Chapter 11

The next day I went back to school. We had all ruled that my wound was healed enough, all thanks to the special blood we had recently found out about. Ever since we had found out the true nature of my past, they had all started acting weird.

I found myself being accepted more and more by the hosts and felt myself being drawn to them. I had been getting more to eat and a lot more sleep and I think a lot of it was thanks to Haruhi. She had been coming over with food every couple days and had even spent the night a couple times. Of course Tamaki would make a big deal of it the next day.

Today I was with the twins and it seemed to be the usual twincest act for the girls. I noticed the hosts didn't seem to interact with one another near as much as they would alone. It kind of surprised me, considering how much Kyoya seemed to like charging the girls in that secret way of his. I wondered how the girls would react if they knew how much the twins and Haruhi got along, even if Haruhi found it a little annoying at times.

"Let's play the Which One is Hikaru? game!" I heard the twins exclaim suddenly. I looked up from the book I'd been reading, confusion clearly written across my face. The girls were 'oohing' and 'ahhing' while others were clapping. Then the twins each pulled out hats and put them on while circling around each other. I was about to go back to my book when I felt their elbows on my shoulder.

"So Akari?" Kaoru asked to my left.

"Want to play," Hikaru continued for him on my right.

"The Which One is Hikaru game?" They ended at the same time. The girls seemed jealous that I was getting attention from the both of them but I dismissed it.

I shrugged, "How do you play?" They grinned in return, seeming excited at the idea of me playing their little game.

"It's simple," Hikaru stated.

"All you have to do," Kaoru continued

"Is guess which one of us is Hikaru,"

"And we'll either,"

"Leave you alone for a while if you so choose,"

"Or you can choose a prize!"

"That is if you win."

"But if we win,"

"We can bother you for a week,"

"To do whatever we want,"

"That won't go past your boundaries."

"Alright. Sounds simple enough," I said trying to squirm out of their hug to get a better look. They let go, grinning like the little devils they were known to be, and stood in front of me to see.

"Just a warning before we start!" Kaoru grinned.

"Many ladies have tried to tell us apart," Hikaru said excitedly.

"But none have ever been able to!"

"Well except for Haruhi anyway," They stated in unison.

"Good luck Akari!" Some of the girls called while others giggled. The twins started to circle me and I made sure to keep an eye on them, just in case they pulled something. Eventually they stopped circling and stood still.

"Alright, guess!"

I pointed to the twin on my right and said, "Hikaru," then pointed to the left, "Kaoru." Everyone froze, the girls in anticipation and the twins in surprise. Hikaru was looking at me wild eyed while Kaoru seemed slightly happy. I guess Hikaru didn't like that I had told them apart 'again'.

"Is she right Hikaru, Kaoru?" One of the girls asked.

"I doubt it, Haruhi is the only one who can tell," Answered another making me smile slightly. Haruhi, who had been nearby and saw the whole exchange, came to my defense when she realized the twins were too shocked to answer themselves.

"Akari guessed right." The girls gasped while each of the twins sat down with a frown.

"Looks like Haru-chan has some competition!" Honey said in a playful voice nearby, making his guests swoon. I saw Mori nod and Kyoya's glasses flash. Tamaki looked surprised at the notion but then a huge grin split across his face.

"Looks like there's another person who can tell you two shady twins apart,"

"Shut up boss," Hikaru responded, seeming a little annoyed. The girls giggled at his nickname and I went back to 'reading' my book. I found myself staring at the words and not really remembering what had happened in the sentences before so I had to go back and reread. After several failed attempts at this, I gave up and went back to seeing what the twins were doing.

I noticed that several of the girls were getting ready to leave because hosting hours were almost over. I sighed in relief at the look of future peace. As soon as all the girls were gone, Hikaru jumped up and tried to pull Kaoru with him but he did something that shocked the both of us.

"Hikaru, tell me why your upset. Otherwise I, um, want to stay with Akari," He whispered worriedly when he mentioned me. I wonder if he thought he would be yelled at by Hikaru. Hikaru seemed hurt at the beginning but then his stubbornness kicked in.

"Fine." Kaoru seemed even more hurt than Hikaru had. I looked at Kaoru to see if he was too upset but as if sensing my gaze, he looked over at me and smiled.

"Don't worry, he can get like this sometimes. He'll come around sometime soon."

"If your sure."

Hikaru had gone over to the rest of the hosts and was sitting next to Haruhi who was doing homework. Tamaki seemed to be talking about his plans for tomorrow while Kyoya was stressing about the budget. Honey was eating another piece of cake and I caught Mori wiping away a spot with a napkin. I smiled at the sweet gesture. Kaoru and I were leaning on the couch watching the scene unfold.

I was wondering about doing my homework like Haruhi when I felt a movement from the couch and something take me hand. I immediately froze out of instinct and slowly looked up to meet Kaoru's eyes. I saw something flicker behind his eyes but it disappeared as soon as it came. He started to lean forward and I felt my heart beat a little faster. I saw rather than felt myself put my other hand on his knee out of fright. He stopped when we were mere inches apart.

"Mommy! Hurry! Kaoru is trying to steal the innocence of our second precious daughter!" Tamaki wailed, breaking the moment and making us jump apart. I looked over at the other members to find a smirking Kyoya, a shocked Hikaru, a smiling Honey, a worried Tamaki, and Mori and Haruhi looking like their normal selves. From the soft sigh next to me, I figured Kaoru was a little taken aback by Tamaki's reaction and I found myself smiling in return.

"It's getting late guys and I'm going to get home. See you tomorrow," Haruhi said, breaking the awkward silence. Tamaki immediately diverted his attention to her while Kyoya checked the time on his watch. Mori nodded and picked up a yawning Honey and carried him out of the room. Tamaki seemed to be asking Haruhi a question but she shook her head in response. At this point, Hikaru was making his way over to Kaoru and I.

"Kyoya will you be leaving too?" I asked out of curiosity.

"I will in a little while. Probably after everyone else leaves," he responded blandly, continuing to write in his notebook. I nodded in acceptance and sat up from the couch. Hikaru helped Kaoru up and leaned on his shoulder, perfecting the look with their signature smirks.

"Why do I feel like if I ask you two what you want, I'll regret it?" I asked suspiciously, tensing when they both leaned forward.

"Because we're us," Hikaru replied smoothly, looking at his nails.

"And only you can find out if you'll regret it," Kaoru added, circling his arm around his brothers waist.

I sighed in defeat, "Fine, what do you guys want?"

"To give you a ride home!" They both answered in unison with synchronized moves. I raised my eyebrows in surprise and slightly relaxed. I hadn't expected that and my house was a rather long walk.

"Is there a catch?"

"Nope! Only that we get to ride with you the whole way."

"Deal." I should know better by now, but I couldn't resist a free ride.

"Let's go!" Before I could argue, they each took one of my arms and pulled me out of the room and down to the main floor. They continued to drag me until we got to the limo and thus pulled me in after them.

"You guys can let go of my arms now," I tried to struggle out of their grasps but failed miserably. They both tightened their grip and nuzzled into either side of my neck. I shivered and stiffened, trying to figure out their plan. "I thought you guys said there was no catch."

"What's your idea of a catch?" Kaoru asked, lips moving against the skin in a relaxing way. I sighed in comfort and relaxed into their hold a little. I felt Hikaru grin against my neck and I immediately grew suspicious. We sat like that for a while and right as I thought they weren't going to try anything, I felt a light nip on my neck from Kaoru while Hikaru moved up to softly lick my ear.

"Exactly what you're doing," I gasped, trying to struggle out of their grip once more. Hikaru sighed, sending shivers down my spine, and leaned back against his chair.

"Truth is, I knew Kaoru wanted to talk to you so I helped him get you in the car," Hikaru explained quietly and Kaoru pulled away. Hikaru let go of my arm and I leaned back against my chair. Kaoru nodded to his brother who closed his eyes and looked like he was going to try to get some sleep.

"I know you're probably going to be mad at me, but I didn't really want to give you a ride home. I still don't like you being home alone for your parents to find you so I was hoping you could come live with us for a while. I care about you a lot Akari and I want you to know that you don't have to be alone anymore," Kaoru said quietly, somehow pulling me against his chest when he was finished. At that moment, I realized why it had felt like a longer ride than it should have been and why none of the streets were familiar. I thought about what he had said and knew that every host member had found their way into my heart, and I didn't want to lose them. I breathed in Kaoru's scent to try and clear my head to decide whether I would agree to stay with them.

"I'll stay," I answered and hooked my arms around his waist and leaned fully against him. He stiffened at first in surprise, but then his arms tightened around. I knew we wouldn't arrive at their house for a while since we had been driving around randomly, so I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep for the rest of the ride.

Kaoru's POV

Akari's breathing slowed down after a while and I realized she had fallen asleep in my arms. It felt nice somehow and I tried to get in a more comfortable position to hold her.

"She's asleep," I called to Hikaru quietly who looked up from his chair.

"So she's going to stay with us for a while?" He asked smiling, running his fingers through her silky black hair gently.

"She said yes," I answered and rubbed her back soothingly to make sure she didn't wake up till we got there. From the retreating black circles under her eyes, I could tell she'd been getting more sleep but still not enough.

"I wonder if she'll stay longer and how long it will take the boss to find out she's staying with us," Hikaru pondered and leaned down to press a soft kiss to her hair.

"We can ask her at the house. Basing the knowledge of how oblivious he can be, he probably won't find out for a while if we all act normal. Akari won't tell him, I'm sure of that. The only way he could find out is if he brought us all over to her house."

"We could always bring her with us so he could never pull it off."

"Sounds good." Hikaru and I looked down at Akari once more and knew that she would be safe with us, at least for a while.

So what did you guys think? I'm going to try to be avoiding putting notes at the beginning so you guys can jump right into the story and it shouldn't be too bad putting them after since I won't be replying in the chapters anymore. Unless I can't send a PM anyway. How did my Kaoru fans like the what-could-have-been moment? I hope you guys don't mind my little Twins with Akari moment, I had some fun writing it.

Honey: 24

Kyoya: 16

Mori: 11

Hikaru: 10

Tamaki: 2

Winner: Kaoru: 29

So Akari will officially be with Kaoru next chapter and I will be taking down the polls! It's kind of sad for me because that's what's been some of the fun with this chapter is seeing you guys vote and talk about who you like.

I'm trying to upload once a week, mainly on Saturdays but it's been getting harder with school. I literally finished this chapter Saturday morning and only quickly proofread because by the time my beta would have got it and sent it back, it would be Sunday or Monday. I probably won't be able to upload next Saturday because I have to make a short graphic novel for English o.o and I've got lots of tests coming up this week in school. Thank you guys for reading this story and reading my little rants over school, I know there not as entertaining. You guys are the whole reason this story is here and continuing so thank you! :) See you guys next time!