Just trying this out. I am unsure as to whether I would like to continue this story or not, I would like to know how you feel. If this seems like something you would be intrested in reading plasee let me know and I will continue it if not then I guess I'll just finish "Trust Me" instead of doing both.

Prologue

I... I'm sorry Hikaru. I don't feel the same way."

Hikaru gazed at the one person he had ever harbored such strong ROMANTIC feelings for, his eyes begging and pleading. Haruhi shook her head sadly causing her mop of brown hair to toss about. "I'm sorry," she said once more. She shifted uncomfortably before adding, "Besides... I'm seeing someone."

Hikaru tensed as jealousy clawed at his already bleeding heart. He balled his fists, pressing his nails into the soft skin of his palms where they were sure to leave marks. Ragged breaths followed as he tried to calm himself. "Who?"

She blinked trying to make sense of the single word uttered. "Who what-"

"Who is the guy you're messing around with?!" he demanded voice raising. "Who's the guy that's so much better than me?"

Haruhi's face grew hot like a blacktop on a summer afternoon. She glared at her friend indignant, offended by his poor wording.

"I am certainly not 'messing around' as you so kindly put it. And if you must know ask any member of the host club. They all already knew. I suppose Kaoru didn't tell you."

Eyes flickering up to her face, Hikaru dug his nails deeper into his flesh. "Is it Kaoru?" he growled.

Relief washed over him upon Haruhi shaking her head. "Even if it were would you be able to bring yourself to hate your own twin? Over something so petty?"

Hikaru directed his eyes at his feet in shame. His reflection in the music room floor stared back at him in disapproval, it's expression grim and unforgiving. How could he think so lowly of his twin? Kaoru was the one who told him to go after Haruhi in the first place.

"Kaoru was probably trying to protect you, though he was only delaying the inevitable." Haruhi breathed.

Hikaru looked up from his feet quickly at her words. "What? Who is it? Why won't anyone tell me?"

"Hikaru... Tamaki and I have been seeing each other for a month now. Kaoru made us promise not to tell you."

The king? No. Haruhi would never fall for a fool like him. Hikaru shook his head backing away as though if he stood to close to her he would be burned.

"You're lying!" he cried, his eyes frantically flitting about the empty music room. "This is some joke isn't it? You think this is funny don't you?"

"Hikaru..." Haruhi frowned stepping forward.

"No! Stay away from me! I hate you! I hate you all!" he spat turning to the door.

He blazed across the heavenly pink tiles and grabbed hold of the door's handle its cold metal shocking his skin. Clenching his teeth he turned the handle and yanked back in one fluid motion. Tamaki, who stood on the other side of the door stood there, a puzzled look worked into his face. His hand was held out, delicate fingers outstretched as to grab the handle but were instead met with nothing.

"Kaoru?" he asked.

A hand closed around Hikaru's heart and closed in on itself, crushing what it grasped so viciously. Hikaru who was close to tears and brimming with anger set his searing eyes on his sempai.

"I'm Hikaru!" he growled and used all of his force to roughly push Tamaki to the side. "Now get out of my way!"

Tamaki gasped in surprise as he stumbled out of the way. While he was regaining his balance, Hikaru took off down the hall wanting nothing more than to get as far away as possible.

There was no one who he trusted anymore. Not even his twin. He was dead to him.

"JAPAN! You can't be serious!" I cried slamming my palms down on Father's desk.

Slowly, his steel eyes wandered from his computer screen to my disgruntled face. His chair let out a high pitched groan as he shifted his weight in the leather upholstery so that it tilted back ever so slightly. He drummed his knobby knuckles on the stained mahogany of his desk, each little thump driving a wooden stake into my patience.

"Yes, Japan." Father said smoothing back his blonde hair which had long been gradually turning to a whitish gray. "I have a friend there and we've decided to go into a partnership."

"Hastings Hopsitals is a large enough empire as is." I complained. "Why must we join this Youwho... Tory... Tofu..."

"The name is Ootori." he said firmly.

This earned an eye roll from me. "Whatever. I've never heard of them."

"We are moving to Japan and I am enrolling you in Ouran academy. Their youngest son goes there and I would like you to get to know him."

I set my eyes on him, willing their fiery gaze to set him ablaze but it was to no avail. I balled my fists, turning each of my knuckles bone white. Steadily I breathed, keeping the shaking in my body to a minimum, though the demon in me thrashed against the walls of its cage to escape.

"I refuse to leave America to travel to the other end of the world." I said cooly. "And you shall be left without a heir."

Letting him digest my words, I spun on my heel having said what I had come to say and left my Father's study before he could rebuke with that clever tongue of his. I knew if that were to happen I would be made a fool as always whenever I found myself in an argument with him.

I slammed the study's door with such force that the wood reverberated with a sickening violence that suggested the door might break and for a moment I was afraid it just might. However, the wood eventually became calm and I walked away, my anger returning. How dare he. There was no way I was going to leave. I didn't even speak Japanese! Did he expect me to leave everything behind including Karin? The person who knew me best?

Scowling, I climbed the familiar staircase that led to my room, using its cold cast iron rail to assist myself. The backs of my heels clicked against each wooden step, filling the empty air of the mansion with a sad and steady rhythm until I reached the top of the stairs and was met with a plush carpet. My eyes scanned the doors for the correct passageway. Once found, I captured the handle in my hand and twisted.

My room was nothing extravagant. It was cluttered with paper and pens, like a office had instilled its supplies messily about the room. Writing and art was all that distracted me from the cruel reality the world offered me. Here, I could escape. For just a little while I could pretend everything was fine.

I made my way over to my bed and frowned seeing a blue stain on the cream colored sheets. A pen lay on its side like a fallen warrior, blue ink spilling from its wound. I let out a sigh and plucked the pen from its resting place then proceeded to discard it in the waste bin. Then brushing aside some pieces of scribble adorned papers I grabbed hold of the bedsheets and pulled.

I suppose I could have called a maid to assist me or simply take over if I so desired but I was not in the mood to see anyone and it wood not kill me to change my own bedsheets.

I let the fabric flutter down to the floor into a crinkled heap and stepped over it to get to my closet. Opening its door I entered what could easily be considered a second room. Colors of the world lined the walls, each garment hung neatly on uniformal hangers while shoes stood single file, their toes directed towards me like students facing their teacher.

Ignoring them, I searched the shelves above my head for the spare sheets. Finally I found them high above my head. Letting out a strangled groan I got up on my tiptoes, arm raised, fingers outstretched. I grasped the corner of the fabric but before I could get a better hold I lost balance and fell on my hindquarters, dragging down the sheets as well as an open box with me. Light was cut off as the sheet settled over me and I winced as small trinkets rained down on me, each seeming to target my head. Once the rainfall had ceased, I moved about under the blanket, searching for the nearest exit. I found it and pulled the annoying hindrance off of me. Old toys from my childhood laid sprawled out before me.

I set to work, grabbing the shoebox and began to fill it with small stuffed animals and children's jewelry. I froze when my fingers found the locket. Wetting my lips, I scooped it up, letting its tarnished chain pool in my palm. I ran my thumb over the heart shaped locket, my breath hitching at its familiar smoothness. Images from my past bombarded me, demanding attention I refused to give. Using my thumbnail I opened the locket. Inside was two pictures. In each one was a girl with light brown hair and silvery gray eyes. I gazed down at the picture on the right, completely ignoring the one on the left. I saw her everyday. Even though the two girls were practically identical.

The girl on the right laughed up at me, her light pink lips pulled back revealing her teeth and eyes smiling. My own started to fog over as I felt my tears slap against the dam I had built, threatening to break free.

"Karin," I sobbed. "I wish you were here. I wish you were still alive. I wish I still had my twin."

At that moment the dam I had spent so much time building broke.

I left flowers at Karin's grave the next week before I was to start my journey to Japan. I found it difficult to kneel down in a pencil skirt whilst my heels were sinking into the sodden ground, due to recent rainfall, to rest the pink roses on her headstone. While still alive, Karin had often complained that I didn't take good enough care of myself. Back then I rarely wore makeup or nice clothes and my hair would be in the same boring ponytail day in and day out. After her passing I started taking the things she said to me more to heart.

As though that would get her back.

Balancing in a wobbly crouched position, I traced the letters engraved in the stone while the locket I had rediscovered the previous week hung from my neck, swinging back and forth. "In memory of Karin Hastings," I mumrured. "Loving daughter-"

"Karin, hurry up!" Father called.

The right corner of my lips twitched in annoyance. Sure my sister and I would always get frustrated when people got us confused, it's not like we were the same person, but now that she's dead it feels like she's being disrespected having her name thrust upon me by those who KNOW who has fallen.

"My name is Melanie!" I snapped rising to my feet. "And excuse me for saying goodbye to my sister, you're making me leave her behind and I may never see her again." the thought brought tears to my eyes.

"She's a rotting corpse in the ground. Lets go." he commanded.

I pressed my lips into a thin line at his words and directed my eyes to the ground so he could not see the hatred I had for him sparking like flint when struck, in my eyes. How could a father say something so terrible about his own daughter? Didn't he love her at all?

"This is why Mom left," I muttered walking past him. "You don't care about anything or anyone."

I passed various gravestones, some frosted in wilting flowers and others barren and forgotten except for the occasional dead flaking leaf that littered it. I hated cemeteries. They depressed me, knowing that one day I would join them, the dead, and that my body would rot beneath the earths surface and with time be forgotten. Those stones that were new were well kept and polished but the older ones were worn to the point where the names carved in them were no longer legible. Was that my fate? Was that everyone's fate? Admittedly, I had not given my death much thought before Karin passed. I was young, I didn't need to worry about that. Then I saw easy it was to take one's life.

Continuing along, I made my way to the waiting limousine. It's engine emitted a steady hum that I found oddly soothing. My reflection in the black paint stared back at me with a blank expression. Opening the door I slid in the back seat and leaned on the leather letting all of my frustrations escape in sad sigh.

Moments later the door was opened and closed again and Father slid in the seat beside me. He clasped his large hands before him, lacing his fingers.

"Listen, about what you said," he started.

I groaned crossing my arms over my chest and shifted in my seat so that I could face the window. The vehicle began to pull out of the cemetery.

"I know we haven't always seen eye to eye. And I know things have been difficult since your sister died and your mother and I got the divorce." he paused as though waiting for me to jump in and say 'I know Daddy, I love you.' I snorted. As if that were happening.

He continued, "But you are my daughter and I care about your well being. I just want what's best for you."

"How is moving to a foreign country what's best for me?" I questioned skeptically, watching buildings zip by as we neared the interstate.

"You haven't been yourself since your sister died last year. You're always locked up in your room, you avoid people and honey it's not healthy." he sighed shaking his head. "What are you even doing in there all the time? Is it drugs? Alcohol? Are you sneaking men in there?"

My jaw dropped at his harsh words. "Of course not! I immerse myself in the arts!" I scowled keeping my eyes trained on the window. "Honestly, the closest I've ever come to drugs is a benidril."

He said nothing. Nor did I. We sat in unnerving silence neither of us willing or brave enough to shatter it. I heard rusting beside me suggesting Father had shifted to a more comfortable position while I busied myself with the locket, fiddling with its chain.

The familiar irritating sound of fingers drumming against a solid object filled the quiet cabin. I grimaced as I ground my teeth together, my blood's temperature rising. Perhaps I was being irritable. Perhaps I was wallowing in self pity. I don't know exactly what made me say what I was about to say but it was going to haunt me for the rest of my life.

"I hate you! It should have been you who died, not Karin!"

With a jolt something slammed into the limousine's side sending the vehicle barreling through the air.