Author's Notes:
Hey there! Yeah, if you guys follow my "Seeing Triple" story, I'm sorry for not updating in a while. Let's just say... I have issues to deal with recently. And based on those issues, I made this possible two-shot.
I'm sorry if the characters start to go a bit OOC, but yeah. I want you guys to try and figure out on your own the emotions of the hosts and the reasons behind them. Confusing, I know. But yeah, I'm testing if people's reasons will differ every time they read this. (By the way, review what you think is going on =))
Tiny little game at the end! :P
Enjoy my random symbolisms. ;)
Chapter 1: Stay
A red-headed boy sighed halfheartedly in class; cheek in his left and eyes fixated on the rambling teacher. The students within his viewing range practically bobbed their heads as their teacher drabbles on and on about… math? Science?
Ring, goes the bell, and footsteps hasten their almost ninja-like tapping against the floor to escape the four-walled prison into their freedom. That four-walled prison was class 1-A of Ouran Academy, and no one is completely free yet.
"Dismissal already?" Kaoru Hitachiin said through gritted teeth. His eyes linger to the empty seat that had no owner for a while. The girl that he cared for wasn't there for the fourth day in a row.
"She'll be back, Kaoru." The hand of his mirror image caused him to flinch, knocking over his chair and the bag sitting on it.
"Oh, crap!" Pencils, charcoals, and other contents came rolling onto the floor, exposing an illustrated drawing of a familiar face. Both twins stared at each other, each with a pair of golden Cheshire eyes; one pair filled with malice, the other with a mix of fear and embarrassment.
The former grabbed the paper, a page off a sketch pad, before the latter could tear it to shreds. "You still draw free-hand? I thought we grew tired of that." Hikaru said as he walked past his brother and the door while staring at the charcoal drawing like it's the Mona Lisa. Kaoru trailed behind, meeting his brother in the middle of a sea of students.
They were everywhere, the students; smiling and waving at the famous duo as they passed. It was their signal to "turn on" the Host Club charm and flash a huge, painful grin. No one questioned their seemingly suspicious smiles, so they returned the gesture semi-idiotically as the Hitachiins' footsteps continue to fade away.
Passing by a painting of a girl chasing a bunny in a wide field, Kaoru's eyes lingered for any other entities, and then his mega-watt smile converted into a flat line. His eyes stared straight on. "I doodle in my spare time." There was no hint of humor in his voice as he confiscated the hand-drawn image of Haruhi and stuffed it into his bag. "And it's not like I can pull out a tablet from under my desk." While his facial mask was unbroken, he looked around anxiously for the cameras that the Shadow King hid around the school.
Although he packed it in his bag within a millisecond, the paper slipped into a strategically-placed folder, and no visible damages were caused.
Hikaru just smiled, even thought the edges of his mouth started to twitch. "Well, like I said: she'll be back." His hand clasped around his twin's shoulder on the opposite side, which abnormally, quivered; almost as if his weak nerves malfunctioned and his heartbeat crashed against every fiber in his body. "I mean, it's not that bad."
The shoulder disappears from his hand. Girls waiting outside the music room gasped as Kaoru, from the far end of the corridor, practically tripped over nothing and fell on his knees. Through the squeals, some fan girls rushed to his side, but the ginger's hand intertwines with his brother's and they start the "brotherly love" act.
"KAORU! What happened? Are you okay?" Hikaru enveloped his brother in his protective arms; the former's cheek resting atop the latter's head. He didn't need to pretend to be concerned.
Kaoru regained his strength and blinked through the haze in his eyes. "I'm fine; just tired." Silence ensued between the girls, each one hanging on every word. "You know, from last night?"
The earth had a miniature earthquake from the tension that was created by the girls merged with their mice-like squeals and thundering heartbeats. Whispers and murmurs as loud as thunder echoed throughout the still, crowded hallway, questioning what the two did last night that has caused the usually mischievous and energetic Kaoru to collapse.
How lucky they were to not know the answer, for only Hikaru can see the dark circles under his twin's eyes. He still held his hand, brushing its surface with his thumb to feel the different textures – soft skin contrasting with softer, damper skin from its owner's tears. Kaoru's cries for Haruhi never faded, and they rang in his brother's ears.
He knew.
Hikaru's hand made its way to his brother's check, feeling the same textures along the still-visible tear tracks. "I'm really sorry, Kaoru…"
"Hikaru…" Eyes stared longingly at each other. This was a different kind of narcissism: one that comes from loving your exact duplicate and not yourself necessarily. Living, breathing… so much like you in many ways.
"YYYYYYYYYIIIIIIIII~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!" If the previous outbreak didn't cause a natural disaster, this one will. Hitachiin fans start running towards the two brothers, tackling and shoving each other in the most lady-like way possible.
Arms hit arms, knees hit thighs; Hikaru unbuttons his blazer and covers his brother's head from any pushing and pulling from the rabidly hormonal females. The crowds of princesses finally crash into the area of the prepared red-heads. Hands reach for things not to be defined by the human word. Eyes look for strands of the infamous orange-red hair, only to tug on the fringed bag of a random passerby.
Two pairs of struggling hands start to emerge from a space behind the crowd. They inch their way towards the door of the 3rd music room, their male schoolmates watching them crawl as if it mattered.
A fifteen-foot door shut behind them, and not five crawl-steps later did the puckish twins stop in front of two leather shoes connected to lengthy legs.
"Mind explaining the crowd outside?" Kyoya wrote feverishly on his notebook. The expenses have to be recalculated due to Haruhi's absence.
Before the twins could utter a word, Tamaki grabs them by the ear and drags them into the dressing room.
"You two better explain to me why you two are late again." The sophomore's hands push the identical freshmen against the wall by their upper torsos, eyes seemingly blinded by rage.
"Sorry, tono!" the elder of the two twins put his hands up to chest level, as if in surrender. His voice projected artificial fear and shock, and his eyes demonstrated a sense of feeble indifference.
Tamaki didn't seem to notice anything. Not even the tear falling from his cheek.
Footsteps start to make themselves known. Who they came from was still a mystery and was completely irrelevant compared to the scenario taking place.
"Tono," a weak voice interrupted, "it's our fault, okay? I tripped, the guests got worried, and we played our 'brotherly love' act to escape. Simple." The other red-head faintly mimicked the same gestures as his brother, who seemed even more bothered than before.
Tamaki's hands balled up into fists, bringing within his palms the collars of the twins' uniforms. Hikaru gritted his teeth as Kaoru started to look away. A tremendous amount of air escaped each of the twins' lungs. Kaoru's wheezing gasps became shallow and Hikaru started to thrash against the wall to break free from the Host King's grip.
A smirk disrupts the blonde's livid mask.
Oxygen returns to their lungs as Tamaki drops them. One twin clutches his chest, gasping for air; the other collapsed, panting for any form of air to reach his deprived lungs. The former took notice of the latter, reached for the metallic cylinder in his pocket and brought it to his sibling's lips.
"Tamaki, I think they get it." The raven-haired sophomore's voice – seemingly apathetic as usual - cut through the sound of the passed-out twin's hushed struggle for breath. Kaoru could make out a tiny blonde figure hovering above him and his companion walking away from his dazed vision. Kyoya passed Tamaki a paper in between their palms.
"You're thanking him," Hikaru clenched his fists; one still around the inhaler that had the chemicals required for his brother's destitute and irritated lungs, "for this?" Kaoru finally took into his lungs the medicinal air and started to inhale normally.
Hikaru snapped his head at the Shadow King. "Kyoya, are you teaching us a lesson or killing us?" Eyes blazed with fury as the red-head started to grab whatever he can and threw it blindly at the sophomore. None of the items hit the raven-haired boy; nor were two blondes standing by (or, more likely, one standing silent and one stumbling over himself) were smacked with the results of the freshman's rage. "I'm pretty sure you know Kaoru still hasn't outgrown his asthma!" Sarcasm leaked out of Hikaru's perturbed panting, and the other conscious boys in the room didn't seem troubled by it.
The ginger's nerves jolted as something grabbed his shoe. "Hikaru, it's fine. I'm okay." Kaoru managed to pathetically stand up with the help of his brother, who was trying to pacify his evident temper. "I'm standing, aren't I?" He tried to say the sentence jokingly, but his still labored lungs restricted his intake of air, which did not help Hikaru at all.
Kaoru stayed deadpan as he spoke to his indirect attacker. "So Kyoya, first: sorry once again that we're late." Tamaki flounced around, probably having another depression-induced hallucination about Haruhi, which proved to be the perfect distraction from Kaoru's seemingly forgiving smile and Hikaru's spiteful frown. "And second: let's not waste more time, shall we? What's our game plan for today?"
Kyoya gave his usual smirk; the one that enforced subtle blackmail. "Glad to see your cooperation." Hikaru stood beside his twin, but avoided the shadow king's deceiving eyes.
The latter remained impassive as his idiotic friend interrupted him. Tamaki put his right hand under his elbow while he placed two fingers out to hold his chin; all forms or signs of emotion except for "bashful, prince-like humility" disappeared from his face. "Let's just say we're gonna rock their world: American style."
YES, I KNOW TAMAKI'S OOC. I was actually trying to depict him slowly getting depressed and crazy due to the dependence of most of the other members on him and the absence of Haruhi. ;)
Sorry if this seems heavy and trying-too-hard, but yeah. Feeling bad lately, remember? If you don't like my form of writing here, refer to my other stories! -Shameless advertising right thurr.-
GAME TIME!
Aside from the fact that you just lost the game, I have a little game for you all. ;) All you have to do is answer this trivia. ;) Don't worry, I shall give hints. I'll pick a winner or two and announce them when I (finally) post the next and final chapter. The prize: an Ouran one-shot of your choice for me to write! I shall try my best to write it with justice! -determined face- (Also a hug, but if you don't want it, I'm fine with it. -cries-)
Game question: *Spoiler!* The Host Club is having a Band-themed Hosting Day! (Pop rock bands and tea... don't judge me. T.T) ANYWAY, based on the given clues below, what is the name of my current favorite band that one of the twins will have to personify? -"Impersonate" is kind of an iffy word for me =))-
HINTS:
- The story title
- The chapter title
- Without Haruhi, most of the Host Club members are "Miserable at Best."
- Kaoru "fell to the ground on his knees."
- They're AMERICAN, mainly from Tallahassee. ;)
Send in your answers... NOW! Don't forget to add this to your favorites and alert for the next chapter! ;)