"Kaoru!" Mrs. Hitachiin shouted as she burst through the door. "What happened to you? You're not too hurt, are you? Who would dare do this to my baby?!"
Koru whimpered and buried his head in Hikaru's shoulder, trembling harder than the last remaining petal on a cherry blossom tree.
"What's the matter?" She couldn't seem to keep her volume below a shout as tears sprung to her eyes. How could her son be cowering in fear? She expected him to leap into her arms for comfort. Well... maybe not leap… they weren't the closest family… either way he should have been seeking comfort in her, not hiding from her.
"Out!" Hikaru snapped. He too was furious with his parents. "Get out!"
"Hikaru, is that any way to talk to your-" Mr. Hitachiin began but was interrupted by the quick-thinking Kyoya.
"Mr. and Mrs. Hitachiin, if you'll come with me, I'd be happy to explain the situation to you." He somehow managed to herd the flustered couple out the door, beckoning for Mikami to follow.
"What is wrong with my sons?!" Mrs. Hitachiin demanded. "And who are you?!" She turned to Mikami.
"This is Mikami Yano, the man who helped us rescue Kaoru." Kyoya explained. You have him to thank for your sons' lives."
"I really didn't do much…" Mikami blushed, unsure of what Kyoya's plan was.
"Don't be humble!" Kyoya placed a hand on Mikami's shoulder. "This man gave the police the information they needed to take the system down."
"Well thank you, Mikami." Mr. Hitachiin extended his arm for a handshake. "We owe you a lot for returning Kaoru to us."
"It was no trouble."
"I find that hard to believe!" Mrs. Hitachiin still didn't seem to remember what an 'inside voice' was. "Are you a detective?"
"No," Kyoya shook his head, "he was being forced to work for the people who were holding Kaoru. His incentive for staying with them was the fact that he was being paid well enough to care for his ill mother and the threat of the boss killing him if he tried to leave."
Mr. and Mrs. Hitachiin silenced themselves, taking in the information Kyoya had just spewed at them as if he was listing the specials at a cheap restaurant.
"So I've brought him along to explain to you why Kaoru and Hikaru are acting the way they are." Kyoya finished. "He was inside, so he knows everything there is to know about that place."
"Is this true?" Mr. Hitachiin practically squeaked.
"Yes." Mikami hung his head. "I worked there."
"You said your mother is ill?"
"Very. The treatments are expensive, it was the only way I could pay for them."
"Enlighten me, why is our son so afraid of us?"
Kyoya slipped back into the room while Mikami sorted his thoughts and began his explanation. Kaoru and Hikaru were wound tightly together, but no longer cowering in fear or looking furious.
"Is everything okay in here?" Kyoya asked after a moment, seeing the twins hadn't noticed him.
"They're not coming back, are they?" Kaoru was no longer physically trembling, but his voice shook all the same.
"Mikami is explaining to them what happened to you, and then he will explain it to you."
"I know what happened." Kaoru's breath sped up slightly, along with his pulse. "I was there."
"But Mikami knows the whole truth." Kyoya kept his tone soft, hoping not to startle Kaoru too much. "You only saw what they wanted you to see."
Kaoru didn't respond, only tightened his grip on the fistfuls of Hikaru's shirt he held.
"You're going to have to face them sometime."