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The Skin House

Chapter One: Scald

Five hours prior

Tamaki held up two, skinny, metal bars and stared at them quizzically. He sat cross-legged on the grass. He then looked to the left at the pile of other bars and what appeared to be a large sheet of green plastic.

The blonde looked back at the bars in his hand, his blue eyes showing obvious puzzlement.

"Having trouble?" A voice behind him made him jump and drop the bars on the grass.

"Kyoya, how many times have I told you to stop sneaking up on me like that?!" Tamaki shouted dramatically.

Kyoya laughed and pushed up his glasses, causing them to gleam in the sunlight that was barely passing through the tree branches above them.

"So sorry," he replied in his regular cool voice. "How about you let Takashi take care of the tents?"

Upon hearing his name, Takashi looked up from where he was stacking wood.

"Who died and made you queen?" Hikaru said as he held his cell phone high in the air. "Hey, Haruhi? Are you aware I am only getting a single bar of signal out here?"

Haruhi glanced at him as she set up lawn chairs around a stack of logs that would soon be made into a fire.

"Hikaru, are you aware that this is camping?" Haruhi said with no sense of guilt.

The older twin sighed and tapped the phone against his forehead in aggravation. Kaoru giggled at him as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, it won't be that bad," he reassured his brother. "I actually have always been a little curious about this whole camping thing. It could be fun, y'know."

"Yeah, as long as I don't get bitten by anymore damn mosquitoes," Hikaru said angrily as he slapped yet another one of the bugs off of his arm.

"You should have said something sooner," Kyoya said from beside Takashi, who was silently setting up the tents with ease. Hunny sat and watched him as he ate cupcakes out of a box that seemed to have come out of nowhere.

The twins turned to Kyoya and saw him reach into a rather large book bag. He tossed a spray bottle to them.

Hikaru caught it and read the label, then narrowed his eyes at him.

"Why didn't you tell me you had bug spray?"

"I have bug spray too," Haruhi said, holding up her own bottle.

"Does everyone have bug spray? I didn't get the memo that we were supposed to bring it," Hikaru said.

"Well, if you thought about it a little harder, you would have realized we were going to be in the wilderness for a few days surrounded by bugs," Haruhi said as she sprayed herself. "We didn't think we had to let you know. Hey, Tamaki, can you spray the back of my neck?"

Tamaki appeared beside Haruhi in an instant.

"OF COURSE, HARUHI!"

"Hikaru can you please spray me? I never seem to get it everywhere," Kaoru asked.

"You need spray too, Mitsukuni," Takashi said seriously, and Hunny nodded.

"Hey, sorry to ask another favor, but can you start a fire, Takashi?" Haruhi asked as she lifted up her short hair from her neck for Tamaki to spray.

"Yeah," Takashi answered as he sprayed Hunny's legs with the bug spray.

Kaoru smiled at his brother when he was finished being coated with the strong spray. Hikaru smiled back, of course.

Despite his aggravation at the whole camping thing, Hikaru was glad to be on a vacation with his friends. They had all had their own troubles since graduation, and they needed this time away from the rest of the world; where it was just them, and only them.

…

Hikaru jolted out of his sleep, his eyes shooting open. It was strange, the day before he had opened his eyes to see the inside of the green tent he shared with Kyoya and Kaoru. Now, he awoke to see…what?

Hikaru groaned as he sat up and held his head. He looked around to see Haruhi lying beside him with her eyes closed. Where was everyone else? What happened?

Then it hit him. He remembered everything.

Strangers in masks, screaming, chasing, and fear. There was one crucial piece of his memory that made his blood run cold and his heart stop beating.

He had been with Kaoru when he blacked out. Where was Kaoru now?

Hikaru stood up immediately.

"KAORU?!" Hikaru shouted, looking around. "KAORU?!"

It was dark. He must have only been out for a couple of hours, or a whole day. He wasn't sure. All he cared about at that moment was finding his brother.

There was a soft groan beside him and he whipped his head around to see Haruhi sit up, holding her head.

"Hikaru? What are you yelling about? What happened?" Haruhi looked around with tired eyes. "Where are we?"

Suddenly her eyes opened wider and she looked at him with visible fear as she remembered. Hikaru shared her same feeling, though his expression was grim.

"HIKARU?!" A voice called from somewhere in the woods.

Both Haruhi and Hikaru's heads turned in the direction of the voice.

"HIKARU? IS THAT YOU?"

"TAMAKI!" Haruhi stood up and ran toward the voice.

"Haruhi, wait!" Hikaru shouted after her, holding up his hand. When she did not listen he cursed under his breath and ran after her. Kaoru had to be with Tamaki and the others.

He had to be.

Haruhi ran for about a minute before running smack into the brick wall that was Takashi. She almost fell backward, but he caught her.

"Haruhi!" Tamaki ran up behind Takashi and hugged the brunette, hard. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"I-I'm fine. I think…" Haruhi was about to ask where the others were until she saw Hunny on Takashi's shoulders and Kyoya appear behind Tamaki.

"Where is-" Hunny started to ask before Hikaru stumbled into view behind Haruhi.

"Damn thorn bushes," Hikaru grumbled as he picked a thorn out of his jacket sleeve.

"Where's Kaoru?" Tamaki asked.

"H-he's not with you?" Hikaru asked, fear spreading even further into his chest.

"No," Kyoya answered. "We thought he was with you."

"Hikaru!"

Kaoru's voice could barely be heard calling out, and Hikaru immediately took off running. The others behind him were calling out his name, but he was not listening. He had to get to Kaoru; he sounded afraid.

Hikaru ran as fast as he could before coming to the clearing of the campsite. Only then did he slow down.

There was still a small fire burning. The chairs they had been sitting in were knocked over. Other than that, it looked like a normal camp site.

"Hikaru!" the voice was heard again, and he spun around, trying to pinpoint the location.

"Hikaru!"

"Kaoru! Kaoru!" Hikaru traipsed around the campground, trying to find his brother.

He ran into their tent, which was unzipped. It was then that he heard his brother's voice again, but it was odd.

Kaoru's voice was coming from his sleeping bag.

"Stop! Not Hikaru, no!"

Hikaru was so extremely confused. He reached into the sleeping back and pulled out a tape recorder. The wheels inside were spinning as Kaoru's voice continued ringing out.

"Stop! Not Hikaru, no! Hikaru!"

Suddenly the recording cut off and Hikaru was left in the silence until the tape started up again. Hikaru sat and listened to his brother's pleading voice once more, not realizing that the others were behind him listening as well.

It was only when he felt a hand on his shoulder did he jump up and raise the device as a weapon at the person behind him. Tamaki held up his hands in a surrendering way, though his expression held understanding.

"Kaoru's…not here?" Hunny asked, confused.

Hikaru's face shadowed over as his head dropped. The recorder was still raised when he pressed the "stop" button.

"Is this…someone's sick idea of a joke?" Hikaru said in an angry and shaky voice as he dropped the device.

"Hikaru…" Tamaki began, but Hikaru's anger interrupted him.

"Whatever joke this is, it isn't funny!" Hikaru shouted as he gripped the front of Tamaki's shirt.

Tamaki grabbed his friend's hands at an attempt to calm him down. He knew he was only acting like this out of fear and worry; he knew that the older twin did not want to take his anger out of his friends, but he was a bit delusional at the moment due to heavy emotions. Haruhi tried to grab Hikaru's shoulders to pull him off of Tamaki, but she then pulled her hand back at the broken voice that erupted from her friend.

"WHERE THE FUCK IS MY BROTHER?! THIS ISN'T FUNNY! WHERE THE FUCK IS KAORU?!" he yelled into Tamaki's chest.

For once, Tamaki had no words to say. For once, Kyoya did not have any wise knowledge to give. Haruhi did not even get mad at Hikaru for his temper, nor did Hunny try and make him feel better with a piece of cake. Takashi, whose face as usually expressionless, held an expression of worry and concern.

They just watched as he began sobbing into Tamaki's chest.

Tamaki placed a hand on the older twin's head as a way to comfort. There was a shadow over his eyes before he looked up at the others.

The others looked at him with fear as well as the same determination that lit up their "boss'" eyes.

They had to find Kaoru, no matter what.

…

Kaoru let out another loud, pained noise behind the Scold's Bridle as another cinderblock was dropped onto the wood that was pressed against his shins. Two more masked people had come into the room, except they wore black executioner hoods; the long masks only had two slits for the eyes.

Anymore weights dropped onto his shins and Kaoru was sure the bones would break or at least crack. If not, then the bruising would still be horrific.

Thankfully, the "doctor" ordered them to remove the cinderblocks from his legs as well as the plank of wood. As the executioners did this, the doctor began removing the Scold's Bridle from Kaoru's head.

Before removing it completely, he brought his long leg over Kaoru, nearly straddling him. Once again, the beak of the mask was almost touching Kaoru's nose. The man slowly removed the mask while also using his gentle touch to open Kaoru's mouth. Kaoru watched as the spiked piece was pulled out of his mouth. It was covered in blood; the same blood that had also dripped down Kaoru's chin and dried.

The man handed the bridle to one of the executioners. He then brought his hands forward and felt Kaoru's face once more.

"Aren't you a beauty?" he said in a gentle voice.

Kaoru breathed deeply and mustered up the courage he had to finally speak.

"Let me go," he said in a raw voice.

The man simply shook his head. The executioners removed the ropes that had bound Kaoru down, and he immediately reached up and shoved the man off of him and onto the ground. He let out a grunt as he fell to the cold, hard floor.

Kaoru leaped up and cried out as his bruised legs impacted on the floor, but let adrenaline take over as he ran to the door. Just as he tried to open it, one of the executioners grabbed him and held his arms down.

"Let me go, you bastards!" Kaoru shouted, kicking out at them.

"My, my," the doctor said, standing up from the floor and brushing off his coat. "And I thought you were the sweet one, but you seem to have some feistiness in you."

"Shut up and let me go!" Kaoru spat at him.

"I can't do that," he replied cooly. "You see…it was either you or your brother, Hikaru. You don't want me to let you go. Then I would have to grab Hikaru instead."

Kaoru's eyes widened, first at how the man knew their names, then at the mention of grabbing his brother.

"NO! Not Hikaru, please!"

The doctor chuckled lightly as he walked over to what appeared to be a stove and picked up a pot that had been bubbling over.

"No Hikaru, eh?" the doctor asked sweetly. "You know, I liked you better when you weren't shouting and yelling. This is why I picked you. You were the sweet one."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kaoru spat at him. "You don't know me!"

"Oh…but I do," the doctor replied as he got closer, holding the steaming pot. "Why else would I choose you? I have begun to wonder if I should have chosen the feistier one. Hikaru would also be a good test subject. Do you want me to go grab Hikaru instead? I would just love to watch him squirm just as much as I enjoy watching you."

"NO!" Kaoru screamed.

The doctor chuckled again as he placed the put on the floor.

"Fine, but you will have to prove it. You have to prove to me that you will be a good little subject so I won't grab Hikaru instead," the doctor said as he lifted the lid from the pot. "Now, are you going to be a good little subject, or not?"

Kaoru glared at the man in the mask and closed his eyes before nodding.

"Good boy," the doctor said calmly.

Then, in a split second had Kaoru's arm in his tight grip.

"Get ready to prove to me so I won't grab Hikaru," the man said with sudden malice.

With that, the man plunged Kaoru's arm into the pot as far as it would go and white, hot pain shot up his arm.

Kaoru screamed as his flesh burned and blistered within the steaming contents that were still bubbling with heat. He had burned himself before, but this was twenty times worse, if not more.

"You know, I really think Hikaru would be a good replacement subject, don't you? In fact, I should go get him right now," the doctor said, removing Kaoru's arm.

"NO! NO!" Kaoru screamed as tears fell from his eyes.

The doctor removed his arm from the pot and said, "I'm sorry? I didn't quite hear that. You!"

The doctor shouted at one of the executioner's as he pointed at him.

"Go get Hikaru! This one won't cooperate."

"NO! NOT HIKARU, NO!" Kaoru shouted.

He could not bear the thought of his brother going through this torment. No, he would take this torture over Hikaru's torture any day. Hikaru had always been the one protecting him, now it was his turn to protect his older brother.

The doctor looked held up his hand to stop the one executioner from leaving the room. The executioner stopped immediately.

"Good boy," the doctor said soothingly as he pet Kaoru's head.

The man slowly removed his hand from Kaoru's soft hair and grabbed his arm, plunging in into the boiling water again.

…