A/N: Again, a huge thanks to everyone that has read/reviewed this story! This story has received such an awesome response...thanks for supporting it! By the way, I put in the details of Tamaki's game because I thought the fans would enjoy it the most....
I do not own Ouran High School Host Club; it belongs to Bisco Hatori
Finding the Line
"Not always. I seem to recall an event, the Hitaachin Week of Games, that ended up throwing our beloved brothers for a loop." Kyoya smiled and enjoyed the sweet taste of revenge on his tongue as the twins sent him flushed and flustered glares. "Don't you remember, Haruhi?"
Haruhi gave a contemplative hum as the waitress set down the sandwich she'd ordered.
"Maybe?" she said, picking up the thick brick of meat and cheese.
"I don't," Tamaki said with a furrowed brow.
Kyoya shifted to the side so that the waitress could refill his coffee cup.
"It wasn't known as the Hitaachin Week of Games at the time," he said. "It wasn't named until after it was over."
Hunni bounced in his seat, sporting a foam mustache from his fresh mug of hot chocolate.
"I remember, I remember!" he chanted. "It was the first time Hika-chan and Kao-chan lost one of their own games!"
The twins flushed in unison.
"We didn't really lose," Hikaru muttered irritably.
"It was more a of a forfeit," Kaoru added.
Kyoya steepled his fingers and rested his chin on top.
"Yes," he said. "And what was the reason for that forfeit again?"
The only answer from the twins was sullen silence. They stared at their steaming coffee cups and said nothing.
"Don't remember?" Kyoya asked pleasantly. "Not to worry. I have it all written down."
It started innocently enough, or as innocently as any idea can when spawned from the mind of the twins. The two were slumped on the sofa by the window, watching idly as the other members of the Host Club entertained a few remaining clients. It was almost time to close, and their last guests had been escorted out ten minutes ago, faint and fluttering and on the verge of nosebleeds.
They hadn't even done that much. Giving Kaoru a smack on a certain part of his anatomy was tame, really, compared to some of the things they'd been considering adding to their act.
Golden eyes were bored, almost sleepy, as they watched the others hosts go through the very familiar motions. Tamaki had his fan club swooning with a few well-aimed lines and a sideways glance out of his killer eyes. Over in the corner, girls squealed with delight as Hunni nodded off against Mori's shoulder. Kyoya held his audience captive simply by speaking, his velvet voice turning his intelligent words into something as smooth and soft as buttermilk. And Haruhi charmed her guests with nothing more than her personality, enhanced as always by that air of bafflement as she tried to puzzle out why the girls found her so endearing.
"God," Hikaru said, propping his chin on his palm. "Are you as bored as I am?"
Kaoru let out a yawn.
"Totally," he agreed.
Hikaru turned to look out the window, letting the soft sunlight filter over his face.
"Every day here is the same," he murmured.
Kaoru made a quiet sound of agreement.
"Kaoru," Hikaru said after a while. "How long has it been since the last time?"
Kaoru rolled his shoulders.
"A month, at least."
Hikaru turned to smile at his twin, his golden eyes sparking with the beginnings of excitement.
"Then aren't we overdue?"
"I'm not really in the mood for the Quarrelling Brothers," Kaoru said. "Besides, we have nothing to win."
"The Quarreling Brothers is old hat," Hikaru said, waving his hand dismissively. "Everyone here has seen it. We need something new. Something…exciting."
Kaoru sat a little straighter in his seat. The first stirring of interest crossed his face.
"Did you have something in mind?" he asked.
Hikaru shrugged.
"Usually when we play, we focus on a single opponent, right?" Kaoru nodded. "What if we were to…expand our horizons a little? Make the game a little bigger?"
Kaoru tapped his fingers against his mouth.
"Go on."
Hikaru's eyes swept the surrounding area, and a broad smirk began to curve his lips.
"Outside of us, there are five hosts, right?" he asked. "And five days in a typical school week. What if we were to have a tournament of sorts? A special week of games, with each day focusing on a specific target?"
Kaoru continued to tap as he contemplated his brother's idea. Golden eyes scanned the occupants of the room, and a slow smile graced his face, completely identical to Hikaru's.
"So, who's first?"
They started with Tamaki, because they picked on him on a daily basis. Playing a game with him wouldn't ruffle any feathers, or raise any suspicions. And because they dedicated so much time already to making Tamaki crazy, they kept his game relatively simple.
"Hey Boss, we were wondering," Hikaru started, sidling up to Tamaki's left.
"Do your clients ever get bored of your royalty routine?" Kaoru finished, sliding up the other side.
Tamaki bristled instantly.
"What do you mean?" he demanded.
The twins shrugged.
"Well, it's just that your act never really changes," they pointed out.
"You always play the same character," Hikaru said.
"There isn't a lot of variety," Kaoru added.
"So we were just wondering if your clients ever get bored."
Tamaki tugged himself out of the twin sandwich and turned to face them, his long and graceful fingers fluttering with affront.
"Of course not! My princely demeanor is always charming. And it certainly isn't an act!"
Without Tamaki between them, the twins hooked on to each other instead.
"So, what you're saying, Boss, is that the character you contribute to the Host Club is basically your personality?" Hikaru asked silkily as he rubbed his cheek against Kaoru's.
"Sounds a little unfair, if you ask me," Kaoru added. "Hikaru and I work very hard to make sure that our little displays of affection are always in full view of the clients."
"How dare you?" Tamaki cried, bringing a hand to his chest as if the twins had hit him with bullets instead of words. "I work! I am the King of this Host Club!"
The twins slid identical arms around each others shoulders.
"Oh?" they purred in unison.
"Are you really?" Hikaru asked.
"Because it sure seems like Kyoya-sempai does an awful lot of work around here," Kaoru said.
The sound Tamaki made was one akin to someone hit in the face with a frying pan. He slid down to his knees, fisting his hands on the floor like someone who'd just had his lifelong dreams shattered.
"Could…they be right?" he gasped. "Am I really so worthless? Oh, the shame, the embarrassment!"
Above him, Hikaru and Kaoru whispered to each other behind their hands, in perfectly audible voices, of course.
"Did you hear that? The boss admitted that he doesn't do any work around here."
"I know. It's so unfair. He probably couldn't pull off an act like ours if he tried."
Tamaki gave a great gasp, and bounced to his feet.
"That's it!" he cried. "I'll prove to you that I can work just as hard as you can!" He pivoted and dashed away, calling for Kyoya.
By the time Haruhi became aware of the situation, it was too late to prevent it. She caught a glimpse of the twins, having hysterics in the corner, and instantly scanned the room to figure out what they'd done. When she spotted Tamaki, she groaned.
"Excuse me, ladies," she said, to her table of fluttering females. "I'll be right back."
She marched over to the gigantic group of girls surrounding Tamaki, tossing a single glare at the twins as she passed. The King of the Host Club was currently hanging off of a very stiff Kyoya.
"Um…Sempai?" she asked hesitantly. "What are you doing?"
"Oh, Haruhi," Tamaki crooned. "Daddy's just showing Mommy a little affection."
Tamaki tightened the arm he had wrapped around Kyoya's hips and rested his chin on the Shadow Lord's shoulder.
"And why are you doing that?" Haruhi asked carefully, watching the vein twitching in Kyoya's temple with great concern.
Tamaki gave a merry little laugh.
"Why, I'm just contributing my services to this Host Club," he said. "It's been brought to my attention that Daddy might be overworking Mommy a little."
He rubbed his chin back and forth on Kyoya's shoulder and spoke his next words right into the Shadow Lord's ear.
"I've been terribly selfish, haven't I?"
Kyoya's eye began twitching in time with his jumping vein.
"Sempai, who brought it to your attention that you need to work harder?" Haruhi asked. She almost had to shout to her question over the symphony of squeals coming from the gaggle of girls. "Was it the twins? Because right now they're over in the corner, laughing themselves into a coma."
Tamaki froze. He looked around the room, and his purple eyes dilated as he caught sight of the twins, who were slumped over and giggling so hard that tears rolled down their cheeks.
Tamaki's cheeks flamed a bright and vibrant red. He leapt away from Kyoya like his feet were on fire, and the girls gave a collective cry of disappointment. They were swiftly appeased, however, by watching Tamaki chase the twins around the room, shouting about the torture he was going to inflict as soon as he got his hands on them.
"Are you okay, Kyoya-sempai?" Haruhi asked the Shadow Lord, who had yet to move.
Kyoya crossed his arms and gave Haruhi a smile that sent shudders down her spine.
"They're all on my list," he purred, and Haruhi skipped back several steps.
Everyone put the incident out of their minds. But the next day, Mori wandered in, his face an unattractive shade of purple. Apparently, an anonymous source had posted a challenge on the school bulletin board earlier that morning. Whoever could get Mori-sempai to make the most noise would win a fabulous prize. The anonymous poster failed to add a set of rules, which the participants took to mean there weren't any.
Poor Mori spent the day being prodded, provoked, pinched, and pestered. And the groping. More than a few girls saw this as a golden opportunity to get their hands on the stoic Mori-sempai. By the end of the day, Mori sat in Music Room 3, completely traumatized, and refused to leave until all the other students had vacated the school.
A certain set of look-alikes steered suspiciously clear of the Host Club that afternoon.
The Mori-incident raised the red flags to half-mast. The events of the next day sent them screaming to the top of the pole. No one could figure out why Hunni was wandering from class to class, pale and teary-eyed and looking like the world had come crashing down on his head. The mystery remained unsolved until that afternoon. Hunni looked down at the cake sitting on the table in front of him, and then up at Mori, who was still suffered the occasional twitch from the day before.
"Takashi," he asked, his voice hitching. "Does cake really stunt growth? Is that why I'm so short?"
Mori's jaw hit the table in front of him. A fire lit in his eyes, one that was almost never seen, one that promised all kinds of vengeance. He whipped his head around, just in time to see two red-headed figures sprint out the door.
Nothing happened on the fourth day, but it was a very significant nothing. Hikaru and Kaoru spent the entire school day shooting subtly smug looks in Kyoya's direction. Every time the Shadow Lord left class, the twins were there, hovering just outside the door. During every passing time, Kyoya couldn't walk the hall without brushing up against one of them. The Shadow Lord, not a paranoid person by nature, thought of the events from the previous day and began jumping at the slightest sounds, and checking around corners before he took them. He was convinced that nothing could slip past his shields, so long as he kept them strong enough, and he spent the day a twitching, note-scribbling mess of hyper-awareness.
When nothing had happened by the time the final bell rang, Kyoya gathered his things and pushed his way past several startled students. He all but sprinted to Music Room Three, and fought a brief but brutal internal battle when he spotted the twins, already parked on the sofa and calmly sipping coffee.
"What, no trick?" he snapped at them, in a remarkably level voice. "No pie in my face, or banana peel in the hallway?" He crossed his arms to contain his tension. "I'm waiting."
Hikaru set his coffee cup carefully on his saucer and gave Kyoya a lazy smile.
"Whatever do you mean, Kyoya-sempai?" he asked. "We wouldn't dream of doing something like that to you."
Kaoru traced an idle finger around the rim of his mug.
"You're far too smart for us to play games with," he added sweetly.
Kyoya's eye began to spasm dangerously as the twins took simultaneous sips.
"It's not our fault if you got a little paranoid," they said.
No one was completely certain of the details, but that afternoon, during the Host Club's open hours, Kyoya was glowering so badly that nobody could work up the courage to ask.
By the end of the week, everyone was watching Haruhi with nervous and sympathetic eyes. She was the only one left, and the way the twins were watching her left little mystery to their intentions. Being the most sensible of the bunch, Haruhi didn't let it bother her. In fact, she didn't even think about it until two shadows fell over her as she attacked her homework.
"What do you two want?" she asked without turning around. "Not that I haven't been expecting this."
There were two soft chuckles.
"Don't worry, Haruhi," Hikaru crooned.
"We just want to play a little game," Kaoru said.
Haruhi took a moment to finish the sentence she was writing, and then she turned around. The twins were grinning at her, their smiles all but breaking records.
"I'm sure you do," she said with amused exasperation. "But before we play, I have a question."
"Yes?"
Haruhi tilted her head so that brown eyes met golden ones.
"Do you guys want me to be your toy, or your friend?"
Their smiles slipped away as if Haruhi had slapped them off their faces. She watched as malicious intent was replaced with confusion.
"Because I can't be both, you see," she said with a small smile. "I'll be your toy, that's fine. But only if you guys can't respect me enough to be your friend."
The confusion deepened as Haruhi's words hit home, became a kind of misery.
"Haruhi, we didn't…"
"We never meant…"
Haruhi's smile widened, and became strangely gentle.
"I know you didn't," she said. "That's just the way you guys are, and I get that. I don't want you to be anything but what you are. But someone has to show you that defining line." She tilted her head. "And who better than a friend to help you find it?"
Golden eyes went soft.
"A friend?" the twins repeated.
Haruhi laughed and shook her head.
"Of course, you idiots. Don't you know that by now?"
Still shaking her head, Haruhi turned back to her homework. At a loss for words, the twins gaped at her shoulder blades.
And just like that, the Hitaachin Week of Games ended, without the expected fanfare of a final, awe-inspiring prank.
………………………………
Hikaru and Kaoru were completely red by the time Kyoya finished speaking. There was a momentary beat of silence around the table as everyone considered just how Haruhi had tamed the proverbial beast.
"Things were different after that," Tamaki said softly. "The pranks were still there, but they were just that. Pranks." He smiled at the miserably embarrassed twins. "The two of you didn't play games with us anymore."
"Yeah, well," Hikaru said, bringing his cup to his lips.
"Takashi and I graduated not much later," Hunni added, and his little boy voice was sad. "So, a lot of things changed after that."
Haruhi pushed her plate away.
"Everything changed after that," she corrected quietly.
She saw Tamaki eying the abundance of food still on her plate and shoved it in his direction.
"Go ahead and eat it, Sempai." She rubbed her stomach, which had become one raw ache. "I guess I'm not as hungry as I thought."
"Everything did change," Kaoru agreed. "But it started on the day that Hunni-sempai and Mori-sempai left. I don't know about the rest of you, but I remember the very distinct feeling that nothing was ever going to be the same."
A/N: We all knew that Hunni and Mori had to leave eventually. How does it change the Host Club, and how does it relate to a secret someone in the group is hiding? Stay tuned to find out. Happy reading!