Disclaimer: Ouran High School Host Club does not belong to me.

It Just Keeps Going

Kaoru opens his door and finds that nobody is around. He smiles. He knew his mother wouldn't stay there all night. She had much more important things to do and he prepares himself for another day of school. His mom must have gone to work and his dad too so he knows he won't be bothered for another couple of weeks or so.

And yet when he walks downstairs, there are his parents waiting for him.

"You're not going to school, Kaoru," his mom says, some determined gleam is shining in her eyes. "Not until you tell us what's going on."

"Didn't this whole thing begin because of my grades slipping? And now you want me to stay home so you can play therapist?" his comment is very snide and his mother seems to flinch from the rude way it is said. It doesn't really bother him. "You want my grades to fall more?"

His father takes over.

"I already called your school and told them you will not be coming in today."

He feels angry. He's sure it has something to do with his parents barging into his business when they never have before. Kaoru knows deep inside this is a parent's job but in his mind, his parents have never done their job before. It shouldn't matter now.

"Let me go to school," Kaoru says, glaring. "I want to go to school. I'll study harder if you want me to. Just let me go."

His mom ignores what he's said, "Who were you talking to last night, Kaoru?"

"What? What are you talking about? I didn't talk to anybody last night. How could I? Nobody was in there."

"Stop lying. I heard you talking to somebody."

Kaoru is usually brave. He never had any childish fears. Monsters didn't exist and ghosts really couldn't hurt him. But he feels scared. He doesn't know what will happen to him and Hikaru. And if Hikaru goes, there goes the only person who understands him. He becomes defensive.

"Maybe you're going crazy?" he smiles, it's sarcastic. And still, Kaoru does not question the way he acts. In a way, he feels liberated. He wonders if maybe he's felt this way all along. Maybe he has always felt this angry. Maybe he has always disliked his parents this much. It feels wonderful to let it all out.

His mother gasps and walks to him, her hand upraised as if she's going to hit him.

"Are you going to hit me, Mom? What difference does that make? I'll still be 'talking to somebody', right? Or do you want to hit me because you know you've been a terrible mom and you want to take out all your despair on me?"

It hit's a nerve and her hand lowers and her lip is trembling. She looks at him, and for once, he feels bad when he sees how sad she looks. But it still does not stop him.

"Kaoru, do you hate me?"

"No," Kaoru answers truthfully and she smiles a little. "But I don't really love you. How can I? You've never been there. Nobody ever has," She looks ready to cry and Kaoru decides to give her some comfort. He gives her an actual smile. "But thanks for the lifestyle you've given me. And you too, Dad. I don't hate either of you."

She hugs him to her and she's softly sobbing. "I love you, Kaoru. I really do. Can we fix any of this?"

"Maybe." He lies. And not for himself. But for his mother. She hugs him tighter.

His father dos not join in. He's always been one to hang back from everything and he only gives Kaoru a smile.

"Can I go to school?"

"We've already called you in sick," Mr. Hitachiin says. "And you're still not better. There's still something wrong."

His mother lets go of him and Kaoru thinks to himself how strong she is when he sees that her eyes have gained that unwavering glow again. She's such a strong woman.

"If somebody is in there with you, I want to know who it is. I want to know if they're good people. I want to make sure you're not hanging around drug dealers and anything stupid like that."

Kaoru sighs and pulls away from his family once again, "You see? You still don't know me. I wouldn't do something like that. And now if you excuse me," he picks a book up from a coffee table. "I'm going to go read."

"Are you going to go in the bathroom?" Mrs. Hitachiin asks.

"I read best there."

And he runs up the stairs, quickly. Hoping to talk to Hikaru so he can talk about this new chain of events. But, he thinks smugly to himself, if they had known him better and had been in his life more, they would have known he has read that book over a month ago and that he obviously just lied to them.

But Mrs. Hitachiin smiles and looks to her husband hopefully, "Maybe everything will be better. Maybe Kaoru was reading. You know, saying all the words to himself. I do that sometimes. Maybe if we spend more time with Kaoru, he'll love us and-"

"He was lying," Mr. Hitachiin states.

"What? How do you know he was lying?"

"Well, who reads in a bathroom? And I asked the maids where he reads and they said his bedroom, on his bed. Never in the bathroom."

And so, Mrs. Hitachiin sighs, and sits down in a chair.

"You're too smart. You keep reminding me how bad a mother I am. Damn you."

xxx

"Hikaru!"

"What the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be at school."

Kaoru mockingly pouts, "Not happy to see me? I thought you'd like me to be here. I can keep you company all day."

"Well, no, it's not that," Hikaru says and Kaoru notices the slight blush on his cheeks. "It's just, well, you should be at school. Learning things. Having a good life. I don't know. Something like that."

And Kaoru smiles, "Hikaru, you care about me."

"So? What if I do care about you? What's the big deal?!" Hikaru's so defensive and Kaoru laughs.

"Nothing, Hikaru. Forget I even mentioned it," he sighs and leans up against the mirror. He looks to the carvings on it. The two identical people reaching for each other all around it. It's still weird but now it makes more sense. "Are you sure this mirror isn't magical or something, Hikaru?"

"Yeah, pretty sure. Magical mirrors don't exist."

"But after I got this mirror, I got you."

"What are you talking about?" The tone of his voice makes Kaoru sit up and look at Hikaru curiously. He looks serious. "I'm your reflection. I was born when you were born. I've always been with you. You just didn't know it then."

"Hikaru, that was poetic."

"What? It was only the truth."

"Yeah, that was what made it poetic," And Kaoru leans up against the mirror again, closing his eyes and softly smiling.

It's Still Too Late

"Hikaru," Mrs. Hitachiin says softly, her ear still to the bathroom door. "The person he's talking to is somebody named Hikaru. But I can't hear them. Hikaru must be really quiet or something."

"Or maybe he isn't there at all."

"What the hell do you think you're saying?" she hisses. "Are you implying our son is insane?"

"Well, what else could it be, dear? Kaoru even said himself nobody could get in there and we know that's true. And yet he's talking to somebody. Somebody we can't hear. The maids have said they've never seen anybody enter this house and we've checked all the security tapes. Nobody we don't know has not entered this house once. Maybe its time to consider Kaoru's mental health."

She moves away from the door, glaring at her husband. "I can't believe what you're saying! Kaoru's fine!"

"Is he really? Humans need companionship. He has none. That has to make somebody go a little crazy. And we've always said that Kaoru was an odd kid."

"I think you're crazy," she tries to get off the topic and frowns. "We need to get a locksmith or something. I know this door must be locked and if I want to see who Kaoru's talking to, we have to get it unlocked. Go look one up. But only get the best. We have to somehow do this without Kaoru hearing. He'll get whoever Hikaru is out."

"Clever," Mr. Hitachiin compliments, smiling. "But don't you think this might cause Kaoru to hate us more?"

"We don't have any other choice. He may not love me but I love him. I gave birth to him and I want to make sure he's happy and healthy."

Mr. Hitachiin only gives her a kiss on the cheek and walks off to find a locksmith.

xxx

Kaoru thinks to himself how he had thought he'd never find somebody who could ever understand. How he had thought nobody could ever be so special as to ever be his friend or lover. He smiles and lifts his head from the mirror, looking at Hikaru with a soft look on his face.

"Hikaru, I'm in love with you."

Fate Is Sealed

Notes: So surprisingly, this story is almost done. Yeah, I know. And believe it or not, I'm basically dedicating all my time to this story so I can finish it up. Me, the procrastinator. Shocking. And anybody have any idea about what's going to happen? Well, I'll tell you this much: Kaoru kisses a mirror! But that was obvious.