"I'm Akihiro. No need to adress me formally. The reason I came to talk to you in the first place was to ask you out. You're a very pretty girl, you know."

Haruhi was speechless.

"You truly think that I'd agr--"

"We would like it if you left her alone."

She heard familiar voices coming from behind her. She turned around and saw Hikaru and Kaoru both leaning against pillars. They had one hand each in a pocket, and they did look pretty intimidating.

"Oh. It's you. I'll be back for your answer, Fujioka. I'd better like it." He sent her a mischevious glance and then began to walk away.

"Stay away from that guy, got it?" Hikaru said, grabbing her shoulder.

"Yeah, he's bad news." Kaoru added.

Haruhi was still pretty shaken up by the whole thing, so she just nodded.

"Yes, of course. I would have never--"

"Are you okay?!" Kaoru blurted out, lifting her face so she was staring into his eyes. She could tell that he was holding back tears.

"O-of course!" She said, not knowing what brought this on. He didn't look convinced.

"Seriously? Nobody said anything to you?" Hikaru looked the same way as Kaoru did. She shook her head.

"Nobody other than him." She pointed back to Akihiro.

The twins nodded and straightened up a little. They started to walk away, but then they turned back around.

"You didn't have to do that you know." They were referring to what had happened in class. She stepped farward and took one hand from each of them in hers.

"You have to stop saying that. I did it because I wanted to. I did it for you." Haruhi walked farward, dragging both of them behind her as she went.

********

~HITACHIIN MANSION, 9:17 PM~

********

"Kaoru, throw me that pillow," Hikaru called over to his brother. Kaoru tossed it over and leaned back down so he was on the floor. The twins were building some kind of fort for science homework out of pillows and blankets, and so far it wasn't going too well. Everything kept falling over after they added new peices.

"Dammit!" Hikaru exclaimed when it fell again.

Kaoru had given up a while ago, and he was sprawled out on the ground with his hands behind his head.

"Hikaru, let's just build it later. I'm really tired and my head hurts from all of your yelling..." He groaned, shutting his eyes.

"S-sorry... Are you sick?" Hikaru asked, crouching down next to him. He placed his hand on his forehead and then jerked it away.

"You are sick! You're freaking a million degrees!" He shrieked, fussing around. "We need to get you it the hospital right away--"

"Hikaru, it's probably just a fever. I'll be fine," Kaoru smiled and tried to stand up. When he did, his legs began to shake and he collapsed. "Why... Why is the room s-spinning, Hikaru?"

Hikaru bit his lip and helped his brother up again. He was half-carrying him.

"No, you are not fine. You need a doctor. You've been eating, right?" He asked, knocking on Haruhi's door. Kaoru didn't answer.

"I-I'm going to be sick--" He choked, covering his mouth with his arm.

"Haruhi! I'm coming in!" Hikaru yelled, pushing the door open. Haruhi was in the middle of changing clothes, so she was only wearing a spaghetti strap tank top and her shorts that were basically as short as underwear.

"G-get out!" She screamed, using a blanket to cover herself. Hikaru blushed, but remembered that Kaoru needed help. He dashed to her bathroom and set Kaoru over the toilet. As soon as he was sat down, he was sick into the bowl.

"It's okay. It's okay. Just let it all out," Hikaru pat his back and tried to comfort him. He absolutley hated it when Kaoru got sick. He hated the way his brother was pale and shaky, and constantly apologizing about troubling him. Kaoru nearly never got sick, but when he did it was always something bad. Not deadly, but very straining for him.

Haruhi appeared in the doorway, now fully clothed in a short white dress.

"Is he alright?" She asked softly, feeling bad about yelling at him earlier.

"I was going to ask you the same thing. That's why we're here, you know. He could of just puked in our bathroom, but I thought you'd have more knowledge on this kind of stuff!" He sighed, brushing the hair out of Kaoru's face.

"S-sorry," Kaoru said in a raspy voice. Hikaru shushed him.

"Stop it, I don't mind at all. And neither does Haruhi." He assured him. "Don't talk, it must hurt your throat. Haruhi, can you get him some water?"

Haruhi smirked.

"Hikaru, I think you're taking care if him just fine. How did you think I could help?" She asked, pulling out a cup. She filled it with cold water from the sink and handed it to him.

"Well I thought you may be able to see how bad it is. Whenever Kaoru gets sick it's always pretty bad."

Haruhi raised Kaoru's head up slowly. She looked at his face and felt his forehead.

"He just has the stomach bug. That's all it is. Now we'll all get it!" She murmured the last part, but Kaoru could still hear. He winced and turned around with frightened eyes.

"I-I'm sorry! Gomen 'nasai!" He gasped, his voice cracking.

Hikaru put arm over his brothers shoulder and looked at Haruhi.

"She didn't mean it in a bad way, shhh..." He noticed that Kaoru was almost falling asleep. "Haruhi, get me a pillow."

As soon as Haruhi had fetched a blanket and pillow for Kaoru, he was passed out on the bathroom floor. Hikaru sat down next to him and watched him breathe.

"I'm upset with you," he clarified, looking at Haruhi.

She groaned and walked into her room.

"Because of what I said? I really didn't mean it like that." She tried to reason with him. He smiled a little.

"I know. But I won't forgive you for making him apologize. He's done that enough already."

Haruhi patted the spot next to her on the bed, but Hikaru shook his head.

"I don't want to leave him." He said.

"But then you'll get sick and he'll just be even more upset." Haruhi was hoping that he would come sit with her.

"Baka. Stupid. I am probably already infected. But seeing as you're not going to stop asking me, I'll come over." He sighed and stood up, joining her. Haruhi smiled with her victory and scooted over.

"So what do you guys do if you're both sick?" She asked him, locking her ankles together and swinging her legs back and forth off of the edge of the bed. Hikaru didn't answer her. He fell back into the mattress and crossed his hands over his chest.

"Hey, I told you to sit, not lay down." Haruhi poked his arm and frowned. He grinned.

"I'm dizzy." He lied. Haruhi didn't buy it.

"Well in that case, so am I." She said, laying down next to him.

He smiled even bigger and shut his eyes.

"There's never been anyone like you before." He whispered in a deep voice, "Why do you treat us the way you do? I've warned you plenty of times that--"

"Quiet. I've told you plenty of times. You need me. And I... I need you guys. Not just for a home, but for everything else." She interrupted him. He opened his eyes a little, looking worried.

"If something bad happens, blame me--not Kaoru. If you blame him then he'll stop eating. He's done it before and it scares me." He let himself go a little and showed her his sensitive side.

"What do you mean if something bad happens?" She asked.

"I don't know. But something bad will happen to either us or you, and then you'll get angry and move away." He sounded as if he was about to cry, but he held back a little.

Haruhi didn't answer him just yet. Instead, she sat up and pulled him up by his shirt collar. He gasped and looked surprised at the sudden movement.

"Listen Hikaru. I'm not going anywhere. Please stop tormenting yourself by thinking those kinds of thoughts." She said, almost aggressively.

"But you-- you don't mean it! Nobody means it! Why else do you think our parents leave every few months? They hate us! If our own parents don't like us than how can you--"

He was cut off when Haruhi leaned in and kissed his cheek softly. They didn't move for a while, but the whole time Hikaru wasn't breathing. Haruhi wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled away, smiling.

"Don't ask me how, Hikaru. I love both of you. And I promise that I'll always be here, alright?" She whispered. Hikaru, red faced and totally speechless, pulled her into a tight hug. Haruhi could feel his tears in her hair, but she didn't say anything about it. She knew he had cracked a little and opened up to her, and she was happy to have helped him.

But she still knew she had a long way to go before she could save them.

A few minutes later, the whole event kind of blew over and they were laying down and talking again.

"You look really good in those biker shorts, by the way." Hikaru teased her. She blushed and hit him with her pillow.

"So this is the real you? Cheeky, annoying, and totally stubborn?"

He nodded and grinned.

"Uh-huh. Nice to meet you."

The conversation went on for a whole, until Hikaru noticed Haruhi had fallen asleep.

He slowly got out of the bed and tucked her under the covers before joining Kaoru in the bathroom again. He slipped into the small space between his brother and the bathtub and put his arm over his waist. As Hikaru lay down, he began to tell Kaoru exactly what happened since he had fallen asleep.

It was a responsibility he had as a twin. He couldn't leave him behind.

********

Sorry it's short, but here's chapter 14 :)

I'm no longer sick, so I'll go back to my normal schedule. (I know I said that last update, but this time I mean it)

Thank you for reading!