Chapter Thirty

Kaoru

"Kana's phone, Hikaru speaking."

"Why do I have a feeling that you just fucked up?" I whispered. I rolled over to face my twin, taking care to not disturb the sleeping Kana that was curled between us in Hikaru's bed. Judging from her snoring and the amount of wine she'd had earlier that night, she wasn't going to be waking up any time soon.

"She's asleep… Why the hell does it matter?" Hikaru sat up in bed. "You're the one who told us to watch her."

Kyoya, of course.

"Just hang up." I groaned.

"It's fucking midnight… Let me ask Kao." Hikaru turned to me, his eyes blurred with sleep. "Do you know why she called Kyoya?"

"Beats me." I mimed drinking from a glass.

Hikaru nodded. "Yeah, we've got no clue… I'm not waking her up. She's fine. You want a fucking picture?!"

"Hika." I warned.

"We drugged her and slept with her. Both of us. Is that what you're wanting to hear?" Hikaru's voice rose.

"Okay, Hikaru." I sat up and grabbed the phone from him. "Kyoya? It's Kaoru."

"Would you mind explaining what that was about?" Kyoya's voice was cool and even.

"Have you heard Kana's ringtone? You woke him up." I rubbed my face as Hikaru leaned close to me. This wouldn't be the first time that I had to play mediator between Hikaru and Kyoya. The two of them had never truly gotten along.

"I received two calls from Kanami a few hours ago. I specifically told her to call me if something happened."

"Maybe she just wanted to talk to you." I shrugged. Or, maybe the wine went to her brain, but I couldn't tell him that.

"Are the three of you sleeping together?" There was a slight edge that rose in Kyoya's voice.

"Literally or figuratively?" I felt Hikaru's shoulders shake in silent laughter at my words.

"I'm not in the mood for games, Kaoru."

"Look Kyoya." I sucked in a breath. "Kana doesn't belong to you. It isn't my business to tell you what she's up to. Go to sleep."

I heard the line cut off. I handed the phone back to Hikaru so he could return it to the nightstand.

"Bastard." Hikaru adjusted the blankets around Kana, who was miraculously still asleep. "Why does he have to be so selfish with her?"

"Beats me." I rolled out of bed. "I need to go outside."

"Something on your mind?"

I wandered around in the dark until I found the pack of cigarettes I'd left on Hikaru's dresser, taking the opportunity to figure out my response. "I'm taking her on a date next week."

"Don't tell me you're nervous about a date with Kana."

"Not nervous. I just don't want to piss off the Shadow King." My diversion had worked. It certainly helped that Hikaru couldn't see my face.

"Fuck him. You'd treat her better." I heard the bed creak as Hikaru laid back down.

"We'll see." I made my way to the balcony door and slowly opened it. "Go to sleep, I'll be back in a few."

The night air was cool on my skin. Hikaru's room overlooked the resort-style pool our mom had installed after one of our family vacations in Cozumel. Hikaru had insisted that his room be moved over to this side of the mansion, presumably so that he could spy on whatever visitors happened to be using it.

Just a few short hours ago I had shared this view with Kana. She had already had way too much to drink by the time we'd found our way out here. The poor thing was terrified, whether she would admit it or not. While Hikaru and I drank all the time, it was clear that Kana had been trying to use the alcohol to escape that day's earlier news.

We had spent most of the evening treating her like one of our dolls. Hikaru had insisted on showing her how to manage her wild curls. It wasn't long before Hikaru brought up Kana's lack of social media accounts. We wound up showing her OC-Connect, Ouran's private forum, where a post titled Who is Kanami? Had been gaining traction over the last few days. The comments were innocent enough for the most part-it seemed as though she had been avoiding talking to nearly everyone in her classes. There were a few quips about her background, but what seemed to set Kana off was a comment thread about her relationship with the Host Club.

TeaPrincess: I wonder how much she's paying them to follow her around.

Ichijo: I saw Hika and Kao take her home one night-do you think she's into both of them?

ProfessionalSkeptic: She's American right? Aren't Western girls total sluts?

TeaPrincess: This one apparently is!

"You'd think people would be more upset with why I'm at Ouran, not that I'm spending time with you guys." Kana had said once she and I had gone outside to Hikaru's balcony. She held a wine glass in one hand and was lighting a cigarette with the other. Hikaru had styled her hair into a huge bun at the base of her neck. She had her typical indifferent expression, but the way her hands shook told me that the comments had bothered her.

"We've got a few crazy fangirls." I shrugged. "It was worse when we were in high school. I'm about 80% certain that one of those comments was from one of Kyoya's fans."

"I should create an account." Kanami had already finished her glass of wine. It was probably her fourth one at that point. "It'd be better than letting them talk about me without saying anything."

"I'm surprised this is bothering you, considering everything else that's going on."

"I finally have people I can talk to, and people are assuming that I'm paying them off." Her voice was flat. "Should I be paying for your company?"

I rubbed the small of her back. "That would be a hell of a profit for us."

"So you're losing profit by spending so much time with me?" Her face had flushed. "How much do they charge babysitters these days anyway?"

"Kana, we aren't babysitting you."

"What the hell do you call this, then?" Kana's accent grew more pronounced when she drank.

"We would've wanted to spend time with you even if we hadn't heard about your mom." It was hard to reassure someone like Kana. The look on her face told me she didn't believe a word I said.

"Maybe one of the Host Club fangirls sent the yakuza after me." She lit another cigarette after crushing the first between her fingers. I found myself wondering how she managed to keep herself from flinching whenever she did that.

"I doubt that, but we can't rule it out." I leaned against the railing. "Are you scared?"

She muttered something in English. When I didn't respond, she said "Terrified. I don't know what I'm supposed to do, Kao."

"You could always stay with me." The words had left my mouth before I had time to think about them. In my head I knew that Honey or Mori would be a better choice for protection.

"I'm not sure I could handle being made up on a daily basis." She rewarded me with a smile that nearly shattered my heart.

"Do you not enjoy it?" I cautiously closed the space between us. When she didn't move, I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her against my side.

"It just seems like such a silly thing to think about with everything else going on." She tossed her cigarette into the planter we used as an ashtray, nearly missing it in her tipsy state. Much to my surprise, she absently started trailing her fingers over my chest.

"Would you rather think about the yakuza coming after you?"

"Not particularly."

"You don't have to when you're with me." I repositioned her so that she was facing me, her back to the railing. I held her against me, close enough that I could feel the rise and fall of her shallow breaths. "We'll talk about it if you need to, but just say the word and I'll keep your mind away from everything you need me to."

"Give me something else to think about, then." She tilted her chin up slightly.

"Would you go on a date with me, Kana?"

I watched as her face turned the most brilliant shade of red I'd ever seen on her. "I can't say I've ever been on one."

"We've got a lighter class schedule next week with midterms coming up. I'll take you somewhere special, if you'll let me." I lowered my voice to a near whisper. "No distractions, no yakuza, no makeovers. Just the two of us."

"Is this Host Kaoru or the Real Kaoru?" Her disbelief stung a bit.

"Add 'No Host Club' to that list."

"I'd like that a lot." She took my face in her hands. "Don't apologize for kissing me this time, okay?"

"I won't."

Kana tasted like wine and cigarettes, a combination I would forever associate with her after that night. Her kiss was much more solid and forthcoming than what I remembered, as though she was allowing herself to finally feed into her own desires, desires that I knew I would be more than willing to satisfy.

My hands slowly traveled down to her hips and around to her generous ass. I squeezed gently, molding her flesh between my fingers. She pressed against me almost desperately. I could feel the heat rolling off her. I wanted nothing more than to worship every inch of her body, her hips, her thighs, her stomach.

The moment was broken by the unmistakable sound of the balcony door sliding open. With a small groan I tore my lips away from Kana's, noting how they remained rosy and swollen after our contact. I didn't have to turn away to know my twin had picked the perfect moment to make an appearance.

"Just thought I'd let you two know that dinner's ready." Hikaru seemed unphased by the sight of us. "I can just tell the maids that you're busy if-"

"Kana needs something on her stomach other than alcohol." I hesitantly pulled away from her, despite my body's protests.

She stuck her tongue out at me so quickly that I almost missed it. "Not babysitting, huh?"

"Shh." I gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before we followed Hikaru back into the house.