Midnight

The door opened with a soft click and the unexpected sound made him blink. He looked around and the realization dawned on him that he was still in the classroom.

What was he still doing here?

Ah, yes, when Hikaru walked out he didn't felt like getting home.

He didn't feel like getting up.

He didn't feel like doing anything, really.

A small part of him had wanted to break down, but he couldn't. He just couldn't.

So he had just sat there, without moving, without doing anything, without even thinking.

"Hitachiin?" Golden eyes traveled up once more and he met the face of Kazukiyo Soga who stood next to the door. His eyes looked genually surprised, but other than that the boy was completely normal.

Kaoru himself wondered if he looked any different. He knew he felt different.

He felt empty.

"What are you doing here, Class Rep?" He forced himself to ask, shaking his head a little to completely embrace the reality that he had turned his back to for a while. He had to, after all.

"Uh? Well, I was meeting Miss Kurakano to discuss the last project of the class," explained the boy as he left his bag on one of the front desks.

"Is that so?" Kaoru finally got up and found with relief that his feet still weren't useless. He would have thought with what happened –he- would be rendered useless, but he was managing well for the moment.

Yet…

It worked out for them…

"But even if the spell is changed the carriage can keep going?" He muttered. "How many times will that succeed, I wonder?"

"Excuse me?" The Class President looked at him with obvious confusion. Come to think of it, the boy probably hadn't changed the way things were too much. For as far as Kaoru knew, he and the Vice President were still only friends.

Because he was too scared to change the spell.

"Nothing, I'm just talking to myself," answered the Hitachiin as he quickly took his things and put everything back in his bag. Now that he wasn't in any shape to pretend for too long. The sooner he left, the better.

"You're Kaoru, aren't you?" Golden eyes widened as he looked up, his actions coming to a sudden stop.

How could he know? The boy wasn't even so close to them, he hardly knew them. They hadn't changed that much, this was ridiculous!

How could he…

"Am I wrong? Sorry, I just remembered that Kaoru said something like that back after the Fear Trial, so I thought…" He looked away obviously embraced. But at least his explanation made sense.

Kaoru was simply overreacting. Of course they hadn't changed that much.

They couldn't, could they? At least not so fast.

"No, you're right," he forced a smile. "I'm surprised you remember that."

Finally shoving everything in his bag, the boy threw it over one shoulder and headed out of the room.

"Um… Then, where's Hikaru?" He was at the door already when the question reached him. He turned to look at his classmate over his shoulder.

Far… he's far…

"He had some things to take care of," turning forward the boy started walking again. "See you Monday, Class Rep. Good luck with the date."

As he walked down the corridor he could hear the desperate voice of the other insisting that it wasn't a date.

Well, it should have been, for all Kaoru cared. He should have made the move earlier. But what did that have to do with him, anyway?

Reaching into his pocket he pulled out his cellphone and using his chin he opened it.

A quarter past seven. Club activities had ended at five and Hikaru must have walked out around five thirty.

So he had been in the room for almost two hours now.

Stupid… What could I have done anyway?

His fingers were dealing numbers and before he realized a familiar number flashed n the screen. He blinked and stopped himself just as he was about to press the 'Call' button.

What would he gain from calling? Hikaru needed his time with Haruhi and he had no right to disturb him.

Almost angrily he snapped his phone shut and pushed it deep into his pocket.

He told his brother not to call him a limo, so he'd just have to walk to the mansion. It wasn't that far away, really and he needed a little time.

No, even an eternity wouldn't be enough to get over this, he feared. Yet he just wanted to go home for now and try to come up with something, -anything- to keep himself together.

His eyes suddenly flashed towards another door that was being opened and he stopped, blinking.

What am I doing here?

"Then I'll be waiting for you to call, ok?" The Lord walked out of the door of the Third Music Room, his head turned back towards Kyouya who followed him shortly.

His golden eyes locked with the black gaze of his upperclassman and a single brow was raised.

That was about enough to bring the King's attention to him.

"Eh? What are you doing here, by yourself?" He blinked. "Where's…" the blond started looking around as if he'd lost something.

"Hikaru went to Haruhi's," he answered bluntly which led the Lord to scream in desperation.

"No! How dare that devilish twin go anywhere near my sweet daughter!? Mother, we have to do something before –he- does something!"

Another spell that stands in place… Another carriage that continues its path… Where did I go wrong?

"Kaoru?" He looked up at the black haired boy who completely ignored his classmate. "Is anything wrong?"

"No," he shrugged. "I just don't like being without him, is all. I'm going home now."

He waved and turned around, this time deliberately walking towards the exit of the school, leaving the two club members have their piece.

What happened to the scheme? I don't even feel like revealing that we know anymore. It's so… meaningless.

Walking home had never been like this, he mussed. the two of them rarely did it, they had too many things to take care of to waste their time walking, yet at the rare occasions they did, they would have pulled at least one prank and laughed at at least ten people by the time they reached their home.

Now he simply walked, putting his headphones and distancing himself from the world. Somehow being between the crowds only made him feel more alone than he already was.

When he reached his home, he went strait to the room he shared with Hikaru, took his clothes off and curled under the covers.

It was at that point that he lost track of everything again. Something was missing, he realized. It was almost like suddenly nothing mattered anymore. Nothing was important enough for him to even think about it, because thinking never solved anything.

No… It only makes matters worce.

At a certain point Hikaru came back. Stirring when he heard him enter the room, the younger one looked at the digital clock. Ten to ten. It wasn't like he had slept a second of the time, but it wasn't like he had been awake, either.

"You're in bed early," stated his brother as he made his way across the room, not turning the lights on. "Are you feeling ok?"

"Yes, I'm alright, Hikaru," he knew that adding the other's name in that sentence had been all but unneeded, but he liked to say it as much as possible. He always had. And despite of that he felt like there was something strange in the way the letters rolled off of his tongue this time. "Did it go well?"

"Oh, it was awesome!" Turning towards him, his brother was positively shining. "Haruhi was acting annoyed at first but I'm sure she didn't mean it! I mean, she invited me in and she helped me with the homework and then we talked, and she's going to Nagoya for the weekend, did you know that?"

"She is?" Sitting up in bed Kaoru made himself look interested, as he smiled softly towards his brother.

It was the first time, he realized, when his fake expression had fooled the older twin and in a strange way, that hurt him.

"Yeah, she has some relatives there and she's going to visit!"

And he was so vigorous about it that he didn't have to say any more. Kaoru didn't want to hear any more, and more than that he didn't want to already be aware of his brother's intentions.

But he was.

"Hay," Hikaru sat across from him on the bed, left only in his boxers now. "do you want to go to Nagoya, Kaoru? We'll get a hotel room for the night not to bother them and then we'll go around with her all day! It's going to be so much fun!"

"Sure, why not?" His approval was met with a happy 'Yahoo!' before Hikaru rushed towards the bathroom to take a shower without as much as another glance at him.

Kaoru clenched his eyes shut, prying the tears away as he lied down facing the big window and cuddled up further into the covers.

What will I do now?