Chapter 57: Bonus Chapter: The Parent Trap part 2

Kyoya was taking off his shoes near the front door as the boy ran towards the staircase, "Hey, troublemaker. I saw Eclair's limo on the way here, so is it just you and me for…" he paused, watching as Kaoru bolted up the stairs, sniffling, "... dinner?"

Outside, Eclair sauntered her way around the house, "I thought I heard voices back here."

"Hi." Tamaki rubbed his face in his hands. He thought I was going to adopt her?

"Oh, what's the matter, Darling? You look stressed." Eclair pressed a long kiss to the blond's lips before sitting down in the chair previously occupied by the man's son, "Do you need a drink?"

"Strong one."

"Coming right up." Eclair smirked and pulled a tiny silver bell out of her bag and rang it, "Kyoya!" Tamaki stared at the woman in shock, and she gave him a small smile, "Don't you love it? It's the perfect thing for such a big house. Kyoya!" She rang it again.

"He's not a butler…"

"Darling, he would bend himself over backwards for you, and trust me, it's not for friendship. Hasn't it always been that way? You underestimate the power behind your family name. So why not call him out on it?"

She rang one last time, and Kyoya appeared at the doorway from inside the house, looking 200% done.

"... You rang?"

"Yes, would you mind getting us something to drink, preferably something strong for Tamaki, here?"

The ravenet gave the woman an incredulous look, "I am not your butler. Nor am I your server, or a nanny, or anything else that would justify waiting on you at your beck and call. I came over under the impression that Tamaki had invited me for dinner. Unless you wish to start paying me for servicing you around my full time job as a CEO, and I promise you I would not be cheap, then I shall take my leave. Have a good day."

"Wait, Kyoya!"

Tamaki stood up and ran after his friend, Eclair watching with cruel amusement as he did so. So close… so close to making Kyoya miserable… how wonderful.

"Kyoya-"

"If that's what you think of me-"

"It's not! I don't know where Eclair got that idea but I promise it wasn't from me!" Tamaki sighed and pushed his bangs back from his forehead, "Kyoya, you're my best friend. I never would've been able to get this far without you. And you've raised Hikaru just as much as I have. You're his uncle in almost every right, so please don't leave. I'll talk to Eclair and make sure she gets rid of that stupid bell, I promise."

Kyoya sighed, contemplating the idea of telling his friend just how awful his 'fiancee' really was. Then his left cheekbone ached with an echo of a fist slamming into it and he reconsidered. "Fine. However, I don't think I'll be capable of holding a civilized conversation with Eclair for the rest of the day. Perhaps I can take Hikaru out to eat somewhere and you can enjoy a night in?"

"Actually, that was something else I also wanted to talk to you about." Tamaki rubbed the back of his head and glanced up the stairs, "I… told Hikaru about how I proposed to Eclair and he went ballistic."

Huh, kid has good taste.

"At first he started talking about me adopting her -" Kyoya snorted and Tamaki raised an eyebrow, "I have punched you before."

"Which means it's my turn. Continue."

Tamaki rolled his eyes, "Whatever, but then he started ranting at me in German! I didn't know he could even speak German! Just, could you talk to him? I think he's a little sensitive to me right about now, and I know that Eclair would want to join us and I don't think that's the best right about now… you okay, Kyoya?"

The ravenet was staring up at the second floor with narrowed eyes. It was a look that Tamaki recognized from knowing him for over seventeen years. Kyoya was thinking hard about something, and it was forming an idea that he didn't like.

"I'm fine. And I'll talk to him," Kyoya smirked at the blond as he passed him, "You go back to your new child."

"I'll still hit you!"

" Hello? Fujioka residence, this is Kaoru- "

"Hikaru!"

There was the faint sound of scuffling on the other end of the line before a responding, " Kaoru? How's everything going- "

"Dad's getting married!"

" What? "

"He's already engaged to Eclair! He just told me… oh, god, what do we do?"

" Wha… when's this happening? "

"Two weeks! She's got her claws in him and I don't know what to do!" Kaoru curled his legs up, squishing his body even further into the corner of the closet. The dark silence and smell of freshly laundered clothes helped calm him down. He was in way over his head. "If we want Mom and Dad back together we have to do it fast and I mean really fast…"

" Okay… I'll tell Mom as soon as I can. I promise. Are you going to tell Dad? "

"I don't know. Dad told me we're going to Tokyo in two days on a whim, but I have a feeling it was Eclair's idea to make Dad and Kyoya as miserable as possible by bringing up bad memories of how Mom and Dad got married there. God she's horrific! "

" Just don't panic! Call me when you know exactly where you're going, okay? "

"Okay… thanks."

The call disconnected and Kaoru sighed, standing up and opening the closet door.

"So… is there something you want to tell me Hikaru?"

He gasped, almost falling back into the closet at the sight of Kyoya leaning against his bedroom door, "K-kyoya? How long were you standing there?"

"I didn't hear anything." The man shut the door and began walking closer to the boy, crossing his arms, "But I've noticed that you've been acting very strange ever since you came back from camp, Hikaru."

"Strange? Like… how? If your talking about the closet thing, it's a camp tradition-"

"Not what I meant. I'm referring to your sudden knowledge of the subway system of Paris even though we always use cars and taxis. And how your father has just informed me that you somehow mastered a whole new language over the past eight weeks you spent abroad. And to top it all off, Antoinette is still jittery around you, preferring to sleep on her dog bed in the living room rather than with you. So, why don't you tell me what's wrong, Hikaru? Did something happen?"

Kaoru swallowed, "I…"

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say it's almost like you've..." Kyoya shook his head, "Never mind."

"Almost like I've been replaced?"

Instantly, Kyoya's expression went from accusatory to concerned, "Replaced? Is that what this is about? Eclair?"

"No… I mean actually replaced."

"I'm afraid I don't follow."

Kaoru reached up and pressed his hands onto the back of his head. This was harder than he thought it was going to be, "Almost… as if I'm not me? "

"Hikaru? Is something going on?"

"I mean… it's almost like I'm acting like… Kaoru?"

Kyoya's breath hitches, his eyes widening. For a moment, the two boys just stare at each other, Kaoru's heart pounding against his ribs.

" How do you know about Kaoru? "

"I… am Kaoru."

Kyoya abruptly covered his mouth with a hand, taking a small step back as his eyes widened just a little more. Despite how they were clearly muffled, Kaoru still faintly heard the restrained sobs coming from his uncle. Despite only knowing the other man for a few days, the sound sent a sick feeling into the pit of Kaoru's stomach.

"Are you… mad?"

"Am I mad? " Kyoya pulled his hand away, showing a huge smile and held out his arms, "Come here."

Without a second thought, Kaoru ran forward and hugged his uncle. Kyoya squeezed him tightly, and the redhead couldn't help but shake a little. This whole time, he'd been worried that Kyoya wouldn't care for him if he knew that it was Kaoru instead of Hikaru standing in front of him. Guess his uncle had loved him just as much… only a little further away.

" You don't know how much I've missed you. "

Kaoru laughed, "S-so sentimental, Kyoya. What happened to the tough guy act?" To his surprise, Kyoya actually laughed a bit at that. He pulled back a little and wiped a tear away, "Are you going to tell Dad?"

Kyoya tilted his head before maneuvering the both of them to sit on the bed, "I would assume that we'd have to, don't we? He deserves to know that you and Hikaru… switched places? Am I correct?"

"Yeah. It's funny. We met at camp. Guess you and my aunt think a bit alike. Anyway, when the whole story spilled out we decided to… swap lives. I wanted to meet Dad… and you! And Hikaru was dying to know about Mom and Aunt Jin and Grandpa and Uncle Honey and Uncle Mori and… everyone else. It helped that I can speak French, I guess…"

Kyoya smirked, "Hmm… I recall your Aunt Jin. We met at your parent's wedding. I assume she taught you French and German? She did spend quite a few years of her life studying abroad if I remember correctly."

"You do. But please don't tell Dad about it! Not yet!"

"And when did you plan to tell him?"

Kaoru swung his feet a little, "I guess Hikaru and I were hoping he'd find out when he saw Mom when we go to Tokyo in two days."

Kyoya raised an eyebrow, "Your mother, hmm? Was this perhaps also a plan to get your parents together again?"

"... Wishful thinking, huh?"

"Not… necessarily." Kaoru looked up at his uncle, hardly daring to believe, "Well, we both know he'd be incredibly miserable living with Eclair. And I can only imagine the horrors she'd inflict on your brother once you're switched back." Kyoya shrugged, pretending to not notice the huge smile on the redhead's face as he continued, "It's simply a case of looking out for your best interest."

Kaoru hugged the man again, "I love you, Uncle Kyoya."

"Love you, too, Troublemaker. Now, grab your jacket and get your shoes on. We're going out to dinner, and you're going to tell me your whole life story."

"Hey, Mom? I have to ask you something."

"Okay, Kaoru. But can you give me five minutes to finish up this case file-" The phone went off in his mother's home office and Hikaru felt the urge to rip it from the wall. He'd been trying to come clean to his mother for hours and he was constantly being interrupted!

As Haruhi picked up the phone to hear about yet another case, Hikaru stormed out of the room. He was having a bit of trouble keeping his annoyance in check. Just last night, Kaoru had called again to tell him where the rest of his family was going to be tomorrow morning. Park Hyatt Tokyo. Even Hikaru had whistled at that. That place was expensive.

But now he had to find a way to get his family over there! And so far it wasn't happening! He was trying to tell them he was really Hikaru, but no one was listening!

Wait… there was one person he hadn't tried yet.

Rushing out the front door, Hikaru ran across his family's front yard into the one belonging to their neighbor's. He stood on the front step and pounded his fist on the door, "Aunt Jin!"

Fifteen seconds later, the door opened, "Kaoru? You okay?"

The redhead stormed inside, "No! I'm not okay! Everything is going horribly wrong and no one will listen to me even though it's really time sensitive and I'm just so frustrated but… but…" he angrily rubbed at his eyes, not quite remembering when he'd started crying from the stress. Instantly his aunt was in front of him, wiping away his tears and calmly shushing him. Hikaru let himself be lead to the couch and sat down, where he curled into his aunt and took in a few deep breaths, trying to relax the tightness in his chest.

Jin gently ran her fingers through his hair, resting her cheek against the top of his head, "There we go… now, why don't you tell me what's so time sensitive. I'm sure it's not as bad as you think it is."

"Well… we need to go to Park Hyatt Tokyo."

"Okay. Why?"

He hesitated, which was stupid, he told himself. He'd been trying to tell his family who he really was for so long already, so why was it so hard to do now that he had the opportunity? Frustrated with himself, the redhead grabbed one of the pillows on the couch and pressed it against his face, falling to his side.

Jin smiled and started poking at her nephew's exposed belly, "Kaoru? Kaoru… are you dead? Kaoru, I'm not stopping until you laugh or-"

" That's why we have to go! To get Kaoru! "

Now the woman let out a small laugh at the muffled voice, "Oh, I see. And why would Kaoru be there?"

" Because that's where our father Suoh Tamaki is taking him while they're away from my home in Paris! " The poking stopped. He slowly pulled the pillow away from his eyes. Jin's face radiated pure shock. Gently, she maneuvered her knees onto the floor as Hikaru sat up.

She cups his face, " You're not Kaoru, are you? "

The redhead sniffled softly, " That would be correct. "

" You're Hikaru?"

" Yeah… "

" Oh my god- " Jin surged forward and hugs him tightly, sobbing into his shoulder, "I-I thought I'd never see you again! Oh! And look how big you are! Oh, sweetheart… "

"Nēchan? Have you seen- Nēchan? Kaoru? What's wrong? What happened?" Haruhi and Ranka ran in through the front door, staring at the crying duo in worry.

Jin pulled away from her nephew and stood up, wiping at her face before pointing at him, "I'm going to make you something special to eat. You want anything? You know what, don't answer, I'm just going to whip up everything I've got, okay?" She walked into the kitchen, still crying quietly.

"Nēcha- Kaoru, what's gotten into your aunt? Did something happen?"

The redhead hiccuped and stood up from the couch, smiling weakly at his mother, "H-hi, Mom… it's been a long time, right? Thirteen years."

His grandfather gasped, clapping his hands over his mouth as the beginnings of tears flooded his eyes, " Oh… "

"Dad? Wha… what is going on?"

"Haru." Jin was back, still wiping at the corners of her eyes, "That's not Kaoru."

The shorter brunette looked at the redhead, and Hikaru saw the exact moment when all the pieces fell into place. Her already big brown eyes widened and she opened her mouth, only for a small choking noise to escape.

" H… Hikaru? "

" Mom! "

The woman rushed forward to wrap her son up in her arms, crying just as hard as her sister had been earlier. Ranka eased himself into a chair and cried into his hands, " I've never been so happy in my entire life… "

Hikaru squeezed his mother as tight as he could, gasping at the feeling of safety the emotionally charged hug was giving him. He'd been hugged by his mother before… but never as Hikaru. She had hugged Kaoru. And while those were nice… this felt nicer.

Haruhi pulled back a little, just enough to stare at the boy's face, "Oh, look at you! You're all grown up… my little boy. But… how did you get here?"

"It's a long story…"

"Um, I'm sorry, but no. I can't handle this!"

Jin raised an eyebrow as she watched her sister throw multiple clothing articles out of her closet, "Well, it's not as though we can't afford one or two nights there. Think of it as tapping into that summer vacation money we always save up but never spend."

"That's not what I'm talking about, Nēchan." Haruhi held up one of her work shirts before tossing it over her shoulder, "I mean, I haven't seen or heard from Suoh Tamaki in thirteen years and suddenly he's flying back to Japan and I'm supposed to meet him? I'm not mature enough for this!"

"Says the woman with twin teenage sons."

"Oh, that's different! I had you and Dad and Honey and Mori to help with that!"

"You were always mature beyond your years, Haru. Why all the insecurity now?"

"Because that French man is the only person on Earth who can make me act irrational and I'm not okay with that!"

Jin shrugged and started slipping a pair of pants into the small suitcase opened up on the bed, "Seems like you were okay with it a long time ago."

"Oh, shut up!" Haruhi fell face first onto the bed before rolling onto her back, "I mean, we came up with this arrangement with the boys so we'd never have to see each other again! Now look at me. I'm acting like Dad! Have you ever seen me like this?!"

"Well-"

"Don't answer that." She jumped up and started going through her drawers, "I… what if he doesn't recognize me?"

"I seriously doubt that if he's kept your picture all these years."

"Nēchan…"

Hikaru bounced into the room, "Alright, Mom! I'm all packed for tomorrow!"

Haruhi quickly sat up, "Brilliant, sweetheart. Me too."

"Does… Aunt Jin usually pack for you?"

"Ah… no. No, not usually." Jin winked at her nephew. "So, did you speak to your father?"

"Uh, yeah! Just hung up with him. Kaoru and I explained everything and just between you and me, he's really anxious to see you."

Haruhi blinked, looking like she might faint, "Anxious… Suoh Tamaki, anxious… well, I never really could tell what that man would do next. Always drove me mad, that."

"He'll meet us at noon at the hotel tomorrow."

" Ooooh my, that's incredibly soon. Er, why don't you go see if your grandfather's decided to join us, eh?"

"Okay, Mom."

Haruhi let out another breath before going back into her closet. Hikaru turned around to leave when a voice whispered in his ear, " Liar, liar, pants on fire! "

He turned around and held a finger to his lips, "SH!" and shut the door.

"Nēchan? You're coming with us, right?"

"Yeah! Of course, Haru!"

"Good!"

"You thought I wouldn't?" Jin rolled her eyes and threw a pair of black socks into the suitcase next to Haruhi's favorite low heels.

Haruhi finally smiled and glanced over her shoulder, "Well, I couldn't be sure, considering you're old flame will be there, too."

"Old flame?"

"Ootori Kyoya."

Jin dropped one of the rejected skirts back to the floor and gave her sister the 'Look', "Really, Haru? This joke again?"

"You two totally hit it off, Nēchan. I'm surprised you didn't go home with him."

"I spoke with the man for a total of six hours, Haru! He was Tamaki's best man and I was your Maid-of-Honor! Of course we talked a bit during the reception, we walked down the aisle together!"

"So you weren't giving him flirty heart eyes for those six hours like I totally saw you doing?"

"He was a hunk! I can appreciate someone's physical attraction, but that doesn't mean I'm going to jump into his bed at the first opportunity!"

"And the second?"

"Get your head out of the gutter! And besides, there's no guarantee that he'll be there."

Haruhi laughed, still raking her closet to shreds, "Doubtful. Apparently he's as much Hikaru's uncle as Honey and Mori are for Kaoru! Perhaps there'll be some rekindled love?"

"Haru-"

"I still stand by the fact that if you had gone to Ouran instead of staying in America all through high school, you two would've gotten together before Tamaki and I did. Or if you had gone to college in Japan instead of Germany, you two would've stayed in contact. Perhaps the third opportunity will be the charm? After all… of all the businesses you received job offers from, you went with the Ootori Group."

Jin sighed, "Let's just get you packed, unless you want to meet your ex-husband in your nightgown."

"Ugh! I just don't know! What are you wearing?"

"A couple nice shirts and pants, maybe a dress. Oh, and a swimsuit to use in the pool. But if I were in your shoes…" Jin walked to her sister's side and reached deep into the closet, grabbing the hanger in the far back and pulling the dress out, "I'd wear this."

Haruhi eyed the red dress and whimpered softly… but eventually nodded and grabbed the hanger.

"Oh… Nēchan, do you think we're too early? Too late? Maybe we can do this some other-" Before Haruhi could turn around, Jin threw an arm out and caught her little sister by her shoulders. Hikaru wasn't sure how to feel seeing his mother so uncomfortable, but it wasn't like they could turn back now. Jin had given her a glass of wine before they left to help with nerves, but it didn't seem to be taking effect just yet.

Jin twirled their room key around her finger before tossing it to her nephew, "We're on the eighth floor. Room three. And our bags should already be up there so, Hikaru, how about you head up there and start getting settled in. I'll talk to your mother."

"Okay. See you up there."

Hikaru started walking towards the elevator and had to jump backwards in order to avoid being run over by a bellhop. He bumped into someone and spun around, "I'm so sorry- Kyoya!"

The ravenet blinked in surprise before he smirked, "Hikaru?"

"Yup!" The two hugged briefly, pulling apart when he heard another familiar voice talking to 'Hikaru' across the lobby.

Kyoya started pushing the teenager towards the stairs, " Go! Go! "

" Room 803! "

The redhead disappeared from view just as Tamaki spotted his best friend, "Kyoya! I know you prefer to take the stairs over the elevator, but c'mon, the sixteenth floor?"

Kyoya raised an eyebrow, "My room is on the tenth floor, Tamaki, but you're quite right. It is a little much, even for me." He met the other twin's eyes, and instantly Kaoru understood that they'd just avoided a bullet.

Eclair sighed and looped her arm through Tamaki's, "Well, why don't we all head up to our rooms and freshen up. Kyoya, Hikaru is staying in your room, correct?"

"When was that decided?"

"When we made the reservations. I figured that if we're having the wedding here, Tamaki and I might as well see if we'll enjoy our Honeymoon as well." The woman batted her eyelashes at her fiance, skillfully keeping his eyes on her while his son pretended to throw up behind them.

Kyoya clenched his jaw, but managed a small smile, "I wouldn't mind. So long as there are two beds in the room."

"Of course."

Kaoru let out a sigh and walked up to his uncle's side, "Let's go, Kyoya."

"Right behind you." They climbed into the elevator, and just as the doors started to shut Kyoya spotted two familiar brunette's across the lobby, one significantly shorter than the other. He tensed up, and when the doors shut and he looked down at the boy by his side, he saw that Kaoru was staring back at him with wide eyes.

"Do you know their room number?"

"803."

Kaoru jabbed the '8' button and crossed his arms, "Go make sure Eclair isn't forcing you to sleep on the couch, then meet us down there."

"Feel better?"

"Much."

"Good. Now, we're all going to be calm, and you two are going to talk, and everything's going to be…"

The Fujioka's stopped and stared as Suoh Tamaki climbed into one of the elevators with a twig of a girl in a faded plum colored dress. The woman had her arms around his neck as he hit the button, and Jin watched with a raised eyebrow as the blond looked up and saw them. His mouth fell open, and as the elevator doors started to shut he moved along with it until the man disappeared completely from view.

The sisters stood there for a moment in complete silence.

" Oh… he's so in trouble. "

The elevator ride up to the 8th floor was completely silent save for the tapping of Haruhi's shoes on the floor. The moment they arrived, Haruhi was stalking her way down the hallway, "Suoh Hikaru!"

The door on their left opened and two identical faces poked out, answering 'yes' in unison. Haruhi jumped a bit, then sighed, "Oh, don't do that to me. Get back in there. Now, which is which?"

As the four walked into the room, the twin with combed down hair smiled at the women, "I'm Kaoru."

"Kaoru!" Haruhi hugged the boy tightly, "Oh, look at you! Your hair's all combed down, too! My boys…" Hikaru walked over and hugged his mom and brother, "You're both here, together!"

Jin smirked and grabbed her suitcase, "Welp, I'm going to change. Might as well enjoy this place while we're here." She disappeared into the bathroom just as there was a knock on the door.

Haruhi's eyes went wide as she turned to the door. Spotting how uncomfortable she was, Hikaru walked over and peeked out the peep hole.

"It's Kyoya!"

"Oh…"

The brunette relaxed as her son opened the door, Kyoya walking in, "Thank you… Hikaru." He ruffled the boy's spiked up hair and looked up, spotting the other people in the room. "Ah, Haruhi. How lovely to see you ag-"

"Kyoya!" The brunette hurried forward and hugged the man, which was clearly a surprise going by the look on his face, "I haven't seen you in forever! How've you been?"

The man smirked and shook his head, "Just fine… now I recall why I was so upset when you two split up."

"Oh, right. Speaking of." She turned around and stared her sons in the eye, her lips pressed tightly together and chin tight. The redheads exchanged a glance. "Could one of you please explain-"

"Haru, I'm heading down to the pool in case… oh, hi."

"Hello."

Once again, Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged a glance, not quite sure what to make of the way their 'uncle' and aunt had greeted each other. Sure, Jin was in a two piece bathing suit that wasn't quite a bikini but still showed off a bit of stomach, but it wasn't embarrassment that was keeping their eyes trained on each other.

Kyoya snapped out of it first, smirking at the woman, who jumped a bit and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, "Sorry. Um, you probably don't remember me, but my name's-"

"Fujioka Jin," Kyoya lightly took the brunette's hand and kissed the back of it, causing her to go completely red in the face, "Not a name I would soon forget."

"Oh…" she looked away, "Um… thank you, Ootori Kyoya."

The ravenet straightened his back appreciatively, "I made an impression, too, it would seem."

"Yeah, you could say that."

"Excuse me, you two? Do you mind?" Hikaru and Kaoru snickered when their aunt and uncle continued to stare at each other until their mother clapped her hands together. Kyoya dropped Jin's hand and they turned away from each other, sneaking glances out of the corners of their eyes.

Sighing, Haruhi turned back to her sons, "Hikaru… you told me that your father knew I was going to be here today, but I'm about to let you know that when I saw him down in the lobby it was clear that he had no idea we were on the same planet , let alone in the same hotel."

"You saw him already?"

Jin nodded, "And he saw us. But I don't think the woman draped all over him did, at least. That might've lead to some… questions."

Kyoya scoffed, "If he reacted to seeing you the way I'm sure he did, I wouldn't be surprised if she was interrogating him as we speak." He glanced towards the door, "A polygraph test is probably being dropped off at the front desk by now."

Jin giggles, but quiets herself quickly at the glare her sister shot across the room.

"Now, you two had better tell me why you lied! Why did you bring me here and not tell your father?"

"Okay! Looks like this is going to get a little personal so... I'm going to head down to the pool now."

"I'll join you."

"Wait!" Jin and Kyoya froze and slowly turned back around. Haruhi looked at everyone in turn, "Is there something going on that you aren't telling me?"

Kaoru shut his eyes, "Mom? Dad's getting married."

Haruhi blinked, reaching backwards until she fell onto the couch behind her, "I see…"

"She's Cruella De Vil, Mom, completely awful! She doesn't even love Dad, she just wants his money and to cut Kyoya off from our family! She treats him like a butler and uses a bell to call him!"

Jin glanced at the man beside her, "Seriously?"

"Afraid so."

"And she totally doesn't like me, or Hikaru. She just terrible and the only way Dad won't marry her…"

"...is if he sees you again."

Jin glanced over at the feeling of an elbow touching her arm, and she and Kyoya simultaneously started sneaking back towards the door.

"Hold on a minute, you two." Once again, they turned around to meet Haruhi's disbelieving gaze, "Did you two know about this? Nēchan?"

"I… knew they wanted to get you and Tamaki back together… didn't know about the whole marriage thing."

Haruhi sucked in a deep breath and stood up, clapping her hands together, "Okay… let me say this one time, loud and clear, for all of you. Suoh Tamaki and I have absolutely nothing in common! Anymore, at least. Plus, in case you haven't noticed, he seems extremely content with his leggy, tight-skirted fiancee. Now I want the two of you ," she turned to the twins, "to explain to your father that I am here for one purpose, and one purpose only. To switch the two of you back. Understood?"

"Yes, Mom."

Jin sighed and held her right arm out towards the boys, "Come on, you two. I'll walk one of you down to the pool to see if he's down there or in the lobby."

"And I'll take the other up to his room."

They sighed and slid off the beds, trudging after the two adults.

"Hi, Dad!"

"Hikaru! There you are! Listen, I need to run down to the lobby for a moment, so will you keep Eclair company for a while?"

Hikaru nodded, "Sure." Then he stepped forward and hugged his Dad, considering he hadn't seen him in over 8 weeks.

Tamaki chuckled, hugging back, "What's this?"

"I just wanted to… thank you for bringing me with you."

"Oh, please, like I was going to leave you and Kyoya back in Paris?" The blond eyed the boy in confusion, "Do you have gel in your hair?"

"Uh… Kyoya brought some and I was just playing around with it. I came up with this really cool spiky look that I liked. Would you mind if I try it out?"

"Why not?" Tamaki patted his son's shoulder and ran towards the elevator, "You've always had a wilder spirit than your hair let on, anyways!"

Hikaru laughed a bit and waved as his father disappeared behind the elevator doors. Shaking his head, he started walking towards the stairs, hands coming up to perform the technique he had perfected over the course of a week.

A door suddenly opened behind him, "Have you seen your father?"

Hikaru turned around, hair half up in spikes, "Me?"

Eclair all but sneered at the boy, " What are you doing to your hair? Is this supposed to be the next wave of your rotten streak? Fix it before someone of importance see you, and I'll ask you again, where is your father? "

"... I think he went down to talk to my Uncle Kyoya."

"Uh, of all the times for charity. Fine. If you see him before I do, tell him he's late and I'm waiting. "

The woman stalked down to the elevators and Hikaru shook his head, "Cruella indeed…"

Down in the lobby, Tamaki all but ran to the middle of the room, looking around for a familiar head of brown hair.

"Dad!"

Spinning around, it the blond took a moment to recognize his son. Mostly because of his spiky hair, "Hikaru? What are you doing down here, I thought I asked you to keep Eclair company?"

"I… am! Yeah, I am. I was just looking for her."

"Right, right." He glanced at his son, "I like that hairstyle. Suits you."

"Oh, thanks!"

Tamaki almost walked away but caught himself before he got to far, "Oh, wait, Hikaru… forgot to ask you earlier. How do I look?"

"Good."

"Not too old?"

"Never."

He smiled, "Good… good," and walked outside. Kaoru grinned. He was looking for her. And he wanted to look nice. That was a good sign.

"What did I tell you?" Kaoru spun around, wide eyed, as Eclair stalked over to him, cold eyes flashing, " Fix your hair before someone important sees it! "

"...Dad likes it."

" Your father is an idiot when it comes to you. * Ahem * Now, I went to your room and he wasn't there, so have you seen him since you told me where he was?"

Kaoru resisted the urge to kick her in the shins, "No. I was looking for him."

" Useless. Fine. I'll find him myself."

The redhead kept his eyes on the woman until he was sure she was walking in the other direction, then followed his Dad back to the pool. Coming to a stop next to the arm floats for the little kids, he looked around until he saw his father roaming the edge of the water, trying to get a good look at anyone with short brown hair. Kaoru smiled, which grew wider when his Aunt Jin and Uncle Kyoya stood up from their table and walked over to his father.

"Tamaki?"

"Kyoya! I was wondering…" The blond did a double-take at the woman standing beside his best friend, "Fujioka Jin?"

The brunette gave him a short wave, "Hello, Tamaki-san. I wasn't sure if you'd remember me."

"No, no, of course I remember you! You're all Haruhi ever talked about. Speaking of which… is… is your sister around?"

Jin smirked and glanced around the blond, "Turn around."

Tamaki did more than that. He whipped around so fast he almost knocked someone into the pool. But he clearly didn't notice, purple eyes gluing themselves onto one Fujioka Haruhi. Kyoya and Jin gave each other a small smile before watching the blond start walking towards his ex-wife, almost trance like.

Unfortunately…

"Dad, watch out!"

Too late. Suoh Tamaki bumped into a pool boy who had an armful of towels and fell into the pool with a gigantic splash, fancy suit and everything.

Kyoya held up his camera and took a picture, making Jin laugh.

Spluttering and with water streaming down his face, the blond resurfaced, swimming to the edge of the pool and hoisting himself out of it, ending up right in front of Haruhi. Kaoru walked over to his aunt and uncle on the other side and they watched as the adults smiled at each other.

"Hello, Haruhi."

"Hello, Tamaki." The brunette rubbed at the back of her neck, "Well, gosh, there you are. How about that?"

The man pushed his hair back, attempting to squeeze out as much water as possible from it, "Um… is there something going on that I forgot about because… I'm stunned to see you here, but you don't seem… surprised by me at all."

"Dad?" Kaoru slipped out from behind Haruhi, "I can explain why she's here."

"Hikaru, you know who this is?"

"Yes, and… I'm not Hikaru."

"Actually," Hikaru stepped to the other side of his mother, " I'm Hikaru."

If didn't seem possible for the man to look more baffled than he already was, but he was certainly trying, "Both of them…" he looked at the twin who had spoken first, " Kaoru? "

"Well… we both ended up going to the same camp this summer-"

"-and after we figured it out we kidda came up with an idea-"

"-for me to meet you-"

"-and for me to meet Mom."

Haruhi smiled at her boys and looked at her ex-husband, "They switched places on us, Tamaki."

The blond looked at her, then back down, "You mean I've been with Kaoru this whole time?" He grinned broadly and held out his arms, Kaoru jumping into them without hesitation and squeezing him tight, "Oh… my little boy! My… you need a nickname! Um… okay. Hikaru is mon Caneton, so you're mon Oisillon."

"Little birdie?"

Tamaki kissed the boy's forehead, " Because you flew so far on your own to come see me. Oh, whoops, you're all wet now-"

"It's okay, Dad."

The blond looked his son up and down one last time before a strange expression came over him, "Wait… Hikaru you've been in Tokyo all this time?"

"Yeah…"

"Get over here." The twins hugged their father in unison, happily squished together between their father's arms.

Hikaru pressed his forehead to his father's shoulder, " Mom's amazing, Dad. I don't know how I've ever lived without knowing her. " The blond smiled fondly at the boy and kissed his forehead as well before looking at them both.

"You know… I like that hairstyle on you both. So, Hikaru's part is on his right side, and Kaoru's part is on his left?"

"Yup!"

"Good. At least I'll have some way to tell you apart."

Haruhi blushed a bit and cleared her throat, "Um, boys? Could you go and get your father some towels?"

"Oh, yeah!"

"Sure thing, Mom!"

The two bounded off and Tamaki shook his head, a hand coming up to his temple, "It's like I'm seeing double. They're so alike and they've only known each other for a little while. How… what are the odds…"

"Tamaki, sit down before you faint." Haruhi's tone was final, but her smile gave the command a bit of jest. And the blond immediately sat.

"So… how've you been, Haru?" He rested his elbow on his knee, seemingly unaware of the dopey smile on his face, "Or does everyone call you Haruhi now? Or Fujioka-san?"

"Oh. Uh, n-no, Haru's fine. Nēchan still calls me Haru."

"You know, you haven't changed a bit-"

" There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" Haruhi quickly stepped away from the chair Tamaki was lounging in as a petite woman marched her way over. The brunette saw the way the woman's grey eyes pierced both her and then Tamaki before narrowing, and immediately knew who it was. Cruella almost isn't strong enough.

Eclair cleared her throat, her ruby red lips pursing every so slightly, "Ah… who might you be? And Tamaki why are you all wet?"

Tamaki chuckled nervously, "You know… this is one small world."

"Oh really? How small?"

"Hi, Eclair."

The redhead raised an eyebrow at the boy on her left, "Hello."

"How you doing?"

She whipped her head to the right and shrieked. Tamaki let out a long, slow breath, "Eclair… did I ever mention to you that Hikaru was a twin?"

"I do not believe that ever came up. Ever."

Eclair's eyes were still wide when Hikaru shrugged, "Eh, don't feel bad, he never told me either. And, by the way, I'm the real Hikaru. We haven't actually met because for the past week, Kaoru over there has been pretending to be me in France to meet our father. And I was pretending to be him here in Tokyo to meet our mother, Fujioka Haruhi."

At the name, Eclair's eyes went back to the brunette, "Your mother? This is your mother?"

"Guilty."

"Oh… small world indeed. And… by any chance did we arrive at this hotel on the same day by coincidence or…"

"Hikaru, I've had enough surprises today to last me a lifetime. Now, would you please just tell me where we're going?"

The boy just laughed, "You'll love it, Dad. Just trust your son."

"Hello."

Hikaru had never seen his father whip around so fast as when he heard their mother speak. Tamaki's eyes went wide when he saw Haruhi standing there in a red dress. The red dress. The same red dress she had worn the day he proposed to her.

"Hey."

Kaoru lead his mother over to his father and went to go wave down a taxi with his twin. Haruhi nervously shuffled her feet before leaning in and whispering, " Do you have any idea where we're going? "

" Not a clue. "

" Oh, good. At least I'm not the only one. "

Tamaki chuckled again, a sound Haruhi suddenly realized… she had missed over the past thirteen or so years. And if the man decided to hold her door open for her both when they entered and exited the taxi? Well, she wasn't going to complain.

"Hang on a minute… I recognize this strip." Tamaki was turning around and around, his purple eyes wide as he took in the sights of the city. He may not have grown up in Japan, but in the few years he had lived there, the place had become ingrained into his definition of home. He never admitted to anyone but himself that he missed it.

Kaoru smiled at his father's clear happiness at being back in Japan, but was quick to direct his gaze to a particular building, "Does that clear it up for you?"

Haruhi gasped softly. It was the restaurant. The one Tamaki had taken her to for their first date. The adults remained silent as their sons lead them closer. Just before they got to the front doors, Tamaki raised an eyebrow at the boys.

"So… exactly how are we paying for dinner here?"

"We pooled our allowances."

The blond laughed once, "Yeah, right, Kaoru."

"Well, Aunt Jin and Uncle Kyoya chipped in a little."

"Hikaru."

"Okay… they chipped in a lot." Haruhi finally managed a smile as the family of four walked in. Kaoru went right up to the hostess and said, "Table under Suoh?"

The woman smiled at the twins before looking at the adults, "Of course. Right this way."

Walking through the room and up the stairs, Haruhi couldn't help but reminisce in the memories she had of this place. She hadn't come here since… since she and Tamaki parted ways. But wait… how had the twins known about this place?

When she asked, the boys smirked at each other, "Uncle Kyoya."

Haruhi rolled her eyes. Of course.

The hostess lead them out to the balcony, and the two adults stopped. The whole balcony had been cleared of tables until there was just one remaining under the stars… with two chairs.

"The table's only set for two."

"Oh, did we forget to mention?"

"We're not joining you."

Haruhi and Tamaki exchanged a glance before turning back to the boys, "You're not?"

"Well, Hikaru, Kaoru… as much as we appreciate this, maybe driving back to the hotel by yourselves in the city isn't the best idea."

"Then why don't we take them off you hands?" Jin and Kyoya suddenly appeared from inside the restaurant, the two of them in their own fancy dress and smiling as they place their hands on the twins shoulders.

Kyoya smirked at the woman by his side before turning back to his friends, "Think of it as an apology and a plea to not shun this lovely lady and myself after tonight for going along with these audacious fourteen year olds." Before the two could say anything else, he and Jin began steering the twins off the balcony.

Jin hesitated at the glass doors and turned back to her sister, "You do get all this don't you?"

"Yes, I believe I do."

The taller brunette winked at her little sister before moving into the restaurant, a waiter coming out immediately afterwards, "Would you like to view the wine list to begin your evening, Suoh-san and Fujioka-san?"

"Yes, please. I think we'll need it." Haruhi laughed at Tamaki's defeated voice before they both settled themselves at the table, quickly ordering a bottle of wine. "So, am I correct in assuming they're recreating our first date?"

"I believe so. It's sweet of them to do it."

"Sweet?" Tamaki smiled and shook his head, "I'm only thinking of all the favors Kyoya is going to ask of me to 'repay' for this night out."

Haruhi glanced through the windows that separated them from the inside of the restaurant, "Oh… I wouldn't be so sure about that."

They turned to look inside, where the other four had been seated at a table themselves. The twins quickly returned to their menus when their parents noticed them watching, but Kyoya and Jin seemed too busy talking to each other to notice.

Tamaki smirked, "What do you know? My best friend and your sister. Hey, didn't they click at our wedding?"

"I've been telling Nēchan that for years. She's just so stubborn."

"Hm. Seems like a family trait."

Haruhi let out a mock gasp, but it quickly transformed into a smile when their wine was brought out. She gazed at the intricately designed wine glass, remembering just how transfixed she had been by the aesthetics the first time Tamaki brought her here.

"So…" she looked over to see the blond raising his own glass, "...here's to…"

"Our sons."

Tamaki smiled, "Our sons."

Haruhi glanced at said sons as she took a sip, and sure enough they were back to watching their parents. Sighing, she set the glass down, "I have a feeling there's an invisible spotlight on us for the night."

"I agree. But, since they can't hear us right now… then maybe we can talk about… what happened between us?"

Haruhi sighed, "Maybe. But let's wait until there's a little more alcohol in my system, if that's alright with you." Her joke managed to pull another laugh from the blond, and it made something flip around in her stomach region. She quickly took another sip of wine. Yeah. Definitely more alcohol.

After their food had been served, the two had managed to relax quite a bit, and were now exchanging stories of raising their sons.

"So, you two have a fishing trip that you go on every summer?"

"Yes, we do. I guess I was a bit of a nut for those father-son bonding moments, and that just happened to be the one that stuck. Hikaru gave me a bloody nose playing catch, so you can see why we gave up on that one."

Haruhi laughed, "Ah… sounds to me like you made a good father after all."

"Oh, I wouldn't have lasted two months without Kyoya helping out. And what about you? Kaoru is almost more refined and proper than Hikaru!"

"Again, that was more Nēchan and Dad than me at first. I was balancing law school and raising a child at the same time, and then came my own firm and the non-profit… if I hadn't had those two I would've had to hire a Nanny like you rich folk."

Tamaki smiled sadly, "I'm… sorry that I put you in such a position. I was selfish."

"Oh, Tamaki, no! That's not what I was trying to say. I'm so happy to have Kaoru in my life. Not having him would've been so much worse!" She stared at her ex-husband until he nodded in understanding before sitting back in her seat, "But that brings up the million-yen question, doesn't it? What are we going to do about the boys?"

The blond sighed, "Well, it's not as though we can keep them apart, can we? They've only known each other for a few weeks and already they're attached at the hip. Have you noticed that they're finishing each other's sentences?"

"Yes, I have. So… I could keep them for half of the year and you could have them for the other half-"

"Two schools every year? I don't think that's a good idea. And they're already struggling enough with making friends. No need to make it harder."

"Then… a full year each?"

"Same problem." Tamaki rubbed at his cheek, "See, this is the whole reason we came up with our old system where we each keep one."

Haruhi blinked before poking at the sushi on her plate, " Really? I thought it was because we decided we never wanted to have to see each other again. "

"...Not… 'we', Haru."

"Well… that's the reason I asked for the alcohol." Haruhi knew she was blushing, "Did… did I hurt you when I threw that… uhm, what was it?"

"It was a hairbrush."

"Oh… right."

Tamaki smirked, "You know, I may never be alone with you again, so before the night is over… why'd you pack?"

"Tamaki… we were both so young and, frankly, stupid. Being married and having a family so soon had never been in my plans for the future. My mom and dad married early too… and being the pessimist that I am, I just couldn't risk a heartbreak like my father's. So… before you could leave… I left first." She looked up over the tabletop, "And you never came after me."

"I didn't think you'd want me to."

Haruhi sighed, "Well, it doesn't really matter now. So, let's just put on a good face for the boys and get this show on the road, huh?"

"...Sure."

"Your passport, Suoh-san. Have a safe trip home."

"Thank you." Tamaki stuck the small booklet into his pants pocket next to his phone while Kyoya walked over to him, "Oh, there you are. Where's Hikaru?"

"He wanted to spend some more time with Kaoru before we left, but I just called up so he should be heading down now."

"Good." The blond cleared his throat and glanced over to his other side, "So, I'll send Hikaru down to you over winter break and the first half of summer-"

"And Kaoru will spend the second half and spring break with you." Haruhi nodded, turning away from the hotel employee she had just finished signing out with. The two exchanged a brief smile before the sound of the elevator dinging had them both turning around. Jin walked out with her bag, making a bee-line for Kyoya who was patiently waiting for her near the couches, and the twins walked over to their parents… their hair combed backwards over their hair parts and covered with identical green caps. They were even wearing matching khaki shorts, tank-tops, and black shoes.

Haruhi tilted her head a little, "Kaoru, what's going on? Wait… is the one on my left…"

"Here's the deal, Mom and Dad. We thought it over and decided that we're getting the short end of the stick."

"Dad promised to the both of us that we'd go on our family fishing trip at the end of the summer, and we've decided that we're going. Together."

The brunette rolled her eyes, "Kaoru, really, this is ridiculous. Come on." She reached a hand out to the boy on her left, whose voice matched her son. "Honestly, your voices are too-"

"Are you sure I'm Kaoru?" The parents froze. The one who they had been sure was Kaoru… his voice had changed. It was deeper, like Hikaru's. "Because you wouldn't want to take the wrong one…"

They turned to the other redhead as Kaoru's higher voice came out, "...would you?"

"Boys," Tamaki shook his head, "You're going to make us miss our flight."

"Here's our proposition."

"We go back to Mom's house, pack our stuff, and the four of us go on that fishing trip. Once we're there, we tell you who is Hikaru-"

"-and who is Kaoru."

"Or," Tamaki looked down on the twins, his usually carefree attitude replaced with annoyance, "you tell us which is which now and Hikaru comes back to France with me, whether you like it or not."

Thirty minutes later and a car pulled up in front of Haruhi's house, two redheaded boys jumping out of the backseat and running inside, calling out for their grandfather.

"Those two are going to be the death of me."

"And what am I supposed to do while you're in Japan? Go home and knit a sweater?"

"Eclair, I don't really have a choice. I'm in a sticky situation here." Tamaki piled another backpack into the trunk of a jeep they were renting.

"Sticky situation? You're the head of Suoh Enterprises! You don't get into sticky situations!"

The blond raised an eyebrow, "Clearly you've never been to a board meeting."

Eclair huffed and looked around like she was trying to ignore the man, "Where even are we? My limo driver almost couldn't find…" She trailed off when she noticed Haruhi walking out of the house, "Oh… no, no, no, what are you doing here with her? "

Tamaki sighed, "It's the sticky situation I mentioned. Hikaru and Kaoru won't tell us which is which unless I take both of them and their mother on our yearly fishing trip."

"Why didn't you say no? Just leave them both here for now! They'll give up the ruse eventually and Hikaru will be back home before you know it!"

"I'm not leaving without my son, Eclair."

"Then take one at random!"

"Hello, Eclair. Is there an issue?"

The red haired woman clenched her hands, "Um, you know I'd have to say there is. When I heard that Tama here would be staying in Japan for a little while longer I didn't know that… you would be here as well. And I must confess that I am not okay with that."

"I agree," Haruhi nodded, "Spending a full two days with the ex-wife and the kids is a bit weird... I insist that you come with us."

Tamaki and Eclair looked at her in shock, "Haru…"

"No really, I've messed up your whole weekend together, it's the least I can do to invite your fiancee, Tamaki." She smiled and batted her eyelashes, something she never did, but before Tamaki could say something about it-

"Sounds perfect. Help me pack."

Haruhi smiled a little and followed Eclair into her house, tunelessly humming the melody of 'Cruella De Vil'. Perhaps she should loan Kaoru her camera...

"Dad, what's Eclair doing here?" Hikaru asked fifteen minutes later, halfway between climbing into the trunk with his brother.

"Your mother invited her along."

" What? "

" Be nice. "

Hikaru and Kaoru looked at each other in surprise, then turned around to stare at their mother as Eclair climbed into the passenger seat, "Well, looks like you're all set. Have a fun time."

"Mom... what are you talking about? Where's your backpack?"

"Haru?"

Haruhi shrugged her shoulder, "Well, I figured that you and Eclair needed some time alone with the boys without me there to muck everything up. Spend some time as a family."

"W-well, if you're not coming then I certainly don't-"

"Oh, no, you need to be a part of this. After all, in less than two weeks… they'll be your sons, too."

The twins groaned softly and plopped down into their seats as the jeep started up, completely missing out on the playful smirk their mother was attempting to hide as they drove off.

Jin walked out of the house as they drove away, "Oh, I would pay big money to see that woman put a worm on a hook."

After an hour and a half of driving in complete silence, they arrived at the campground near Lake Oku-tama.

"O-kay! Everyone out! Lake's a short hike from here, and then we can start fishing."

Eclair looked over at her fiance, "Hike? Did you say we're hiking? "

Tamaki smirked, "Well, we can't exactly drive through the woods." Groaning, the woman climbed out of the jeep and watched as the boys started piling their things onto their backs. Hikaru glanced at her halfway through the process.

"Hey, think you can lend a hand?"

"You expect me to carry more on my back? Please. I am a lady , and don't expect that to change while we're out in the… wilderness. "

"Eclair-"

"No. That's my final decision on the matter."

Kaoru rolled his eyes and stuck another two water bottles into his pack. Without Eclair helping, it took the boys an additional seven minutes to pack everything else in such a way it wouldn't throw out their backs. Thankfully, while they hiked, it was relatively easy to ignore the woman. She struggled to keep up with the twins who were happily jumping over rocks and balancing on logs. The only time they remembered her at all was when she made them stop every five minutes and when she complained about Tamaki acting like a child when he chased after the redheads.

"Oh, hold on, we're stopping."

Kaoru groaned and walked back, spotting Eclair sitting down on yet another rock, "Seriously, Dad? At this rate, we'll get to the lake just in time to turn back and head home!"

"Relax, mon Oisillon. Eclair isn't used to this kind of activity, so just chill. I'm going to scout ahead a little, alright?"

The boy was about to complain, but then he noticed where his twin was, "Oh, sure Dad!" Tamaki ruffled the boy's hair and walked around a tree and down the path. Kaoru turned to face the other two members of their group and snickered as Hikaru quietly packed multiple rocks into Eclair's backpack.

"Mmm… hand me some water. I can't move."

Hikaru rolled his eyes, "Sure." Turning around, he unshouldered his backpack and pulled out a bottle of water, but paused halfway in between handing it off to her. There was a small grass lizard warming itself up on the rocks. Oh… perfect!

Quickly, he snatched the creature up by it's body and placed it on the bottle before handing it over to the complaining woman, "Here's your water, you Majesty."

Eclair tsked and uncapped the water before taking a drink.

And spotting the lizard.

Her responding shriek echoed throughout the woods and had Tamaki racing back to the group, probably thinking his fiancee was being mauled by a bear, "Eclair, are you okay? What happened?"

Hikaru pointed at the water bottle she had thrown across the rocks, and the lizard that was next to it, "I think that lizard climbed on her water!"

"Oh… well, he won't hurt you, Eclair." Tamaki clearly was struggling not to smile, "Boys, let's start heading forward again. You two help Eclair."

The woman nearly snarled, "Sure you'll help me. Right off a cliff." She struggled to stand up with her newly 'repacked' backpack and started after their father. It was too easy.

"Need a hand there, Eclair?"

She froze, slowly turning around, "Not. From. You. If you think for one minute that I will not make your lives miserable from the moment I say 'I do', then you've got another thing coming you brats. Is that clear?"

"Crystal."

"Try to keep up, Cruella."

Kaoru quickly snapped a photo of the woman's face before the twins hurried off after their father, laughing with glee.

"Alright! I'd say that was a pretty successful day!"

Hikaru and Kaoru nodded along with their father's statement, mouths too full of rainbow trout to really say anything at all. Until, of course, they noticed how upset Eclair looked. They exchanged a smirk before Hikaru winked at his twin and swallowed his mouthful.

"Are you sure you don't want some trout, Mom? I mean… is it okay if we start calling you Mom?"

Eclair visibly recoiled, "I think your actual mother would prefer it if you called me Eclair. And no, I do not eat… trout. I'll just wait until breakfast. What will we have?"

"Trout."

Tamaki sent the boys some warning glares before turning back to his fiancee, "You should try it, Darling, it's part of the experience."

"Oh! The experience? And what is the other part of this commoner experience that you so foolishly indulge yourself in, hiding from all photo opportunities and meetings with other CEO's until your multitude of mosquito bites disappear? Ugh!" She swatted at her neck with vigor, pulling away with a black smudge on her hand that she quickly wiped away with disgust, "This repellent isn't working! "

"Repellent?" Tamaki's voice was curious, and the twins quickly went to scarfing down their dinner, "... Let me see that bottle."

The woman all but threw it at him, and he took a cautious sniff at the top, "This isn't repellent. From what I can tell… it's sugar and water. You're going to attract every mosquito in Japan with this stuff."

"What? But it was in my bag…" the woman stopped, recalling just who had packed her bag, and stood up, "That is it for the day. I am taking some Restoril and going to bed." She went to take a few steps towards her tent, reconsidered, and walked back to Tamaki before planting a long kiss to his lips. Kaoru unhappily kicked at one of the rocks surrounding their fire pit. "Good night."

The blond waited until she was in her tent with the zipper down before refocusing on his sons, "Boys, I'm going to tell you this one last time: Cool it. This is not her thing and she's trying, so lay off her for the rest of the trip."

"If that's her trying , I don't want to see what it's like when she actually refuses to do something."

"Yeah, I don't care how many times you tell us, we refuse to carry her back to the car if she doesn't want to walk tomorrow."

Tamaki sighed, but didn't continue the conversation. Instead he started poking at his own dinner, completely missing out on the way his sons were silently creating a plan between them. One final nudge that might finally push Eclair over the edge…

It was perhaps 3 am when Hikaru's phone alarm went off beneath his pillow. He yawned and sat up, simultaneously shaking his brother awake. Blinking the sleep out of their eyes, the two slowly unzipped their tent and climbed out, padding over to Eclair's tent.

" I hope that sleeping pill paid off. "

Hikaru snickered before slowly unzipping the woman's tent. And there she was, sprawled out on an air mattress that she had insisted on bringing and then having Tamaki carry. How vain.

Nodding his brother to the other side of the mattress, Hikaru grabbed at the corner of it and the two began dragging Eclair out of the tent, moving as slowly and carefully as they could. Just before their feet hit the water, they scurried to the other end by her head and shoved her into the lake. And lo and behold, she started floating away.

Running further up the bank until they were standing by their tent, the twins turned back to watch the makeshift boat sail further away.

"Bon voyage, Cruella."

"Think she'll end up on the other side of the lake?"

"If there is a God."

" Mmm… " The next morning, Eclair groaned and turned her head this way and that, unable to escape the bright light flooding through her eyelids, " Tamaki… shut the blinds. " She was about to fall back asleep when she realized something was wrong with her bed.

Namely, it was moving.

Sitting up, she looked around.

Water.

Water, everywhere.

" TAMAKI! "

Over on shore, Tamaki jolted awake, scrambling towards the zipper of his tent and almost flying face first into the pole holding the fabric up. Unzipping the front, he poked his head out and looked towards Eclair's tent. It looked… empty.

Hikaru and Kaoru were also awake, and staring at towards the water. Following their line of sight… Tamaki spotted Eclair's air mattress floating on the water just as she fell into the lake.

Oh boy.

It took the woman about three minutes to swim to shore, stalking up the beach until she was standing right in front of the blond, "Okay! That is it!"

"Eclair, what happened?"

"What happened is that your brats just crossed the line! So I'm telling you now that the minute they come under my care is the minute they become enrolled in a year-long American Boarding School! Get the picture, sweetie? It's either me , or them ." She crossed her arms and leaned to the side, tossing her wet hair out of her face, "Take. Your. Pick."

Tamaki raised an eyebrow and glanced over at the twins before turning back to the woman, "Them."

"Excuse me?!"

"T-h-e-m. Them." He leaned in close to her face with a smirk, "Get the picture?"

Eclair's responding shriek of disgust and anger could probably have been heard all the way across the lake.

Tamaki honked the horn of the jeep as he and the twins pulled up in front of their mother's house. Almost immediately, Haruhi appeared at the doorway, smiling out at them, "Hello! You're back so soon! Did you all have… fun?" She trailed off as she walked down to the street, noticing the unhappy faces.

"Well, I wouldn't go right to fun. "

She raised her eyebrows at Kaoru's bland tone, "You wouldn't? What happened?"

"We've been grounded until the end of the century."

"Starting now. Grab your bags and unpack in your room. You can come back out for meals, but that's it." The twins sighed, but didn't argue, and started trudging up to the house, kissing their mother on the cheek as they passed.

The brunette raised an eyebrow, "Where's Eclair?"

"We just played a few tiny pranks on her and she flipped out a little."

"A little?" Tamaki scoffed and fished around in his pocket before pulling out a glamorous engagement ring, "She threw this at my head if that's any indication to you. At least it's smaller than a hairbrush."

Haruhi placed a hand over her mouth, "Oh, Tamaki, I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking-"

"Uh huh, sure you weren't. Like mother like sons. To your room." He patted the twins on the back and they hurried through the front door. Sighing, the blond watched as they disappeared from view before muttering, "I'll have to remember to thank them one day."

The brunette smiled and lead the man inside.

"So, where's your sister? I would've thought she'd be over here, it's around time for lunch. Don't you two usually eat together?"

"We do. But I'm afraid I haven't heard from Nēchan since yesterday… when Kyoya decided to stay at her house for the remainder of this trip."

Tamaki laughed out loud, "Oh, finally! Fifteen years is a long time to make a girl wait."

"Or a boy." They exchanged smiles before turning away, "Um, anyways… Dad mentioned something about wanting miso soup and rice for lunch. Did you want some? I was going to make extra for the boys anyways, and maybe invite Mori and Honey and their families over. I'm sure they'd want to see you… we've missed you out here."

Tamaki smiled, "That sounds wonderful."

" Flight 437 Tokyo to Chicago, Illinois is now boarding at Gate A23. Flight 437 Tokyo to Chicago, Illinois is now boarding at Gate A23. "

Kaoru's eyes were shut at his hugged his father tightly, wishing he could shut his ears off too. He didn't want this moment to end, or to share it with anyone, but instead he was standing in the middle of a crowded airport, holding onto his father like he wouldn't see him in months… which he wouldn't.

Peeking out a little, he could see his brother experiencing a similar moment with his mom, the two embracing tightly near the wall. And, a little ways beyond them, his Aunt Jin and Uncle Kyoya were standing forehead to forehead, fingers laced together as they whispered to each other. His grandfather and other 'uncles' had stayed at home, and Ranka had been crying from the moment he hugged Hikaru to the last second they could see him in the car windows. Shutting his eyes again, Kaoru clutched his father tighter, a small, broken whimper escaping when he realized it was time to let go.

Slowly withdrawing from his father's hold, he turned around and watched as Hikaru slowly pried himself away from his mother. Gingerly, like they were stepping on broken glass, the two walked closer together before throwing their arms around each other. Kaoru pressed his face into his brother's shoulder. He knew Hikaru wouldn't care if he got a few tears on his shirt.

Tamaki slowly edged himself around his sons to walk to his ex-wife, "So… this is it, I guess."

"Yeah." Haruhi cleared her throat, realizing just now that with the advertisement board they were standing behind… the two of them were basically alone. "Well… take care of yourself."

The blond blinked slowly at her before holding out a hand and, just as slowly, she took it, letting him squeeze her fingers in a reassuring way. Just then, Haruhi realized that for this whole weekend the two had been together… they hadn't touched before now.

" You too. "

" I will. " Haruhi risked a glance up at those deep purple eyes she used to get so lost in, " Still so kind, I see. "

Tamaki smiled softly, so different from his grandiose smiles back in high school, but no less sincere and heartwarming, " Still so guarded, I see. " Haruhi didn't know how it had happened, but in the whispers, they had somehow gotten closer, until all she could see was Tamaki. Nothing else existed at this moment.

" You know, you don't have to be so brave all the time. "

" Oh… but I do. "

She could feel his breath against her lips, their hands clasped together warmly and so familiar…

" Flight 445 Tokyo to Paris, France is now boarding at gate A39. Flight 445 Tokyo to Paris, France is now boarding at gate A39. "

Haruhi leaned away, " That's your flight. "

" It can wait for a moment. "

Shaking her head, the brunette took a full step back, withdrawing her hand as she shut her eyes. She didn't open them again until she heard his footsteps walking away. And when she did… she watched as her sons were separated, one following his father and uncle towards the gates while the other stood beside his aunt, watching them go with tears in their eyes.

Haruhi wandered over to them, and helped watch as the three boys disappeared from view. The second they did Jin had her phone out and she started flicking through the internet. Glancing over her arm, Haruhi sighed.

Flight times for Tokyo to Paris, France.

"Nēchan, you have a job here."

"You were the one always harping about the two of us." But she did lock her phone back up, only to stare at the picture on her lock screen, which consisted of her and Kyoya from the night at the restaurant.

Resting a gentle hand on her sister's arm, Haruhi lightly touched Kaoru's shoulder, "Let's head home."

In accordance with their moods, the weather was stormy as the three drove home. Jin parked her company car in her driveway before jumping out with an umbrella, followed by the other two. They slowly made their way over to Haruhi's house in silence, just letting the sound of rain overwhelm them.

Slipping inside and closing their umbrellas, Jin placed an arm over the redhead's shoulder, "Hey, let's go make some hot chocolate, hm? Sound like a plan?"

"Yeah."

Haruhi smiled a little, but it still worried her how that was the first word Kaoru had spoken since the airport, "I'm going to go find Dad. He's probably in the study with his book." Jin nodded with a sad smile before she and her nephew began walking through the house.

The shorter brunette walked to the other side of the house and poked her head into the study. Sure enough, the chair is turned around to face the window, an open book in a hand the only thing visible.

"Well… they're gone."

"Bummer," Haruhi gasps as the chair spun around and Hikaru sat the book he'd been holding on the desk, "Hey, Mom? Did you know that there's an private airport nearby that lets private planes land unexpectedly for only an extra 5,000 yen?"

"Private…"

"Mom! I heard-" Kaoru runs in and gasps, grinning, " Hikaru! What are you doing here?"

Hikaru waved a hand flippantly in the air, like it was no big deal he was sitting in their study, "Oh, well, it only took us about 20 seconds into the flight to realize that we couldn't stand to lose you again."

"...We?"

"We." Tamaki steps out from behind the door, causing another gasp from the woman. In the brief silence that followed, they could faintly hear Jin squeaking Kyoya's name before she's cut off, probably with a kiss.

Tamaki moved a little closer, "I made the mistake of not coming after you once, Haruhi. I'm not about to make it again."

The woman nodded, licking her lower lip, clearly on the brink of tears, "And I suppose you just expect me to go weak at the knees and… fall into your arms crying hysterically and say that we'll just figure this whole thing out- A bi-continental relationship with our sons being raised here and there and… and you and I just picking up where we left off and… and growing old together and-"

"Yes." Tamaki gently cupped her face, using his thumbs to wipe away her tears, "Yes to all of it. Except… you don't have to cry hysterically."

"Oh yes I do-" she pressed forward, sealing their lips together as her arms came up around Tamaki's neck, the tears flowing freely now. The blond smiled into the kiss, holding Haruhi closer until he was lifting her off her feet.

Kaoru leaned to the side until he was practically holding himself up against the doorframe, smiling like mad at his twin. Hikaru sat back in his chair staring at the ceiling, "We actually did it…"

And then he slid out of his seat and onto the floor.

" This will be an everlasting love!

This will be the one I've waited for!

This will be the first time anyone has loved me… "

Hikaru laughed out loud as he and his mother danced around the dance floor. He hadn't stopped smiling since he'd woken up that day, and the same could probably be said about his twin.

"Photo!"

Without missing a beat, the two paused in their dancing and held each other, Hikaru being careful of the white wedding dress his mother was currently draped in, and they smiled at one of the photographers as the photo was taken. Once the man passed, they continued on to the song.

" I'm so glad you found me in time!

And I'm so glad that you rectified my mind!

This will be an everlasting love for me… "

Beside them, another dancing pair paused and they switched partners, Hikaru grabbing onto his brother's hands while his father swept Haruhi off her feet, spinning her around the dance floor. Kaoru tossed an arm over his shoulder, "I'm so happy we went to that summer camp."

Hikaru's back straightened, "Oh my gosh! We never thanked Kyoya and Aunt Jin for sending us there!"

"You're right!"

Quickly, the two hurried off the dance floor and started running towards their uncle and aunt, trying to not crash into any servers lest they ruin their tuxes. Spotting the two still sitting at the wedding table, the twins got to the end just in time to see Kyoya bend down onto one knee.

Jin clasped her hands in front of her face, eyes widening as he opened a ring box he'd just pulled out of his pocket.

"...Will you marry me, Fujioka Jin?"

"Yes!"

The twins smirked at each other and approached the couple as Kyoya slipped the ring onto Jin's finger, the moment being captured by another photographer. They sat down in Kyoya's seat, each of them taking up half of it as their aunt finally noticed they were there.

"Hey, you two."

The ravenet looked over his shoulder, "I believe that's my seat you're occupying."

"You aren't using it," Kaoru tilted his head to the side, "So, does that mean you're going to be our real uncle now?"

The man smiled, looping an arm around the brunette's waist to pull her closer, "Your parents were fairly quick to marry each other and it turned out just fine, I figured I could be rash once in awhile, too." He raised an eyebrow, "Does that bother you?"

"Not at all!"

The twins jumped up and hugged the two adults before peeking back at their parents on the dance floor, "Today's a good day for love."