~Chapter 2
Haruhi's cell phone rang at ten o' clock that night. She turned off the sink and wiped her hands on an old dish cloth before looking at the blinking number on her cell phone cover.
'Hikaru…Ugh, at 10 at night?! Why did I ever accept this darn thing.'
She flipped open the phone. "Haruhi here, what's up, Hikaru."
"Haruhi, I'm glad you're still up! I've already called Tamaki and Kyoya. I was wondering if you've seen Kaoru tonight?" the words all came out in a hurried rush in Haruhi's ears. She blinked twice.
"N-no, I haven't seen him since you guys left school this afternoon. Is everything alright?"
"Well, I mean, I guess so… I was just checking. I can't get in touch with his cell phone, but I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."
Haruhi thought he sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than her. And she couldn't believe that Kaoru would be gone that long without telling someone, or answering his phone, at least.
"Wait, doesn't he like to draw in the park sometimes?" Haruhi looked out the window into the dark as if she could see the park from there.
"The park closed two hours ago," Hikaru said rather dryly. Then there was a pause. "Wait a minute… my motorcycle's gone…"
There was an abrupt click. Haruhi stared at her phone in surprise. Hikaru sounded unusually worried. He would know if something wasn't right better than anyone. With a frown, Haruhi quickly dialed Kyoya. Tamaki would probably be no help right now.
"Haruhi," the usually mellow voice sounded slightly higher than usual, "I know why you're calling."
"I know, senpai, what-?"
"Where do you think he might have been heading?"
Haruhi gave up whatever she was going to ask. "Well, I know he likes to go to the park alone. You think he might have been heading there?"
*click*
"Aaargh!" Haruhi threw her phone on the counter in frustration. 'What the hell?!' But really, rather than the slight annoyance of rude phone etiquette, she was beginning to seriously worry about Kaoru. 'This really doesn't sound like him, but then again, they have been fighting a lot lately…'
Kaoru seemed so unhappy these past few weeks. She tried to ask him about it one morning, while Hikaru had stepped out of homeroom. He had been staring somewhat languidly at the door his twin left through, over his desk with his chin in one hand.
"Kaoru, are you doing okay? You seem like something's been bothering you lately."
"Hmph," he gave a short chuckle as he leaned back and put his hands behind his head. "Are you always worrying about other people's problems, Haruhi?"
"No…Only my friends'."
Kaoru sighed. "I'm sorry. That came out wrong… I guess I'm thinking about what we'll do when we graduate."
"Ah, thinking for the future, that's a rarity in this school!" Haruhi applauded, leaning against his desk and crossing her legs in a very male fashion. "I don't think Tamaki-senpai ever looks past the next five minutes!"
"Ha, I envy him, then!" Kaoru smiled. Haruhi smiled back.
"I do too, but maybe you and I can learn something from him. You know, it's too easy to always lose yourself today worrying about tomorrow. You'll never enjoy life."
"I think you're right," he closed his eyes for a moment. "So! It's decided then! You and I are going to enjoy the moment!"
He held out his hand abruptly for affirmation. Haruhi blinked, stunned, then smiled and took it in a firm shake.
"Whatever you say, Mr. Hitachiin."
They laughed, and looked up to see Hikaru walking towards them. "What's so funny?" he queried, draping an elbow over Kaoru's shoulder.
"Eh, Haruhi was reminding me that I was getting a little too serious," Kaoru explained with a sheepish grin.
"Thank you for that, Haruhi! This guy's been a mope the entire weekend! Our fun and games have definitely been suffering!"
"I can believe it," Haruhi winked at Kaoru.
It turned into a rather wonderful day, full of bad jokes and laughter. But Haruhi couldn't help but feel that she didn't really understand what Kaoru was thinking about. In fact, she knew she didn't.
All of these thoughts rushed from her head when she heard a knock at her door. A neighbor's dog started barking as she peered through the peep hole. A smile crept up on her lips. There they all were: Tamaki, Kyoya, Mori, Honey,…well, almost all of them. She quickly cleared her throat and returned her stoic countenance before opening the door.
"Where's Hikaru?" was the first thing out of her mouth.
"We think he's heading for the park, we're going there too!" Tamaki declared most passionately. "We just stopped by to get you!"
As if on cue, a loud droning noise could be heard in the distance. Haruhi looked up to see one of the Ootori family's helicopters looming overhead. A search light beamed down on them. Kyoya waved them on, and quickly gestured to Haruhi.
"Quickly, let's follow in the car."
"Kyoya, do you really think something bad happened?" Haruhi asked in an earnest voice.
"It's very unlikely Kaoru would be gone this long, even if he were very upset, which I've heard from his mother, personally, that he was not when he left. He's far too considerate, either way you look at it, to be pulling a stunt like this!"
"He took a motorcycle…" Haruhi thought to herself out loud, as they all piled into the limo.
"A what?" Kyoya asked quickly.
"Oh, it was the last think Hikaru said to me before I called you. That his motorcycle was missing. I guess Kaoru took it."
Kyoya whipped out his cell phone and speed dialed a number. One second later, someone picked up. "Bravo, we're now looking for a red motorcycle."
Haruhi could hear the loud crackling from the chopper over the receiver from across the seat. "ROGER THAT, WE'LL DO OUR BEST! OVER AND OUT!"
Kyoya flipped his phone shut in a determined way, and placed his chin in his hands. Tamaki looked at him worriedly.
"You don't think he…crashed it, do you?"
"Hold on a second, Tamaki-senpai, why would you assume that?! I mean, we know he's a little timid and all, but that doesn't mean he can't drive a motorcycle!" Haruhi laughed uncomfortably, glancing around the cabin for support.
"Haruhi," Kyoya pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "there's a reason Kaoru has always seemed less athletic than his twin."
"What?" Haruhi looked around the hosts sitting next to her. Mori looked the other way, Honey fiddled with Usaa-chan, and Tamaki tried to give her his best, reassuring smile. "Tamaki-senpai?"
"Haruhi, Kaoru, well, he has a slight problem with his heart." At the sight of Haruhi's eyes widening, Tamaki hastily added, "Not a big problem, but it's enough to warrant not driving vehicles of any sort."
"When Kaoru was young, he often had mild fainting spells," Kyoya explained in more detail. "It seemed he had a congenital defect of the heart that caused a murmur of sorts. After a couple of surgeries, the doctors that followed his case insisted he'd be fine, however," his dark grey eyes narrowed as he spoke, "To be on the safe side, his parents, as well as Hikaru, have tried to keep an eye on him."
"Wait a second," Haruhi was trying to mull this new information over in her mind, "Wouldn't Kaoru know not to take a motorcycle then? I mean, if he knew he was prone to fainting spells?"
"Well, that's the thing, Haru-chan," Honey chimed in. "I don't think Kao-chan really knows how sick he is."
"No one really talks about it," Mori affirmed in a quieter voice.
"That's true…" Tamaki smiled. "I think that Hikaru always wanted them to feel equal, no matter what. I think it would vex him a good deal to let his brother know that he was always secretly worrying about him."
"So that's why he's always so protective of Kaoru. I had no idea." Haruhi looked down at her knees for a moment. "It's so typical," she said in a low voice. "Once again, all of this could have been avoided if people were just honest with each other."
"Before you get up on a pedestal," Kyoya warned, "be advised to remember that not all people are as level-headed as you, especially rich people."
Haruhi nodded. "Sorry. So, we're going to search the park, right?"
"And the roads leading up to it," Kyoya smiled. "Along the way, I'm sure we'll spot the Hitachiin family doing the same, but it's a lot of ground to cover."
**
"KAORU!!" Hikaru was yelling at the top of his lungs. His driver nearly plugged his ears. "KAORU, WHERE ARE YOU?!"
The driver looked up to see yet another emergency vehicle rush by, not knowing its destination. The driver looked at his watch, 4:30 A.M. There were police, fire trucks, and ambulances swarming all over the park, but no one knew where he was for sure. The driver turned his gaze back towards his young charge. Hikaru was searching frantically off the side of the road with a large flashlight. Dejected, he finally came back to the car.
"It's alright, young master," the driver consoled, "We'll try another area."
As he patted Hikaru on the shoulder, the boy sniffed and then burst into tears. The driver looked around nervously, not quite sure how to react. "Um…master?"
"What if he's dead!!?" Hikaru sobbed. "That's why he can't hear me! That's why I can't feel him! I should know where he is!!"
The driver made shushing noises and pulled Hikaru into a gentle hug. 'I guess rich kids have unrealistic expectations of even themselves…" he thought briefly. Choosing to ignore the future dry-cleaning bill for snot on an expensive jacket, he tried to console the poor boy.
"Look, it isn't over till it's over, as they say. You can't give up hope now, kid! Hasn't even been a day yet, has it?"
"N-no," Hikaru sniffled, backing off. He wiped his nose with his forearm, suddenly embarrassed at his lack of composure. "I WILL find him," he promised to himself out loud.
"That's the spirit!" the driver cheered as Hikaru climbed back into the car. But as soon as he shut the door, the driver's face fell in grim apprehension. 'God, these kids are going to be the death of me. I gotta get a new job…'
