Chapter 8

Kyoya sat in the quiet classroom reading a book. The rest of his classmates were in the dining hall for lunch, a place he was purposely avoiding. He was feeling sluggish from waking up several times during the night. The nightmares weren't as bad as they had been. He wasn't waking up screaming or soaked with sweat, but it was still impossible to get a full night's sleep. The upshot was that it was much easier to get up early, something that he had never been able to do before. He got to school before most of the other students arrived and was in his seat ready for class a full thirty minutes before the bell. He spent the time working on a class assignment.

So far, his strategy of staying away from noisy or crowed places was working as he'd hoped. He was tired, but not jumpy or nervous. The subtle but constant feeling of dread he had been carrying around with him for days wasn't entirely gone, but it was so low that he could ignore it. Or perhaps he was just getting used to it.

"Here you are!" said two voices in unison. "We've been looking for you."

Kyoya flicked his eyes up from his book to the twins standing in the classroom doorway. If he was surprised to see them, it didn't show on his face. He snapped his eyes back to the book.

"What do you two want?" he asked flatly.

"Who said we want anything?" said the one he thought might be Hikaru.

"Well, do you?" he asked.

They paused, exchanged a glance, then answered in unison, "Yes."

Kyoya sighed as they moved into the room and perched themselves on the desk in front of him.

"We need your help," said the brother that was probably Kaoru. "Our Mom is hosting a party on Friday and she put us in charge of decorating."

"We've got almost everything ready, but we need help sorting out and finishing the last arrangements," added the one that was maybe Hikaru.

"Can you come over to our house after school?" they said together.

"You want me to come over and help you with party decorations?" Kyoya found their request bizarre and wanted to make sure he understood what they were asking. "Is anyone else going to be there?"

"Mori and Honey have martial arts practise," said one.

"Tamaki has an appointment with his Dad," said the other.

"And Harui just said no," said both.

"I see." Kyoya turned a page in his book to emphasize his indifference. "So now you're at the bottom of your list of people to ask."

"Oh, don't be like that."

"The only reason we asked you last is because we couldn't find you."

"Yeah, what do you expect when you're hiding out in a classroom all by yourself?"

Kyoya looked up from his book and scrutinized the twins' faces. It was always difficult to judge the twins' sincerity, but it seemed to him like today they were genuinely in earnest. He tried to think of an excuse not to help but couldn't find one.

"Please, senpai," they whined. "If we don't get everything done tonight, we might have to miss club time tomorrow. The girls will be disappointed. You'll have to reschedule the bookings. It might even affect club revenues."

He had to hand it to them, they were master manipulators. They always knew what button to press. "Fine, I'll help."

"Great!" They jumped off the desk just as the class bell rang. "We'll meet you at the main gates after school."

The pair darted for the door before Kyoya could ask for any further details. He shifted uneasily in his desk. A knot twisted in his stomach while he watched them leave. He already regretted his decision.

The Hitachiin mansion was a hive of activity. The party was still two days away, but already preparations were underway. Rooms were being rearranged to accommodate large numbers of people, supplies were being delivered to the kitchen, and staff members were scrubbing every visible inch of the house.

The twins led Kyoya through the flurry and up to their private rooms. Inside were boxes of recently delivered fresh cut flowers and greenery. To one side of the twins' large living area were stacks of bronze pots, vases, and containers of all types. Kyoya looked through the various materials while the twins shoved furniture out of the way to make a large open space.

"What is it exactly that you need help with?" asked Kyoya picking up and examining a rose bud.

"We need to put together the flower arrangements," said Hikaru as he knelt on the floor and began pull out flowers and sort them out by type.

"Our family is renowned for our skill in Ikebana, the art of flower arranging. When guests come to our house for parties and such, they expect to see lots of arrangements, and we me make sure to oblige," said Kaoru, sitting down next to his brother.

"Yes, but what do you want me to do?" asked Kyoya kneeling down across from them.

"Haven't you been listing? We need you to make flower arrangements. Duh."

He sat staring at the twins. Only his strict upbringing prevented his jaw from hanging open. He blinked and shook his head. He must be misunderstanding them, he thought.

"You mean, you want me to sort out these materials for you to use, right?"

The brothers clicked their tongues in unison and looked at him as if he were stupid.

"No," said Hikaru. "We mean, you need to take these flowers and put them in those vases. Try to make them look nice while you're at it."

Kyoya shook his head. "I can't do this. I don't know anything about Ikebana."

"Of course you do," said Kaoru, reaching over and placing a copper pot in front of Kyoya. "Every school child in the history of Japan has had to create an Ikebana arrangement as part of a school project. It's tradition."

"You remember doing it in school, don't you?" asked Hikaru.

"Yes, but I was a child, and it was only once. I don't actually know what to do. I certainly can't create anything that would be up to the standards of your family."

Both twins gave him a dismissive wave. "It doesn't matter. These are just going to be background filler. No one is going to be looking at them closely."

Kaoru moved over next to him and put a white lily in is hand. "Remember, the name of the game is simplicity. Just take a deep breath, relax your mind, and put the flower where it feels right."

Across from him, Hikaru began to demonstrate by picking out five pink tulips. Kyoya watched him trim the stems to different lengths then place them into a glass vase. Next, he chose a long, thin dogwood branch that forked and twisted like lighting. He turned it around his hands and carelessly clipped off pieces here and there. Satisfied, he added it to the vase. He picked up another branch, examined and discarded it. He inspected three other branches like this until he found one to his taste. It was smaller, with a few dry brown leaves clinging to it. He nestled it into the vase amongst the tulips. Hikaru assessed his arrangement, adjusting a bloom here, turning a leaf there. Then suddenly it was done. He turned it around for Kyoya to see the full effect.

"See, it's easy."

Kyoya's eye wandered over the arrangement, taking in its perfect asymmetry, the cheerful life of the pink flowers juxtaposed with the decaying death of the brown leaves. It was a piece worthy of a master, and Hikaru had seemingly thrown it together with hardly a thought and called it easy. Kyoya knew better. He understood that what had just happened in front of him was the result of years of immersion in the art form. He couldn't hope to make something that would compare. They were Rembrandts painting in oils while he was a child drawing with crayons.

"Here, I'll help you start," said Kaoru. "Just clear your mind and focus on the flowers." He took Kyoya's hand holding the lily and guided him to place it in the copper pot. "It's a bit like meditation." He handed Kyoya more flowers and a wide fern frond. "Ikebana is about expression. It allows the artist to share their feelings with the viewers. Let your emotions pick and place the flowers."

He couldn't think of anything he wanted to do less then share his feelings with strangers, through flowers or otherwise. Dutifully, he placed three white lilies in the pot along with the two fern fronds and a dogwood branch. He looked at his arrangement, and he had to admit it was a pretty good representation of how he was feeling in his heart. It was a mess. Chaotic, jumbled, and ugly.

He glanced up at Kaoru who grimaced as he looked at the flowers. Kaoru caught Kyoya looking at him and tried to hide his dissatisfaction with a weak smile. Kyoya looked back at his creation in disgust. What were they expecting anyway? he thought. He was a businessman, not an artist. Might as well ask a fish to climb a tree. He pushed the pot away in frustration and got up from the floor.

Kaoru caught his hand. "Hey wait. Where are you going?"

"This is pointless," Kyoya pulled his hand away. "I can't do this. I'm going home."

"No, stay. It's fine," said Kaoru indicating the lilies. "It was only your first try. We'll help you."

Kyoya sneered. "I'm supposed to be helping you. Clearly, my efforts are more a hinderance than a help. I'm sorry to have wasted your time."

The twins watched him disappear out the door, then turned and stared at each other for a moment. Kaoru turned to Kyoya's flower creation and adjusted one of the blooms. Muttering something rude about Kyoya under his breath, Hikaru pulled his phone from his pocket and started dialing.

"Hey, we screwed up," he said into the phone. "He just left. You should get over to his house right away."

Beside him, he watched Kaoru pull out one of the fern fronds and adjust the height of the branch. Suddenly the muddled mess was clear and sharp. It was beautiful and perfect.