Chapter TwentyOne
On a large bed, in which the twins shared, Hikaru's eyelids fluttered open and he greeted the day with a long yawn. Bringing both hands over his head, the elder Hitachiin arched his back for a relaxing stretch, feeling every muscle in his lean arms pull deliciously. "Ahh," He sighed with content. Rolling over to his side, Hikaru wore a smile upon his sleepy face.
And then realization dawned on him!
Shuffling under the tangle of Egyptian cotton sheets, Hikaru hastily crawled over his brother sleeping next to him and ungracefully leaped out of bed. Almost slipping in his haste to bathroom. Kaoru groaned for being aggressively woken up without his permission. Rubbing the sand from his eyes, Kaoru hoisted himself up on one elbow and watched groggily as his older brother shoved open the bathroom door.
"Oi," grumbled Kaoru in irritation. "What's the big deal?"
Hikaru ignored his brother. "Holy cow, it's gone!" He exclaimed excitedly inside the bathroom.
This received a questionable look from Kaoru. He didn't quite understand what his brother meant.
"What's gone?"
"Get over here so I can show you!"
But a single glance at the nightstand clock confirmed that was not going to happen. "No." Protested Kaoru, snuggling against his fluffy pillow and pulling the soft sheets over his head.
"NOW!"
Urgh!
Tossing the sheets aside with a huff, Kaoru reluctantly slid out of bed and dragged his feet the whole way. Upon reaching the bathroom, he found Hikaru kneeling on the sink-counter with his tongue sticking out in front of the mirror.
The sleepy twin glared poisonous death at his brother. "What are you doing?" He asked - messy orange bed hair, tiny sleepy eyes and all.
"My tonsils are a healthy pink, and they shrunken to normal size." Hikaru said with excitement. "My cold is gone. It's a miracle!"
Unconvinced, Kaoru placed a hand to his older brother's forehead to check his temperature. Amazement brightened his golden eyes, killing the sleep in an instant. "No more fever?" He gasped.
"The soreness in my throat, the fever, and the body aches all vanished overnight." Declared the ecstatic twin, practically leaping with joy.
Kaoru scratched his head while staring at his brother in disbelief. "But how?"
Turning to the mirror, Hikaru searched for the answers in his reflection. "Perhaps the tea had something to do with it."
The other night, Hikaru's was forced to stay in bed all day. Going to The Winter Ball instead of resting worsened his cold. Worried, Kaoru refused going to school so he could stay by Hikaru's side, and care for him. His brother was more important. At the time, Kaoru was giving Hikaru his evening medicine when their housemaid surprised them with a thermo-cup in one hand and a letter in the other. What was even more surprising was the person who sent the offerings. She mentioned an unusual character dressed in a trench coat dropped them off at the front entrance. Tucked underneath layers of warm blankets, Hikaru asked if his brother could read the letter first. On the letter read the following:
Greetings dazzling creature,
Here is a traditional family remedy in which I brewed myself. It is particularly special to me because my mother used to make it when I fell under the weather. I wish you well, and hopefully the tea will help speed up your recovery.
P.S: Be careful. It packs a strong punch.
-Ren
The twins didn't know what to make of it. Didn't the scary transfer student despise Hikaru's guts? Baffled and a little scared, Kaoru lifted the thermo-cup and unscrewed the top lid. His nose wrinkled when a potent smell of a spice greeted him full on. Immediately he suspected the contents inside to be poisoned. Despite his better judgment, Hikaru pinched his nose and swallowed a mouthful of the spicy liquid anyway. It tasted unbelievably nasty! Hikaru gagged and coughed, all the while hoping he makes it through the night.
Ren's remedy actually worked, but the elder Hitachiin failed to consider that she went out of her way to help him. He carelessly ran fingers through his messy orange hair. "Who would have guessed that Creepy-chan could put something like this together." He mused nonchalant. "Tono would be proud."
Standing behind him, Kaoru tried suppressing a smile. It wasn't a surprise to know his brother was oblivious to the meaning behind Ren's offer, that she might actually care about the spoiled brut.
"I suppose she is changing." Agreed Kaoru as he watched Hikaru brush his teeth. He leaned against the doorframe, arms folded over his bare chest. "And change can be a good thing. It shows maturity. Everyone changes . . . One day, even we will change."
Hikaru rinsed his mouth, and spat out the water. He gave his brother a sour look in the mirror. "Don't be ridiculous, Kaoru. I'll never change."
His younger brother stared into his eyes when he said, "But you already have. By accepting others, just as you have accepted Ren."
Hikaru's eyes widen.
"I'm not bothered by this anymore." Kaoru confessed with a smile. "I'm actually happy you're opening up to others because you always had trouble interacting with people after so many years of being distant." The twin paused as if he just realized something and then started to laugh.
Hikaru gaped. "Why are you laughing?"
"You and Ren actually share something in common. I can't believe I didn't notice it before!" He explained laughing.
Without realizing it, Hikaru took a step forward. "What do we share?"
Now something in those two big golden-yellow eyes made Kaoru stop laughing. It was the look of deep desire to know, to know what qualities he shared with Ren. Even though the elder Hitachiin refused to admit it, or refused to believe it, but he had developed feelings for the creepy dark girl. Kaoru was certain about that.
"Well?" Pressed Hikaru.
"The both of you have a tendency to shut out the rest of the world. But spending time with one another changed that." Although Kaoru was smiling, inside he was slowly struggling to keep his strong composure. Saying it out loud made him clearly see that his brother was moving on without him, even if Hikaru hadn't noticed. He had to look away. "Renge was right, you two are perfect for each other."
Hikaru didn't say anything for a long while. And just when Kaoru thought his brother was going to turn red in the face and punch him for being a softy . . .
"You're overthinking things." Said Hikaru, and he walked passed Kaoru to start getting ready for school. "I just enjoy her company. That doesn't mean anything."
Kaoru stared after his brother. "Denial is not just a river in Egypt."
"You're crazy if you think for one second that I like Creepy-chan." Grumbled Hikaru, putting on a white button-up shirt. "Now hurry and get ready or we'll be late for school."
Brushing complications aside, refusing to see the truth, those were the things that Hikaru Hitachiin did. But whether he liked it or not, Kaoru's words planted a seed in his head. A seed that Hikaru was desperately trying not to water with raise objections; like 'was he falling for Ren?'
Allowing a tiny smile to grace his lips, Kaoru decided not to push his brother's buttons any further. "Fine." He surrendered and went inside the bathroom to brush his teeth.
The only problem with seeds is they always find a way to grow.
Always.
A/N: So I noticed Ive been starting off my chapters with the twins half naked in bed quite frequently... lol
I am so so so sorry for neglecting this story. A ton of things prevented me from sitting down and typing out a new chapter: graduating from college, applying to programs and looking for a teaching job. Ahh! I'm becoming an adult D: THE HORRORRRRR! So please forgive me for leaving you all hanging haha I'm doing my best to squeeze in Strawberry Flavor into my hectic agenda.
Anyway, this chapter was fairly shorter than my others, but rest assure this is only because I wanted to focus on the twins and their side of the story. Kaoru is slowly accepting Ren. Hikaru doesn't want to admit his feelings for her cause he's stubborn. And Ren is, well, Ren.
Hope you enjoyed reading! And thank you everyone for leaving such wonderful reviews and messages. Keep them up!