Chapter 1: Kaoru
Novella100: So, yeah, this is going to be a REALLY LONG story, as both Hikaru and Kaoru fall in love, and there's stuff about Tamaki/Haruhi, Honey and Mori too.
Kaoru: What? I thought this was about me and Hikaru!
Novella100: You're not the most important people in the world, guys.
Hikaru: We are too each other...
Kaoru: Hikaru...
Novella100: Cut it out, guys.
Hikaru: Ohh...
Novella100: I'm warning you, the-
Fangirls: Kyaaa!
Hikaru: Run, Kaoru!
Kaoru: They're gaining on us!
Novella100:-fan-girls will spot you. I did warn them.
I watched other kids running around, laughing and playing. A wisp of envy floated towards me. Hikaru reached over and clamped a hand over mine, and I felt better. Why was I feeling lonely? I had Hikaru here, my other half. And everyone else was an idiot, anyway.
"Hey? Do you want to play?" A voice asked, and I looked at the girl in front of us. I wasn't sure who she was, because dark hair flopped in front of her face. It didn't matter anyway, because she wasn't sure who I was, was she?
"Only if you play the 'Which One is Hikaru?' Game." Hikaru and I say in synchronization. It's a line we've practiced many times. The girl is silent for a minute, and we stare at her.
"I think that you're Hikaru…" She says, pointing to the twin-who-is-not-me. "So you're Kaoru!" She finishes triumphantly.
"Wrong." The girl is quiet, and her arm flops uselessly at her side. I sense an apology in the air, and I feel a sudden urge to stop her from saying anything else. "Are you stupid?" I ask, and Hikaru says the same thing, but he's a little late, and his voice lacks the sharpness in my tone. She hardens, and runs away, little choking noises coming from her.
Hikaru looks at me out of the corner of his eye and whispers, "She did get it right, Kaoru."
"She was just guessing. They always guess."
Now, looking back, I realize our mistake. We always assumed that we were the same because we had the same face.
But take away our identical masks, and what would we look like?
To someone who didn't see our face, who would we be?
"So, Haruhi, you've finally confessed to Tono, eh?" I ask Haruhi, nudging her playfully. She blushes a deep red, and mutters for me to shut up. Sigh. She's no fun if she's so cute like this.
Hikaru grunts, and looks away. I bit me lip, worrying about my twin. He doesn't give affection easily, I know, and I'm not sure how long it will take him to get over Haruhi. After all, the last time we liked someone as much as this was with our old nurse, and I think that had left a scar that wasn't quite going to fade. I might have moved on from Haruhi, but Hikaru felt stronger. Too strong, perhaps.
I'm shaken from my thoughts as a girl rams into me, and stumbles. "Oh!" She cries, tottering, and I reach out to grab her. Hauling her up, I ask, "Are you alright?"
"Fine." She says, blowing upward at dark hair flopping into her face. "Serves me right for heading off to Tokyo for a year. Come back, and I'm completely lost." She laughs quietly to herself, and her laugh sounds like a sob, but bubbly and happy. Then she asks a question that throws me off guard.
"Where are you?"
"Here." Hikaru says, and turns her slowly so she's facing us. Her eyes are blue, like the sky, but there's a strange fogginess in them, and they look eerily empty. Hikaru grins at her, and I feel like I should remember her, but I can't look away from those cloud-covered eyes.
"Hey, Muki! Lost, huh?" Hikaru laughs, and I remember the dark haired girl who was, if possible, just as secluded as we were in middle school. Muki smiles, and I find that her cloudy eyes are suddenly much less important. "Hikaru? Kaoru? You've changed, haven't you?" I think she's referring to the fact that two years ago, neither of us would bother helping her up, handicaps aside. Her nonchalant, almost sarcastic tone makes me feel embarrassed, and I see Hikaru is blushing slightly too.
"Hey, Muki! Long time, no…oh…" Shouts a boy passing by, and although Muki raises a hand as he starts to speak, her smile is cold. Haruhi is still standing there, silently confused and mesmerized by Muki's eyes.
"Hey, I'm just going to call home and see if I can bring Kimiko, OK?" She says, and turns and walks away. I smile slightly as I watch her. She walks so calmly and confident, and unless you look closely you wouldn't notice her hand trailing slowly against the wall, making sure she doesn't stray too far away.
When she's out of earshot, Haruhi turns to me and says, "What's up with her?" She talks in a hushed tone, and I roll my eyes. Of course, if Haruhi was to display any tact at all it would be towards Muki.
"She used to come here, to Ouran, but before High School started she when away to Tokyo for some treatment." I say.
"Treatment for what? What's wrong with her eyes?"
"Although she doesn't look it, Muki's blind. Always has been."
Haruhi is silent for a moment, and then she says softly, "Poor her." I stay silent. Hikaru voices my opinion instead, saying, "It doesn't matter if she's blind or not. All we care about is how she treats us."
"Hikaru! How horrible!"
We shrug.
"Don't you feel any sympathy at all?"
"One-it wouldn't be sympathy, it would be empathy…" Hikaru starts.
"…And no, we don't. Really, she doesn't matter that much to us because there's no way she can ever tell us apart." I say. "What's the point? She's a boring toy."
Haruhi frowns, and looks at the direction Muki went in. "Well, I'm going to try and include her."
"You do that."
Hikaru's gaze follows her, and a small sigh escapes him. I smile sadly at his wistful expression, wishing that I could make it better. I reach out and clamp my hand on his. The twin-who-is-not-me, Hikaru, turns his head slightly and smiles. "You did the right thing, letting Tamaki have her." I say softly.
"I know. I still wish I had a chance."
"You do have a chance. Maybe they'll fight, and break up. In fact, if that happened, if they just stopped loving each other, then you could have Haruhi without anyone being hurt. Perfect, eh?"
"I'm far from perfect."
"Doesn't matter to me."
Hikaru and I turn to each other, and grin. I loop my arm over his shoulder, saying, "And we have got to use that line in the Host Club sometime."
I get want I want-a laugh. Chuckling, Hikaru starts planning our next sketch. "Perhaps we could add something about how we both feel like our love is both redeeming and yet maiming?"
"Perfect."