Maegaki ~ Foreword
Title: By the Light of Dead Stars
Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the plot and the particular phrasing of words that comprise this story. OHSHC is © to Miss Hatori Bisco.
Pairings: Hikaru|Kaoru
Rating: K+ (shall be changed to "M" in the latter chapters, or not. O3O)
Status: Incomplete. Total Chapters: currently undecided and is in current work-through
Theme/s: Drama, Angst, Romance, Friendship, Family
Summary: "There is a point where a thing eludes a person, spiraling downward of its own volition, force dragging everything along the way. One no longer asks if he will or will not, because the choice is no longer his right to make."
Setting: Same as in the anime/manga. This is a "no OC" work. Canon characters shall have the same ages except when stated otherwise. Different storyline from canon – goes without saying.
By the Light of Dead Stars
CHAPTER ONE
Scythe
The pitter-patter of raindrops against the limousine's window shield was irritating Hikaru immensely. The weather was somber and gray cast clouds added to the dismal feeling of the atmosphere. Beside him, his mother was still sobbing silently, as she had been for the past week. Hikaru, on the other hand, already felt dried out, all tears wrung from him. After this, he didn't think he had it in him to cry anymore.
As the limousine pulled away from the drive, Hikaru was unable to stop himself from casting another look full of longing at the mausoleum slowly shrinking in the distance. He was surprised as the now familiar moisture stung his eyes again. And he rubbed his red-rimmed lids to halt the flow of warm wetness down his cheeks. He had been grieving for a week now, for the loss of two important persons in his life. The Hitachiin crypt that was a mere dot in the horizon now housed the ashes of his father and his beloved brother. The thought brought on a fresh new wave of sadness that he was entirely accustomed to now. It seemed there was no other emotion left to be felt in light of recent events that the Hitachiin family was thrust into.
From the opposite side of the seat, Yuzuha reached out to gently clench her son's hand, in an attempt to comfort. Two pairs of eyes met but Hikaru was surprised and a more than a little confused when his mother lowered her gaze too soon. There was something in the way she was crying now that was vaguely different… But he was in no mood to decipher anyone else's moods, even his own.
The rain was now beating a pounding rhythm against the walls of the vehicle, making everything outside obscure into an indistinguishable blur. Hikaru slumped farther into his seat, relieving days when he spent such days with his brother indoors. He missed his younger brother the most. He missed seeing his brother's long red hair, deeper in color than his own, and scary features. He missed the pranks that they would pull on the most unsuspecting of persons. He missed the tricks they would come up with to alleviate the boredom, the games they play that could only be understood by them. He missed the bond he had with his brother, Ritsu. He would do anything to have his younger brother by his side again.
Hikaru was pulled from his musings and realized they were now pulling into the driveway of their estate. The rain was still pouring down as hard as ever so he wasn't sure if that was really another vehicle parked by the entrance that he saw. He dismissed it as unimportant and when the limousine stopped and his door was opened, he stepped out into the waiting umbrella held by a maid. He cast one more curious look at the simple vehicle parked beside their luxurious one and shrugged, as he stepped into the threshold of the home that he now found so empty.
He stopped by Ritsu's door, not going in but just standing in front of the thick oak. He had a palm flattened against the carved wood, the pads of his fingers digging into the intricate patterns, attempting to draw blood. Behind him, his mother cleared her throat and motioned for him to follow her.
The Hitachiin heir was led into one of their numerous sitting rooms, the blue room, as it was known for the blue motif inside. By the far wall, there stood a boy, his back to the room. He was facing the huge windows and Hikaru assumed he must be awestruck by the magnificent view offered by their sprawling landscape.
There was something disturbingly familiar about that fiery mop of hair, and about the slim lanky frame of the young boy. He turned to give a confused look at his mother who was now seated at the edge of one of the pale blue sofas, wringing her hands slightly. "Kaoru-san. I brought Hikaru to meet you" She called out hesitantly.
Hikaru correctly guessed that the stranger was this Kaoru. He turned to look back at the redhead and eyes widened when he found himself staring into a split-image of himself. His eyes were now full of panic as his stare to his mother clearly demanded answers for the obvious questions thickening the air around them.
He watched his mother's lower lip tremble before she turned her gaze to the mirror image of her eldest son, asking the new comer to take a seat. Hikaru's knees felt weak and he staggered towards one of the chairs, his form a heavy, defeated weight against the rich fabric. His gaze followed his mother's and watched, even more flabbergasted than he already was. The boy, Kaoru, held out two hands, groping in the personal darkness he was trapped in, for the seat offered to him earlier.
Tsuishin ~ Postscript
I have a question: does the number of reviews reflect how good a story is?
On another aside, please come join us at SHINE (the link is in my profile. Go there, now). SHINE is a forum by Ouran lovers for Ouran lovers. Everyone is welcome; all pairings are received with open hearts. And we don't bite ~ But as Shi-shi so aptly puts it, unless that is your sort of thing, then some of us just might do so, for you.
But back to the main matter at hand – I told myself when inspiration struck that LDS will not be a multi-chaptered work. I even tried stopping myself from starting this. It is blatantly obvious I lost the battle of wills, epically. But I am proud to say that of all my multi-shot works, this one is the best thought of and I like to think of this as my baby second only to DBD. I am hoping everyone is liking this so far because I worked my ass off for this, for you. I shall entertain questions for any confused reader. You're all really that special.
~ TheInfamousCaichie