A/N:

Hi everyone! :)

So I haven't written fancition for a long time, and even when I used to it wasn't for the Ouran fandom. However, my sister and I have been completely hooked on OHHC for a while now, and the two of us both found that we have a particular interest in the twins :) So I figured, 'hey, I'm gonna write a fic about them' :D

But it's funny, I say this with all smiles and then injure Kaoru, my favourite character, haha ;) I'm so evil.

Anyway, important notes:

1. This isn't a twincest fic, so if you're looking for that, I'm sorry but you've clicked the wrong story :( but expect lots of brotherly love (of course, what else would you expect from the twins? ;))

2. I'm not sure if there are going to be any pairings in this fic (seriously doubting it...), but if there are it won't be 'Hikaharu.' Just sayin' ;)

3. DISCLAIMER: I don't own Ouran Highschool Host Club...which means that I also don't own the Hitachiin twins, sadly :'(

Enjoy the story!


Hikaru hadn't said a word for three hours and twenty-two minutes.

He knew this because of the bright flashing numbers on the face of a digital clock that rested on the bedside table. Three hours and twenty-two minutes was also the amount of time that he'd been sitting stoically by his brother's side, holding his hand tensely. Apparently seeing his twin like this had put him into a state of shock, at least, that's what the doctors had told his mother when Hikaru found that he couldn't seem to form any words upon seeing Kaoru.

Hikaru's tired, bloodshot eyes flickered over to her for a moment, noting how her thin frame was sprawled out in the armchair with her head tipped back. He could hear her lightly snoring over the harsh 'Beep…beep…beep…' of the heart rate monitor.

He quickly adjusted his line of vision back to Kaoru's sleeping form. Wait, that wasn't the word for my brothers' condition, Hikaru reminded himself bitterly. The real word was comatose.

Hikaru's grip unconsciously tightened around his brother's hand, wishing above all else that he'd feel a comforting squeeze in return. But he got nothing.

How could this have happened? Kaoru was the mature, sensible one who always managed to calm Hikaru down when his emotions got the best of him and he flew off the handle. Kaoru was the one who always put Hikaru before himself, and always seemed to understand the actions and emotions of others much more than his slightly older brother.

"So," Hikaru murmured, his voice hoarse as if it were made of sandpaper. "Why was it him? Why couldn't it have been me?"

It should have been me.

That was his first thought when he saw his twin, his other half, lying limply in the hospital bed and hooked up to so many machines that Hikaru couldn't even begin to make sense of all of the tubes. His next thought was that he had to be dreaming; that all of this wasn't real. His baby brother couldn't possibly look so frail, with dark bruises lining his face and arms and gauze wrapped tightly around his head, making his reddish hair stick up at odd angles. This was not, and could not be, Kaoru. It just wasn't.

But it was. And Hikaru knew that this wasn't a dream.

"It should have been me," Hikaru whispered, his despair filled words falling off dry lips. "You don't deserve this. I may be the pitcher twin, but you understand things and people better than I do. Hell, you understand me better than I do."

Out of habit, Hikaru paused, waiting for his brother to answer, but the only response he got was that annoying, droning beeping.

"Kaoru, please wake up," he begged, the back of his parched throat burning painfully from unshed tears.

Silence.

"This isn't funny. Wake up."

Kaoru didn't even flinch, his breathing heart-wrenchingly slow and even.

Hikaru dropped Kaoru's hand and felt his fist clench forcefully, his nails digging into his palm.

"I said wake up, you idiot!" He suddenly shouted, getting to his feet so fast that his chair went clattering to the floor. His mother was startled awake by her eldest son's outburst, but Hikaru didn't notice. Right now, he couldn't see or hear anything other than the beeping and the overwhelming feeling of anger and grief.

It should have been me.

"How could you?" He screamed, pain shooting through his broken arm, but he was too frustrated to care. "You should have just let it hit me! I would have forgiven you! It was my own stupid fault anyway, Kaoru!"

His mother came rushing over, tears spilling down her cheeks, as she placed her hands on her son's shoulders, trying to calm him down.

"You don't deserve this," he choked out, the tears finally cascading out of his green-gold eyes. He could feel his whole body shaking with sorrow and aggravation as he allowed his mother to wrap her arms him.

He buried his face into her shoulder, and closed his eyes tight.

"It should have been me."


Yesterday evening...

"I can't believe that you failed your foreign language test again," Kaoru scolded as he read over the failed test paper. He and his brother were currently in their limousine, heading home after a long day of school and various host club activities. "I thought you said that you were finally getting the hang of it!"

Hikaru, who was leaning back nonchalantly in the limo with his hands behind his head, suddenly shot up into a sitting position, his teeth clenched in anger.

"I was getting it! But the teacher gave us a passage to translate that had tons of words in it that we hadn't learnt before! I don't even think half of them were even in the study design."

Kaoru smirked, his bright eyes gleaming knowingly. He had received an A+ on that test after all.

"Hikaru, you're supposed to read the whole sentence and focus on it as a whole, not fuss over every word. It's how we're supposed to learn."

The older Hitachiin made a 'hmph' sound in the back of his throat and rolled his eyes. "But that's stupid. If the teacher wants us to 'learn' then he should teach it to us before the test!" he tried to rationalize, his voice revealing some of that old superiority that the twins used to use when they talked about other people as kids. "See, this is why I like math. The teacher shows us how to do an equation, and then similar equations appear on the test. Easy A."

"That's easy for you to say," Kaoru muttered, looking down at the carpeted floor of the limo. "I'm still failing math."

Hikaru felt an evil smirk tug playfully at his lips. "You know, one day we should try switching places and taking each other's tests. Bet that would not only confuse and surprise the teachers, but it would also solve our problems."

Kaoru's smile suddenly mimicked his brother's, completely identical to the naked eye. 'Yeah, that would definitely be a lot of fun. Too bad that if we switched, one of us would still have to fail." Kaoru said his face falling again, but Hikaru shook his head.

"Not if one of us is "sick" and has to take the test the next day. Sure, we'd have to do the tests twice, but it would be worth it."

Kaoru laughed and wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulders, resting his head against that of his counterpart and Hikaru easily reciprocated. "We're definitely geniuses, Hikaru."

"You got that right, Kaoru," Hikaru replied with a more genuine smile as the limousine came to a stop outside their mansion on the other side of the street. The twins looked at each other, silently questioning why the limo wasn't moving into their driveway.

As if in response to their unasked question, the glass that separated the driver from the passengers rolled down, revealing one of their chauffers, Shiromu.

"I apologize, young masters, but I need to go pick up Mrs. Hitachiin now and I'm already running late. If it's not of too much inconvenience would you mind getting out here and crossing the street? If not I suppose I can drive around-"

"Na," Hikaru said offhandedly, opening the door and climbing out.

"Don't worry about it Shiromu," Kaoru added, following his twin.

"Besides, we don't want you to make mother wait," Hikaru finished, waving his hand in an 'off you go' gesture. He then turned to his brother. "Come on Kaoru, let's head inside and get to planning, shall we?"

Then he stepped out onto the road, Kaoru following. After that, everything seemed to happen too quickly for Hikaru to process.

The sound of a car going way to fast, its music blearing loudly; Kaoru's voice cracking as he shouts at his brother to move; the feel of brother's rough hands as he pushes him out of the way, followed by the feel of the tarmac smashing against his body far too quickly and a throbbing pain in his arm. He thinks he may have screamed his brother's name and seen the blood. Maybe he heard sirens wailing? He wasn't sure anymore. The point was, that when he awoke in hospital and looked fretfully around the room, Kaoru wasn't there. Later he'd learn that, at the time, the doctors were desperately sending shocks of electricity into Kaoru's chest, hoping to start up his heart again.

They succeeded, but only just, and it wasn't enough to save him from the unnatural sleep that his brain forced him into.

And it wasn't enough to save Hikaru from suddenly becoming very alone.


So that's the first chapter! Hope you all like it, and don't worry, I'll have more coming soon. Expect the first few chapters to kind of be...introductions, I guess. The real story will begin later :)

Anyway, as you know, I was a bit unsure about posting this after so long, so review? I'd really appreciate it :D

-Bell