A RAT and a DEMON DOG.
~Chapter 1
The sudden downpour of freezing rain jolted Kaoru awake with a gasp. Not remembering the previous five minutes, he put his gloved palms to the now muddy dirt and tried to push himself up.
*crack*
A searing pain went through his entire body, and he quickly collapsed back to the ground. Kaoru had no idea what had made the sound, but he wasn't going to try to get up again any time soon. Spots were still swimming across his eyes. He removed his gloves and, slowly, inched his hand up and undid his helmet strap. It hurt far more than it should have. His fingers felt warm and sticky, and he saw that they were covered in blood. He was suddenly aware of the noxious smell of gasoline filling his nose, and spied the small red motorcycle, or rather, what was left of it, half concealed in the thick brush a few yards away. Oddly enough, his first thought was how angry Hikaru was going to be when he found out that his twin had completely wrecked his new motorcycle he had just gotten for summer vacation. He had even promised that he wouldn't touch it. Hikaru had wanted one more than anything, but their mother wouldn't allow it for the longest time.
"Mom's right, Hikaru, motorcycles are dangerous! Do you know how much more likely you are to die in a crash if you're riding one of those things?"
"Kaoru, you're such a kill joy!" Hikaru sighed in exasperation. "I swear! It's not like I'll let you ride it! You better lighten up before you turn into a complete woman."
"I see! So being stupid is a requisite for being manly, I guess!" Kaoru replied hotly. He was even more annoyed that he was automatically denied driving privileges. Hikaru had been getting on his nerves more and more, as of late.
"It's just a motorcycle, MOM. People ride them every day, you know?"
Kaoru felt the water start to seep through his speed suit, and then he remembered the suit was supposed to be watertight. The one comfort was that the coldness was numbing his senses to the dull, aching throbs throughout his entire body.
'Oh boy,' he thought bitterly to himself, 'I won't be hearing the end of this for a long time...How the hell did I fall down here anyway?...'
He tried to look around as best he could. He was lying in some manmade ravine against a sharp incline that he knew must lead back up to the road, but he couldn't hear any cars. All he could hear was the sound of wind rustling through leaves, and the pat-pat of rain striking the earth. Trees from his original destination, the park, lined the other side. It was slowly growing darker and darker, and there was a flicker of lighting overhead.
The initial shock he was in was quickly beginning to wane. The incredible amount of pain suddenly wracking his body made him want to scream in surprise, but all that actually escaped was a strangled, pathetic whimper. He felt the breast pocket of his suit for his cell phone, but it had fallen somewhere during the crash. Kaoru's heart began pounding, and his breathing became shallow. It was slowly dawning on him that it might be a very long time before anyone found him in such an isolated spot so far from the road.
'Or before they find my body...' the grim thought nagged at him. 'Wouldn't this be a pathetic way for my millionaire life to end; alone, in the rain, like some rat...'
He had sped off not an hour before, in a mood of sorts. The Host Club had gathered at the stables that day for a joy riding event to kick off the summer holidays. It was Tamaki's idea, of course. How much more princely could he be, seated upon his father's prize winning, white stallion? Lord, but the ladies did go absolutely crazy! Kyoya, of course, found a complimenting black stallion to prance around upon, while Honey was given a perky little Welsh to ride. And Hikaru had one of the Hitachiin family's horses, an Akhal Teke with a beautiful bronze sheen. Kaoru wasn't crazy about horses, but the sight of his brother's face every time he cleared a jump was a pleasure to watch. There were few things that made Hikaru calm and truly focused, and riding was one of them. Haruhi seemed to share Kaoru's wariness of horses, and was not the most enthused person there.
"I don't see why riding a cow is going to make all the girls happy..." Haruhi grumbled. Kaoru chuckled.
"Come on, it's not that bad! Look, Mori-senpai has a really gentle gelding for you. Wouldn't hurt a fly, I promise!"
Mori grunted in affirmation, as he handed the reigns of an older bay over to Haruhi. The gelding bobbed his head up and down, and Haruhi put up her hands in a reflexive defense. Remembering her last carriage ride with horses did not make to overly eager to ride one. "I just don't like things that are THAT much bigger than me! What if this thing decides to step on me?!"
"What's the hold up?" Hikaru called, as he steered his horse next to where they were standing. As if reflecting his sentiments, his horse stamped impatiently in place, swishing its tail from side to side. "All of the guests are ready to go. Haruhi, just get on, already! The horse isn't going to bite you!"
As if on cue, the gelding started nibbling on Haruhi's shoulder when she wasn't looking. She yelped in surprise, dropping the reigns and jumping back.
"No way, I'm out!"
Hikaru started laughing. "It's not the horse's fault you taste like sugar!"
"What's this about my little girl 'tasting like sugar'?!" Tamaki demanded, as he and Kyoya joined them.
"Haruhi's scared of the horse," Mori said flatly.
"Yeah, she's starting to sound like someone else I know!" Hikaru gave a sly grin in Kaoru's direction.
"Hey! I-"
"Hikaru, Kaoru," Kyoya had a deceptively pleasant smile on his face, "don't all the ladies look lovely in their riding outfits today?" He gestured towards a group of girls approaching on horseback. Kaoru grit his teeth for a moment, but took the hint.
"Indeed they do!" Hikaru hastily agreed, also taking the hint. "But I can think of only one whom I'd ride with till the end of time."
'Oh brother, how do you keep coming up with this stuff' Kaoru rolled his eyes inwardly, but was all sparkles in reply.
"Hikaru,...you shouldn't say things like that, you'll embarrass me!" Kaoru's tone was suddenly completely docile and timid. Hikaru leaned over the horse's side and cupped Kaoru's face in his palms.
"But you're so cute when you're shy, Kaoru..."
"Hikaru..."
"AAAAGH!!" The girls practically shrieked! With a satisfied smile from Kyoya, Hikaru pulled Kaoru up into the saddle behind him, and they began trotting away with the group of ladies. Kyoya let out a chuckle.
"As if their relationship wasn't taboo enough, adding horses into the mix just makes them all the more irresistible!"
"What kind of things are YOU into, Kyoya-senpai?" Haruhi asked dryly. Tamaki looked at both of them with a confused expression before speaking.
"Eeeeven so,...they do seem to be at odds with each other a lot lately...but maybe it's a good thing. It's probably just another sign of their growing independence!" Tamaki spread out his arms wide in a regal gesture, but quickly brought them back down when the stallion shifted its weight to the other side.
"Haru-chan!" Honey came bouncing up on his grey pony. "If you're scared of big horses, I have just the ride for you!!"
Hikaru and Kaoru were a little ahead of the girls now. The long legs of the Akhal Teke quickly outpaced the shorter horses. As soon as they were out of earshot, their idle chatter fell silent. Finally, after a couple of minutes, Kaoru looked up at his brother.
"Hikaru...have you thought about what we're going to do? Once we quit the Host Club? I mean...Things can't go back to the way they were before, right?"
"I guess not. But even if we aren't entertaining ladies, we can all still be friends."
Kaoru's grip unintentionally tightened around Hikaru's waste. "I guess..."
"What's eating you lately, Kaoru? You seem like you have something on your mind."
"Me? Oh, it's nothing! I mean, I was just wondering what you would do if we weren't hosting anymore."
"What WE would do, you mean, right?"
"I guess..."
Hikaru brought the horse to a stop. They were now far ahead of everyone else, as the girls had stopped to coo over Haruhi's new ride, a tiny, miniature, pony. It was so small, her shoes were dragging on the ground.
"Alright, Kaoru, spill it! You've been moping for days, just say it already."
"I think we should spend some time apart!!"
Hikaru stared at him, dumbfounded. "W-what?!"
Kaoru had shut his eyes tightly, but opened them with a fierce determination. "I think we should be on our own for a while. I'm tired of this! I'm tired of always having to be the weak, girly one, of always having to act like something I'm not, and of, of..."
"Of...me?" Hikaru's voice had lost all of its bravado. Kaoru looked the other way. He instantly regretted saying anything, but lately it just felt like he was suffocating. Hikaru turned back around and slapped the reigns lightly. The horse started moving again. He didn't say anything else, and Kaoru felt knots forming in his stomach. It wasn't all Hikaru's fault, Kaoru knew that. He had a more bombastic personality, and was just plain louder in demanding everything he wanted from life and the people around him. He was also fiercely protective and jealous by nature. How could someone like Kaoru ever hope to be recognized as unique around someone like Hikaru? Was that such a selfish thing to want? To have your own life, not just be the support for someone else's, even if it was his twin?
They rode in silence all the way home, sitting on opposite sides of the limo. The silence continued as they walked through the front door, dropping their book slings on the floor.
"Hikaru..." Kaoru finally managed, "Do you understand what I'm trying to say? I don't want to be like this anymore."
"It's alright, Kaoru, you're probably right anyway." Something in his tone seemed out of sorts with Kaoru. "I mean, I don't need you around cramping my style all the time, do I?"
"Well excuse me!"
"And besides, we all know you're just being jealous."
"J-JEALOUS?!" Kaoru could barely spit out the word. "OF YOU?! NO chance in hell!!"
"Then what's your problem!!" Hikaru yelled back. Kaoru honestly didn't know what to say at that point. Of course he loved his brother, and of course he hated to see things change. He hated to see himself changing, and hated the fact that no one seemed to notice. "Whatever, never mind! You want time alone, FINE! Take all the time you need! Whatever plane Mom leaves on tomorrow, I'll be on it!"
Kaoru winced when he heard the bedroom door slam upstairs. In a way, he felt a small victory for still having the ability to upset his twin so much, but that feeling quickly faded into one of disgust.
"Kaoru, sweetheart, that's quite a face," Kaoru startled from his ponderings as his mother approached him. She looked absolutely stunning in her own designed, ruby red silk dress. It fell of her youthful neck and shoulders, which were dripping with diamonds, and billowed down to the floor, a shimmering red river of fabric.
'That's right,' Kaoru remembered. 'Dad and Mom have that annual banquet for the end of fashion week tonight...Jeez, she probably heard us arguing...'
"Wow, nice dress, Mom," he offered. "You're going to make dad a jealous man tonight." He didn't say anything else, just looked back down at his feet. His mother smiled, and took his hands in hers, choosing to ignore Kaoru's seemingly ingrained, host-like conversation. "Kaoru, don't worry so much about Hikaru. You two are growing into fine young men, but you're still figuring out who you really are. No one said it was going to be easy."
"What are you talking about!?" Kaoru laughed nervously, removing his hands.
"I knew it from the beginning...," Yuzuha smiled warmly. Kaoru was taken aback. His mother was always so professional, so serious all of the time; it was rare he saw her looking genuinely affectionate. Or maybe he had just never noticed... "Kaoru, when you and Hikaru were born, he was already just like he is now. It seemed like no matter what I did, he burst into screams of holy terror! I was relieved every time the nanny came to take him away!" she laughed softly and shook her head. "The only thing that ever made him happy, was when he was right next to you. And you, even as a baby, hardly ever made a peep. Never cried, never complained, always just so sweet and so happy..." She leaned over and kissed his forehead. Kaoru just stared at her with surprised, saucer-like eyes. "I know it may not seem like it now, but you're much stronger than you think."
"K, Mom...," Kaoru muttered, looking the other way. He didn't really like the fact that his mother could read his mind so easily. He looked back, and flashed her a goofy, lopsided grin, and she gave him a tight hug.
"Well,..." she said over her shoulder as she was walking away. "I guess I'll have to tell the captain we'll we having another passenger tomorrow morning! Ciao, darling!"
Damn! So she had heard them. Mom...Hikaru...
Kaoru felt his eyes start to water, even though they were wet with rain. Suddenly feeling very thirsty, he opened his mouth to let the rain fall in, and swallowed. All he could taste was blood. Mercifully, the rain began to subside just as the last rays of the sun were disappearing from the trees. Kaoru felt his pocket again, and found a pack of cigarettes and a lighter snugly fit at the bottom. Smoking was definitely not very host-like, he knew, but he only did it when he was alone. It was kind of odd, because if someone had to choose which one of the twins would wind up a smoker, Kaoru was sure everyone would have picked Hikaru. But, then again, Kaoru didn't really feel smoking still held that bad-boy, spaghetti-western image, and then he quickly felt stupid for thinking about it at all.
He slowly brought one to his lips, and tried to use the lighter. It took quite a few tries, as it felt like the hand he was using might as well of belonged to someone else, but it eventually produced a small flame. Kaoru exhaled the smoke from his lungs slowly, trying to suppress a cough. He knew it wasn't the smartest thing to do when you probably had internal damage, but the nicotine helped dull the pain temporarily.
He suddenly remembered going down to the garage, but not being able to find the driver. After searching around, his eyes settled on the motorcycle. They became slits of determination. Maybe Hikaru was partly right, maybe I do need to start living life a little bit more. His mind made up, he quickly put the speed suit over his clothes and fastened the helmet atop his head. Having watched Hikaru start it, Kaoru quickly figured out the ignition and revved the engine a couple of times before speeding off.
"HOLY SHIT!!" He was yelling, but the yells were inaudible over the roar of the engine. Having never ridden one before, he initially kept gripping the handles tighter in a panic, which only made the bike go faster. Eventually, he calmed down enough to figure it out, and with a smug sense of satisfaction, began making his way to the park with all of his drawing tools in a sling across his back. He was just rounding a curve on the woodland road when felt the impact of a tremendous force. The last thing he remembered was his side hitting the guard rail, and the bike being over his head, rather than under him where it belonged.
'Was it a car?...I got hit by a car?...' It happened to people every day, but for some reason, it seemed absurd to him. 'Wait,...if I got hit by a car...then they would come down and help me, right?...Hey....
"HEY!" he yelled as loud as he could manage. "HEY, is anyone up there??! HELP!"
There was no reply. Damn...
Kaoru closed his eyes, giving up. He couldn't even turn over, much less crawl, and he could feel his strength quickly draining out of him. As a dizzy, nauseous feeling started to overtake him, and his vision began to blur again, he smiled in quiet resignation.
"Goodbye...Hikaru...," he whispered, a tear escaping down his cheek.
Kaoru's smile instantly faded when he heard a sudden, violent rustling in the bushes on the far side.
'I guess someone did hear me!' he thought joyfully. The jubilant feeling did not last long, however, as a large, scraggly, yellow mutt of a dog came limping out of the bushes. His fur was matted, and caked with mud, and his tail had an odd kink in it from being broken long ago. Its long tongue lazily draped over his sharp canines, the dog panted and raised its head to look at the pathetic boy lying a few feet away. Kaoru froze; one of the dog's eyes gleamed an unnatural, milky white in the dusky light.
The quiet death, alone, in the rain, had just graduated to the utter terror of being eaten alive by a stray dog.
