Chapter 2 - Let's Play Hide and Seek, But Never Find Me

Kaoru had been hiding all his life. Therefore it annoyed him senseless when a stupid person like Hikaru Hitachiin would come and ruin everything.

He had met people who pitied him for being alone. He had met people that thought he was stupid and that he should get out of his shell. He had even met people who saw him as an opportunity to get an easy friends. Kaoru hated all those people. The people he liked the most were the ones that simply didn't give a fuck about him, or his situation.

This might sound sad to most of you, but Kaoru did just fine by himself. He had always been alone, and always been the only reason why. Girls really liked him if they saw his face and body, so he covered it up in loose-hanging clothing and baseball caps.

Another great way of camouflaging himself was holding his Gameboy close to his face at all times; it gave him a reason not to look in people's eyes and after eventually they would leave him alone.

All this was turning out just fine, until a certain (rather annoying) person had started to interfere with his life. Hikaru Hitachiin: The most irritating pest in the whole world that he had ever come across. Hikaru had started to find Kaoru at random times and try to talk to him, and it was getting on his nerves. Mostly because he always had a horde of friends with him – people just couldn't leave that kid alone. Not even at lunch Hikaru would leave him alone. As today for an example;

"Hey, Kaoru," he heard for the third or forth time that day, and almost snarled in annoyance.

He was just sitting at a lunch-table, minding his own business, when that bothersome person approached him. AGAIN! In frustration he shoved a piece of disgusting cafeteria food in his mouth and turned up the sound of his Gameboy. Most people here ate fancy delicious food, but he couldn't afford it.

"Can I sit?" Hikaru asked when he stood by the table that Kaoru had claimed for himself with his tray; of course with the most tempting food Kaoru had ever seen. He sneaked a hungry glance at Hikaru's tray, his mouth watered slightly by the thought of letting his teeth break through the soft bread, or fell the sensation of the lasagnas cheese melt in his mouth. He hurried to look away and crunched through his own crackers.

This time Hikaru only had two friends with him, the blonde person who always talks, Tamaki something, he believed and the tall person with glasses was Kyouya Ootori he recalled. Of course they exchanged glances, clearly thinking why Hikaru kept bothering about the stuffy teen. Kaoru really didn't want to deal with them today.

"Yeah, sure," Kaoru began, and Hikaru brightened when he for once wasn't rejected. But his smile faded when Kaoru shoved his Gameboy in the pocket, grabbed his tray and left the table without another word.

"Hey, where are you going?" The flustered teen asked with a pout.

"I'm not hungry," Kaoru mumbled and tilted his food into a nearby trashcan. Hikaru frowned, and followed him with his eyes as he put the tray away and slugged toward the exit of the cafeteria.

'Where was he going? There were at least 15 minuets until class started?' Hikaru thought wondering and slightly annoyed. His head turned around when he heard Tamaki sigh loudly.

"Hikaru, what's up with you?" He asked with a pitiful expression, poking to the burger on his plate. "You barely know the guy, but you keep stalking him like a love-sick girl all the time, when it's clear that he wants to be left alone."

"I'm not stalking him," Hikaru huffed and rolled his eyes. "I just- no, forget it." Hikaru sighed and stabbed his lasagna with his fork.

"What?" Tamaki spat and flung his arms out.

"He looks like you, doesn't he? You're curious," Kyouya smirked. Hikaru shoved his meat-sauce-covered pasta in his mouth and shrugged.

"When you removed that dirty cap, yes, yes he does," Hikaru mumbled and swallowed. "I just want to know more about him, I feel like I know him."

"What? Do you have a brother we don't know about?" Tamaki teased and Hikaru rolled his eyes.

"No, that's impossible," he murmured and shoved more food in his mouth. Tamaki laughed a little and changed the subject, but Hikaru only listened half-hearted, because his mind was spinning around a single question. Was it possible?

OOO -

Kaoru had escaped to the library. The place where Hikaru couldn't approach him with his questions, if he sat with a book and pretended to study. The teen has placed himself in a chair in the far corner. He had a huge science book in front of him, letting people think he studied, when he really had his Gameboy hid under the table on mute.

Suddenly a loud crash made Kaoru yank his head up in surprise when a shocked gasp sounded nearby. He scrapped his chair against the floor, feeling the Gameboy slipping from his fingers and hurried to help a girl who had just dropped a ton of books on the floor, and now lay sighing on the floor. People looked at her, but no one helped. Jerks.

"Are you okay?" Kaoru hurried to ask and helped her to her feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she mumbled and brushed herself off. "Really, how stupid can you g- Hey, aren't you in my class? I'm Haruhi," she suddenly questioned and Kaoru frowned under the shadow of his cap. She smiled at him, "Yes, you're Kaoru, right?"

"Um, yes," Kaoru mumbled and crouched down to pick up some of the books she had dropped. She hurried to follow his example.

"Can I ask about your last name?" Haruhi questioned and collected the huge books in her lap. Kaoru was stunned by some of the titles; she really read on an advanced level. He reached out for a large blue book and sighed, he really didn't like her question at all.

"Actually, I don't know," he mumbled silently.

"What?" she whispered and looked at him with warm, but confused eyes. He shifted a little, uncomfortable. He almost wished he hadn't helped her, now he almost had to talk to her, until he had gathered all the books at least. But on second thought, she was much more calm and kind than most people he had interacted with so far.

"When I was a kid I lived in an orphanage," he began and she sat down. Getting ready to hear his story. Kaoru did the same. "The manager there told me that I had been found in a lake, almost dead, really far from here. I didn't remember anything, except my first name. They tried to find my family, but couldn't, so, I ended in an orphanage on the other side of the country… but, um, I didn't like it there."

Kaoru made a humorless laugh and put the last books in Haruhi's hands, before he stood up.

"Why not? What happened?" she asked and stood up quickly.

"Um, I should be going to class," Kaoru murmured and went to grab his Gameboy on the floor, before getting away from here.

"Kaoru," Haruhi called after him and he turned. "Thank you for helping me with the books."

"No problem," he grounded out and hurried out of the library.

OOO -

Schools dreadful hours continued to run as slow as always, but finally the bell rung. Kaoru wanted to get home as quickly as possible to avoid Hikaru, and was the first person out of the door. He rushed down the halls while tucking his arms through the sleeves of his jacket, shifting his bag from one hand to the other.

"Hey, where's the fire?" he heard a familiar voice call after him and rolled his eyes in annoyance. Regardless of Hikaru's attempt to contact him, he continued down the hall, zigzagging through the crowd of people.

He shifted his head slightly and saw that the pushy teen still was close behind him. This made him speed up and finally he reached the main entrance where people were rushing out like ants. He camouflaged himself by pulling his black hood over the cap. Unfortunately Hikaru had gotten too close and closed a palm around his shoulder.

"Hey, hold on a sec," he said. Kaoru huffed and slapped his hand away, but Hikaru kept following him out of the door and down the parking lot. "Hey, what's your problem?" he exclaimed.

Kaoru spun around, his hood falling off his cap. "You're my problem!" he spat annoyed and started flinging his hands around, Hikaru watched him stunned. "Why do you insist on following me around, wherever I go? I don't need- or want, your help. I never asked for you to be my friends or even tried to get along with you. What is it you want from me? Guess what, I'm not smart! I'm not even mildly intelligent, so if it's homework you want me to do, you're out of luck. No matter how bad your grade is, I would make it worse. Or maybe it's a bet, huh? Is it a bet? Because I'm not helping you win a bet. I can't loan you money either. Did you see what I ate at lunch-"

"Kaoru!" Hikaru yelled with an angry expression, holding his hands up and closing his eyes to control himself. "Just shut up!" he said and opened them again.

Kaoru stood stunned in a few moments, but then he took a deep breath and closed his eyes too. He had needed that outburst a lot. Hikaru watched him as he slowly calmed down before he spoke again.

"Believe me, I don't want anything from you," Hikaru said, calm again. "I just want to talk."

"Why?" Kaoru asked with a shrug. He turned and began to walk toward the street, his head bent down enough to shadow his face. Hikaru followed him close by with his hands in the pockets and his eyes flickering over Kaoru's features.

"I have questions," Hikaru told him. Kaoru looked at him from the corner of his eye.

"Why haven't you asked me any in the days you have been following me," He murmured, really wishing Hikaru would get this over with, so he could be left alone for the rest of the school-year.

"I didn't want anyone around, it's kind of personal, and I haven't got a chance to speak with you in private," Hikaru explained with a shrug, then he realized they had left the schools parking lot. "Don't you have a car?"

"Is that your important question that you had to ask me alone," Kaoru mocked with a smirk.

"Shut up!" Hikaru snapped and pouted. Kaoru chuckled lightly and somehow Hikaru felt a slight shiver crawls through his body by the bell-ish sound, his laugh was rather cute actually.

"No, no I don't have a car," Kaoru finally said.

"Bike?"

"No."

"Skateboard?"

"Nope."

"Roller-skates?"

"Do I look like the type that would use roller-skates?" Kaoru mocked and reached into his pocket to pull out his Gameboy. Hikaru stared at the device, he had one exactly like it, and sometimes he really wanted to bring it to school, but he didn't want to be antisocial – but that didn't seem like something that would bother Kaoru anyway.

"Why don't you take the bus then?" Hikaru kept going, making Kaoru huff.

"I don't like busses, especially not school-busses," he explained and started pressing the buttons rapidly, like a pro.

"I'm guessing you don't live far away," Hikaru mumbled, he didn't have a problem with small talk at all, but this person acted so coldly toward him that he really felt awkward. But something inside him liked talking to Kaoru too, he was different from all the love-struck girls and guys who respected him so much. This person didn't seem to care the least about his clothes or the fact that he was popular. He felt like he had to earn this person's friendship and not just get it. It was strange.

"I live by the station," Kaoru mumbled, making Hikaru whip his head around in shock.

"That's the other end of town, that must take you almost an hour on foot," Hikaru gaped. Kaoru shrugged bored and continued walking with his eyes pinned to his game. Hikaru lifted his hand and grabbed his wrist, making Kaoru wince and holding the Gameboy in one hand.

"Wh-what?" he complained and yanked his hand back.

"I have a car, let me drive you," Hikaru told him and pointed back toward the parking lot. "It'll be much easier."

"No thanks," Kaoru said flatly and turned his eyes toward the game again. Hikaru grabbed his arm again to protest, but stopped when Kaoru let out a groan in pain by his touch, dropping the game with a small thud. The stunned teen widened his eyes and pulled his hand back. He was pretty sure he hadn't touched him that hard.

"Sorry," he hurried to say anyway, and looked at his hand in wonder. "Are you hurt?"

"I-it's nothing," Kaoru whispered and clenched a firm hand around his arm, as if to protect it. Hikaru frowned and stared at his arm.

"Let me see it," he demanded, but Kaoru hurried to take a step back.

"I told you, it's nothing!" he almost yelled and hurried to grab his game and walk down the street, but Hikaru was faster and took a hold of his shoulder, turning him around so fast that he almost fell over his own legs. "D-don't!" Kaoru spat, but Hikaru had already grabbed around his sleeve and pulled it up.

Hikaru let out a gasp, when his eyes got a chance to scan the pale skin on Kaoru's arm. Long red stripes had been pulled across his arm, almost in patterns of red. The lines almost shone against Kaoru's creamy skin, some old and almost gone, but some of them were newer too and stood out fiercely.

Hikaru only got a quick look before Kaoru yanked his arm back and ripped his sleeve down, but he had seen enough.

"Kaoru-" he began, but Kaoru shook his head.

"Don't say anything, I know what you think. You think what everybody thinks, so don't even bother," he said behind gritted teeth. "Don't try to help me, you don't know anything about me."

"Hey, wait a second," Hikaru whispered and walked toward him with raised hands. "I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to, but at least tell me what's wrong. Please, I… I want to help you."

"Shut it!" Kaoru snapped and now raised his head all the way. His eyes shone with anger. He usually avoided looking at anyone, but right now he lifted his whole face into the light, blotting all his anger at Hikaru who looked stunned. "I have been through stuff that a stupid rich-kid like you would never understand. You might think you can, might try, but never will!"

"Try me," Hikaru said with a hard voice. Kaoru shook his head annoyed and lowered his gaze.

"Why! Why do you even bother," He yelled and clenched his fists by his sides. His eyes heated up, but he had trained them enough not to cry, that he easily held them back.

"I don't know," Hikaru whispered and stared mesmerized at the others face. "But I feel like I know you."

"You don't!" Kaoru spat, surprised that his voice was weakening. "You don't, so leave me alone."

"I still have questions," Hikaru said stubbornly. "I want to know you. I want to know why you hurt yourself. I want to know the person behind the façade and I want… I want you to tell it to me, willingly."

Kaoru made a small mock-laugh. "Leave me alone, Hikaru Hitachiin. Go back to your stuck-up friends and fangirls, live in luxury your whole life, let your parents give you whatever you want, but leave me out of it."

He grabbed around his Gameboy aggressively and threw it as hard as he could at Hikaru. The other teen let out a surprised gasp and covered his face with a hand. The Gameboy hid his hand and fell to the ground, the words "Game Over" was written all over the screen.

Kaoru spun around and before Hikaru could protest he started to run down the street. He heard Hikaru call his name, but he ignored him and continued down the road as fast as he could. Feeling his old snickers thunder against the ground, listened to his breathings that turned rasping after a short while because of the idiotic speed. He ignored his burning lungs and concentrated on the words "keep running". He held a hand over his cap so it didn't fly off.

He kept running for a while.

He was relieved that Hikaru didn't try to follow him. He looked back and saw that Hikaru was nowhere in sight, so he slowly stopped running and felt his legs ache and tremble under him. He let out a pained groan and fell to his knees. Listening to the cars pass him on the street.

He allowed himself to let out a sob and felt the tears stream fast down his cheeks and hitting the asphalt like raindrops. He would never let anyone into his life again, not after what happened last time, it was too painful. It was better to be alone, it was safer. Cars kept passing him, but no one gave him more than a look of pity, they probably had better things to do than help a lost teen on the street.

He sobbed a last time, making a little hiccup, before he went back to his shaking feet. He almost couldn't stand on his trembling legs, but ignored the pain and halted forward slowly. Suddenly he heard a roaring motor race down the street behind him, and pulling into the side where he was walking.

"Kaoru!" a voice called and he turned his head shocked. Hikaru sat in a blue sport car, his arm draped over the door and his eyes worried. "Get in!" he demanded. "I'm driving you."

Kaoru opened his mouth to protest, but knew that he would cry again if he tried to speak, so he just wiped his eyes in his long sleeves and shook his head.

"Now!" Hikaru grounded out determined. Kaoru let out a sob and shook his head again with sad eyes. Hikaru sighed and got out of the car with a click of the door.

"Don't come," Kaoru said, sounding almost scared and lifted his hands. Hikaru ignored him and walked toward him in three long steps, pulling his slim body into his own. Kaoru's arms hung weakly down his sides as he felt Hikaru embrace him.

He didn't know why, but somehow the contact pressed a button inside him. The tears suddenly started streamed out again and he sobbed loudly. He tried to push Hikaru away, but the other seemed to be much stronger at the moment.

"Let go of me!" Kaoru demanded with a weak voice. "Let go!"

Hikaru shushed him quietly and he soon got too tired to fight. He let out a cry in frustration and buried his face into the other shoulder in utter defeat and then… he cried.

Not the cute little sob crying. No. The whole package of crying; the streaming tears, the loud cries in sadness and the shaking shoulders. His cries muffled in the fabric of Hikaru's shirt as he let all the suppressed pain stream out in form of tears.

If Kaoru hadn't been so broken he would probably be embarrassed to cry like that. Hikaru held him closer without a word and made small circles on the back of his shirt. Soon Kaoru lifted his hands and embraced Hikaru too. His fingers clenched into the fabric of his shirt, and he pulled himself closer into the others chest.

"It's okay," Hikaru whispered shushing. "Cry as much as you want."

He felt Kaoru's hands clench tighter around his shirt and the cries became more shaking.

Hikaru had never asked anyone to cry like that, normally he told them not to cry, to cheer up and such. He really hated when people cried, he felt weird and awkward, but somehow he felt relived that he saw Kaoru cry. Maybe it just reassured him that Kaoru was really human.

He felt Kaoru's sobs become quieter after a while and suddenly the fragile teen pulled away from him with a gasp – looking like he just realized what he was doing. He hurried to turn away and wiped his eyes with the over-sized sleeves again.

"S-sorry," he stuttered and flushed embarrassed when he saw the wet spot he had made on Hikaru's (clearly expensive) shirt.

"Don't worry about it," Hikaru laughed and grinned a little by his red face. Kaoru shifted a little on his feet, not knowing what to say after that scene. Hikaru smiled a little, but it slowly faded when he saw Kaoru scratch his arm. He didn't know why he was so worried about this kid, but he somehow got angry when he thought of anyone hurting him, even if it was Kaoru himself. Why was that? Had Tamaki been right? He had only gotten a quick glance at him last time, he needed to be sure.

"Kaoru," he said and stepped closer. The younger teen looked up with flickering eyes.

"Yes," he mumbled, still too embarrassed to look him in the eyes.

"Will you take your cap off?" he asked quietly.

"N-no," Kaoru whispered and grabbed his cap to adjust it further down his face. He didn't want Hikaru to see his blushing face.

Hikaru frowned, resisting his urge to rip it off. He needed to get this persons trust; he would definitely work for it. That thought made a smile creep across his face. He really couldn't have chosen a worse victim to charm – this would be a hard task, but he was up for it.

"Kaoru," he said calmly and Kaoru gave him a side-glance. "Let me drive you home."

Kaoru thought about it, but then he shook his head in disagreement. Hikaru was about to protest, but suddenly Kaoru did something that took his breath away. He smiled.

From under the shadows of the cap Hikaru saw his mouth pull up in what could only be a smile. His heart skipped beat, and he swallowed loudly.

"That's okay," Kaoru reassured him. "We're actually not that far from my house since I ran so much."

"B-but, didn't you say you lived by the station, that's still a few blocks away" Hikaru mumbled, still mesmerized by the smile that played on Kaoru's lips.

"I do," Kaoru said and gave Hikaru a wave. "But I'm not getting into that car with you. Sorry, bye."

"No way," Hikaru pouted and with two long steps he came in front of Kaoru. "I'm driving you, whenever you want to or not."

Kaoru frowned. "No you're not."

Hikaru's face suddenly twisted in a wicked grin that really freaked Kaoru out for a second. "I think I am, because you forgot the Gameboy that you kindly slammed in my face earlier." Kaoru suddenly tensed and his eyes narrowed.

"Give it back," he demanded coldly.

"Only if you drive with me," Hikaru sing-songed.

"W-what? You big fat jerk!" Kaoru spat, but Hikaru only smirked, knowing that he was getting it his way.

A/N: Wasn't that pretty fast? And long too. ^^ Please review and tell me what you think.

And thank you to you who reviewed:

SuJuxKenichixJakotsu (My first reviewer on the story, love to you ^^) - lotlot (I remember you! *points excited* Glad you liked. :D) - Midnight Custard (You'll find out, but you're right, it IS a shame, lol. ^^) - KyubiKanji ( OF COURSE YOU CAN ADD THIS TO YOUR COMMUNITY! *bounce excited* thank you so much. ^^)- Freekness ( Well, I can't resist puppy eyes, so of course I'll continue. : D Glad you liked) - AnimeFreak322 (LOL! This chapter came up this quickly because of you. Love your review. *hearts* ^^)- wuzzgoinon(Thank you very much. : D I love the word intriguing. lol) - KuroPika X (I know it was short. xDD But this one is longer, right? :D I remember you too!)