.
Now, this was a treat; not even Tamaki had invited her to his mansion, but here she was being escorted via limo to the Hitachiin residence that Saturday evening. The Twins pulled up at her apartment home dressed in what they considered to be snazzy outfits (if you could call orange ((Kaoru)) and green ((Hikaru)) plaid vests over white dress shirts with matching green or orange suit pants snazzy), each grabbing her by an arm and whisking her away to their luxourious home uptown.
The boys were generous in showing her everything from the main living room, dining hall, five bathrooms, seven bedrooms, two rec rooms, one gymnasium, two indoor pools, an outside patio overlooking a mile-long garden complete with koi pond and waterfall, and of course their mother's work room.
"This is where Mom designs her outfits when she's home," explained Hikaru. "She's got studios all over Japan though, and some in New York."
"Ah," cooed an impressed Haruhi.
"And this," smiled Kaoru as he opened a door, "is our bedroom."
Haruhi blinked in curiosity. "You two share a bed?"
"We share everything."
"That's... kind of weird."
"It's not weird to us," frowned Kaoru, looking offended.
The girl smiled bashfully. "Sorry, I guess I wouldn't know what it's like, being an only child."
"Yeah, that's too bad," smirked Hikaru. "We'd have twice as much fin with two Haruhi's."
Perish the thought, she thought to herself with a deadpanned glare.
"Wait!" chimed in Kaoru. "There's one more room you haven't seen yet, and it's one of our favorites..."
.
"...Ta-daaaa!" sang the Twins as they opened the doors to what appeared to be a small movie theatre in their basement.
Haruhi gasped and blinked in surprise; even the screen looked big enough for the standard public theatres. "This... is... amazing! I can't believe you guys have all this stuff."
"Hey," smiled Hikaru anxiously. "While we're here, you wanna watch a movie with us?"
"We've got tons to choose from," nodded Kaoru.
The girl placed her finger on her bottom lip in deep thought. "I dunno... This is starting to look more like a date than just a casual tour... Ah, what the heck?" she shrugged.
The boys exchanged victorious grins and gave each other thumbs up. The plan was working perfectly.
...Or at least, half of it was.
The Twins picked a classic horror film for the trio to watch, as their goal was to spook Haruhi into Hikaru's arms for comfort while Kaoru sat behind them and monitored their movements. Halfway into the film, Haruhi barely budged, even when the monsters appeared onscreen. Hikaru was getting nervous.
"I'll go get us some more popcorn," chirped Kaoru, and made a quick exit. He would return, but not with popcorn. Instead, he snuck in a few various objects that, when played correctly, would sound like thunder clapping.
Hikaru made his own move on Haruhi by feigning a yawn and stretching his arm around her shoulderline. She gave him a suspicious glare, which told him to take the arm back.
Crumple-crumple-crumple, went the sound of paper and aluminum being shaken in a trash can behind their seats.
"What was that?" blinked Haruhi.
"Oh," said Hikaru with sly eyes. "That was probably just the wind." He then quickly snapped his fingers to the boy hiding behind his seat, signifying that crumpled paper and a trash can just weren't enough. Kaoru moved on to pots and pans.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Is there something wrong with your projector?"
"Grr... No, it's nothing." Hikaru shook a fist behind Haruhi's back.
Kaoru suddenly whipped out a set of timpani drums: Brr-rr-rr-rr-rr-rr-rr-rr!
"What a strange soundtrack," blinked Haruhi.
Given the chance, Hikaru would have kicked his brother at this point. This was getting frustrating for both of them!
Finally, after a few minutes of relative peace and quiet, a head of red hair slowly rose up from behind the unsuspecting Haruhi until it gave a face, the mirror image of her would-be date. As he rose practically over her, he held out a pair of cymbals...
-CLASH!-
With a scream worthy of a horror movie role, Haruhi became weightless and shot nearly four feet in the air with fright. As she touched ground, her feet took off like the wheels of a racecar, sending her flying out of the room with a trail of dust in her wake.
"Whoops," frowned Kaoru. "I guess I overdid it."
"Haruhi, wait! Come back!" cried out Hikaru, as he too jumped to his feet to persue her. Kaoru followed close behind.
.
Haruhi may have seen the mansion's layout, but she was still a stranger here and as she scrambled for a hiding place, she soon found herself lost in its labyrinth. The boys split up; Hikaru took the upper level, Kaoru the ground level. Eventually, after calling her name about a dozen times, Kaoru entered the dining hall to find that the table cover had been pulled off and was now underneath the table, with a little bump in its center.
The younger Hitachiin slowly and gently lifted the cover to find... "Haruhi?"
The poor girl was trembling all over, her eyes completely dilated. She was sitting up with her legs pressed against her torso, her arms wrapped around them. She was whimpering.
Kaoru's eyes softened. "Aww, Haruhi... I'm sorry. It's my fault, I'm the one that made that loud noise. ...It's okay, it was just a practical joke." He reached out for her, but it wasn't until he touched her shoulder that she snapped out of incoherence. She made a yelp.
"It's okay, it's okay. It's me, Kaoru."
"...K-Kaoru?"
"Here, let me help you up." Again, he reached out for her. This time she reached back with a trembling hand, and when they touched, he carefully pulled her out from underneath the table.
Almost instantly, she flung herself at him, wrapping her arms firmly around his shoulders and neck. She buried her face in his chest as tears began to pour from her eyes. Her body was still shivering. She sniffled.
Kaoru was at a loss for words at first, as his nose caught the sweet scent of her hair. He didn't notice it, but a flush of red filled his cheeks. Yet it was his concern and guilt that overpowered his thoughts, as he began to gently caress her back while whispering, "Shh, shh, it's okay... It's alright, Haruhi, it was just a noise. ...I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to scare you that badly."
She sniffled again as she lifted her head to look deeply into his golden eyes. "...Heh," she softly smirked. She too was blushing, but purely out of embarassment. "I must look really pathetic right now, getting all upset about a little thing like thunder."
"Nah, it's fine. We're all scared of something," he smiled down at her. He noticed that her tensed muscles were now relaxing under his arms. "I really didn't mean it. I'm sorry."
"It's okay..."
"I was just trying to get you to hug Hikaru."
"Hikaru? Why?"
"Because... Well, I just thought... Wait, that reminds me..." He helped her to her feet, which wobbled at first, then walked her to the living room and called up from the stiaircase, "Hikaru! I found her!"
In no time, the elder redhead came flying down the stairs. "Haruhi! Are you okay? We were so worried." She was taken by surprise when Hikaru flung his arms around her and squeezed her tight. "It was all that stupid Kaoru's fault. I told him not to take the joke too far, but did he listen? No. Stupid jerk."
Kaoru narrowed his eyes, but went unnoticed. That was the first time ever that his twin, inseperate from him since birth, threw him under the bus.
"I'm here now, Haruhi," cooed Hikaru as he stroked her hair. "Everything's okay now."
"Mmphh...mm-mm-mm?"
"Hush, dear. No need to cry now, I'm here for you."
"Umph... panb... beef..."
"What's that? You want pancaks with beef?"
"Pant breef! Ah pant breef!" she muffled loudly, as she struggled to free her face from deep within his chest.
"I think she's saying she can't breathe," frowned Kaoru.
"Oh!" Upon releasing her from his grip, Haruhi took a long, deep breath. He then backed up and bashfully brushed the back of his head. "Heh. Sorry."
The girl took a step back and punched Hikaru's arm. It was a light hit, but he reeled back as though she had taken a bat to him. "You're both jerks! If the two of you wanted a hug from me, all you had to do was ask! You didn't have to scare me half to death!" She paused to catch her breath, as she was still visibly shaken.
The Twins hung their heads in shame. "We're sorry."
"No, I'm sorry. Sorry I ever trusted you guys. Take me home."
"But... what about the movie?" blinked Kaoru.
"I'm not in the mood to see it anymore, I just want to go home."
The boys frowned and nodded in defeat, while Hikaru opened his cell phone and dialed some numbers. "...Shinjuki, bring the limo around to the front." He hung up the phone and offered, "Want us to escort you?"
Haruhi shrugged. "Fine, I guess." Her tone was much calmer now, much to their relief.
"I'll get your coat," said Kaoru before running off toward the closet by the front door.
.
Very little was said from the moment Haruhi walked out of the mansion to the limo ride home. Night had fallen, and there were stars in the sky when Haruhi got out of the limo and started upstairs to her and her father's apartment home.
Suddenly, she heard Hikaru's voice: "Haruhi?"
She turned and saw that he had his head sticking out the side window. Her eyes met his, and noticed they were softer and fuller; was he on the verge of tears? "I really am sorry for what happened. Can you forgive us?"
She sighed in reply, "I'll forgive you this one time. But I swear, Hikaru; if you and Kaoru ever pull a stunt like that again, I won't be your toy anymore."
"...You're not just a toy to us, Haruhi."
She wanted to believe him, truly. But she was clearly still shaken up by the thunder clashes from earlier. She turned her back to him and softly replied, "I'll believe it when you stop playing with my feelings." With that she entered her home without even saying goodnight.
Hikaru sat back down in his seat next to Kaoru and leaned his head back. He felt dirty, like he commited a crime. Kaoru looked just as guilty as he shuffled his feet.
"What do we do now?" pondered the younger of the Twins. "Do you think she'll say something about it at the club?"
"We'll be lucky if she talks to us at all..."
Their limo drove off, unaware that a pair of feminine chocolate brown eyes were watching from a window from the second level of the apartment complex.
..
..
That following Monday, Haruhi was quiet. Too quiet for the Hitachiin boys to bear. She barely looked at them during their classes, then sat apart from them during lunch, and finally during the Host Club hours she spoke only to her clients. The boys were growing all the more anxious, even forgetting about their double act as they stared concerningly at Haruhi. It was perhaps the longest school day of their young lives.
The time in Kaoru's mind read: 11:30pm.
.
Finally, Hikaru couldn't take it anymore. The next morning, he had his limo drive to the nearest flower shop and bought the biggest bouquet of red roses there was, and then directed it to the school before classes began. He had a new plan, one far more blunt and honest than the others. And this one was going to work.
.
He waited until recess to meet her in the gardens once again, only now he wasn't going to bother with the hedge made or the gazaebo. He was beyond romantic symbolism now, and even if he were caught in the open by the overprotective Host King, he was beyond care now. As soon as Haruhi was alone to read a book under a tree, he went in for the kill... figureatively, of course.
"Haruhi?"
She glanced up from her book and saw him standing over her. She wasn't taken by complete surprise as she replied, "Oh. Hi, Hikaru. What's up?"
He was hiding his hands, and something else, behind his back and it didn't seem to get her attention. So far, so good. "Listen, I noticed you've been avoiding Kaoru and me. I know why, and I just wanted to apologize again for our behavior."
"Huh? ...Oh. Well, I already forgave you two, so no worries."
His eye twitched. "Eh? You mean... we're still friends?"
"Of course."
"Then, why were you avoiding us?"
She cocked her head like a puppy dog. "Was I? Aw, I'm sorry if I've been distant; I'm just focused on my studies 'cause there's a big test coming up in two of my classes. I can't concentrate on school and hang out with you guys at the same time, it's too much energy."
He sighed with relief. "Oh, is that all it was? Good, because I was really afraid we'd done something to make you hate us."
She shook her head. "I can never hate you guys, no matter how annoying or obnoxious you are." Her eyes fell back into her book.
With his confidence reborn, he fell to one knee before her. "Haruhi...?" At first she didn't hear him, so he revealed one hand to lift her chin with his pointer finger and thumb. "Haruhi, I've been trying to tell you something important. So far nothing I've done has gotten through, so I'm just going to be completely blunt." He revealed his other hand, which was holding the bouquet of red roses. "I'm in love with you."
There was quite a long pause, as she gazed almost dream-like at the roses. Their scent caught her nostrils, sending a chill down her spine. Her mouth gaped open, her eyes widened. But still, she was quiet.
"...Please say something," begged the Hitachiin boy softly.
"...Hikaru... I..."
"...Yes?"
"...Wait. Are you saying... that you want to go out with me?" She blinked wildly. It finally hit her like a mad truck that lost its brakes.
"Heh," he smirked as his cheeks flushed as red as his flowers. "Well, you could say that, yes."
She took a deep breath as her eyes began to glisten. "Aw, Hikaru..."
"Heh-heh, you're not gonna cry now, are ya? I thought you were tougher than that."
"Hikaru, I..."
"It's okay, you don't have to say yes just now. I'll give you all the time in the world."
"But... I... I don't love you. Not in that way."
His heart froze for a moment, and his flowers suddenly aged a few days, whithering slightly.
"I'm sorry, Hikaru. I do like you, but only as a friend. I thought I made that perfectly clear."
"You did... and you're one of the best friends a guy could ever hope for... But I want more than that."
Her eyes softened as though they were holding back tears. "I can see that now..." Her head lowered as she dropped her book to her side and slowly rose to her feet. As she looked back at him, she could see that he was shivering a bit, and his flowers were losing their deep red color. "Oh Hikaru, I'm so sorry. But I'm really not ready to be in a relationship with anyone. I'm far too focused on graduating school with a degree in law, which isn't easy even for a school as convenient as Ouran."
A few petals began to drop like dead flies from his bouquet.
"I hope you can understand where I'm coming from, Hikaru. Maybe in a year or two, when I've graduated and moved on, maybe then I'll be interested in finding the right guy."
"What if you've already found him? What if he's standing right here in front of you? ...Why wait, Haruhi? Why not now? With me?"
She hesitated to give him an answer.
"...Is it Tamaki-senpai? Are you more interested in him?"
"No! God, no!"
"Well, who is it then? Kyoya-senpai? That Aaron guy we met in Karuizawa?"
"His name is Arai, and no!"
"Well then, who is the lucky guy? Nekozawa? Bossa Nova?"
"NOBODY, Hikaru! There. Is. Nobody. In my life right now! Don't you get it?"
He staggered; never before had he heard such a harsh tone coming from this girl he was so hopelessly in love with. He grit his teeth as he was shivering more profusely now. His flowers faded to a pale hue and drooped from their stems.
Haruhi stood her ground and said, "I'm not a total idiot, you know. I'm aware that a lot of guys around here have a crush on me. But none of them have gotten even close to winning my heart. And I know you don't want to hear this, Hikaru, but you're not fairing any better than they are. And, if you keep persuing me like this, it's only going to annoy me."
So taken aback was he, that he lost his grip on the bouquet; and as they hit the ground, the petals faded to jet black.
The girl in boy's clothing bit her lip, realizing that she went for the juggluar there. "...I'm... I'm sorry, that was too harsh."
"No... No, I get it. You want your space... I can live with that." But while he said this, his head was lowered so that his bangs could hide the saddness in his golden eyes. "I don't want to be a bother to you, Haruhi; you're far too important in my life. If you want to be alone... then that's fine... I'll leave you alone from now on."
As he turned to walk away, she fought the urge to follow him, to apologize for huting him. But she couldn't, she had to stay true to her word or else he'll end up clinging to her like grim death... and she just couldn't have that. Not now, not while her future was still top priority. So she just stood there like a statue, as the broken young man walked with his broken heart in his hands.
"...aw, Hikaru..."
Her heart went out to him.
..
..
Later in Music Room 3, the club's hijinks were in full swing, except Haruhi forced herself to look away from the Twins as they continued to swoon their female guests with their brotherly love act. Their playful voices suggested that all was well with them, and it was only a matter of time before Haruhi's curiosity spiked. She wondered if Hikaru was feeling any better, so she turned to face them. It was a decision she would soon regret.
Despite his best efforts, the elder Hitachiin twin couldn't hide the pain in his eyes. His guests wouldn't notice because he was too busy flirting with his brother, but Haruhi could see they were glossy and tired, as though he were in desperate need of sleep. Then suddenly, his face turned toward her. The two of them flinched and looked opposite of each other. He fell silent.
"Hikaru?" peeped a concerned Kaoru, but his brother remained unresponsive.
Haruhi's heart sank, knowing that she was the cause of the boy's stinging pain. "Excuse me everyone," she muttered as she rose from her sofa. "I'll just be a minute." She tried to walk casually out the door, but her feet were faster than she had hoped.
.
The girl in boy's clothing leaned her arm against a pedestal in the hallway, as her head slumped downward in shame. How could she go back there, knowing she was mere feet away from a guy whose heart was now smashed in a million pieces, a heart she herself smashed? No, it was too hard. She would have to come up with an excuse to leave the club early...
"Haruhi?" peeped a familiar voice.
She turned around and was surprised to see a Hitachiin boy behind her, but not the one she was exoecting. "Kaoru?"
"Hey," he frowned. "...I know what happened earlier. Hikaru told me... I'm sorry it didn't work out between you guys."
Haruhi sighed deeply as her back leaned against the pink wall. "It's my fault. I'm such a ditz."
"No you're not," he was quick to respond.
"I am. All I do is hurt guys' feelings. I never mean to, but it just seems like... like every guy I know gravitates towards me, and I honestly don't know what they see in a scrawny, flat-chested 'commoner' like me."
"You're not just a commoner."
"But I am flat-chested."
Kaoru couldn't help but giggle. "...Well, that's part of what makes you so cute. You're just a great person to be around, that's why everyone loves you."
She rested a hand on her forehead as though a fever was coming on. "I'm sure Hikaru hates me now."
"Hikaru could never hate you. I don't see how anyone could. You're smart, Haruhi; and you're funny, and you always seem to know just what to say. Why do you think so many of our guests want to hang out with you? It's not just because they think you're a boy; it's because you're so kind and honest."
She looked up at him and could see the sincerity in his deep, golden eyes. "I know you're trying to make me feel better, Kaoru, but I really can't go back in there. I... I can't face him. Not right now."
He nodded. "It's okay, I'll just tell them you weren't feeling well. But I hope you come back soon. We'll all miss you."
She sighed again. "Thanks..."
"Come'ere, gimmie a hug." His arms spread out and he gave a warm smile. That was enough to draw her in. As the two of them embraced, he once again caught the scent of her hair in his nostrils, and gave out a small but noticeably excited sigh. His chin nuzzled her gently.
It seemed as though she too was relaxing in the hug, as she closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest. She couldn't help but smile; in that moment, they were both at their most content.
"Feel better?" he said softly.
"Mm-hmm," she nodded. "Thanks, Kaoru. I really needed that." Perhaps it was a moment of weakness or instinct, but right after she said that the girl lifted her head to his face and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.
Perhaps it was instinct, or a reflex, but before the boy knew it he was pulling the girl in for a soft yet long kiss on the lips. There seemed to be no resistance from her, but she could have just been taken by surprise. She always did have a hard time with showing real emotion. But whatever her excuse was, there they were, lips locked with her eyes wide open and his contently closed. He lit up with joy.
And joy almost instantly turned to pain when a growl from behind shot to his ears: "You son of a BITCH!" Followed by a feirce tug of his hair, pulling him backward, and finally...
-POW!-
A flash of light and shadows shrouded Kaoru's sight, as he was temporarily blinded by a fist to the face. He fell to the ground on his back hard, but just when the pain set in, his twin brother loomed over him and grabbed his collar with his left hand, preparing to throw his right fist yet again.
"Hikaru!" cried out Haruhi, but her scream fell on deaf ears. Again, and again, one twin pulverized the other with his fist. "STOP IT!" she hollered. When her pleas went unheard a second time, she jumped forward and threw herself in between them. "Enough! What is wrong with you!? He's your brother!"
Shaking with rage with a bloodied fist, Hikaru growled, "So you're taking his side, huh? That only proves it."
"I'm not proving anything, except that you're an idiot! How could you do this to him?" She cradled Kaoru's head in her lap while he covered most of his face with his trembling hands.
Seeing the two of them together made Hikaru's blood boil. He probably would have stayed, except he heard the doors of Music Room 3 swing open. "...You two deserve each other," he hissed before making a quick exit.
Music Room 3's front doors flew open, followed by Tamaki and Kyoya running through its doorway and into the hall. "Haruhi? Haruhi, what happened? Are you alright?" cried out the Host King in terror.
"It's Kaoru," the girl in boy's clothing called back. "He's hurt!"
The two elder students stopped by her side and looked down at the fallen Hitachiin. In his daze, the redhead uncovered his face, allowing blood to spew from his nostrils. At the sight of the blood, Tamaki yelped, "Augh-gah-buh-blood!" He then flushed white from head to toe and plopped to the ground, out cold.
"Kyoya-senpai," pleaded Haruhi, "help me get him to the infirmary."
"I'm on it," said the Shadow King. As he helped Kaoru to his feet by holding his right arm and Haruhi his left, Renge came running out while a few of her fellow female students followed. She caught a glimpse of Kaoru's bloodied face and gasped. "Renge," said Kyoya, "don't let them see this."
She gave him a nod, and with lightning speed she whipped out hundreds of feet of yellow tape and lined it in front of the Hosts until it blocked them from sight. She then pulled out her loudspeaker from thin air, turned to the lady guests and announced, "Alright everyone, nothing to see here! Just some secret project in the works, everything's fine. LOOK, BOYS MAKING OUT OVER THERE!" When the young ladies turned around, she shoved them- yes all of them, in one grand push- into the music room and slammed the door shut. She then used her own body to keep the others from pushing their way back out. "I'll keep 'em busy, you guys hurry," said the self-proclaimed manager.
Kyoya smirked; She sure knows how to make herself useful, he thought. He then resumed escorting Kaoru to the infirmary, while a blankly colored Tamaki crawled behind them, careful not to look directly at Kaoru.
The clock tower in Kaoru's mind now rang: 11:45pm.
.
TBC