Twin Devils

(Disclaimer: I do not own anything)

Italics: Haruhi's thought

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Chapter Three

That night, I fell asleep with Hikaru's warm arms around me, my head on Kaoru's soft chest. The music was a soft tone, gentle rifts of a guitar and a little piano, tender to the ears. I dreamt of that music in the dream I had. The dream was so vivid I swore it was real, that I was just seeing myself in another life, staring at my twin. It was so strange.

It started out with that song, the notes quiet and gentle. Then I shattered the darkness, falling out in a beautifully yellow dress, something I would never wear, along with a diamond crown and golden slippers. I looked down at myself, searching my fresh skin for the usual sign that I needed to bathe or that I had written my grocery list there with marker. I couldn't find any. It was pristine and crisp. Then I realized, this couldn't be me.

As soon as I thought the words, a mirror sprouted from the ground, carved from silver and as brilliant as the moon. My skin nearly glowed, my make up done to perfection, my short hair styled to look extremely feminine, and any flaw that could've been was gone. My knuckles turned white as I gripped the edge of the mirror, gazing into its depths, searching for who this strange woman was. She didn't have crinkles above her forehead, no bags were found under her eyes, and she didn't have a puffy red nose. This woman was gorgeous. Through the mirror, I saw people blossom out of the darkness, in ornate suits and dresses, all of them staring at me. The low buzz of talking sifted through the room like bees as my gaze shifted through the crowd. A great ballroom materialized all around us, and I realized every single person was wearing the same unsettling white mask, their blank eyes staring at me. Just as I was about to turn back to the mirror, someone tapped me gently on the shoulder. I turned to see who it was.

In front of me stood a six foot man with a stark white suit on, so crisp and chipper it almost hurt my eyes to look at. It had white everything: white vest, white shirt, white tie, white jacket, white pants, white shoes, white gloves, and white cufflinks. The only splash of color was a black thorny rose in his lapel, the petals beguiling and thorns wicked. It sneered at me, daring me to come any closer and it would sink its teeth in me. The man wore a different mask, a glaring devil one that was the color of blood, stretching just to his cheekbones, the horns spiraling up through his fiery hair. His golden eyes gazed down into mine, and he bowed low, extending a hand. I never saw his mouth move, but I felt him say the words.

"May I have this dance?" The voice was elegant and reserved, one I haven't heard before. Slowly, I slid my hand into the soft folds of his gloved one. He pulled me close, arm around my waist. I gasped aloud, letting him hold me like this. One of his hands held mine up gently, the other tucked around my waist. I was pressed against his chest, staring up at him through wide eyes as he gazed down at me through the mask. Then we started dancing.

He moved to the music, our dance going to the soft rifts of the guitar and the silent thrum of the piano. He was skilled where I wasn't, but my body seemed to know more than I did, so I followed him actually able to keep up. This man was obviously one of the twins… but which one? And why would I dream about this? If my hands hadn't been occupied, my hands would've been in the process of ripping out my hair. I could usually tell them apart so easily, but now as I watched him move, the gentleness of his grip, the fierceness of his eyes, the sharp contour of his jaw… and I came up blank.

The music slowly faded, and I watched the White Devil as he knelt, kissing my hand softly. He gazed up at me, then tenderly spoke, "I love you, Haruhi, and I always have." His voice was slowly fading like my music.

The look of surprise must've made it to my brain in time, because I uttered out a hasty and short, "I love you too." I fumbled for the right words, but they never graced my tongue. Words like who are you, what am I doing here, what are we? I reached out, my dream self speaking for me. My fingers ran through his hair, and I opened my mouth to say something.

And I fell awake just as I had his name on my lips. Sitting up in the bed, I grasped the sheets hard, looking around. Hikaru and Kaoru had left, my door shut, the window closed, a candle burning softly in the corner. This bed was too huge. It took about twelve scoots for me to get out of it. I threw the blankets back, letting my bare feet slid against the cool tile. Slowly making my way to the bathroom, I splashed cold water against my face, cupping my hands and taking a steady drink. I stared at my reflection, letting the water drip down my face, curling down my hair. What did this dream mean? Probably nothing, but it seemed too vivid. Too important. The only problem was that it completely made no sense.

The White Devil had clearly been Hikaru or Kaoru, but that was insane. I had no intimate feelings with either. Or anyone, for that matter. I dried my face on the lavish towel, setting it on the counter, more to steady me than to put the towel away. I shuffled out of the bathroom, walking over to the wayward candle, watching it flicker and crack. Tilting my head, I just pondered silently. Was that dream just abstract, or was it future? I sighed. This was so confusing. But… what if my feelings for the twins weren't as imaginary as I hammered them out to be…?

I quickly extinguished my thoughts and the candle.

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That morning, you could cut the tension with a knife it was so thick. The twins sat opposite from each other versus their usual side by side, still sticking with Hikaru on my right and Kaoru on my left. I was kicked numerous times on both sides, hearing a small sorry when it happened. I could only imagine the twins kicking each under the table, keeping my tired look in the depths of the bowl. I chose the least fancy thing I could find, which had been hand crushed oatmeal with fresh out of season fruits. Both of the boys had some typed of rich dish that I didn't even know how to pronounce. It looked extravagant, and I stuck with my oatmeal.

I examined the twins. On the right, Hikaru, on the left, Kaoru. No tricks, no imagining. Their appearance was in black in white; couldn't be much plainer. Why did I have such trouble telling them apart in the dream? I just wanted to know which devil my dream self had chosen.

"Young masters and mistress. You should get to leaving. The chauffer is waiting for you and you must not be late," one of them, I'm still not sure which one, said.

The other stood by the door, holding out our school bags. Hikaru and Kaoru passed, grabbing their bags without any thanks, the dark cloud following them. I took my bag and bowed, giving my most grateful smile, "Thank you so much. Have a nice day."

She nodded to me as I walked out, taking a leathered seat in a new car. This new car design had the twins behind me and the chauffer ahead of me. I sighed, staring out the window. This way, I was isolated from contact with the twins and conversation with the chauffer. Great. Just great.

The car ride would've been better if it had been quiet, which it wasn't. In front of me, the driver was humming an annoying tone, tapping the steering wheel. And behind me, I only caught snippets of the conversation.

Hikaru was giving a harsh whisper, "… I said I was sorry, what else do you want?"

"Just drop it, Hikaru, you obviously don't understand," he said, looking away.

A sigh, "Kaoru, what did I do? Are you this upset at a silly little comment?"

"Hikaru. Just drop it please."

"… So, you agree with him? You think that he would let us step foot into his house? That house is like his baby. The only one allowed in there is-"

"Enough Hikaru. Keep talking like that and he won't invite us anywhere," Kaoru spoke softly to his twin, and the words must've sunk in because they were quiet the rest of the ride.

I smiled slightly. The dark clouds above their heads slowly rolled away.

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I was out of it all day, lost in thought. During the host club, I had no requests so I sat on the windowsill, gazing out at the school grounds. It was sunny today, the sun smiling down on the Earth, warming me through the glass of the window. The yard was perfectly cut and trimmed, not a blade of dry grass seen. The light breeze shook the pink petals loose and they fluttered softly to the ground. Having nothing else to do, I glanced over at the twins.

Hikaru was taking a sip of tea, sitting properly, a mirror image of Kaoru, who sat on his left. Kaoru smiled attentively at the ladies, politely listening to everything they had to say. He put his folded hands on the table, "You're the real reasons that we are here, ladies, just so you'll know." He winked and they turned scarlet, gaping at him like guppies, trying to form words.

Hikaru set down his teacup hard, staring at Kaoru, "Are you saying that you like them better than me?" The girls' heads swiveled between the twins, not wanting to miss any of this.

Startled, Kaoru looked at him with wide eyes, "Never, Hikaru, I was just saying that I like quality time with these ladies and-"

He never got to finish his sentence because Hikaru stood swiftly, taking Kaoru's face in his palms. He looked down at him gently, his voice dropping to a husky whisper, "But you'd much rather spend quality time with me, right brother?"

Kaoru squirmed, tilting his head back and looking away, "Don't make me admit it in front of everybody like this… So embarrassing…"

"Just say it, Kaoru," He urged, nuzzling into the crook of his neck.

Hesitantly, Kaoru moved his head so that his cheek rested in the silky strands of Hikaru's hair, "Yes, brother… I'd rather spend time with you…" The girl's squealed, waving like they were about to pass out.

I rolled my eyes, looking away. Yep. I have zero feelings towards them. Curious, I ended up checking on each host.

Kyoya looked down at a girl through his glasses, smiling as he held out a hand, "Welcome, mademoiselle, come right in. Who is it that you've come to request?"

The girl slipped her hand into his, "Uh, you, Kyoya-senpai."

He pulled her closer, kissing her hand, smiling, "Why, I'm sure that we can arrange that."

Some girls had formed a line, waiting for an opening with Kyoya, "HE'S SO COOL!"

Shaking my head, I looked over at Mori and Honey.

Honey giggled, holding up his stuffed rabbit Uca-chan in Mori's face, "Look, Takashi! Uca-chan has whipped cream on his nose! Isn't he silly?"

Mori grunted, nodding his head. He reached out a finger, taking some whipped cream and put it on Honey's nose. He nodded in approval, "Now you match."

Honey tried to look at the frosting on his nose, going cross eyed. He looked back up at Mori, giggling as he held Uca-chan up more, "Clean him off, Takashi," he said his command like a pouty request.

Mori leaned forward, licking off the whipped cream. He pulled away. Honey whined, "Don't forget me, Takashi!"

Obediently, Mori held Honey's chin, putting his mouth on the smaller boy's nose, sucking the whipped cream off, "All clean, Mitsukune."

The girls were squealing, "SO CUTE!"

Scoffing, I switched my focus to Tamaki.

He, of course was sitting at his couch, surrounded by women. One looked at him, holding her tea in her small hands, "Tamaki, my dad said that I can't go to this club anymore. I'll never see you again…"

Tamaki flashed that famous glance to the side and wrapped his arms around the girl, enveloping her in his essence, "Not true. I will visit you every night in your dreams. Ours will be a forbidden love then. Meet me in the hot forests of the Forbidden Forrest where we'll dance for our love," He pulled back so that they were nose and nose. "Are you ready to taste the forbidden fruit, princess?"

She gulped, looking up at him, "Y-Yes…"

The other girls squealed, shoving each other excitedly, "ME NEXT! ME NEXT!"

I sighed, looking out to the school yard again. Yep. Just as I thought. Zero affection towards any of them.

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After an hour or so, the girls had to go back to class so we cleaned up and gathered around to start our meeting.

"Okay," Tamaki started cheerily. "First thing's first," he suddenly grabbed me, checking over me. "DID THEY TOUCH YOU?! HARUHI, TELL DADDY WHERE THEY TOUCHED YOU! WHAT DID THEY GIVE YOU?!" He shook me, "JUST SAY NO TO THE FANCY TUNA!"

My hand connected with the front of his face, pushing him back, "Back off, senpai, they didn't touch me-"

Hikaru and Kaoru wrapped their arms around my shoulders, putting a hand on their hips and crossing their feet, positioning themselves so that we were symmetrical, "Um, Haruhi," Kaoru said innocently, but he was smirking. "Did you forget about all of in your bed?"

Hikaru put a hand to his heart, feigning hurt, but the devilish smirk had twisted up his smile as well, "How swiftly you dismiss our love."

Tamaki blew a gasket, getting blue, "YOU PERVS!" He started to run towards them, probably going to chew them out when Mori lifted him up, holding him in place. The twins stuck their tongues out, pulling the bottom lid of their eyelid down at him. Tamaki looked like a fussy baby, beating on Mori's chest, "I'm her Daddy, Mori-senpai! I must protect her!"

Kyoya put a hand around Tamaki's mouth, "Shut up, you idiot. Anyway. What he was trying to say was that we've decided the theme of the upcoming dance. It's masquerade. Hikaru, Kaoru, can your mother deliver us some samples of new suits and masks?"

They nodded, "Yeah, we'll talk to her about it."

Kyoya nodded, "Great."

Tamaki was red under Kyoya's hand, "Kyoya… Kyoya I can't breath…" He gasped out.

Checking his book, he answered, "Good."

"Kyoya…" Tamaki finally slipped out, breathing in great gulps of air and looked at him. "Your fingers accidently pinched my nose shut."

"Oh, I'm sorry. That was on purpose," he said, writing stuff down in his little black book.

My mind froze, "Wait… Masquerade? Like with masks?"

Kyoya sighed at my ignorance, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "Yes, that would be it."

I had a small vision of being surrounded by all those white masks. Just like my dream... "I was just making sure."

Tamaki popped up, a cat grin on his face as he held up a lavish dress, "I already picked out your costume, Haruhi."

I stared at him with a blank face, not amused, "No way in hell, senpai."

He made a noise like he'd been slapped and fell back, lying there frozen. Hikaru and Kaoru stood over him, waving, "Uh, boss?"

I sighed. These rich people…

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We got to the large home, which I will never get used to, and I set my books on the table. Rolling back my shoulders, I tried to relieve some of the school stress, popping my neck. I glanced down at my books, noticing a paper out of place. Curious, I opened it to the loose page, reading the extravagant script. It read:

'Haruhi Fugioka,

We know many things. And we know your secret. Tell anyone about this, and you'll be ended. Disobey us, and worse will come. Be expecting more of these in the near future.

-Your Friends'

I was utterly perplexed. Reading each sentence over and over, I couldn't make sense of it. If this was a prank, it was legitimate and elaborate. I stared at it, and jumped as the twins came into the kitchen, shoving the note back into the book and slamming it. I turned and looked at them, staring up at their questioning looks.

Who would've sent that note? And why…?

Because my train of thought went off, someone opened up the front door in a grand flourish. He stood in a black on black suit, a white handkerchief in his lapel, diamond cufflinks on his cuffs. He smiled with straight white teeth, looking at Hikaru and Kaoru, nodding to them, then his gaze fell onto me.

He was tall, long legged and elegant. His fiery red hair was swept back but a few pesky strands rebelled and staid pressed against his forehead. Golden eyes gazed down at me, examining me in milliseconds, and I almost melting under the secure and safe feeling of his eyes. He lips stretched up into a bigger grin, and he scratched the small red goatee on his chin, brushing a hand along the stubble that sprouted along his prominent jaw.

"My, my. Who is this?" He held out a steady hand. "I'm Hikaru and Kaoru's father. What's your name, young man?"

That's when I froze. His voice matched the one that belonged to the White Devil.

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A/N: So I left you guys with a bit of a cliffhanger there, huh? You're welcome :3 I just want to thank all of you for such nice reviews and everything. Keep them coming, tell me if you want more, a suggestion on the story, anything honestly guys.