Chapter 3: The Host Club Without Kaoru
Nothing more was said at dinner between Hikaru and his mother, although a million things were left unsaid. Hikaru dragged himself to his - their – room and spent the whole night trying to convince himself to sleep.
All the while, it was Kaoru on his mind, haunting his mind even in its subconscious. He had driven Kaoru away in his eagerness to open up their world to others, not even pausing to ask his twin if he was doing this too fast. When he started walking out, he had never looked back to see if Kaoru was following him out of their confinement, but now, he knows. Kaoru had never followed him out.
"Yes, I know. He had informed me yesterday. And I had Tamaki inform everyone else," Kyouya explained when Hikaru told him that Kaoru had dropped out. He finally finished writing something in his notebook to look up at Hikaru. The others were busy doing their Host Club duties by entertaining the girls. "Although I must admit that I don't understand why you're not leaving with him."
"You know." Hikaru said. And it wasn't a question. Nothing escaped Kyouya, and the older boy was only humoring him with the question. He knew the problem with Kaoru. That much was evident.
"I have a vague idea of what may be the problem… You should never have made him feel unwanted," Kyouya told him, the light reflecting off his glasses to hide whatever emotion he had.
Hikaru frowned at this, the meaning not lost to him. Kyouya was disappointed, if not, angry. He turned away. Without looking at Kyouya, he replied. "Stupid Kaoru. He should've talked to me about this first before running off like that."
"Would you have listened to him, though? You've been so busy spending time with Haruhi that you've lost the way you understand each other without having to say a word," Kyouya replied coolly, turning away to watch Tamaki instead. The self-proclaimed President was currently entertaining his customers, making a random redhead swoon.
"Have you noticed that?"
He hadn't. And even though he didn't say that out loud, Hikaru knew that Kyouya already knew his answer.
"Designation rates are at an all-time low. The brotherly love act was very popular among the customers. Too bad it doesn't work with only one brother."
Hikaru turned back to Kyouya, a frown still on his face.
"I suggest you talk to Kaoru. It'd be a great loss for the Host Club if he never came back."
…was Kyouya encouraging him to make up with brother?
Kyouya turned back to Hikaru, a slight smile on his face. "Since your partner is away, you should join Haruhi. She has a lot of customers right now, she might need some help."
Hikaru nodded. Kyouya had dismissed him, and that meant there was nothing more to talk about.
As Hikaru and Kyouya were busy, talking in a corner, Haruhi's customers had their own conversation concerning Kaoru.
"Ne, Haruhi, I heard that Kaoru will never come back!" a brunette with wide golden eyes had said. She used to be a customer of the Hitachiins, but upon learning that Hikaru wasn't accepting customers alone, she had asked for Haruhi instead.
"That's right! Maah! That's not good! What will become of their beautiful brotherly love? Oh… and… How's Hikaru? Is he taking it badly?" another former Hitachiin twin's customer piped up.
Haruhi shrank away from the questions that she was dying to ask herself. It was all so sudden, after all. It certainly was like Kaoru to make some decision without telling others about it. But this was simply too much.
"Hey," Hikaru said as he neared the group. Kyouya had just dismissed him, and the bespectacled boy had gone over to his waiting customers, smiling cordially. Hikaru never understood why Kyouya never smiled at him like that. It was certainly much more comforting than his glare.
Haruhi and the girls turned to him upon his arrival. Soon, there was much pushing among the girls so as to get Hikaru to sit next to them. Hikaru took no notice. He simply took a chair not too far from them and sat next to Haruhi.
The instant he was seated, the girls asked him a barrage of questions concerning Kaoru, all of which he can't answer. Haruhi looked at him pityingly as she offered him a cup of tea. He accepted it, but he didn't drink. There had been big lump stuck in his throat since his talk with Kyouya.
"I'm sorry… but I don't think I can answer your questions right now," he told the girls as he looked down at his cup.
Some of the girls started getting teary, imagining Kaoru being whisked away by an unknown figure and Hikaru running after him, hand outstretched, calling out Kaoru's name.
"I'd like to talk to you later," Haruhi whispered to him before turning to the girls and steering them away from Kaoru-related conversations.
A/N: Forgive me for the late update. It's all the site's fault. TT They won't let me post.