Kaoru's pov
It's ten o'clock p.m. Most of the shops are starting close and the streets of New York are empty now. Most of the lights have clicked off thus leaving a feeling of dread in my stomach. Hastily, I walk the street to get to the alley. It is my only clue as to where Hikaru may be. I shiver in the cold December air. In the dimmly lit streets I can see two guys approaching me. I freeze because the unsettling feeling in my stomach grows. They keep getting closer and everything in me is screaming to run, but I can't.
"Hey kid! Come over here," My attention snaps to a frail voice behind me. I turn to see a door slightly ajar with a lady poking her head out. She looks concerned. The pit of dread in my stomach doesn't subside as I make my way towards her. She pulls me in quickly and locks the door.
"Thank you," I tell her. I take in her appearance. She's wearing a royal purple night gown with her silver and black hair tied up in a bun. Her brown eyes search my face and light up with recognition as if she's seen me.
"No problem dear. Don't you know it's dangerous?" She asks me cautiously. I almost want to laugh.
"I've heard that so many times tonight," I snort sounding slightly annoyed. She smiles softly.
"Well clearly not enough to heed the warning. You're very stubborn," She tells me. She cuts herself off as if she has something else to say and though I'm curious I don't question it.
"What's so dangerous?" I ask her finally hoping for some answers.
"Oh dear, you haven't heard about the vampires?" She asks me. I look at her like she's crazy.
"Vampires?" I say laughing. She nodds at me with complete seriousness.
"They're everywhere. You must be careful, some are good. Others are not. You can never tell. I'm you didn't know that," She says to me.
"You're being serious?" I ask smile fading. She sighs and pulls a wooden stake out out of her night gown. She hands it to me.
"Carry this on you. If they attack plunge it through the heart. I'm suprised he didn't warn you," She tells me. I put the stake on a nearby table.
"He?" I ask her. Her smile fades.
"You seek Hikaru, do you not?" She said. I frowned. "I just assume so because you look exactly like him," She quickly explains.
"Do you know where he is?" I ask her.
"I do not," She says to me. I sigh audibly.
"I better go out to find him," I tell her as I turn towards the door.
"Wait!" She says. I turn back to her. She shifts her weight. "It's dangerous out there," She mutters. I almost laugh. She's back on the vampire thing.
"I'll be ok," I pick up the stake to humor her.
"He'll probably come back here. He stays here a lot. I think of him as my own," She says quickly.
"Alright I'll wait here," I say slowly. She ushers me into her living room.
"You can sleep on the couch until he comes home," She tells me. She puts a blanket on the couch along with a pillow. I sit down on the couch.
"Thank you," I tell her softly. She nodds and disappears down the hall.
I don't intend on sleeping. I have so much on my mind. I lay back on the couch and stare at the ceiling. Where could Hikaru be? I'm probably setting myself up for another failure, but in doing this at least there's a slim chance I won't end up so alone. The more I think about everything the slower my mind starts to move. Until I'm not thinking anymore.
"Daddy, where are you going?" I ask a man pulling on his sleeve. He looks down at me and smiles. However, the smile doesn't mask the sense of urgency in his eyes.
"Oh Kao, you'll understand one day. I need to go now," He says pulling his arm away from me. He rushes out the front door. I stand in the open door frame watching him. He glances back at me and then he looks at the moon. I follow his gaze. Tonight is the full moon. The man casts one more look back to me before he runs off the estate.
I pull the front door shut.
"Mommy, where's daddy?" I ask my mom hearing her walk up behind me. I turn to look at her. She smiles weakly, but I can tell she's sad. Her eyes are swollen, red, and puffy. Her breath hitches as she breathes in. She looks at the door as if she's waiting for it to open again.
"Daddy had to go Dear," She whispers. She touches my face almost like she's checking to make sure I'm still here.
"Mommy, are we still a family?" I ask her looking at the door. Her eyes tear up again and she opens her mouth.
"Of course sweetie. We're just a small family now," She chokes. I frown.
"Is Daddy coming home?" I ask though I know the answer. She breathes in deeply.
"No, Daddy can't come home anymore," She whispers. She kneels down and pulls me into a tight embrace. I hug her back. When we break the hug I look at her.
"Mommy, when is Hikaru coming home?" I ask her saddly. She frowns.
"Kaoru, we can't talk about Hikaru anymore," She says sternly. She whispers a few words to me that I've never heard. Everything goes blank in my head.
"Mommy, why can't I remember my family?" I ask her saddly. We had just been talking about someone from my family.
"I'm your only family now."
I bolt upright. Daylight is seeping through the windows into the living room. I hold my head in my hands and breathe in deeply. My dreams have been so weird lately. I open my eyes and jump when I see Hikaru sitting in a kitchen chair infront of the couch staring at me. Had he been there a second ago?
"Hikaru," I whisper.
"Hello Kaoru," He replies giving me a crooked half smile. He sits back in his chair alittle bit. "Were you having a nightmare?" He asks.
"A little bit. How could you tell?" I ask him caught off guard by this question.
"You were being restless," He tells me chuckling. I smile a little bit.
"You live here?" I ask him gazing around the living room again.
"Yes, for lack of better words. Nora takes good care of me. You've seeked me out again?" He asks me. I assume Nora is the woman that pulled me in here last night.
"I know there's something going on here. You seemed to know I live in Japan. I never mentioned that," I blurt out just wanting to get to the point. Hikaru looks geniunely shocked and taken off guard.
"I-" He stops unsure of what to say. He looks slightly panicked. My theory has now been confirmed. There's definetly something going on.
"Tell me the truth. I was right. You're my brother aren't you?" I ask him.
"Yes Kaoru, I'm your brother. Your twin brother," He whispers avoiding my eyes. My emotions scramble.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I ask him sounding hurt. He stares absently at his feet.
"It's nice to see you again Kaoru," He says. I stand. He glances up at me. I open my arms. He seems to understand because he stands and allows me to hug him. He loosely wraps his arms around me as if he's afraid of hurting me.
"Why?" I ask him.
"It's not safe for you here," He says again.
"Come home," I tell him.
"I can't," He says to me. I still don't understand why.
"Hikaru," I whine slightly. I'm not one for whinning, but I don't know what else to do to stop him.
"Come on Kaoru. I'll drive you to the hotel and the airport. You need to go home," He says sounding defeated. With that he leads me out of the house to his car and then witin two hours he puts me on a flight to send me across the world.