A/N: Greetings, all, and my apologies for this extremely late chapter. I tried uploading it yesterday and the day before, but the gods seemed to conspire against me and wouldn't take it for unknown reasons. Seriously. Anyway, thank you to all those who reviewed! You all deserve a big bunch of roses and some of Kyouya's ice cream. (",) This chapter is for my dear crazy friend starlight2005 and to all the people out there who reviewed me, especially those who've been reviewing since the first chapter.
Without further ado, I present to you all Chapter Four.
Chapter Four: Stirrings and Beginnings
Tamaki rode home in Kyouya's car. The two of them had agreed last week to study together during the weekend, and it was already Sunday, after all. Kyouya was now oddly reluctant to do so, but he gave in. As an Ootori, he wasn't one to go back on his word (unless there was a considerable amount of money involved).
"So… mother… you've been spending a lot of time with that devilish twin lately," he ventured. When alone with Kyouya, he was just a bit more serious—a little wiser, a little more insightful. There were times when he was still the lovable, inconsiderate host king, but more often than not he dropped the charm and just became plain old Suoh Tamaki.
If you could call being Suoh Tamaki plain…
Kyouya nodded. "His name is Kaoru, Tamaki. Not 'that devilish twin'."
"I call them as I see them," Tamaki said flatly.
The Shadow King shrugged, staring out the window instead of looking at his friend when he spoke. "I would do the same, but I hardly think that you would appreciate being called 'empty-headed pretty boy."
Tamaki flushed. "See, that's what I'm talking about!" he said, wagging a finger at his best friend's face. "You've become a lot meaner to me!"
"If you consider honesty to be cruelty then I have nothing to say to you," Kyouya said.
"Why don't you look at me?" Tamaki asked, frustrated.
Kyouya closed his eyes. Because if I do, I might not have the resolve to forget you. He opened them and frowned, trying to look through Tamaki instead of at him, as though he were transparent. "There."
"You don't see me," Tamaki murmured. The Shadow King didn't deny it. "Why is it that when it comes to Kaoru, you change?"
My God, is he joking? Are my interactions with Hitachiin Kaoru all he can see? "Do you think that I don't treat you differently, Tamaki?" he asked softly. "If I treated you like any other rich student, you would not be here right now."
"Am I different too, then?" Tamaki asked.
"Yes. Very," Kyouya said, loath though he was to admit it. There. He had said it—and there was no way he could take it back. "Tamaki… I have a headache. Could we study together some other time?"
"Are you sick?" the host king asked, putting a cool hand on Kyouya's brow. "You do seem a bit feverish…"
It's called love, you dolt. And get your hand away from me before I say it out loud. "It's nothing that you need to concern yourself with," he said. "I'll just take some aspirin and sleep early."
Tamaki looked at him intently. He had known Kyouya to be secretly on the point of retching out his insides (and yet hiding it with admirable skill) and still push through with their tutorial sessions, never saying a word even when Tamaki very inconsiderately asked to just sleep over since it was already too late to go home. In fact, he only tended to find out when Kyouya raced to the bathroom and heaved into the toilet until the Shadow King's insides hurt from the effort.
"Kyouya, you can tell me anything. You know that, right?"
"Not everything," Kyouya said, dropping his gaze. If he had cared enough, he would have summoned up his ability to lie smoothly and lie well; but he knew that Tamaki had already seen through his pretense, and there was no point in pushing the point further. Better to admit it, to quit while he was ahead. "But as I've said, it's nothing that you need to concern yourself with."
"Are you… in love?" Tamaki asked, hesitating. He had no idea why that was the first thing that came to mind, but he recognized in Kyouya all the symptoms he felt when he was around Haruhi.
Kyouya felt a horrible heat rise up his cheeks. "No," he said harshly, turning away to avoid Tamaki's penetrating eyes before the blonde could see the redness of his face. "I already said that I just don't feel well."
But Tamaki saw anyway.
"O… okay," Tamaki stammered as Kyouya instructed the driver to drive to the Suoh mansion to drop Tamaki off since Tamaki wouldn't be studying at the Ootori household tonight.
Tamaki didn't mind. He barely even knew whether Kyouya spoke at all on the short ride to the Suoh mansion—and Kyouya didn't. Perhaps it was better, since Tamaki would hardly have been able to hold up his end of the conversation.
His mind was too full processing the thought that Kyouya, the host club's Shadow King, was in love.
The reactions:
"You have got to be kidding me. I know, I'm probably dreaming… I knew I shouldn't have had that pizza before bedtime." –Hikaru
"Kyou-chan's in love? Really? Wow! Who's it, who's it, who's it?" -Hunny
"I wondered whether that was the possibility… but I thought he would raise my debt if he found out that I mentioned it to you all. And it's kind of hard to believe." –Haruhi
"Hmm." –Mori
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO! You're all supposed to tell me that I'm WRONG!"
Haruhi shrugged, exasperated. "Well, Kyouya-sempai's been acting peculiarly for a while now. He treats some of us differently. I noticed that before."
Hikaru's eyes narrowed. "If it's Kaoru, then I—"
Tamaki's head whipped up, eyes lighting with an almost maniacal light as he slammed his hands on the table. "That's it! That devilish twin must have hypnotized dear mother and set him up in his love trap!"
Haruhi winced. Love trap? The Host King was just over the top sometimes.
"Listen, milord, if Kaoru was planning anything wicked, he would tell me—and this is one prank where he doesn't have my support," Hikaru said flatly. "So I hate to break it to you, but he's not setting Kyouya-sempai up for anything."
"By the way, where is Kaoru?" Haruhi asked. "I thought he was right behind us just a moment ago."
Hikaru frowned. "Hey… yeah. Now that you mention it, where'd he run off to?"
"You mean you didn't even notice until now?" Haruhi asked, slightly appalled. "I thought that you'd say he just went off to the bathroom or something."
The older Hitachiin shifted, slightly uncomfortable. "Yeah, well… anyway… has anyone seen him?"
Haruhi and Tamaki both shook their heads. Mori grunted.
"Mori-sempai?" Hikaru asked.
"With Kyouya," the senior said succinctly. He smiled a little.
Hunny nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he went by our classroom awhile ago, and Kyou-chan met him at the door," he piped up, clapping his hands. "They were headed over here too, but Kyou-chan got held up by his classmates."
"I wondered why he told me to go ahead," Tamaki sniffled. "He said that he still had to organize something with the class president."
"Yeah, but Kao-chan is waiting for him there," said Hunny. "So Kyou-chan's still going to have company on the way here."
Actually, Kaoru came in—without Kyouya in tow. "Hello," he said hoarsely, dropping his bag on the table, trying to catch his breath as he sat down with an unceremonious flop. It was like he had just run a marathon: his face was bright red, and his lungs were straining for air. He caught their surprised looks. "What're you all looking at? Is there something on my face?"
"Ah… we thought that Kyouya-sempai would be with you," Haruhi said.
"He was," Kaoru said simply. "But we kind of… got held up by the fan girls. We decided that it would probably be best to run here in separate directions since we'd be slower if we tried getting here together." He shuddered, curling up on the couch. "Death by glomping isn't exactly the way I wanted to pass on to the next life."
The rest of the host club nodded. They knew exactly how horrible running away from fan girls could be.
"I feel sorry for sempai… he didn't look like he was feeling too well, but he still had to race away from them," Kaoru added. "He said that he just had a headache." His tone made it clear that he didn't believe it for a bit.
"Devilish twin, have you noticed it too?" Tamaki asked.
"I am not 'devilish twin'," Kaoru said, rolling his eyes. He picked up a cup and poured himself some jasmine tea. He inhaled the scent with a sigh of contentment. "That's Hikaru. I'm the good twin, remember? And noticed what?"
"That… that mother is in love!"
Kaoru blinked, dropping the teacup that he held in his hand. The smell of spilled jasmine filled the air. "Damn!" Kaoru said, getting down on his hands and knees to mop it up with some paper napkins. He blew out an exasperated breath, making his red bangs flutter on his forehead.
"So, have you?" Hikaru asked.
Kaoru didn't answer him. Good grief—he had almost burned himself and all his twin brother was concerned about was whether or not he had noticed whether Kyouya-sempai was in love? He seethed inside, not realizing that his brother was closely inspecting his features, trying to gauge his reaction.
"Honestly… I'm gone for about ten seconds and you're already hopeless without me." The others turned to see Kyouya standing in the doorway. The Shadow King slammed the door shut and locked it, then went over to help Kaoru clean up the mess. They heard banging on the other side of the door.
"DON'T open it," Kyouya barked when Tamaki moved towards the door. The host king shrank away. Kyouya sighed. "We're not going to open that door until official club time begins, do you understand?"
"Uh… sempai?" Haruhi said, frowning. Usually Kyouya kept an open-door policy, which he insisted boosted their sales.
"Just… just let it go, Haruhi," he said, letting his hands get wet with spilled tea.
"But the profits…" Tamaki said uncertainly.
Kyouya raised his dark head at the host king. "Listen, there are some merits that aren't necessarily in the form of cash or connections," he said, echoing Kaoru's words. And then he said the words that brought about the end of the world: "I don't care about the profit. This is more important. " What is? What am I talking about? My life—that's what's more important. That is what I'm talking about, isn't it?
They stared at him in shock, but he paid no attention to them.
The host club soon found out why Kyouya had been so insistent on keeping the door barred. As soon as club time began and he had to unlock it, the Shadow King and Kaoru were swamped with girls.
"Ack! Sempai—I can't breathe!" Kaoru choked out from under a mass of squealing fan girls.
Kyouya managed to pull at his arm, extracting him from the swarming shippers and pulling the redhead towards him. "Ladies, please," he said. "Kaoru is still delicate, after all." He noted that the bruises were fading pretty quickly, but he said nothing about that. And anyway, his hand was still under a mass of bandages.
"They're… more rabid than usual," Haruhi said, looking shocked. She and the rest of the club were left without customers to entertain; even Tamaki, their biggest draw, was by himself. "I never thought that it would be possible for them to become more intense than they already were."
"I don't get it!" Hikaru said. "What on earth is so attractive about their pairing? The symmetry is all wrong! I thought that it took a pair of twins to take the taboo to the highest degree!"
Renge laughed, emerging out of nowhere in what they had dubbed the Renge-Ex-Machina way, spiraling out of the floor on her platform. "Don't you get it, foolish Hitachiin? The tsundere effect!"
Tamaki twitched. "Tsundere?"
"It's an otaku word," Haruhi guessed.
Renge's eyes sparkled. "How right you are, my darling Haruhi-kun!" She clasped her hands together, as though she were praying. "Tsundere, meaning a character who is tough and cold, gradually becoming a warm and loving person!" She let out a squeal of delight. "And Kyouya-sama fits the description perfectly! See the bandage on his hand? Kyouya-sama protected Kaoru-kun one night when they were out together, when an unknown assailant tried to attack Kaoru-kun, despite the fact the he continues to deny his growing feelings for Kaoru-kun!"
"Eh? Really?" Hunny asked, his eyes widening.
"Of course!" Renge said.
"Did anyone see that happen?" Hikaru asked, rolling his eyes. As far as he knew, Kaoru and Kyouya had never been out together alone before.
"No, but that doesn't mean that it didn't happen!" Renge chirped. "And on the other hand, the other fan girls are intoxicated by the relationship where the innocent Kaoru is seduced by the dark prince in the form of Kyouya-sama." She laughed her horrible o-ho-ho-ho laugh. "It's a wicked and wonderful whirlwind of a relationship!"
"Must… scrub… out… brain…" muttered Hikaru, clutching at his temples.
Renge beamed. "There's a little bit of everything in Kyouya-sama's relationship with Kaoru-kun! Whether you revel in the purity of a blossoming love or delight in the wild and sexy fling between a naïve young man and his older, more experienced sempai, you can see it in Kyouya-sama and Kaoru-kun!"
"What happened to the whole 'symmetry is key' ideal?" Hikaru demanded. "After all, having twins flirt with you is the ultimate forbidden romance, isn't it?"
"No, stupid Hitachiin!" Renge put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes at him. "If you cared to pay attention, you would see that while you and Kaoru-kun are exactly alike, Kyouya-sama is his exact opposite. From the magnificent clash of his neat black hair to Kaoru-kun's untamed, fiery locks, to a flamboyant nature versus Kyouya-sama's quiet, cool nature, and of course the concept of Kaoru-kun's inexperience versus Kyouya-sama's expertise in relationships, and Kyouya-sama stealing him away from a taboo relationship and saving him from the loneliness of his brother falling in love with their best friend. That in itself is hotter than perfect symmetry." She smirked. "Everyone's rooting for their pairing. After all, I was there during your little baking get-together this Saturday, and of course the video sold amazingly well."
Haruhi blinked. "When… were… you… there?"
"You mean you sneaked onto the Hitachiin estate and none of our guards even saw you?" Hikaru demanded. Okay… their security was so fired.
"I told them that I was with your group," Renge said breezily. "I found out when I called Kyouya-sama's house that morning and Fuyumi-san told me that you were all at the Hitachiin's house… so I headed over immediately and told the maids that I was taping a candid video for you guys!"
Hikaru clenched his fists. Maids… so totally fired.
"Can I see it?" Haruhi asked.
They all stared at her.
"What?" she asked defensively. "I'm just curious. Don't worry, I'm not going to become a fan girl anytime soon." Although, now that she thought about it, the Kyouya-Kaoru pairing was rather intriguing…
Mori couldn't help smiling at her. "Hmm. You just watch out," he said quietly. "I wouldn't want you becoming one."
She chuckled, quashing the thought. "Of course not."
Renge pressed a button and suddenly a giant television came spiraling out of the ground.
"Renge… if you paid for that with club funds…" Kyouya said threateningly. Then again, it was difficult to be threatening when you were just struggling not to be buried under a mass of Kyaa-crazy fan girls.
"Of course not, Kyouya-sama!" Renge said happily. She pressed another button.
"I thought you didn't like sweet things, sempai," said Kaoru, his face magnified up to fifty times on the huge screen.
Oh no, she did NOT. Kaoru began to retreat and found himself backing into Kyouya. With a low whimper of fear, he took hold of the older boy's arm. "They're going to kill us," he whispered.
On-screen Kyouya smiled, his eyes darkening with mischief. "If I didn't, why would I still be around you?"
Kyouya groaned. He had not foreseen this. He moved in front of Kaoru, shielding the Hitachiin from the insane 'ladies' (more like cavewomen, if you asked him). Later, he vowed, he would kill Renge. That is, if he managed to survive the fan girl attack.
An hour later, and the host club found themselves congregated around Kaoru and Kyouya in the host club's medical room.
Renge was beside herself, wringing her hands in anxiety. "Kyouya-sama, I am so, so very sorry. I never expected that those horrible fan girls would rip you two to shreds just to see your beautiful interaction with Kaoru-kun! I am overcome with unbearable grief."
Kyouya wanted to glare at her, but after all she was the daughter of one of the Ootori family's associates—as an Ootori, he was obliged to be gracious even when he didn't want to be. Even when he wanted to rip her to itsy-bitsy little shreds. "I understand," he said, nodding at her. He went to check on Kaoru first.
"Ah… sempai, you're injured too," Kaoru said. "You go ahead, mine's nothing serious."
Kyouya rolled his eyes. "Don't be stupid, Kaoru. I can wait. I have to make sure that you're okay first." He sighed. "Take off your shirt."
Even in her 'unbearable grief', Renge was still taping everything. Haruhi let out a choking noise to indicate her disbelief, but Renge ignored her.
The Shadow King's fingers moved lightly over Kaoru's pale skin, noting that the old bruises had gotten darker again, and that new bruises had appeared, including on the arms and chest. "You bruise rather easily," he remarked.
Kaoru smirked. "Yeah, because no one else would get bruises after being crushed by a human tsunami, right?"
"Point well taken," Kyouya said, rubbing some cooling salve on them. Renge watched greedily as Kyouya's hands lingered on a particularly nasty mark on Kaoru's chest. The fan girls would have a field day!
Hikaru cleared his throat in a meaningful manner. "I think he's okay now, sempai," he said, eyes narrowing. Kyouya was not allowed to touch his brother any more than was strictly necessary.
The Shadow King inspected Kaoru one last time. "All right," he said, but he was obviously still unsatisfied.
"No, sempai, I'm really okay," Kaoru insisted. "You should check up on yourself, not just on me."
Kyouya shrugged and began peeling off his old bandage. His wound seemed to have reopened during the scuffle, and the dressing had gotten stained with blood. So much blood… he gritted his teeth and started to apply some disinfectant on it. He had been accustomed to the sight of blood since birth.
"That looks pretty bad," Haruhi observed. "How did you injure your hand in the first place?"
Kyouya opened his mouth, and then closed it. "It was a personal affair," he said stiffly.
Renge lit up like a Christmas tree. "Were you really defending Kaoru-kun from an unknown assailant one dark evening?"
Kaoru and Kyouya exchanged looks. "Yes," they said simultaneously. Better that than letting Renge know the truth—Kaoru was too nice to let Kyouya have to confess what had happened rather than take part of the consequences for himself. And if they denied it, the otaku would definitely not rest until she uncovered the facts. It was best for them to just give her what she wanted.
"Wow, Kyou-chan is so kind!" Hunny said.
Honestly, it was amazing what kind of rubbish Renge could come up with. She was almost as bad as Tamaki. "It wasn't anything special," Kyouya said, feeling guilty that his senior was heaping him with praise for something that he didn't do.
"He doesn't really like talking about it," Kaoru added quickly. "He's so modest."
Tamaki was almost trembling with shock—and was that jealousy? "Just when exactly did this happen?"
Kyouya looked him squarely in the eye and lied for all he was worth. "The day that Kaoru and I skipped club activities."
How come you only want to know what's going on in my life when I'm trying to give you up?
"Where did you go at that time, anyway?" Hikaru said, rounding on his twin. "You two never said anything."
Kaoru shrugged. "We don't plan on telling you any time soon," he said carelessly, leaving out the fact that they had only shared some tea at Kyouya's house while talking over their unrequited love for the two people who happened to be interrogating them at the moment.
I would have killed for you to pay attention to me any other time. This isn't fair…
"But… but…"
Two heads, one dark and one red, shared one thought. I would hate you if I didn't love you. Kaoru and Kyouya both knew what was on the other's mind.
"Sorry," they said at the same time. They shared a sad, secret smile as they turned away from the two people they loved the most.
It had taken forever to appease the rest of the Host Club members—although, in a way, they had hardly been satisfied with the answers that Kyouya and Kaoru had given them. That is, when they had answers; more often the pair was cryptic, or refused to answer them at all. But when it became apparent that the two weren't about to talk anytime soon, they had finally given up and suggested that they get going home. They locked up the club room and all started out.
Hikaru looked irritably over at his brother. They hadn't been speaking properly since the incident at their house, when he had seen Kaoru blushing like some idiot over Kyouya's flattery.
"Hey, Hikaru," Kaoru ventured tentatively. It cost him a lot of effort to even try to initiate a conversation, considering the clear annoyance written all over his brother's face. But still, he tried. "Mother gave me two tickets to this art gallery opening tonight—"
"I don't want to go," Hikaru cut him off. "It's boring. What would I want to do there? I have lots of better things to do." He saw the crushed look on Kaoru's face. Good. Let him feel bad, see if I care. He felt a small, nasty stab of guilt, but he immediately quashed it. His twin had started the whole messy business, after all, going after Kyouya like that when he had supposedly felt so bad about the way the Shadow King had invaded their world. Kaoru was a hypocrite, and he deserved to feel like crud.
"Are you mad at me or something?" He honestly knew better than to ask, because he knew that Hikaru would dismiss his question. And he already knew that Hikaru was angry at him. They weren't twins for nothing, after all. He could read it in his brother's eyes, and the way that Hikaru's mouth tightened when he spoke to him. He felt annoyed with himself—and with Hikaru.
"Of course not," Hikaru answered, predictable as ever. "What are you, stupid?" The words were like a blow, and Kaoru winced as though his twin had just struck him. Hikaru looked away. "I don't have to be mad at you just to refuse, you know. Maybe I just don't really want to go."
"Okay," he said, not meeting Hikaru's eyes. "I understand. Sorry. I know I'm an idiot." He flashed his twin a small, forced smile before scurrying away ahead of them, even though they were all going the same direction. His rapid steps were like an accusation to Hikaru, but he uncomfortably insisted to himself that it wasn't his fault.
Haruhi watched Kaoru's fleeing back and couldn't help feeling sorry for the Hitachiin. She broke off her conversation with Mori to round on Hikaru. He nodded at her when she tilted her head towards Hikaru, indicating that he wanted to talk to her. Mori always understood what she was thinking—she never had to tell him all that much because he saw and listened even when she didn't speak.
"What was that all about?" she demanded. "You didn't have to act like that."
"Act like what?" he shot back.
"Like you hate him," Mori said quietly.
"That wasn't very nice, Hika-chan," Hunny agreed.
"You shouldn't listen in other people's conversations, anyway," Hikaru said, looking uncomfortable. "And anyway, I don't hate him. He was just overreacting as usual. I already told him that I'm not mad at him."
"No, but you do a wonderful imitation of it," Kyouya commented, breaking the silence that he had been keeping since their interrogation earlier. Tamaki raised his eyebrows at him.
"He's my brother, not yours, Kyouya-sempai," Hikaru said coldly.
"And yet you don't seem to care all that much about him." Kyouya shoved his hands into his pockets. His eyes were icy when he looked at the older Hitachiin. "Perhaps if you knew exactly how much you had—and still have—you wouldn't be so quick to try to lose it."
"That's not for you to say, sempai," he pointed out.
"No, it's not, but I'm saying it anyway," Kyouya said with a smile that didn't extend to his eyes. Hikaru was right; it wasn't his place to speak out. But in the past few days, he had gotten fond of the younger Hitachiin, and he despised the way Hikaru treated him. Perhaps because he knew what it was like to love someone so completely stupid that he treated you like dirt.
"What are you trying to say?"
Kyouya shrugged, by now determined on avoiding a fight with Hikaru. There were no merits to be gained from that, in any case. It would only upset Kaoru more, besides damaging his relationship with the Hitachiin family. And that was something he would not allow. "Nothing, of course," he said. He was eyeing Kaoru thoughtfully.
"Why didn't you just stay away from Kaoru?" Hikaru finally said. "Everything was so much better before you stepped in."
Kyouya looked at him incredulously. He had stepped in? It had been Kaoru who had first revealed himself, who had admitted everything after overhearing his little tirade. But such details were not important. "I didn't 'step in', Hikaru. Kaoru and I simply became friends. Perhaps because we understand each other on certain points."
"I don't want you to understand him!" Hikaru said, cheeks going red.
The Shadow King smiled. "And that's not for you to say either, is it? But of course you're saying it anyway. Don't you think that that's rather hard on Kaoru?" You don't pay attention to him, and yet you want him to lavish all his attention on you. "He's mature enough to make his own decisions."
"Not where you're involved," Hikaru said snottily. Honestly, he was just acting like a brat now.
Haruhi sighed and decided to intervene before things got out of hand. Kyouya had remarkable self-control, and she knew that he would never start swinging at Hikaru; but on the other hand, she didn't trust him not to continue one-upping Hikaru's comments, and Hikaru could get violent when he reached his breaking point. If he laid a finger on Kyouya, he was bound to regret it later—or anyway, the Shadow King would make sure that he did. "That's enough, Hikaru. You already turned down Kaoru's invitation, remember? The point is moot."
"Fine," he said sullenly, glaring at Kyouya. The Shadow King ignored him.
At least, Hikaru thought grimly, he asked me, and not Kyouya-sempai. He smiled nastily at the thought.
"Aren't you and Hikaru going to the opening, darling?" inquired their mother. Kaoru was shifting restlessly on the couch, flipping through the channels on their gigantic television set. He had gotten dressed for the opening, but at the last moment decided that he would feel stupid going by himself.
"Nah, Hikaru didn't want to go," he said, stilling smarting from his twin's words earlier. Hikaru didn't have to talk to him that way, no matter how he was feeling. He hadn't done anything wrong, anyway. He had asked Hikaru earlier whether he had changed his mind, but his brother had stubbornly said no and went back to an internet game he was playing.
So that was how Hikaru valued him. He was less important than some stupid online game.
"What a shame," his mother sighed. She had sensed the recent discord between her two sons, and much as she had wanted to see them grow a little away from each other, she couldn't help regretting her rash wish. She hadn't known what the consequences would be. Kaoru seemed miserable without Hikaru, and Hikaru just seemed angry at everything these days. "I can't go out tonight with you either—I have a design to finish. Sorry, darling. I would have wanted to go with you." She kissed him on the cheek. "Don't stay up too late."
"I won't," he promised, and resumed channel-surfing. He tugged at the collar of his shirt. Maybe he should just get changed into his pajamas already and just sleep off the whole thing. Maybe in the morning, it would all seem a little better.
His cellphone rang. "Moshimoshi?"
"Hey," the Shadow King greeted him. "You don't sound so happy."
"Oh, hey, Kyouya-sempai. You overheard it all earlier, I suppose," he said softly.
"Yes. Your brother is a fool, and we almost had a fight about it. Ah well. Didn't you go to the gallery opening?"
"Negative. I didn't want to go by myself." He sighed. "I felt stupid. It's a bother."
"I thought as much."
"Am I that predictable?" he asked, laughing self-consciously.
"Perhaps."
"And Hikaru made it sound so… idiotic."
Kyouya made soft noise of disapproval at the comment. "Come out, Kaoru."
He blinked. "Come out?"
"Just do it. Trust me," Kyouya told him. "I didn't set mines outside your house, don't worry."
He ignored the puzzled stares of the maids as he walked out. "Kyouya-sempai!" he said, surprised to see the Shadow King standing there, smiling at him. He made a lovely picture under the stars, his eyes bright behind his glasses. "What the heck are you doing here?" He looked at him. He was all dressed up too, in a neat black jacket and pants ensemble. Then again, Kyouya always looked pulled together.
"It's a shame to waste those tickets of yours. I thought that maybe you would want some company, since Hikaru didn't want to come with you." Kyouya shrugged. "If you don't want to, it's okay with me. I just thought that you might want to go."
Kaoru's heart warmed. "Thank you, Kyouya-sempai." He smiled with genuine happiness, and Kyouya secretly felt glad that he had decided to come. "I'll just get my jacket, okay? Could you wait a sec?"
"With pleasure," Kyouya said, inclining his head at him.
Kaoru bounded back in and found himself face to face with his twin, who definitely did not look pleased. "Hikaru," he said as evenly as possible. "What're you doing here? I thought you were playing a game."
"It got boring," Hikaru said dismissively. "What's Kyouya-sempai doing here?"
"We're going." Kaoru picked up his jacket. "To the art gallery opening."
Hikaru turned red. "What's that all about, anyway?" he said, evidently pissed off.
Kaoru shrugged. "You didn't want to go." He glanced back at Hikaru as he turned to leave. "You've got nothing to be mad about."
"Kaoru—"
"I already told you," he said matter-of-factly. "You can't have it both ways, Hikaru." He flashed his twin a brief smile. "See you."
Kyouya tilted his head and raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Got held up?"
Kaoru shrugged. "You could say that."
The Shadow King nodded. He understood, even if Kaoru didn't explain. "So, where's this gallery anyway?"
The Hitachiin matriarch wasn't the best of mothers, in the eyes of many. And well, with kids like that, she could understand why. But it was also mostly because she rarely had time to spend with them. But to her credit, she tried. The way she was trying right now, rushing through her design and finishing it with admirable speed.
"Where's Kaoru?" she asked the maids, descending the stairs.
"He went to the gallery opening, Hitachiin-sama," she said respectfully.
She raised her eyebrows. "Hikaru too?"
"Hikaru-sama is in his room and doesn't wish to be disturbed," the maid said.
Her brows furrowed. She didn't like the idea of Kaoru going off on his own. Her younger son was wont to be lonely. "I see. Ready the car for me, if you please."
"That's a butt-ugly painting," Kaoru said softly to Kyouya, who stifled a laugh. "Why do people pay so much for this garbage but disdain the good stuff?"
"People rarely notice the truly precious things," Kyouya replied. "And you ought to take more care that people won't hear you. I see a number of Hitachiin and Ootori associates here. They may be supporting the artist."
Kaoru made a face at him. "Spoilsport," he said, but nodded.
"Kaoru-kun! How wonderful to see you here!" It was one of his mother's many business partners, and he cringed at the lady rushing towards him at full tilt, air-kissing his cheeks. "You are Kaoru-kun, aren't you? Or is it Hikaru-kun?"
"Uh, no. I'm Kaoru."
"How is your mother?"
"Just fine, Nanahara-san," he muttered, fidgeting slightly.
"And where's Hikaru-kun?"
He looked up at Kyouya. "Ah, Hikaru couldn't make it. This is my sempai from Ouran, Ootori Kyouya."
Nanahara-san blinked, her eyes widening slightly. Kaoru was never seen in public without his brother. Ever. They even went to the bathroom together. "Oh, so pleased to make your acquaintance," she said, smiling at him. "I know the Ootori Corp. very well." She had certain misgivings, because she knew what kind of company Kaoru liked to keep: the daredevil, rude kind. He and his brother were the terror of social gatherings.
Kyouya offered her his most charismatic smile and a bow with his hand pressed to his heart. "I'm charmed to meet you, Nanahara-sama. The Ootori family holds you in high esteem. I've heard so many wonderful things about you, and I can see that they're all true."
She flushed, flattered. "Oh, you flatter me!" This certainly made a pleasant change from Hikaru. "I'm delighted to see that you've taken up with such an attractive young man, Kaoru-kun."
"Er, yes, Kyouya-sempai's always been quite the charmer," Kaoru said, looking amused. He took Kyouya by the arm. "If you'll excuse us, please?" She nodded, still starry-eyed from Kyouya's compliments.
"What was that?" Kaoru said, laughing.
Kyouya chuckled too. "You ought to learn how to flatter people sometime too, Kaoru. But then, our circumstances are different." He shrugged. "I have two brothers, and I'm determined to inherit the Ootori business. You and your brother can do as you please. You're both going to take control of the Hitachiin Design."
"Do you really think that I ought to learn to praise people like that?" Kaoru asked.
Kyouya shook his head. "No, you're right. Stay as you are. It's too hard a lesson to learn, and it isn't one I'd want anyone to. Especially not you." He half-smiled down at the younger boy.
"Aw, sempai, that's sweet," Kaoru joked, pretending to bat his eyelashes. Kyouya just laughed and took his arm.
"Let's start moving. Maybe we can even forge some useful alliances for the Ootori around here…" Kyouya joked. "And you can criticize the paintings to your heart's content."
The Hitachiin matriarch watched them with surprised and rather pleased eyes. There was a sparkle to Kaoru, and she watched the redhead laughing affectionately at a distinguished-looking older boy.
"Hitachiin-sama! Delightful to see you again."
"Nanahara-san," she said, turning to face the other woman. "Oh, hello. How are you doing?"
"Just fine," Nanahara-san said, beaming. "And I was just talking to your son Kaoru. And his darling friend! Such a charming young man. Er, pity Hikaru couldn't make it," she added hastily. "But still, Kaoru-kun seems to be enjoying himself with Ootori-kun."
"I see," she said slowly, a smile forming on her face. A photographer from the Style section of the newspaper took a picture of Kyouya and Kaoru. Both of them were laughing, and for once, the Shadow King had allowed his genuine smile to be captured on film. With a grin on her lips, she slipped away from the party. "Home," she instructed the driver, and relaxed. She had no worries about her son being lonely.
"Thanks for a great night, sempai," Kaoru said, settling down against the leather seats of the Ootori car beside Kyouya. Kyouya simply smiled at him and stared out the window, looking at the night sky. "I would have missed out on so much fun if it wasn't for you."
"It's not a problem, Kaoru," Kyouya said. "And thank you too. I made some valuable connections," he joked. "But I did enjoy myself. And we got to poke fun at some really awful art."
"I feel like I'm seeing the real you come out, sempai," the Hitachiin commented with a mischievous smirk.
"Perhaps," Kyouya said. He checked his watch. "We still have class tomorrow."
Kaoru yawned. "Yeah. I hope I don't fall asleep in the middle of a lecture or something." He grimaced. "I can just picture what a hassle it'll be for you to wake up in the morning. Ugh. I pity your maids." He looked up at Kyouya. "Sorry, it's my fault. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have stayed up so late."
"Don't be. If I hadn't gone with you tonight, I would probably be up anyway, balancing some accounts or checking on the assets and liabilities of one of our companies. Either that or that idiot would have found some way to bother me." He realized that, remarkably, he had spent a whole evening without thinking of Tamaki. Being with Kaoru really did have its bonuses. "So I'm glad that I came along. That and you're pleasant company."
The redhead nodded sleepily. "Mm-hmm. If you say so," he said. "I can't see how, though…"
"If you're tired, just sleep," Kyouya said. "I'll wake you up when we get to your house."
"O-okay," Kaoru said, and shut his eyes.
Kyouya watched him sleep. There was something vulnerable about the younger boy that appealed to something protective in him. Maybe it was the same instinct that made him want to look after Tamaki, sometimes. So gently that no one would ever have believed it, he smoothed the Hitachiin's hair away from his face and gazed at the shadows dancing under the redhead's eyelashes.
"We're here, Ootori-sama," his driver said, keeping his voice down when he noticed the slumbering Hitachiin in the backseat beside his master. "The Hitachiin residence."
"Kaoru," Kyouya said softly, shaking him. "Wake up. We're here."
Kaoru mumbled in his sleep. "Five more minutes," he said.
Kyouya sighed. Kaoru could very well get a stiff neck for sleeping in that position, but he didn't have the heart to wake him up. Carefully, he eased the younger Hitachiin out of the car. "Give me a hand," he muttered to his driver, who helped to hoist him into Kyouya's arms. "Ring the doorbell for me."
The butler answered it, and the maids behind him gave a little squeak of surprise at seeing Kaoru being carried like that. "It's all right, he just fell asleep," Kyouya said quietly. "Could you show me where his room is? I'll just put him there."
Hikaru appeared, in his green-striped pajamas. "What the hell are you doing to my brother?" he growled.
"He's asleep, Hikaru," Kyouya said coolly. "I'm not 'doing' anything to your brother." He smiled charmingly at one of the maids. "Excuse me. Could you please direct me to Kaoru's room?"
"A-at once," she said, turning pink at his politeness. Hikaru certainly never addressed any of them that way. Deciding to disregard the annoyance on Hikaru's face, she guided Kyouya to Kaoru's room.
Kyouya took note of the distance. It was a lot further away than he thought. Not that he minded carrying Kaoru, but he knew it was mainly because Kaoru wanted to keep his distance from Hikaru and his room.
He put the Hitachiin down on the bed and covered him with a blanket. "Sleep well, Kaoru," he said softly, before switching off the lights and closing the door behind him.
He caught a flash of red at the corner of his eye and turned around. He expected to be faced with an irate Hikaru, but it was their mother, smiling quietly at him.
"Hello. Ootori-kun, I presume?"
"Yes, Hitachiin-sama." He bowed. "I'm sorry for keeping Kaoru out so late. We rather lost track of the time."
She smiled. "I don't mind that in the least. I'm sure that my Kaoru had a good time with you." She nodded. "Won't you have a cup of tea before you go?"
"No, thank you. It's kind of you to offer, but I really must be getting home as well."
She nodded. "And Ootori-kun?"
"Yes, Hitachiin-sama?"
"Take good care of him. I'm entrusting him to you, you understand?"
He blinked once behind his glasses, then slowly nodded his head. "As you wish, Hitachiin-sama." He offered her his most likable smile. "But if I may speak honestly, I would have done so anyway, even if you hadn't told me." He bowed again. "Goodnight, Hitachiin-sama."
A/N: And on that enigmatic note I leave you. Hahahaha. I have exams for two more days and a ton of projects to do after that. I had to miss three straight weeks of class because I was in training for so many competitions, and now I'm definitely paying for it. Even as I type this I'm meant to be studying for Chemistry and Research. Ah well. Cheers, all. More reviews, faster updates, as you all know. Thank you for reading!