A/N: Sorry guys, this is my first piece here, and I'm sure it's probably as lame-ass as the summary is, but if you don't mind, I'd be grateful if you read it anyway, and even more so if you'd review and critique. :)
No, I do not own Ouran, in any way, shape, or form.
Suddenly, the air was filled with the blaring silence. The entire host club had left music room three, all except Kaoru. The rest of the guests and regular students were gone also, as well as the staff. The whole room, the whole school to himself… He could do anything he wanted. He could set up any prank; he could try looking for Kyoya's black notebook, to finally reveal its secrets, he could even ring up Hikaru and the rest of the group to come back and play hide and seek with him.
But you know what? He didn't really feel up to it. He didn't feel up to getting up, to getting supplies, or even pulling out his cell phone. But he especially didn't feel up to having to deal with Haruhi, or her stupid little face, or how Hikaru will only look at her.
Couldn't he ever just once look at me? It doesn't even have to be the same way he looks at her…
Kaoru slowly slid off the edge of the couch and sat in an ever so familiar position- knees bent, elbows on knees, face buried in arms.
Just please… look at me…
He often sat like this. Most of his weekends were spent like this, actually.
…Please?
Sleep came quickly, as it always did when he was in such an emotional, vegetable-like state.
But, as always, it never lasted long enough. Today, though, he was woken abruptly, by a sharp pain in his side. He groaned, groggily sitting up. For a moment, he lost all track of where he was, who he was, and what he had been doing here. Shaking his head, he began to get up, noticing the prickles of pain as he moved his left arm.
Ah well.
Kaoru grabbed his bag and pushed out of the doors, into the sea of passerby students headed to class. Pushing through all of the students going the opposite direction, ignoring the 'Hikaru! ... Oh, or are you Kaoru? ... Kaoru!'s, and plastering the same tranquil expression on his face, he finally reached his first class. Sitting down, he was greeted by his friends, brother, and of course, Haruhi.
Hikaru spoke first. "Where were you last night, Kaoru?"
Looking him straight in the eyes, Kaoru replied with a smile. It was a sad smile, one filled with the tears that Hikaru didn't know he cried. It was the smile that should've been read as 'This is what's keeping me from crying'. But, as usual, Hikaru wouldn't get that, so Kaoru had to give him some sort of answer. "Oh, I was just at one of the guys' houses. Sorry, I must've forgotten to mention it to you."
His eyes locked with Hikaru's, and briefly he wondered if he could see through his lie.
"Oh, alright. Thanks, it was just a little weird not having you around."
No it wasn't… I'm never there, didn't you know that? Kaoru dropped his head, searching for a pencil in his bag. The tears started welling up, and he was only getting more and more frustrated with himself, and the damn pencil. It was evading him. Shuffling around the contents of his bag, his bright hair jabbed him in the eye, aggravating both him and his eye.
"Hey, Kaoru?" Hush, Haruhi, can't you see I'm busy looking for the dadgum pencil?
"Kaoru?" … I said to shush.
"… Kao-" "WHAT?! What, for Pete's sake is so important that you can't let me find my own pencil first?!" Kaoru stood up too quickly, knocking over his chair and slamming his fist on the desk, the whole ordeal silencing the classroom, which was once full of chatter. Haruhi stood still, a bit shell-shocked.
"Hey, Kaoru, there wasn't any need to yell! What's gotten into you?"
Kaoru dropped his eyes, not able to look his brother straight on. He spoke no words, he only set his chair right, picked up his belongings, and walked out of the classroom. Whispers of the other students snaked after him, just making him angry again. Soon enough, Hikaru and Haruhi followed suit.
Haruhi wore a worried expression, Hikaru wore one of stoicism. Why was it that Haruhi was the one to seem worried? This shocked him a bit. Well, actually a lot.
"Kaoru, what's wrong?" Haruhi had probably made Hikaru come out with her. Had she not been there he would've let Kaoru go. Hikaru didn't care, really, did he?
"Nothing, I'm fine. Just a bit sore and rough around the edges from last night. Tired, too. Sorry about that." Kaoru tried to smile. It was sure to have looked like he was lifeless, though.
"Well, maybe you should go home for the day and rest. I'm sure Kyoya will let you off the hook."
This only frustrated Kaoru more, he wasn't going to leave Hikaru and Haruhi, the she-devil, alone. Or, maybe he should… She did make him happy. "Yeah, I think I will, if I feel any worse though." Haruhi just nodded. The two walked back inside, and Kaoru skipped first period, spending it in the library behind the shelves. He went to the rest of his classes, though, since he had to seem a little better at least. Psh, better.
What's wrong with me, anyway?
"Kaoru," Hikaru pulled him closer. "Why didn't you stay at our house last night?"
Oh, so he's going to pull this… "I was at a friend's, Hikaru."
"No! I won't share you, you are mine and mine alone," Kaoru was pulled close enough so that the tips of the identical noses touched, and the warm breaths collided. "And I will not allow you to sleep anywhere near anyone else. You belong in my arms, and that is it." Here, as usual, the girls fainted, soft thuds hitting the ground, or the couch, or eachother.
It's only an act, Kaoru. You know it is.
At this point, Kaoru jumped up, accidentally elbowing Hikaru in the jaw, and fell backwards, scuttling like a crab to the furthest place he could get away from his own reflection.
"… Kaoru?" A pure expression of confusion and hurt shone bright on his twin's face.
It's only an act…