"No, no no!" Kyoya hissed as he watched the scrying glass cloud before him. He passed his hand over it again, but still there appeared the image of the merchants' sons coming to blows, his own uncontrolled magic tearing apart the highest tower where his workshop resided. Snarling, he threw the thing across the room where it shattered into a million pieces. He stood there panting for a few more moments, his open robe fluttering with his shuddering breaths, black velvet glittering in the light of the torches.
"Now, considering you work for me and scry for my future as your duties to me as my subject, is that my bad luck or yours?" a voice said gently from the doorway. Kyoya's head jerked up abruptly and his sharp gaze took in the sight of a tall, slim figure curled comfortably into the frame of his workshop doorway as if he'd stood there often.
Which, of course, he had.
"Prince Tamaki," Kyoya allowed, bowing calmly as if nothing had happened. The shadowed figure in the doorway stiffened and drew himself up to his full height in response.
"What nonsense is this, Kyoya? What have I told you about bowing to me?" he demanded, walking into the light. His golden hair shimmered impressively as he stepped into the chilled air of the sorcerer's workroom, the heavy gold detailing on his red velvet tunic glittering impressively. A strong jaw set itself in irritation, framing a full, wide mouth and a long, finely-sculpted nose. He adjusted his sword's belt to sit more comfortably around his waist as Kyoya straightened to look into his disapproving long-lashed violet eyes with some measure of amusement.
"I am only paying you your dues, Milord," he replied, but his tone was mocking. The blond boy laughed.
"Oh, stop it. First of all, I'm not a lord. Second, there's no one else around to put on airs for." He winked conspiratorially. "Otherwise I'd be acting the fool, now wouldn't I?"
"You are a fool, Tamaki," the sorcerer replied coolly, waving one graceful, long-fingered hand. A broom jumped up of its own accord from the corner and proceeded to sweep the glass shards up into a pile. Another wave of his hand reconstructed the object good as new.
"Now, does that even the odds? Or does one of us still have bad luck?" Tamaki asked, coming to stand behind the slightly shorter boy as he turned to place the mirrored object back on the table. Kyoya let out a deep breath with a certain amount of impatience, long nose flaring slightly at the nostrils. His small mouth twisted with annoyance.
"Am I required to answer that?" he asked, turning around and stopping short when he found his prince standing not half a foot from him. One black brow formed a perfect arch over his onyx eyes, covering his surprise. Tamaki simply looked back with a gentle expression in his face, crystalline eyes beseeching.
"You're not going to tell me what you saw, are you?" he said quietly. They stared at each other for a few moments, obviously at an impasse. Finally, Kyoya swallowed and cleared his throat.
"I have work to do, Tamaki, so if you'll excuse me…" he tried to push past the taller young man, but Tamaki grabbed his arm in a vise-like grip.
"Just because we had to take on our father's professions doesn't mean we have to keep the same business-like tone they had all the time," he said softly. "We used to climb the orchard trees together, Kyoya. Naught but a few months ago had you pushed me into the moat, grinning all the while. What happened to that smile?"
For a moment Kyoya was silent, eyes closed, body stiff. Tamaki looked down, searching for his eyes, but all he saw was his raven's wing hair. Finally there was a tired sigh, and he tugged his arm out of the Prince's grip. "It died at the end of the war with our fathers, Tamaki."
"Kyoya-"
"The– no, rather, your coronation is in a month. We can't be children anymore. You have to think of your people's needs," the shorter man said briskly, pulling away and straightening his tunic. The silver embroidery glistened in the light, the dragon on his breast seemingly poised to strike all of a sudden. With a few quick strides he was in the doorway to another room in the tower. He paused in the doorway for a moment, as if to look back, then cleared his throat and disappeared, closing the door behind him.
"And what about what we need?" Tamaki called, but there was no response from the dark wood.
The sorcerer moved through the streets of the city's rich district like a ghost, black cloak obscuring any recognizable part of his face. In less than a few moments he'd reached his destination, noticeably the largest mansion in the row. Ignoring the large front gate, he slid around the side and with a whisper simply passed through the bars like a spirit. Another whisper opened the servant's entrance, where he slipped inside unnoticed. The door slid closed silently behind him, with only the moon as his witness.
Inside he stole up the stairs easily, obviously knowing exactly where he was headed to. Finally he arrived at a set of large ebony doors, where he knocked out of courtesy and waited a few moments.
"Kyoya?" a voice whispered from inside.
"Hikaru?" he returned.
"Close," the voice replied, wry now. "Kaoru." Kyoya stole straight through the wood with another whisper, and the red-headed boy on the other side jumped noticeably, clutching his heart. An identical one sat at one of the chairs by the fireplace, golden eyes wide with fright.
"We told you to not do that anymore, you damned demon!" they hissed in unison as he swept into one of the two chairs with a heavy sigh. The boy by the door followed him into the room, collapsing in his twin's lap.
"So," the one on the bottom began. "What exactly-"
"-can we do for you?" the other finished. The sorcerer, unfazed and obviously used to this act, pulled his hood back and leaned into the chair. His face was marginally haggard, and the boys turned worried eyes on their friend.
"Something… something's coming," he said, weariness written into every line of his stature.
"What kind of something?" they asked together.
"I don't know!" he hissed. "I've checked the cards, the runes, done every counter-active spell to protect against doomsday weapons and ambushes and riots and dissention in the ranks of the army – not that Mori or Hani would allow anything mind – and even spells to cause disquiet in our enemies along the border so they won't band together against us. But no matter what I do, it doesn't change the future at all. It just keeps getting closer." He pinched the bride of his nose with a sigh, pushing his spectacles up somewhat so that the firelight danced over his eyes along the glass. "I'm at my wit's end."
"But what's so special about something coming?" Hikaru asked.
"What results due to its presence?"
Kyoya adjusted his spectacles once more. "You two come to blows. With swords." His eyes fixed on Kaoru, who shifted uncomfortably. Hikaru was far more skilled with the sword. Kaoru preferred bows and knives. Thus, all three knew who would perish in the end. "I seem to lose my mind, my magic releasing, uncontrolled, in its wildest, purest form and wreaking havoc across the kingdom. Mori loses control of the guard. The court erupts into chaos. What brings all this about, however, I could not tell you."
"Have you told Milord?" Hikaru, asked, shifting uncomfortably at Kyoya's news then putting a hand up to steady his brother so that he wouldn't fall off of his lap.
"Or have you kept it from him…" Kaoru began.
"To keep him from worrying?" they finished together.
"I've said nothing to Tamaki. He knows something is amiss, of course, but I haven't told him the crux of the matter. He simply knows that something is troubling me."
"Something's always troubling you," Kaoru teased, and Kyoya let a small smile tug at the corners of his lips. While Hikaru's loyalty had always rested fully with the king, everyone who was close to the young man knew that Kyoya held much more power than anyone would be willing to admit, and Kaoru seemed to think he deserved every bit of it.
Hikaru and Kaoru were the twin sons of the riches merchants in all of Ourania, heads of the guild. When you lived in the capital city and you held a certain amount of power, you tended to run in the same social circles as those with the same amount. Tamaki's father had seen the potential in allying with the merchants, obviously seeing that without an economic base a country would be in shambles. He'd done everything short of granting them a title, but as soon as his father died that was exactly what Tamaki had done. Or at least the twins. Because someone who held a title wasn't really of merchant class and therefore couldn't run the Guild, now could they? That was six months ago and Kyoya had to say, it was one of the smartest decisions the Prince had ever made.
As they always said, nature abhors a vacuum. With the king gone as well as the war, the people were no longer looking for a strong figure to lead them into battle. They were looking for a strong figure to pick up the pieces of their broken country and put it back together. While Tamaki's father had not been an unkind king, taxes during battle should be expected to rise. Yes, the war with Lobelia was over, but it would now be Tamaki's job to make sure that they kept to the binding treaty put in place upon Ouran's victory. He would have to rectify the current economic crisis, as well as watch for any vultures hidden in the rafters. Because if he didn't do his job exactly as his people wanted him to, well… that would be the perfect time to strike. What Tamaki really needed now was a group of advisors he would be able to trust, no matter the circumstances. He would need someone to keep a strong hand on his military as well as his personal guard, as well as someone to watch the nobles to make sure they didn't get any grandiose ideas about treason or any such ill-conceived notions. And that was precisely where the twins fit in.
Hikaru and Kaoru were, to put in bluntly, the new court favorites. With their silver tongues and quick grins, they'd easily won over almost every single Lady in the court, garnering the appreciation of many of the Lords. Between their natural charms and the Host club, well… the court never stood a chance. With their… oddly acquired titles they still had the ability to provide a bolt of any cloth one might want, no matter how rare it was, and a dress could be commissioned without having to go out of one's way to find the perfect one to ask, because the Hitachiins were rich due to one trade and one trade only. And that trade was fueled by one thing.
Court fashion.
So while their parents were off running the Guild who knows where and taking care of the family business, importing and buying and selling fine cloth and glass beads for detailing and silver thread, their sons were put in charge of the manor granted by title rights (previously owned by a family convicted of treason, and the Royal family's greatest threat) and given free rein at court.
"So," Hikaru began, pulling his brother further into his lap for comfort's sake, "what do you-"
"-want us to do about it?"
"I want you to keep an eye out for anything new. Use proper judgment and restraint of course; I hardly think it would be appropriate to draw attention to ourselves. But a new face that seems to be attracting an odd amount of attention, or anyone currying too much favor with those who hold power… you understand."
"And report back to you, of course," they replied together, interest piqued.
"Of course."
They grinned. "Alright, Demon-King."
"We'll help you out."
"Demon-King?" Kyoya queried, raising an eyebrow. The twins laughed.
"Milord may hold the official title as Prince-"
"-but you do all the real work."
Kyoya chuckled. "Don't say such things, lest you be hanged for treason."
"Milord?"
"Hang us?" They laughed again.
"You can slip out on your own, right?"
Kyoya smiled dangerously. "The question would be when couldn't I?"
And with that he disappeared through the floor.
Getting back to the castle was even easier than sneaking out, and before he knew it he was back in his workshop, yawning so wide his jaw cracked audibly. He winced and hung up his cloak, pulling off his silver dragon tunic and undoing the lacings on his shirt somewhat. The top of the tower almost always held a draft, but during the summer the heat rose from the depths of the castle straight into his rooms and practically suffocated him when the windows were closed. He didn't trust to leave the windows open while he was gone however, so he opened them now and took a deep breath, eyes scanning the clouded sky for a sign of the stars. It looked like a storm that night, which was awful considering the howling wind seemed to scream in your ear in his quarters at the top of the castle, but it didn't matter that much to him. The seclusion for his work was worth it.
Kyoya yawned again as he walked back to his worktable, covering his mouth again out of habit despite the fact that there was no one else in the room to take note of this small courtesy. Picking up the scrying glass he'd broken so carelessly that very afternoon, he passed a hand over the surface and watched the smoke roil across its surface for a few moments before clearing into a vision of him slipping through the floor before the red-headed twins he'd been with not an hour before.
"Always with the dramatics," Hikaru said with a shudder. Kaoru smirked down at his brother, leaning in to kiss him on the forehead.
"Yes, he's a tad disconcerting. You'll get over it."
"Like hell I will," he muttered, but he tilted his head up for a real kiss before the (slightly) younger boy slid off his lap and headed towards the door that led to their chambers.
"So, what do you think of it, then?"
Hikaru shrugged as he closed the door behind them, pulling off his leaf-green tunic and tossing it in the corner. The silver fox on Kaoru's chest seemed to wink at its twin in the firelight before he too pulled off his own garment, tossing it next to Hikaru's.
"What can I say? We watch. Nothing to speculate over if even Sir I-Know-All doesn't know anything about this supposed threat."
"Supposed?" Kaoru asked, genuinely surprised. "You doubt Kyoya's skill?"
"How many times has he said that scrying isn't accurate because the future is always changing?" Hikaru countered, finished preparing for bed. He slid between the cool sheets with a small noise of contentment.
"Well, yes, but…" the younger boy bit his lip as he slowly tucked his boots into the corner, and Hikaru sighed.
"Come to bed, Kao. Don't worry about it. If we could do more Kyoya would have said so, right?"
"I suppose," Kaoru allowed, and slid into the sheets with his brother after blowing out the candles.
"Besides. There's loads more interesting things to be thinking about at night," Hikaru teased. Kaoru chuckled in response.
Kyoya waved his hand over the glass quickly. He didn't need to see what happened next; he was pretty sure he could guess. Although most families conspired to couple siblings for the sole purpose of producing heirs, and when the siblings were boys, well…
"There's probably some spell somewhere or other to allow such a thing," he muttered to himself as he himself began to prepare for bed. "Not that I would wish more than two of them running around. Gods, if they had twins…"
A/N: So I know I have a ton of stories-in-progress already, so sorry for that. Meant to Be has one more chapter to go if anyone wants to help me out with a finale for that one, but other than that… well, Five Days of Compensation is fiveshot (XD not really a word but whatever) and it's almost done. I dunno. Anyhow, point is, don't hate me too much for starting another one. And yeah, I know, I usually hate AUs too, but I couldn't help it. This idea's been hammering itself into the inside of my brain for the longest time so… sorry? XD Anyhow, enjoy! :)