Conny: First of all, I want to wish one of my fanfiction buddies a wonderful birthday! I'm sorry I'm a day late, but better late then never! Happy Birthday to Nana-chan!
So, to the story that I worked so hard to finish for her birthday... the inspiration came from both her, my ex-editor, and the wonderful Japanese artist Miyavi. The song, Kekkonshiki No Uta or Wedding March, contributed to the idea. While my friends urged me to finish this. And so...
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB, THE CHARACTERS OR ALMOST ANYTHING. Truthfully, I own a few OCs...
So please... enjoy.
"Kaoru, I'm nervous," Hikaru said, as he paced back and forth within the enclosed room. Everything was ready. Everything. The bride was waiting in the other room, wearing a flowing white dress with all of her bridesmaids waiting with her. The chapel was set up, with the priest awaiting the lovely couple. The group of family and friends were rushing in the hallways and into the pews. All that was left to do is to get everything started.
"Just calm down, Hikaru," Kaoru was wearing a suit, very similar to the one his twin brother was wearing. "And let me straighten that bow-tie for you." The younger of the twins stood in front of his brother, carefully fixing the creamy yellow tie. It went with the yellow roses, which had been the bride's choice.
"Thank you, Kaoru…" Hikaru breathed a slight sigh of relief, but immediately tensed when the door slowly crept open. Standing there in her pastel yellow dress, with a white bow around her waist, was Haruhi. She hair had grown out just a little longer, just enough to make a small ponytail. Even with her hair slightly longer, Haruhi still could be mistaken for a man, had it not been for her flowing dress.
"Hikaru, my cousin's nervous." The bride was Haruhi's cousin, Manami. There were many similar qualities between the two cousins, but there were major differences. For one, Manami was more of a shy girl, which made the twins want her to open up more. Her almond brown hair was longer and had a much lighter tone compared to Haruhi's, but their eyes reflected the same determination and strength through umber orbs.
"I'm just as nervous!" Hikaru couldn't help but shout. It was his and his fiancee's special day, and he was afraid he'd ruin it all. "What am I supposed to do? Haruhi! Help me!"
"Haru-chan!" Honey-sempai came running in, both he and Usa-chan were dressed in the cutest little suits. Even with the years of high school over with, Honey just never seemed to change. "Mana-chan needs you again! She thinks she'll puke!" At the sound of the last word, Haruhi ran back to her cousin. Everyone prayed there wouldn't be any throw up in the church today. "Hika-chan, Kao-chan…" Honey sounded uncharacteristically serious when he called to the twins attention. "This is a big day. A really big day. And we don't want what happened at Takashi's wedding to happen again, now do we?" The twins gulped, realizing that Honey-sempai was actually threatening them both.
In last year's spring, both Hikaru and Kaoru decided to play a little prank on the newlyweds. Mori-sempai and his bride, Sayuri, had been completely traditional with their relationship. And since Sayuri believed in chastity, it was kind of obvious what the two lovebirds were going to do that night. Hikaru and Kaoru decided to have a little…fun… and let's not get into too much detail here~!
"I'll be good, Honey-sempai," both twins said, almost sounding like they had just gotten an order from their military commander. "Please don't ruin my special night with Manami!" Hikaru literally got on the floor, hands held up as if asking for mercy.
"Hikaru! Get up!" Kaoru forced his brother up, then patted down the spots on his black slacks, to make sure there wasn't any visible dirt marks. "Honestly! Your future wife is probably so nervous she'll throw up and you're here begging for mercy!" Kaoru couldn't help but put an emphasis on a certain word. Only Honey-sempai seemed to notice this, while Hikaru nodded and tried to collect himself.
"Kao-chan…can I talk to you, please?" The future-husband-to-be started freaking out again, he didn't want to be alone. "Here, hug Usa-chan." Honey lent his precious pink bunny to the twin, hoping that hugging the stuffed animal would help calm his nerves. It seemed to work, as they walked into the hallway.
"What is it, Honey-sempai?" Kaoru's mind wandered upon the possibilities of what he was called out for. There wasn't anything he could think of. None at all.
"You like Manami, don't you?" It took a moment, just as realization kicked into the mischievous twin's head. Just as slowly as the realization occurred, his golden eyes had widened.
"How did you-?"
"It's obvious, Kaoru. Not just because you over emphasized words, but because I've also noticed other things. How you reacted when Hikaru told everyone he was getting married. How you are acting all happy right now. How you look longingly towards Mana-chan." All those statements hit Kaoru hard, making that pang of jealousy resonate within him.
"It's too late now. I'm glad my brother is getting married. And I'm glad that Manami will have a decent guy for her husband." It almost sounded like those words were rehearsed and forced out. Kaoru avoided eye contact, in fear that Honey would see the truth in his darkened gold eyes.
"It's never too late, Kaoru. There's still a chance for you yet, Kaoru." Honey spotted Mori-sempai down the hallway, standing next to a woman who wasn't much taller than Honey-sempai. It was Mori-sempai's wife, Sayuri. Her long black tresses had been braided elegantly down her back, with a yellow ribbon being woven through the silky raven hair. Her emerald eyes glistened when she spotted Honey, a small smile appeared as well. The two of them had become so close, just as close as Mori and Honey are.
"Wait, what? Honey-sempai!" Kaoru was too late to ask, as the two short ones hugged before Mori-sempai. The twin returned to his brother, only to find Tamaki in the room with Hikaru. It was obvious what Tamaki was trying to do; prepare the twin for what was to come. Tamaki and Haruhi had been married for a very long time. They got married almost right after high school, much to Haruhi's father's disliking. But it wasn't like they were having a kid, yet. Haruhi asked Tamaki to wait for a while (a long time, in fact) until they decided to settle down and have an actual family. Tamaki didn't disagree, so it was their decision. Unfortunately, Manami and Hikaru hadn't thought of anything other than this day.
"Tamaki! Stop, stop!" Kaoru walked up to the former king of the Ouran High School Host Club and covered his mouth.
"Tamaki, I don't believe Haruhi would like it, if you went on and kept talking about how loud she is in the bedroom." That just had to be the moment Haruhi walked back into the room, the smile on her face faded away.
"Tamaki." Haruhi didn't seem too happy. In the slightest bit.
"I'm doomed!" The princely blond went into the closest corner and started heading back into his pit of depression. It had been so long since he's last visited that gray world. The last time was because of having the fear of having children so early in his marriage with Haruhi. But that's an entirely different story.
"Hikaru, you better be ready now because Manami won't last long. I got her to stay calm long enough for the wedding, so please tell me that you're ready." Haruhi would have walked over to the corner to get Tamaki, but she just knew that one of groomsmen would never dare to miss out on the wedding.
"I think I'm ready," Hikaru said in a shaky voice. "No, I'm ready." He resisted the urge to sound hesitant because he wanted this. He wanted to marry Manami. He wants to live a long and happy life with her.
"Good luck, Hikaru," Kaoru said, as he and the others filed out. Tamaki gently took his wife's hand, the one with the golden wedding band and the silver engagement ring on her finger.
"I'm sorry, Haruhi. I couldn't help it. He's still young and I think I kind of helped him." It seems like Tamaki's apology won Haruhi over, or it could have been the thought of their close friend was going to be married today.
"Is it alright if I see Manami?" Kaoru couldn't help but ask that seemingly random question. He wanted to see the lovely bride before she would wed his brother.
"Just don't do anything stupid, Kaoru." Tamaki almost sounded threatening with his statement, just as Honey-sempai had sounded earlier. The redhead nodded, then walked back down the hall to find the room the bride-to-be was staying in.
"Manami?" He slowly opened the door, only to find the room empty. "Where is she…" Kaoru sighed, then decided to turn around and head back out into the hallway. His feet stopped when he heard the gentlest of footsteps come up behind him.
"Kaoru?" the sweet, delicate voice chimed, while a small hand was carefully placed on his shoulder. It took everything Kaoru had to hold himself back. This was Hikaru's bride, not his. But this was also Manami, the woman he loves. Slowly, he turned around to face the slightly shorter woman. Her brown eyes gleamed with happiness, her smile amplified her joy. Kaoru couldn't help but smile with her. Manami's gleefulness was just something no one can ever deny.
"You look beyond beautiful, Manami." Her flowing white dress had this thin layer of fabric that gave off this slight glow of yellow. The color complimented her peach toned skin, just has her lovely dark, curly brown hair was pulled back into a stylish and graceful bun, while her bangs framed her face so perfectly. There was very little makeup, just a clear coat on her nails and the smallest amount of lip-gloss upon her slightly curved lips.
"You're as handsome as ever, Kaoru. Thank you." Another reason why she was instantly loved was her insanely polite tone and her ever-expected compliments. "I thought you'd already be in there, waiting by now. Why would you-?"
"I'm sorry for interrupting, but I just wanted to say…" Kaoru couldn't say it. He knew he couldn't. There was one thing that was known about him, that he would always let his brother have what they both wanted. It was in his moral code. It was always something he did and will forever do. Allow his brother to find happiness before he finds it. "I just wanted to say that Hikaru is lucky to have you. And I wish you both a happy wedding." He didn't want to break anyone's heart, but he was breaking his own. To say that to the woman he loves, to want to take someone so precious from his brother, to want to be selfish enough to hurt many…it wasn't what he wanted.
"Thank you, Kaoru. You're the first person that's said those things…and actually seemed to sincerely mean them. I mean, yes, everyone truly means what they've said, but it just sounds so truthful coming from you." Those words only stung, as they entered his poor abused ear. He has heard so much from his brother, his Manami, from everyone that helped plan out this wedding. Even Kyoya made an effort in this wedding (in Haruhi's wedding, he put forth the most effort, more than Tamaki [who did A LOT.]), by paying off for most of the expenses and providing much help with the planning.
Kaoru's temptation nearly broke his conscience. He wanted to be the bridegroom. He wanted to be Manami's husband. He wanted Manami to be his wife. He wanted so much, but he just couldn't do anything about it.
A tight smile was reconstructed from the smile that had previously been on his face. He was straining to hold it together. It was for the sake of his brother and his future sister-in-law. It was for the sake of everyone else.
"I'll see you soon, Manami. And congratulations." Kaoru lightly kissed her forehead, then turned to leave the room. He gulped, as if he were walking towards his own demise.
Just before the couple said, "I do." to each other, Kaoru leapt into action. He took Manami's thin wrist and started pulling her away. Everyone besides Honey was shocked by this. No one had ever expected Kaoru to do such a reckless thing. Hikaru was so stunned that he stood frozen. Many tried in vain to make the crazed twin relinquish the captured bride, but Manami never resisted. Just outside the wedding chapel-like hotel (which Kyoya's family owned apparently), Kaoru's car had remained unlocked. It was by this time everyone had flooded out to stop him again.
"Wait!" Honey's strong voice rang through the rioting crowd, whose intent was to get Manami back into the building so she could have her happily ever after with Hikaru.
"Why should I?" called the man who had just previously been mentioned. "Manami is my bride! Not Kaoru's!" This only further annoyed the twin, who seemed to get nothing between his brother and himself.
"Kaoru, what…why…?" Manami didn't know quite know how to ask her question. She wasn't entirely sure what she was going to ask, let alone if she could even ask it.
"Manami, I love you. I have always loved you. And I want to be your husband. I want it so much." This made many of the women (and Tamaki) gasp in surprise. Manami could only smile. Hikaru stared-or more seemingly glared to his brother and best man. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, but he knew it was the truth.
"Kaoru, I love you too." This only further broke Hikaru's heart, as the hearts of many in the crowd of family and friends. They got into his silver car, and raced away. Many of the crowd left with disappointed faces, while others got desperate and tried to go after the runaway bride.
Kaoru was smiling as he finally parked in front of the hotel where he and Manami would spend the rest of the night. But he soon realized something.
"I couldn't have actually don't that."
His vision cleared as the couple before him kissed. They had adorn their wedding bands, and exchanged their vows. In all that time, Kaoru had imagined him running off with the bride. Running away with the love of his life. He noticed in the pews that Honey was looking at him with a curious expression. It seemed like Honey was expecting him to do what he had just imagined. But deep down, it was impossible. It just could not be done.
Kaoru sat at the curb of the sidewalk near his silver car. He stared at his sad, yet happy expression in the distorting reflection of himself on the metal. A hand touched his shoulder, it was just as small as Manami's. It was just as gentle and light as hers. Honey-colored eyes looked over his shoulder, the light was bright in his eyes. He believed he saw his beloved in the golden rays of light, only to have his vision cleared again. It was Honey-sempai.
"I'm sorry, Kao-chan," Honey said, as he gently petted the mop of auburn tresses.
"It's not your fault, Honey-sempai. It's mine for not voicing my feelings." What he had just said reminded him of something he once told his brother. Feelings you have for each other will not be known unless you voice them. "I'm so stupid."
"You're not stupid. You're just being Kao-chan. The brother that would give up what he wanted, just so older brother could be happy. It's who you are, and you should take pride in it. If you had acted upon what you wanted to do, then everyone would be sad. Maybe even Mana-chan." And that's what Kaoru didn't want: sadness of everyone around him. "Kaoru, I think you, me, and Takashi should go somewhere. Celebrate and have fun. You know, with a ton of sweets and drinks!" Mori-sempai soon appeared, having his short wife standing close by. Honey was picked by his cousin, much to his disliking.
"No drinking." It was bad enough to have a sugar-high Honey, but to also have a drunken Honey…that was also another entire story.
"But Takashi!" Honey kept whining, saying he'd behave and stop when it'll get bad.
"Mitsukuni, I think that's enough. Takashi has had a long day," Sayuri said, as she carefully pulled her husband into a loose side hug. "Kaoru, would you like to come over to our place? I could get dinner made and we could watch a movie. Or is there something else you'd like to do?"
"Sayuri, that sounds…" The redhead slowly stood, brushing the dirt of his black pants. "That sounds like a great idea." To get his mind of his lost love. To get his mind off the things she and his brother will be doing in both the near and distant future.
"Kaoru, come here." Sayuri held her arms out to the man, who (unbeknownst to himself) was crying. He didn't hesitate to hug the short woman, even if her husband could potentially break every bone in his body for just touching his delicate flower. "Kaoru, there are more girls in this world. Today, you just didn't have luck. But that doesn't mean tomorrow you'll have no luck! You'll have your chance, just like you gave your brother his chance." It's like Honey-…Honey did fill her in on what was going on. That also means Mori-sempai knew what's going on too.
"Honey-sempai…why did you tell them?" Kaoru felt like his privacy had been invaded. He had broken the hug between himself and Sayuri, sensing it was becoming awkward.
"Because~"
"We're worried," Mori-sempai said, as he patted Kaoru's head. Honey has been put down beforehand, making it much easier to put that mop of red hair.
"There's no need to worry." A thought soon came to mind. "Since Hikaru and I pulled a prank on both the Suoh and Morinozuka weddings…can we also do one for the Hitachiin wedding?" Maybe it was going to be something like a tradition among their old Host Club group.
"Manami will be mad, you know." Sayuri sounds mad herself, but a smile crept along her face. "As bad as the last one?" Plans were slowly hatching within the seemingly harmless mind, but Mori-sempai knew better. He patted her head, hoping it would calm the chaotic flames that threatened to broil the brilliant brain inside that thick skull.
"No," Honey said, "much, much worse~!"
That night, Kaoru decided to stay with Mori, Honey, and Sayuri. It seemed like the three of them had enough room for a fourth, so he took up the offer while he still could. It was better than living in the house where both his brother and former love would eventually find his sorry hide.
"We did a good job today," Sayuri said, as she exited the bathroom with wet hair and loose clothes. "Although, I can't believe we got that messy." Mori nodded, while sitting on the couch across from the armchair that Kaoru took up.
"Leftovers tonight," Honey called to the others, as he came into the living room with four big plates full of a done of different desserts and one (somewhat healthy) cup of commoner's ramen. Everyone was handed a plate, but Kaoru was given the last of the plastic plates. On the cake, which had been from the wedding cake, was the topper. With the custom made figure of the newlyweds.
"Why did you…?" Kaoru just stared at it. He didn't know what to think of it.
"You know, I think it's like good luck to have the topper to the cake. But I'm not sure," Sayuri said, before taking a huge forkful from her ramen couple. "But you don't need the luck, Kaoru! You're a good guy, and I'm sure you're girl will come walking up to you one day." Almost like a prediction, someone had walked up to the front door and knocked hard.
"Strange," Mori mumbled with his ramen hanging out of his mouth. Kaoru decided to get up and check the door, after setting his plate down on the coffee table. Carefully, he opened the door, hoping it wasn't his brother or his wife. Shockingly, it was a girl that seemed a few years younger than he was. Her eyes were a bright hazel, umber brown with flecks of leafy green. Her dark pixie hair went from being straight to spiking out at the tips. In the light, the hair showed to be jet black, rather than a dark brown.
"Onee-chan isn't happy, Kaoru." Everyone stared at the girl, then suddenly something came to mind.
"You're Manami's little sister." Stepping into the warm home, the girl took off her thin sweater to reveal a stunningly beautiful navy blue top. It certainly suited her fair skin, and the subtle glitter in her jet black hair only seem to intensify this girl's beauty.
"My name is Masami, but everyone calls me by my middle name, Ren." It's most likely because Manami and Masami sound too much alike. It's no wonder why people would call her Ren, especially if her older sister were around. "Onee-chan isn't happy about what happened. This was supposed to be her happy day and you ruined it, Kaoru." That angry tone was so unlike her older sibling's gentler tone, it both scared and mystified the redhead.
"It was just one harmless prank, Masa-chan," Honey-sempai said, as he came trotting over to the girl that had a few good inches on him.
"Don't call me that!" Her eyes seemed to darken at the sound of the newly made nickname. "I hate being called Masa!" Kaoru thought about it for a moment. He was familiar enough with kanji to think about her and her sister's names. The characters that formed the older sibling's name consisted of the words "love, affection" and "beautiful." And the kanji that should form Masami's name would be "become" and "beautiful."
"Why not…?" Honey-sempai seemed kind of sad, he loved giving pet names to people. He liked using the childish suffixes.
"That's beside the point, Mitsukuni. Ren-san, it's a pleasure to have another guest welcomed into my home. Is there anything I could get you?" Sayuri decided it was about time to make an appearance as the host of the house.
"All I want to do is take him out for a while," she said in return, with the slightest rude tone. At least it was much nicer than she had sounded beforehand. "Don't worry. I won't hurt him." Kaoru was sort of in a haze. He was just looking at the girl, thinking. He noticed that her haircut was more of a bobbed hairstyle, rather than the short pixie look. Masami's hair was long in the front, where her bangs framed her face, and short in the back to short her neck. Her forehead was concealed by bangs that brushed over to the right, which joined with the longer bangs there. Her lips weren't as thin as her sister's, but they too were glossed with glittery lip-gloss. Her figure may not have been much like her sister's, but she had her own unique definitions of herself.
"Go, Kaoru," Mori said, snapping him out of his thinking. Realizing the girl was already at the door again, waiting for him, the redhead got to his feet and followed her. "Good luck." Why on earth would he need luck?
Masami lead them to a small park nearby, it was mostly deserted, due to the fact it was fairly late at night. A happy couple held hands and smiled to each other as they walked past Kaoru and Masami, it only hurt the man to see that.
"Kaoru, you're slow." She took his wrist and directed him to the swing set. Lying face down in the sand was a stuffed toy, which the girl picked up. She examined the stuffed skunk, a small smile upon her face. She relinquished his wrist to place the toy on one of the three swings there. "I hope you find your home again, little guy." She patted the skunk's head, as if it could respond to her.
"Why did you take me here?" Kaoru asked, hesitantly taking up the sit closest to cute skunk. Masami turned to look at him, her loose black slacks swaying a little as she did.
"Because I had to take you somewhere where no one would be." That seemed like a reason for him to be hurt, but the chances of him being harmed was slim because she look the swing next to him. She kicked her legs a little, getting the slightest about of sand in her sparkly blue ballet flats, as she started to swing back and forth. Kaoru began to do the same, although it was a little harder because his swing was much lower than hers.
"Again, why, Ren?" After deciding it was a reasonable enough height, Masami stopped kicked her legs. Kaoru had done the same too, but he was mostly just paying attention to the girl, rather than him swinging.
"Onee-chan isn't happy." Of course Manami wouldn't be happy. "And Onii-san isn't either." Of course Hikaru wouldn't be. "And there's no way I'm going to call you Onii-san too. You're just Kaoru, the idiot that ruined the happy moment for the newlyweds." Somehow, that didn't phase him one bit. "Why did you do it?"
"Are you going to tell them, if I tell you?" It seemed like she would, considering she's making such a big deal out of all of this. There was a slight possibility that he would tell her, but then again, the possibility to not tell her was much greater.
"If you give me a good enough reason not to tell, then I won't." That did not reassure Kaoru. But the words flowed out of his mouth before he could stop them. He explained to her that he had fallen in love with Manami, just as his brother did. Kaoru had withdrew from the competition for the girl (again) because he would always let his brother be the happy one before he was. Masami was about to interrupt, but she held her tongue and allowed him to continue. Kaoru went on to saying that he couldn't contain himself when he had to do something about it. He told her about his little imagination where he stole the bride from his twin, but then his bubble popped when the two had exchanged vows.
"That's why you were staring at her? I was wondering what was wrong with you," Masami's voice temporarily stopped Kaoru. It was as soft and gentle as the voice of the woman he had fallen for, but it wasn't the same pitch. It was somehow more strong, more confident. "I was the Maid of Honor, if you didn't realize that." Kaoru hadn't realized. He couldn't remember much from the planning nor from the wedding itself. He was too caught up in his own mind to think of such things.
"I'm sorry, I kind of didn't realize that…" At least he was being honest. He didn't have much else to say, other than the fact that he only did the prank to vent his feelings. That seemed obvious, though.
"Kaoru, do you still love my sister?" Was there an answer to that question?
"Yes, but I can give up. Just need time." He needs more than just time, he needs luck too.
"Did you know my sister loves you?" Kaoru literally fell out of his swing, laying face first in the sand. Masami jumped out of her seat, to see if he was alright.
"That can't be possible, Ren. That just can't." She helped him up, then he dusted himself off. "If that were true, then why did she pick Hikaru? Why him?" Anger flared; it took every once of strength within him to not hurt anyone or anything.
"Kaoru, you gave up. You gave her to Hikaru, you even admitted it!" With her words, ice cold water doused the fiery fury. Silence ensued, causing both of them to awkwardly stare at each other. "Kaoru?" Strangely, that power in her voice vanished. "I-I… I'm sorry." She didn't have anything else to say to him.
"It's fine, Ren. It's fine," he said, hoping he sounded convincing. "Can you just go tell your sister that I'm sorry? And tell Hikaru the same thing." Kaoru didn't plan on seeing them anytime soon. He didn't plan on seeing anyone familiar for a while. He turned around, his back to her, as he started walking away. He had to go back and get his car. He had to get away.
"But Kaoru…" Her gentle voice seemed to have stopped him dead in his tracks. "You're not fine. You're crying." He was hugged from behind, suddenly now realizing that he was truly crying. "Onee-chan isn't worth your tears. If you love someone and they love you, neither of you should be hurt because of the other. No one should be worth your tears because they shouldn't cause tears! They should make a smile appear on your face, even if it had been the worst day of your life!" Strangely, a smile did appear on Kaoru's face. How on earth could a girl that's technically his sister-in-law making him happy?
"You're magic," was the words that were choked out. That made the girl pull away from the embrace, suddenly feeling awkward.
"I should get going. It's getting late." With that, Masami started running. It seemed more like a dead sprint, rather than an easy jog. It was like she was making sure no one was going after her, and that she would return home safe. Kaoru thought about it, then considered the fact that his shared apartment wouldn't have his brother. So he went home, rather than back to Mori, Honey, and Sayuri. Subsequently, it was the same direction Masami had taken. He took long, yet slow paces; he didn't feel the need to be in a hurry.
As he passed an alley between a family diner and a hair salon, he heard a hushed conversation. One side seemed to want to hurry and leave, the anxiety was just too obvious. The other voice seemed more alluring, as if trying to calm the other and get them to fall into their own little trap.
"Yoshiro, leave me alone." It was clearly Masami speaking, her voice sounded on edge. Kaoru slowed to a stop, sticking close to the alley.
"Come on, Ren-chan. I love you," Yoshiro, undoubtedly, said in return. It sounded like he meant the words, but Masami didn't seem quite convince.
"I said, leave me a-let go of me!"
"You're coming with me." A tall man, nearly the height of Mori-sempai walked out of the alley with Masami's thin wrist tight in his hand. Kaoru had gone unnoticed, up until he grabbed the man's shoulder and made him stop. Looking over his shoulder, Yoshiro's sharp brown eyes bore deeply into Kaoru's amber orbs. The man's hair was cropped, keeping it short and spiky. Nothing about the man, not the obvious muscles, the frightening glare, nor the apparent negativity from this man did not scare Kaoru.
"Let go of Masami," he said, using a strangely indefinite voice. "Let go of her right now!" Demand was forced into each word, until finally that big hand let go of that now red wrist. "Now I want you to disappear and never bug Masami anymore." Kaoru's voice seemed lethal, as though he were seriously carrying a weapon on him. It was then that Yoshiro knew it was time to run, and so he did. The girl just stood there, a blank expression clouding her face. "Masami?"
"What?" she asked, snapping out of that hazy, dense fog in her mind. It was like none of what had just occurred happened. "Kaoru, why are you following me?"
"I wasn't following you. I live in a house that just so happens to be located in this direction." What he had said made what seemed like a disappointed expression crawl upon Masami's face. It's like she wanted him to follow and be with her, but soon an indifferent look covered up the upset frown.
"Whatever," she said in return, as she turned and headed in the direction she had come from.
"Masa-"
"Don't ever call me that! I don't like being called by my first name!" She ran away, which in turn made Kaoru run after her. He didn't want to take the chances of that girl running into another person that could easily overpower her. It just didn't seem right to leave her alone.
"Ren! Wait," Kaoru called out, hoping the slightly younger girl would just listen. The chase finally let up by the time Masami tripped in the park. To think that they ran that much, only to wind up back at the place where this race started. Kaoru knelt down before her, to check if she was alright. Almost immediately, he noticed that her ankle was starting to swell.
"I'm fine," she bit out, her teeth were gritted a little. She tried getting up on her own, but that obviously didn't work when she put weight on the hurt ankle. Masami leaned against Kaoru, having nothing else to balance herself.
"You're not fine." Carefully, Kaoru got Masami onto his back, her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck. "You're going to my house and we're going to get ice on that ankle. Then you're going to check with a doctor to makes sure that ankle's alright."
A week has nearly passed and not a word from the newlyweds have been heard. Masami was forced to stay with Kaoru, due to the fact that she couldn't get into the house she and her sister shared. During that time, she had gotten a brace and crutches for her ankle. It was merely a sprain, but it did need some medical attention.
"Thank you, Kaoru." This had to be the millionth time she's given him gratitude. It's not like there was anyone else to take care of her, considering her parents lived out of town, and her sister still has not returned home.
"No problem, Ren," he said in return, as he was busy with cooking them dinner. She was at the table, her crutches off to the side. The scent that floated around in the kitchen gave off the hint that something with many spices was being prepared. "You don't mind curry, do you?"
"Of course not! It's actually one of my favorites." Within this last week, Kaoru learned a lot about this girl. She was in college, studying to become a neurosurgeon, but she had some time off. Her current job, which wasn't really the best of jobs, was working part-time with a handyman service. It seemed strange that a girl with the brain of a neurosurgeon would want to dirty her hands with helping with small, everyday jobs. He learned soon after that her father was the one that taught her everything she'd need to know about home repair, so she wouldn't have to call someone in to fix simple problems.
"Ren? Since it seems like you're close to your dad, does he call you Masami? Or does he call you Ren, like everyone else?" That silenced the young lady, making an uncomfortable silence take over. After what seemed like an eternity, her voice had finally been heard.
"My dad use to call me Masami. He was the only one I'd allow to call me that. Because whenever he said, it just sounded…different." There was still that quiet that ensued afterwards. Kaoru had to think before he said what was on his mind aloud.
"Masami, you don't have to become beautiful because you already are." The girl stared at his back, as her eyes glazed over with a dreamy fog.
"Masami, come here for a moment," the man with blond hair and blue eyes called, as he sat upon his workbench's chair. Masami, who seemed to be wearing her middle school uniform, trotted into the garage with a happy smile. He turned away from his newest project to return the smile to her. "Come on, you know what I mean by come here." And so the girl sat up on his lap, examining the newest project, which happened to be the beginnings of a wooden rubber band shooter.
"Dad, this looks great! When will it be done?" she asked, resisting the temptation to take the unfinished toy and go have fun. "Can I shoot Onee-chan with it? Please?" It wasn't that she didn't like her sister, it was just the thought of shooting rubber bands at Manami that seemed enjoyable.
"Well, not until it's done, but I have something to tell you." Reaching up into the shelves about the work bench, Masami's father pulled out a flat, palm-sized block of wood. However, it was his palm size, which had to be at least twice as big as her palm. "Here," he said, in his always gentle voice. Masami took the block, and saw that both sides were engraved. One side showed the kanji and who it would look using letters underneath. On the other side, it said beautifully craved letters, Masami, you don't have to become beautiful because you already are.
"Dad, this is…" No words could come to mind. None at all.
"Darling, you are beautiful. So don't let anyone think that you need to come what you already are." Finally, something was able to leave her lips.
"Thank you, dad. I love you," she said, as she kissed his cheek.
"I love you," the girl said, without truly realizing it. Kaoru was shocked to the point where he dropped everything he was doing just to make sure he heard the girl correctly.
"Masami?" He stood in front of her, waving his hand in her face. He snapped his fingers, causing that reverie to vanish before her very eyes. "Masami? Did you just say you love me?"
"No!" She blushed badly, embarrassment obviously apparent on her face. She avoided eye contact, praying he wouldn't make her look into those deep golden orbs. Unfortunately, her call wasn't heard because he gently took her chin in his hands and made her look in his way.
"Then tell me why you're blushing." It sounded more like a demand, rather than anything else. She closed her eyes, just to keep avoiding his prying stare. "Please, Masami?" It was strange that she wasn't yelling at him to call her Ren again, but it was more peculiar with her acting so shy.
"Because…maybe… I do like you." She didn't say she loved him, but at least she admitted to something. Kaoru decided to take a chance, even though he knew some major problems could happen afterwards…
"I like you too, Masami." Before she made any reaction whatsoever, he gently placed a loving kiss upon her lips. It took a moment before any feedback came from her. Kaoru was actually worrying if he should pull away, until she finally kissed back. Their lips lingered, until the time for their kiss to be broken had to happen.
"What? Since you couldn't steal the bride, you steal her sister?" She had a playful tone to her voice. "But aren't I your sister-in-law?"
"I thought you said that I'm just Kaoru, the idiot that ruined the happy moment for the newlyweds. And that you'd never call me Onii-san. What happened to that?" That brought up a seriously good point, one that Masami just couldn't find anything to counter with. Kaoru used her own words against him and look where it's gotten her. She's in his home, being taken care of because she can't go home, and now she was just kissed.
"Alright, fine. You win for now."
Hikaru and Manami can knocking on the door just outside Hikaru's shared home. They tried getting in before, but the key wouldn't work. When Manami went to check on her sister, no one was home. Now with the door being locked here, the newlyweds were fearing something is wrong with their siblings.
"Kaoru! Please open up!" The younger twin just had to be home, his car was still parked outside. There was even still lights on and the television was quite loud. "Kaoru!" Hikaru screamed, making Manami wince a little. Finally, the door opened, revealing both Kaoru and Masami dressed in just their undergarments. Kaoru wore plain white boxers, while Masami was caught with just her lacy bra and panties.
"What have you two been doing?" Manami asked, sounded very disappointed in both of them. It was quite obvious with what they had been doing, especially with their bright red faces and their uneasy looks to each other.
"Manami, you have the wrong idea," Kaoru said, trying to get his words in before assumption took a hold of their minds. Unfortunately…the elder sister spotted something that none of them expected.
"Masami, why is there a red stain on your underwear?" This was just the worse possible situation ever. "Did you just…have sex with your brother-in-law?" Seriously, this couldn't get any worse.
"No. We. Did. Not." Kaoru wanted to make things clear. "We did nothing, besides sleep in the same bed. That's it. We didn't touch each other or anything. The only thing we've truly done is hug each other. Both of our old siblings just dump us, so what are we supposed to do? We were alone, so we decide to get to know each other better. And we have." Masami decide she wanted to pick up where Kaoru left off, but she hugged him before anything else.
"And what should it matter to you? You have your own lives to deal with. If you haven't realized, Onee-chan, today just happened to be the day that I get my period. I forgot to tell Kaoru to buy me tampons, so look what happened." Kaoru took over, after his new found friend finished her partial rant.
"So… go back to where you were having your honeymoon and have more fun! Because, surely, you'll soon bear a child from all the fun. And please, do make sure he won't be overly polite. Good day, Onii-san."
"And farewell, Onee-chan." The door slammed close, before the older siblings could get a single word in. "That felt…oddly good."
"It sure did. But I think we should get you new underwear…"
Conny: So, what did you think about this one? Does it deserve a review? I rushed this a little, I know I did. I couldn't edit it that well because I wanted to get it posted!
So... because there's a lot of hints to another story... be on the lookout for them! I will be writing more, no worries! So, ta-ta~!
