Ouran Fanfiction

Haunted

Chapter 1

Author's notes:

Ladies and gentlemen, I present another fanfiction from my very strange mind. I really don't remember the inspiration for this one. I might have had a dream or something, but I felt compelled to write this. I'm really not normally this morbid, it's just good material to write about!

The title of this is completely subject to change because the one I have right now just isn't very interesting. -.-

WARNING: Character death, strange goings-on in later chapters, and probably highly non-canon.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ouran.

"Hikaru? I'm just going across the street to get a doughnut. You want one?"

Hikaru turned his head to look at Kaoru and nodded. "With extra cream?"

"Of course." Kaoru grinned and kissed his brother swiftly on the cheek. "Back in a sec."

Hikaru watched his twin go with a small smile on his face and the memory of his brother's fingers still tingling on his palm. Leaning nonchalantly against a lamp-post, he allowed his thoughts to drift and wander.

He never would have guessed what was to happen next. Or that the words the twins had only just exchanged would be ones Hikaru would never forget.

Five minutes passed, and then Kaoru's strawberry-blonde head reappeared. Hikaru smiled over, waving. Kaoru brandished the bag of doughnuts and glanced up and down the quiet road.

What happened next always remained a blur for Hikaru. He remembered almost everything, but the whole situation was such that it was always foggy.

Probably because he never wanted to remember.

What he definitely did remember was Kaoru stepping out into the road, having checked both ways and seeing no cars coming.

And then.

And then there was the swerving noise of rubber on ground and a metallic monster, a furious scarlet colour like rage, came hurtling round the corner.

Fast.

Too fast.

Too fast for Kaoru.

Hikaru always remembered the sickening crunch of metal hitting body and the sight of Kaoru being thrown into the air and then landing with a thump on the road.

And then.

And then there were screaming shouts. Hikaru's own, those of passers-by.

Not remembering having moved his legs, Hikaru was there. Pushing through the people clustered around, fighting a path to Kaoru, to where he could feel his brother's life was in that way only they knew.

And then.

And then he was kneeling on the tarmac, exposed knees scraping open but did it really matter? He scrabbled for Kaoru's hand, leaned in close to hover his face over Kaoru's, too shocked to do anything but continually whisper Kaoru's name and unintelligible things that made sense to no one, not even himself. He felt as though life had just blown an enormous hole in him, and the only way to fix it was to hear Kaoru speak, to know that he was there, still there, like always.

But.

But Kaoru was already disappearing, and Hikaru could feel it.

Then he was angry.

"You're not leaving, do you hear that Kaoru?!" he shouted at his brother. "You can't go! You can't, you can't, you..."

A sob was torn from his lips and he had to pause, had to suck in air hard.

"Kaoru, stay with me." The order came feebly; his sobs ate his words, swallowing them greedily. "You can't go... Kaoru..." I need you.

Other people were clutching at Hikaru's shoulders, trying to say comforting things to him, to calm perhaps. It wasn't calming. It felt like they were preying on him; vultures, trying to get something from his misery. Probably some kind of sense of personal satisfaction from knowing that they had 'helped' a person whose sorrow could never be alleviated.

Kaoru's half-closed eyelids moved very slightly and Hikaru felt the stab of hope go to his heart. He clutched more firmly at Kaoru's hand, bringing it up to his lips. "Kaoru," he whispered, kissing the grazed knuckles gently and carefully. "Kaoru, come on, you can do this; you don't have to leave. If you can only see that, you'll stay. Come on Kaoru. I know you can. Please..."

He was trembling now, and it was only at this point that he allowed himself to look at his twin's condition. One leg was bent weirdly, out to one side, and there were cuts to Kaoru's forehead, arms and legs. Other than that, the younger twin looked almost normal.

An ambulance arrived, throwing blue light onto Kaoru's pale visage so that he looked almost as cold as his hand felt. Hikaru was pushed to one side and jostled, but never let go of Kaoru's icy fingers, sure that his strength was all that kept his brother alive right then.

"Kaoru, I won't leave," he murmured- promised- softly, clinging to his brother's hand and still trying to let the ambulance people through to do their job. They were clustered around now, saying loud, technical things that made no sense to Hikaru. One was talking to him, asking questions and pulling on his arms. But he said nothing, concentrating only on trying to keep Kaoru alive somehow, merely by clutching to his fingers.

Eventually, a stretcher and gurney were brought out and Hikaru allowed the paramedics to load his brother onto the ambulance. One last glance at the scene shocked the elder twin. Where Kaoru had been was covered in blood, a grisly scarlet pool that made him need to swallow hard and feel icy shivers up and down his spine. There was white stuff- cream, Hikaru realised, from the doughnuts- sitting in the red, becoming a strange, pinkish colour and slowly dissolving into the still-warm scarlet substance. It was a sight to make Hikaru feel sick as he climbed into the ambulance, taking Kaoru's hand again before a few paramedics gathered round again and his view was obstructed.

At the hospital, he was told that he really couldn't stay with Kaoru and, despite his protests, was left in a random waiting room somewhere, the absence of his twin's hand from his own making him feel strangely incomplete and odd.

What felt like- but probably wasn't- hours later, a doctor with a rather careworn face came through into the room.

"Master Hitachiin?" he asked, approaching Hikaru, who looked up silently. "I need to speak with you. Follow me."

Hikaru was led to an office and sat down across from the doctor, glancing briefly at the posters on the walls warning about the dangers of smoking and drugs.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news," said the doctor, brining Hikaru's attention back to him with a start. "Kaoru- your brother... He didn't make it. He was pronounced dead ten minutes ago."

Hikaru stared at the doctor, his tongue between his teeth and his lips closed, a prickling feeling in his eyes.

"He had severe internal bleeding and massive head trauma," continued the doctor. "One of his legs was broken and the impact was a great shock to his system. The paramedics thought that they might be able to save him when he was at the scene, but after he was taken off here he seemed to simply stop living."

Hikaru was now shaking from cold and repressed emotions.

Kaoru... dead... Kaoru... dead... Kaoru... dead...

"I know this sort of thing is difficult to digest," added the doctor, mistaking Hikaru's silence.

"No..." the redhead finally rasped.

"No?" The doctor looked concerned.

"Kaoru's not dead," Hikaru replied simply. "He can't be dead."

"I'm afraid he can." The doctor's tone was gentle. He was familiar with denial.

"Then... let me see him."

"Are you sure you want to?"

"Y... Yes."

"It can be extremely upsetting-"

"I said I want to."

The doctor nodded and took Hikaru to a nearby room. Kaoru was lying on his back, like he had been on the road, but this time it was on an operating table, and his eyes were fully closed. Hikaru could feel his teeth chattering in the immense cold that penetrated this room and turned to the doctor.

"Please leave us in peace."

The doctor looked worried, glancing quickly to check that there was nothing sharp in the room and, once he'd ascertained that it was safe to leave Hikaru here alone, nodded and left. Hikaru stepped forward to Kaoru.

He looked dead. There was no other word for it. Whoever it was that had said that death looked peaceful was a liar. Kaoru resembled a wax doll, something that looked as though it had never been alive, or- if they had been alive- had had their life ripped from them prematurely. Which he had.

But maybe...

"Kaoru, open your eyes," Hikaru commanded calmly.

No response.

"Kaoru? Kaoru, open your eyes."

No response.

"Wake up!"

No response.

Maybe he really was...

"No, no, you're not dead! You're not dead, you hear me?"

The words came out choked, and as Hikaru leaned over Kaoru's lifeless form, tears dropped down to land on his face, in his hair, and on his clothes.

"Kaoru... Please don't be dead..." Hikaru wept; every time he blinked, more tears fell. "I need you here. I can't live without you. I'll die... I'll die!"

Hikaru's face was buried in Kaoru's chest- through the clothes his brother was stone cold.

"Kaoru... Kaoru... If you are dead, I can't bear it. Haunt me! Follow me! Plague me! It was my fault you died anyway! If I hadn't asked for that doughnut- that stupid, stupid doughnut- you wouldn't have died! So please... Please haunt me... If I never see you again, I'll die!"

He was half-sobbing, half-shouting, and his numb fingers were clinging desperately to Kaoru, to his shoulders, arms and clothes.

"Kaoru..."

Leaning up and still crying, Hikaru carefully kissed his brother's cold lips, then crumpled to the floor and gave himself over to simple, heartbroken weeping.