Kaoru's POV:

Pale hands ghosted over my warm skin, stroking my chest in a way that spoke of love and lust. I closed my eyes, tipping my head back as fingers inched down my navel, playing with the skin just above my hipbone. Something warm and moist slid over the skin there making me shiver. I bit my lip against a moan that threatened to slip out and stared into those painfully familiar amber eyes that held so much emotion, so much love. "Hikaru," I whispered breathlessly, "Hikaru, I love…"

My eyes snapped open. My body was hot, my skin sticky with sweat as I tried to catch my breath. As soon as I wrapped my mind around my current situation, I moaned in humiliation. Really? A sex dream about my brother? Could I be any more messed up? I ran a hand through my damp bangs, pushing them out of my eyes. Throwing off the covers, I shuffled to the bathroom, turning the shower on. Cold water would do me good right now. Stripping off my pajama pants, I stepped into the cold spray, letting it clear my head.

When my body had relaxed somewhat, I turned off the water with more force than necessary and grabbed the only towel I owned, wrapping it around my waist. Humiliation and shame still clung to me, and I felt dirty, even though I had spent the last half hour rubbing my skin raw with a cheap bar of soap. Any pity I had for myself and my current situation instantly disappeared; this was my punishment. For liking my brother in a way that I knew was wrong…this new life was my punishment.

It became clear pretty quickly that sleep was out of the question, even if it was only four in the morning. I breathed out a sigh, grabbing a mug from the cupboard and filling it with warm water from the tap. I poured in some of the instant coffee powder and voila: caffeine. It tasted bitter and was only lukewarm, but I couldn't have cared less. I just sat there at my makeshift kitchen table and tried not to think of how disgusting I really was.

When I had had about as much of the sour drink as I could stand, I stood up stiffly and dumped the rest of it in the sink. I still had a crap-load of time to kill before I had to go to work, and I had absolutely no idea what to do with it. I had no TV, didn't own any books…what the heck was I supposed to do? I decided a walk would be the best course of action. After all, there was literally nothing to do here. Pulling on my shoes, I grabbed my keys and headed out the door.

I had no idea where I was going; I thought of heading back to that old church, but why should I? It was old, it was a church; that was about all it had going for it. Instead I found myself winding through the streets like some sort of stray cat. When I came across a little park, I decided to let myself take a break and fell back against one of the worn benches.

The sun was just now rising, peaking through the clouds. It was nice, I thought to myself, peaceful. I let my eyes drift shut as the faint rays of sunlight casually danced their way across my skin. Unaware of how tired I really was, I found myself slipping into sleep's grasp.

I opened my eyes with a start. Crap, how long had I been out? I glanced at my watch: 6:17 AM. Well, at least I wasn't late for work. With a sigh and a stretch I stood up and started making my way back to my apartment. I was about halfway there when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. It looked like a flame of some sort. I turned my head and my breath caught in my throat, freezing me to the spot. That was unmistakably Hikaru.

He was only a short distance behind me, though he was walking on the other side of the road, his amber eyes scanning the area as if he were looking for something he'd lost. He looked so heartbreakingly sad and in that moment I wanted nothing more than to wrap my arms around him and bury my face in his neck, and just breathe in his scent—I cut myself off with a mental slap. Coming back to my senses, I took in my current situation. Hikaru hadn't spotted me yet. If I was careful, I could get out of this without him knowing I was ever here.

As if reading my thoughts, his head jerked up and he glanced over at me. Clenching down on my lip, I turned away and started walking again. Please don't come over, please don't come over,please don't come over…!

"Sumimasen," he called from across the way. I flinched and walked a little faster. Ever the stubborn one, Hikaru just crossed the street, hurrying to match my pace. "Sumimasen," he repeated, his voice soft and breathless and devastatingly beautiful, "I'm looking for someone. Have you seen anyone that looks like me?" I shook my head sharply, stepping up my pace.

Without warning his fingers latched onto my wrist, pulling me to a stop. For one glorious moment everything felt right. And then his voice broke through my reverie. "Kaoru?" His tone was hesitant, as if he were unsure. Jerking out of his grasp, I fled, sprinting as I've never sprinted before. I could hear him shout my name, and then he was behind me once more. I thanked the gods that I no longer believed in for the fact that I had always been just a little faster than Hikaru. I tore through the city, twisting through the back streets until I came to a fork in the road. I glanced behind me; Hikaru had yet to catch up.

I ducked behind a dumpster, crouching down and held my breath. Less than ten seconds later I could hear Hikaru's frantic footfalls. They stopped beside the dumpster and I knew he was trying to figure out which direction I went. Cursing venomously, Hikaru sprinted down the path to my right. I waited until I couldn't hear him anymore before slowly untangling myself and standing up. I'm sorry, Hikaru…but it's better this way…Without a word, I turned and headed in the general direction of the market. I'd have to be more careful from now on.

AN: Happy Monday, everybody! Mondays are always my least favorite day of the week, so I thought I'd try to make everyone's day a little brighter by updating! ^^

On a random note, I've found listening to The Script's song "Exit Wounds" has served as a huge inspiration for this story. I recently stumbled across a fan-made video created by IamBananaI on youtube that features the Takagi brothers and this song. It's a wonderful video and if anyone wants to see it, I've put the link on my profile. Technically, it's from one of their previous dramas entitled Indigo no Yoru (another fabulous show!) but they have red hair in it, so they still look like the Hitachiins. =3

As always, whoever reviews will have my everlasting love!