The rain poured down hard that day. The girl was nearly inaudible over the harsh pounding of the droplets of rain against the metal roofs that sheltered the group of men and women. Many blended in perfectly with the dreary scenery, with their thick black dresses and suits. There was a silence among the strangers as three children stood huddled together. Had it been any other location, their laughter would have rang out sweet and swift with the echo filled train station, allowing their voices to boom. But today, everyone in the world just seemed bland.

The strangers had no emotions on their faces, stone cold and numb they had seen too much in the world to smile so happily like the children beside them did. Women looked away in embarrassment as one reached out and poked one of the boys, making them squirm and cry tears of laughter.. Not that it mattered; the rain that poured down so heavily hid any tears on his face, and for that he was grateful.

Even the youngest of the three, who would have blushed and hidden herself at the slightest annoyance, was laughing and playing among the two, almost mistaken for just a normal girl. The other boy stood beside her, his light hearted laughter making her giggle as well as he patted her head, his only source of physical contact at the moment.

"Hikaru be careful!" Kaoru shouted suddenly as he stopped petting Haruhi and ran out with his Brother in the rain. Haruhi smiled, her baby brown eyes watching the two as they splashed each other with what water they caught in their hands. Haruhi laughed as well and suddenly burst out through the crowd and into the rain. Hikaru and Kaoru blinked for a few moments as she ran toward them, but they both seemed to glow with happiness as she laughed and went in-between them. Almost wondering why she had run out to see them they stood still for a few moments before she happily splashed the two of them.

Hikaru blinked before growling playfully under his breath and watching as Haruhi and Kaoru ran off in a small chase to see who would splash one another first. Hikaru smiled as he saw how radiant his brothers face was when he laughed.

He and Kaoru were always together; that was a basic foundation that he had revolved his entire life upon. They came into the world together. They wore the same types of clothes and talked the same way. They perfected their walking and based all of their spirits on being exactly symmetrical. If Hikaru felt happiness, then Kaoru felt the same happiness. If Kaoru felt pain, then Hikaru felt the same pain. So why did this world decide that Kaoru had to fall in love with the girl he would die for? Why had this world, that had so willingly brought them up together, not let them stay in such a willingly happy place as well?

"…Why her…" Hikaru whispered. His voice wasn't more than a failed attempt at speech however. The rain hid his voice very well, and even if he had been in a silent hall, he would have not been able to talk over a whisper on such a subject. Hikaru closed his eyes sadly before feeling a shockingly cold splash on his face. He blinked his eyes open only to stare at a very happy and carefree Haruhi in front of him, her hands cupped and empty of water.

But on the other hand, it was good that it was raining today. If the sky had dared to show its bright sun on the day of his brother's burial, he might have lost it. Hikaru flinched as he looked down to see his hand shaking violently before him. He brought it up to his lips and bit down on his flesh to calm his nerves. This did not seem to help, however, as tears glided onto them.

"Oh you're going down" Hikaru whispered as he shook his head, allowing small droplets to fall on her face. She laughed and took off running as he chased after her.

They were 'the twins' and they had been 'the twins' all of Hikaru's life. What would people call them if they decided to be different? He didn't want to be just 'Hikaru'. There was now way that he could live being, just 'Hikaru'. But then again…what was living unless it was trying right? Hikaru laughed and grabbed onto Haruhi's stomach, picking her up as Kaoru raced over chuckling while he tickled at her neck.

"Ah that reminds me Haruhi! Hikaru and I are going on a boring business trip with mom in a few days, you wanna come? It'll be a whole lot more fun with you there!" Kaoru said bravely. Hikaru blushed and bit his lip to keep from saying anything, not wanting to pressure her into the trip nor push her away from it.

"Yea that sound's fun! I'll just have to ask my dad" Haruhi laughed out. Hikaru looked at the girl, holding her still to him as she laughed. She had laughed a lot lately, a little too much actually.

A lot had happened in the past year to Hikaru, he had been shot for Haruhi, fallen into a coma, had a wonderful dream about his future with the brown eyed girl, and overall realized how much he was head over heels in love with her. And as the girl squirmed in his arms giggling he dug his face into her back not even feeling the rain against his head. The boy tightened his grip on her as he flinched, knowing he couldn't say the words he so heavily felt. So, silencing himself once more, he mouthed the words 'I love you' into her shirt.

Just Haruhi: Growing Pains

Authors Note:

Hi everyone, it's good to see you all again. I'm sorry to say that due to personal reasons I won't be able to update Everyone Has A Story any longer. I'll be deleting it in a few days, but I just wanted to give everyone a head's up before I do. Besides that my computer has been broken down so I couldn't use Microsoft Word any longer. However for my birthday I got a laptop (Oh-em-gee- WOOT!) so it's a lot easier for me to type. Like I said, I'm very sorry for not updating but hopefully not that everything's been sorted out things will get better. I'm still not feeling very well and so my writing quality may suffer and I know that this chapter isn't nearly as long as it should be… again I apologize for the inconvenience. If anyone wants to talk or ask questions, put in further depth reviews or tips, or even just hand over ideas you all know my email is the way everyone, I read that the twins are Gemini's, meaning that their birthdays are in the summer months but I do not know the exact dates and I don't think that they have been released, so if anyone has them can you please tell me?

Oh as for new readers, please follow my authors link to "Just Hikaru" and read that story before this one! Thank you!

Chapter One: The Rules of Engagement

"Mr. Fujioka I'm glad you could make it" A smooth and calm voice whispered as the cross-dressing man stepped into dark room surrounded by intimidating looking rich men. The first that sat at the head of the table, and the and the one that had greeted them, had thick blonde hair that seemed to sprout off of his head even though gel had slicked it to his scalp. His bright violet eyes carried a hint of kindness in them as he gave a small sophisticated smile toward the man. On the right of him was a man of the same posture, his hair was dark black and fell across his face, his cold gray eyes shining at the transvestite. To the left was another handsome gentleman, though he had a happy smile on his face, his bright orange hair complimenting his baby blue eyes. Had it been any other occasion Ryoji would have been swooned off his feet.

"…Yes…I don't mean to seem rude men, but I do have work to attend to as I'm sure you men do too." He whispered as he sat down, his long red hair falling across his shoulders delicately as he looked up once more at all of them. His make up had been washed off his face, his hair tied into a thin ponytail, his dress replaced by his best suit. His usually happy brown eyes glared seriously at all of them as he folded his arms.

"Haha! Of course Mr. Fujioka, well I suppose you know what this is all about then?" The golden haired man asked. Ryoji let out a heavy sigh as he glared at them all again. He had sent Haruhi off with the two orange headed boys for the day so that she wouldn't have to hear this conversation, and it would seem that all of the fathers had done the same. The blue eyes man laughed and tossed his water a bit, making it splash in his glass as he shook his head.

"Come on you guys, stop acting so serious about this." He slurred out making Ryoji lift an eyebrow at the real contents of his cup. At this statement the black haired man sent daggers in his direction. His perfectly molded hair even stood on end as he slammed his large hand down on the table.

"How dare you say that this isn't a serious matter? That's just offensive to every father in this room Mr. Hitachiin." He harshly whispered. The blonde sighed and let out a bit of a nervous laugh as he shook his head and spread out his arms to set the one beside him down and to quiet the one on his left.

"Mr. Ohtori I expect you to keep your dignity in this meeting, no matter the reason. You are both correct; however this isn't a reason to fight. So Mr. Fujioka, what is your answer to our offers?" The man whispered. Ryoji leaned back in his chair, his bright brown eyes staring at the ceiling for a few minutes before cracking his neck and sitting up straight.

"I really don't think that there is much to talk about, my daughter is not a piece of meat that can be bought off with the highest bidder and I refuse to talk behind her back and treat her like one." Ryoji answered as he slowly started to stand, finding that this conversation was over. However the men all stiffened as the blonde stood up hesitantly and held out a hand, laughing a bit.

"We would never treat Haruhi like that sir, that's not out intention. We are just trying to look out for our sons." He said kindly. Ryoji rolled his eyes before turning his back to the men and walking to the door. He put his hands in his pockets and sighed, letting his head fall a bit before shaking his hair out of its ponytail.

"My baby Haruhi will marry who she chooses, I will not limit her to one of your sons. Good day." Ryoji answered as he started toward the door once more. The blonde sighed and sat back down just as the black haired man stood angrily.

"Mr. Fujioka, you might not realize what a wonderful offer this is for your daughter. Commoner girls are rarely accepted into a rich family like your daughter is." He stated, the words rolling off of his tongue cruelly as Ryoji's shoulder twitched before the man slowly turned to face them all again. The orange headed man laughed and hid under the table as the blonde rubbed his temple annoyingly. A small dark chuckle escaped Ryoji as he tilted his head at the man.

"and you don't know how wonderful and rare it is that I don't punch you right now…" He said through gritted teeth as he grabbed onto the double door's handles and threw them open before storming out. The butlers standing near the door gently closed them as Hikaru and Kaoru's father slipped out from under the table, laughing his head off. The man laughed and pointed before shaking his head and holding his stomach before grabbing his coat.

"Ah man that was great. Anyways boys I'll see seeing you, I got a plane to catch!" The man said happily as he grabbed his water bottle and headed for the door as well. The blonde suddenly looked up in surprise as he stopped rubbing his head and let his hand fall a bit.

"Wait, aren't your boy's birthdays coming up?" He asked tilting his head a bit, his bright eyes blinking innocently. The black haired man gave a scoff as he too grabbed his things, since there was nothing to talk about there was little reason to be here.

"Please, the boys are fourteen now; they don't need me to be there to celebrate things like Holidays." The man said rolling his eyes as he let his slacks drift against the floor. He looked thin, his face didn't have much on it and his bright blue eyes seemed to be clouded.

"…Actually their sixteen…" The blonde whispered. The other two shrugged it off and walked out of the room without much thought. The blonde sighed before closing the book that he had been hiding throughout the meeting. He slowly slipped a picture out of it, his eyes softening at the bright and happy smile of the woman he had once loved. Raising Tamaki as a scarred teen who smiled too much and played dumb too easily wasn't easy, but he would try, all for her sake.

He slowly reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone before he pressed onto the third dial, holding it down as the phone suddenly started to ring. The man placed it to his ears before hearing a happy and somewhat confused voice answer on the other end. Tamaki's father smiled before he started toward the door, photo in hand.

"Hey Son, are you busy today?"

-----------------

Ryoji sighed as he opened the door to his tiny apartment. He threw his shoes in the corner and took off his suit to reveal the pink fluffy shirt underneath. He slowly looked up and noticed movement in the house. Placing his frown aside, sparkles appeared around him as he saw the lovely face of his daughter. He giggled and threw his arms around her happily.

"Haruhi I'm home!" He chimed out happily. Haruhi blinked as he hugged her, her arms slowly relaxed as she wrapped them around his back. How long had it been since he held her like this? She had almost forgotten what it felt like; her father had been working very hard lately to make sure that she had enough money for the ever pressing needs of school and daily life. Haruhi looked down at the floor sadly as she slowly passed her father the mail through the hug.

"…these came in today." Haruhi whispered as she watched him flip through the bills and overdue notices. Haruhi's heart sank as she saw the bright red ink on all of the letters. Ryoji seemed to go numb as he threw the letters onto the small coffee table and headed toward his room. Haruhi quickly went into action, grabbing her report card from out of the mail as well as her final results.

"Look dad!" Haruhi said happily pressing her papers against his back to get his attention. Ryoji looked back with a forced smile as he nodded, not even glancing at the papers.

"Good job Honey, I'm a little sleepy so I'm gonna take a nap before I go to work ok? Is there enough in the fridge for dinner?" He asked softly. Haruhi slowly nodded before bringing her papers back and looking down at the floor. Ryoji laughed and rubbed her on the top of the head before pulling her into one last hug. This time Haruhi merely let her head fall against his chest as she closed her eyes, whispering something under her breath.

"…I'll pay for my medical bill Dad…just gimmee a little time to get the money." Haruhi whispered. Her father gave a strained laugh and rubbed her back before pulling back, still holding onto her.

"Don't you worry about that ok Haruhi? You just get better and keep smiling alright." He smiled and nodded before walking in and closing the door to his room. Haruhi stared at his door for a bit before sitting down on the couch, defeated. It hurt her that her father smiled so often, but what hurt more was the fact that she could see his eye's watering when he did it. Haruhi sighed and laid down, letting her hair fall from it's weak ponytail as she picked up her home phone and dialed.

"Hey Haruhi! Surprise to see you calling." A joyous voice answered. Haruhi smiled a bit and let herself relax into the couch, her body fitting perfectly into the curves of the cushions.

"Oh hey Hikaru, I could have sworn I called Kaoru's phone, uh look, Dad was busy and I couldn't ask him about the trip, is there any way that I can delay that answer for another day?" Haruhi asked softly, her eyes half closing as she felt her voice crack a bit near the end of the sentence. Even though her mouth was talking so calmly her heart really hurt. Hikaru and Kaoru didn't seem to have much trouble paying for the medical bills due to the accident, but for her father it was a huge hit on an already bleeding wound.

"Ha, of course Haruhi, it's not like this is a school field trip or anything." Hikaru answered happily; glad she was even considering it. The boy paused on the phone line for a few seconds before hesitantly asking-

"Hey Haruhi is everything ok? You sound upset." Hikaru whispered as he listened for her reply. Haruhi eyed the phone with a bit of insecurity before placing it back to her ear. How on Earth had he learned when she was really upset, over the phone of all things. Then again that had been one of the things that she had noticed Hikaru had changed in. He seemed to be so carefree and trustworthy of her now, and even his immature status had lowered dramatically. Come to think of it, his dramatic change had happened right after he woke up from his wound. Had the accident really changed him that much?

"Just thinking." Haruhi answered as she dropped an arm over her eyes, taking in a deep breath. His voice was so calm, smooth, beautiful…

Haruhi raised a brow at her own thoughts, beautiful, what the hell was that? The girl shook her head quickly as if cold water had just been dropped on her head. She quickly regained what posture she had before turning her attention back to the phone. Haruhi could almost imagine the sweet smile of his through the phone as he laughed for her.

"Don't think to much Haruhi, you're head might spontaneously combust." He answered happily. Haruhi slowly nodded, hiding her smile from herself. The girl giggled and lifted her spine up a little to pop her back.

"Oh yea I forgot about that. I'll be careful." Haruhi laughed out. Hikaru laughed a bit as well before pausing and letting out a small content sigh.

"Good, I don't know what I would do if something happened to you" Hikaru whispered into the phone. Haruhi's eyes opened wide as she felt the pulse of her heart shake her wrist and body. The girl placed her hand on her chest as she tried to keep breathing up to normal.

"Ah…ye-yea….uh! Hikaru I gotta go, say hello to Kaoru for me." Haruhi whispered quickly as she hung up, her heart beating a thousand miles per minute. She had only felt like this a few times, and that was when Hikaru had held her in that church during the storm, when she had found out that Tamaki was engaged, and though she hated to admit it, she had felt the same when Kyouya took her hand and threw her onto the bed.

Haruhi looked around quickly to make sure that no one could hear her thoughts as she blushed and threw the pillow over her face to hide her tomato like skin. She was at the age where hormones kicked in, it was simply chemical reactions. Haruhi pouted a bit before getting up and off of the couch.

"I always did hate chemistry." Haruhi whispered as she sighed and sat in front of her mother's picture. She got on her knees and placed her head on the desk before sighing heavily, wondering what type of life she would be living if the woman was still alive. Haruhi smiled, her eyes closing as she felt sleep start to take over her.

"Mama-mama-mama-mama!" Haruhi giggled and ran into her mothers legs, falling to the floor with a soft bang. Her mother blinked, a bit shocked as she reached down and grabbed the girl off of the floor and into her arms as she nuzzled her head against Haruhi's hair. Haruhi smiled happily, her big eyes closing as her mouth opened in a happy smile. Her mom kissed her forehead quickly before putting the girl back down offering her, her hand. Haruhi took the long fingers, slipping her small palm into her mothers finger as she skipped along with her.

"You want to help me make dinner Haruhi?" Her mother asked, her face covered with a black shadow. Haruhi nodded quickly before running into the kitchen and flipping through the recipe boxes. She pulled out her favorite, chocolate cake! Haruhi giggled and handed her mother the card. Her mom eyed it for a second before laughing herself and getting down on her knees.

"Haruhi this doesn't look like dinner." She answered with a large smile. The little girl laughed again and shook her head quickly. Her mom smirked before standing up, placing her hands on her hips.

"Then it shall be cooked!" She said happily as she picked Haruhi up, placing her on the counter as she laughed. Haruhi smiled at her innocently as her mother started to skillfully mix the ingredients together. The woman slowly passed Haruhi the large bag of sugar, allowing her to pour it in. Haruhi stood up on the counter and slowly started to pour in the sugar with the utmost care. Suddenly a huge sprout flowed from the bag and into the bowl, making Haruhi flinch as she saw how much she had poured in on accident. She quickly lifted the bag, staring at the ruined batch with teary and frightened eyes.

"…it's ruined." Her mother had made such a great batch and she had ruined it! Haruhi whispered as she started to sniff, her eyes watering as tears slowly flowed down. She wiped at her eyes quickly, remembering that her daddy had told her that big girls didn't cry. Her mother hesitated on what to say before smiling and leaning down to Haruhi, placing her comfortingly in her arms again. Haruhi gave a small hiccup and started to cry as her mother kissed her cheek.

"Hehe…we'll just make this daddy's batch ok?" She asked happily. Haruhi looked up with pathetic eyes before her mother gave her a warm smile, making her heart lift. Haruhi giggled and nodded before watching as her mom continued to stir the not so perfect batch of chocolate batter.

"See it's ok Haruhi, just don't cry ok?" Her mother whispered nervously as she patted her child's head and ran a hand through her hair.

"Haruhi? Haruhi?" Haruhi slowly opened her eyes as her father poked her back to wake her up. Haruhi turned quickly as she saw her father's concerned gaze reflected onto her. Haruhi smiled happily, her pale skin becoming more lively as she stood and brushed her hair out of her face.

"Did you have a nice nap dad?" She asked happily. Her father blinked for a few moments before looking down at the ground seeing that she didn't want to talk about whatever it was that was on her mind. He looked up at her again and smiled, nodding.

"I had a lovely nap. Thanks honey." Ryoji whispered as he watched his daughter laugh and nod. She said something about going on a trip with the Hitachiin Brothers but he couldn't hear her as other thoughts ran through his head. He nodded making her seem to brighten with enjoyment as she laughed and hugged him happily. The man watched as she walked off to her room but it was only then that he registered what he had just said yes too.

"Wait Haruhi I wasn't paying attention!" He called out fake tears strolling down his cheeks as he whimpered and watched her happily pack for her two week trip with her classmates.