Chapter 3: Coffee and Beaches
Akane's POV
I was up all night before the big trip, packing and just generally not being able to sleep. Not to mention the fact that I was a horrible morning person. Why did we have to be going to the beach? I moaned inwardly, I know I said it would be fun, but I said that for Akira's benefit more than mine. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy some swimming but bringing the clients doesn't please me much. Oh well, I suppose I'll just have to read a book with Haruhi or write some music. Eh I don't wanna go to the beach… Akira shook me out of my stupor as our car pulled up in front of the school. We grabbed our bags and quickly got out, joining the host club in front of the fountain. We dumped our bags in the pile with the boy's stuff and greeted the rest of the club. Once Kyoya made sure everyone was there, we loaded the limos. At 7:00 in the morning. Akira and I got into the Hitachiin limo, Kaoru and Akira on one side and Hikaru and I on the other. I was too out of it to notice the devil eyes we got from the customers, or the sly look my sister shot me when I sat down. I was almost too asleep to notice when my head tipped sideways and landed on Hikaru's shoulder. I said Almost. I noticed alright, he has a bony shoulder. Not to mention he stiffened right up as soon as I touched him. He soon relaxed and even put an arm around me to keep me from falling over. I fell asleep.
Hikaru's POV
When Akane's head hit my shoulder I freaked out. What was she doing? Why was she doing it? How was I supposed to react? I looked up, sending a panicked look at my twin. He was smirking at me, Akira mirroring his look precisely. Kaoru mouthed, "Put an arm around her. You don't want her to fall." At me so I did as he said. Akane relaxed, made a small noise in the back of her throat, and fell asleep.
The rest of the ride was peaceful, short but calm. I strangely enjoyed holding Akane the whole way there, although the sly peeks from our siblings disturbed me. I nearly fell asleep myself. Before I could fully sleep however, Kaoru shouted that we were there. I jolted awake, waking Akane up in the process. "Curse you mortals for disturbing my slumber! I karate chop yo ass!" She exclaimed as she sat up. She immediately held her head in her hands, "Gah, my head hurts like a mother fucker, BRING ME CAFFEINE PUNY EARTHLINGS!" She glared at me, and then shoved past and out of the car. Once we were all out of the car, "Hikaru you have a freak ass bony shoulder." She said sternly, "Now to pay for your sins, and your bony shoulder, YOU MUST BRING THE CAFFIENE." I laughed out loud as she grabbed my arm and dragged me away from the car, turning to Kaoru and Akira for a moment, "Jeeves I trust you with the bags. MOVE INFERIOR ONE!" She prodded me in the back and shoved me onward.
Akira's POV
As soon as Hikaru and Akane were out of sight, Kaoru and I burst out laughing. I skipped up to the back of the limo, I'm used to Akane's morning personality but it still manages to amuse me to no end. I took mine and my sisters' bags from the servant holding them. "So is she normally like this? Your sister in the mornings I mean." Kaoru asks as he follows me with his bags. "Hahaha she's always like this when she just wakes up. I'm cranky and she's crazy. We're a dynamic duo." I glance over my shoulder to grin at him. He shook his head and smiled. "The host club is on the second floor. You and Akane's room are right beside Hikaru and I's." I nod and make my way to the elevator. "I hope you have acceptable swim wear prepared for my goddess like body." I said with a perfectly straight face and a little wink. When we reached the second floor I heard screaming and turn to Kaoru with dread. "Is there a coffee machine on this floor?" He nods and I hurried down the hall, dreading what I would find. As I suspected Akane was facing the coffee machine screaming at a clueless Tamaki who didn't know his life was in jeopardy, while Honey senpai, Mori senpai and Kyoya watched. She pounded her fists in the air near Tamaki's head, Hikaru being the only thing holding her back from caving his face in. "MOVE OUT OF THE WAY OF THE HOLY SUBSTANCE SLAVE! I WILL EXECUTE YOU AND KILL YOU! OR JUST EXECUTE YOU! MOVE BEFORE I CURSE YOUR INTESTINES TO MATE WITH THE FLOOR!" I laughed as I ran forward and shoved Tamaki out of the way, leaving him in Kyoya's 'care'. The evil king didn't even blink as Tamaki cried and wailed about his murderous daughter. I looked back at Akane and watched her helplessly spill coffee all over the floor. "My precious life bringing elixir, come back to meeee!" She sobbed, crumpling into a heap on the floor. Mori then picked her up, and carried her over his shoulder to a little toy table that honey was sitting at with his bunny Usa-chan. Hikaru, up to date with technology, quickly made a cup of black coffee, putting just a bit of sugar in. just the way Akane likes it… I thought quizzically to myself. He smirked as he handed her the cup. "MY BLESSED ELIXIR! Thank you slave I hereby release you from your indentured servitude." I laughed as she used Honey's cake covered fingers to tap both Hikaru's shoulders. She stuck her nose up into the air and took a tiny sip of coffee, before grinning evilly and chugging it. She sat with her eyes closed for a minute before opening them and looking around. "Alright," she said. "What did I mess up this time?"
Kaoru's POV
"Akane, Akira, hurry up everybody's already on the beach." I knocked on their door for the fortieth time. "Just wait! We're almost done! Is Hikaru with you?" I heard Akira say from the other side of the door. "Yeah he's here. Hurry up would ya!" I turned away from the door and leaned on the wall opposite to it, beside Hikaru. He was wearing green shorts, while I was stuck with the blue ones. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes shortly before the door busted open; I jerked my head forward and widened my eyes. Somehow there were sparkles around the two girls, my eyes caught on two tattoos of hummingbirds on the girl's lower ribcage. Akira's on the left and Akane are on the right. Akira wore a light pink bikini with darker red ties, ruffles on the top and the bottom like a skirt. Akane wore a dark blue top like Akira's but black short shorts. They both had identical reflected aviator sunglasses and bright orange towels. "Mommy never tell you that staring is rude?" They said in unison, I looked over to Hikaru who stared the same way as I was. "Awfully naughty, wouldn't you agree Akane?" Akira pursed her lips and tilted her head to look at Akane, "Yes Akira, I agree fully! What should we do about it?" Akane said smirking, "Teach them a lesson I s'pose." Akira said with a shrug and a wink. The girls tossed their towels over their shoulders and pulled their aviators down in unison, without a backward glance they swayed towards the beach.
We gathered by the juice bar, a little hut sitting on tiles. Hikaru and I look over to Akane and Akira, who were sitting on the counter of the juice hut. Then we glanced at Kyoya, who had a knowing smirk on his face. Hikaru and I grabbed the other twins and pulled them off towards the water, but Akane stoped just before the sand. "Akane? What's wrong?" Hikaru asked cautiously. "Um, n-nothing." She stammered, which was surprisingly out of character for Akane. "Come one, I'm not stupid." Hikaru said with more force, as the other members of the host club casually wandered off to do their own thing, hoping to avoid an awkward scene. Akane motioned for Hikaru to come closer, but I could still hear her, "Promise you won't laugh?" I heard her say, "Promise," Hikaru replied. "Um, I-I'm kinda, afraid of… s-sand?" She said slowly and unsurely. "Ah," Hikaru said pulling back and thinking, "Well I know how to fix this!" And with that my brother picked her up around her knees and merrily skipped towards the water. I laughed as she pounded against his back to get him to let her go. Which he responded to by dumping her into the water. I turned around to face Akira, who was no longer behind me, but lounging on a lawn chair and appeared to be asleep. I snuck over and cautiously threw and handful of sand onto her exposed stomach then ran and hid behind an umbrella to watch her reaction. Casually flipping the sand off her belly she shouted at me without looking in my direction. "I'm not afraid of sand you dunce." Completely expressionless she went back to sleeping. "Ah, maybe not but you doooo have an irrational fear." I wagged a finger at her. Akira pushed her glasses up onto her head and peered at me evilly. "How did you know?" She narrowed her eyes, "Well, everybody is in the water but you, normally you and Akane do everything, so you must be afraid of something in this water." I stood back, pleased with my deductive skills. "Excellent Holmes what's next?" She said dryly, "Care to be more specific with this fear of mine?" She said, curiously raising only her left eyebrow. "So you admit you do have a fear in the water! Rocks? Seaweed? Fish?" I made three random guesses, but I easily deciphered it when she immediately tensed at the word 'fish'. "Oh I see, you're afraid of fish!" I stately confidently. "Hehehe no? What would make you say that?" She said awkwardly, placing her sunglasses back over her eyes and sinking lower in her seat. "Yes you are, I can tell. Well I'll stay out of the water with you then." I say stealing her glasses and smiling at her, pushing her over to make room for me on the chair beside her. I settled in, pushed up against her shoulder and hip, but fully on the chair. "Just promise not to tell anyone? You're the only one besides Akane that knows." She said quietly. I grinned at her; my way of saying her secret is safe. We sat and watched as my brother splashed her sister. Akira unwrapped the cord of her earbuds from her iPod and wordlessly handed me a bud. She turned on Bust a Move by Young MC. We sat there 'busting moves' in the chair for a while; her music was really varied, a mix of new and old. As the sun started to set Hikaru came up with Akane on his back. Both were soaking wet and laughing happily. I shared a look with Akira before turning my attention to my brother. "You had fun then?" I asked. Hikaru grinned at me. "Akane is so funny when she goes underwater! Her face goes all red and she kept trying to grab my ankles and pull me under!" Akane laughed and swatted his head. "Yeah but at least I don't squeak when seaweed touches my feet!" Laughing and joking with each other, they went into the hotel to dry off and change. I watched them go thoughtfully. Akira shook my shoulder. "Hey Kaoru, you still alive there?" she asked half-jokingly. I looked over at her. "Oh yeah, I'm here. I'm just thinking that Hikaru has opened up so much to Akane, that's all." Akira nodded thoughtfully. "I've noticed the same thing with Akane. She actually let Hikaru carry her around the beach today." She sighed and wrapped her earbud cord around her iPod again. "Well I suppose we should go back to the hotel now." She stood and offered me a hand up. I took it and we set off towards the hotel.
