After that…eventful Saturday, the week went by fairly quickly and, before I knew it, the party was upon us all. Haruhi and I were less than ecstatic for it of course. Haruhi knew she still had to waltz tonight and had to get it down perfectly, or else Tamaki would keep true to his threat from the previous week. I on the other hand was just plain mad because I had to go and wear that stupid dress, which I haven't even seen yet might I add, and go to the party in general. Oh, and that reminds me. On Monday, during the Host Club hours, Tamaki had found out somehow, from Kyoya most likely, that I was now definitely going to the party, so he forced me to learn how to waltz with him like I had earlier promised him. Don't you just hate it when your lies come back and bite you in the butt?
Anyway, the Host Club had finally just ended with the boys wishing all their guests farewell and how they couldn't wait to see them at the party tonight. Immediately once the double doors closed behind the last guest, the Hitachiin twins grabbed hold of my sister and me and dragged us over to the changing room. They pulled us in with the rest of the club following quietly behind us.
Hikaru dropped me to the floor harshly causing me to glare up at me. The twin boy then thrust a dress in front of my face with a smirk. I instantly cringed at all the purpleness (a word I just made up, thank you) and backed up a few steps. The entire dress was, like I had mentioned, a light purple color that looked long enough to reach down to my knees. It had thin straps meant to go over the shoulders and a reddish pink rose over the left strap and another larger one over the right hip. In Hikaru's other hand he held matching heels. I cringed away and tried to squirm past everyone.
Tamaki and Mori grabbed my arms before I could make it safely out of the door. I struggled in their grip and tried to force myself out of the room. I refused to wear that monstrosity! It was hideous, well at least it was to me anyway. It was purple which was close to being pink. Now if it would've been a dark purple, like a violet, or maybe even red, I would've accepted the dress.
"Come on, Rikku," Tamaki said. Mori released my one arm so Tamaki could turn me around until I was facing Hikaru and the dress. Haruhi was nowhere in sight so I presumed that she was already changing into her own outfit. "Make Daddy a proud father and wear the dress."
"Yeah, Rikku," the twins agreed in harmony. "It's not as if the dress is going to bite you."
"How do you know that?" I snapped back at them. "Besides, if you love the dress so much why don't one of you wear it then?"
Hikaru and Kaoru glanced at each other and shrugged. In unison they began to loosen their ties. I yelped and quickly looked away, a blush slowly making its way onto my face. I hadn't meant it! I was only being sarcastic.
Kyoya gave a cough directing all of our attention to him. He wearily eyed the twins who stopped with their hands hovering over the first button on each of their Ouran jackets before looking down at me. "Need I remind you, Rikku, about the consequences of not wearing this dress or going to the party?"
I glared up at him before marching over to Hikaru and snatching the dress from him, which he was eagerly holding out towards me. With a loud huff of annoyance, I walked into the changing room and found my sister trying to pull on some dress pants. Luckily she had only taken off her Ouran jacket and still wore her white button up shirt. If she hadn't been wearing the white shirt I think the boys would've seen a lot more of Haruhi then they should. I sighed, hanging the dress up on a hook in the small room as the curtain closed behind me. I then started to pull off my own white long sleeve button up shirt. I still wasn't wearing a school uniform but I had decided to at least try and dress as casually as I could. Actually, I started to wear an outfit that kinda looked like the boys uniform. The only thing I was missing was the Ouran jacket and the tie.
Haruhi eyed the dress with a slightly disgusted look. "Is that the dress?"
I frowned and eyed the dress too on its spot hanging on the wall. "Unfortunately yes. Why, you wanna switch?"
She quickly shook her head and buttoned up her pants. "No thanks. I'm fine with the brown suit."
"That thing isn't much of a sight either," I said, pointing at the coat and shirt. "But it's much better than a stinkin' dress."
Haruhi frowned and started unloosening her tie so she could put the purple one on instead that had been given to her. "Will you just shut up already? Tonight I'm going to have to wear both of these ridiculous outfits so I don't want to hear any more about how horrible they are."
I finally got the last button on my shirt and stripped it off before proceeding for the buttons on my pants. "Yeah, but I can't stand the color pink which makes my predicament twice as bad."
Haruhi stopped with her hands hovering over her tie. She looked at the dress on the hook, me, and then back at the dress. "But it's purple."
"I hate that color too! Pink is worse though because wearing it makes me feel like a Barbie doll."
"Don't Barbies have blonde hair?"
"My hair is damn close enough to blonde!" I exclaimed. I took a few strands of it between my fingers and forced it in front of her face. "See!"
The corners of Haruhi's lips twitched as she tried not to smile at my discomfort. "Not to alarm you or anything, Rikku, but you and I are natural brunettes. That blonde in your hair is from when you went and highlighted it a few weeks ago…."
I released my hair and stared at her. With a huff I turned my back on her and muttered, "Curse you."
"What's the score now?" Haruhi asked. "Twenty-five to two?"
I scowled and lightly kicked the wall before pulling my pants all the way off. "Thirty to one, actually. You suck, you know that? I hate it when you're always right." I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I glanced at her over my shoulder and grabbed the dress. "That's good you're the one who wants to be a lawyer then."
Haruhi finally did smile and went to pull on some vest. "You could probably be one too if you could only keep your head out of the clouds."
"But I like having my head in the clouds!" I complained. I forced the dress over my head and allowed it to fall down around my body. I glanced in the mirror and shuddered with a smile. I still hated this awful color, but I do admit that the dress itself looked pretty good on me. I was a little mistaken of the dress length for instead of it ending at the knees it stopped just above them, but besides that minor detail, the dress looked fine on me. If only it could've been a different color though.
I looked back up at my sister and found her now sporting the brown suit that she had been forced to wear by the club as well. She didn't look too bad in the outfit. It actually made her eyes, which were a dark chocolate brown compared to my greyish blue ones, stand out more since they were both the same color, plus the blue vest was quite adorable. And her hair was already perfect of course. Ever since the boys gave her the new haircut, instead of the horrible one she had given herself, Haruhi's hair always seemed lovely. She barely had to brush it in the morning which made me extremely jealous. No matter what though I had no desire to ever cut my hair that short. We may be twins but short hair is the one thing that Haruhi can have and I will never try.
"You ready?" I extended my arm out towards her.
She took my arm and studied me quickly. "You don't want to do anything with your hair?"
I shook my head. "Nah. I kinda want it to be down tonight."
Haruhi chuckled for no reason and together we stepped out of the curtain.
"It is so good to see you here tonight, my little lambs. The Ouran Host Club would like to bid you welcome." A spotlight shined on Tamaki at the word 'welcome' as he bowed to everyone in the room.
The lights from the chandeliers suddenly turned on causing applause to erupt all around me from the many girls who came tonight. Music from hundreds of violin players invaded the air. I stood in the back near the food table when the rest of the Host Club boys, plus Haruhi, bowed as well. Stairs led up to a small floor where Kyoya and Haruhi stood. Beside Kyoya were Honey and Mori on more steps that led up to another floor above. The twins stood the same way on the other side of my sister. Each one was equally spaced. Up above, on the second floor, stood Tamaki in the middle, making him the direct center of attention. I hated to admit it, but each of the guys didn't look half that bad. It must've been the fact that they were in suits I guess. Men almost always looked good in a nice, snug tux.
"So how's the party going so far?" a voice asked me. I blinked and turned my head to my left. I grinned when I saw Monica standing right beside me. She looked lovely in her beautiful cocktail dress. It reached around her knees but had no straps whatsoever. The dress was pure black but glittered with each step she took, making me think of a starry night sky. Since her hair was such a blinding blonde color, it stood out from the dress and made it hard to not stare at her face.
"I didn't know you were coming to this thing. You look lovely by the way," I told her. I motioned for her to get closer to me. When she did I wrapped an arm around her and squeezed her tightly to my side.
"I came because I knew that you and Haruhi were forced to be here tonight so I met up with Kyoya-senpai yesterday and bought myself a ticket. And thanks by the way. You look lovely as well." She smiled up at me when I released her. Before we could get any more words in to one another, Kyoya started to speak from up front.
His eyes were closed and a fake smile adorned his face while his arms were out before him in welcome. "As always, ladies, the Host Club members are here for your entertainment." I quietly snorted at the word 'entertainment' causing Monica to snicker under her breath. Fortunately no one glanced back at us. "So we invite you to dance to your heart's content. Based on her dancing skills, one lucky young lady will be chosen as tonight's queen. The queen's reward will be a passionate kiss on the cheek from our king."
Tamaki looked up at the crowd of girls with a hand to his chin. He smiled and said, "Good luck to you," and he gestured to the crowd, "My darlings." Almost all of the girls around Monica and I shrieked; some even fainted which shocked me a bit.
Monica and I glanced at each other and gagged at the same time before going into an uncontrollable laughing fit. "I so better not win!" I whispered to her when I could finally breathe. I then went back into a laughing fit.
Monica ferociously nodded her head in agreement. "Agreed, Rikku, agreed." Her eyes stayed on me before slowly traveling back to the Host Club. "What the…? Is he going to…?"
"Huh?" I turned and looked as well, just in time to see Tamaki flip off the landing and land on the one below beside the rest of the club members. "Whoa. I must admit that that was pretty cool."
Tamaki pointed a hand at Kyoya and exclaimed, "Get some fancy tuna here right now!" Kyoya immediately pulled out his phone and started to dial some number. The twins stood beside them with Haruhi stuck between them in some sort of hug. Honey was on Mori's back as the two watched in wonder.
"Is Haruhi alright?" Monica whispered. "Her face looks kinda red."
I shrugged. "She'll be fine. Oh, look. The guys are about to dance with some of the girls…and Haruhi's walking over to that column. Why is she walking to the column?" I glanced over at Monica who shrugged as well.
"How about you go and talk with her, Rikku," Monica suggested. "I'll stay right here and get some food. I'm starving."
I nodded. "Don't worry. I'll be back soon." I gave Monica one last grin before walking over towards my sister.
As I made my way over, Haruhi and I made eye contact causing the two of us to smile at one another. Once I was standing beside her, I leaned against the column as well and lightly pushed her shoulder with my own. "Why aren't you dancing with some special girl?"
"I'm waiting for Miss Kanako," Haruhi murmured.
I nodded in understanding. "I see. We could always dance…." Haruhi gave me a 'really' look with raised eyebrows. I shrugged innocently and chuckled. "It was only a suggestion. Sheesh." We stood there for a couple more minutes. The silence soon started to become awkward as we watched the other Hosts waltzing with some lucky girl. Finally I looked back over at my twin and said, "Just to let you know, Haruhi, this dress is slightly uncomfortable so beware when you have to wear it later."
Haruhi groaned under her breath. She rolled her eyes until they were staring up at me. "Thanks for the warning, Rikku. It just makes me want to wear that thing even more then I already wanted to." It wasn't hard to miss the sarcasm that laced each word so I smiled to show I knew she was only kidding.
"Why do I even need to wear a dress to begin with?" I asked her. "Besides the fact that Kyoya-senpai forced me to wear it, why do women always have to wear dresses? Why couldn't I have just worn some dress pants and a nice looking dress shirt?"
"Because it's a party," Haruhi grumbled. "A party for elite rich people who tend to look down upon you if you do or say the wrong thing. You probably would've been getting a lot more attention if Kyoya-senpai hadn't made you wear a dress."
"But that's just it!" I exclaimed, turning so I could fully stare at her. "Why should I care if I'm stared at or looked down upon? I'm already a commoner in a rich school who can't even afford the school uniform. What could I possibly do to worsen the amount of stares I receive every day? I already get them in class and the Host Club. Some of the girls are extremely nice to me but I swear I can feel their eyes penetrating my soul whenever I turn away from them. They're curious about me. They want to know how someone like me could possibly make it in a place like this!"
Haruhi's eyebrows furrowed. "I'm here on the same exact scholarship as you, Rikku. It's not like you're the only commoner here."
"No one stares at you though, Haruhi," I told her. "It's as if becoming a Host has made you some sort of idol. Almost all the girls adore you and some of the boys even admire you. They don't stare at you for being different like they do to me."
Haruhi knew I was right but didn't voice the thought. Instead she stared back out at the dance floor and immediately changed the subject. "Rikku, why don't you just go and waltz with one of the others?"
I snorted at her and began to laugh…until I realized that she was dead serious since she wasn't even smiling. "Why would I go and do that? I might step on one of their toes and be forced to pay some sort of debt."
Haruhi slowly shook her head at me but I noticed a small smile was making itself onto her face. "I really think you should go and dance with someone," Haruhi told me. "What's the point in putting your new waltzing knowledge to waste?"
"Haruhi, you forget whose party we are out. The only boys who are here to dance with are the Host Club ones."
"It's not going to hurt anyone if you dance with just one of them. Besides, it might make the time go by faster until Miss Kanako arrives."
I sighed and instead just leaned my head against the cool column behind me. I closed my eyes and allowed my mind to wander. I guess I could've gone right back over to Monica and spent some time with her, but for now I needed some time to just think. Plus, she was probably still eating whatever food she had gotten herself. I noticed that when she came to my house that she was a glutton who was just as bad as Haruhi and, like my twin sister, her body seemed as if she wasn't even gaining a pound. I wish my body was like that. But no, I got stuck with a body that involved constant exercise, not that I minded since I loved sports, and having to always watch whatever I ate.
A throat was cleared but I didn't even open my eyes to see who the source was. Automatically I asked, "What, Haruhi?"
Haruhi chuckled. "That wasn't me."
"Then who…?" I opened my eyes and looked straight into the cold grey eyes of Kyoya. I blinked in surprise. "Um, hello, senpai. Was there something you needed?"
Kyoya smirked and slightly bowed before me. He held a hand outstretched for me indicating that I was supposed to accept it. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw a couple girls staring at us with unreadable expressions on their faces. It frightened me that I wasn't able to read the emotions that they were expressing towards me and the scene Kyoya was putting us in. What the hell is he even thinking? I looked back at Kyoya still surprised at the position he had put himself in before me. What exactly was he playing at?
"Senpai?" I asked again, this time a little bit confused. What did he want of me?
Without looking up at me, he said, "May I have this dance?" just as a new song started to play.
Both of my eyebrows shot up and I quickly glanced over at Haruhi. She smiled at me and nodded in Kyoya's direction. I'm guessing she was trying to give me some sort of encouragement. Well it wasn't working. Kyoya's question was out of the blue. Why would he want to dance with me? Me! I was only Rikku Fujioka, the commoner girl who came to Ouran on a scholarship alongside her sister. What could he possibly see to gain by dancing with me? What the hell was going on through that head?
I looked back at Kyoya. He was still slightly bowed over with his hand raised towards me as he waited for my answer. His eyes were watching me over the top of his glasses. A smirk was playing along the edge of his lips as he patiently waited.
I took a deep breath and, with one last glance over at Haruhi and then the food table where I could just see Monica staring at us with wide eyes, placed my trembling hand in Kyoya's. Kyoya's smirk widened as his hand grasped mine tightly. He stood up to his full height, adjusted his glasses, and pulled me towards the center of the dance floor. Tamaki grinned at us when the two of us stopped at a spot somewhat close to him. I frowned back at him in return before looking up at Kyoya and giving a nervous smile.
What is this guy playing at? Had he overheard my conversation with Haruhi about not wanting to dance with the Host Club boys? Is he only doing this to tease me? Maybe even embarrass me? What does he want?
Kyoya watched me with intrigued eyes behind his two walls of glass before silently placing a hand on the small of my back. Since our two hands were still connected, his left and my right, I placed my remaining hand on his shoulder and looked up into his face. He stared right back. I mentally shuddered at how awkward this was…and we hadn't even started to dance yet!
With that last thought though, the two of us immediately went into the waltz. I swear that every pair of eyes in the room was on us at the moment as we danced to the music. I kept my eyes on Kyoya for some sort of reaction but he just kept his face as blank as ever. He acted like we were the only two people in the entire room.
Yeah. Totally awkward.
"So, um, Kyoya-senpai," I said nervously. "I really don't want to sound rude or anything, but I seriously need to ask you something important. It could mean life or death."
One of his eyebrows slowly rose up his forehead. "Oh really? Life or death, you say? Well I'm listening."
I glanced over towards the food table and locked eyes with Monica. A wide smile claimed her face which only grew when the two of us stared at each other. She was bouncing from foot-to-foot causing some of her food to almost spill to the floor. I quickly looked away and back at Kyoya. He smirked back at me in response.
I swiftly averted my eyes and decided to stare at his purple tie instead. And it wasn't the same color purple like my dress but instead the rich violet color that I would've preferred instead. I felt like he was somehow mocking me with his color choice. Black coat with matching pants, white undershirt with a dark blue vest over top, and a purple tie…damn…almost all of my favorite colors on one person. I looked back up at his face before I did something that I would one day regret.
"Why'd you ask me to dance with you?" I muttered.
Kyoya chuckled, startling me just a tad. I got him to laugh…and I wasn't even trying to be funny. "What? Don't like me, Rikku?"
I averted my eyes again and stared over at Honey and his partner who were spinning one another in fast circles. "I just meant… What I mean is…" I sighed. He was making this tougher then it had to be. "It doesn't make sense for why you asked me to dance with you, senpai. There are so many other girls here tonight, yet you chose me." I stared back up at him and met the glare of his glasses and a small smirk.
"This was the only way I could talk with you without Tamaki creating a fuss," he explained as if it were no big deal. He continued when he noticed my puzzled expression. "You still remember the plan I told you at my house correct?"
"How could I forget?" I mumbled to myself. I think he heard me though since he continued.
"Good because Tamaki decided to make a slight alteration to it."
"Wait, what?" Both of my eyebrows shot up. Kyoya released my hand for split second so he could adjust his glasses, causing the glare on them to disappear and allowing me to stare up into his eyes. When he reached for my hand again, I said, "What the hell do you mean 'alteration'?"
"Tamaki and I discussed the plan earlier today and we, or should I say I, realized that we were going to need someone to pretend to be Haruhi while she is with Suzushima so none of the ladies question her whereabouts. That's where you come in, Rikku."
My eyes widened and I stopped dancing. Kyoya quickly got me to start waltzing again though so as to not attract any more attention. "What if I refuse?"
He stared at me and nonchalantly said, "Why would you refuse? I thought you wanted to get out of that dress?"
"Well I do, but I don't want to pretend to be my sister," I explained. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Kanako walk up to Haruhi. Kyoya glanced over as well before abruptly pulling his hand away from my back and walking me towards the direction of where Haruhi and I were to change. Luckily the two of us were able to escape the large room without causing any kind of scene.
Out of the room I quickly released Kyoya's hand, only for him to replace it by placing it on my back so I wouldn't run. We walked on in silence until Kyoya glanced at me and asked, "So why aren't you willing to pretend to be your sister?"
I sighed and looked out of the windows. "I guess it's because I've grown so used to being my own person that I've realized how much of a bother it is to become confused with my twin sister. It sure as hell wasn't funny then, and it sure as hell isn't funny now."
"You only need to pretend to be her for a half hour at the most," he told me. "You'll be fine."
I sighed but didn't respond. He wasn't, and never will be, an identical twin. He'll never understand the stuff my sister and I went through as kids. I wonder if Hikaru and Kaoru went through the same hell as us though. That'll be something I'd have to ask them in private. Those two might be the only ones who understand the pain of becoming mixed up with one another. Hmm.
Once we were finally at our destination, we found Hikaru and Kaoru waiting for us next to a curtain for Haruhi and me to stand behind and change. Hikaru held some sort of bag in his hands but I wasn't sure what was in it. Kyoya moved his hand so it was placed higher up on my back and lightly pushed me through the curtain. I stumbled once on the other side and tried not to fall over.
"Hurry and get out of that dress, Rikku," he told me. "Haruhi should be here with Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai in less than a minute."
"I know, I know," I replied back, running a hand through my thick locks multiple times before starting to strip out of the dress.
"There she is," Kaoru suddenly said a few seconds later.
"You didn't have to be so forceful," Haruhi complained. I glanced back at the curtain.
"Never mind that," Hikaru told her. "Go get changed."
"Yeah!" Honey squealed. A moment later a body was thrown on me and together we crumpled to the floor in a heap.
"That hurt," my sister grumbled. She rose up onto her haunches until she was awkwardly sitting on top of my lower abdomen. Did I mention that even though we weighed about the same she still felt heavy as hell? "Sorry, Rikku. They kinda pushed me in."
"Could you just get off of me already?" What was even more awkward was I had literally just stripped off the dress and was now only in my undergarments.
"A little accident towards the end of the night would be quite thrilling," I heard Kyoya tell us. I didn't like the way he said that. "And remember, Haruhi, there are only twenty minutes remaining 'till the party reaches its climax." Haruhi quickly got off of me and scrambled to take off the clothes she wore. As soon as she was also in her undergarments, the two of us switched clothes and began to once again get dressed. "Suzushima is already waiting for you in the classroom across the hall." By the time Kyoya was done talking, Haruhi already had the dress and heels on, plus a brown wig that reached just past her shoulders. I smiled at her and finished the last button on her white shirt that I now wore just before she stepped out to join the others. I hurriedly pulled on the purple tie, blue vest, and brown coat and walked out from behind the curtains. I laughed when I found Haruhi in a chair with the twins crowded around her with makeup in their hands.
I stood beside Mori and tilted my head at the scene before me. I didn't even know that the twins could handle makeup, especially when putting it on a girl. They weren't doing too badly so far though.
"You have to ask him how he feels, okay?" Honey told her before thrusting a short brunette wig in my hands. He grinned up at me before moving in for a closer look at my sister and the magic that the twins were trying to create. I looked down at the wig and sighed. It looked almost exactly like Haruhi's hairstyle.
"Uh, we know this is the boss's strategy but it's kinda unsettling," Hikaru and Kaoru said in unison.
"I agree with you two on that," I told them. I put my hair in a short ponytail and was somehow able to force it beneath the wig. I peeked at myself using the mirror and frowned when I noticed how much I looked like my sister. Except for the eyes of course, though I doubt anyone was going to notice.
Suddenly the double doors slammed open. Using the mirror I spotted Tamaki standing in the doorway with his hands still pressed against the two doors. "Gentleman, here you are all. What are you doing? The guests are waiting for…." He suddenly trailed off and stared with wide eyes and slightly red cheeks at something before him. I glanced to see where what he was looking at and noticed at that exact moment Haruhi stood to her feet and turned to face him.
I looked back over to Tamaki and saw him still staring at my sister. His back was hunched over and his arms were hanging limply in front of him. My eyes widened slightly. Did he like my sister?
The twins moved beside Tamaki with their hands on their hips and accomplished looks on both of their faces. "So what do ya think?"
I turned back to Haruhi and couldn't help but laugh as she tried to walk down the small aisle left for her between Honey, Mori, Kyoya, and myself. I felt bad I was laughing but I just thought that it was so funny that I could walk in heels and she could not, even though neither one of us had ever really worn heels before.
"Wow you look so cute!" Honey told her, and judging by his facial expression he was telling my sister the truth. He also told me the same exact thing earlier on. Did Haruhi and I both look that good wearing this simple dress?
My sister glared over at me since I was still snickering at her before saying, "My face feels heavy and it's hard to walk in these shoes."
"Oh they're not that bad," I sincerely told her.
The Host Club boys and I followed her out of the door and watched as she tried not to trip and fall as she stumbled down the hall. I stood in the back next to Kyoya who had his arms crossed over his chest. Tamaki stood in the middle of everyone still hunched over with that dreamy look in his eyes with Honey right beside him. Mori stood behind Honey and to Kyoya's left and the Hitachiin twins stood at the front of our small group.
"Good luck, Haruhi!" the Hitachiins called to her. Both boys had their fists pumping right next to the other's as they snickered under their breath.
"I can't believe…she's so pretty," Tamaki said to himself. I stared at him bewildered until he finally straightened himself up and turned towards Kyoya. "I'm going to go and get Miss Kanako now. Wish me luck!" and he walked off down the hall and back towards the direction of the party.
Once both Tamaki and Haruhi were out of sight, the twins turned towards me and silently studied me. Even Honey and Mori looked over at me, though Honey seemed a lot more interested than his taller companion. Kyoya still looked like he could care less.
Finally Honey broke the silence first by smiling up at me and saying, "You look so much like Haru-chan, Ri-chan!"
I mentally flinched and somehow plastered a smile onto my face. "Why thanks, Honey-senpai."
"More like a lot like Haruhi," the twins told me. "Except of course for the eyes."
"Well we are identical twins," I explained to them. "Usually identical twins tend to look a lot alike. The two of you are a perfect example."
"Then why does," Hikaru started.
"Your hair have," Kaoru chimed in.
"Blonde in it?" they asked together.
I grinned and automatically touched my head and the wig that sat upon it. "It's called highlights. Kaoru, remember the first day I was here and the two of us discussed how Haruhi and I were different? And then I told you I did something with my hair? The highlights are what I did to it. The blonde highlights were a way for me to express myself and to tell people that Haruhi and I were two different people even if we were twins."
"Oh," Kaoru said in understanding as he remembered that first day. He then smiled. "You look much better with long hair by the way."
I beamed at him. "Thanks, Kaoru. That means a lot to me."
