AN: Consider this an Edit of Pure Win, because as it was, this story wasn't exactly that great. The editing was inspired by the wonderful Raven Ehtar, who's an incredible writer on her own.
My sincerest apologies if it does not live up to any standards someone has set – I am merely doing this because I felt obliged to. Thank you for reading at least this much, and please review if you continue through.
Rules dictate that I must disclaim my rights to this fandom... Therefore, I believe it is appropriate for me to say something along the lines of "Ouran High School Host Club and all related items belong to Bisco Hatori." or some such.
In all his life, Kyouya had strive to be the best. Being the best of his brothers meant he had to be perfect – and more. When something unexpected came up, it was his self-imposed duty to nip it in the bud before it could ruin his perfection. With these things in mind, it was safe for him to say that it had been a very, very long time since he had allowed confusion to overcome his mind. Nothing had ever perplexed him quite so much as this current phenomenon.
He couldn't take his mind off of the youngest Hitachiin twin – poor sweet Kaoru, who was the unintended victim of a shy and blooming romance between Haruhi and his brother. Poor sweet Kaoru whose hair was parted differently today; who maintained a look of pure boredom when not hosting groups of shallow girls with his torturer.
Kyouya found, unsettlingly, that there was little he could do to terminate his persistent confusion. If allowed on its own, his mind would spiral away from simplistic thoughts and into more complex things, like trying to figure what Kaoru was thinking as he performed an action, or attempting to figure out a solution to his distraction. However, all attempts to actually corral his thoughts towards the latter process generally ended up a failure, and it was something Kyouya was finding he couldn't take. It was upsetting.
"Kyouya?" He was shaken gently out of his reverie by Haruhi's hand on his forearm. He peered down at the girl over the edge of the clipboard in his hand
"Shouldn't you be working to fulfill your debt? I do believe you have many more designations until you are free." Haruhi peered up at him with a curious look and removed her hand from him.
"Kyouya, the girls left ten minutes ago. It's only us left here, now," she replied, and it was obvious on her features that she was wondering what had distracted him so.
"I see. Then why are you still here?" He tried to sound as normal as possible, but it was difficult. His brain was still frazzled from recent thoughts, and he resisted the urge to frown.
"I was merely concerned about you. You've been in another world all day; very few else would voice it but everyone noticed. Even a couple of our customers pointed it out," her words were quiet now, not echoing like her previous ones had across the empty room. She was flirting with disaster by being so forward, but it her words were very true. He hadn't been alert at all, merely working with muscle memory.
"Where is everyone else?" The implications in his tone warned of her immediate doom if she'd bothered him with such a very sensitive topic while others were in the room.
"They've all gone home, I believe. I just wanted to see if there was anything I could do to assist you in your mental dilemma before I left." Haruhi smiled sheepishly up at him, and Kyouya found himself absentmindedly clicking his pen as he formulated a reply.
"There is nothing that I require help with. Your father will worry if you're not on your way soon. I estimate that he shall be home in approximately five minutes, you know. You have stayed much longer than usual."
The girl bit her lip nervously and shifted her weight to her other foot. "Mnn. Oh dear." She frowned as well, bowing her head. "Thank you for reminding me, please let me know if there is anything I can do. No one liked seeing you so out of it today," she said, turning away and walking towards the door. As she stepped further away, he could almost be positive that her last words were "...especially Kaoru".
Those final words, whether she had actually spoken them or not, jolted him, and Kyouya found his mind flooded with reckless thoughts.
What was going on? Was it his hormones? That had been a dilemma he had yet to consider – he'd not been tormented with the things when he was younger. Maybe he was a "late bloomer" in that department, which was irksome. Being late – to anything – was not a problem any of his brothers had faced, and it was something he couldn't change, too. That was even more bothersome.
"This is ridiculous," he murmured to himself, retreating from his post in the center of the room to where he had left his things. There was no way he would be able to work efficiently in his current condition, as much as it bothered him. He would simply have to wait until tomorrow or until the issue was resolved.
He pushed open the door and consoled himself with a "I'm sure this will be over soon," only to come face to face with the tender object of his distraction.
"What will be over soon? Is something wrong? We noticed you weren't really... here, today." Even as his brain registered that Kaoru was standing right in front of him, he found his limbs, and more importantly his mouth, developing a mind of their own.
His jaw wavered in an attempt to begin babbling, and if it had not been for sheer willpower, he probably would have. His arms closed over his chest in a defensive maneuver – something he couldn't do too much about after the fact... The damage had already been done. Kaoru looked at him even more intensely curiously.
"Kyouya?" The elder teen shook his head and unfolded his arms, eyes focusing.
"Why are you here now, Kaoru?" He utterly avoided the question, and blatantly so, but Kaoru seemed to brush it off.
"Oh, haha. I left my English text here on accident. Sorry, Kyouya." The auburn haired individual smiled slightly, and there was a feeling that he could only describe as fluttering in the depths of his chest as Kyouya saw the quirking of the smaller boy's lips.
"I see," he replied, and attempting to focus on anything but Kaoru and Kaoru's lips. He looked down to his bag and books, placed on a table as they were, and was surprised to find that they'd been undisturbed throughout the day.
"Kyouya?" Kaoru's voice was soft this time when he spoke, and Kyouya felt like his eye was going to twitch any moment now in frustration. For the love of all that was holy! Don't make his agony more terrible! Turning back around nonchalantly, Kyouya found himself meeting amber eyes once more.
"What is it?"
"How did.. you know that I am Kaoru, and not Hikaru? Or was it merely a guess?"
Eyebrows narrowed as he tried to come up with an answer. He turned back around to maximize his concentration and eventually replied. "You're subtly different than him, Kaoru. Just because I never said as much does not mean I did not notice."
"But- How did you know? We're almost exactly the same!" Kaoru sounded as disbelieving as Kyouya himself felt about the entire situation. This was ridiculous and yet oddly enjoyable all in the same moment.
"Because, Kaoru, I am the Shadow King," was his vague reply, and he knew he would have to elaborate the moment the twin stepped up beside him to look at him. Ignoring the fact that his heart was thudding seriously hard, he continued. "It's my job to take in all aspects of those who dwell in the light from where I bask in my darkness," his words were cryptic, but very true in his mind.
"I don't think that's true," Kaoru murmured, and Kyouya was the one bearing a curious look now.
"Why is that?"
"I mean... I know Tamaki calls you the Shadow King... but it's only a joke. We don't actually find you evil or terrible or dark, unless it's early in the morning and you haven't inhaled a pot of coffee yet." Kaoru paused. "It's not like you go out of your way to be a party-killer; you do what you have to to keep us together, and nothing more negative than that in the occasions that call for it."
"I see, Kaoru," he stated, quietly, and then felt his heart stop as he earned himself yet another smile.
Oh, hell. That was his first thought as everything slid into place. The puzzle pieces fit together perfectly, depicting chaos. It was like a mural made of kindergärtner's finger paints; smeared color and fluctuating intensity, but beautiful nonetheless.
"Kyouya? Hey!" He found himself being shaken out of yet another dazed state. When his eyes refocused he found Kaoru standing terribly close and gripping his shoulder like a lifeline. The English book the boy had once been holding had been dropped on the table so its owner could entangle that hand in his shirt to keep his feeble balance.
"Kaoru?"
"What's wrong with you? You scared me!"
"My apologies; I merely just realized something."
"Oh? Is it something you would share with me?" He adopted what was becoming a common curious look, blinking innocently.
"I..." The proclaimed Shadow King actually felt himself at a loss for words for a moment, his brain more acutely aware of the way that Kaoru's hand was still wrapped in his shirt.
"Something has been bothering you, right?" The teen deduced, looking to him for affirmation. At his nod, Kaoru continued his thought. "And you just figured out your problem?"
"You're right... Not that I am too surprised. And you want to know what I deduced, am I correct?"
"When are you anything but?" A cheeky grin sent Kyouya's heart pounding, and he tried to quell a blush. It would be... unseemly to blush, like a girl.
"Good point," he found himself replying, and Kaoru laughed cutely.
"So tell me, then! Hikaru will have my head if I take too much longer."
"I realized..." Kyouya paused, trying to word his sentence correctly. "I've realized that I have feelings for you, Kaoru." The words sounded more stupid in the open air than they had in his mind, and Kyouya felt honestly embarrassed to have said them.
Kaoru was silent and Kyouya's stomach jumped nervously. He had been too quick to tell his feelings hadn't he? Just as the dark haired boy was sure he was going to break down into his first panic attack – why was everything so intense now? – Kaoru's face broke out in a smile. He seemed to glow for a moment; radiating happiness.
"You mean romantic happiness, right?" He sounded almost eager. An unsteady nod from his elder had the auburn haired boy embracing him tightly, quaking with pure glee.
A moment passed before Kyouya shyly returned the affectionate grasp, and he was too caught up in the moment to jump back when what were obviously Hikaru's footsteps came up to the room's door.
"Kaoru, what's taki-" the elder twin had pushed the door open just in time to find his mirror image proclaiming his feelings to their elder.
"I'm so glad, Kyouya. I'm so happy. Now Hikaru can be with Haruhi... and I can be with you. And we won't ever have to be alone, right?" Hikaru watched as Kyouya seemingly sweetly touched Kaoru's hair; pressing their foreheads together.
Even Hikaru, who was probably the most emotionally retarded person in the group when it came to someone other than Kaoru, could feel how happy the pair was. After all, Kaoru had been sweet on the older teen for what seemed like ages – always going out of his way to be a little less rambunctious when the dark haired teen was moody; always making sure he had his morning coffee when they raided the Ootori household. It was finally time that his brother got what he deserved; pure and intense love, especially if Kyouya's mannerisms that day were anything to go by.
Now that Kaoru was happy, maybe he could finally work up the nerve to tell Haruhi was he felt, too. He could speak up, say some things that really needed saying, and broaden their world's horizons a little further.