You could say it all started with a sentence in the backseat of a car when the twins were five. It was one of the rare times their entire family was together, and even rarer still that they weren't in their usual limo being driven around. Their father was in the driver's seat, their mother next to him, and the two brothers occupied the back two seats. And it all started with a sentence.
"Hikaru, there's a spider in hair," Kaoru said slowly, reaching towards the head of his brother.
Hikaru's golden eyes widened in surprise, and he shouted, "Get it off, Kaoru!"
Their mother turned around, her cellphone stuck to her ear as always. "Quiet while I'm on the phone, both of you." She turned back around, and continued to talk quietly to the person on the other end.
Hikaru silenced at the request of their mother, but his hands were still waving uselessly around his head, trying to dislodge the spider from his hair.
"Stay still, Hikaru," Kaoru whispered.
After he complied, Kaoru was able to grab the spider from his orange tuft of hair, and let it rest on his open palm. Hikaru wriggled his nose up in disgust at his brother's new friend.
"Get rid of it Kaoru," Hikaru whined. "It's disgusting."
Thier mother turned around once again. "Both of you, quiet. This is an important call."
Kaoru and Hikaru shared a look as soon as their mother turned around. The mischievous smile that the Hitachiin twins were known for was reflected on the face of each boy. Slowly, Kaoru moved his hand with the spider towards his mother's unsuspecting neck, and then let the thing loose.
His mother shrieked and swatted at her arm, causing the spider to go careening into his father's face.
And then it happened.
The car lurched to the left into oncoming traffic. The screeching of tires and the ear-piercing shriek of metal on metal contact filled the air. Kaoru reached a hand out to Hikaru, and the older twin took the hand into his own.
The rest of the incident was a blur. Neither boy could remember what happened first, what happened last, or what had even happened at all. It wasn't until they were both side by side in a hospital room that either boy understood what had happened.
They had been in a car accident. Their father was instantly killed, and their mother was in critical condition.
As the two young boys sat silently by their mother, a social worker entered the room. The finely dressed woman grabbed a hand from either boy and led them from the room. She sat them down in a conference room of the hospital then kneeled in front of them.
She explained what happened again, but this time she added a piece of information that the boys had not heard before. Their mother was in a coma. She was barely breathing, and she could not wake up on her own. Because of that, the boys were to be put into an orphanage just until they could locate a relative or their mother woke up.
OoO 3 years later OoO
"We just can't take both of them," the lady in pink whispered to her husband in blue.
Kaoru held tightly onto the hand of his slightly older twin. No one ever wanted both of them. They always only had room for one.
"Hikaru," Kaoru said softly.
"Don't worry, Kaoru. They won't take either of us. That's what Mrs. Jones always says, remember? She won't let anyone take just one of us."
Mrs. Jones cast a smile upon the twin boys from beside the couple.
"They are little angels, though, really," she told the couple. "With the way that they act, they seem more like one child than two."
The woman looked at her husband questioningly. "We just don't have the room, right Mark? We only have one extra bedroom, and it's small at that."
The husband shook his head. "We just can't take them both. I'm sorry."
Yet another couple walked away from the twins. Mrs. Jones followed after them, most likely advocating for them, but they knew it was a waste of time. They weren't angels, and they weren't easy to deal with. Anyone in the orphanage could attest to that.
"Hikaru, when will mother wake up?" Kaoru asked quietly.
"Soon, Kaoru, soon. And she'll find us and take us home. We'll be a family again."
"What if she doesn't wake up?"
Hikaru forced a smile onto his face for his more tender brother. "Then I'll take care of you. I'll always take care of you, Kaoru."
Kaoru smiled back at Hikaru.
Hikaru ruffled his brother's hair then said, "Now, come on. Let's scare the couple who turned us down. Let's show them what their missing."
The mischievous smile that both Hitachiin twins had never forgotten graced both faces as they snuck out of the visiting room.
OoO 3 Years later OoO
Kaoru woke up in bed. He rubbed his eyes sleepily then reached an arm out to shake Hikaru awake. His hand hit nothing but empty bed, however.
"Hikaru," Kaoru called softly as to not wake up the other children.
When he received no answer, Kaoru slowly got out of bed. He checked the bathroom first to see if Hikaru just had to pee. It was empty. Next, he checked the kitchen. Empty. Finally, he checked the visiting room, just in case.
Hikaru was in the visiting room with a couple sitting across from him. Mrs. Jones was standing beside the couple, a small smile on her face. Kaoru stood by the window of the visiting room, wondering why Hikaru was in there alone, and why he hadn't woken up when he left.
Kaoru stood like that until he noticed the couple smiling up at Mrs. Jones, their eyes shining and their heads bobbing up and down.
"Hikaru," Kaoru called from the door.
Everyone in the room turned to look at the young boy standing in the doorway. The couple looked from Hikaru to Kaoru a couple of times before shifting their gazes to Mrs. Jones in confusion.
"You never said he had a brother," the lady said to Mrs. Jones.
"Well, I was going to discuss that with you after you met Hikaru. Why don't you follow me into my office, and we can discuss it now?"
The couple stood up and followed Mrs. Jones out of the visiting room. Kaoru looked at Mrs. Jones with confused eyes, but she kept her eyes straight ahead, not even glancing at the boy.
"Hikaru," Kaoru repeated once again. "What's going on?"
Hikaru held a hand out for Kaoru who instantly rushed forward to take it. The younger twin sat next to his brother.
"This couple wants to take me home with them," Hikaru said quietly. "Just as foster parents, though, until I'm eighteen."
Kaoru felt a big smile coming over his face. "You found a home for us?" he asked excitedly.
"No."
Confusion bubbled in Kaoru's mind. "What do you mean 'no'? You said they want you, right? And we're a package deal, right? You made sure to tell them about me, right, Hikaru?"
Hikaru turned his face from his brother. He gazed down at the floor. Be strong, he chided himself. You're doing this for Kaoru. Never forget that.
"They can't take us both, Kaoru. They only want me, and... Mrs. Jones said it would be for the best. They're running out of room here, ya know? If this couple takes me then you won't have to worry about finding someone to take both of us. You can find your own couple..."
"But.." Kaoru grabbed onto Hikaru's arm. "I don't want my own couple. I want to stay with you."
"You can't, Kaoru," Hikaru said. He stood up from the couch. "You need to grow up and be strong. Mom isn't going to wake up, and we aren't going to stay together forever."
Kaoru stood up as well, his amber eyes filling with moisture. He reached for Hikaru's hand, but his brother moved out of his grasp. The younger twin took a step forward, but the older twin moved back a step as well.
"Why?" Kaoru asked, his bottom lip wobbling.
Hikaru looked his brother in the eyes, trying to stay calm. "I'm doing this for you, Kaoru. This way you can have a future outside of this place. This way you won't be kicked out on your ass like some scum. Find a family..."
Mrs. Jones came to the door then, her eyes resting solely on Hikaru. "Are you ready?"
"Yeah, I'm ready."
"Hikaru, you can't. You promised!"
Hikaru held out his arms, and Kaoru obediently let himself be folded into a warm hug. He grasped his brother's thin shirt in both hands, pulling him as close as he could. When the hug was over, Hikaru placed a kiss on Kaoru's head.
"Stay strong, Kaoru..."
Hikaru walked from the room then without a glance back. He took his place beside the couple taking him home. The lady put her hand on his shoulder and guided him out of the orphanage.
Mrs. Jones cleared her throat. "Kaoru, I'm sorry, but you know that you two couldn't just stay here forever. You've been here longer than any other child."
"You gave away my brother," Kaoru growled under his breath.
"What?" Mrs. Jones asked, coming closer to the boy.
"You gave away my brother!" Kaoru shouted, glaring at the orphanage director. "You promised, and you broke it! You gave away my brother!"
The older lady was taken aback by the tone of her young ward as she had never heard Kaoru yell before. She decided that all the boy needed was time. He would eventually come to understand that everything she did was for the best. After all, he only had seven years left either in the orphanage or in a foster home.
OoO 7 Years later OoO
Hikaru tapped his foot impatiently as the Taxi moved him farther and farther away from the place he had called home for the last seven years. Not that he wanted to leave it behind, really. The people there were nice, the house was nice, school was nice, everything was nice, but something was missing. Someone was missing. And maybe he could find him at his old home.
After waiting seven years to turn eighteen, Hikaru was finally able to return to the mansion that he had called home before the accident. Apparently, the house had stayed vacant since his mother was still technically alive just comatose in the hospital. It was staffed by a small number of maids, who came in twice a week to open the windows and dust the place down. At least, this is what he was told when he called the place just a week ago to see if it was okay to come visit.
After what felt like hours, the taxi pulled into a long drive that ended in front of the largest building Hikaru could ever remember seeing. His foster parents were well off, but this was the house of someone who was rich. He payed the driver then walked cautiously up the front steps.
Before he could even knock, the door was pulled open. A wrinkled old man stood in the open door.
"Master Kaoru? I did not know you had gone out today."
"Kaoru? No, I'm Hikaru. I called last week to see if it was okay to come home. Kaoru is here?"
The old man bowed lowly. "Forgive me Master Hikaru. It's been a long time since I've seen either of you boys. Yes, your brother arrived just one week ago, right after you called about coming."
Hikaru felt a pang in his chest. His brother... Would he even want to see him? After he left with the Kinins to live at their house, Kaoru wouldn't talk to him. He had tried countless times to visit his twin in the orphanage, but every time Mrs. Jones would turn him away, telling him that Kaoru requested he leave. Eventually, he quit going. He quit thinking of his twin and just tried to live his life.
"Where is he?" Hikaru asked as he entered the home.
"In your bedroom."
Hikaru rubbed the back of his head and grinned sheepishly. "It's been a while. Do you mind showing me?"
"Of course," the man said. He led Hikaru up a staircase, down a hallway, and through multiple sets of doors until finally he stopped at a set of golden double doors. Hikaru vaguely remembered them from his childhood. He could remember pressing his ear against the doors to see what Kaoru was doing while he was not in the room.
"I'll leave you alone. If you need anything, I'll be downstairs."
Hikaru thanked the man politely. He waited until he was out of view before pressing his ear against the door. His hand slid down to the door knob, but before he could turn it he heard a snore from within the room. Hardly breathing, Hikaru listened for anything else, but it was silent again.
Standing outside the door, Hikaru tried to decide whether or not he should just go into the room. It had been seven years after all. He didn't want to wait another hour to see his brother again.
Building up his courage, Hikaru opened the door to the bedroom. He waited a minute at the door after closing it to let his eyes adjust to the dark. Once he could make out at least the faint outline of shapes, he moved forward into the room. A large bed was against the back wall, and Hikaru made his way towards it.
Smiling to himself, Hikaru recalled the nights he had spent in this bed with his brother, both of them curled up together. They had been so close, always together.
"Kaoru," Hikaru called out softly. He sat down on the edge of the bed. "Kaoru it's me."
Hikaru gazed down at the sleeping form of his twin brother. He looked so peaceful. Instead of trying to wake him again, Hikaru laid down next to his brother on the bed. He would just lay here and wait until he woke up.
"It's really great to be home," Hikaru whispered to himself.
Kaoru let out a soft snore and turned over in the bed. Hikaru smiled softly. Yes, this was home.
Okay! Isn't this just awesome! :p Hope everyone likes the first chapter. If you could review or like it that would be awesome sauce. :)
Disclaimer: I don't own OHSHC
