Chapter 4 - Fire
"You went to that creature's house?" Tamaki spat surprised.
Hikaru shrugged and spun his straw around his milkshake. Tamaki and him had gone to a café after school, because the blonde teen had noticed that he had been gloomy all day and wanted to cheer him up. Kaoru had done nothing but ignore Hikaru all day– even more than usual.
"I understand that he's angry," Hikaru mumbled and lifted his straw to watch the strawberry liquid drip down from the tip of the purple straw. "I ripped his phone out of the wall and particularly tackled him to the floor" – not to mention the rather forceful lip contact.
"Whatever, he should be grateful that you spend time with him," Tamaki stated and took a deep inhale of his own blue drink. Hikaru let out a groan and let the straw drop back in the drink.
"He doesn't care about anyone, he likes being alone," Hikaru murmured and leaned back in his seat in deep thought.
"Hikaru, Hikaru, Hikaru," Tamaki sing-song'ed with a disappointed voice. "Nobody seriously likes to be alone. Some people just put up walls that are high enough to fool themself too – to feel better, you know." He took another sip of his drink.
Hikaru frowned. "But Kaoru is different. He really tries to push me – and everyone else – away."
"Sometimes people doesn't put up walls to keep others out," Tamaki said and lifted a wise finger. "But to see who cares enough to break them."
"Wow, thank you doctor Phil," Hikaru huffed and rolled his eyes.
"That'll be 1678 dollars," Tamaki demanded and reached his hand out. Hikaru chuckled and finally started drinking his own milkshake. The blonde teen gave him a crooked smile, obviously proud of himself and leaned back in his chair. "You know, Hikaru."
"What?" Hikaru asked with the straw in the side of his mouth.
"You act like a love-struck girl," Tamaki laughed.
"Shut up!" The Hitachiin snapped and threw his napkin at Tamaki with a violent swipe. Tamaki chuckled, but suddenly his eyes focused on something behind Hikaru.
"Speaking of the devil," Tamaki whispered and hurried to look away. Hikaru almost choked on his milkshake and spun around in his chair. It was true; the person they had just talked about had entered the café, as on cue, with his usual tired expression and blue cap. Hikaru felt something clench inside him and frowned.
"Hello, Kaoru," a female voice said and Hikaru watched with surprise as their blonde waitress approach the teen with a wide smile. "How are you?"
"Good," Kaoru murmured absentminded and walked beside her into the kitchen.
Hikaru spun back around in his chair and stared at Tamaki with wide eyes. "He works here! Kaoru works here!" he almost shouted.
"I can see that," Tamaki said with a grin.
"Should I talk to him?" Hikaru spat, making Tamaki laugh in disbelief.
"Talk to him if you want," he said bored, and emptied his glass with a loud slurping sound. Hikaru made a groan and jumped to his feet. Tamaki watched him with pitiful eyes. "You're a mess, dude!"
"Shut up!" Hikaru snapped. The blonde chuckled.
OOO
"Two, number 5!" the waitresses yelled at Kaoru and he nodded silently. He hurried to put on the (acquired) apron and gathered his ingredients. Cooking was something he really loved doing, and he was pretty good at it too – even at a crappy place like this. Too bad they mostly sold soft drinks and breakfast.
He grabbed a clean glass and started measuring milk and fruit, when an (all too) well-known voice sounded from across the counter.
"Hey Kaoru," Hikaru said, almost choking on the simple words. Kaoru gave him a quick glance from under the (also required) uniform-cap that he had to wear. It was basically a blue cap and a blue apron with the name "Ouran Café" in big yellow letters. His eyes met with the other boys for a long second before he looked down again.
"Um, Hello, welcome to Ouran Café, if you wish to order please be seated and a waitress will take your order," Kaoru murmured without even looking up.
"I- I already ate, well, I had a drink… but you know what I mean," Hikaru babbled and scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Hikaru, please stop approaching me," Kaoru mumbled with a sigh and put the fruit in a tall blender, mixed with milk and ice cream.
"Kaoru-" Hikaru's voice was cut off by the loud roar of the blender as his copy turned it on, demonstratively. Kaoru wished he could blend the drink for longer, but eventually he had to turn it off and Hikaru continued. "I'm very curious about the fact that we look so much like each other."
"We don't look like each other," Kaoru sighed and poured the drinks into two glasses.
"We do too!" Hikaru spat and placed both palms on the counter. "This is driving me crazy."
"You think too much," Kaoru sighed and placed the drink on the counter next to Hikaru so the waitress could pick them up. To his surprise Hikaru's hand shot forward and captured his wrist with a hard hold.
"Look into my eyes and tell me we don't look alike," Hikaru whispered and Kaoru hurried to look at the ground.
"Let go of me," Kaoru demanded and tried to pull his hand back, but Hikaru just tightened his fingers.
"Fine, don't answer that, but answer me something else then," Hikaru demanded. Kaoru looked up slightly, the older teen looked deadly serious as he uttered the words. "Did you like when I kissed you?"
"Wh-wha-?" Kaoru spat stunned and his cheeks flushed crimson. He finally yanked his hand loose and he staggered back into the kitchen. Hikaru seemed annoyed that he had lost his prey.
"Answer," he demanded and ran around the counter to approach him.
"G-get away!" Kaoru stuttered shocked and grabbed a spoon on a table to protect himself.
"A spoon?" Hikaru grinned amused. He walked directly into the other boy, forcing him against the wall behind him. Kaoru looked at him like a scared kid, but regardless he let the spoon drop along his side.
"What are you doing?" Kaoru asked, his voice barely a whisper.
"Answer my question," Hikaru purred and bent down to let his nose brush against Kaoru's neck teasingly. The younger teen let out a choked gasp and Hikaru watched as the blush traveled into his cheeks. "Did you like it when I kissed you?
"N-no," Kaoru finally hissed out after a pause.
"Then why are you getting excited?" Hikaru asked with a smug smile. By those words Kaoru pushed him harshly in the stomach. Making gasp stunned.
"Prick," He spat, venom spilling from the single word. Hikaru stumbled a step back from the hard hit and Kaoru took the chance to dodge under his arm. Hikaru spun around to stop his escape, but Kaoru was unexpectedly fast and before he could do anything he was past the counter.
"Kaoru!" he yelled, but the door just smacked loudly after the fuming teen.
Hikaru half-runned after him, but sighed when he saw him jump on his old bike and disappear down the road in violent speed. Hikaru grabbed his hair with both hands and groaned, annoyed by himself.
"Well, that went well," he heard a voice behind him utter and saw Tamaki from the corner of his eye.
"He probably doesn't like me anymore," Hikaru stated with a sigh and let his hands drop, leaving his hair messy.
"No, he didn't like you before. Now he hates you," Tamaki mumbled and Hikaru let out another groan.
OOO
To Kaoru Cell – From unknown
Hey Kaoru. It's Hikaru. Just wanted to know what you were doing. :)
To unknown – From Kaoru Cell
How did you get my number?
To Kaoru Cell – From Annoying Pest (name changed)
The office… I was there and accidentally saw ur filed. ^_^
To Annoying Pest – From Kaoru Cell
Stalker…
To Kaoru Cell – From Annoying Pest
That's rly mean. :'(
To Annoying Pest – From Kaoru Cell
Like you would be affected.
To Kaoru Cell – From Annoying Pest
True! :D So whatcha doin?
To Annoying Pest – From Kaoru Cell
I hate that text language, can't you just write normally?
To Kaoru Cell – From Annoying Pest
Wut do U mean? I hav always been awsum at writing. ^_^
To Annoying Pest – From Kaoru Cell
You're a jerk. xD
To Kaoru Cell – From Annoying Pest
OH! U wrote a smiley! That means I'm forgiven! YES!
To Annoying Pest – From Kaoru Cell
It was a writing error. You're still not forgiven...
To Kaoru Cell – From Annoying Pest
I'll choose to ignore that message. Anyway, can I come by today? There's sum things I wanna talk about with U.
To Annoying Pest – From Kaoru Cell
No!
To Kaoru Cell – From Annoying Pest
I'll take that as a yes. :) I'll be there in 5. ^_^
Kaoru made a deep sigh and switched his phone off. Why was Hikaru so persistent? He hadn't done one nice thing toward the guy, but because of the "looking like me"- thing he had been bothering Kaoru since he started in school.
He let himself fall back in the couch and closed his eyes. He was definitely not letting Hikaru in his house one more time.
That's when the doorbell chimed.
"What the hell?" Kaoru spat stunned, opening his eyes. Hikaru lived in the other end of town, how could he possibly be here already? Kaoru let his feet slide down the side of the couch and hurried to the door.
"Hikaru, have you been sitting in your car all night?" he sighed when he opened the door. Then his whole body stiffened shocked when a gun was pointed right between his eyes.
"Don't even try to scream.."
OOO
"What's the rush?" Hikaru's mom laughed, when her son basically fell down the stairs in his hurry. He laughed sheepishly and swung his jacket around his shoulders.
"I'm going to see a guy from my class," he told her with a smile. "I will be home later."
"Is it Tamaki again?" she asked, leaning casually toward the door. Hikaru dropped down to get his shoes on and answered shortly.
"No, it's a new kid."
"Name." His mother demanded with a smile.
"Kaoru," Hikaru told her and finally had his shoes tied. "Well, I'll see you later."
He gave her a quick wave and bolted out of the door. His mother stood absolutely still for a long moment, then she opened her mouth to call after him, but the roar of Hikaru's motorcycle signaled that he was already long gone.
The wind tugged in Hikaru's clothes as he drove down the dark road, only lit by streetlamps. Once in a while, a car or two, would drive by, but he didn't give them much attention. He had been in so much of a hurry that he hadn't even gotten his helmet on, regardless of that, he still raced down the street like there was no tomorrow. Today was the day he would make Kaoru talk about all the tings he was wondering. yes, definitely today.
Then he heard the loud sound of a siren and turned his head tiredly. Had a cop noticed his speed? But it was just A fire-truck that came driving toward him and he hurried to pull in, so it could pass him easier. He didn't give it much thought before he noticed that it had turned, the same place he had to turn, the same place that Kaoru turned everyday.
His head lifted shocked and now he saw the black smoke that towered over his head.
"Shit." He whispered between clenched teeth and turned the gas handle to speed up. With a smooth swing he turned around the corner and now he could see them: large red flames, consuming everything in its way. At Kaoru's house. Police cars, ambulances and the newly arrived fire-truck all stood parked in front of the house, making the night looking like a lightshow. A few curious people were standing outside in their pajamas and watching the fire.
How hadn't he seen the smoke? Why had he been so stupid? Hikaru felt the guilt and anger stir up inside him. If Kaoru were hurt he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.
He lunged his motorcycle toward the house and pressed the brakes so loudly that all the people gathered immediately turned their heads toward him. He let his motorcycle drop behind him with a loud metallic thud, and walked with fast steps toward the house.
"Excuse me sir," a policeman said and grabbed his shoulder, but Hikaru just slapped his hand away. The fire-truck had already begun to spray on the house.
"Where's Kaoru?" Hikaru demanded to know; his eyes were wild with fury. He scanned his surroundings, but couldn't find him. No cap was visible in the crowd, no tired eyes, nothing.
"Sir, I need to ask you to step back," the policeman said calmly and tried to make Hikaru back off, but the teen just snarled at him and shook his head.
"Where the hell is Kaoru?" he yelled again and walked past the policeman toward the burning house, but now, two cops more had come to help and forced him away from the fire.
"No! I said I would come. He knows me! Where is Kaoru?" Hikaru yelled, but the policemen ignored him now and pinned him to the fire-truck. Hikaru let his head rest on the fire-truck, closing his eyes slowly. He couldn't fight off three armored men.
"Damn it," he whispered breathless and forced himself to relax. As the men felt him weaken under their fingers they released him slowly.
"Hikaru?" a weak voice questioned. Hikaru's eyes bolted open by the familiar sound.
"Kaoru," he spat. True enough, Kaoru watched him from a few meters away, a medical stood and wrapped his arm in a bandage. Hikaru let out a laugh in relief and almost didn't believe his eyes. Kaoru's orbs were round and dark in surprise; his hair was messy and his cheeks were dirty from ash. His cap was gone, making his hair stand out in all places and he was wrapped into a blue blanket that he clenched around himself nervously. The medical finished up with his arm and Kaoru turned toward the familiar face.
The policemen let Hikaru go and he jumped forward, and in three long steps he embraced the other teen with a harsh clench.
"Damn it! Damn it!" Hikaru cried out and hid his face in the others shoulder. Kaoru stood stiff as a board for a while, but then he slowly softened and without a word he put his arms around Hikaru's, now shaking, shoulders.
"You huge moron, you fucking idiot." Hikaru cursed weakly and held Kaoru closer.
"Sorry," Kaoru simply whispered. Hikaru let out a frustrated laugh and sighed raspingly.
"I thought you were dead. For one moment, I thought you were dead," Hikaru continued, he wasn't sure how Kaoru understood the babble of words that escaped his mouth, but somehow he did.
"Sorry," he said again.
"If I had come quicker I could have helped you, why didn't you call me?" Hikaru yelled into his shoulder.
"Sorry," Kaoru just said once again. He let Hikaru ramble about that for another moment before he pulled away slightly, uncomfortable. Hikaru pulled away too and looked at the other boy with weak eyes.
"Don't you ever do that again," he whispered. Kaoru didn't say anything; he just looked back into Hikaru's eyes silently. The older teen didn't recall Kaoru to ever look in his eyes this long without looking away awkwardly. Hikaru noticed that he had the same eye color as himself, the fire reflected in his orbs and made them look wild.
"Excuse me," a woman interrupted them, and Kaoru looked down immediately, as if pulled back to reality.
"Yes," Kaoru mumbled and turned his back on Hikaru to face her. Hikaru took that moment to gather his thoughts, but her next words made him focus again.
"Do you have anywhere to go? Family, friends," she asked him kindly. Hikaru's gaze immediately locked on Kaorus form.
"Um, not really," Kaoru whispered quietly and shifted a little on his blanket.
"No neighbors, no one from the job?" she continued, but Kaoru just shook his head.
"He lives with me!" Hikaru spat and grabbed Kaoru's wrist determined. The younger teen looked up at him, stunned. The woman looked back and forth between them for a second.
"Your brother?" she asked.
"N-no," Kaoru mumbled and looked at the ground.
"I'm a friend from school," Hikaru told her with a smile. "I think Kaoru should live with me, until he gets back on his feet. I have plenty of room."
"Is that okay?" she questioned toward Kaoru. He opened his mouth slightly in protest, but then he frowned and nodded very slowly.
"Very well, then I need your full name and phone number," she said, addressing Hikaru again. He nodded; looking a little too pleased with the situation, and quickly gave her the information. Then she gave Kaoru her card, and walked off.
Kaoru spun around and looked up at Hikaru. "You didn't have to do that. I can sleep at a motel."
"Are you stupid?" Hikaru questioned and poked him on the forehead. "I want to. It's going to be fun. Besides, you have no stuff, no money and no help – and probably no insurance either – how are you going to survive on your own?"
"I'll manage, I always do," Kaoru shrugged, rolling his eyes.
"Well, this time, you don't have to. Come on, let's get out of here," Hikaru said and grabbed Kaoru's wrist again. The younger teen looked down at his hand in dismay, but didn't bother to correct it.
Hikaru leaded him to the motorcycle he had "parked" nearby. When Kaoru realized what he was going to ride home he tensed and stopped instantly.
"No way," he spat and if Hikaru hadn't been holding his wrist he would probably have tried to run off. "I'm not riding that monster."
Hikaru gave him a sharp look. "I like you Kaoru, but don't you dare speak bad about my baby."
Hikaru released him for a second so he could lift "his baby" from the ground and dusted her off kindly. Kaoru didn't know if he heard right, but he was pretty sure Hikaru apologized to the bike on his behalf.
A/N: That was a lot longer, right. : D LEMON IN NEXT CHAP. ;)
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WhyMustIdoThis (Yeah, next chapter will have a lemon, I promise. *hand over heart* - SweetCheri (*blush* wow, thank you. I promise to update for ya. :) ) - YaoiFangirl x3 (You reviewed chapter 1, but I still think I would mention you. ^^ ARGH! Don't eat my cookies. O_O'') - KuroPika X(Yeah, Hika is not approaching Kao as fast as he usually does in my stories, but he'll be more forceful soon, I swear *grin*) - SuJuxKenichixJakotsu (Of course, Naruto doesn't have enough hot guys. ;) Like Ouran. :b) - aliisa-chan (Yay, thank you, you're always there in my stories, it makes me happy. : D) - Freekness (One juicy lemon soon coming up. : D Thank for reviewing. *heart*) -xdeathxbunnyx (I love you too. : D lol! And Hikaru says that it was not on purpose, but he wont be responsible for any touchy moments in the future. xD)
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