noncomittal nod. "Haru would look very pretty in a dress, even if she did have to tie up her chest!"

"And that would increase her profit margin." Kyoya had, up to this point, seemed quite distracted... but Haruhi could tell just by looking at him now that something else was going on behind those glasses. "Then it's settled. Haruhi will bind for the summer gala and wear a summer dress. Haruhi..." Here, he lifted his head to smile at her, although the expression was so cold the girl almost felt icicles grow from the tips of her hair. "If you decline, I will add another thousand to your debt."

As Haruhi fought to fathom the depths of Kyoya's evil nature, the twins just smiled, sliding to their feet, side-by-side.

"We're going home early today," Kaoru announced.

"Mom wants us to be home when she gets back from her trip." Smiling, Hikaru flicked a wave. "We'll see you all tomorrow."

Amidst a chorus of farewells, the pair departed, smiling as they milled with the few remaining students... most of them lady fans who lingered after the club's activities had ended for the day to catch a glimpse of their favorite hosts leaving to go home.

On the stairs, there was the usual idle chatter. Clubs getting out to go home, and as the boys made their way down, Kaoru swore he caught a glimpse of one of their frequent patrons passing to his left by Hikaru...

But that was before he suddenly noticed his brother's presence leaving his own, and fast. Wide-eyed, he stared, startled, as Hikaru seemed to lose his balance, and in an instant, he was tumbling downward. Other students scattered, some rushed to try to help, but none of them moved as quickly as Kaoru, who was taking the remaining stairs three at a time to get to where his brother had come to an abrupt halt against a banister railing on the next level down.

"HIKARU!" he shouted, stumbling until he was finally at his brother's side. "Hikaru!" No one moved to get any closer as the normally calmer twin helped his brother to his knees. "Are you okay!"

His twin's face was scraped up and he looked dazed. As it was, Hikaru didn't even lift his head to face his twin once he was up. He clutched his left arm painfully, leaning forward to rest his head against Kaoru's shoulder. "Hurts," he managed to murmur, fighting back the tears that were forming in his eyes. "My arm..."

Panicked, Kaoru lifted his head. "Someone call a doctor! Please!"

By this point, the commotion at the bottom of the stairs had drawn the attention of some of the patrons at the top, one of whom had gone immediately to get the rest of the host club. Soon, the other five joined the twins where they knelt as Kyoya calmly stated, "I've a doctor on the way, Kaoru. Please calm down."

Kaoru nodded weakly, lifting his head to glance up the stairs, but the girl he swore he'd seen was nowhere to be found...

The private hospital was small, but the Ohtori family was more than willing to offer its use to the Hitachiin brothers... or the one that was injured, in any case.

Kaoru was nearly in a panic, pacing back and forth, hair dishevelled and jacket discarded rather haphazardly over the arm of a chair. The younger twin was a wreck, and it was actually unnerving the rest of the club a little bit, seeing him like this. Kaoru was the calm, level-headed one... he was not the one that freaked out under pressure like this.

Well, not normally... but it was Kyoya that had pointed out one simple fact: the twins could be quite interchangable, and he had every right to be panicking right now over his brother's health.

Fifteen minutes became thirty, and that quickly spread to a full hour. Haruhi and Hani had finally convinced the ginger-haired boy to stop pacing, convincing him to sit down at least for a little while. Mori, who was Hani's "chair" at the moment anyway, placed a restraining hand on the younger man's shoulder as Haruhi settled to his other side, watching with obvious concern in her expression.

"This is a tragedy," Tamaki murmured, watching Kaoru carefully. "The twins are normally quite graceful. It's so strange that he should just fa--..."

"This couldn't have been an accident!" Kaoru's sudden outburst caught Tamaki by surprised, and the host club king was forced to stop in his tracks, blinking. "I apologize, Highness, but this... it couldn't have been. Hikaru isn't that clumsy. He wouldn't just... trip over his own two feet like that!"

The room fell silent after that. No one moved save for Hani, who couldn't seem to force himself to sit still, flopping this way and that in Mori's lap until the much taller senior pinned him with one arm across his waist.

Another fifteen minutes later, the doctor - one of the Ohtori family's private staff - came out, smiling just slightly. "He's fine, save for some scrapes and bruises, as well as a broken arm. He has a light concussion, so once he's home, we suggest he stay away from school for at least a week to fully recover from it."

This revelation should have calmed Kaoru at least somewhat, but he felt in no way comforted. Fidgetting after another moment or two of silence, he finally lifted his head. "I can see him, right?"

The doctor laughed softly. "There's no use asking if you're family, I suppose. Of course, it's fine... he's awake, if not a bit cranky. I'll take you to him."

Hikaru was frowning when the doctor led his twin into the room, and his expression hardly softened at seeing his brother. He wasn't happy about his current situation. Not at all. "Kaoru."

"Hikaru!" The younger twin was at his brother's side in an instant. "I was so worried! Are you feeling okay?"

Hikaru just shrugged at first, and that made Kaoru smile. Such a typical response. "My head hurts a little, and they gave me painkillers for my arm," he stated. "They got ahold of Mom at the airport, too. She's on her way here."

Kaoru couldn't help the grin that appeared on his face. "She's going to panic."

"She was already doing that on the phone." Hikaru wrinkled his nose, albeit somewhat gingerly. "You're going to have to get my work from school for the rest of the week."

"What about the club?"

"Play the distressed lover. The girls will like that. I can make a grand reentrance that way. Besides, I'm not really that badly hurt... the broken arm will make things interesting."

"I don't like doing this without you. It feels weird."

"You'll be fine. Besides... it's only for a week."

The week, as it was, did not start well for Kaoru. Right off the bat he was designated by a single customer... Ifukube Haruka.

"She's the daughter of the CEO of a privately owned bank," Kyoya had explained, mostly without Haruhi having even asked. "She's quite popular, but somewhat shallow. She often designates the twins, but her preference is obviously towards Kaoru's personality type." He was watching the dark-haired young woman carefully as she gently held Kaoru's hand, seeming to comfort him over the injury of his beloved twin. "I understand she is somewhat vengeful, if my knowledge of her middle school days holds true..."

Haruhi frowned at that, turning to look towards where Kaoru sat. He was playing the perfect host, but this time, the tears in his eyes were genuine.

"It's so terrible what happened to your brother, Kaoru," she murmured softly. "Are you feeling well?"

After a breathy sigh for dramatic effect, the younger twin turned his gaze from the young woman, a tear finding its way down his smooth cheek. "I feel halved," he whispered. "Incomplete. However... I'm sure I'll pull through, with such a wonderful lady helping me remember that hope isn't lost."

Kyoya looked away, and simply pushed his glasses up on his nose. Haruhi couldn't help but wonder what he was up to.

A few days into the farce, Kyoya approached Kaoru before the host club opened for the afternoon, presenting him with a bouquet. His smile was placid, but Kaoru wasn't fooled. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing," Kyoya replied, tone cool. "This is for Miss Ifukube. It's only proper you thank her in some way for helping you through this difficult time."

Kaoru's brow rose, then he blinked, looking at the bouquet quietly. "...I suppose. I feel more like she's taking advantage of it than anything, though..."

The second-year only smiled at his junior, standing straight to head over to the doors to open them.

Once everyone was situated, Kaoru walked over to the table where Haruka was sitting, his face shifted to a timid expression, playing the part of distress to the extreme, even though he was well aware by this point that Hikaru was perfectly fine (if his antics and kicking about in bed at night were any indication, to say the very least). "Miss Ifukube," he murmured, eyes never meeting hers, "I want you to have this." He held out the bouquet, well aware of her fluttering sigh as she accepted it gracefully. "You've been so kind to me through this difficult time, and while the emptiness I feel from missing my dear brother is deep, you have helped me fill the void until his return."

Haruka fluttered, smiling as she held the bouquet close to draw in their scent. "Oh, Kaoru, they're beautiful." She glanced up at him through her bangs, a blush rising to her cheeks. "I'll cherish this. I'm simply glad I could be with you you through this difficult time."

"I appreciate the gesture. I really do." Kaoru turned his head away at that point, and so tied up was Haruka in her admiration of the expensive arrangement that she did not notice the slight movement of his hand to place the eyedrops with expert care. When he returned his attention to her, his eyes were glassy, a single "tear" finding its way down his cheek. "You're too kind, Miss Ifukube."

The girl smiled. Maybe this was working after all.

The phone conversation was typical for a teenage girl... even a wealthy one. Or it was typical to some extents of the word.

Haruka smiled as she arranged the flowers she'd been given quite carefully, holding the phone against her ear with her shoulder. "Yes... oh, he gave me a beautiful bouquet. I'd started to think your idea hadn't worked." She smiled. "He wasn't badly hurt, so no one suspected he'd been intentionally tripped. Just a simple little accident." Here, she paused to consider as she listened to her friend's voice on the other line. "He'll be back to classes next week, though, and I don't want to designate that horrible person along with dear Kaoru. I'll just have to think of another little trick..."

Deep within the bouquet she was standing beside, what looked like a ladybug decoration blinked.

"Tamaki." The blonde-haired boy blinked, glancing up slightly at his dark-haired friend's approach. "I've something here you may want to listen to. The bouquet I had Kaoru give to Miss Ifukube had a remote transmitter inside." Tamaki's brow lifted, but he let Kyoya finish, watching when he placed a small recorder on the desk in front of his friend. "Here."

The two fell silent as the recorder played, and with every word that flowed, Tamaki's eyes narrowed further. "Well, Mommy," he stated lowly, "I suppose we know how to handle this." He lifted his head. "We shouldn't tell Kaoru. He'll be furious."

Kyoya nodded his agreement. "We can handle this privately. This girl is troublesome... and I know just how to handle her ilk..."

Haruka had to admit, it was fairly unusual to be invited to the host club alone. But the invitation was from Kaoru... her heart skipped a beat. Had she finally gotten through to him?

The third floor, music room three... she drew a breath and opened the door.

Inside was not what she expected. The room used by the prestigious host club was empty save for two figures... the blonde-haired prince and his meticulous advisor.

Tamaki flashed a brilliant smile, raising his hand to stroke back his hair in an elegant and fluid movement. "Hello, princess," he greeted gently. "I apologize for the rude way we summoned you here... but there are matters we must discuss with you."

"Matters concerning the Hitachiins, in fact," Kyoya continued. There was that placid smile again. Up until this point, Haruka had seen this man as harmless, but now, something in his expression told her that he was not to be trifled with. "The flowers Kaoru gave you... they were lovely, weren't they?" Another smile, this one decidedly more cold. "I regret to inform you that within those very blossoms was a ladybug decoration. A cunning ruse, I might add, for it hid a remote transmitter." Here, he held up the recorder that he had given Tamaki to listen to. "This is a recording of the entirety of your end of the conversation with your friend."

Here, Tamaki rested an arm on Kyoya's shoulder, leaning somewhat casually as he allowed a nonchalant grin to part his soft features. "Such a flower of a girl... you were hiding your thorns all along, weren't you? I think you're not at all the rose you portray, my dear, but instead a briar patch." He chuckled at her horrified expression. "You will not return to the host club. You will not speak of this meeting. You will not come near the Hitachiins once, and if we hear that you have..."

Kyoya smiled as he finished, "We will release this recording not only to all of the girls that designate the twins, but also to the Hitachiins themselves."

The girl did not know what to say. She stared for a moment, then took a step back. Neither Tamaki nor Kyoya was backing down.

Finally, with a muffled sob, the girl tore out of the room. Both the host club president and his vice were certain she would not be causing trouble anytime soon...

By the end of the week, Kaoru had stopped questioning the sudden disappearance of Miss Ifukube at the club, but he was starting to feel a little awkward. Dealing with these girls on his own... it just wasn't something he was used to.

A sudden crash. The door flew open, and standing there dishevelled, arm in a sling and eyes wide, ginger hair flung every which way about his face was Hikaru. "Kaoru...!

Kaoru was on his feet in an instant. The blush was real, the tears were real, even his relief was real. "Hikaru!" In a flurry of movement, the twins met halfway, Hikaru bracing his brother with his uninjured arm as Kaoru's arms wound around his waist, ever-mindful of the cast and sling. "Oh, Hikaru!"

Nearby, a crowd of girls squealed and swooned at the display. Kyoya raised his brow, then immediately returned to scribbling something down on his clipboard.

The twins hardly seemed phased and Hikaru lowered his head, hair and breath mingling with his mirror's. "Kaoru. I'm so sorry to have worried you. It was horrible of me... how could I have been so careless?"

"Oh, no, Hikaru," Kaoru whispered, breathless. Internally, he was trying not to laugh... but this was for the patrons. "No, this wasn't your fault. You shouldn't blame yourself at all. I should be the one to blame, for being to weak to help you."

This went on for several flowery minutes before they resigned to their spots, Kaoru cuddled up against his twin's side as they, for the remainder of the time the club was open for the day, entertained the guests with exactly what they loved best.

"Kaoru?"

Fingers twined together.

"Yeah, Hikaru?"

Golden-brown eyes matched.

"Were you really worried?"

A slight parting of identical lips.

"Of course I was. Why wouldn't I be?"

Fingers tightened.

"I don't know. It was just a question."

A gentle smile.

"Idiot. You worry too much."

Golden-brown eyes rolled towards the ceiling.

"...I know."

Comfortable silence fell... it was good to be together.

End

A/N: I'm so sorry this is so crappy! D: I will write something better, I promise, and hopefully with more of the characters getting involved. Also, I'm aware I abbreviated the names and did not use endings such as -chan, -kun, or -sempai. This was a decision on my part due to not really liking to use random Japanese in stories.

Possibly a sequel coming... we did, after all, see it mentioned that Haruhi would bind and dress in "drag," yes? On, the hilarity that could ensue...