Authoress: Reiven.
Rating: General
Genre: Drama/Humour (quite an oxymoron that is, if you think about it).
Character(s): Hikaru and Kaoru.
Classification: Brotherly love. Not necessarily twincest, since Kaoru and Hikaru are canon-ly very close to each other. Just watch episode fifteen (which I love very much!). It also ends with a smidge of Haru/Tama. Can't help it, the power of Haruhi's appeal is too great that even I can't resist it. With that said, I'll be moving onto my Kyo/Tama now.
Summary: (Continuation of episode four) Kaoru's injury threatens his basketball career and Hikaru promises to be there for him through everything.
Note: I have no medical background or experience in the medical field, all and any medical jargon here is purely a result of intense research (coughyeahrightcough) and googling.
The Infinite Circle
By Reiven
The shrill tweeting sound of the whistle signaling a time out broke Hikaru out of his deep thoughts. The shrieks and gasps being emitted by the girls in the bleachers caused him to snap his head back so fast he made himself light-headed. The different variety of sounds currently filling the gym room was almost deafening, it was impossible to distinguish words in the rush of intelligible murmuring taking place between the worried fans. But there was only one sound that Hikaru's hearing could grasp onto clearly.
Kaoru's pained moans.
"Kaoru!" Tossing his sweat-damp towel to the side, he jumped over the back of the bench and rushed to the side of his fallen brother who was curled up on the floor of the gymnasium, arms circled around his knee and face set to a grimace of pain.
"Hikaru..." The younger Hitachiin brother cracked open an eyes, frantically searching through the crowd that had gathered in search of his brother.
"I'm here, Kaoru. I'm here. Hang on," Hikaru couldn't keep the concerned tone from lacing his voice as he placed a hand on his twin brother's shaking arm. He vaguely heard one of the coaches' call for a stretcher, but kept his attention firmly focused on the fallen form before him. "It's going to be all right."
The weak look his brother shot him at that moment would forever linger in his minds. Hikaru could do nothing further when the unknown medics pushed him aside a swooped down over the grimacing Kaoru and before he knew it, they were gone. His brother was gone from his sight; taken by some strangers that did not belong in their world. Hikaru's was too focused on the thoughts of his beloved twin that he did not notice the time flying by and the people littering the stands and the court all disappeared one by one, until it he was the only living being among the silence and darkness of the deserted floor.
- - - - -
Hikaru opened a bleary eye; brown orbs turning to the left and right, trying to make up where he was. It wasn't until a few minutes later that he realized that he was currently occupying the almost empty waiting room of the hospital Kaoru had been brought to. The only other person with him was the old man napping in the far corner, just a few seats down from the window.
Eyes glancing at the darkened sky and the stars that littered the otherwise black space, he figured that night had fallen, thought it just seemed like it was evening just a few minutes ago.
Ever since they'd brought his brother into the emergency room (which was approximately three hours ago) he'd not heard one word concerning Kaoru's condition, and even though the rapid hammering of his heart against his ribcage had lessened in that time, he could still not find peace with the unknown status of Kaoru's injury.
What if he had to undergo surgery and would permanently disabled? What if the injury was so bad he would never walk again? What if he had to have his leg amputated? What if he was slipping in a coma or dying as his brother paced the halls of the hospital helplessly?
So many questions running through his head, but neither had an obtainable answer.
"Hitachiin-kun?"
His head flew back when the words sank into his brain. "That's me. How's my brother?" he inquired without a moment's notice, staring expectantly at the aging doctor. The shadows beneath his eyes signaled the exhaustion he was currently experiencing as the result of the earlier match, coupled with the hours he'd spend worrying almost hysterically over Kaoru. Both his parents were overseas, and as it stood, there was no one there who could comfort him and tell him that everything was going to be all right.
The doctor morosely adjusted the glasses atop the bridge of his nose, his free hand casually in the pocket of his white coat. "It grieves me to tell you this, young man…but your brother…he passed away in the operating room."
Hikaru studied the doctor with bemused disbelief, "W-What? Kaoru…he…we were just…i-i-it can't be. He just injured his knee--we had planned to…no…" Taking a step away from the doctor, Hikaru shook his head, hands shaking as tears clouded his vision. "Kaoru…Kaoru…no…NO! KAORU!"
- - - - -
"Hitachiin-kun!"
Hikaru slowly became aware of the hand that was gripping his shoulder and firmly shaking him awake. Cracking open bleary eyes and attempting to adjust to the sudden burst of light, he eventually made out a blob of a human standing over him. It seemed that the hand and the voice calling him belonged to this person. Fighting his way into consciousness, Hikaru turned his full attention at the person, whom he managed to make out to be a doctor. It wasn't until he was fully away did he notice the dampness on his cheeks and the tears that were flowing freely down his face.
"Kaoru!" He exclaimed suddenly as the memory of the dream hit him like a speeding train. He shot to his feet, slightly startling the doctor who stepped back. "Kaoru. My brother. How is he?" He muttered frantically, heart hammering in his chest.
"Well," He pushed his spectacles higher up the bridge of his nose as he surveyed the teary eyed teen before him. "We had run an MRI on your brothers' knee, and it appears that your brother had torn a ligament when he landed, more specifically, the anterior cruciate ligament. One of the four most important strong ligaments that connects the bones of the knee joint. Though it isn't surprising. This kind of injury is most common among athletes."
"Is it serious?" Hikaru let out a breath of relief. At least his dream, or rather, nightmare, had not come true.
"To an athlete, as I'm sure you can agree, any type of injury is serious. With some people, a little rest is all they need to heal. Your brother's injury, unfortunately, has caused a completely tear in the ligament and I'm afraid that surgery might be the best option."
Gulping unconsciously, Hikaru forced his voice out from where it had gotten stuck in his throat. "Is there any risks?"
"With every surgery comes its share of risks and complications. There is a probability of bleeding and infection or a blood clot to the legs or lungs, and there are always the risks that come with every patient's medical background. He may have to stay overnight in the hospital post-surgery so that we can an eye on the wound."
Hikaru could only nod his head, too overwhelmed with the proceedings to even attempt to say anything coherent.
"The choice is in your brother's hands whether or not to have the surgery. We've given him some medicine for the pain and informed him of the situation. He's resting at the moment if you'd like to go and see him."
Nodding mutely, Hikaru obediently followed the doctor as he led them out to the room they'd admitted Kaoru to.
"Keep in mind, son, that after surgery, the chances of him continuing basketball is slim to none."
- - - - -
"Kaoru…" muttering the name softly as to not arouse the sleeping boy, Hikaru's eyes never strayed from the peaceful expression his twin brother wore; his head tilted slightly facing Hikaru, eyes closed and lips parted with every breath he took.
It had been almost half an hour since the doctor led him to the room Kaoru had been admitted to. He was already asleep when Hikaru arrived and hadn't woken up since; even when Hikaru intertwined his fingers around his limp ones. Even as his brothers' hand ran freely through his hair, brushing the wayward bangs away from his forehead and out of his lidded eyes.
"Hikaru?" the sudden, almost inaudible whisper reached Hikaru's ears, making his head shoot up from it's position resting on his knuckles, hands still tightly griping Kaoru's.
"Kaoru!" he cried, a smile spreading across his face as he stood up, leaning down slightly to stare straight into Kaoru's face.
"What happened? Where are we?"
"You were hurt in the match earlier. We're at the hospital now."
There was a moment of silence on Kaoru's part as bits and pieces of the happenings returned to him. He could only nod his head slowly when his mind replayed over the words the doctor had last said to him, and from the sorrowful look on his brothers' face, he assumed that Hikaru had also been informed.
"Are you going to go through with it?" the eldest Hitachiin asked, eyes downcast.
"I…I don't know…"
"I'm sorry, Kaoru…I'm sorry. If only I'd been there and--" Hikaru's tearful outcry was abruptly stopped when he felt his hand that had still been intertwined with Kaoru's being tugged. He took an involuntary step forward, but was stopped by the metal railings of the bed, causing him to fall right into Kaoru's awaiting arms.
Careful as to not lean on Kaoru's injured knee that was being propped up on a couple of pillows at the foot of the bed, Hikaru adjusted his position until he felt the most comfortable, feeling Kaoru's arms around him, embracing him in a tight hug.
"Don't say that. None of this is your fault!" Kaoru cried, burying his face in the crook of his brothers' neck, arms clinging to his broad shoulders and nails digging into his back as he desperately clung to Hikaru.
Hikaru remained motionless through Kaoru's outburst, eyes continued to train on the white, lumpy pillow as his brothers hitched sobs quietly hung in the air. A lone tear escaped the from the corner of his eyes as his arms reached up to return the embrace. "I love you, Kaoru. I love you so much that it hurts to imagine a life without you. I don't know what I would do if I woke up one day and you weren't there. I don't know how I'll be able to cope if I didn't have you by my side."
"I love you too, Hikaru. Don't ever leave me."
Gently pushing himself out of the embrace, Hikaru kept a firm grip on Kaoru's shoulders, holding him at arms length and looking him straight in the eye. "I won't. We'll always have each other, no matter what happens. I promise you now, Kaoru, if anything ever happens, I won't leave you alone for long. One way or another, no matter where you are, I will find you and we will be together again…just the way it's meant to be."
Kaoru sniffled, wiping the tears from his eyes with the back of his index finger as he nodded in agreement. "And I you, Hikaru."
Hikaru allowed a small smile to surface as he looked at his beloved brother before leaning down and planting a small kiss on his cheek. "I'll always love you, and only you, Kaoru."
Kaoru didn't give a verbal reply to Hikaru's words, he merely snuggled into his brothers' chest, cheek nuzzling against Hikaru's collarbone, hair brushing against the underside of his neck. There they stayed, unperturbed for hours until the doctor came by to check on Kaoru's knee and to get his decision.
A shared glance between the two brothers and a nod, before Kaoru put on the bravest face he could and turned to the doctor, face set to a stony determination and gave him his answer. Accepting the answer, the aging doctor merely answered with a brief nod of his head and left the room, allowing the two their privacy.
"No matter what happens, Kaoru…I will always be there for you," Hikaru whispered into his ear, hugging the trembling body against his, hand gently rubbing Kaoru's back.
The younger remained silent for a moment, before turning his head up to look directly into Hikaru's eyes, a small smile on his face. "I'm glad."
And that was how the two stayed throughout the night; arms offering a sense of comfort and warmth to each other as the moon cast its glow over the horizon. After all, nothing else in this world mattered more to them as each other.
- - - - -
The curtains slowly drew to a close over the darkened sky as the overhead lights flickered on, illuminating the pitch black hall.
Sounds of silent sobbing and sniffles were heard, some whispered muttering, but at once, every single person present in the gigantic room rose to their feet, hands together sending a wave of applaud thundering through the room.
"Hikaru, Kaoru! You were amazing!"
"The love between two brothers is so touching!"
"That kiss was so sweet!"
"WE LOVE YOU!"
The said two slowly rose to their feet, finger pushing the dark, designer spectacles higher up the bridge of their nose as they raised their hands in appreciation.
"We're happy that you could make it to our movie debut," Both announced simultaneously.
"But there is only one that will forever hold a special place in my heart. That is you, Kaoru."
"Hikaru…not when there's so many people around," Kaoru blushed, bowing his head, only to have it lifted up by Hikaru's fingers under his chin.
The fangirls whom had made it through the movie with their consciousness still intact lost it at that moment, sending almost half the population to the ground in dead faint.
"Hikaru, Kaoru!" A teary-eyes Hunny tugged on their shirts. "That's so sad…" he sniffled, shortly before bursting out into tears, forcing Mori to pick him up and cradle him against his toned shoulder.
"It was good," the tall senior said simply before walking off, the sobbing Hunny still clutching to his shirt.
"It was better than good! The angst of repressed brothers! The feeling of love being born from pain! The tension hanging in the air at the prospect of losing the other!" Renge twirled around, stars glittering in her eyes. "Never underestimate the attraction of brotherly love! Ohohohohohoho!"
There was a whir of machinery as the floor sank into the ground and Renge disappeared from in front of them as mysteriously as she had appeared.
"What a strange person she is…" Hikaru and Kaoru share a half-lidded eye look with each other.
"But this showing did increase club profits by thirty percent," Kyoya appeared at their side, eyes glued to the mysterious ledger book he always kept close to him. "Good job, Hikaru, Kaoru."
"That was…interesting…" was the only thing Haruhi could think to describe was she had just witnessed. She never had any problems with out-of-the-ordinary relationships (what with her father being a well-known bisexual, presently transsexual) but the relationship these two had were just…weird…
"Hikaru! Kaoru!" Tamaki wailed, clutching onto them as if their were his beloved teddy bear (even though he annoyed him endlessly on a daily basis). "That was so…so sweet. So touching. So beautiful!" tears streamed down his face as he continued to stay ignorant to the desperate twins clawing at his arms for air. "The deep relationship you have with each other was like a calling to me. I could feel the intensity of your love even through the screen. It was heart-wrenching. It was beautiful. It was…Hikaru? Kaoru?" he looked down to the limp figures in his arms.
"A-Air…need…suffocating…"
Hearing the desperate gasps, Tamaki immediately let go, dropping the two to the ground where they remained heaving and gasping for breath.
"That's quite a hold, Tamaki-sempai," Haruhi raised an eyebrow at the blonde and at the two gasping twins on the floor.
Tamaki sparkled before appearing at her side in a flurry of roses and twinkles and dipped her. "Only so that I may sweep you off your feet when the time comes, Haruhi."
Neither of them seemed to have remembered the presence of the remaining club customers until the sound of squeals and thuds as bodies started hitting the floor reached them.
"Tamaki-sempai…" Haruhi sighed exasperatedly as she started, but was promptly cut off when Hikaru and Kaoru appeared in the space between her and the aforementioned senior.
"This is our moment, Tono," both scowled and complained in the whiny, pitchy voice. "Just because there were less requests for the continuation of your dramatic rain scene, doesn't mean that you can steal ours."
"What are you insinuating, brats? That the girls prefer your childish antics to my unadulterated show of dignified angst and dramatics?"
"If the shoe fits…" both shrugged, casting a half-lidded, mocking look at the Club King.
"Mother! Hikaru and Kaoru are being mean!" he whimpered, twirling around to face Kyoya's ever passive face, pointing an accusing finger at the snickering twins.
Kyoya merely pushed his glassed higher up the bridge of his nose with his index finger. "I never would have expected to become the unofficial parent of three children before I could even turn eighteen," he dead-panned.
"Kyoooooooya!"
"Hikaru, Kaoru. Is there going to be a sequel to this? Because we would like to purchase tickets immediately!"
"Who know…Kyoya-sempai handles this kind of things."
"Perhaps. But for now, I have an appointment to keep," he tucked his book into the crook of his arm pit and stood to leave.
"Appointment? With whom? And why didn't you tell me?"
Kyoya cast a firm look at Tamaki, causing him to take a step back. The overhead lights reflected in one of the lenses of his glasses, allowing only one eye to be visible as he spoke. "With Renge. I didn't think you'd be interested, Tamaki."
"No…no, I'm not. Have fun," Tamaki stuttered out.
"Oh, I will," Kyoya answered simply, but the tone he used and the look on his face when he said it didn't sit right with the club members, whom gulped involuntarily.
And with that, Kyoya took his leave, leaving a trail of nervous club members in his wake. Tamaki shot one last glare at the twins before taking his own leave (alone, as Haruhi had adamantly refused to accompany him) and the twins joined in the departing soon after, leaving Haruhi all by herself in the large, deserted hall.
Once again, Haruhi sighed, and looked up into the skies for an answer. 'Dear mother in heaven…maybe I should have taken up the Zuka Club's offer and joined Roberia…' somewhere in the distance, she heard the shrill tenor of the three members and shook her head.
"Or not…"
After all, she decided, that Ouran would not be Ouran if Tamaki and the rest of the host club acted different from how they really were. But somewhere deep down, she also had to wonder whether Hikaru and Kaoru had some hidden brotherly agenda, or whether Tamaki actually was a lonely prince deep down. Because of Hunny-sempai was any indication, there was more to the club members than what meets the eye.
"Haruhi. Are you still here?" Tamaki's flaxen locks swayed as he popped his head in the room, turning his sparkling blue eyes towards Haruhi, a wide smile on his face. "We've decided to play the game you call Hide and Seek. Come on," he beckoned, holding a hand out to her.
Haruhi looked at him and his open hand for a moment, before returning his smile and reaching to grab his hand. "Sure."
Perhaps there was no reason to look further into this matter unless it directly affected her in anyway, Haruhi decided. After all, Ouran would not be Ouran without the Host Club and its members.
…Not to mention that it covered the literal aspect as well. After all, Tamaki was the esteemed chairman's son, and if it wasn't for the Suoh family, there would not be an Ouran High School, period.
Owari…or is it?
Time and time again I have to continue to resist the urge to have Tamaki refer to himself as Ore-sama.
On a different note; I have this almost crazy idea in my mind for a second chapter; one that centers on the post-surgery scene in which Kaoru may/or may not survive and Hikaru's intent on keeping his promise. What do you think? To live, or not to live?
On another different note; writing Ouran stories bring out the long-winder in me. Three of the four stories I've written have over three thousand words each.