When Cupid Shot the Wrong Twin
by Moi Escalante
If you were to think about it, the confession is not anything neither Kaoru nor Hikaru must be surprised about. Not really. They've received countless of confessions back in middle school. Double that number of letters left in their lockers every week when the joined they host club and you get the equal number of letters that get posted in the region every day. At least, almost. In other words, if either of the twins ever found a letter under their desks or in their respective lockers in any normal day like today, the poor bunch of stationeries would land on the trash bin before they are even opened.
But not today. Apparently not today. Truly, old habits die hard.
The smirk is evident as Hikaru paced the hallway on the east wing, waiting for a girl named Karunozawa Maki, the owner of the letter clutched in his hand. Kaoru is undercover a few feet away with the same devious grin and a plot on his head that spelled mischief. It is a little past twelve noon, lunch break. Afternoon classes are cancelled for a faculty meeting and the host club doesn't start until three; the twins have plenty of time to kill. Should Tamaki hear about their new (renewed, more like) form of amusement, he'll go berserk. That's for sure.
"Erm, Hikaru-kun?" A soft voice comes from behind. The grin extends, and Hikaru turns to face his prey.
"Maki-chan, is it?" he asks, so typical of a gentleman. She is a girl from 1-B, he recognizes her from the other classroom. Not so bad, if you take note of her face. It is clean, he notices. Sea-green eyes and ginger-blond hair. Gentle features. There is nothing exceptionally different about her, really. She blushes when he said her name and Hikaru leans forward closer, just for the heck of it. Their proximity makes her blush even more and she begins to retreat slightly.
"Y-yes," she stutters and backs away until her back hits the wall. Hikaru is all over her and she fidgets under him.
"Your letter is really interesting," he tells her while holding the stationery in mid-air. "But really, you put it on the wrong desk." That smirk. "I'm not Hikaru."
"Eh?" The blush is gone. She stands straight and rights herself, the top of her head almost hitting Hikaru's chin if he didn't shift his weight. "That's not possible."
There is a change in expression on Hikaru's features—confusion, perhaps or surprise maybe—but it is gone just as quick as it came and he calms himself. "What do you mean it's not possible?"
"It's just—" she reaches for his face but Hikaru backs away. The girl's face returns to a bright shade of red. "I just know. I'm certain you're Hikaru."
He chuckles and moves away from her, giving her room to breathe. "How would you know?" At this point, he's mildly impressed.
"Eh?" She looks at him, her hand jerking upward to clutch that fabric that covered her chest. She looks like she's going to faint. Hikaru decides her gesture looked comical and smiled. "Er—I just. Whenever you're around, I get all warm and giddy inside I don't know what to do. It becomes hard to breathe and I blush like mad. It's not the same with your twin brother, and you know. I don't think it's troublesome though."
For a moment, Hikaru tried not to look stunned. "That's..." he begins when he finally finds the ability to speak. "Really silly."
Kaoru appears from behind the bush he is hiding, guffawing at his brother and the confession that just took place. Somehow, he finds it really amusing. Hikaru's reaction and the girl's, that is. He clutches his stomach on his way towards them. Hikaru elbows his side and Kaoru tries to compose himself. He stands straight and looks at the girl.
"Maki-chan, is it?" he asks and steps an inch closer, ignoring his brother. The girl nods with a nervous look on her face, unsure of what to do. There is a sudden movement that all three do not notice. A small figure of an infant with tiny wings, blond hair and chubby fingers hover above their heads but remain invisible. He takes an arrow with a blade shaped like a heart and aims it to one of the twins. He stretches the bow and shoots.
Kaoru stops abruptly and shudders, uncertain of what suddenly hit him. He blinks once, maybe twice and leans closer so that his face is only a few inches from the girl's.
"Kaoru, what are you doing?" Hikaru asks, quite alarmed. This isn't what they planned. Not that they planned anything at all. Their sole purpose is to make the girl cry but it is ruined the moment her words startled them both.
There is a smile on Kaoru's face and a pink tint on Maki's cheeks, quite intimidated by the sudden proximity but she doesn't push him away. Kaoru is the first to speak, "Maki-chan, will you go out with me?"
Eh?
"Eh?"
"What?"
"Let's go out," Kaoru repeats himself, moves even closer that makes both Maki and his twin brother freeze. Finally he kisses the girl on the cheek.
xoxoxo
"What have you done?" Maki buries her face on her palm. The winged infant with a bow and arrow from before hovers over her with a distressed look on his chubby face. He is remorseful for not doing his job well and for jeopardizing a romance by shooting the wrong twin. It is not what is originally planned. Surely, Zeus and the other gods will hear about this soon and banish him home for the rest of eternity. Or worse, he will keep his infant form entirely. This is not good.
"I'm really sorry, Maki," he tells her. His voice is shaky and he has trouble keeping his balance on air; he is trembling—so he perches on the tile beside her and tries to calm himself.
"Now, Cupid what do we do?" she asks, frustration laced her voice. "Are you going to leave now?"
"I can't," he tells her truthfully. Of course not; Zeus and his mother (knowing the mess he made) will kill him if he did, thank you very much.
"Are you going to get your true form back?" Maki asks.
Cupid sighs. "I can't." Unless he can't make Maki fall in love with Kaoru, he can't.
Maki sighs. "What happens now?"
Cupid looks at her with a frown. He is certain what happens from then on. Should he desire to go back to Olympus and become a full-grown god again, he has to make the arrow he shot on Kaoru take effect on Maki. Otherwise, Zeus will rule out his powers are ineffective and he will be kicked out home permanently. In other words, he has to make Maki reciprocate the boy's feelings. Cupid considers this and buries his face on his hand.
xoxoxo
"What was that?" Hikaru throws his words like catapulted rocks to his brother. "Huh? What was that? Did you even think about what you said before you spat them at her?" He scoffs. "You're crazy."
"Hikaru, calm down," Kaoru tries to pacify him. "I just—"
"You just what? Idiot." he barks back. His irritation has reached his mouth that is now spewing sarcasm and bitter language.
"I didn't know what came to me," he tells him honestly. "I was... I like her."
"But that's—" Hikaru tries to protest, knowing all along who has got him and Kaoru's feelings on the palm of her hand. The twins shared the same interests even when they were little—girls are not an exception. Both knew each other's attraction towards Haruhi, but not once did they ever talk about it. But... why? What happened? What changed? He wonders but no answer come to him. Hikaru shrugs and lets it go. "Have it your way then," he tells him before he leaves the room.
xoxoxo
Valentine's. Today's theme is sixteenth century royalty and all six members are wearing either pumpkin pants or tights. The host club is bustling with people. Their lockers are bursting with chocolate and cakes and gifts. Hani-senpai is the most thrilled. Maki is waiting on the hallway to the music room when Hikaru emerged from the double doors. Tamaki has asked him to run some errands in place of Haruhi. He stops when he sees her, the look of surprise evident on his sharp features. She looks up and notices him standing a few feet away. Maki blushes like crazy and is at loss for words.
"If you're looking for Kaoru," he starts, thumb pointing at the double doors behind him.
"No!" she says sharply that made Hikaru jump. "I—I mean. I was actually waiting for you."
Hikaru stays where he is, waiting. Finally, she stretches her arms and bends her head slightly in embarrassment. A box full of chocolates sits atop her hands and he stares at it for a moment before taking it. "I guess it can't be helped. I'll take this to Kaoru once we're done with our shift."
"B-but," her lips tremble. "They're for you. I made those for you."
The Hitachiin crunches his forehead and chews this for a while. He opens the card attached to the box and reads:
Hikaru-kun,
Happy Valentine's!
Maki
His shoulders sag. He gives her a look of disapproval. "What is this? Are you two-timing us now?" His voice is stern and indifferent.
"I'm not!" she tells him rather defensively. "I—I confessed to you first. It's you whom I like and not—"
"No," Hikaru says firmly. He pulls out the card attached to the box, keeps it on his pocket and hands the box back to her. "Give that to Kaoru. He'll be thrilled," he says before leaving to run Tamaki's errands.
"I already told you they're for you!" she shouts at his retreating form but he does not seem to hear. Maki frowns and chucks the box in the nearest trash bin. Later that day, despite the uncomfortable feeling on her chest, the echoing words of Hikaru's rejection and the tears that will not stop from falling, she tries not to blame Cupid about it all. She knows it is an honest mistake, and there is no one to blame, really. So she simply buries her face on her pillow and drowns her tears away.
The next morning, she walks by their table with a tray of food on her hands. Kaoru calls her attention and raises a familiar box for her to see. "Thank you for this," he tells her and she looks at the box, bewildered.
'How—?' Her eyes fall on Hikaru and he does not seem to care at all. She forces a smile back at Kaoru and says, "Oh, that. Don't worry about it." She turns away and walks to an empty table when he caught up to her, halting her steps with his hand on her shoulder.
"Wait." She turns to look at him.
"Er," he starts, letting go of her and running his hand through his hair. "I was actually wondering if you'd like to go out this Saturday."
"To where?" she asks, surprised by the sudden invitation.
"Anywhere you like," he tells her. "I'll pick you up at ten, then we decide where you want to go."
She chews on this for a moment. She looks around and sees Cupid flying aimlessly near Kaoru's head. She seeks for some form of encouragement and Cupid gives her a wink and a thumbs up. Her eyes linger on Hikaru for a moment and shrugs. "Okay."
"Okay." Kaoru smiles before bouncing back to their table.
"Ne, Hika-chan." Hani-senpai was talking when Kaoru was out fidgeting all over Maki. Hikaru had looked up from his food to study his senior. Tamaki, Kyouya and Mori were all ears on this. Haruhi however remained indifferent and a bit more concerned on her food. "It seems Kao-chan has begun opening up to other people besides us. Isn't that nice?"
Hikaru had clenched on his fork a little tighter; Kyouya noticed. He had paused for quite a long time while pondering on his senior's words; Tamaki noticed. He ground his teeth and his eyes were hard; Mori-senpai noticed. At that same moment, they understood. The twins were fairly easy to read anyway, especially now that both Tamaki and Haruhi had broken their wall of defense completely. Knowing what was happening between the twins and that new girl has now become obvious, even if Hikaru seemed to remain oblivious about his feelings to the girl.
Kaoru jumps back at his seat merrily and Hikaru returns quietly to his food.
xoxoxo
Their first date goes like this: Kaoru takes her to a bookshop and buys her a book she liked. They talk about a lot of things. For instance, Hikaru learns that she spent most of her childhood years in China, where she learned to swim. She swims on school competitions, she adds. They lived in China until before she started middle school. They have plenty of businesses there, most of which still operate and which are now under his older brother's supervision. They own a few department stores in the country but their family is not as wealthy as the Hitachiin's or anyone at the host club, she jokes. She tells him she dreams of becoming a sociologist in the future and teach after earning her MA. Her father leaves the business to the eldest in the family, and she is free to do whatever she likes.
When it is Kaoru's turn, she listens intently. He talks about his childhood but she notices the number of times Hikaru's name is mentioned so she changes the subject. Kaoru felt a bit taken aback but he shrugs it off and asks her instead where she wants to go next.
"Let's take a walk," she tells him so he leads her to a park near the bookshop and they walk together. Kaoru is tempted to hold her hand once or twice but he keeps on reminding himself not to step out of bounds. He wants to become a gentleman, and it starts on his efforts to respect her.
"You and Hikaru must be exceptionally close," she starts when they decide to sit on the bench right across a fountain. Birds are everywhere, pecking on the concrete and sometimes bathing on the water. She watches them for a while.
"Yeah," Kaoru tells her with a soft sigh. "We did everything together." There is a slight amusement on his voice, as if he just realized something that is quite funny and out of the ordinary and tries not to laugh at it. "We share the same bedroom for as long as I remember, share almost the same clothes and hairstyle, the same games on our PS, the same songs on our playlist. We've been attracted to the same girls on puberty." He laughs at this and Maki shares with the humor and giggles. "Truth be told, I kind of miss him now."
Maki continues to smile. She is impressed with the kind of bond the twins share and she returns to watching the birds that jump very closely to their feet.
"You like Hikaru, don't you?" Kaoru asks her. It is rhetoric, because he knows the answer to it. He is relieved that she chose not to answer.
"You know," he continues, his eyes fixed on the horizon. "I don't know what came to me that afternoon when I confessed to you in front of him. But I'm certain with my feelings so..."
Maki fixes her eyes on her lap and considers this for a moment. He watches her and she returns his stare. "Can I kiss you?"
Her breath hitches. "W-what?"
Kaoru chuckles in embarrassment and smacks himself. "Never mind."
Silence. Awkward silence. The Hitachiin hits himself inwardly for ruining the moment. Then, Maki speaks. "It's getting dark," she points out.
He takes it as a cue that their date has ended. He stands, offers his hand to help her up and says, "Let me take you home."
He drops her off her house and says goodbye after stepping out of the car. He leans on the door and waits for her to disappear inside. Instead, she leans in, pushes herself up with her toes and pecks his left cheek. He is stunned for a few seconds after she left. There is a faint blush on his face and he runs his fingers on where her lips had been. It stings, but not in a painful sort though.
Someplace where no one sees, Cupid punches the air and dances triumphantly.
xoxoxo
"Hikaru?"
"Hm?"
"Do you like her?"
"What?"
"Do you like her?"
Darkness overwhelmed their bedroom and neither of them can see a thing. Despite that, Hikaru can almost read his brother's face.
"No, I don't. Of course not." There is a slight tremor on his voice. It is not hard to miss.
A corner of Kaoru's lips curve upwards. He senses the lie somewhere in his twin brother's denial.
"Why not?" he pries, though in truth he is afraid of what he might hear.
"Well," Hikaru sighs. "Not that she's not pretty or attractive; she is. Problem is, she's—well, you like her."
It is the only answer he needed to hear. Kaoru closes his eyes and lets a tear escape.
xoxoxo
The room is deserted when she came. Maki steps in and closes the door behind her. She walks over the desks and finds a table with a name engraved on the side. Her fingers run on the characters and smiles. Next to this desk is his brother's. Maki sits on the chair and presses her left cheek on the hard wood. The surface is surprisingly warm. She wonders how many times he has fallen asleep in it.
She does not notice when somebody walks in. He catches her on his desk, occupies the chair across her and moves it in a way that he is facing her. For a few beats, he watches her doze quietly and he smiles at how peaceful she looked.
"Maki?"
She jumps, startled by the sudden sound. Her breath hitches when she recognized Hikaru in front of her, catching her red-handed. She blinks when there is a smile on his face. His nearness makes her blush.
He does not speak and Maki relishes the moment of silence. It is almost getting dark and the mix of orange and pink and blue of the sunset seem to soften his features. At that moment, Maki understands the exact reason why she has fallen for him. He is inching closer and her eyelids flutter in surprise. She starts to close her eyes. The warmth of his breath brush her face and she smells his perfume...
There is a crashing sound on the floor that makes them both jump. They both straighten and Maki catches a glimpse of a small winged infant flutter out of the open door.
xoxoxo
"How are you feeling?" Cupid asks as she floats near the gutter, trying to catch her breath. He hands her a towel and she heaves herself up before taking it from his chubby hands to wipe her face.
"I'm... not happy," she tells him honestly.
Cupid looks worried. "Why not?"
"Er, not really," she corrects herself. "I guess I'm just... disorientated."
"How come?" Cupid sits next to her, allowing his feet touch the water.
"Cupid, I don't think I can help you. Not anymore."
"'Course you can," he assures her. "You were doing pretty well with Kaoru, you know. It's only a matter of time before you reciprocate his feelings."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course." His voice is hesitant. Maki shrugs, puts the towel down and dives back into the water. It takes a few seconds before she reaches the other side with a stroke when Cupid watches her. It is only then that he knew that perhaps, he is not doing the right thing after all.
xoxoxo
Love is more spontaneous than deliberate. It isn't made. Love is a choice but the one that chooses is not reason but the heart. Reason plays a part but it only guides. The heart still leads.
"Maki?"
"Hm?"
"I'm sorry I caused you pain. I figured I shouldn't have meddled with your affairs in the first place. All I did was complicate things. I'm not going to bother you anymore."
"B-but, what about your—"
"Heh, don't worry about me. I'll figure it out."
Cupid leans in to plant a kiss on her forehead before fluttering away. He disappears on the horizon and Maki wishes him the best of luck.
xoxoxo
"Kaoru?" she starts when he doesn't. The park is almost deserted, he wonders why. There is no water on the fountain and birds have flown out of sight when they arrived.
He knew why she called him here. 'How cruel,' he thinks blithely then shrugs. Then again, maybe he's the one who's acting selfishly.
"I know," he tells her, eyes fixed on the horizon. "I know."
"I'm sorry," Maki tells him honestly. There is nothing else to say.
"I know." He doesn't move and he knows she is watching him. She doesn't say another word. Then, he laughs. Maki looks alarmed by this. "It's funny how things you did in the past somehow find a way to get to you in the end. Then it claws on your insides and watches you bleed."
"What do you mean?"
"I never realized how much rejection hurt until I experienced it." His voice cracks and tears start to fall. He wipes them with his hand. "This must be karma."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault," he assures her. He looks at her, collapses on Maki's shoulder and began to weep.
xoxoxo
Hikaru sits across her on the kotatsu. She is waiting for the tea to brew and he is fidgeting on his seat. Kaoru watches them nearby with a content smile on his face. He is amused at how Hikaru looks helpless alone. He knows his brother is not used to hosting by himself.
"I never visited the host club before," she tells him matter-of-factly.
"It's—uh. Are you comfortable?" he stutters, uncertain of what to say or what to do. He never does this alone before.
"Of course," she tells him with a smile. "Very much, thank you."
When the tea is ready, he takes the pot and fills both their cups with it. He is trembling too much he is actually surprised he doesn't spill most of it. He puts the pot down on the table.
"I'm not enrolling this semester," she tells him truthfully and he freezes at her words. "Dad is sending me to the US to study there. They said my credentials are ready for college but I doubt it. I'll probably be forced to take another year or two to finish high school. I'll be taking Social Science and major Sociology. I want to teach."
"Y-you're leaving?"
"That's what I said," she says. She sips from her mug and notices a tea stalk floating straight up1. She smiles and looks forward to the good fortune ahead. "Can you wait?"
Hikaru looks at her, confused. "What? Where are you going?"
"The US, I said. I mean, it will take time, you know. I'm not sure if I can handle long distance relationships but, we'll figure it out, I guess. So, what do you think?"
Hikaru blinks at this. When the words finally sink in, he smiles. "Of course. Do you want more tea?"
"Yes, please."
He takes her cup and fills it in.
END
Footnote/s: 1A tea stalk floating straight up means good fortune.
Author's Note/s
I know I said I won't be posting anything in this space anymore but it's okay, I guess. There's no harm done. Pardon if I lost my subtlety in writing Fanfiction. Haven't written any in months. I am yet to get back my muse in the genre.
I wrote the first version of WhenCupidShottheWrongTwinabout two or three years ago. It was a multiple-chaptered story then without a promise of completion. I made several revisions, none of which I ever stuck with. The plot was uncertain and I guess the wording was simply out of place. I am not a very good first-person narrator. I do better if I write like I'm telling a story to an audience, like the way this one-shot is written. I did not get that much reviews but those that I received encouraged me to write more. I tried, many times; I was simply stuck in between.
Here is what I hope can make-up to the long absence and long-been-delayed story. I'm sticking to a one-shot, since I can't seem to get along well with multi-chaptered stories. The plot is too precious for me to put it to waste. This is to satisfy my narcissism and my frustration for a muse long gone. That's why I don't promise I'm back for good. I'll pick up the good bits I left behind and work on them but not deliberately.
I don't normally write very long Author's Notes and I doubt anyone would bother to read it. I'm on a rambling mode, so forgive me. If you reached this far, it would be sunshine to me if you dropped me a review.