Everybody in this place can up and move away, for all I care this town's already dead and empty.
It's just another day.
These words echoed through Hitachiin Hikaru's mind from the back seat of the town car that drove he and his brother to school. Just another day, he reassured himself. Despite his reminders, Hikaru couldn't help but wonder how different today would actually be.
The car was surprisingly quiet this morning, and he took it to be an omen; a poor one at that. Usually, the twins used this time to scheme up pranks or joke around, but today, there was an eerie silence. This moment of stilling peace crystallized Hikaru's deepest fear.
Today was The Day.
Today was the day that everything would change, and he knew it. Self-consciously, he reached up to comb his fingers from his newly dyed hair. This had been his idea: his choice. Kaoru hadn't even been there when he dyed it. His now dark hair contrasted against his brother's light ginger, paling his own skin, and to an extent his personality. But this had been his idea.
So, then why was he so afraid?
"Hikaru?" Kaoru's soft voice shattered the silence into sharp shards of discomfort. Hikaru didn't look at him. He couldn't bring himself to blink, even. Instead, he focused on a speck of dust on the floor. "You know," Kaoru continued, "It'll be okay. The people that matter won't really care."
"Mm." He grunted.
"I'll bet that Haruhi won't even notice at all." He went on, clearly uncomfortable with the silence. "Besides, this was going to happen someday, anyway, right?"
"Yeah." Hikaru answered, unenthused. The dust speck lost all interest to him and he turned to the window instead. The car was pulling up to the Ouran Academy. He felt his stomach fall and his pulse race. "People are idiots." He said this more to himself than Kaoru, who only stared at him in response. "This was a bad idea."
"So, what do you want to do?" Kaoru asked slowly. "Skip?"
"Nah, we're already here, so we— I mean, I –might as well go."
It was time. The fact was that the twins had grown apart. The day they joined the Host Club, Hikaru knew. He knew that someday it would happen. The day would come when he could no longer be half of a whole; the day he would become his own person. That day was inevitable, and in unspoken agreement, the twins never spoke of it. Maybe, as his own person, Hikaru would be able to find happiness— happiness independent of his brother. He had never feared that day: it was some distant future that had nothing to do with his present. But now, it was real, and he blamed it on the hair dye.
There's no going back, now, he thought, touching his hair one last time before stepping out of the car behind Kaoru.
"Kaoru, I think today's The Day."
"Mm." He agreed. "Today's the day it becomes a pumpkin."
"What?" Hikaru turned to him, causing a blush to creep across Kaoru's face. He threw his hands up in defense.
"Oh, it's nothing. I just… Let's go to class."
The trek to Class 2-A was longer than usual and tainted with open stares and hushed gossip. Hikaru tried to ignore it, but the rage boiled under his collar and his head spun in dizzy circular thoughts.
"Do you think they fought again?"
"Is Hikaru-kun sick or something? He's sure been acting strange lately…"
"What happened to the Hitachiin brothers?"
"I'll bet what ever it was, Kaoru-kun isn't at fault."
The words no longer were attached to faces. Instead, they spun angrily, bouncing off the high ceilings. They echoed and doubled with ferocity, causing Hikaru to stagger and stop in the middle of the hall.
"Hikaru!" Kaoru caught his arm. "What is it?"
"Tell me," he said weakly, "Am I imagining this torture?" He straightened up, regaining balance.
"No." Kaoru said bitterly, as he began to pace forward once more. "Just hang in there."
"I always knew people were idiots." Hikaru wanted so much to leave right then. No. What he wanted was for every other person with a voice to leave: to up and move away, never to return. He just wanted them to pack up their words and go away, and then he'd feel better.
"Hey, Hikaru," a sweet, low voice called from behind him. "Hi, Kaoru."
"Haruhi!" Hikaru exclaimed, throwing a protective hand to his head. "What… What's up?"
"Um, not much I guess." She said, looking around to staring eyes. "What's everyone looking at?"
Hikaru shot Kaoru a panicked look before answering, "Me… I guess."
"Why? Because you dyed your hair?" Haruhi asked innocently. "That's dumb. You're the same person on the inside, aren't you?"
"Well, about that…" Kaoru spoke for his brother. "We've decided—"
"—To be Hikaru and Kaoru instead of The Hitachiin Twins." Hikaru finished.
"I see," Haruhi said after a brief pause. "But you still finish each others sentences? I wonder… How long ago did you decide this?"
"Recently." Hikaru blushed at her observation. "After your date."
"Date?" Her head cocked to the side in that way that was so unbelievably feminine that Hikaru couldn't help but want to reach out and touch her face; to stroke the soft curve of her face, but her voice snapped him out of his momentary musings. "With Kaoru? That wasn't really a date…"
"Still." Hikaru glanced at Kaoru who looked uncomfortable, possibly hurt. He decided that his brother must really like her. It pained Hikaru to see Kaoru heartbroken, but there was a slight pang of happiness, too, which was followed closely by guilt. He was astounded at his own ability to feel so many things at one time, but above everything else, he felt confused.
"Well, good luck then. I'm sure it will be hard at first."
"What do you mean?" The twins asked in unison before realizing they had, which elicited a small giggle from Haruhi.
"That's what I mean!" She smiled. "You know, Hikaru, changing your hair color doesn't make you a new person. You'll still be the same to me."
"What if I don't want to be the same?" Hikaru felt his voice rise a decibel. "This is serious! I'm making an effort to be my own person and you don't even care! This is a big deal to me, Haruhi!"
Haruhi and Kaoru looked at him in absolute awe. For the first time since the twins entered the school, the hall fell completely silent.
"I'm… I'm sorry, Hikaru." Haruhi conceded.
"We're going to be late," Kaoru added.
"I didn't mean to shout," Hikaru said quietly, trying not to meet anyone's eyes, least of all the various on lookers'.
"It's really okay," Haruhi smiled reassuringly. "By the way," she purposefully met his eyes. "I think your hair looks nice brown. It suits you."
Her words hit his chest like a ton of bricks. Any doubt that he had vanished: He was over his head and she was always his mind.
A.N.: Hi, there, dear readers. I've been neglecting my fanfiction account incredulously, and for that I deeply apologize. I was challenged to write this fic, because apparently, there is a HikaruxHaruhi fan that was frustrated with my incessant Kyoya rants (I kid, Molly!)… Anyway, please enjoy :)
