O.o SUPER IMPORTANTE INFO AT THE END OF CHAPTER! MAKE SURE YOU READ IT!!!!!!! o.O
Haha, anyway...sorry about the delay with this chapter, but I hope it's worth it! ^^ I'm sooo excited for the future chapters... :P
As for the poll goes, Hikaru AND Kaoru are pretty much the winner...but I'll wait a few days before closing the poll... Cuz...you know...maybe there will be a huge turn of votes on Hikaru or Kaoru... o.0 0.o No? Oh...TOO BAD! xD
But yeah, look forward to the final pairing being HikaruxAyamexKaoru, in which BOTH of the twins will be with Ayame. I hope you're all aware of that =/
Now...enough of this. Review, VOTE IF YOU HAVEN'T, favorite, and most of all...enjoy! :)
Ayame glanced to her right awkwardly at the twin sitting a few feet away from her. As she looked closer, she now knew it was Kaoru. He was currently looking down at a notebook and writing down whatever…but then would get a look of frustration on his face and cross whatever it was out.
She then moved her eyes past him and past Haruhi to glance at Hikaru, who was staring out the window next to him. He was tapping his fingers against his desk quickly and Ayame couldn't see his facial expression since his back was to her.
Sighing, Ayame looked down at her desk and stared at her Biology homework that she forgot to do the night before. Her eyes narrowed; in all technical standards…she hadn't lied last night: she really did have trouble with science class this year… She was getting frustrated; her mind was preoccupied with last night's events.
In the end, she decided to just write down random nonsense for answers. As she was writing, she sensed two people in front of her. Ayame lifted her eyes to see the Hitachiin twins…of course… She looked back down at her homework, "Yes?"
Hikaru and Kaoru looked down at her in half-annoyance and half-sympathy, "Come to the Host Club after school today." Ayame nearly rolled her eyes, "I was going to anyway. I promised Kyouya-senpai I would, remember? Gotta pick a…type or whatever he and Suou were going on about." The twins twitched slightly and chimed, "Who are you choosing…?"
Ayame's writing ceased suddenly; she never really thought about it… She knew Suou was definitely not on her list of choices, and Kyouya probably wouldn't be such a good idea either.
She glanced off to the side and mumbled, "I don't know yet…" The two boys frowned and went to speak, but Haruhi's voice cut them off, "Hey Ayame-san…" Ayame quickly turned her head to look up at Haruhi, who now stood next to the twins. Haruhi smiled down at Ayame and Ayame smiled back whole-heartedly, "H-Haruhi-chan, hello…!"
Haruhi nodded, "So, I heard about what happened…" Ayame froze and instantly glanced at the twins, who cringed at her stare, "R-Really…?" Haruhi nodded again, "Yeah, Tamaki-senpai told me. Something about you shutting him down and what-not… But other than that, your rounds seemed to go well…?"
Ayame sighed in relief internally, and then nodded in response, "Y-Yes. I'm still…unsure as to who I trust the most though." Unconsciously, Ayame glanced at the twins. Hikaru and Kaoru blinked when she had looked at them and then raised their eyebrows curiously.
Ayame felt her face heat up and looked back down at her Biology homework. However…it wasn't there… Ayame stared at her blank table unsurely; she was almost positive she was insane now.
However, she heard who had to be Hikaru, "What the hell are you writing down Ayame??" Ayame blinked and looked up to see Hikaru and Kaoru looking at a piece of paper…her homework. She growled, "Give me back my homework…!"
Kaoru spoke this time, "Are you having trouble with Biology class Ayame-chan?" She cringed slightly but then covered it up with a harsh glare, "You should know; you guys were eavesdropping last night…" Haruhi had already walked away so she hadn't heard that, and their homeroom's attention was elsewhere.
The twins cringed this time and chimed, "We just assumed you were lying…" Getting frustrated, Ayame got up from her desk and grabbed back her homework from the twins' hands, "Well, I was. I'm doing just fine in Biology class, mind you! I could just care less about this stupid homework assignment…!" Hikaru and Kaoru smirked very smally, "That's not what your quiz from yesterday says… You got a 73."
Ayame's eyes widened slightly; her Biology class did have a quiz the day before… She then narrowed her eyes at the two boys, "How did you know I had a quiz yesterday?! A-And how do you know my grade?!" The twins looked at each other and tilted their heads, then looked back at Ayame, "We're in your class Ayame-chan… We sit a few rows behind you…"
That totally caught her off guard… She had no idea they were in her class… Then, their voices cut off her thoughts, "We're also in your Geometry, Poetry, and Lunch hour…did you really not know?" Ayame didn't answer, but her silence was all the answer the two boys needed.
The three stood in an awkward silence until the twins broke it, "We could help you in Biology Ayame-chan…?" Ayame broke out of her trance and narrowed her eyes, "I don't need your help…!"
She meant that in more ways than one. And the twins knew that and cringed slightly.
Finally, homeroom was over and Ayame ran ahead of the rest of the class to go to her Geometry class. Every time she went to class, any class, she would stare at her desk until class began. She never looked anywhere other than her desk or the board…never her male instructors.
But today…Ayame looked carefully at the door. Students piled in the classroom and, sure enough, the twins entered. Ayame somehow made eye contact with both of them, but then broke it by staring down at her desk. She sensed them walk past her and then sit 2 rows behind her.
She could feel their stares on her and she was getting very uncomfortable, very quickly.
The same went for her Poetry class. Ayame found out where they sat in classes and was surprised they hadn't stood out to her a few days ago.
But then again, her plan to push them out of her life was successful…or rather had been successful.
Finally, Biology class came and the same happened once again. And when class did begin and they got their quizzes back, sure enough she had gotten a 73. Ayame groaned internally; it was going to be a killer getting her grade up to a B at least.
Class ended and before Ayame got to leave, her instructor called her up to him, "Hirano, just a moment." Ayame turned from the door to look at her teacher and saw him and the Hitachiins standing at the teacher's desk.
Ayame's eyes narrowed at the twins, but she went over to them regardless, "Y-Yes sensei…" He frowned down at her, "It's about your quiz and your grade in general. Your record states you got straight A's while you were in Lobelia. Is the course not to your liking?" Ayame shook her head and answered without missing a beat, "No, it's fine. It just…takes me awhile to fully adjust to new classes is all…"
Hikaru and Kaoru scoffed quietly; the teacher hadn't noticed but Ayame did and she threw a hard glare at them. Her teacher sighed, "Nevertheless, Hikaru and Kaoru here have kindly offered to be your tutor until your grades improve."
Ayame's mouth gaped open and her eyes widened, "Wh-What?? No…I can bring my grade up myself, I promise…!" Her teacher frowned at her, "I'm sorry Hirano, but it's already been settled. The Hitachiins already receive all A's in this course and were kind enough to offer their services to you every day after school at their home. You should be very thankful to them."
Ayame was enraged as she stared at the twins. So this was their plan; to ensure she wasn't home as much as they could. She glared at the two hard, as if silently saying, "This isn't going to change a thing!"
However, Hikaru and Kaoru were completely relieved. Now, they could get their friend away from her bastard father as much as they could. They had caught Ayame's glare; they did know that it really would change anything that would happen during the late nights at her house.
At least now they could be near her again…protect her to the best of their ability and still respect her request of not telling anybody about what they had learned the night before.
They hated that request dreadfully…but they loved Ayame more.
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The Host Club stared at Ayame carefully. She was getting restless with this whole ordeal. She had to make her decision as to who she trusted the most out of these males before their sessions started. That gave her…1 minute now.
Ayame growled softly; the only she knew was who she wasn't going to choose: Suou, Kyouya…and the twins. Even if they were trying to help her with her… "home problem"…she didn't want to have to deal with them at the Host Club and then at their house afterwards.
Finally, after a few more seconds, Ayame nodded, "Alright, I got it." The other instantly perked up and focused their attention fully on Ayame. She closed her eyes lightly, "In the end, I trust…"
They all leaned in slowly as the tension was building.
"…Nobody."
Everybody's mouths gaped open and they groaned out exasperated. Ayame's eyes narrowed, "This is so stupid! Not to sound weird or anything, but how can I trust any of you if I don't trust males in general?!" Tamaki narrowed his eyes right back at her, "Then I'll just have to choose for you!"
Ayame cringed; he would totally choose himself…! Before she got to retort, she sensed two familiar people stand behind her and put their hands on both her shoulders, "We'll be her choice then." Ayame's body twitched under the twins' touch and she turned around to face them.
When she had turned, they ended up being much too close to her. Ayame's face flushed and she stepped backwards, "Wh-Why should it be you two?! I already have to deal with you after this!" Hikaru and Kaoru frowned at their old friend and chimed, "Exactly. The more time you spend with us, the more you'll come to trust us." Ayame bit her lip, "And what makes you think the opposite won't happen? What if I just end up hating you even more?!"
That caught the twins off guard as they chimed softly, "You…hate us…?" Ayame's eyes widened as she realized what she had said and put a hand over her mouth suddenly, "I-I didn't mean…I mean I guess I did, but I didn't… I'm…" She wasn't really sure what she had meant. Did she really hate them? Or was it just that she meant she might end up hating them?
Ayame eyes shut tightly; this was exactly what she had wanted to avoid 10 years ago. She didn't want to have mixed and complex emotions toward Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin. She had come to terms that she had loved them as kids, but she refused to feel that way now. Not after what happened back then.
The Hitachiin twins were males…and would be no different than her sadistic father.
Hikaru and Kaoru stared at Ayame carefully; the fact that she was lost for words proved that she didn't hate them. But that didn't mean that she trusted them. So, that's partially what their plan was for: to make her trust them again. Of course, they wanted to get Ayame away from her father as much as possible…but the twins couldn't help but be just alittle selfish…
After a few minutes of arguing and complaining, Hikaru and Kaoru were Ayame's designated types. Ayame sat in between several others girls, who were currently leaning forward on their couch and staring at the twins in awe.
"Hikaru…they're all staring at us…!"
"Let them stare! I'm happy knowing your eyes will always be on me…"
"Hikaru…!"
The two brothers drew closer to each other as the girls all squealed in delight. Ayame tried her best to not be rude and put her hands over her ears to prevent them from blowing out. Instead, she leaned her back on the couch, trying to relax. Her eyes were fixated on the floor, but she listened carefully to the twins.
How stupid was this plan anyway? How was watching these two "incestuous" brothers going to help her trust males? All she was getting from this experience was a sick stomach, broken eardrums, and a massive headache.
But…she said she would stay…so she would. All she was to do was sit here for all of Hikaru and Kaoru's sessions and watch them, carefully. And she did.
However, she still wasn't getting anything out of it.
Finally, the Host Club closed and Ayame sighed, exasperated as she mumbled, "Well thank goodness that's over…" She suddenly heard the twins behind her, "Seriously. Could you have looked more bored?" Ayame turned around and saw the two identical boys crossing their arms at her. She rolled her eyes, "As if, I wasn't bored, just…weirded out. I don't take kindly to yaoi or anything like that…"
Hikaru and Kaoru pouted and chimed, "Such a shame. Luckily for you, you get to endure it for another 3 hours." Ayame's eyes widened, "Th-Three hours?! I-I'm not staying at your house until 8…!" The twins smirked as they drew closer to her, but Ayame surprisingly stood her ground, "Too bad because you have no choice." Ayame growled softly before turning on a heel, grabbing her bag from a nearby couch and starting for the door as she called out, "Let's get this over with then!"
The boys looked at each other, frowned slightly, but then followed their friend out of the music room. However, they stayed a good distance behind her as Hikaru took out his cell phone and dialed a number.
"Hey, it's Hikaru. Yeah everything's fine… No we didn't get arrested for our act…! God… Okay…okay stop! I just need a favor. Can you call Ryoma Hirano and tell him that his daughter is going to be late tonight coming home. Tell him the Hitachiin family is taking good care of her. …No we are not going to take advantage of her! Goodbye!"
He flipped the phone shut and Kaoru raised an eyebrow, "Which maid was that?" Hikaru rolled his eyes, "The psycho twin ones." The younger twin looked up at the ceiling, "Yeah…they are psycho…"
Like they could talk…
(A/N: This is what I call…"comedic relief". xD)
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Ayame chewed at her pencil eraser as she glared at the homework in front of her, "So…this is the…long intestine…?" Hikaru and Kaoru smirked, "Bzzzt, you got it wrong! It's the short intestine." The brunette girl groaned and she sat up from her laying down position on her stomach, "That makes no sense at all!" The twins shrugged as they remained laying down on their stomachs, "It's Biology…it's not supposed to make sense."
Ayame sighed as she looked over her already finished homework; the twins were making her stay there for another hour since it was only 7, so they were just studying now. However, as she sat cross-legged on the floor with the twins across from her as they lay down on the floor as well, a memory triggered.
She recalled how, as kids, the three would sit on this same floor and color with each other.
Ayame's eyes narrowed as she stood up quickly, "…I don't wanna study anymore…" Hikaru and Kaoru sighed in relief as they stood up as well. Hikaru stretched out his arms, "Thank God, we thought it would never stop…" Kaoru yawned softly, "We were hoping you would give up eventually." Finally, the two chimed together, "We were getting so bored…"
Ayame went to say something, but the sudden loud rumbling in her stomach cut her off. She flushed in embarrassment, "Er…" The Hitachiins grinned widely, "Sounds like Aya-chan is hungry…" The girl glared at them slightly, "I-I haven't eaten dinner yet, obviously…" The two boys glanced at each other before smirking and approaching Ayame, then grabbing either of her arms and dragging her out of their room, "Let's go to the kitchen then!"
As they dragged her down to their kitchen, Ayame struggled against them, "L-Let me go…! Please…!" However, the twins only laughed, "Not a chance Ayame-chan!" She flushed slightly, but after a few moments, stopped struggling. The boys were actually amazed that she had stopped…
When the three reached the large kitchen, Hikaru and Kaoru released their friend to search their refrigerator. Ayame leaned back against the counter as she watched the two in amusement. They were frantically searching for something, until they called out as they continued to search, "Ayame-chan, do you still like apples with peanut butter?"
Something in Ayame twitched as her eyes widened; they…remembered…? She shook her head slightly, "Y-Yeah…"
Hikaru and Kaoru sensed the surprised tone in her voice and smiled slightly; of course they remembered one of the few things that made Ayame unconditionally happy, not matter what the circumstances were.
Finally, they found the jar of peanut butter and bowl of already-sliced apples and showed them to Ayame, "Dinner is served!" Ayame blinked as she stared at the food longingly, "For…dinner…?" Hikaru and Kaoru smirked as they got closer to Ayame, but her attention was on the apples and peanut butter, so she didn't move an inch.
The Hitachiin twins flushed slightly at the loving, happy sparkle in her eyes that they hadn't seen in 10 years, but dreamed about nearly every night. However, they bit their lips as they whispered, "Do you not want it…?" Ayame's muscles tensed as she shook her head quickly, "N-No…! I'll have them…"
The three teens went back to the twins' room and sat on the floor, their backs pressed against the bed. Somehow, Ayame ended up being in the middle of the two boys, and all three were rather close together.
However, Ayame hadn't noticed since she was completely in ecstasy from her peanut butter covered apple slices. Hikaru and Kaoru didn't eat at all; instead, they watched their friend carefully.
"Why do you always go back home Ayame…?"
Their question was sudden and nearly made Ayame choke on her apple slice. However, when she recovered, she also came out of her ecstasy-state and noticed how close the twins were. She cringed and went to stand up, but the twins lightly put their hands on either of her arms. Ayame froze and flushed under their touches as she whispered, "Well…why do you guys persist with our friendship…?? We're not even friends anymore…!" Her voice started to raise, "Stop acting like we're 6 again and face reality…!"
The twins, however, weren't affected by her words. Instead, they chimed softly as their eyes stared at her intently, "Stop spouting nonsense to avoid the question Ayame-chan. Your hands twitch when you do that… Now answer us: why do you always go back?!"
Ayame cringed as she glared at the bowl of apples, "I have no choice… If I leave…he'll ruin my chances at becoming a novelist…" She paused and the twins went to speak, but she beat them to it, "Now answer me… Why do you persist with me…?!"
Instead of answering her question, the twins leaned in closer to Ayame and wrapped their arms around her shoulders, causing her to go frozen. She went to tell them to let her go, but their soft voices chimed, "Stay here with us Ayame-chan… Why won't you live with us…?"
Ayame nearly lost her breath as she shook her head in astonishment, "A-Are you guys insane…?! I belong at my own house, with my…father..." She knew…she knew exactly where this was going; the moment was very familiar to her.
She remembered and knew exactly what was going to happen…but she didn't stop it.
Somewhere, deep down, she wanted them to say it…
Hikaru and Kaoru leaned their foreheads to her temples and their lips brushed her cheeks very lightly at the same time. Ayame's face turned maroon and she started to shake.
"But we love you more than he does…so much more…"
Awwww, so cute.......I'M SO DAMN LONELY!! D: ....Okay I'm done. ^^''
What on Earth is happening to Ayame and the twins' relationship??! It's obvious that the twins love her still...but what about on Ayame's side?? :O That's pretty much what the next chapter will focus on. :D
*ahem* Also, I've made the decision of making a oneshot that will contain a full, all-out, and detailed version of Ayame's abuse from her father. Yeah, remember back in the day when I debated about that? (lol) Well, the decision has been made.
The reason I'm doing this is so that you, my readers, can better understand and sympathize Ayame. By reading an in-depth scene between Ayame and her father, you can kind of become one with her and understand her on a more personal level.
...Just a final reminder to review, vote, and favorite! Hope you liked this chapter! :D