Hello, my dear readers! It's been a long, long time! I didn't mean for it to be this long, but I've had quite a bit of writer's block, plus studies, which means that I haven't been writing my stories for quite a while - over a month! But here I am - back with a new chapter for this area of Katie and Hikaru's relationship! (I keep forgetting that they're still meant to be teenagers, and not married adults with four kids... oops... I think I've said too much XD)
Anyway, enjoy the episode!
To Boston We Go!
Hikaru and Kaoru sighed as they walked into the Host Club Room, the Third Music Room, their satchels slung over their shoulders. They hadn't really wanted to get there this early – Hikaru had been planning to meet Katie at their lockers for some 'private time' – but Tamaki had something really important to tell them.
So here they were.
Hikaru smiled when he saw Katie already there with Andrea. "Hey, girls!"
Katie looked over and smiled. "Hey, Hika. So you got called here too?"
"Actually, the whole Host Club was called. As were our guests."
It was only then that the twins noticed all of their usual guests hanging around them, chatting idly amongst themselves.
The four of them turned to see Tamaki walk into the room, Haruhi beside him. "I see you have all arrived, then?"
Hunny and Mori emerged from the changing rooms just as Kyoya walked into the room.
Haruhi bit her lip. "I guess we should tell them, then, huh?"
Kaoru frowned. "Tell us what?"
Haruhi took a deep breath. "I'm… studying abroad."
"You're studying abroad?!"
"To Boston. For a year."
"To Boston for one year?!"
They twin boys flipped.
"Are you stupid? Boston is basically the countryside!" Hikaru exclaimed.
"That's not true…" Andrea muttered. "Boston is a city…"
"Actually," Haruhi said, "I've heard that the school in that city is perfect for studying abroad."
"You should've gone to an exciting city!" Kaoru exclaimed. "Like Las Vegas or Beverly Hills!"
Haruhi frowned at them. "I'm going to study there," she pointed out, "so it doesn't need to be exciting…"
"That's not what we mean!" the twins exclaimed. "It's just that studying abroad is something that can be done after high school! Why should you do it now?!"
"Actually, this is something I've been bothered by as well, and my father also offered to pay my expenses to go, but," she turned towards the window in thought, "now it would be completely free, so…" She sighed. "I don't know when I'll be able to get another special chance like this…"
The twins frowned. "You're going to study abroad with that housewife attitude?" They turned to Tamaki. "Come on Tono, you stop her too! After all, you just became a couple, and you are fine with her going?!"
"Shhh! Hika-chan, Kao-chan!" Hunny urged.
The twins covered their mouths, slowly turning to look at the fangirls who were staring at them with something akin to wonder and intrigue. They were muttering amongst themselves excitedly.
"I'm supporting this, actually."
The boys looked over at Tamaki, who had just spoken.
"It something that Haruhi decided after being troubled a lot," he explained. The 'King' was receiving the attention of the whole of the club now.
The twins growled. "You're making the face of someone who is incredibly understanding again!" they exclaimed. "Do you think that is enough to make us agree?"
Tamaki turned to the clock when he heard it chime. "Oh no… is that the time already?" He turned back to the club. "Oh, and by the way, I'm putting in a lot of effort in training for the job at the Suoh Company, but I will try to show myself from time to time in the club!"
The twins were shocked. "Wha… what do you mean? Wait, Kyoya-senpai, Kyoya-senpai!" They held onto Tamaki tightly. "We're not letting you get away!" They looked over at Kyoya. "Do you get it? This bas—"
But Kyoya was already in 'Business mode'. "The Host Club will surely hold a goodbye party for Haruhi," he told the guests. "We're also planning to have a Special Edition Photobook, special goods and more."
The fangirls squealed. "Kyaa! I'll definitely buy it!"
The twins growled. "That penny pincher!"
"Please let me go!" Tamaki wailed.
"We'll go straight away to tell everyone!" the girls cried as they ran out of the Host Club doors.
Haruhi stared at them in shock, as did Katie and Andrea.
"It's hard to believe I was once like them…" Katie muttered.
"No it isn't," Andrea replied.
"Haruhi, when are you leaving?" Kyoya asked.
"Ah, yes," Haruhi said. "The school there starts in September, but I'd like to get used to my life there a little before that time, so I was thinking of going right after the closing ceremony of the first term."
"I see," Kyoya replied. "There is also the exam for the end of the first term, so we will be busy. How about we have your goodbye party the evening of the day of the closing ceremony?"
The twins were gobsmacked. "Wai… wait, everything is happening so quickly…"
Haruhi felt terrible. "Hikaru… Kaoru… I'm sorry if I decided this all by myself, but I would like you to understand, if possible, that I'm also really sad to part from all of you. But it's thanks to you that I could make this decision."
The twins were on the verge of crying. "Haru…"
"Thanks to all of you, my world expanded so much," she said, looking at each of the members in turn – including Andrea and Katie. "That's why now I feel the need to see more and more things."
Hunny stared at Haruhi. "Haru-chan…"
Mori watched Haruhi.
The twins nodded solemnly, and Kaoru brushed a tear from his face. "Ok… got it."
Haruhi turned. "Then, Tamaki-senpai, Kyoya-senpai, I have something to ask you."
The two seniors turned to look at her.
"If my horizon was expanded, it was not only because I met all of you, but also thanks to everybody in my class and our guests at the Host Club," she explained. "For this reason, I don't want to leave keeping my secret… would it be possible for me to reveal everything to everyone?"
The club members stared at her in shock. Was she saying that they thought she was saying?
Katie sighed as she finished off her Literature homework. And I thought English Literature was hard… this is just insane! She quickly piled all of her papers together and grabbed her stapler.
There was a knock on her door. "Hey, Katie!"
Katie quickly stapled her work together. "The door's open, Becky!"
Becky walked into her sister's room, pushing her bright red hair back from her face. "Have you got your dress back, yet?"
Katie shook her head. "No, not yet. Hikaru's mum is still making some adjustments on it."
"Isn't the Masquerade Ball tomorrow night?"
"Yeah, and Hikaru promised to get me the dress by tomorrow morning."
"Oh."
Katie smiled dreamily as she put her Literature homework into her bag. "I can't wait to see the dress…"
"Am I allowed to go?" Becky asked.
"Are you in Ouran High School yet?" Katie retorted.
"No."
"Well, there you go."
Becky huffed before turning to leave. "Annoying bitch."
Katie stared at her as she walked out. "Rude!" she yelled as the door slammed shut behind Becky. She sighed and turned back to her desk, getting out her planner and looking for what homework she had left.
LANGUAGES.
She sighed. "Another essay? Yippee…"
"Boys! I'm home!"
Huge grins spread across the twins' faces, and hey burst out of their rooms to see their mother standing not too far from the staircase. They ran into her wide arms, grinning.
"Mom! You're-"
"—home! We can't-"
"—believe it!" the twins finished together, smiling at their mother.
Yuzuha smiled at her two sons. "Yes! And guess what I brought?"
Their smiles turned into huge grins. "Presents!"
She nodded with a chuckle and pulled out three bags. She handed one to each of the boys and kept hold of the third. "From New York."
The boys eagerly opened their bags and smiled when they found the souvenirs and clothes that they had received. "Thanks, mom!"
Yuzuha handed Hikaru the third bag. "And this is for Katie." She slapped his hand when she caught him trying to peek inside. "No peeking!"
Hikaru blushed lightly, causing his brother, Kaoru, to laugh.
Yuzuha smiled. "Okay, okay, now how about you two help me with some new designs?"
Kaoru frowned. "Well-"
"Of course, mom!" Hikaru cut him off. "That would be great!"
Kaoru frowned at his brother. "But Hikaru… we have essays to complete…"
"We can always do them later."
Yuzuha rose at eyebrow at them. "Well, if you have homework…" She turned and began to walk off. "I'll be in my office if you need me."
Hikaru turned and glared at his brother as their mother walked off.
Kaoru stared back at Hikaru innocently. "What?"
"You're an idiot, Kaoru. An absolute idiot."
Katie smiled as she walked into Class 2-A. Today was the day of the Masquerade Ball, or Goodbye Party, that the Host Club had arranged, and she was actually really excited about it. This was the first dance that she was attending with her new boyfriend… She grinned. It sounded so good. Boyfriend…
Andrea looked up as she spotted Katie walking over and noticed she was in a dreamland. "Hey, ginge."
Katie blinked a couple of times before smiling at Andrea. "Hey." She put her stuff at her desk before walking over. "You alright?"
"Yeah, I'm good." Andrea smirked. "And you must be well if you're in a dreamland."
Katie grinned. "I'm excited for tonight… I get to dance with Hika!"
"Awww… I'm sure all of the Fangirls are just as excited about it as you are."
"They can't be. It's impossible."
The girls laughed as the twins walked over to them from where they had been harassing their Class President. Hikaru was holding a bag.
"Hello, ladies," Kaoru greeted, sitting on Andrea's desk. "How are you today?"
"Good, thanks," Andrea said. "Although I'd be even better if you didn't sit on my desk."
Kaoru pouted and stood up. "Meanie."
Hikaru chuckled at their interaction and wrapped his arms around Katie's waist, kissing her softly. "Hey."
She smiled at him as he pulled away. "Hey. Did you enjoy your dinner at Haruhi's last night?" she asked.
He nodded. "It was delicious! But enough about that – how are you today?"
"Great. How about you?"
"Better now that I'm with you, that's for sure."
She blushed lightly and kissed him on the cheek. "Stop being so mushy, Hika."
He just grinned. "I just feel like being mushy today."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you want?"
"I don't want anything, but…" He pulled out the bag that his mother had given him, "…I have the dress…"
Katie's face broke out into a grin and she squealed and took the bag. "Yayayay! Andrea look, look, look!"
Andrea looked over and grinned. "Yay! We're getting my dress after school, right?"
"Uh-huh."
"Good."
Kaoru smiled. "Can we come with you?"
"No," the girls said.
"It's strictly a girls' day," Andrea explained. "No boys allowed."
"We'll get Andrea's dress, and then we'll get our makeup and hair done before getting our dresses on," Katie explained. "We'll meet you two here tonight."
Hikaru pouted. "I want to see the dress…"
"You can see it tonight."
The bell rang signalling the start of morning classes. Hikaru and Kaoru moved to their seats, and Hikaru gave Katie one last kiss before sitting down.
Katie smiled and blushed, ignoring the looks she got from all of the other girls.
She was glad she had Hikaru as her boyfriend.
"So should I wear this one?"
"It's a ball, Andrea. Not prom."
"So I have to wear something big and puffy?"
"Yes."
Andrea sighed as she went back through the dresses, looking for something suitable to wear. "This is a lot harder than looking for something to wear to Prom…"
Katie shrugged. "Oh well. Just find something."
"But it has to be perfect."
"Why, do you want a special somebody to notice your outfit?"
There was silence.
Katie smirked. "You have a crush on Kaoru, don't you?"
"Pfft, no!"
Katie smiled softly. "Don't worry, they're not here. They're setting up for tonight with the rest of the club."
"Well… maybe a little…"
Katie grinned. "I knew it!"
"Okay, okay, you know now." The 12 day younger teen emerged from the changing rooms. "What do you think of this?"
Katie smiled. "Perfect! Let's pay for this one!"
Andrea smiled. "Yay!"
"Ladies and Gentlemen...
"Thank you for coming here to celebrate this party for our scholarship student who is going abroad…
"It's called a goodbye party, but…
"Our club's motto is to always provide entertainment for our guests…
"Therefore…
"The theme this time is…
"A MASQUERADE PARTY HOST CLUB STYLE!"
Katie smiled as she watched her boyfriend and his younger twin mess around with Haruhi, as usual. The fact that Haruhi was leaving didn't seem to bother them on the outside, but it was obvious that this was really affecting them on the inside. She carefully slipped on her green mask and opened her green fan single-handedly, holding it so that it hid everything below her eyes.
"Ginge?"
Katie turned to see Andrea doing the same with her mask and red fan. "Hmmm?"
"Aren't you going to go and ask him to dance with you?" she asked, fluttering her fan a little.
Katie blushed lightly. "He should come over when he's ready…"
"Haruhi's gone onto the dance floor, though."
Katie looked over and noticed that that had in fact happened. She took a deep breath. "Okay, okay… but can we go over together and see if they recognise us?"
Andrea huffed. "They'll recognise me immediately."
"I think they mistook you for Mei last time…"
"That was an insult."
"Just come with me…"
The two girls headed over to where the twins stood, seemingly talking. Katie cleared her throat once they'd arrived there.
Hikaru turned to see who had cleared their throat and smiled. "Why, hello there…"
Kaoru smiled identically. "My, don't our guests look lovely, Hikaru?"
"Of course they do. They're our guests."
The girls shared a glace before giggling. They slowly lowered their fans, smirking.
Hikaru stared at Katie in shock before taking in her whole appearance. She wore a deep green evening dress that flowed down to her ankles, hugging her figure so that it only just showed her curves. Her curly red hair had been curled even further and tied up into a bun, with her fringe being left down to hang by her face. She held and matching green fan, and wore a shimmering green mask to cover her eyes with some lip gloss and a touch of foundation and blusher, although the mask hadn't managed to hide her glittering green eye-shadow. Her shoes were open-toed and also green.
"Wow…" he managed to whisper.
Kaoru, on the other hand, was analysing Andrea's outfit. She wore a shimmering red dress that hugged her curves all the way down to her hips, where it splayed out until it reached her ankles. Her usually afro hair had been straightened, unlike Katie's, and was left to hang down until it reached half-way down her back. She wore a shimmering silver mask, and was wearing red eye-shadow with a touch of lip gloss. She wore heeled silver sandals on her feet, and had a red fan in her hands.
"Liking the outfit," he said with a smile.
"Thank you," Andrea replied, smiling back.
Katie smiled softly at Hikaru. "What, cat got your tongue?"
Hikaru blushed. The dress was amazing… "You look beautiful…"
It was Katie's turn to blush. "Thank you…"
He smiled before clearing his throat and bowing slightly. "May I have this dance, fair lady?" he asked.
Katie smiled and curtseyed. "Why of course, kind sir."
Hikaru smiled and held out his hand, which Katie took gratefully, smiling the whole time. The younger slowly pulled his girlfriend onto the dance floor, and before long they were waltzing around the dance floor, entertaining the guests.
Andrea smiled as she watched Katie and Hikaru waltz together.
"They're a cute couple, aren't they?"
She turned to see Kaoru standing beside her, his mask atop his head as he smiled towards the waltzing couple. He turned and smiled at her.
Andrea smiled back. "They are…" she replied, fiddling a little with her mask.
Kaoru watched as she fiddled with her mask. He didn't even realise he was staring at her until he realised she was talking to him. He frowned at her. "Huh?"
"I said, 'Do you want anything?'" she repeated.
"Oh…" He shook his head. "Nah, I'm good."
"Okay." She smiled at him and held her mask up to her face. "Do you like it?" she asked him.
Kaoru chuckled at her childishness. "I love it. Did you make it yourself?"
She nodded. "Uh-huh. It matches my dress – see?" She grinned.
Kaoru chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I see." He pointed to his own mask. "Mine's my favourite colour."
"Orange?"
"Mhmm."
Andrea smiled. "Mine's my favourite colour too!"
He grinned. "You like red?"
"I love it!"
"It is a beautiful colour…"
"Mhmm."
The two stood in silence for a little while, watching everyone else dance and talk in the middle of the room, before Kaoru cleared his throat. Andrea looked over at him.
"You know… this is a Masquerade ball…" he started.
She frowned. "Yeah, so?"
He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "And at Balls, you're meant to dance…"
"What are you trying to get at, Kaoru?"
He took a deep breath. "Would you like to dance with me?"
She blinked. "Me?"
"Yeah… as friends, I mean!" he amended quickly.
Andrea bit her lip. "I don't waltz," she told him.
"Then I can teach you."
She raised her eyebrow. "I said I don't, not I can't."
He smiled at her. "Well, then, let's waltz together. It'll be fun!"
Andrea bit her lip. "I don't know…"
"Oh, come on!"
"Well…"
He grinned and grabbed her arm, pulling her onto the dance floor and ignoring her protests. He turned to her. "You say you can waltz, so let's waltz."
She huffed, giving in to defeat. "Fine. Let's dance." She stood up straight. "Show me."
Hikaru smiled as he twirled Katie around, his arm wrapped firmly around her waist as they danced together.
Katie giggled as she was spun around. She'd never really danced with a boy before… but she loved it. And she loved him. Then, as they began to slow down, something caught her eye. "Hey…"
Hikaru frowned. "What? What's wrong? Is it something I did?"
She shook her head quickly. "No, of course it's not you! It's… them."
He turned to look at what she was looking at and smirked. His younger brother, Kaoru, was attempting to teach Andrea how to waltz, and it didn't seem to be going to well. Well, from the teaching side anyway. But that didn't seem to bother the younger twin much, as the pair of them seemed to be laughing.
Hikaru smiled. "That's cute."
Katie nodded, smiling. "Yeah…"
He looked back over at his girlfriend. "Do you think they'll get together?" he asked her.
She paused, thinking about it. Would they? Well, Andrea did have a crush on Kaoru… but was it the same vice versa? "Maybe…"
Hikaru turned his head and looked back over at where Kaoru and Andrea were still trying to dance. "It would be cool if they did."
Katie snorted. "Don't you mean 'sweet'?"
"I'm a guy. We don't mention the word 'sweet' unless we're speaking about confectionary."
She laughed. "Alright, alright." She pecked him softly on the lips. "I love you."
He smiled and rested his forehead against hers. "I love you too. More than you could ever know…"
Just then, the song ended, and the couple pulled away from each other.
"I need to use the bathroom," Katie explained as she watched Andrea walk off. "I'll be right back."
Hikaru nodded and watched his girlfriend head off to the bathroom before going to stand at the edge of the dance floor with his brother, who was also standing alone. He smiled when he realised the younger twin was watching Haruhi dancing, and it wasn't long before Hunny joined them.
"Waaah! Haru-chan is good, really good!" Hunny exclaimed.
"Well, she's almost doing a good job… at hiding her awful sense of rhythm," Hikaru pointed out.
"Hikaru, Kaoru!" Kyoya called out.
The twins turned to face him immediately."Yes! It's time?"
Kyoya nodded, and the pair turned and raced out of the room.
Katie opened the door to the ladies' bathroom and walked in, sighing when she heard the babble of many girls doing their makeup around the mirrors. She'd been hoping that it was quiet in here so that she could talk to her bestie. Or at least find her.
The redhead walked around the ladies' room, looking for the dark-skinned girl. She finally found her standing in the corner of the room, leaning against the large floor-length mirror, and walked over to her. "Hey."
Andrea looked up when she heard someone talking to her and smiled when she saw Katie walking over. "Hey, ginge. What's up?"
Katie grinned. "I had, like, my first ever dance with Hikaru." She sighed happily. "It was amazing!"
Andrea smiled. "That's nice."
"I saw you dancing with Kaoru."
She looked away shyly.
Katie grinned. "You really liked dancing with him, didn't you?"
Andrea didn't answer.
Katie sighed. "You know, it's highly possible that he likes you back."
Andrea snorted. "Now you're just messing with me."
"I'm serious. How could anyone not love a smart, sporty, funny, happy girl like you?"
Andrea smiled. "Awwww, you're such a suck-up…"
"I'm not trying to suck up to you. I'm being honest."
Andrea still looked doubtful.
Katie sighed.
There was a knock on the ladies' room door, and Kaoru and Hikaru popped their heads in. "Hello, ladies."
The girls screamed.
The twins locked eyes with the girls and beckoned them over. "We kinda need you now!"
The girls frowned before walking over to the twins. "What's going on?" they asked.
"It's time for the revelation…"
PATAN!
"Oh! Haruhi! Ah, she's here, she's here!" the twins exclaimed.
Haruhi was confused as Mori pushed her into a chair. "Wha… wha…?"
"Ahaha," Hunny giggled. "Ah, all of this rushing is so nostalgic!"
"Come on, sit down, I'll put light makeup on you!" Hikaru told her. "When I'm finished, you'll change your clothes right away!"
Haruhi was astonished. "Wait… you don't mean…"
"Well, we also that this was a bit reckless," the twins added, "But Tono and Kyoya-senpai…"
"Haruhi."
Haruhi turned to see Kyoya at the door.
"I'm not someone who bets on a situation when I can't predict victory or defeat," he explained, "but I think that, for this time, I will do it and agree with Tamaki's opinion."
Katie sighed as she finished helping Hikaru with Haruhi's makeup. "Is it alright, Hika?"
Hikaru nodded as he began to put away the makeup. "It looks perfect, Katie."
Haruhi slowly opened her eyes. "Can I see?"
Katie passed her a mirror, and she gasped.
"You're amazing…"
Katie blushed. "Thank you…"
"And now for the dress!" Kaoru grinned as he walked over with the outfit, whilst Andrea carried the matching jewellery as well as the shoes and the wig.
Haruhi bit her lip. "I'm still not sure about this…"
"Well, it's too late to turn back now," Hikaru pointed out.
Kaoru nodded in agreement. "We had to get this dress designed just for you!"
"Yeah!"
Haruhi sighed. "Alright, alright." She stood up. "I'm ready to wear the dress."
The twins grinned before Katie took the dress off Kaoru.
"We'll help her with the dress," she told them, glaring at Hikaru. "Out."
The twins pouted. "Fine." They turned and walked out. "Boring girls."
"Everyone, please put on the mask you have in your hands. From now, with the light a little lower, it will be quite hard for you to recognise everyone around you. Among these people I would like you to find someone… someone that will be away from Ouran for some time.
"The real form of Haruhi Fujiyoka!
"The title of this game will be…
"Let's look for Haruhi!"
The rest of the Host Club stood around Haruhi, smiling at her.
"Haru-chan you're so cute!" Hunny exclaimed. "Do your best!"
Mori just nodded as he stood behind Hunny. "Haruhi…"
"Haruhi…"
"Haruhi!"
She put her mask on, walking towards the main room. She smiled at Andrea and Katie as she walked in, and the two pushed her.
"Go!" they exclaimed, urging her forward.
Haruhi raced down the corridor, heading towards the ballroom, and pushed the doors open…
Katie smiled as she watched Haruhi and Tamaki waltz. The two actually looked really sweet together…
"It's a shame we have to see them go."
She turned to see Kaoru standing beside her, a small smile on his face as his orange bangs hung over his eyes. She watched as he quickly pushed his bangs out of his eyes, and she smiled. Hikaru does that a lot as well…
"Are you alright?" he asked her, a confused look on his face.
She smiled. "You just seem to have a lot of similar attributes to your brother, that's all."
He smiled. "Well, we are twins…"
"That's true."
The two stood there in silence.
"Kaoru?"
Kaoru looked over at Katie. "Hmm? Yes?"
Katie bit her lip. "Would you… ever consider having a girlfriend?"
Kaoru frowned. "I thought you were dating Hikaru?"
She glared at him. "Not me, you idiot!" She slapped him lightly upside the head. "I meant any girl at all."
He winced. "Oh…" He shrugged. "I don't know… it depends on which girl."
"Why, have you got your eye on one girl in particular?"
He blushed. "Maybe… I don't know…" He sighed. "Anyway, did you know that Tamaki's leaving to go to Boston as well?"
Katie's eyes widened. "Really?"
"Mhmm. He's just got to tell Haruhi now…" He watched as Haruhi left the room, and Tamaki followed about five minutes later. "Yup, he's gonna tell her."
"She's going to be mad…" Katie sang.
"Of course she's gonna be mad," Hikaru muttered as he walked up behind Katie and wrapped his arms around her. "It's Haruhi."
"That doesn't prove anything," Andrea pointed out as she stood beside Kaoru.
Suddenly, a scream – more like a yell – came from the balcony.
Hikaru grinned. "Finally Haruhi realised it too."
Kaoru chuckled. "Yeah… it's kind of incredible."
"And when he said 'But I thought everyone knew already'."
"'I'm definitely not letting Haruhi go alone'." Kaoru huffed. "How were we supposed to know?"
"The reason why Tama-chan was so busy was because his grandmother said she would agree with his study abroad project only if he was able to comply with the schedule she had decided." Hunny sweat dropped. "If Kyo-chan hadn't informed us yesterday we wouldn't have realised it either."
"Ahh," Mori muttered.
Kyoya shrugged. "Well, I can see him planning something like that."
"And… for that reason, we were all in a hurry and emergency mode," the twins finished explaining.
"That's right!" Hunny agreed.
Katie bit her lip. "Haruhi is going to be really mad…"
Hikaru nodded. "Mhmm."
Hunny sighed. "It was hard… so hard…"
Andrea sighed and leaned on Kaoru, not noticing how he tensed slightly. "It'll be worth it in the end, though."
Kaoru nodded, a little stiffly. "Mhmm. It will."
Hikaru was the only one to notice Kaoru's stiffness, and he smirked. "I bet it will."
Kaoru glared at him. Quit it.
Hikaru just grinned. Payback. For all those months of torture, little brother.
Kaoru huffed and looked away.
Andrea looked up at Kaoru. "You alright?"
Kaoru nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." He cleared his throat a little. "So…"
"Have you told them yet, Hika-chan?" Hunny asked.
Hikaru tensed slightly, and Katie frowned.
"Told us what, Hikaru?"
Hikaru bit his lip before moving away from Katie and rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Well, we… the Host Club… we decided to…" He bit his lip nervously.
Katie frowned. "You decided to what?"
Kaoru saw how reluctant Hikaru was and quickly butted in. "We've decided to go to Boston with Haruhi and Tamaki."
Katie frowned, confused. "What?"
Hikaru took another deep breath. "We're going to Boston. For a year. We… the Host Club… we're studying abroad."
"Oh, okay," Katie said, smiling. "It sounds fun, doesn't it Andrea?"
Andrea frowned slightly. Hikaru still looked tense, and Kaoru seemed to be tense as well. "What's going on?"
Kaoru bit his lip. "We… we're not taking you two."
Andrea froze. "What?"
"We're not taking you two. We can't… we're not allowed to…"
Katie tensed, tears welling up in her eyes. "What?"
"So you're going to Boston… without us?" Andrea asked, disbelief clear in her voice.
Katie was slowly walking away from the group.
Hikaru bit his lip, reaching out for Katie. "Katie, please…"
"When were you planning on telling me this?" she demanded suddenly, glaring at him.
He opened his mouth, but no words came out. "I… I-I… Katie…"
"Were you ever planning on telling me this?" she asked further.
He bit his lip, avoiding her eyes. "I… I didn't know how to…"
She span and ran off quickly, rubbing at her eyes furiously.
Andrea's eyes widened and she turned to follow her. "Katie, wait!"
Hikaru grabbed her arm. "No… don't…"
Andrea turned and glared at him. "She's been my friend for longer. I know her better. And I know that it's going to take more than 'sorry' to get her to forgive you for something like this." She pulled her arm forcefully out of his grip before running after Katie.
Hikaru sighed heavily before falling to his knees, sobbing a little.
Kaoru knelt beside him, putting an arm around his brother's shoulder. "Hikaru…?"
"I'm an idiot. An absolute idiot," Hikaru muttered before sobbing into his brother's shoulder.
Katie sighed as she sat curled up on her bed, listening to some J-Pop on her I-Pod. The music she was listening to was depressing, mainly to match her upset mood.
He hadn't even considered telling me… he was just going to up and leave me…
She sniffed a little, wiping a tear from her face as she doodled in her sketch book. "Stupid baka idiot of a boyfriend," she muttered, mixing her Japanese with her English. After a few attempts of trying to draw something, she finally gave up, throwing her stuff at the wall before burying her face in her pillow. "Life sucks!" she screamed into the pillow.
Becky walked into the room. "Katie?"
"Go away."
Becky frowned. "Katie…"
"I said go away!"
The younger sibling huffed before leaving the room.
Katie sobbed into the pillow, her body shaking.
After about five minutes, there was a knock on the door, and her mum walked in. "Katie…"
Katie looked up to see her mum at the door, her face covered with tears.
Chantal walked over to the bed, pulling her daughter into an embrace. "Oh, honey…"
Katie sobbed into her mum's shoulder. "He… he was going to leave me…"
"Shhh…"
Katie bit her lip.
Chantal kissed her forehead, rocking her slowly. "Hey, it's alright. You're alright."
Katie nodded, although she wasn't entirely convinced. "O-okay…" She looked up at the clock. He'll be at the airport now… probably boarding his plane…
Chantal followed her line of sight. "Maybe you should have gone to see him off…"
"No." Katie closed her eyes. "Maybe I'm glad that he's gone."
"You don't mean that."
"I do."
"Katie, you and I both know you don't."
Katie moved away from her mum and curled back up on her bed.
Chantal was just about to speak when the door opened and Becky walked in.
"Katie, there's someone at the door for you," Becky announced.
"Tell them to go away."
"But it's really important."
"I said, tell them to—"
"Just go and answer the door!" Becky snapped.
Katie huffed and sat up. "Fine." She got up and headed downstairs, her I-Pod still plugged in and playing random songs. She reached the bottom of the stairs and froze when she noticed who was standing at the door.
Hikaru…
His dark hair was dishevelled, and his chest was heaving slightly, as if he had just been running. His red face confirmed that suspicion.
"Katie…"
Katie bit her lip. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "I thought you were on your way to Boston?"
Hikaru looked down, feeling guilty. "Katie, I… I wanted to talk to you…"
She just sighed before turning to walk towards the kitchen, her arms folded.
"No, wait!" Hikaru ran inside and grabbed her arm.
She stopped. "What?" she asked.
"I…" He froze, at a loss for words.
She pulled out of his grip and continued to head to the kitchen.
Hikaru closed his eyes, nearing his breaking point. He was only just about able to hold his feelings in, and he could feel his chest starting to constrict. If Katie pushed him any further… "I'm sorry," he finally managed to choke out.
Katie stopped. "What was that?"
"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I know, it's not exactly what you wanted to hear, but—" He was cut off when she turned and hugged him tightly, her face buried in his shirt. "K-Katie?"
She sobbed into his shirt. "I-I-I don't want you to go!"
He hugged her tightly. "I… I know, Katie…" He bit his lip and took a shaky breath as he buried his face in her hair. "I… I'm so sorry… for even thinking about leaving you…"
She continued to sob into his shirt until she calmed down a little, before pulling her head back and looking up into his eyes.
His eyes were red and puffy, also from crying, and he had tear stains running down his cheeks. He gave her a watery smile.
She smiled back. "I love you, Hikaru."
Hikaru kissed her forehead. "And I love you… so much…"
Katie smiled and leaned her head on his chest.
He hugged her tightly.
The two stood there for a little while before Hikaru spoke.
"Katie…"
Katie looked up at him. "Hmmm?"
He bit his lip before smiling. "I… I'm going to need you to pack your bags."
She frowned. "What? Why?"
He gave her a huge grin. "How would you feel about going with me to Karuizawa?"
Review, guys!