Kaoru had disappeared into his alternate reality of blissful ignorance. The petals that danced against his skin did not wake him, nor did the gusts of wind that carried them. A faint, surreal sound pricked his ears and slowly brought him back to a state of consciousness. The distant voice called again. His eyes fluttered open and drowsily pieced together the scenery around him. The sky was a dark blue, now. The words he thought he'd heard seemed residual; an echo of a dream. They couldn't possibly be real. To Kaoru's disbelief, the unbelievable words echoed again, far too loud and far too real to be the remnants of a dream. He stood and looked around groggily for the source of the sound.
"I love you, too," the voice whispered in his ear, prickling his flesh with goose bumps. He felt familiar arms around his waist and a familiar chin resting on his shoulder. Kaoru gasped and jerked his head up. This had to be a dream. The familiar grabbed his shoulders and turned him to face familiar eyes. Beautiful eyes. Identical eyes. Gold melted with gold. No words are needed when one has eyes, and Hikaru's eyes spoke a thousand words.
"Hik…Hikaru?" Kaoru said, dizzy with confusion. "What did you just say?" He was tempted to slap himself in the face to be sure that he wasn't dreaming.
"I love you, too, Kaoru," he said again. The words were more sincere than any words he had ever spoken before. He wrapped his arms around his double's neck. Their eyes remained locked. Kaoru's hands trembled and he stood stiff as a board. He had never expected this. He'd never imagined this. Hikaru's hands wrapped around Kaoru's, generating intense heat. Kaoru's hands stopped shaking.
"I don't understand," Kaoru said, voice quivering. "How did you…Why are you…? I just…" Tears filled his eyes, but he didn't know why. He was certainly not sad. No, certainly not. "Are you…? I mean… Did you really mean…" He was interrupted by a sensation that could only be described as magical. Lips that were identical to his were pressed against his own. Hikaru's identical hand ran through identical hair. Those hands and those soft lips caused Kaoru's heart to explode.
Happiness coursed through Kaoru's veins, tingling like tiny electric shocks all through his body. Years of tears were freed all at once. All the tears he had held in through the years of denial flooded down his cheeks and onto his brother's. Hikaru was hesitant at first; no more than ten minutes ago, the very thought of loving his brother this way disgusted him. But the feeling of their identical lips against one another had his head spinning. It was like they were made for each other. Their lips fit together more perfectly than he could have ever imagined. One kiss had set them both free from the identical cages they had been locked in for sixteen years.
After what felt like hours, they pulled apart. Hikaru was crying now, too. Kaoru laughed hysterically for no identifiable reason. His twin joined him. They laughed until they were on the ground again, where they belonged: together beneath the cherry blossom tree. Kaoru let his head fall onto his brother's shoulder. Through laughter and the tears he said, "Do you know how wrong this is, Hikaru?"
Hikaru laughed even harder. "Oh yeah, I know. Trust me." He pulled his brother close to his chest like they often did when they performed their acts in the Host Club, but this time it was real. "I just don't care. Anymore." He grinned a cunning grin and planted a series of teasing kisses down Kaoru's neck. The sensation left Kaoru completely enraptured.
"We're going to Hell," Kaoru said. They both laughed until they were lying on the ground, clutching their sides. Kaoru looked up at the stars, still completely in shock. His fantasy had come true. Hikaru rolled over on top of Kaoru and pinned his hands to the ground. This excited Kaoru a little too much, and Hikaru would have been lying if he said he didn't enjoy it, too. The pink petals that surrounded Kaoru were dull in comparison to the colour of his face.
Hikaru smiled from ear to ear. "Kaoru, are we narcissists?" he teased.
Kaoru could not stop grinning. "When I see you, I see you. I've never seen myself in you." He blushed harder when he realized the words he had chosen, and they both burst into a peal of laughter again.
"I love you," they said in unison. No matter what, they were always synchronized.
Kaoru's eyes widened and he gasped. "Hikaru!"
"What?" The older twin replied.
"Are you actually blushing?" Before he could give his brother time to respond, he kissed him again. Kaoru grabbed the back of his double's neck, deepening the kiss. The heat of Hikaru's red face answered the question for him.
"What are we going to do at school?" Kaoru asked, his smile fading.
"What do you mean?" Hikaru said, rolling onto his back to see the stars.
"Well…We're basically dirty little sinners, now," Kaoru said, laughingly. "Won't it be awkward?"
"Or…" Hikaru said mischievously, "It could make things more interesting." Kaoru raised an eyebrow.
"Think about it, Kao. A forbidden, secret romance. We'll be living the taboo!"
He hated to admit it, but the thought of a secret relationship thrilled Kaoru to no end. He and his brother exchanged an impish grin and laughed. This would be their greatest lie, their truest prank, their most serious scheme. They said together, "No one has to know."
They stayed outside throughout the whole night, talking and laughing. Exchanging glances and exchanging kisses. Neither of them had ever felt so enamored. It was in Hikaru's arms that Kaoru fell asleep, until the sun awoke them both in the morning. The hatred for their sin was still buried deep in the back of their minds, but the relief of quenching their desire made all negative emotions seem obsolete. Hatred and desire had combined to create something more powerful: love. And though a love may be flawed and broken, it is still beautiful. It was a shame their love had to forever hide under the bed.
Can you say cliché? Good!
Well, I might make a follow up chapter…In fact, I think I will. Sooo…yeah…
Hope you've enjoyed it…?