Twin Devils

(Disclaimer: I do not own anything)

Italics: Haruhi's thoughts

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Chapter Four

I stood, staring at the hand extended out to me. Mister… Hitachiin is… the White Devil? He waited politely, smile never fading or faltering. Blubbering like a commoner wasn't going to make a very good first impression, so I stuck a hand out, taking his hand in an uncoordinated way, shaking it without experience, "I… um, I-I'm, uh, not a b-"

"-business man like yourself so he doesn't know how to shake hands so professionally," Kaoru said, propping himself on my left shoulder. "Go along with it," he whispered softly into my ear.

Hikaru leaned on my right shoulder, hand going up and twirling my hair around a slender finger, "Dad, this is Haruhi Fujioka, the commoner that got in because of his grades. Haruhi, this is our father, J-"

"-Just call me Mr. Hitachiin," he smiled kindly, putting another hand over my own. "That's what everyone calls me." He winked.

He pulled away, running a hand through his reddish-brown hair, looking around, "The place looks lovely," he chuckled, ruffling the twins hair. "Not that you two clean or anything."

Kaoru chuckled, looking up at his father, "We get that from you, dad."

"Yeah, we also can't cook. Thanks father," Hikaru laughed.

Mr. Hitachiin put them both of them under his arms, looking down at them, "What exciting is coming up?"

"Well," They said in unison. "They masquerade ball is coming up."

"Is Haruhi coming?" He asked politely, looking up at me.

The twins followed his gaze, and I fought the urge to squirm under the trio of such intrusive gazes.

"Of course," they said. "He'll be there."

"Cool. Then count me in!"

All three beamed at each other, and I smiled to myself. This seemed so normal. Like if you stripped away the mansion and all the expensive clothing, you wouldn't be able tell that these three men are rich. My eyes scanned over them, looking at their faces, their hands, their bodies, and all I saw was happiness. This looked exactly like a portrait of a man spending time with his adoring sons. Though I felt like if I was going to paint this, the twins would be really clear and defined lines while the father was with smooth and fuzzy lines. Mr. Hitachiin made Hikaru and Kaoru sharper.

"So when is the dance?" Mr. Hitachiin asked, looking down at the twins.

They shrugged, standing up, "In a few months."

He frowned, "Oh. Boys, I might not be able to make it…"

They tilted their heads to the side like it didn't affect them, but I saw the slight change in their eyes, the fading of their brightness. The twins grew dull from their originally clean lines.

"… because I'll be too busy chasing after you!" He said, turning and running after them.

The twins laughed, jogging down the halls in a perfect loping rhythm, "Catch us first, old man!"

I watched as they left, shaking my head. Mr. Hitachiin was actually more reserved than I expected. I thought of him as some lunatic that shared Hikaru and Kaoru's genetics. I was not expecting this.

The twins zipped by, and not long after, Mr. Hitachiin was there, having discarded his jacket and tie on the fly. He paused, looking in the kitchen. "Excuse me, lovely ladies. Please start cooking dinner," He asked the maids softly, turning towards me. "I want to hear all about this young man over a nice hearty dinner." He winked at me.

Oh this is going to be one long dinner.

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The maids had gone all out for Mr. Hitachiin's request: ornate golden tablecloth, golden silverware, candles, and a large feast that took up every inch of table. My mouth was watering just to look at it. I took my seat in the plush cushioned chair, Hikaru to my right and Kaoru to my left. I was silently in Heaven, happiness all over my face as I piled my plate high with all the great looking food. Mr. Hitachiin, of course, sat at the head of the table, elegant and reserved.

Mr. Hitachiin cut into his steak, dipping the piece into its juices, taking a bite and chewing slowly. He wiped his mouth with the red table cloth. "So, Haruhi. Tell me about yourself. What made you want to attend Ouran Academy?"

I had just taken a bite of my roll, embarrassed that I was slightly talking with my mouth full, "They have excellent academic programs there, and having that on my resume will really help me on my pursuit to become a lawyer." I knew that Hikaru and Kaoru were going to probably make fun of me for talking like this, but I wanted to sound good in front of their father. Not like some ignorant commoner.

He paused, then smiled. "That is truly wonderful," he gestured al me with his fork. "We could use more people like you. Always follow your dreams." He smiled, and for some reason, the phrase held a double meaning in the back of my head, "they just might lead you somewhere."

I took a big swallow of my food, looking at my plate, "Wow. Thank you."

"Now why going into law? It is a very tough business."

Suddenly, I felt the twins stiffen beside me. I folded my hands and set them in my lap, "My mother was a lawyer, actually."

He smiled, crinkles by his eyes, indicating that he smiled a lot, "Oh really? What's her name? Perhaps I know her."

"Kotoko Fujioka," I said, feeling the twins' stares. "You probably don't know her, sir."

"Oh, well, you'll definitely have to introduce us," he said, oblivious.

I felt Hikaru take my right hand, holding it in his big one. Then Kaoru took my left, giving me an apologetic look.

"Um," I cleared my throat. No matter how many times I had to explain this to anyone, it was still like ripping a bandage off a fresh wound for the first time. "I'm afraid that she's not with us anymore, sir."

The look on Mr. Hitachiin's face was a mixture of apologetic and shock, "Oh… I'm so sorry, I-"

"I'm sorry?" Hikaru said, dropping his silverware onto his plate with a clatter. "You just made Haruhi think of his mother again, and all you have to say is 'I'm sorry?'"

"Hikaru…" Kaoru said pleadingly.

"No. I'm not finished. What would you do if we reminded you everyday that your marriage is falling apart!" He nearly shouted. He pushed his chair back, standing abruptly. The chair fell back with a clatter, him holding onto my hand tighter. "What would you do, father?"

Mr. Hitachiin sat in stunned silence, looking up at Hikaru with a set jaw. He looked between Hikaru and Kaoru, then his gaze fell on our hands and he released a soft sigh. Wiping his mouth, he slowly stood, looking to the maids, "It was an exquisite dinner. Please excuse the mess. I'll raise your pay for this week." He bowed to them. "I must be going now. It was great to see you again, Kaoru." He looked up at Hikaru, " Hikaru…"

Hikaru scoffed, pushing past him and going down the hall. Kaoru ran after him, "Hikaru," he called worriedly.

Mr. Hitachiin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He took my hand after composing himself again, "I truly do apologize Haruhi. If I would've known, I wouldn't have said anything."

I shook my head, "It's totally fine."

"Truly, young man. I hope we see each other again," he nodded, leaving.

I sighed. What have I gotten myself into?

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After a long bath, and nothing good on TV, I was lying on my bed in some simple night clothes, scrolling through my contacts. I decided to call my father.

Three rings later, he answered.

"Haruhi!" He cried through the phone, "it is so good to hear you my daughter. What have you been up to?"

I sat down on the large bed, smoothing out the decorated blankets, "It's fine, dad. Mansion Hitachiin isn't so bad."

"How are those adorable twins? Still gorgeous?"

Scoffing, I twirled a loose feather in between my thumb and finger, "No part of them is beautiful, dad."

My door swung open and Kaoru stood there, a hand over his chest, "Hurtful."

I threw a pillow at him, chuckling, "Yes, dad, that's Kaoru. Oh, alright." I held out the phone to Kaoru, "He wants to speak with you."

Kaoru smiled, taking the phone and putting it up to his ear. He leaned back, closing his eyes and tilting his head to the side as he smiled, "Hello Mr. Fujioka. How are you today?"

I took my chance now to study him. He was leaned back on his arm, hand propping himself up, and he was sitting all relaxed, clearly comfortable in his environment. He had changed into some night clothes as well: a loose fitting grey shirt with blue sleeves, orange fuzzy sweatpants with blue roses, and orange slippers. His fiery red hair was held back with a few blue pins, his golden eyes peeked and ready to listen. As he talked, he pushed back a strand of hair nonchalantly, chatting carelessly with my father. His collarbones just peeked over the hem of his vintage t shirt, the light shining off his ivory skin.

I zoned out, lost in the dips of his body, the toss of his hair, the simplicity as his shoulders tightened and loosened under his shirt. I stared at him, then blushed when I realized that he was trying to hand my phone back to me. I swiped it up, pressing the small device to my ear, "Hey."

"Hello honey. I was just going to let you know that America is great and the twins seem great. I hope that you enjoy your time there."

"…Thank you dad." I considered telling him about the note, but I couldn't. If I did, he would quit his dream and fly back here and treat me like his fragile little girl. So I sucked it up and took a deep breath. "I love you dad."

"I love you too, Haruhi. But I have to go now. You know how much daddy likes shopping!" He clapped, "Bye bye dear."

"Bye dad," I said it quietly, slowly, lowering the phone and flipping it shut. Kaoru reached out, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you okay, Haruhi?" He asked softly, looking down at me with kind eyes. I thought about telling him about the note. I glanced to my desk where the ugly note laid, screaming at me to shout each ugly word at Kaoru's face.

Instead, I stared up at him, steadying my pulse and clearing my head. "I'm fine. Thank you for the concern."

He smiled. "That's what I'm here for, right? Moral support." He chuckled, closing his eyes and grinning lazily as he scratched the back of his head. It struck me suddenly what all the clients at the host club thought. Kaoru was adorable.

I shook my head, smiling as I punched him lightly on his toned torso, "Don't sell yourself for anything less." I flicked him in the forehead, "You hear me?"

He chuckled, rubbing his head, "Yes, I hear you."

"Why did you tell your father that I was a boy? Isn't it okay for him to know? Everyone else in this house does."

"Well… Hikaru wasn't sure how he'd process it, so we kept our mouths shut."

So Hikaru made the decision…

Leaning back in my bed, I hugged a pillow to my chest and played with the frayed ends, "So what brings you here anyway?"

"I just wanted to apologize for everything that happened at dinner. It was very unprofessional of all of us, and for that I am deeply sorry."

I shook my head, "No need, really. How's Hikaru?"

He smiled slightly as if thinking of his little identical twin, "He was super tired and said that he wanted to go to bed. I thought that I'd come and check on you."

"Well, thank you," I said. "… Is your dad's marriage really in trouble?" I asked softly.

Sighing, he glanced at me, "Heard that did you? Well, he doesn't want us children thinking that he can't hold his family together, but we all see through it pretty quickly. And we both know that once Hikaru has something on his mind, it's already halfway to his lips."

I snorted, "Isn't that the truth."

"Plus, Hikaru and our father aren't on the best of terms. Dad tries, but Hikaru doesn't want to give him a chance at all. Again, I apologize for everything that happened. Which reminds me…" he smiled. "I did come in here to apologize, but I also came in here for another reason entirely." He broke out in that innocent little smile that made a lot of girls squeal, or flail, whatever they did in their language, "Will you go out on a date with me?"

I blinked, staring up at him, "What?"

"You know, as friends. I want to take you out and show you the town. I still feel majorly responsible and guilty for what happened, and I would feel a whole lot better if you let me spoil you a little," he shrugged with a devilish grin. "I won't take no for an answer."

I sighed, a small smile forming to my lips, "I dunno, Kaoru…"

"Oh, come on."

Chuckling, I nodded, "Alright, alright, fine. I'll go on a date with you."

He grinned, jumping up and dancing around, "Great! I'll take you out around nine tomorrow!" He paused at the door, staring me down with those golden optics. Tilting his chin down, his hair fell into his eyes as he gazed down at me. He slowly put a hand up, swiping away his hair, his chin now pointing skyward. "Be sure that you're ready!" he said in a singsong voice as he skipped out.

I sighed, staring after his bounding form. A date. Perfect.

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The next day at school, as I opened up my locker, a paper fluttered to the ground. It was another note. Slowly, I picked it up and opened the black envelope, reading it to myself:

"Haruhi Fujioka

Thank you for your cooperation. It doesn't go unnoticed and is appreciated. Now, to the matter at hand. A customer will enter the Host Club in Music Room 3 at exactly 12:00. The client shall be wearing a green clip in their hair. They will request you. Do whatever they tell you, and they will be passing on other messages accordingly from then on.

-Your Friends"

I crumpled the note up, having half a mind to set it on fire as well. I tossed it back into my locker, slamming it shut and walking off. Whoever this female client was, she wasn't going to tell me what to do. I don't care who these people were. If this was a simpleminded prank, it sure took some time and effort. I sighed. I was not going to put up with this.

Busting the doors to the club, I grouchily walked in, pulling a chair up to my table, just sitting and watching the grandfather clock tick away time. Five minutes ticked by. It was 11:59. I urged on the second hand, counting with it in my head.

One, two, three. What would this girl even look like? I tried to imagine a small blonde girl with fierce green eyes and a practiced sneer… That made sense, but didn't fit for some reason.

Eight, nine, ten. Why was she even doing this? Did she, like myself, have some unknown debt she needed to pay off? Was she doing this because she was forced to, or because she had a twisted sense of humor?

Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One. What was her meaning to this people? Was she just an errand runner, or did she have meaning?

Thirty-Five, thirty-six, thirty-seven. What if I was way over thinking this? What if this was just one very elaborate hoax? Then I would've been worked up like this for nothing.

Forty-nine, fifty, fifty-one. I can't do this. I'm now officially freaking out. What was this? Who would do this to me?

Fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-nine. Help me.

The clock chimed time, and it rang all through the room. I didn't release hold of the chair until the very last chime, and even taking a few breaths after that just to be sure. Then, suppressed laughter bubbled up in my throat and I allowed myself to giggle at the silliness. Had I really been that worked up?

The doors opened and killed my laughter right there. A tall man strolled in, brushing back his loose black hair, his sea green eyes searching the room. In his hair, a green pin held up a few stray locks. In a deep rattle, he said, "I request Haruhi Fujioka."

My heart fell out of my chest in fright.

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My hands shook as I poured the tea, the room seeming to spin under me. I set the tea pot down, sitting rigid in my chair. He was leaned back and relaxed in his chair, poised like a panther. His green eyes watched me over the rim of his cup, oculars penetrating and evasive.

"Why did they send you?" I asked abruptly.

He closed his eyes, setting down the cup, "Is this how you treat all your guests?"

"Only the special ones."

"Oh?" He chuckled, letting his jade eyes glance at me. "You've got some fire in you, don't you commoner? I like that."

I was just fidgeting in my seat, waiting on him to say something. Anything, "Are you going to answer my question?"

He looked at me, pursed his lips in thought, then shook his head, "No. I don't even think that you can do that, Haruhi Fujioka."

I slammed a fist down on the table, glaring at him, earning us with many glances, "And why not?"

"Woah, woah, woah. Easy commoner. You don't want to draw attention to us," He pulled his jacket back a little, the hilt of a gun glittered, peeking out at me. "Trust me."

I swallowed my pride, my throat burning, "So what? Shoot me right here, in front of everybody?"

Smirking, he leaned back in the chair, putting a leg over the other, "I've done it before, why not again?"

This guy was dangerous. This guy, would kill me.

"What do you want?" I forced the words out, eyes wide, me trying to stay calm.

"Simple. We want you, Miss Fujioka. For what reasons? We can't tell you those yet exactly. This meeting was just an example of our future meetings. We do, of course, have your full and unadulterated cooperation, right Haruhi?"

Numbly, I felt my head nod.

He smiled, "Good." He grabbed my hand and kissed it.

Hikaru and Kaoru popped up behind me, arms folded over their chests, annoyance clear on their faces, "Um, excuse us. You were just-"

"Leaving," he said, looking between them. "I know." He nodded to me, "Good day, Fujioka. I'll definitely be becoming a regular customer here." He saunter out.

Tamaki ran up to Kyoya, grabbing his collar, "Kyoya, that man just molested my little girl! Did you not see that?! KYOYA DO SOMETHING!"

Kyoya scoffed, poking Tamaki in the forehead with his pen, knocking him back, "He's a paying customer, Tamaki. My hands are tied."

Tamaki got up, still yelling at Kyoya, but it sounded distant as I stared after him, watching the door break him from my line of sight. I heard Hikaru mumble under his breath, "… I still don't like him."

I sighed, staring down at the white tablecloth. "Me neither."

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I had asked the maids to help me find something to wear for my date, and they came through: a lovely and loose top with flowers on it, black simple pants, white shoes and a few small pins for my hair. Perfect for a casual, friendly night out. I sat on my bed, very impatient, seeking entertainment in books and other various items I could find. After a lifetime, the clock struck eight.

Kaoru knocked on my door. I cleared my throat, "Come in."

The door swung open, and I had the same reaction as walking into the host club: slight wind, whisking rose petals, blinding light. I adjusted my eyes, gazing up at him.

He wore a green shirt with a blue jacket, no sleeves on either, a loose belt, rough jeans and leather shoes. He held a manicured hand out, his smile lovely and reaching his eyes, "Miss Haruhi Fujioka, would you accompany my on this beautiful evening?"

I watched him, blinking. Nothing was going to mess this up for me. Not the 'friends', not the strange man with the clip, not the new drama of my temporary home. I was going to go out and have a good time with my friend. Hear that mom? I'm going to have fun with my friend tonight.

I slid my hand into his incredibly smooth one, "Yes. Yes, I will."

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A/N: So, what did you guys think? Hope you enjoyed ;3 Sorry this one came a little bit later. Please share and review. Favorite/follow. Review what your favorite part was, or what shocked you, or what you think is going to happen. PM me if you. I'll respond. I'm a human being. I don't bite. Unless you're into that type of stuff. Even then I don't bite :3 Maybe a little.