Chapter 3

The Pickpocket and the Aristocrat

The first thing Hikaru realized that it was hot outside. Hot enough to seriously consider removing his layers of clothes, only to keep them on due to the fact that the Dust would kill him. In the Ouran Building, the temperature was meticulously monitored and controlled to keep from damaging the incredibly valuable Shiners. Outside, the Dust smothered any cool air and acted like a blanket over the city. He saw the green specks clinging to the lenses of his gas mask and tried to scrub them off to no avail.

"Okay, Hikaru. You made it outside. Where to now?" He asked himself, tugging his jacket closer around him like a security blanket. He walked down the fire escape stairs, carefully skipping the steps that looked nearly completely rusted through. When he made it to the ground and looked at the city around him, he nearly fainted out of shock at how different it looked.

In the Ouran Building, everything was made of polished metals and other top-of-the-line materials. Outside, everything was bleak and lifeless. Dark pollution clouds blocked out most of the light and the cobblestone roads had too many potholes to even think about using a vehicle on it. Light posts in varying degrees of rust provided light on each block corner.

There were people exiting buildings all around before following each other in the same direction. Hikaru stood there, dumbfounded, while people weaved around him impatiently. One man with inky black hair with an undercut bumped into Hikaru before readjusting his green cloak with wings on the back and the numerous leather straps running up his legs and torso, cussing up a storm.

"Hey, fucking brat, watch where you're standing. We all need to get to the Center."

"What's in the center?" Hikaru asked, trying not to look like a complete idiot.

"Everybody knows what the Center is, idiot, the place where all the shops set up once a week. Are you suffering from a lack of air or some shit up there?" He asked sarcastically. Was that a height joke?

"A height joke from the dwarf? That is hilarious." He snapped back, unable to help himself due to the man's annoying nature.

The stranger scoffed and walked away, followed by a taller and lankier man with brown hair and the same outfit. Hikaru followed the crowd as they made their way to the "Center." It was a large open space with plenty of booths and carts packed into the areas that weren't already packed with people.

Overwhelmed with all the activity surrounding him, he ducked into an open space behind a booth and dug around in the pockets of his shoulder bag. He took out the Serial ID Card and his emergency coins and put them both in his back pocket. After checking that everything was secure, he started to wander around the Center.

"Thank you, ma'am." Kaoru told the saleslady, taking the sealed bag of Quietus, a powder that covers the sound of the excess energy, mostly sold to Shockers like Haruhi who needed it for fieldwork. The powder was the last thing on this half of the shopping list, so he tucked it into the bag with everything else and returned to the alley to meet up with Kasonada.

The crimson-haired man was waiting there, leaning against the dirty wall and holding his half of the products from the shopping list. He held out his gloved hand to take Kaoru's bag and put it on the same shoulder as his when Kaoru handed it to him. "Alright, let's get back to the apartment before the rush hits." He turned and started to walk back to the apartment building. Kaoru grew more and more nervous as he walked further.

"H-hey, Kasonada?" Kaoru stuttered, messing with the fringed edge of his scarf.

"Yeah?"

"Can I stay for a little longer? I have a bit of money from the repair jobs I've been doing and I've never been here for this long before. I promise I won't get into any trouble and I know the way back to the apartment like the back of my hand." Kaoru kept his eyes glued to the ground beneath his feet, not wanting to see the reaction of the guy he had known for most of his life.

"Sure. Just make sure you get home at least an hour before curfew, and don't spend your honest money all on useless junk." With that, Kasonada turned around and walked back to the apartment with both bags.

Kaoru grinned so wide he had to rearrange his scarf so it wouldn't fall off. He checked that he still had his Serial ID Card and money, putting them in his back pocket.

He walked through the crowds to the opposite side of the Center, where the mechanical booths were stationed; looking forward to buying some of the parts he needed that he couldn't manage to steal. On the way there, he was distracted by one of the more expensive booths that people rarely stopped at, displaying jewelry and other luxury items that people didn't usually bother with. Having plenty of time to look at machine parts, Kaoru stopped at the booth and looked for a present for Haruhi, since the anniversary of her saving his life was soon.

Flashback…

His first clear memory was of him coughing into a ratty blanket, sitting on the steps under an awning of an apartment building. It was pouring rain outside, causing everyone who had any sense to stay inside, except Kaoru had nowhere to go. The rain had been going on all week, and it rusted up parts of his arms and legs, rendering them useless. He sneezed into the blanket and sighed when he saw more grease come up, meaning that his chest was going to lock up soon. Young Kaoru closed his eyes and curled up in a tighter ball when he felt the rain stop.

"You shouldn't be out here in the rain by yourself." A girl the same age as him was covered head to toe, holding an umbrella over the both of them.

"I used to have somebody, but they left." Kaoru said, trying to shift away from the rain but not being able to move properly.

"You're all rusted up. You should come upstairs; my daddy can fix you up." She stood up and brushed off her pants before helping Kaoru up and inside slowly. "Any longer in this weather and you'll rust to death."

Kaoru smiled to himself at the memory when he saw a beautiful necklace that would look great on Haruhi. It was simple but pretty, and just her taste. "What is this made of?" He asked the saleslady, holding up the clear box with the necklace in it. The woman took a careful look at what the box contained and smiled.

"That is made from silver and sapphire, the two rarest materials in the recovered city. It is a great piece, you have a good eye, son." She went off on an obviously pre-rehearsed spiel about the necklace and how great a find it was.

"How much does it…" Kaoru began to ask before getting cut off by an approaching person of the exact same height and build, with a gas mask that was a little too clean.

"You can't honestly be stupid enough to believe her. Silver and sapphire, my ass. I can't believe anybody is a big enough idiot to think that necklace is made of anything but metal alloy and plastic gems. I severely doubt the intelligence of some of the customers here." The male told Kaoru before taking the necklace out of his now limp hands and putting it back on the table. "Think next time." He added, watching Kaoru look down to the ground, incredibly embarrassed and angry.

Before he could consider the consequences of his actions as the young man began walking away, Kaoru deftly and sneakily reached out, taking the pouch and Serial ID Card from his back pocket and walking home. The only thing he could think about on the walk back was how he was going to explain it to Haruhi and Kasonada.

Hello, I don't own Ouran or anything mentioned.

Speaking of that, I mentioned two things in this chapter. I'll give you a hint, one is from an anime and the other is from a movie, both of which I love.

The song of the chapter is: Your Ex-Lover is Dead by Stars

If you think you can identify anything that is mentioned in any of the chapters, review or PM me :) I'd love to see who is paying really close attention and knows what I'm talking about.