Title: Invisible
Written by: WraithR249 & Yue Guang Kuroneko
Pairing: KyouyaxHaruhi
Rating: K (for now)

IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Wraith: As many of you are aware, Kuron is the author of 'Kimi no Koe' and I am the author of 'Invisible' (with Kuron as my trusty beta reader, of course). We have had a long time disagreement, which we both recently have decided to do something about.

Both of us argue over which fic is better. The argument has existed since the beginning of time. And now, in order to solve it, we are going to leave it to the READERS to help us out.

Both Invisible and Kimi no Koe will update Chapter 13 at the same time, and we are going to ask readers to leave a VOTE review under the story that they like better (please consider the entire story, not just chapter 13 of that story). If you want to vote for one, just make it clear in your story or put the word VOTE somewhere in there :S. You can still review a story and not vote for it. That would definitely be welcome.

Now, before I leave you with 13, please keep this in mind:

-Kimi no Koe is much less OOC than Invisible.
-Invisible contains boring, pointless scientific investigations that confuse readers.
-Kimi no Koe has a superior sense of direction in comparison to Invisible.
-Invisible is beta'd by Kuron, so most of the good squishy stuff you like is hers anyway.
-Kimi no Koe is longer and more fulfilling. At chapter 12 for both, Invisible had 20000 words and Kimi no Koe had a whopping 30000.
-Kimi no Koe is better. Vote for it.

Keeping that in mind, please take your time and think about your decision! I'm glad all of you review BOTH fics and I would encourage you to do so more than ever because:

WE'RE NOT WRITING CHAPTER 14 UNTIL WE GET 25 VOTES !
(That's 25 total between both stories).

YAAAY! Thank you, and may the better fic (Kimi no Koe) win! D

And now chapter 13.

-Wraith

Invisible
By WraithR249
(and co-written by Yue Guang Kuroneko)

--

"Mmm? Is someone there?" Kozue looked past Hikaru and saw someone leaving quickly.

Hikaru moved to block her view and smiled at her slyly. "Don't worry about it. It was probably just a stranger. Come on, let's get out of here. I forgot—we're going to go eat somewhere special."

--

Haruhi glanced at the clock, dropping her pen onto her desk with an ungraceful thud. She had been trying to concentrate hard on her homework, but there was really only one thing on her mind.

Since their talk that afternoon, she wondered how Kyouya was dealing with their complicated situation. She grimaced as she imagined what kind of tantrum Tamaki would throw at Kyouya.

She sighed and scolded herself for worrying about him again. Maybe I should have been the one to try and talk to him, she mused anxiously. I don't know how he would react to either of us, but at least I don't think he would… hurt me.

She shook her head, tossing out such stupid notions. She decided to call Kyouya, risking interrupting him if he was doing something important. He should be here by now, anyway, she reasoned. It's his own fault for being late.

A bad feeling took over her as she realized that he was never late.

She picked up the phone and dialed quickly.

--

Kyouya walked swiftly back to the car. The driver looked startled to see him.

"Ootori-san! You're back so soon, is everything alri-"

"Get in the car," he commanded. "Immediately."

He threw open the door and stepped inside. Slamming the door shut, he leaned forward in his knees and put his head in his hands.

His phone began ringing and he picked it up immediately. "Ootori Kyouya speaking."

"Oh, I'm so glad you're alright. You aren't here yet, I thought something had happened to you. What's going on?"

Kyouya flinched as he heard Haruhi's voice. It sounded innocent and worried. As if she's done nothing wrong, he thought bitterly.

"I was a little early," Kyouya said coldly. "Maybe you missed me because you were busy dealing with someone else."

"Huh? I… don't know what you mean. What are you talking about, Kyouya?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," he spat angrily. "I saw you a few minutes ago. I can't believe I almost let you play me like a fool. I advise, for your own safety, that you never come into contact with me again."

He hung up angrily and made to throw his phone out the window, but decided against it.

I should have been more cautious, he realized. I should have realized what she was up to.

Kyouya punched the car seat in frustration. Now he had caused trouble with Tamaki for no reason. He gritted his teeth as he realized his friend would never see him in the same light, and he wondered what he would think when he came face-to-face with Hitachiin Hikaru.

He loosened his tie and took a few deep breaths.

What the hell is this feeling that's taking over my body?

Kyouya thought of Hikaru kissing Haruhi. He fought a shudder as he recalled how intimate they looked, just moments ago. The grim side of his imagination took over, and he realized that they had probably hid this from him. The thought of Hikaru stroking and caressing Haruhi's body disgusted him.

Despair took over him and he stifled a cry that tried to escape from his throat. He buried his head in his hands. For some reason he felt that he had lost everything that he had, and lost the opportunity to claim everything that he wanted as his.

Something still bothered him about the encounter. He couldn't quite place it, but something was not in place. However, just the thought of Haruhi and Hikaru made him want to stop thinking abut it.

Looking out the window, he saw a blur of Hikaru strolling. Or Kaoru. Either way, it was one of the twins.

He realized that he wasn't sure which one of the twins was kissing Haruhi. It didn't matter.

"Stop the car immediately," Kyouya demanded in an authoritative tone.

"B-but… Ootori-san! We'll be blocking the flow of traffic!" the driver protested meekly.

"Do it," he hissed. "Just stop for a moment, let me out, then drive back to the mansion."

The driver complied wordlessly. As soon as Kyouya stepped out of the car, he ran towards Hikaru. Or Kaoru. He heard the driver pull away somewhere behind him.

"Hik—Hitachiin!" he called out loudly, getting the attention of not only the red-headed target, but also of several other people walking by.

Kyouya caught up quickly, stopping just short of the Hitachiin sibling.

"Ah, Shadow King-senpai," he greeted, looking a little confused. "What are you doing around here?"

Kyouya observed that it was Kaoru after all. "I was just coming back from seeing Haruhi."

Kaoru looked surprised. "Oh is that so? Did you see Hikaru there as well?"

Kyouya scowled. Was this some kind of a sick joke?

"Yes, I did. And I happened to notice that he was particularly intimate with Haruhi, so I left them undisturbed. Would you mind telling me how long they have been in a relationship?"

Kaoru blanched. Then he stared.

Kyouya blinked. "Is something the matter?"

The red-head looked terribly distraught at the matter. "Senpai… that… probably wasn't Haruhi. That was… I'm sorry. My brother. He was trying to…"

His eyes widened behind his spectacles and he grabbed Kaoru's arm firmly. "What is going on, Kaoru?"

Kaoru took a deep breath and looked up at him. "I should have known…" he muttered sadly. "Nonetheless… Hikaru and I were both aware of the way Haruhi felt towards you. Hikaru became increasingly jealous. This morning… when Kozue-san came over with her hair cut short… I knew that he…"

Kyouya released his grip and stared with his arms by his sides. That is what bothered him. That girl was not Haruhi. Haruhi did not wear lacy dresses out of the house. She wore t-shirts and khaki shorts. Why didn't he notice sooner?

Kyouya quickly dialed Haruhi's number. The phone rang. Twice. Four times. Nothing. He hung up and looked around. It would be faster to run there now instead of calling the driver back to pick him up.

"Thank you, Kaoru. I must leave immediately. I have made a grave mistake," Kyouya told him before running in the direction of Haruhi's apartment.

"I'll go with you," Kaoru insisted, to Kyouya's surprise as he caught up with him. "I am part of the reason why this happened. I did not stop my brother even despite knowing his plans."

The Ootori heir said nothing, and after a moment, continued running.

--

Haruhi stared blankly ahead of her, concentrating on the phone that had been ringing just a moment ago. Why did this have to happen to her? Why did she have feelings for such a complicated man?

She sat in misery, staring at the ceiling, unable to process everything that had happened, much less wonder why.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a firm, loud knock on the door. Perhaps it would be someone that could raise her from her stupor.

She went to the door, and opened it cautiously. She hoped it wasn't him.

It wasn't.

"Why, good afternoon, Haruhi!" Kaoru gave a lopsided smile and waved at her, despite her appearance.

She stared. The confusion overloaded her mind, and she could feel herself fall forward.

"Haruhi!" cried out an alarmed voice, one that she recognized from somewhere far away…

--

Sometime later, Haruhi opened her eyes to see a familiar face staring at her through a pair of glasses.

"Leave me alone," she whispered as she turned away. She fought the urge to hold his hand at seeing his worried face.

"There is an explanation that you deserve to hear. If you still wish for me to leave afterwards, then I will not protest." He said this with such authority that Haruhi, weak with emotional shock, had no choice but to agree to.

Kaoru entered the small room and saw Kyouya leaning over her.

"Oh, she's awake," he offered her a small smile, which vanished as quickly as it had come. "Haruhi… I'm so sorry," he apologized to the confused looking girl. "My brother has done something terrible."

Kaoru explained what had happened, starting with his brother's feelings, and ending with his plan, the events that had transpired that day. Kyouya looked away when he had finished.

"Haruhi… I am sorry that I said those things to you. I should have inspected the situation more carefully, but when I thought I saw him kissing you…"

Haruhi sighed and closed her eyes, placing a hand on the side of his face, enjoying the feeling of his straight hair as she rustled it in between her fingers. Feeling daring, she firmly pulled his face towards hers.

"Tamaki," he muttered, freezing her motion and causing her to open her eyes. Despite the situation, her heart fluttered at seeing him this close. His lips were an inch away from hers but he didn't seem to mind.

"What did he say?" She asked, sighing tiredly.

"He plans to end the Host Club if you and I pursue a relationship."

The room paused as they let this new information sink in.

"Ugh," Kaoru grimaced. "That idiot. I have to go do something about this, so please excuse me."

"What are you planning, Kaoru?" Kyouya asked, not looking at him but instead gazing deeply into Haruhi's eyes.

"You'll see soon." Kaoru walked out of the room. Haruhi heard the front door open and close.

"I'm sorry, Haruhi. I know you don't want to lose the Host Club. But I want to pursue this, due to my own selfishness. I don't know what you want me to do."

Haruhi looked back at him. He tried to mask his worry, but his eyes betrayed him…or was it because his barriers were down when he was alone with her?

"We'll worry about that later," she whispered.

She pulled him close. The last thing she saw before closing her eyes was his surprised look. She remembered thinking that his lips were soft as she threw her arms around his neck.

She was surprised when she felt him smile into her lips.

--

Authors' Notes:

-WraithR269: Another sloppily executed chapter. Blah.

-Yue Guang Kuroneko: O. M. G. –insert rabid fangirl squeal- KYAAAA! THAT WAS SO CUTE! xD YAY FOR KYOUYAxHARUHI!