Broken Promises

Authoress: Cattsy (Catness)

Chapter word count: 960 words

Chapter Twelve:

Hikaru arrived at breakfast the next morning, still in the cloths he had worn last night except now he was covered in dust and smelled a little of old and dry air. He sat down at his spot at the table and was thankful that his mother had not gotten up yet. He was also thankful that the kitchen staff and maids were back at work again so that when she did get up she wouldn't tell Hikaru off in front of them due to embarrassment. Kaoru had obviously not gotten up yet either.

As Hikaru drained the last little bit of orange juice from his glass, he saw his mother enter the dining room out of the corner of his eye. She had a large frown on her face and bags under her eyes as if she had not slept a wink all night. It saddened Hikaru to see her like this, mainly because he knew it was his fault; he'd completely destroyed his mother's future as a fashion designer and his brother's as well.

Hikaru gave her an apologetic look, but she refused to look at him and pretending to be fascinated in the omelet one of the waiters had placed in front of her. Hikaru sighed, stood and then walked out of the dining room; intending to finish the last of his homework.

He found Kaoru lying down on their bed when he entered their room. His deep breaths seemed to be different than the ones he had so often heard at night; Kaoru was pretending to be asleep. Hikaru sighed and hoped that his suspicions against Sebastian were correct and that Kaoru would forgive him in time.

…

Several days past and Kaoru had still not been back to school. Ever since that night with Sebastian, he doubted that school was the place to be, knowing that he'd have to face Tamaki and explain himself for his actions. On this particular day, Kaoru found himself sitting at the same coffee shop as his previous date with Sebastian, it was much easier to see Sebastian while Hikaru was at school. His mother had been sympathetic to his sickness pleas and let him leave the house when she'd gone to work. All he could hope was that it wouldn't be his last. He felt tremendously guilty that his brother had shouted at Sebastian like that, accusing him of being condescending and rude. In his experiences with Sebastian, Sebastian had only appeared to have been a little ignorant, but not deliberately rude or condescending. He sighed, clutching the same blend of coffee as last time and ignoring the bell tolling as happy customers walked it. He'd arrived half an hour early; not wanting to see Hikaru's guilty face. 'Hikaru is just jealous,' Kaoru thought as he looked into the depths of the coffee.

"I visited your mother at work yesterday," Said the familiar gentle voice as Sebastian sat down.

"Hello," Kaoru said softly; worried that if he raised his voice more, he would scare Sebastian off. "I'm really sorry about Hikaru. I didn't feel that you were acting as if you were better than my mother…"

"I'm not sure whether she's told you but we were going to set up a contract between our two companies and advertise for each other. Don't worry about what your brother said, I've spoken to your mother and it's still going to go ahead." Sebastian put out his hand and gently tilted Kaoru's head so that they're eyes could meet. He gave a smile. "Also," he continued, "I don't know if you hear as well, but I'd like to take you up as my apprentice."

Kaoru smiled. "What would I have to do?" It seemed like a nice opportunity and he knew he'd enjoy it. It would be a little hard to manage with his duties in the Host Club, but he didn't really want to pass up a valuable opportunity.

"Just watch what I do and sort of learn as I show you what to do. The designs you create in the fashion industry are your own, of course. However, when I came into fashion, I had a hard time learning what to do and where to go. I'd like to help you by showing you what to do and just guide you." Sebastian studied the look on Kaoru's face. Kaoru had looked away and seemed to be contemplating. "Becoming my apprentice would also mean that it would turn into an extra curricular activity and it would take up your time. Not necessarily on weekends, but I'd at least like to see you straight after school everyday." He paused so that Kaoru could consider his options.

The happiness from Kaoru's mind disappeared and he knew he couldn't continue with the Host Club if he said yes to Sebastian. "I'd have to speak to the rest of the Host Club about that… But I'll see what I could do." Kaoru looked at Sebastian apologetically.

"If you want, we can start right now." Sebastian continued, "I have that show in Paris and I spoke to your mother about it. If you want, she'll speak to your father who'll come and collect you and we can go to Paris together. It could be a taste of the life and you could see whether you'd like to continue being my apprentice. I won't force you to continue afterwards, but I'd like you to know what you want to do for sure."

Kaoru thought about the offer for a little. He was so sure that Hikaru would become even more jealous. But Kaoru knew that he needed a break from his brother, so he looked at Sebastian. Ready, willing and able, he nodded. "When can we go?"

To Be Continued…

Authoress notes:

Cattsy…