Chapter 2- Freezing Over

A/N: Would ya look at that, I have actually updated something for the first time ever! It's in Kaoru's POV (sort of) this time and is rather short so I my change it later on, and the mood has a major flip near the end-ish...

The sharp winter sun roused Kaoru from sleep as it crested the opposite building; its rays filling the room will light. The weather had taken such a turn from the day before it was surprising, and not pleasantly so for the people walking on the street swaddled under layers of thick coats and scarves. The light that filled the bedroom was bright and brought to sharp focus the dirty windows and slightly grubby sheets.

Kaoru pressed his back into the hard chest of his brother, relishing in the close human contact that he had not been able relish in for months. It felt good to be held tight by strong arms, keeping him in place, protecting him from the outside world. Kaoru closed his eyes and sighed happily. The sun was out and today he would drag Hikaru down to the park with him in their lunch break, a ritual reserved for days such as these when the weather is perfect. Yes, Hikaru would play up, complain that it was immature and stupid to be playing on swings at the age of twenty, but by the time their hour was up, he would be whinging about having to go back to the studio, and begging for another minute or two. But, the last time the weather was fine, they hadn't gone to the park, and Kaoru couldn't remember why. A small frown creased his forehead as he tried to concentrate on what had happened. He had planned for the to go to the park, he remembered making sandwiches for a picnic, but then… She had turned up just before they were going to go. Hikaru took their lunch, and taken her to the park instead of him.

It all came back to Kaoru in a rush of images. Being ditched at various events and functions; sleeping alone because Hikaru hadn't come home that night; left on his own to entertain clients because he hadn't turned up for work the morning after; catching his brother with her in his bed; the argument, shouting, threats, and then discovering that his brother had left without saying goodbye; not being able to eat without throwing up because of the loneliness; being found by Kyouya on the street, and the what? He couldn't remember. So whose arm, if not his brothers…?

Kaoru's eyes flashed open. He gingerly pulled down the thin sheets and stared at the arms wrapped possessively around his waist. They were definitely not his brothers, too long for starters. Slowly, he attempted to remove the offending appendages, but this slight movement caused them to tighten, thwarting his plans of a speedy getaway.

'You're not going anywhere.' Kaoru froze at the familiar voice. What happened last night! 'You're ill, you need to rest, and eat.' Kyouya untwined the impossibly long arms and sat up, but Kaoru remained impassive on the bed. The Shadow King of high school was just a prelude of what the man had become, a ruthless businessman who used any weakness in his oppositions defence to make fatal blows in their profits and success. This knowledge of Kaoru's indiscretion could ruin his public persona, and destroy the business.

The mattress sprung back into its original shape as Kyouya stood, and Kaoru heard him dressing. He relaxed slightly as he heard the door to the flat closing as the older man left. He would be alone to wallow in his misery, and by the time that it was revealed that he was a failure; a wreck, 'a disappointment', that could not run the family business without his brother to hold his hand, it would be far too late. The though comforted him. He would no longer care about his brother, no longer would he care about the loneliness burn deep within every time he woke, no longer would there be the arguing every time he tried to talk to the one person that meant the world to him. There would be peace at last, quiet bliss for the rest of eternity.

Kaoru knew that his parents wouldn't care if he were dead; he had always been the less outgoing of the twins and he had never achieved anything that they could be proud of. Hikaru would be relieved at not having to take care of him all the time. He would be able to live with and be happy with her without having his stupid little brother getting in the way all the time and ruining things. No one would cry at his funeral, no one would miss him.

He tried to push himself into a sitting position with his arms, but his muscles cried out in pain and refused to respond. The lack of food over the past weeks and the strain and cold of the previous day had caused his body to deteriorate at a rapid speed over night. Collapsing back into the pillows, Kaoru smiled. The dry skin on his lips cracked and tore at the strain and needles of pain spread across them. Blood began to seep slowly out of the wounds, causing him to smile wider. The pain felt good, knowing that it could be the last physical pain he would ever experience. Soon, he told himself, before drifting into unconsciousness.