I really hope y'all like this chapter, it's the mentioned party! With a confession ;)

Anyways, please sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!

"Mrs. Kamiya, I loath to rush you, but it's almost time for you to be there." She nodded, accepting the help into the limo.

"Thank you, Mr. Kim."

It was a surprisingly quiet ride over to the Hitachiin residence, and she did her best to enjoy the silence before dealing with the inevitable loudness of the twins.

This whole thing better be good, cause her family made me brush up on every single freaking dance they ever taught her. It didn't help that Madame Faucett never even tried to mask her humor at Ren struggling.

When they got there, Ren was escorted inside the luxurious mansion by the various butlers the family had on their staff. She tried to avoid gawking, but holy shit was it hard. The Kamiya family was by no means poor, in fact they were quite well off considering, but wow. This place was clearly expensive and they wanted you to know it.

"Renny~! Did you miss our amazing presence?"

"Hey Hikaru, hey Kaoru." She waved, a small smile on her face. "You uh, wanted me to wear something?"

"Yes! In fact, if you'll follow us over here…"

"Are you done yet? If you're not sure how to put it on then we can always help you with it!" She snorted, not bothering to say anything in reply.

"Don't mind them, dear. We can help you tie the sash if you'd like." A kindly woman offered, her demeanor sending such positive vibes that the guest couldn't help but feel safe around.

After a couple more minutes, Ren walked out in a beautifully traditional yet easy to move in kimono. The fabric was still breathable, despite the multiple layers to the dress. She marvelled at the designs, because even if she didn't put too much into her appearance, she actually felt kinda pretty at the moment.

"Do you like it? It's from our mother's new line, she specifically asked us for you to wear it here." Kaoru mentioned, as it seemed Hikaru was speechless.

"I do, yeah. If more stuff was comfortable like this, I might even wear fancier clothes on a regular basis." Ren glanced at Hikaru curiously, he still was just staring at her.

"What do you think?"

"...You look really great. Uh. Yeah. Wow." Hikaru finally mumbled out, face flushed while Kaoru snickered nearby.

"Oh. Thanks." Ren smiled again, feeling her cheeks warm up a bit. It was kinda nice.

"We should start heading to the ballroom, it's almost time for the party to start!"

The twins and Ren began making their way from the hall outside of the dressing room to the dance hall, before getting stopped by Hayato Hitachiin. "Father…?" Questioned the siblings, and he smiled at his sons.

"I want to have a chat with your friend. Don't worry, I'll try to keep it short."

Despite her hesitance, Ren gestured for them to go. "I'll catch up with y'all later."

"Alright, if you're sure."

After Hikaru and Kaoru left, the silence was palpable.

While it was quiet, Ren took the time to examine their dad. He was definitely different from hers, but still clearly cared for his children. It was interesting how this man, with an admittedly small presence, managed to help create two guys that wouldn't let her forget where they were at any moment.

"So, Mrs. Kamiya, you can distinguish them."

It took a second for her to register that he had spoken, but she immediately nodded. It was a lot easier telling them apart nowadays, after spending so much time with them.

He gave a bittersweet smile. "For a long time, me and my wife were busy... It resulted in these two developing lonely feelings. Because of that, from their normal brother's mutual affection they became highly dependent on each other. Their desire to be recognized is strong. They isolated themselves from the others because they were afraid, these two children."

Ren frowned at the ground sadly. It made sense, but… "You couldn't spare any time for them? They needed you, and you both just..." She cut herself off, already overstepping her bounds as a guest. "I'm sorry. I care deeply for Hikaru and Kaoru, so I just wish things were different."

To her surprise, he smiled. It was a bit empty, but still something. "No, I understand. You're outraged for your friends. Therefore, you're upset with me. I am too. I know I failed." He messed with a strand of his hair somewhat awkwardly. "Still, I wanted to say thank you."

"For what?"

"For being able to crack into their shell. Becoming their friend. To put it simply, for being you."

"I didn't do much of anything though…?"

Hayato Hitachiin chuckled. "It may not feel like that, but I can tell they truly appreciate you Mrs. Kamiya." With that last statement, he started walking away in the direction of the ballroom.

"I promised I'd keep it short, and I believe they can get a bit impatient after a bit." Ren snorted, knowing just how true that could be.

"You're not wrong there." The mood was lighter, and though the twins were wondering what they talked about, Hayato and Ren merely shared a smile. She wasn't okay with how he and the rest of the family handled her friend's childhood, but she was glad at least that he was trying to make up for it.

Ren started dragging them away, holding hands as her eyes were glued to a certain spot in the room. "Come on nerds, there's a practically untouched food table over there that is calling my name."

Hikaru and Kaoru gave her fond looks, letting themselves be pulled along by the person who always made them feel like separate people, like they each had value.

"Alright, you can eat for a bit, but!" Kaoru held up a hand, pointer finger extended in the air. "I call dibs on your first dance."

She shrugged, already digging into the desserts.

Kaoru tugged on her sleeve, interrupting Ren from grabbing another plate of food.

"Hey! Heeeeeeyyyyyy! Let's dance!"

She was not pouting, just uh, was hoping to eat more free food. It takes more than being reborn to stop her from being excited at the thought of free stuff. "Alright, I did promise after all."

Kaoru bowed, before grinning. "Fish, or sudden death?"

"...What?"

"I wanna do a lift!"

Ren smiled awkwardly. In truth, she wanted to, but… "When I'm not liable to break knees, mine or otherwise, then sure. Also, as great as this dress is, I don't want to risk it tearing. For right now, I'd rather do some fun dances if that's okay."

"Darn, wanted to get an edge over him."

"Did you say something?"

He shook his head cheerfully, and Ren gave him an odd look. Both brothers could act so weird around her and she still hasn't managed to figure out why.

Kaoru gently led her a little bit closer towards the middle of the room, then took her right hand in his while he put his left on her hip.

"Part of why I wanted to dance was to talk." He broke the silence, still moving around gracefully.

"About what?"

"The fact that you don't know." The younger twin sighed, while Ren just got more confused.

"That's even more vague."

"I guess I should just say it huh, you're dense as hell anyways." He pulled her closer, putting his head on her shoulder.

"I like you."

"I like you too, you're one of my closest friends."

He groaned, lifting his head to the sky as if asking for strength. "Again, dense as hell. I mean I like you romantically."

Oh.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"...Wow, you weren't kidding. I'm extremely oblivious." Ren tried using humor while her mind was running a mile a minute. How long had this been a thing?

Kaoru's face dropped. "You don't feel the same."

It wasn't a question.

She winced, frowning instinctually. "I… I don't know."

"Please don't give me false hope." He asked quietly, so much so that she strained to hear it.

"I'm sorry." What more could she say?

"At least I know he might have a better chance then. I want him to be happy." Kaoru mumbled to himself, as the song ended and he walked back over to where Hikaru was standing.

Ren stayed away the rest of the night, trying to ignore the questioning looks from Hikaru and half-hoping to forget the heartbroken stare she'd seen from Kaoru.

This was… harder than she thought it'd be, in a cute show like this.

They're people here.

She knew that already, but this just hit her now.

"I need to make it up to them. In some way."

They wouldn't know the real reason for her apology, but Ren couldn't pretend she hadn't realized they were different because of her. That you can't control who you gain feelings for.

Now, it's just a matter of figuring out how the hell to do that.

Yes, I am evil. I hope you liked it though!

~ TheAngelicPyro