Hikaru awoke in a daze. He looked at the time, 5:05 pm. When had he fallen asleep again? He couldn't remember. All he knew was that yesterday he had done something terrible. He had hit his little brother. And this morning, that little brother had been missing. He groaned and rolled over, right off of the couch in Music Room 3.

Why was he still here again? The rest of the Host Club had left hours ago, but for some reason Hikaru had stayed behind. But that didn't matter right now; the only thing that mattered was finding Kaoru.

He could always ask Kyouya to send out his private police force, but that would take too much paperwork, too much time. He had to find his other half soon.

Why had he hit him? There really hadn't been any reason to…

Hikaru stood up and stretched, his mind flaming with possibilities and accusations. He sleepily made his way out of Music Room 3, down the hall, out the door, and into the still-waiting limo he'd called over 3 hours ago.

I followed Kaori cautiously, on the look-out for Haruhi. We stepped lightly up a few shabby wooden steps and through a broken old screen door. I looked around the room and grimaced. There were a few measly folding chairs, a bucket filled with rain water, a dusty white rug, and an old-time, bunny-eared television. The paint was peeling off the walls and it smelled strongly of mold.

She noticed my face and put her hands on her hips, "Do you think I actually live here? Heavens no. This is just a shed. We're only here to hide something. So turn around and close your eyes, and don't peek."

I did as she said. I turned and closed my ears, hearing a screech and a thunk, then her clapping her hands together. But I only turned when she told me to.

"We're done here. Now we can head to the hotel." She smiled and led the way out of the dusty shed.

"What was that about?" I ask as she ducks through some bushes.

"Just a few things my mom doesn't like me having," she shrugged, "Nothing to worry about." Then we make a sharp right turn and she smiles, "Here is where I live."

I looked up at the pretty building. It was made of pure white stone, with light blue borders around the roof and the windows. It had four stories, with five windows on each floor except the first. Then there was a window in the roof. The grass was perfectly taken care of, with flowers and cherry blossom trees placed perfectly around the yard. There were smooth cobblestones all the way up to the polished front steps and the elegant cherry wood door complete with golden knocker.

"Pretty…" I mumbled, awestruck. I didn't know commoners could have such elegant homes. Then again, it doubled as a hotel, so I guess it had to look nice.

Kaori smiled wide and grabbed my sleeve, "C'mon now, I want you to meet my family!" She pulled me all the way to the door and took out a purple decorated key from her sock. "Just be you, but don't be rude." she whispered while unlocking the door and pushing it open.

It smelled like roast beef and potatoes, complete with green beans, broccoli, rolls, and for dessert, chocolate chip cookies. She guided me through the lobby and down a wide hallway covered in pictures. We reached the end and she used her key once again. Their living room was like a magazine picture. There was a pretty blue couch with black embroidered pillows, perfectly placed picture frames, tables, lamps, candles, and a blue and black checkered rug. In the corner, there was a shining white fireplace with pre-set logs. Even the window blinds were an elegant pattern of blue and black flowers, with hints of white.

I was so caught up in the room; I hadn't even heard her calling "Mom! Manami! Hideaki!" until her family had shown up and were all looking at me. Kaori elbowed me in the ribs and I sputtered, "Uhm, h-hello, my name is Hitachiin, Kaoru."

Kaori frowned and walked in front of me, "He's got nowhere to stay, so I told him he could stay at the hotel. But I don't want to make him feel lonely, so he'll be staying in our guest room. Got it?"

Her little brother, Hideaki, rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever."

Her mom came over and shook my hand. "Welcome. We're having dinner in an hour and a movie after that. You're welcome to come down and enjoy yourself." Then, turning to Hideaki, she said, "Let's go finish that homework." and ushered him out of the room.

That's when her twin sister, her mirror image, Manami, came running over and hugged her. "I was wondering where you went. I was so worried. Don't ever do that to me again," she whispered, brushing Kaori's hair from her face.

Kaori smiled and took her sister's hand, "I won't. I promise. I'm sorry."

Then Manami turned to me, "Excuse me, Kaoru? Are you okay? You've gone pale."

Had I gone pale? I felt clammy, I felt sick to my stomach, and I felt empty. Their embrace made me miss my Hikaru even more. It had reminded me of the Host Club. It had reminded me that Haruhi was also somewhere in the hotel, and that she was coming down for the movie.

"Kaoru!" Kaori hissed into my ear, "Are you alright?"

"W-what? Oh, oh yes I'm fine. Thank you." I looked at my watch, 5:45.

Kaori took one of my hands, and Manami took the other. They led me down another hall and into a shiny chrome elevator. They punched in 4 and sat on the floor, leaving me to lean against the wall. The elevator gave a start and sputtered to life.

"Dinner is at 6:30. You're in the room marked 'Guest 2'. Get settled and you can come down early to help set the table." Manami smirked, "That is, if you higher folk can handle a little work."

I glared down at her, "What was that supposed to mean?"

She rolled her eyes, "I know who 'Hitachiin' is. Your mother is a fashion designer; your father travels with her. You have a huge mansion and dozens of servants. You and your brother are in the Host Club at Ouran High School. The private school, of course. You have everything you've ever wanted. You must."

I bit my lip. Everything I ever wanted? If that girl only knew. Apparently, having your twin brother hate you, breaking your ribs, and running away is everything she's ever wanted.

She continued, "Have you ever thought that maybe we, the 'commoners' might have things we want? Things we dream of? Things we can't have? We don't have the money to go to a fancy-pants private school; we barely keep this old shack up and running. This is the best dinner we've had in months, but I bet you and your kind eat better than this every, single, day. Don't you?"

I clenched my fists and resisted the urge to pound her. She really thought it was that easy! I bet she had no idea how it feels to be utterly and completely in love with your twin! How everything I want is so out of reach, and how I'll never get it now because he HATES me!

She almost started again, but the elevator dinged and opened. Kaori walked me out and before Manami followed, slammed her fist into the "Close" button.

"I'm really sorry about that Kaoru. She's not usually like this. I don't know what got into her." She grabbed my arm, "Please don't hold this against her."

And the way Kaori was looking at me, her eyes full of sorrow and her bottom lip quivering, I knew she was serious.

"I'm not holding it against her. I get that all the time. Really, it's no big deal." I say as I slip the card-key they'd given me into the slot for "Guest 2". I open the door and as I turn to close it I say, "I'll help set up for dinner at around 6:20."

The last thing I see before I'm engulfed in the darkness of the yet-to-be lit room is Kaori's innocent, happy smile and wave.

Author's Notes

(Whoo, two uploads in one day!) Manami is a little mean, dont cha think? I mean, really. Haha.

Anyways, meaning of names :

KAORI

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 香, 香織 (Japanese)

From Japanese 香 "smell, perfume, fragrance". It can also come from 香 (ka) "smell, perfume" and 織 (ori) "weaving". It is often written かおり using the hiragana writing system.

AIKO

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 愛子 (Japanese)

From Japanese 愛 (ai) "love, affection" and 子 (ko) "child".

MANAMI

Gender: Feminine

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 愛美, 愛海 (Japanese)

From Japanese 愛 (mana) "love, affection" combined with 美 (mi) "beautiful" or 海 (mi) "sea, ocean".

HIDEAKI

Gender: Masculine

Usage: Japanese

Other Scripts: 英明 (Japanese)

From Japanese 英 (hide) "excellent" and 明 (aki) "bright".