A/N: Hello everyone! It's been a while (again). I hope you've all been well! Anyway I'm back with another chapter! It's literally 4,301 words - the longest oneshot I've ever written! Hope you all like this AU setting I chose this time :D

Special thanks to Kartara and BuddingWriter101 for beta-reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran or any of the characters. I also don't own the idea for this AU.

Orange, and Blue

Orange was the only colour in Kaoru's life. Orange was the colour of his family's hair. Orange was the sunrise that woke him each morning. Orange was the comforting sunset that calmed him after a long, hard day. Orange was the cap that he had begged his parents to buy, simply because it was the only one that was coloured.

In the world he lived in, everyone was born only able to see one colour. Everything else would be black or white, until you met your soulmate. But even then, you'd only see one other colour - your soulmate's colour - when you fell in love with your soulmate. When your soulmate loves you back, all the colours finally come to life.

Despite living in a world of black, white, and orange, Kaoru took a liking to painting. He couldn't see the different shades and hues, but his parents would tell him about the beautiful colours out there. The reds, the greens, the purples... they would all become part of his world one day.

But for now, he had orange. Orange was Hikaru's shirt when they first met in primary school. Orange was the lollipop Hikaru had offered him when he started crying after his parents dropped him off at the classroom and left. Orange was Kaoru's first memory of Hikaru.

Hikaru told him about blue - his colour. He said blue was the sky, blue was the sea. He also said blue came in many different shades, and that it really was a pretty colour. Kaoru had no idea what blue was, but looking at Hikaru's excited face as he tried to describe it, he decided he really wanted to see blue.

He also decided that he liked Hikaru a lot, and was more than delighted when the other boy said, "Let's be friends, Kaoru!"

Later, in art class, the teacher told them that orange and blue were complementary colours. Kaoru barely understood what the word 'complementary' meant, but it only made him like the colour blue more. That night, when he got home, he ran to his paints and easels and asked his nanny to pass him all the blue paints. He painted swirls of cyan against teal, then added royal blue and aqua. Next came azure blue and celeste. Navy blue, baby blue, sky blue. All the shades of blue he had, he used, promising to himself that one day he'd be able to see for himself how they looked.

It was years later, when they were both in their last year of high school, that Kaoru saw his second colour. They had opted to spend their lunch break outside on the grass area. He didn't even notice it at first, too caught up in staring at Hikaru as he went off about a new book he was reading. Watching as he spoke about the main characters and the plot, his eyes shining with enthusiasm, arms flailing around to try and get the point across, Kaoru thought he could stare forever. But when he finally pulled himself back to reality, he couldn't help the small gasp that left his lips.

"What? What is it, Kao?" Hikaru questioned him, but Kaoru shook his head, avoiding the question as his mind raced. The sky, the cover of the book in Hikaru's hands... they were coloured. So this was blue? Nothing he had ever imagined could live up to what it truly looked like. Whilst orange was passionate and loud, blue seemed soft and tranquil in comparison. Forget orange, blue was definitely his favourite colour.

Blue was the vast sky above him. Blue were the lines of the exercise books he wrote in. Blue was the eraser that Hikaru gave him when he'd lost his favourite Garfield one.

If orange was his first memory of Hikaru, then blue was his first memory of being in love with Hikaru.

He remembered one time, when Hikaru had come to his place for one of their many sleepovers, he had asked him to describe the colour blue. Hikaru had smiled, and said, "It's how the sky looks when all the clouds are gone. When sunrise has long passed, and sunset is still to come. It's the colour of sadness and coldness, but also symbolises trust, loyalty, and wisdom. Blue... is a beautiful contradiction."

At that answer, Kaoru had tilted his head and tried to imagine the colour. But try as he might, he couldn't imagine blue ever being a cold colour, not when it reminded him of Hikaru and warmed him from the inside.

When he got home that night, Kaoru slipped into his room and laid on his bed, thinking. He glanced around his room and noticed how many blue things he had. Maybe, despite not knowing the colour, he had still subconsciously been picking up blue things and taking them into his possession. He took another look, now noticing the orange as well as the blue. Complementary colours, his mind supplied. Yeah, he decided, they do look good together. A little clashy, but surprisingly good.

He thought about his soulmate. The only person he knew that had blue as their colour was Hikaru. Thinking back, he couldn't find a moment since their meeting where he didn't love Hikaru, so why now? Why, after so many years, did the colour finally reveal itself? But even as he questioned himself, he knew the answer; he had never admitted to loving Hikaru, but that afternoon, he couldn't stop himself from thinking about how he'd love to spend each day like this, sitting with one of the most important people in his life and just listening to him speak.

But what now? He didn't want to just tell Hikaru they were soulmates; that would be useless. He wanted Hikaru to love him for him, not because they were soulmates. So he settled for a patient game of waiting.

He just didn't know how long the wait would be.

No one told him the wait would be so difficult. He hadn't anticipated that once he admitted his feelings to himself, it would be so hard to ignore them again. From the day he started seeing blue, every moment of his day would be spent thinking of Hikaru – the way he smiled, the way he spoke, the way he wrote... the list was never-ending. Each day, it became progressively more difficult to hide his feelings, especially since the other showed no hints of loving him back.

In a world where your soulmate was already chosen for you, it wasn't really considered necessary to go on casual dates. After all, if there's already someone out there that's destined to be your perfect partner, why waste time on other relationships? However, there were some that did enjoy going on little outings, taking the opportunity to make a new friend. Hikaru seemed to fall into the latter category.

It wasn't often, but every once in a while, Hikaru would go out with someone. They were short relationships, and it was all fine. Until he met Haruhi. Kaoru felt his heart breaking when Hikaru kept a steady relationship with the girl, and he was sure his heart was broken when the other called him, on a late Friday night, and told him excitedly, "I think she might be the one." All Kaoru could do was hold back his tears as he forced himself to sound happy for the other. As soon the call disconnected, Kaoru let his tears fall freely without bothering to wipe them away, knowing that more tears would fall anyway. He cried himself to sleep that night, whimpering softly as hopelessness and loneliness haunted his dreams.

When he got back to school on Monday, he was perfectly fine. Or at least he pretended to be. To everyone else, it would seem that he was the same Kaoru that had stepped out of the classroom on Friday afternoon. He suddenly remembered something his philosophy teacher had once said: "Having perfected our disguise, we spend our lives searching for someone we don't fool." He really, really, wanted Hikaru to be the one person his façade couldn't fool.

But even that last shard of hope was lost when he sat down at his seat next to Hikaru and the other simply greeted him briefly before returning to his conversation with Haruhi.

He was smiling at her.

It was the smile that he used to save just for Kaoru.

Kaoru bit his lip and turned to look out the window. The weather wasn't bad – a cloudless blue sky. But for the first time in his life, Kaoru couldn't find an ounce of warmth in that long stretch of blue.

He didn't know whether it was a good thing or a bad thing when Hikaru broke up with Haruhi after three months. He was happy, because those three months were the longest months ever, and he had gone through a constant heartbreak, looking on from the side as the other two gazed adoringly at each other.

But at the same time, he wasn't happy, because Hikaru wasn't happy. He had been crying when he arrived at Kaoru's house, falling onto him when he opened the front door, whispering "It's not her, Kao. It's not her."

Kaoru had wordlessly led him to his room and sat him on his bed, pulling the blanket over him and embracing him tightly. He didn't know what to say. What could he say? So he just held him there, listening to his broken words and wiping away his tears until his breathing evened out, indicating that he had fallen asleep.

When Hikaru woke up the next morning, he told Kaoru the whole story. How he and Haruhi had gone out on a date, and after dinner he had taken her to a park and told her he loved her and kissed her. But when they opened their eyes, there had been no change, no colours blooming, no feelings of fireworks going off, nothing. She had apologised then, and said they should end it there, then left. "She didn't even seem that upset," he murmured.

Kaoru opted to stay quiet but placed a hand on Hikaru's shoulder as a sign that he was there for him. Hikaru smiled at him. "Thanks for being here Kao. I really didn't know where to go last night. I didn't want to go home, and I guess I just started walking... then I noticed I was here." He laughed, "Guess my feet know where to take me even when my mind is lost."

Kaoru smiled back, his heart fluttering a little at the fact that Hikaru had come to him when he was at his weakest. If only I could tell him... But he bit his lip, knowing it wasn't the right time.

I'll wait for you, Hikaru. One day, we'll see the colours together, like we promised each other…

Kaoru sat on the swing glumly, the last traces of raindrops drying as the bright afternoon sun shone. Hikaru ran up to him, frowning worriedly. It had been raining hard all morning, and when the sun had finally broken out, shouts had filled the school's buildings as students awed over the rainbow that had formed as a result. Kaoru, curious like any other six-year-old would be, had also ran to the windows, only to find that he couldn't see what some of the upperclassmen were able to see.

Upset, he quietly sat back at his desk, like many others in his class, and listened as his teacher droned on. Then, during the recess break, he had slipped out onto the swings to sit alone. In fact, he hadn't realised that Hikaru had even noticed him leaving the class and was surprised to see him.

"Kao-chan, are you ok?" Hikaru panted, all puffed out from running to the playground.

Kaoru pouted, "I wanted to see the rainbow…" he whispered softly. Like most of the young children, Kaoru had not been able to see the colours of the rainbow. He knew the reason why, but still couldn't contain the pang of disappointment that he felt when all he saw when he looked out the window was grey against grey.

"Aww Kao-chan you'll see it when you grow up! When you and your soulmate are together, you can see it!" Hikaru tried his best to cheer up the younger boy by pulling a few funny faces.

But the smaller boy still whined, "What if I don't meet them for a long time? Or… or… what if they don't love me? I'll never see the rainbow!"

Hikaru grabbed Kaoru's shoulders, "Don't say that Kao-chan! Remember what the teacher said? Our soulmate will always be the person that loves us most! They'll definitely love you!"

"Then… but… I love you Hikaru! You're my best best best friend! How about we just be soulmates?"

Hikaru was taken aback, "You can't just pick your soulmate! It doesn't work like that!" He giggled at the absurd suggestion.

"It's not fair! I just want to see the rainbow!" Kaoru's eyes started glossing over, tears threatening to fall out.

Seeing that, Hikaru freaked out, trying to stop him from crying, "Ok, ok! I'll be your soulmate! Don't cry, Kao-chan!"

Kaoru beamed, "You promise, Hika?" He stuck out his pinkie.

"Yep! I'll always be your soulmate, Kao-chan. We can go see rainbows together!" Hikaru linked his pinkie with Kaoru's, sealing their little promise.

"Hey Kao, wanna go to the carnival this weekend?"

At the mention of the carnival, Kaoru's eyes lit up like a child's and his head snapped up from the homework he had been trying to do. He squealed "Yes!" so loudly Hikaru's mum walked in and told them to keep the noise down. They grinned sheepishly and were quiet for all of ten seconds until Hikaru's mum left. Then they immediately stated squealing again.

"Ohhh I wanna go on the rollercoaster! And the stall games, Hika! We have to play all of them!"

Hikaru laughed at the other's enthusiasm, "You're such a child, Kao. It's cute."

When they met up that Saturday, Kaoru was jumping all over the place in excitement, making Hikaru shake his head wondering why they were even friends whilst jokingly pretending he had no idea who this crazy guy was.

They hit the stall games first, running towards them and trying out all the minigames that proved impossible to win. "Urghhhhhh, why are they all so hard?" Kaoru groaned, upset that he wasn't able to win the adorable puppy plushie that had caught his eye almost immediately.

"They're designed for you to fail, Kao, there's no way we'd be able to just win it that easily." Hikaru diverted the other's attention, pulling him towards the bumper cars instead, "C'mon, you wanted to go on all the rides too, right? The lines are short right now so let's hurry up!"

They spent the day running through the fairgrounds, and just as Kaoru had wanted, they went on every single ride there was, including the spinning teacups. Hikaru protested at first, because "They're for babies, Kao" but one look at Kaoru's shining eyes had changed his mind.

Amongst the frustration of the stall games, the thrill of the rides, and the sheer joy of just spending a day with each other, time flew by, and soon the sun had dipped behind the horizon as the boys lined up for their final ride.

The large Ferris wheel turned slowly above them as they chatted amongst the queue, "Hey, Kaoru did you have fun today?"

Kaoru's eyes softened into crescents when he replied. "Yea, I had so much fun! I don't think I've had so much fun for a while."

The sky was completely dark by the time they got onto the Ferris wheel. Kaoru could tell the lights had all been turned on, but he could only see the orange and blue lights. His gaze lingered on the dull grey lights, yearning for them to be bright and colourful.

They got into the carriage and it started to ascend. Kaoru tried to look at the night view, but without the colours, there simply wasn't much worth looking at. He turned back to Hikaru, only to find the other already looking at him, an indescribable look in his eyes.

"Kao-chan, I…" Hikaru bit his lip, looking down and avoiding Kaoru's eyes.

Sensing that he needed a bit of time to think, Kaoru gently took Hikaru's hand in his and waited. They were used to this, having known each other for most of their lives, so a comfortable silence settled over them as the Ferris wheel continued to turn slowly.

Finally, Hikaru took a deep breath and spoke once more, "Kao-chan, I think… I think I might be in love with someone." Kaoru felt his heart skip a beat, body tensing up the tiniest amount.

"What do you mean you think you love someone?" He questioned softly, a little afraid to hear the answer.

Hikaru's hands trembled. "I think I'm saying this wrong… I'm pretty sure I love them… but I'm scared to tell them… I'm scared they won't be my soulmate."

Kaoru hesitated, unsure whether he should say anything. Knowing that Hikaru was his soulmate, telling him to confess would only be setting him up for a heartbreak, and Kaoru had seen firsthand how devastated Hikaru was last time. But telling him to keep his feelings hidden would cause him the same amount of pain… Either way, I'll just be hurting him… and myself…

Tightening his grip on Hikaru's hand, Kaoru murmured, "I know who my soulmate is."

Startled by the sudden change of tone and topic, Hikaru turned to look at Kaoru. "What?" He looked surprised, and almost… fearful?

"My soulmate. I know who they are." Kaoru met Hikaru's eyes, uncertain of where the conversation was going.

"Have you… told them?" Hikaru's voice was uncharacteristically small, as though he felt unsure of himself too.

"No, because I'm afraid they won't love me back the way I love them." As Kaoru spoke, he began to realise just how true he words were, and his eyes glossed over with tears, because for the first time, he was opening himself up and letting his true feelings through, letting his vulnerability show. He suddenly became aware of the fact that if Hikaru didn't love him back, he would be alone forever in his dull world.

He let out a small choked gasp when he felt Hikaru's palms cup his cheeks, fingers catching his tears and brushing them away. His fingers were really long, Kaoru noted, and his hands radiated warmth. At this gentle and almost loving touch, Kaoru let his façade break away as he cried harder, burying his face into Hikaru's shoulder. Hikaru ran his fingers through his hair and patted his back, quietly waiting for him to calm down before speaking again.

"Don't you remember what our primary school teacher told us? Your soulmate will always be the person who loves you the most. If you know who they are, you should tell them. Don't let them go. If anything happens, I'll always be here for you." I'll always love you.

Kaoru didn't know what it was that gave him the courage. Perhaps he was just tired of keeping a secret for so long, perhaps he just wanted to see what would happen. Perhaps it was his selfish desire for a happy ending, or perhaps it was the sense of safety he received from Hikaru, who had never failed him. Perhaps it was everything and nothing.

But whatever it was, it made him lean forward and press his lips against Hikaru's. It was inexperienced and a bit weird, with teeth clashing a little, too. His eyes were tightly closed the whole time because he was afraid of what he would see when he opened them again. He felt Hikaru tense up and pulled away, not wanting to make him uncomfortable.

He tried to shift away from Hikaru, but he tightened his hold and held him still. "Kaoru…" Hikaru's voice was a bare whisper, and Kaoru couldn't bear to look at him, instead keeping his eyes closed. It was just as well, because he knew if he opened his eyes, his tears would only start falling again.

"Kaoru," Hikaru repeated, "What was that for?" There was the slightest tremble in his voice.

"It's you. You're my soulmate. You're the person I love." Kaoru sniffled and Hikaru's heart wrenched at how timid he sounded. "I just… I don't know… I'm sorry for doing that."

"How long have you known?"

"A few months…"

He heard Hikaru's soft gasp, "Why didn't you tell me?" He felt a familiar hand on his cheek again, "Kaoru, please look at me." At the sound of Hikaru's tender voice, Kaoru slowly lifted his head and opened his eyes, focusing on Hikaru's gaze.

The gaze which made him freeze.

Because reflected in Hikaru's eyes, were the carnival's lights. Colourful lights. Kaoru looked around – from the Ferris wheel, he could see almost all of the carnival, and bright, vibrant lights covered the span of his view. Caught in a daze, he turned back to the person before him, "Wh-what does this mean?" It was a silly question. He knew what this meant, he had been waiting to see the colours for years, but now that the moment had arrived, he was caught by shock and disbelief.

Hikaru's smile was sweet as always, "I love you, Kaoru," he said simply, letting it sink in, "I love you." He watched as Kaoru's smile slowly spread into a grin, happiness clear within his bright eyes. Tears brimmed in his eyes yet again, but he knew they were happy tears this time.

"I love you too, Hika. I always have." And this time, when he leaned in to capture Hikaru's lips with his once more, there was a sense of completeness within him. It wasn't all fireworks and crazy bursts of colours like he thought it would be, but instead it was overflowing warmth and contentment, and as Hikaru held him in his arms and moved his lips against his, Kaoru thought this was so much better.

Epilogue

"Argh, why does it have to rain now?" Kaoru whined, annoyed that the clouds had suddenly turned black and droplets of water fell down on them unforgivingly just as school finished. He sighed as he dug around in his bag for his umbrella; at least he hadn't forgotten it.

He was startled when a pair of arms wrapped themselves around him, but relaxed into the hold when he realised who it was. "Hika!"

He turned, returning the hug, then pouted cutely at the other, "I can't believe it's raining… I wanted to go walk in the park with you, too…"

"Well, now we can have a romantic walk in the rain instead," Hikaru replied with a small grin, "Isn't that great?"

"But I don't like the rain…" He glanced up at the grey sky, inwardly cursing it for ruining his mood.

He was met with a mischievous smile when he faced the other boy again, "Well you like me, don't you?"

A soft pink blush covered Kaoru's cheeks and he shyly burrowed his face into the crook of Hikaru's neck, "Hika~ Stop teasing me~" Despite the embarrassment, he couldn't stop the happiness that blossomed within him just because his Hikaru was here.

"Well, let's go." Hikaru grabbed his right hand, wordlessly making sure Kaoru would be standing on the inside of the walk way and wouldn't be splashed with water if cars happened to go by. He held his umbrella over them with his other hand, angled more towards Kaoru than himself, because damn he wasn't letting his beautiful Kaoru get drenched with rain and possibly get sick.

Of course, none of this went unnoticed by Kaoru, who smiled to himself at how caring his lover was.

Thankfully, the rain started to let up a little, so they decided to continue their walk in the park as planned. They were halfway through the park when the rain stopped completely and Hikaru looked down as he shook the water off the umbrella and closed it. A sharp gasp had him lifting his head back up, alarmed, "What? What happened?"

When Kaoru didn't answer he followed the other's gaze, looking up. He smiled immediately after in understanding. When he looked back at Kaoru, the other was already looking at him with the softest eyes and gentlest smile he'd ever seen. "It's a rainbow…" he grinned cheerfully, "I can see the rainbow!" He started jumping up and down and squealing in excitement, "It's so beautiful, Hika! Look at all the colours!"

Hikaru laughed and let him continue aweing over the rainbow until it disappeared, and only then did he speak to the boy before him, "Hey, Kao-chan-" He was interrupted by the other throwing himself at him and had to stagger back a few steps to find his balance again, "Ahh, what the heck?!"

He was about to start yelling at him for doing that and not being careful, but stopped when he saw Kaoru's face, which was streaked with tears. "I'm so happy Hika! Thank you for being my soulmate, thank you for loving me, thank you for letting me see the rainbow!"

Hikaru looked at the other, expression exasperated but so full of love, "You stupid idiot. I told you I'd always be your soulmate. It wasn't just a childish promise, you know." I love you a lot, were the words left unsaid, but he didn't need to say them anyway, because everything else, from his expression in that moment to his actions beforehand, had already conveyed it.

A/N: Thanks for reading guys! I seriously hope y'all liked this chapter; it's probably my favourite one so far! Also, please leave a review; any constructive criticism is welcome!

Happy reading and writing!