Bewitched
Author: Krys Yuy
Summary: AU. Due to a chance encounter, Usagi is drawn to the mystery surrounding the anti-social twins at her new school. But the strength of her attachment is the last thing anyone expects.
Pairing/Characters: Usagi/? Hitachiin (Ouran Koukou Host Club)
Warning: Spoilers for Ouran if you haven't seen it, especially with the twins.
Rating: PG/K+
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters used. This fic is purely for entertainment purposes only.
Author's Notes: So, this story is growing into something longer than I intended it to be. As such, the writing style and story jumps are different from Part 1 as Bewitched was originally intended to only be two parts. Things change, however, and I hope you enjoy what will now be a somewhat extended storyline. Please read and review. (Especially those of you who have this on Story Alert and didn't review last time – a quick thought from you would be nice.) And thanks to all who reviewed last chapter (Hyper Bunny16, Hoshiko Megami, PinkRabbit, Saris Yui, Purr, Sailor-Moon Z, Moumaphet, HTchime – you guys rock!) – I appreciate every single one. Now, once again, please enjoy the story.

Part 2: Enigma

Kaoru kept an eye out for the unknown blonde in the following days, growing more and more frustrated when he had yet to spot her. Their encounter in a school hallway had been bewildering at best, leaving him with more questions than answers. He had stumbled upon her by chance, when he had been lost in the realization that his brother had feelings for Haruhi.

–

Kaoru watched Hikaru and Haruhi walk further and further away from him before he finally turned around and set out in the opposite direction. He knew now, without a doubt, that his brother had fallen head over heels for the club's natural, if unconventional, host.

But what did that mean for him?

He was being left behind. Hikaru, of course, wasn't consciously aware of it, but it was true. And Kaoru couldn't fault him for that. He was growing up.

It was finally time to grow up.

Kaoru started walking faster and faster until he was sprinting down the hallways, wanting to run and run because he felt the selfish desire to keep Hikaru close to him always, even if he knew they couldn't possibly stay like that forever. He knew it was best for them to see past the world they had created for themselves, but still… Still.

Kaoru shut his eyes as he rushed around the corner of a corridor, only for them to fly wide open a moment later as he collided with someone – he had a glimpse of blonde and sapphire before he and the stranger tumbled to the ground together. He landed on top of the girl with a grunt, she mirroring his small exclamation as books flew from her hands and she fell on her back.

He winced, a bit dazed, but still able to acknowledge the soft curves lining up neatly with his own figure. Carefully, he masked his expression and hoped he hadn't seriously hurt her. He pulled back, pushing himself up on his hands and lifted his head to get a good look at the girl. She had propped herself up on her elbows, but was staring at him with the strangest expression – a mixture of disbelief, embarrassment, fear and… longing?

Kaoru blinked, and her chaotic emotions had vanished, though she was still looking at him with wide eyes. He must have stunned her more than he realized. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly, scanning her for any visible injuries.

She nodded dumbly, and he pushed back from the ground and into an easy crouch. He held out a hand to her, and waited a bit impatiently for her to take it – she stared at his hand as if she had never quite seen one before – before pulling her up with him as he straightened to his full height.

Not eager to find out if she was a host club fan or not – he was not in the mood to deal with a squealing fangirl – he murmured a quick apology, and continued in the direction he had been going earlier, albeit walking this time.

He had taken no more than a few steps when a breathy whisper floated to his ears.

"Kaoru."

How did she–?

Kaoru stopped and turned slowly, staring evenly at the blonde girl who was now looking back with apprehension. He raised a delicate eyebrow as she fidgeted under his shrewd gaze. It must have been a fluke. Or he was probably her favorite Hitachiin twin, and had said his name in hopes of him responding positively.

Whatever the reason, his mouth opened and asked, "The bangs, right?"

"Excuse me?" Her voice cracked, and she couldn't hide her wince at the unflattering sound.

Kaoru ignored her obvious discomfort, and closed in on her. "My bangs' parting. That's how you know."

Who I am.

She gave a quick nod. "Yes." She bent down to gather her scattered books, but he made no move to help her. As her hands closed over the last textbook, she stood up quickly and took a step backward. Her eyes darted to his face and she looked like she wanted to say something before her mouth clamped shut. She gave a stiff bow and glanced at him another time before she practically ran to get around the corner as fast as possible.

Something wasn't sitting right with him. Kaoru frowned at the spot where she had been standing, trying to figure out what it was as he ran a hand through his hair.

It was only in mid-motion that Kaoru realized he and Hikaru had styled their hair without bangs that day.

–

Back in the present, Kaoru blinked as someone snapped his or her fingers in front of him. "Huh?" He turned to find Haruhi and Hikaru staring at him. "What is it?"

"The lunch bell rang five minutes ago." Haruhi frowned and touched his forehead with her palm. "Are you sick?"

Kaoru's frustration at not finding the mystery girl faded a bit at seeing his brother turn red and scowl. "Yes, I do feel a bit hot." He placed a hand over Haruhi's, keeping her touch on his forehead, and enjoyed watching his brother's scowl deepen.

"Maybe you should go to the nurse," she suggested, a touch of concern in her usually indifferent countenance.

Hikaru nearly growled as his brother winked at him. "He's fine," Hikaru said shortly. "He just needs some lunch." He grabbed Kaoru's wrist and pulled Haruhi's hand down from his brother's forehead. "Right, Kaoru?"

Kaoru chuckled, surrendering. "Yes, yes. Lunch sounds like the perfect remedy."

–

"You!"

All eyes were suddenly on the table in the middle of the cafeteria, drawn by the younger Hitachiin's exclamation. He was pointing at a blonde with two pigtails on either side of her head, and the poor girl looked ready to disappear into her seat at the burst of whispers and stares from the students around them.

"You know her, Kaoru?" Hikaru asked, leaning one arm against his twin and his other hand holding his lunch tray. He eyed the blonde critically with amber eyes identical to his brother's.

Haruhi turned to her pigtailed friend. "I didn't know you two knew each other."

"We don't," the blonde replied quietly. Kaoru swore he saw something flicker in her gaze before it disappeared.

"I'm sorry I couldn't meet at our usual spot today," Haruhi apologized as she took a seat at the end of the table next to the blonde she obviously knew. "I forgot to make my bento, and the twins forced me to agree to come to the cafeteria earlier."

"We offered to treat you and just slightly suggested it would be better here," Hikaru interjected, plopping down in the seat across from Haruhi. "You've been gone most lunches and whenever we try to tail you, you disappear!"

"Yeah well, I do have a few friends outside the host club," Haruhi said with a roll of her eyes. "And besides –" She cut off and stared at Kaoru. "Why are you still pointing?"

Kaoru slowly lowered his hand, but never took his eyes off the blonde as he sat across from her and next to Hikaru.

Haruhi noticed this and frowned. "Kaoru, it's rude to stare," she reprimanded.

Kaoru's response was just to tilt his head to the right and continue staring. The blonde shifted in her seat and began picking at her katsu curry, unable to actually eat with Kaoru's eyes on her.

"How did you know who I was?"

She visibly started and her fork clattered next to her plate. "It was a guess," she mumbled.

Kaoru's eyes narrowed. "You're lying."

The pigtailed blonde pushed away from the table, her attitude abruptly changing. "Look, what does it matter?" she snapped. Her blue eyes flickered with emotion and Kaoru was reminded of the flash of sapphire. "You don't even care." She grit her teeth as she noticed people staring again. "Don't pretend."

Kaoru watched her walk away and scowled, an expression that could usually be seen on his brother's face.

"What's with that girl?" Hikaru asked around a mouthful of filet mignon, honestly mystified.

"Why were you being so rude to Usagi-chan?" Haruhi asked nonchalantly, though the undercurrent in her tone suggested serious disapproval of his attitude.

"Usagi?" Kaoru repeated, bypassing Haruhi's question completely. "Is that her name?"

"Tsukino Usagi." Haruhi regarded the youngest Hitachiin with furrowed eyebrows. "She's a good friend, and– Kaoru!"

The younger Hitachiin ignored her and only continued to exit the cafeteria. He would get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding that girl, if it was the last thing he did. And he knew where to go to first.

–

"Kyoya-senpai, what do you know about Tsukino Usagi?"

The ever-mysterious second-year glanced up at Kaoru above the rims of his glasses. "Why do you ask?"

Kaoru hated when Kyoya stared at him like that, as if he could tell all his secrets. "She's… interesting."

"That's putting it mildly." Kyoya sipped delicately from a teacup as he continued jotting notes in his binder. He gestured to the seat across from him and waited for the younger Hitachiin to sit before he asked, "Well, what do you want to know?"

"Who is she?"

"That's very broad, Kaoru," Kyoya said dryly, but placed his thumb and forefinger against the side of his head in thought. "Tsukino Usagi. A first year in Class B. An above average student with a tendency to daydream, yet still manages to get her work done. No club activities. Her close friends include Mizuno Ami and Aino Minako." He paused and almost as an afterthought, added, "And she's the heir to the Silver Millennium."

"The Silver Millennium?!" Kaoru nearly spit out the tea he had begun to drink. "The international company with interests in not only technology and fashion, but for some reason, racing too?"

"There's also their combat and medical interests as well," Kyoya added with a nod. "Their success, however, is only a recent phenomenon, starting when they decided to go international fifteen years ago. Their wealth is about to reach the point where Tsukino Usagi can be considered for transfer into Class A."

"You don't even care."

"She seems… different than the usual princesses born into wealth around here," Kaoru mused, her words echoing in his head. And her eyes… she looked at him as if she had expected better. She didn't even know him! And what was he supposed to care about, anyhow?

"Tsukino-san was not born wealthy. She is the adopted daughter of Tsukino Ken and Ikuko."

Kaoru's brows furrowed even more, if that was possible. "Then why…?"

"Rumor has it she is the illegitimate child of Serenity, the late daughter of the Silver Millennium's CEO, Ginzuishou Shunji," Kyoya replied as if he were discussing the weather. "Serenity ran away with her lover. It happened before any of us were born."

"Sounds like a scandal," Kaoru commented, clucking his tongue once.

"Quite," Kyoya said in agreement. "The gossips used to say that Serenity couldn't handle being under the oppressive hand of her father, Ginzuishou-san. She and her lover lived in relative obscurity before Usagi-san was born. But Serenity's lover died of an illness soon after. The details are murky, but people say Serenity turned to her father for help. Others say he discovered her. Either way, she was forced to give the baby up for adoption."

"Why does Ginzuishou-san care now?" Kaoru mused, trying to piece together the puzzle of Usagi's background.

"Serenity died a few years ago. She had no brothers or sisters. It's safe to assume Ginzuishou-san doesn't want his company falling into the hands of distant relatives. He needs an heir."

"Usagi," Kaoru breathed, wrapping his tongue around her name.

"Yes, that's where she comes in fourteen years later. She transferred to Ouran in the middle of her third year of junior high." Kyoya continued sipping from his tea nonchalantly. "As for her reasons, one can only speculate."

Kaoru scoffed. "What else? Money."

"Yes, there is that," Kyoya agreed as he placed his cup back delicately on the saucer. "But you shouldn't write off Tsukino Usagi so quickly. Weren't you just saying earlier that she's 'interesting'?"

Kaoru's expression closed off. "Interesting in a 'Hikaru and I should play with our new toy' way. She'll be nothing more than a wisp of a memory next week."

"For someone with a passing fancy, you seem more than… curious," Kyoya observed, pushing his glasses up his nose. "And I assume you had a reason for coming to me rather than Haruhi, one of Usagi's closest friends."

"She won't like me snooping around," Kaoru replied, unable to hide his slight wince. "Besides, Haruhi's not happy with me at the moment."

"Ah."

Kaoru waited, but blinked when Kyoya merely turned back to his notebook. "Aren't you going to ask why?"

"I already know."

His brows furrowed. "But I just came from the cafet-"

"Kaoru! I can't believe you treated Tsukino-san like that!" A whirlwind of angry tears and blonde hair descended upon the younger Hitachiin twin before he could blink. "I witnessed everything!"

"Mi- milord!" Kaoru's chair scraped the tile as he tried to back away, but the club president placed his hands on either armrest, effectively trapping the younger twin. He was at the mercy of Tamaki's emotional tirade.

"You behaved abominably! I cannot accept this as your Host Club King!" Tamaki declared, a large frown on his handsome face. "You will apologize to her!"

Kaoru scowled, immediately irritated. "No way!" he protested. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Kaoru!" Tamaki said his name so sharply that the Hitachiin twin flinched. "I will not brook any argument! It's fine if you treat me as you do, but there is no excuse to be so rude to a lady. And with such a look of annoyance upon your face!"

"Well, she was annoying me," Kaoru replied, rolling his eyes.

"You are the one who approached her!" Tamaki shot back, looking more scandalized by the second. "And I can't imagine a delicate flower like Tsukino-san doing anything that would warrant such a reaction from you."

"She just rubs me the wrong way, okay?!" Kaoru snapped, though he was beginning to look upon his earlier behavior with a certain amount of regret. During those few minutes in the cafeteria, he had acted much like his brother rather than himself. His frustration and stress over the last few days had boiled over and he had taken it out on an easy target.

"That is certainly no excuse. You will apologize to her." Tamaki lifted up his index finger, cutting Kaoru off as the twin opened his mouth to speak. "Today. Is that clear?"

Kaoru hated when Tamaki chose to be serious. It always put a damper on things. "Yes, milord," he mumbled, not without adding in a glare for good measure.

"Good." Tamaki stood, allowing Kaoru to follow suit. "You still have some time before lunch is over."

He grit his teeth. "You want me to do it now?"

"And when were you planning on doing it?" Tamaki raised an eyebrow, almost challenging.

Kaoru chose not to answer and headed towards the double doors. Why did Tamaki act almost constantly like an airhead, and yet he had the ability to make Kaoru feel like a reprimanded child? Unbelievable, he thought with a frown. I hate to admit it, but… His mind recalled the girl looking at him with something akin to hurt. … maybe an apology is in order.

–

It only took a bit of charm to get the information he wanted out of a couple of first year girls in Class B, but he finally found the mysterious Tsukino Usagi seated on one of the many balconies available to students in the study hall building. She had chosen a particularly quiet one, which had a view of the flower courtyard with the maze garden just a bit beyond. Her chin was supported by her right hand with her elbow propped up on the glass table. Her mind seemed to be far away as she looked out over the expanse of Ouran's beautifully kept grounds.

"Hey."

His lips quirked up involuntarily as she jumped from her seat in fright, spinning around to stare at him. She couldn't hold in her gasp, and her eyes widened even more as her mind registered who it was. "H-hi," she stammered, all traces of the passionate attitude from before a mere shadow.

He turned away from her blue eyes – why did it seem like she could see through him? – and looked out towards the center of the maze. "Look, I just wanted –"

"I'm sorry!"

"Eh?" Kaoru turned back and both eyebrows shot up in surprise when he saw her bowing at the waist, blonde streamers of hair touching the ground. "Huh?"

"I'm so sorry about earlier!" She was still bowing, looking at the ground, anywhere but at him. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. That was so rude – I really can't believe I did that."

Kaoru blinked a few times, realizing he wasn't seeing or hearing things. "Hey." He touched her shoulder and pulled away when she stiffened. "While what you said confused me, there's no need to apologize. I was rude to you first. So…" She was peeking up at him from beneath her bangs and he smiled. "I'm sorry."

She stood up straight again, blinking owlishly. "Pardon?"

"I'm sorry about how I acted," he repeated. "I just – I was trying to find you these past few days, and coupled with some other… things…" He thought of his brother and Haruhi, and closed his eyes. "I took my frustration out on you. I'm so –"

"It's fine." She gave him a nervous smile. "You don't have to apologize again. It's okay." She sat down once more and fidgeted with the textbook she hadn't bothered to open yet.

Kaoru watched her through narrowed eyes. She was quick tempered in the cafeteria, but one wouldn't think that looking at her now. Now, she seemed rather… gentle. It only served to confuse him more. This girl he had been searching for was definitely an enigma. He hadn't known what to expect once he found her. It happened so suddenly, and he actually hadn't thought that far ahead. The only thing he had focused on was finding her, so he could ask one question.

"How did you know who I was?" he repeated his earlier inquiry, taking a seat across from her. Her eyes shifted away from his, and before she could come up with some excuse, he interrupted, "And please don't lie."

She stopped fidgeting at that, but seemed unable to look at him. "I just… knew," she answered quietly.

"You knew," he repeated dumbly.

"Well, you're different, aren't you?" It was obviously a rhetorical question as she finally locked eyes with him. He was surprised to see a fierce sort of conviction in her deep blue gaze. "You and Hikaru-san."

"Yeah…" Kaoru stared in amazement at the girl who made it sound so simple. Her words echoed a certain cross-dresser's. It only served to enforce the reason why he had looked for the blonde in the first place. He had wanted to find another Haruhi. Someone who could tell him and his brother apart. Someone with the ability to see him.

As those pools of sapphire gazed into him, Kaoru felt a chill run down his spine.

–

"Hey Haruhi, tell your friend here to come to the host club," Kaoru said as he slid in the seat next to Usagi's, casually slinging an arm around her shoulder. Hikaru mirrored his position, except it was Haruhi in his grasp.

"Why would she want to be subjected to that insanity?" Haruhi pointedly ignored the Hitachiin twins, and focused on her friend. "The curry again, Usagi-chan?"

Usagi blinked at the sound of her name, her gaze torn away from Kaoru's hand on her shoulder. "Huh – ah, yes," she answered, smiling, if a bit nervously. The feel of his arm along her back made her cheeks warm. "I just love the spice in the curry here."

Kaoru frowned as the blonde attempted to ignore him. Their conversation on the balcony days before had done nothing to quench his curiosity. He only found himself all the more eager to be in her company. He wanted to know her secrets, be in her confidence, as Haruhi seemed to be.

"This cafeteria has nothing on the curry our chef can cook up at home," Hikaru commented around a spoonful of lime gelato. "He can make it just the right type of spicy."

"I don't know – I've heard of your guys' infamous taste in food," Usagi replied, relaxing a bit with the easy conversation, while also being able to ignore the twin at her side, at least for the time being. "I don't think I can handle your type of spicy." Her mouth quirked up adorably and Kaoru blinked, wondering why he had focused on her lips.

"Nah, probably not," Hikaru agreed. He chuckled and pointed his silver spoon at his brother. "Right, Kaoru?"

"Right," he mumbled. He sipped some of his English tea before once again going on the offensive. "Though I'm sure she could handle the sweets Kyoya picks out for the clients at the club."

Before Hikaru could comment, Usagi beat him to it. "Now those are delicious." There was a pause and then a small squeak as she pressed her right hand to her mouth.

"Usagi-chan, you've been to the host club?" Haruhi asked, genuinely curious. "Why haven't I seen you there before?"

Why haven't I?

Kaoru frowned as Usagi went on to explain. "I used to go at the beginning of the school year. It was only for a couple weeks, and I don't think you had joined yet." She seemed a bit uncomfortable, but why, Kaoru had no idea.

"Didn't you enjoy it?" Hikaru asked with a pout, and Kaoru recognized the beginnings of an act.

He quickly joined in. "Yes, didn't you?" He reached across the table for his brother's hand, and Hikaru leaned forward and grasped his without hesitation. "Though it might be partially my fault. Sometimes I get so enraptured by my brother that I ignore the clients." He sighed prettily and looked down in mock-embarrassment.

"Oh Kaoru!" Hikaru tilted his brother's chin up with his right hand, moving his left hand away from Haruhi's shoulder to also cup Kaoru's cheek. "Don't say that! I'm at fault – you're just too adorable that I can't look away…"

Kaoru saw the sparkle of mischief in his brother's eye, and thought, We are getting too good at this. Though laughing inside, he leaned into his brother's touch. "Hikaru!"

"Kaoru!" Hikaru whispered passionately, looking for all the world as if he only had eyes for him.

Kaoru chanced a peek at their female companions. Haruhi was simply continuing to eat her lunch, but he hadn't expected anything else. Usagi, however, was watching them with wide eyes. Bingo. He turned back to face his brother just as a giggle erupted. It was quickly muffled, but soon after, there was the sound of muted laughter.

Since it was unaccompanied by the usual squeals and shouts of 'brotherly love', both twins turned to look at Usagi in mild confusion. She was laughing at them, and while her cheeks were red, her eyes were clear of the usual devoted rapture seen on their clients' faces when they performed their brotherly act. "You guys –" She giggled again. "– are way too funny."

"Well, it's not meant to be funny." Hikaru pulled him close so they were cheek to cheek. Kaoru was forced to release the right arm he had wrapped around Usagi the entire time, and leaned further towards his brother across the table. The twins both narrowed their eyes at their prey. "Isn't your heart racing?"

"From all the laughter, maybe," Usagi replied, flipping one ponytail over her shoulder casually, though her eyes were dancing.

"This won't be easy, Kaoru," his brother murmured in his ear. He recognized that tone as Hikaru's interest being piqued.

"Not at all, Hikaru," he replied in turn. They both watched as Usagi's attention turned from them to Haruhi, her posture truly relaxed for the first time around them. "But that just makes it more fun."

–

"I don't know what you're up to, but you better not be messing around with Usagi-chan's feelings," Haruhi said quietly, approaching Kaoru as the host club hours ended for the day.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Kaoru faked ignorance and acted offended. "And why are you telling me this? You know it's Hikaru who usually comes up with our little plays, anyways."

"Schemes, you mean," she muttered under her breath. She looked through her briefcase to make sure she had all her schoolwork. "Kaoru, I know you've taken an interest in Usagi-chan for some reason."

He laughed. "And what? You can't believe I would fall under her spell?" he asked, actually half-curious to hear her answer.

Haruhi ignored his attitude. "I know you and Hikaru. I may not know your deepest, darkest secrets, but I recognize the way you guys are acting. I do know that you two are eyeing her like she's your new toy." She slung her briefcase over her shoulder. "I can't stop you from your particular brand of practical jokes, but if you're planning something else…"

"Did you hear that, Hikaru? She's calling you."

He waved his hand dismissively, as if that would air away her concerns. "That's all we do – just some good-natured pranks," he replied, his eye contact with her never wavering.

"I don't waste my time on liars."

Kaoru didn't move as Haruhi studied him, her brown eyes seeing more than he'd like. She was always eerily perceptive, but he couldn't afford for her to ruin this chance. "Haruhi, there's nothing to worry about," he finally reassured her, after a few seconds of silence. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Usagi-chan is in no danger with us." He emphasized the friendly suffix with a devastating smile.

It did nothing to quell Haruhi's suspicions, but she reluctantly let herself be led to the exit. "I'm serious, Kaoru," she repeated. "I'd hate to see Usagi get hurt."

He paused at the door and looked down at the short brunette. "You have so little faith in us." It wasn't a question.

She stared back, unblinking. "I think you get easily carried away. I think you need control in a situation where it feels like you have none." Kaoru hated how matter-of-fact she sounded. "And I think you see something in Usagi that scares you."

Why couldn't Haruhi apply all this damn perception to her own life? "I'll see you tomorrow, Haruhi." He gave her a small wave and a bright smile for show, but they both knew that meant the topic was closed.

She sighed. "Bye, Kaoru." She disappeared behind the ornate doors and Kaoru leaned back against them, glaring at the ground.

"Cr… uel… You guys are awful!"

No one ever understood. Couldn't they see? It could all be an elaborate act. They had to do this. He had to do this to make sure. He couldn't afford to let his guard down around her. She was dangerous.

This is more than just a game.