Answered Reviews =
angelicravenx3: Thank you! Haha, yeaaa I agree~ I love Kaoru more than Hikaru for some reason. But I prefer them together, definitely. 8D
anonymous reviewer: I'm glad you like my writing style! =D I had to use the thesaurus for alot of words though, haha.
xBakura's lovex: Oh gosh, YAY! I was so worried that the characters were going to be OOC but I'm glad you don't think so. =D Hopefully, they'll all remain in character until the end of the story. xD
Darkhuntress01: lol, thank you! Here's the next chapter for you~
Echo my Love
*
*
Chapter Two
( Kaoru Hiatchiin's Point of View )
Hearing me sigh for the third time in half an hour, Hikaru turned on the couch to deliver me a look of annoyance. "Would you /quit/ that?"
Offended, I rushed an apology before bringing my attention back to the task at hand. I was twirling a pencil expertly with my fingers as I locked my eyes on to a page of the note book splayed out in front of me. My hastily-scribbled handwriting stared back and I bit my lip to avoid drawing another sigh. Hikaru and I have been in the club room for nearly an hour. My older brother was lounging on the couch, playing a new game on our gameboy while I was sitting at a nearby table, on the verge of tearing my hair apart to come up with new ideas.
As I scratched off a sentence on the page, I forgot to hold back a sigh. Hearing me exhale loudly, Hikaru's head snapped up from his game and darted me a fierce glare. Looking at his irritated expression, I snorted before falling into a laughing fit. His eyes hardened, and I gripped a side of the table to gain control of myself. "S-Sorry Hikaru! It's just... preparing for the dance isn't as easy as I thought it would be."
Picking himself up from his seat and tossing the device on a nearby couch cushion, Hikaru walks over to where I sit. "Well, it's your fault for volunteering. You should've known it would be troublesome to think of ideas for the club", he said smartly, his all-knowing voice triggering a deep regret within me.
Groaning, I held my head with both hands and kept my voice at a rational level. "I know... It wouldn't be so hard if the club didn't already use over thirty cosplays."
Hikaru laughed openly at my distress and brought a chair to my side. "I'll help you, just because you're my adorable little twin", he snickered, tapping my cheek with a pad of his finger. I swatted his hand away but then Hikaru draped his entire arm around my neck. Not even bothering to fight it off, I heard Hikaru ask curiously, "So what do you need help with anyway?"
Pushing the notebook in front of him, I nodded at the short list. "All of that." It was his turn to sigh, "We've got alot of work to do, Kaoru."
I couldn't agree more.
*
Interval arrived before we knew it. The first ones through the doorway was Tamaki and Kyouya with Hani and Mori following in their shadow. Haruhi wouldn't be here until ten minutes before the club was opening to the public, like always.
"You two are here early", Tamaki remarked, raising his eyebrows with a delighted smile. He closed his violet eyes and placed a hand over his heart in a melodramatic manner. "It's a nice quality to always be on time. Afterall...", his eyes opened and they snapped on me and Hikaru. "It should be considered a crime to let a fair maiden wait for their prince."
Cleaning the notebook and pencils scattered across the table top, I cleared my throat pointedly. Hikaru, catching my drift, snickered, not even bothering to hide his grin.
Tamaki's face drifted on the border of puzzlement as he blinked three times. "What is it?"
After I finished my duty, I turned and saw Hikaru fold his arms across his chest, the smirk never fading. Walking towards him, I perched my chin on one of his shoulders with a duplicated expression. Perplexed, Tamaki could only stare.
"Milord, if that's true, then what would you be?", Hikaru asked, his tone light but accusing.
"It's understandable for Hikaru and I to be the royalty, but /you/..."
"You're more like the frog that needed a kiss to transform into a prince", Hikaru shrugged, a laugh coating his voice.
We watched Tamaki grow flustered; his face turned beet-red and his eyes dilated in anger. Even though he was working his mouth furiously, no noises came out. Tamaki was struck speechless and that made me and Hikaru cackle even harder.
On cue, a girl peered around the open door into the music room. "E-Excuse me?"
Everyone turned to look at the intruder and she blushed under our combined stares. "My friends and I were just wondering if.. if the host club was open yet."
Kyouya stepped forward the instant she elaborted and smiled in a way that was too kind for someone like him, "Of course. The Host Club is open and ready to accept you."
Never missing a beat, Tamaki gently grasped her hands in his while stringing silky words together as an attempt to woo her. She giggled and flushed deeply that forced me to look at Hikaru instead. He looked almost nonchalant with the entire situation now that teasing Tamaki was over. Hikaru turned to me and I read the hidden message behind his eyes: /I'm bored./
I lowered my head so that I was regarding him through thick lashes. /Then let's give them a show they'll never forget./
The corner of his mouth twitched upwards before he yanked me towards him. Our bodies were pressed tightly together, not even an inch of space was seen. I could tell every pair of eyes were onto us, and I managed to conceal a satisfied smile.
"Kaoru...", Hikaru whispered, but it was loud enough to carry across the room. He tilted my chin up with a finger, making our eyes lock on to no one but each other. "I can't take it anymore, Kaoru. I won't ever let you go!"
I played my part well and blushed at his declaration like I was supposed to. Tightening my clutch on the front of his uniform, I turned my head away sharply. It was dramatically done, and many girls drew sharp breaths like Hikaru and I predicted. "I have to go, Hikaru! You know I don't have a say in this.... It's only for a few hours, brother."
Hikaru ducked his head and his bangs blocked our audience from seeing his eyes. I was able to though, and I spotted the spark of excitement in them. My chest heaved in happiness; whenever Hikaru was enjoying himself, so was I. It was always like that, even when we were kids. Whatever Hikaru liked, I did too, and vice versa.
"...A few hours is too long, you know that Kaoru."
"Yes."
"... I don't want you to go..."
"..I know that too."
It didn't even take Hikaru to start breaking down before a crowd formed around us. Hikaru and I were the main attraction, naturally.
"Hikaru-kun, Kaoru-kun... What's the matter? Are you being forced apart?", A girl asked loudly, raising her voice to be heard over the low whispers. I buried my head into the crook of his neck and let Hikaru do the explaining.
"Our mother's fashion company wants individual interviews of the Hitachiin family. Mine isn't due until four months from now, but Kaoru's....", he let his sentence trail off, a sign for me to complete it.
"My interview takes place tomorrow afternoon", I answered quietly, my gold-flecked eyes downcast and swimming with fake tears, courtesy of our Menthol ointment we bought days before. It's too bad I can't cry at will like Tamaki; I always need an aid.
Needless to say, I looked pitiful and the girls swooned at the sight of my tear-filled eyes.
"Poor Kaoru! You have to be seperated from your brother for so long!"
"Oh Hikaru! He has to endure hours away from Kaoru!"
Hikaru seized his chance to deepen our sob story. "It's possible that other interviewers would want to question Kaoru tomorrow. That would mean /double/ the hours.."
We were making this up as we went along, and everything we said were composed of lies. The entire Host Club probably knew this, but didn't risk calling us out because of our high sell rates.
Even so, the ladies weren't aware of anything out of place and cooed comforting words to us. It was almost unbearable; I snickered and successfully changed it into a pathetic sniffle. Nobody except Hikaru noticed a thing, and I saw the shadow of a smirk cross his features.
The rest of our brotherly act continued. Girls who're usually crawling all over Tamaki designated us because of our unruly scene we caused; it was beginning to get on our lord's nerves much to our pleasure.
Once the last of our customers walked out the door, I raised myself from the love seat Hikaru and I shared. "That wasn't so bad."
"Not at all. We're the most requested hosts today", Hikaru grinned at me, and his teeth were visible before disappearing behind the rim of a tea cup. I beamed back because Hikaru's smiles were always infectious.
"Milord doesn't seem too happy", I pointed out, holding my hips with a small smirk in place. "He's whining because we stole all of his precious customers."
My eyes were pinned onto the sulking figure across the large music room. Tamaki was sitting in his corner while doodling invisible circles on the polished floor, mumbling nonsense.
Hikaru chuckled once, placing the tea cup down delicately onto the glass table in front of us. Getting up as well, he dropped a hand onto one of my shoulders. "Why don't we go add some oil to the fire?"
My smile grew larger at his suggestion and we both faced the corner at where Tamaki was moping. "Nice plan."
Marching over to our lord, we both crouched down on either side of him. Tamaki stiffened at our unwanted arrival, as if preparing himself for a struggle or a fight. I glanced at Hikaru surreptitiously and saw a devilish smile stretch itself across his face. I could feel my mouth do the same and we simultaneously pulled Tamaki on to his feet by the arms. He let out a surprised shriek and that only increased our amusement. Dragging him across the room and plopping him in the seat across the table from Kyouya, Hikaru and I felt accomplished.
"Wh-What are you two doing?!", Tamaki seethed in animosity, his usually bright eyes now blackened with rage.
We spread our hands and shrugged, "We were bored."
"You..! You demonic brothers!"
As Tamaki threw his tantrum with Hikaru and I faking ignorance, Kyouya shut his laptop with a click. That got our attention, and we all swiveled our head in the demon lord's direction.
"Kyouya?", Tamaki asked, face no longer holding the malice it had earlier.
"If I were you three, I wouldn't cause such a hassle", Kyouya-senpai said calmly, but I thought I detected a hint of irritation in the way he talked. Delivering a clear look of dispassion over his glasses, he continued on, "There is a young lady waiting for your service behind me, boys."
Directing our attention to the space he jerked his thumb at, Hikaru and I swiftly made our way over to the isolated damsel sitting at one of the comfortable armchairs, unattended. We heard our lord following in our footsteps rather hastily but paid him no mind.
I latched my slender hands over the girl's and held onto them like my life depended on it. Hikaru, on the other hand, was bending over the back of the chair, his hands resting gingerly on her bony shoulders.
Inclining forward, my face was barely an inch away from hers. I whispered huskily, "You're a new face, but why do you look so lonely? Should we accompany you?"
Hikaru tipped his head and took on the same tone as me. His breath brushed the shell of her ear, "We wouldn't want you to be... so /alone/."
Scorching like any other typical female, the girl gasped in what we figured was delight. Before we could make the next move, Tamaki yanked me away from her, letting me stumble into one of the nearby tables. Hikaru shouted instinctively and removed himself from the back of the couch to run to my aid.
We glowered at the towering figure of our lord, who was equally irate. "That isn't how you treat a pretty princess! Learn some manners before you try to give service to someone other than each other!"
I only glared harder, and Hikaru scoffed. "What are you talking about, /my lord/? We were offering her the best kind of service."
We were starting a commotion, because nearly every body in the room were watching us. Hikaru and I weren't fazed at all by the attention. Straightening my Ouran uniform, I stuck closer to Hikaru's side.
Tamaki jabbed a finger at us, his voice sharp like daggers, "Seducing a lady is not the proper way! It's reckless and gives off a false sense of security!"
I turned to Hikaru and we shared unimpressed fronts. After a moment, we concealed a devious smile behind a flawlessly constructed mask and bowed to Tamaki. He was taken aback, not expecting us to do this.
We pulled ourselves upright and smiled wholeheartedly as possible. "Sorry, milord! We'll make sure she's in good hands!"
"A-Ah, okay", he blinked, his stance loose and less intimidating. Flashing him the same innocent grins, we made our way to our new guest. We heard Tamaki boasting at how he finally came through to us, but that wasn't the case.
I took the available seat next to our blushing newcomer and shot Hikaru a specific look across the table. He knew what it meant; his smile was a signal that he understood.
Tamaki's words were nothing but a nuisance to hear. Afterall... What sort of woman don't like advances anyway?
*
As promised, the girl (whose name we gathered to be Emilia) was well taken care of. Providing Emilia the full attention she desired, I faced her on the couch, my weight being supported by the fancy cushions.
"So you're new here then?", I raised my eyebrows and smiled, my interest being piqued. "That's unusual. Ouran usually don't accept any foreign transfer students during the middle of the school year. Isn't that right, Hika?"
I didn't get a response, so I glanced over at my twin to find him staring down at the cup in his hands. "Hikaru?"
"...Yeah.."
His voice was withdrawn, almost sad, and it made my eyes widen. "Hikaru?", I questioned in concern, my brows knitting together and forming a crease. My brother ignored me, instead bringing the cup to his lips and taking a long sip.
It was as if our roles were switched; that somehow, I was the dominant one in our act. Except this wasn't an act, at least... not that I was aware of. Strangely though, he's been quiet during the entire time Emilia talked of her journey to Japan from Europe. Hikaru was bored halfway through the conversation, I knew that much at least. The way he kept allowing his eyes to slide shut or how his shoulders slumped were all obvious signs to me. But right now, his grip he had on the cup was pretty tight. Almost as if he was immensely annoyed with something.
My thoughts were focused entirely on Hikaru, who was now swirling his tea with a small spoon. I didn't even know that Emilia was speaking to me.
"...nice here. I especially enjoy being at the host club. I've heard many girls talk about it during lunch. I knew I had to stop by when I get the chance and I'm glad I did."
"Huh?", I blinked away from Hikaru and fixed my stare onto Emilia. She wrung her hands together nervously and a red hue flecked her cheeks. "I... I'm happy I met you, Kaoru-kun." She looked up from her hands and smiled bashfully.
Chuckling hesitantly, my eyes flickered from Hikaru back to Emilia. Both were watching my reaction; Emilia was fidgety while Hikaru's face dawned with an emotion I couldn't put into words. The scowl he was sporting wasn't exactly nice to look at. Rubbing my fingers along the hairline at the back of my neck, I grinned a bit reluctantly. "I feel the same way about you, and I'm glad you enjoy the host club."
The pleased and jubilant smile she presented me made my heart sink. It wasn't that Emilia was a bad girl, she was anything but. However, interacting with her so comfortably in front of my sour twin didn't help matters.
Averting my eyes away from them, I picked up my own tea and forced myself to drink.
--End of Chapter Two/Kaoru's POV
authors note: Honestly? I think I could've wrote this better, but I decided to just half-ass it. Eheh. ^^;
I hope those of you who stick by me this far aren't disappointed with this chapter. I swear I'll try to make the next chapters better! xD
Oh, and I already planned out the entire story and its chapters. I've decided that there's going to be eight chapters for this story. :]