*Disclaimer I don't not own Ouran Host Club

Back In Our World

Chapter 9 Slipping through the cracks.


Kaoru's POV

When my head came crashing back to earth my eyes open to fat frigid drops bursting against the hard surface of the iridescent tile floor. The icy drops strike my exposed body while I extend a hand to wipe the running drips from my eyes. With my cheek laying against the shower my eyes see my naked twin with cold bumps emerging on my brother's normally perfected skin. His eyes are closed and his jaw open and relaxed under the frigid water. My planed chest shivered laying along the frozen floor causing me to lift my pounding head. Raising my shaky exhausted body to brace against its straightened arm so my other hand can extended out to the silver knob to rapidly increase the warmth of the shower.

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Once the clear drops begin to almost scorch my skin my body flops back on to the floor to lean against the wall across from my relaxed twin. With my jaw soar and tight from collapsing on the blue and green tiled floor I lift a hand up to my cheek to loosely massage circles into the tender area . Feeling a rectangular pattern pressed into my delicate cheek causes me to roll my eyes. Knowing full well if Hika happened to see the imprint on the side of my face I would never hear the end of his taunting. A bit irritated I cast my hand away from my face before leaning back to smack the back of my head against the shower wall for my stupidity.

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My ginger headed twin starts to gradually shift his head before closing his mouth, signaling he too is coming down from his high and can now feel the heated drops thawing his chilled skin. With just the sounds of the clear drops surrounding me I couldn't help but fill my lungs with a deep steamy breath. Gradually forcing the torrid air pass my lips as I watch my naked twin's body be pelted with the heated drops. Damn, I'm really going to miss him … Here I am ready to dessert my twin once more in my forced solitude.

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Hika, wasn't the same after that day. Whatever of himself he managed to hold together after his ill-advised confession….. shattered after her disappearance. It caused unending pain for the two of us but with my brother already fragile it sent him over his emotional edge. When the discussion was raised to take over for our parents, they both came to me with concerns for Hika traveling alone. It was decided he would stay close to the family, leaving me in forced solitude. There never really was a choice for me despite what Hika thinks now.

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It's not like my family supports him while I take to my travels. They were too busy when we were five I knew they wouldn't be around when we're adults. I'm always concerned he might spiral down further while I'm gone. There are times while traveling I dream of my brother falling into the darkness and causing himself fatal damage before waking. Finding myself sitting straight up in a cold sweat with my chest heaving reaching for the phone. He never attempted and for the most part I believe it's just a part of an over protective twin….but his behavior can be erratic. So I try with the best of my ability to make surprise visits and unending phone calls…..After all at the moment, we're all that we have.


A little later …..

After my brother came crashing down from his high and yes, he threw a few jokes in my direction about my imprinted face. We quickly got down to business and scrubbed our bodies clean. To prepare them for the reason we're here.

A few steps out of the back of Hika's room I noticed my brother's towel didn't quite make it to the brass hanger. With a heavy sigh at my brother's normal behavior I swiftly lean over to snatch the white cloth before shaking it out with a "snap." Once in hand and off the ground I securely place the fuzzy item on its proper hanger. Extending a hand to my waist to unravel the white cloth from my body to place it next to my brother's identical item. The cool autumn air pricks at my completely exposed creamy skin causing a slight shiver to run over my shoulders.

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Swirls of steam hover close to the glass like surface with lanky ribbons of whirling disbursed vapor dancing on various areas of the water's surface. Stepping closer to the sizeable pool of the heated water surrounded by large green and yellow moss covered stones. I extend out my bare leg to tentatively dip a toe to the almost scolding water.

My elder twin chuckles at my apprehension. "Hey, Kao it's not like it's going to get any cooler you might as well just wade right in."

My golden eyes snap to my brother's location, who's lounging in the natural geothermal heated water. "Easy for you to say….. You and your love of almost burning hot water ….Taking a bath with you is like sitting in a damn stew pot."

"Oh, baby brother don't worry, if it gets too hot for you I'll happily drag your naked body out."

" It's not that I hate the Onsen experience it just my delicate skin takes longer to get used to the overly heated water and like most things we find ourselves at opposite ends of the spectrum."

"Well, at least we came at your favorite time of the year." Hika breaks the surface of the still water to motion over his head.

Lifting my head to follow my brother's water soaked hand to see all the surrounding trees. The covered limbs are vibrant and full of life against the kaleidoscope of the twilight sky. Like each of their leaves were painted by a master painter with rich golds and reds surrounding the natural pool. The Hitachiin Family lift the hot spring pretty much like you would find it in nature. No wooden decks, manmade paths or pretty landscaped flat surfaces leading to the pool of water. It made it a little cumbersome but the family sacrificed convenience for serene natural beauty.

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"Kao as much as I want to take a picture of you standing there next to the hot spring completely naked I would much rather you get in the water." Relaxing in the mineral rich water Hika doesn't bother to crack an eye while speaking in an almost sleepy tone. He stretches his arms over his head.

"Yeah, yeah you would love that." Taking a deep breath I begin to gradually wade into the sweltering water up to my waist. Hissing through my teeth as I slowly submerge my body up to my shoulders. To sit next to my relaxed brother with his wet ginger hair resting against his folded arms behind his head. His water beaded chest stretches out against a black stone that's naturally heated by the water's continued contact.

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After shifting a bit to get comfortable a long relieved breath escapes my lips. My twin peaks through a golden eye in my direction before closing it once more. "See it's not so bad once your body gets use to the heat." Lifting his arm to wrap around my shoulders to pull my head closer to him.

Tilting my head to rest it on my brother's firm chest. "Yeah, I guess you're right…..it's nice once you get used to it."

With my head resting on Hika's chest I feel my brother take a long deep breath before calling my name from his anxious voice. "Hey Kao?"

"Yeah, Hika." Noticing the long breath I open a concerned eye to peek in my brother's direction, I could tell something was eating at my twin.

My brother asks hesitantly with his eye sealed shut. "While your away….. Are you….never mind, forget I even mentioned it." Shrugging his shoulders as his head rests behind his arms.

Opening both of my eyes in concern before lifting a dripping hand from the depths of the water. To rest a comforting soaked hand on my brother's folded arm to urge him to continue. "Hika, just say it, you know we can say anything to each other."

With my wet touch my brother peeks an eye in my direction. He closes it and pauses to think about his words. Turning his head to gaze into my eyes with an almost panicked expression all over his face. "Kao, while your away on your trip ….are you even going to miss me?"

Astonished with Hika's question my hand unconsciously fell from my brother's arm. "What… of course, why would you ask such a thing?"

Hika pulls his arms from under his head to dip them back into the water at his sides. His head turns away from me as he shrugs his shoulders in a disheartened posture. "It's just….. I seem to always be the only one whining about missing you …..But you seem to clam up Kao and wear that damn mask of yours. I have no idea what you're feeling…I've offered you a way out of traveling but you won't take me up on it …..And now this thing from the past seems to be pulling us apart." My brother speaks in a depressed manner.

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My arms wrap around his water beaded arms to rest my head on his shoulders. "Oh Hika, I'm sorry for making you feel like that. Of course I miss you when I leave …..It's just I don't want to burden you with something that can't be changed… Hikaru, without you next to me I have to force myself to take a breath until you're next to me."

My older brother tilts his head into mine while reaching a hand to run through the back of my ginger covered head. "As for my guilty pleasure …..It's just how I cope….with the loss of her." The words that fell from my own lips caused my heart to clench in my chest.

Letting out a heavy sigh against my back. "Yeah I understand, I don't like it but I understand…. I'll give you a little more time." Hika reaches up to slap a wet palm against my back.

Knowing in my heart I just can't face the choice my brother wants. A need for a change of topic twists in my gut. With an uneasy feeling my teeth press down on my bottom lip. Before speaking softly in my brother's, neck. "Hika, can I now ask you a question?"

Hika nods his head against my cheek. "Anything Kao."

Pulling my head away to look into my brother's eyes. "I've had this feeling since we were in the car you had something you needed to speak to me about ….was the previous topic what you wanted to ask me?"

"Ah, no" My brother nervously pulls away from me before reaching up a hand to scratch the back of his neck.

With my brother's reaction I was a bit nervous for Hika's topic. "Well then, what was so important that you had to break it to me here, of all places?" Sweeping an arm across the water's surface.

"Uh, well you see …..It's about our driver." Being a little nervous to continue my brother shifts his weight from side to side under the water.

Hearing my brother's words my heads snaps up to catch my twins golden eyes. "Hika, what have you done? I told you, I didn't want to let him go, until we knew more."

My brother pulls up two hands to caution me. "Well, Kao you know about John."

"Hika, his name is James, our drivers name was James." Irritated with my twin I scoot away crossing my arms at my chest.

"Yeah, yeah like it's going to matter now." Hika waves a dismissive hand in my direction.

"Hikaru!" Offended by my brother's callous attitude for my wishes.

"No, wait, listen before you freak out about Jack." He timidly extends a hand to place on my shoulder.

"James, Hika!" My golden eyes flashed brightly with irritation as I shrugged away from his touch.

"Fine James! Kaoru, will you please let me finish?" Hika tosses his arms to swipe at the heated water with a small angry splash.

My hands tightened around my folded arms but I gave my head a sharp nod. "Fine, proceed." I can see my brother is really trying to explain something. So I let go of his callous nature towards our driver…and my wishes. It wasn't the first time Hika did what he wanted and it wasn't going to be the last.

"Kao, after our little conversation I couldn't get what you told me out of my head. So I pulled myself away…from my little "playdates".

A bit astonished with my brother my arms loosened a bit. "What, you want me to believe you purposely pulled yourself from the sprawling limbs of the "sex octopus"?" With my voice thick with skepticism I rolled my eyes at my twin.

Hika's features melt in to confusion with a dash of disturbance. "My what!?"

With the slip of the tongue my hand nervously shoots up to almost make it over my lips but I manage to keep cool and slightly slap my cheek instead. My cheeks immediately turn red for the little name that was meant to be forever hidden in my head. "Ah, I mean your "playdates" just never mind….. Go on."

My brother gives off a wide knowing smile at my embarrassed behavior but doesn't acknowledge it any further. "Well Kao, when you said something was bothering you I had to look into it …..I am your big brother after all. It's kind of my job." Hika playfully nudges me with his elbow.

"Hika?" Astonished my arms unfold to fall to their sides. Along with all my walls crumbling after hearing my brother's heart felt words.

"But the girls?" Dumbfounded my words just trailed off.

"Yeah, after a few hours of waiting and cleaning the penthouse they were really pissed at me ….but what could I do? I could see it was really bothering you…and in my book you always come first, Kao." Hika timidly places a dripping hand back on my shoulder.

"Well, besides myself I mean, after all I am the first born. Let's not go too crazy." He slides closer to me with a smile on his face before rolling his eyes in his playful nature.

Falling victim to his highly contagious smile a smile also forms on my lips. "Wait, you made my runway models clean our apartment, again?"

"Yeah, so what? It was mainly their things anyway, well that and a few dishes here and there." My twin shrugs his shoulders.

I couldn't help but shake my head at my brother's nonchalant behavior towards my models. All of them were highly successful in their chosen profession, some even millionaires in their own right. Asked to do housework ….not to mention keeping them waiting to be "entertained" while he's off doing who knows what. But like it or not that was my twin. "Anyway go on."

His smile fell from his lips before giving out a long reluctant breath. "It took me all day to look into his background but with a little help. A few of his fake layers began to peel away ….Kao, early in his career our driver was trained by the Haninozuka family at one of their highest levels."

"What?" I pulled away from my brother surprised at what I just heard. It' wasn't unheard of one of our everyday employees having ties with the Haninozuka family .Their training is highly valued at all levels, After all myself and my brother were required to take classes with the Haninozuka family like most families at our level of society.

But the days after she vanished my brother made sure to tell our HR department to take special note of any and all employees who had ties with the former host club members. At most there was a simple note written in their file unless they were hired to be in our inner circle ….then there should have been no ties at the request of my brother…someone let this slip through the cracks.

"Kao, I'm afraid that's not all ….As early as a year ago he was employed by "Black Onion" …..That's why I had no choice but to let him go."

My golden eyes snapped to my brothers. "Ootori, Damn it. What does he want?" My hands tightened into fists under the heated water with the mere mention of the "Shadow King".

With a concerned expression on his face he lifts a soaked hand to run through his damp ginger locks. "I don't know, but I figured it was best just to cut any potential connection."

My head begins to swim with the mere mention of our former schoolmate, I knew it was no coincidence. This is no oversight someone in the Hitachiin Company is working for the "Shadow King". My head begins to feel too heavy for my neck with my mind spinning. An electric shock ripped down my spine with one thought….. "Komatsu Agency." The Shadow King knows I'm looking…. With that foreboding thought everything goes black and the last thing I feel is my face dipping beneath the hot water.

End of Kaoru's POV.


Hikaru's POV.

Sometime later…

With my body stretched out on my bed with the feeling of raw silk against my legs that crossed at the ankles. Not really able to concentrate on my spread sheets with my mind occupied with thoughts of my brother. My golden eyes slide over to my knocked out twin that lays next to me. Placing my tablet down I lean over on an elbow to lightly run my fingers thru Kaoru's silky hair. "Damn it Kao, you scared me….I know I joked about pulling you out naked from the hot spring to have my way with you but I didn't really want this. I had so many other plans for us, dear brother." Softly speaking to my unconscious twin.

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Shifting my bare chest I went back to work. Work is a good distraction compared to the other. Lately with the vivid dreams, anything is better than sleeping…..and with my twin knocked out from the heat. It was going to be a long night watching over him. I know the in house doctor said there was nothing to worry about and it's nothing fluids and a good night sleep wouldn't cure. I can't help but watch over my baby brother. My baby brother who sacrifices to hang around me. I know he's been the strong one after that day…. I'm not stupid I know after that day it was only his arms that kept me from falling completely apart.

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The "playdates" are my way to move past that crushing day to try and forget …..So maybe one day I can be the older brother he deserves. A twin that one day could let him go ….so he can find someone important to him. Leaving me forever trapped behind the gates…..on my own. The thought of living without my twin made my stomach twist. Tossing a hand to my bare tightened muscles I force my mind to close the door on the idea encouraging my stomach to go back to normal. Hopefully for Kao's sake my body could grow use to the idea one day.

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With my eyes glued to my tablet a small buzzing could be heard coming from my bathroom. Sliding my silk covered legs off the bed not bothering to tie my matching robe closed, leaving my chest exposed to the cooler air. I make my way to the buzzing noise to feel the frigid floor touch the delicate skin under my bare feet.

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Shaking my head as I can now surmise where the noise is coming from and almost go back to bed to ignore it. Seeing it belongs to my twin and most likely it's his oversensitive assistant….. But since I had nothing better to do tonight. I begin to reach into my brother's white robe and pull his phone from his pocket. With my poor twin out cold the least I could do is fix his reoccurring problem with his assistant once and for all. She just needed a firm hand and if that didn't work I could always threaten to switch with my twin….the mere thought of the potential ramifications should straighten her right up.

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Swiping a thumb over his screen I notice he enacted the security feature on his phone. Shrugging my shoulders I type our usual but to my surprise our usual code doesn't work. Thinking for a moment only one other group of numbers comes to mind that my twin might use. With a heavy sigh released from my lips I begrudgingly type a 2 and 4 followed by four more numbers and sure enough the screen flashes to the phone's home page. When I went to check his texts there was nothing from his assistant …..But he just received a message marked urgent by a "Komatsu Agency"?

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Finding it odd that it was sent directly to Hitachiin Kaoru and not our normal "Hitachiin-sama". Something told me not to open the message but that there was something familiar about the name. So curious I opened the urgent text message.

Urgent! To: Hitachiin Kaoru

"My man in Portland, Oregon just started surveillance on our secret rodeo .He forwarded this pic to me of a little loss bird he had taken and I thought it might be important. After your peepers check the pic give me a jingle to let me know if it's time for me to take to the air …Seeing as Kasanoda has his fingers all over this."

Komatsu

After reading and rereading my twin's urgent text my hand finds its way up to the top of my head to nervously run it through my hair. Noticing a very familiar name my worried golden eyes snap to my brother's sleeping form to softly speak to myself. "Kasanoda…. Ritsu Kasanoda, what the hell are you up to Kao?"

Rereading the message once more I notice some of the words didn't really make sense ….it almost sounds like an old detective movie. With that one thought a shiver went down my spine as I mark the text "unread" before hastily going to the attachment.

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When the screen flashes in front of my eyes my face goes completely white. My normally strong knees begin to shake before collapsing under me, sending them crashing down to the polished wooden floor. Kneeling on the floor I stare at the phone through tear laden eyes. With shock stealing air from my lungs I could only utter out a few words from my lips. "My god….. he found her."


End of Hikaru's POV

You've been asking for it ….so here it is … but what now, is it going to be as simple as flying out to Portland? Who's going to find her first? What will happen when they do find her?

Thanks for taking a peek. Please take moment to follow /review

Alimackatjac