Hey everyone!
Here it is, the very last chapter of It's A Twin Thing! Can you believe it? After two years of writing this it's actually over, it's crazy xD! God...I started this the summer before my Junior year of high school...and now I'm starting my freshman year of college in less than 3 weeks!
But never fear! For there is a sequel on the way and I already have the first chapter written ^^! I'll have a little preview of it at the very end of this chapter, so yeahh.
A lot has happened since I last posted.
July 13th = Best. Day. Of. My. Life.
I went to this club in Albany called Northern Lights and saw Escape The Fate (my favorite band ever) and Madina Lake, most amazing night of my life xD!
Wow, TEN reviews for last chapter? I love you guys so much! I'd like to thank; xx3OH3xx, BlackRoseMuffin, KajiMori, Unknown_Player, Mitsuchan325, Killer_of_MarySues, KittyPersona, Haruka_Oujo, LookOutShe'sGotAPen, and S_H_I_N_K_U_S_H_I_R_A_Y_U_K_I for reviewing the last chapter, it really means a lot to me to have the support of so many people!
This is the longest story I've ever written...and the first one i've ever seen through till the end too and it feels really good to beable to say that xD!
Anywho, let's go ahead and get on with the chapter, yes?
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It's a Twin Thing
Chapter 18
"I know you want to go back and see everyone but...oh Nanami I'm just so worried about you going back to your father..." Sayu frowned, pulling her daughter into a loving embrace.
Kaoru put a reassuring hand on the older woman's shoulder, offering her a charming smile,"Don't worry, I'll take care of Sei and make sure nothing happens to her. If her --father-- starts trouble then she and Sai can both live with me and my brother."
Tsukyoshii Sayu pulled away from her daughter and for the first time since Sei had announced that she was going back to Japan all her worries drifted away with just one look into Kaoru's eyes. Sei's gaze shifted back and forth between her mother and Kaoru, trying to understand the wordless conversation they were having with their eyes. The amber-eyed boy's stare was intense and unwavering as he urged the woman to believe his promise. He would never let any harm come to Sei, it just would not happen as long as he was living.
The red-haired woman briefly closed her eyes and nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips,"Alright Kaoru, I believe you." Her wrist watch beeped,"Now you two best be off! Don't want to keep the plane or your friends waiting, now do you?"
Sei ran a hand through her hair and grinned,"Sure don't!" she kissed her mother goodbye and was about to follow Kaoru outside when she turned around and smiled,"Thanks, Okaasan." she clicked her tongue 3 times and waited for to hear tapping of nails padding quickly against the wooden floor, before Yasai bounded into view.
"C'mon baby, time to go home."
Her mother watched as her daughter lovingly scooped the fox into her arms and was attacked by a barrage of wet tongue-kisses. Suddenly an overwhelming flood of emotions overtook her, the strongest of which being that she felt immensely proud of her daughter.
The burgundy haired girl laughed, shifting the fox's weight so that he was being cradled like a baby in her arms,"Bye, I'll call you as soon as I get home, kay?"
"You better! I love you, Nanami."
"I love you too, Okaasan."
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"Your mom is a good woman," Kaoru mused,"she really cares about you."
Sei glanced over at him, a bright smile lit up her face and he couldn't help but to return it with a grin of his own,"I know, she really is amazing."
They fell into a comfortable silence, Sei leaned against him while idly watching the scenery through the veil of rain as it blurred by the window of the limo. The soothing lull of the rain acted as a lullaby and she felt herself drifting away to a place of tranquil serenity, somplace where Tsukyoshii Hideki and Dawson Itaru weren't allowed to step foot in. It was her sanctuary. She was almost completely immersed in her peaceful world when a deep exhale brought her back to reality.
"Kaoru?" She asked tentatively,"What's wrong?"
His golden gaze met her worried emerald stare and he shook his head dismissively,"Nothing's wrong. I was just thinking..."
She felt her stomach clench with nervousness,"A-about what...?"
Her worried tone surprised him, turning in his seat to face her with a reassuring twinkle in his eye. He brought his hand up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear,"It's nothing bad, don't get upset please."
Sei let out a breath that she hadn't even realized she'd been holding.
"I saw the relationship you have with your mother and compared it to the one you have with your father and I guess...why do you keep living with him?" His eyes held a pensive stare along with something she recognized as dread. Was he afraid that she'd change her mind and stay with her mother afterall?
"Well, when we were little it was because Sai didn't want to be away from Kaniya so we stayed with him. Or rather, we stayed at his place since he's rarely ever home anyway so we didn't really have to worry about being around him." She shrugged before letting a small smile gace her pale lips,"And...if I had chosen to live with my mom I would have never met you or the Host Club."
The ginger-haired boy pondered this for a moment, twirling a piece of her dark burgundy hair between his fingers and letting a coy smile spread across his handsome features,"Then thank God you didn't chose to live with the cool parent."
A soft giggle escape her parted lips at his comment, she was so unbelievably happy to be with Kaoru. It was strange to think that just a few measly months ago she and both Hitachiin's had been feuding, taking any chance they could to rag on eachother.
"Did you mean it?" She questioned quietly, startling the golden eyed boy for a moment as he tried to figure out whether she had spoken at all or if it had only been a figment of his imagination.
"Nani?"
"When you said that me and Sai could stay with you and Hikaru if our dad continued to bother us..."
He slowly nodded in comprehension, staring into her eyes with nothing short of adoration,"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it, love." He cupped her cheeks delicately with the palm of his hands and brought her face closer until their lips were merely a hair-length away.
"I'd do anything for you, Nanami." He whispered, gazing at her through half-lidded eyes.
"I love you, Kaoru."
"I love you too."
Their lips met in a dance of ecstacy, they could feel the fire burning inside of them, clawing its way out in an eruption of passion.
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The Host Club was lounging around the 3rd Music Room after all the girls had left, discussing plans for the next few weeks. In other words, Tamaki was spouting off over-the-top ideas left and right to Kyouya, who along with everyone else in the room didn't seem to pay much attention.
"Ne, Takashi, do you think Kao-chan found Nana-chan, yet?" The loli-shota asked his cousin hopefully, taking a bite out of his strawberry flavored pocky and chewing carefully, waiting for a response.
The tall Kendo master nodded,"I'm sure he did."
That seemed to cheer the tiny blonde's mood considerably and he went back to enthusiastically munching on his pocky sticks. He went to take another piece from the box only to come up empty handed, a small frown etched its way onto his youthful face as he tipped the box up-side-down to try and shake loose a hidden treat.
"Waii~! It's empty!"
Without missing a beat, Mori pulled out another box from his bag and handed it to the boy, smiling when Hunny's eyes lit up and the tears that had welled up in the corners dried.
Hunny reached his arms over and latched onto Mori's waist, cuddling tightly into him,"Yay Takashi!"
Hikaru raised an eyebrow in the direction of the two seniors, a small smile gracing his handsome features as he watched them interact with eachother. He felt a weight pull down at the cushion he was situated on by the window and averted his gaze to Haruhi, who had taken the seat next to him.
"You doing okay, Hikaru?"
The ginger-haired freshman shrugged,"I guess...I just hope they get back soon, it's boring here."
The brunette rolled her eyes at his comment,"You know you two can't be together forever,you need to take that step out of your little world and start living for yourself."
His golden eyes widened a fraction before he turned his face away from her to gaze out the window at the courtyard below,"I know...I'm just scared of losing him." he took a deep calming breath, turning back to face her,"Haven't I already taken that step by letting him go after her? It was hard but...if she's what makes him happy then I won't stand in the way of that."
Haruhi beamed,"It's going to be hard but that's what's going to help you grow. I want you to know that I'm very proud of you and the progress you're making." She stood and walked away to join Kyouya on the couch at the far end of the room, muttering something while keeping a blank face, whatever it was had made Tamaki stop in his ramblings and glide over to his corner of woe.
A dazed look overcame Hikaru's expression as he watched the short brunette, comprehension dawned on him,"Thankyou Haruhi..." he jumped with a start as he felt his cellphone vibrate through his pocket, quickly slipping his hand in and fishing it out. He read the name on the caller I.D and flipped open the phone with a grin,"Kaoru? You found her? Yeah I think I do...why?" he scrunched up his face,"I guess, alright see ya." He hung up and then search through his phone's address book for another number...
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Tamaki glanced up at Hikaru and tilted his head,"Who's he on the phone with now?" he directed his question to Kyouya who always seemed to know everything that was happening.
Haruhi rolled her eyes and replied before the bespectacled 2nd year could respond,"Does it matter? He's happy, whoever it is--Tamaki-senpai?" she blinked at the sudden disappearance of the blonde.
The tall, lanky blonde waltzed over to the ginger-headed 1st year, ignoring the annoyed glares that said boy was shooting him. "Is that Kaoru?"
"No."
"Sei?" He asked hopefully, inching towards the older Hitachiin who scooted away.
"No." Hikaru frowned,"go away."
Tamaki paid no attention to the rude comment and instead swiftly snatched the phone away and held it to his ear,"Who's this?"
"Oi tono, stop that!" Hikaru growled, jumping to his feet and crossing his arms over his chest while glaring at the irritating blonde.
"Sai?" He shot a confused look in Hikaru's direction, who was tapping his foot impatiently,"I didn't know that you and Hikaru were tight."
That was it. The golden-eyed boy snickered lightly at first before it became full on laughter. Tamaki stared confused, glancing between him and the phone in his hand where Sai's own bouts of laughter rang through the tiny speakers.
Hikaru choked on his laughter before both he and Sai spoke simultaneously,"Tight? What is this...the 90s?"
"How'd you do that?" Tamaki stared wide-eyed.
"Eh, it's a twin thing." Hikaru and Sai laughed.
The blonde's violet eyes got even wider and he backed away slowly, tossing the cellphone back to the boy who readily caught it and made a 'shooing' motion with his hands. Tamaki backed up towards the doors, staring in horror at the older Hitachiin, who sent him an amused smirk. The doors flew open at that moment with such a force that they knocked the blonde right off his feet, and he landed with a thud on the cool marble floor.
"Ow..." Tamaki groaned, rubbing at his sore face that now sported a fine imprint of the wooden pattern of the door.
"Nana-chan!" Hunny bolted forwards and flung himself at the girl that had just entered. "Me and Usa-chan missed you so much!" he buried his face into the crook ofher neck when the emerald eyed girl wrapped her arms around him supportively.
"Kaoru! Nanami!" Hikaru grinned, relief flooded him as he rushed forward and wrapped his arms around them both, with Hunny being caught in the middle.
Kaoru chuckled,"I missed you too, Hikaru."
The older Hitachiin twin released the three from his arms and bit his lip in uncertainty,"Ano...Nanami, look I--"
"Sei!" The doors burst open again, knocking Tamaki, who had slowly started to regain his composure, back on his bottom. A burgundy blur rushed into the room and scooped up the young girl into his arms, swinging her around,"God, I've missed you so much imotou-chan!"
"Haha! I've missed you too, Sai!" She laughed,"Now please put me down, unless you enjoy barf on your face." That got his attention and he put her back on her feet, helping her steady herself before rubbing at the back of his head sheepishly.
Her emerald eyes met Hikaru's golden gaze,"Apology accepted."
Tamaki crawled away from the double doors, incase someone else decided to join the reunion. He quickly got to his feet and swept forward with a flourish,"My dear, dear daughter Sei! I am simply elated to see you again! You have no idea how worried daddy was to not have you here where he could keep a protective watch over you!"
Haruhi nodded blankly,"In your absense Tamaki-senpai has been almost intolerable to be around. I'm glad you're back to share the annoyance."
Sei paused, she knew that that was Haruhi's way of welcoming her back as the brunette, from what Sei had seen, wasn't one for sentimentality. With her not there it really wasn't too hard to believe that all of Tamaki's attention had been focused on Haruhi. Although that probably would have happened anyway as the oblivious 2nd year was quite smitten with the young brunette, even if he was in denial, hiding behind false pretensesand 'fatherly duties'.
"Haha, thanks Haruhi."
Yasai wove between Sai's legs, staring up at the freshman with big attention starved eyes. The boy laughed, reaching down to pick up the fox, kissing the top of his furry little head and receiving an affectionate nuzzle in return.
"Aw, did you think I forgot about you, Yasai?" The emerald eyed boy cooed,"I'll let you in on a little secret; I missed you more than Sei, scouts honor!" he stage whispered dramatically, earning a playful glare from his sister.
"Thanks Sai, that means the world to me." Her tone dripped with sarcasm, but he could tell that she was kidding by the playful quirk of her lips.
"Anytime, darlin'."
She giggled at their little inside joke, playfully punching her brother in the arm,"I thought I told you not to do that?"
Without missing a beat he smirked,"And I thought you would've learned by now that I don't listen to authority."
Sei quirked a brow,"When did I become an authority figure?"
"When you decided to kill my fun." He let out a long, drawn-out, dramatic sigh.
She rolled her eyes,"Someone had to do it."
Sai fell to the floor in an overexaggerated heap, clinging to his sister's pantleg and bawling his eyes out into the material of her jeans,"Why're you so cruel, sister? Why?!"
The amused stares she was receiving from the occupants of the 3rd Music Room did nothing to eradicate the growing annoyance she was feeling. Sei ran a hand through her burgundy hair that now reached a little bit above her shoulders before shaking her leg to try and get her brother to loosen his grip on her. However this only ended with his grasp tightening around her pantleg and his emerald eyes to fill with laughter at the irritated groan slipping from her parted lips.
"You're too easy, Nanami Sei." Her brother grinned, releasing himself and standing up to face her, swiftly dodging her fist as she made to strike him again. Sai laughed, wagging his index finger in a disapproving manner,"Not-uh, dear sister! Save that for the bedroom...with Kaoru."
That stopped her.
Her face turned a brilliant shade of cherry-red and she wished more than anything that she could just disappear on the spot. Embarassment flooded her senses, she reverted back to her childhood with the thought that if she couldn't see them then they couldn't see her, bringing her hands up to cover her warm face. The sound of her brother chuckling caught her attention, and he had called her cruel!
Kaoru was in a similar state, though he tried to cover up his embarassment with a series of coughs while attempting to regain his composure. He straightened himself out and made to wrap an arm around Sei's waist, lowering his face to her ear and smirking playfully,"Looks like your brother's figured out our plans for later..."
Hikaru bit back a bark of laughter at the sight of Sai's and Tamaki's horrified expressions, the two immediately went on protective mode and started forward to rip her away from his brother when the couple exchanged a smirk before tearing off out the double doors and down the hallway. Tamaki and Sai didn't hesitate to follow after the two,"Don't you dare touch my daughter, you fiend!"
"I trusted you! You lay one dirty little finger on my sister and I'll....I'll....I'll sic Yasai on you! Yeah that's right, 10 pounds of vicious fluff just for you!"
From a little further ahead of them they could hear the two snort from laughing so hard at the comments made by their pursuers, infuriating Tamaki that he wasn't being taken seriously. It was all in good fun for Sai, to be completely honest, though he had a feeling that the blonde beside him was taking this situation seriously.
The giddy feeling of adrenaline pulsed through Sei as Kaoru led her farther down the empty hallway, their shoes making soft clip-clapping noises against the marble floors. Soon they found themselves cornered by a dead-end at the very end of the hallway and they realized, through their fits of giggles that it'd be impossible to hide. Sei and Kaoru were terrible at being inconspicuous.
"Do you two even comprehend the meaning of being stealthy?" Sai quirked an eyebrow in amusement, his arms crossed over his chest.
Tamaki caught up a moment later, bent at the knees and gasping for breath from the exertion of the sprint through the school to catch up to Sei and Kaoru. He huffed for a few minutes to catch his breath before pointing an accusing finger at the ginger-haired boy who was trying to control his giggles and put on a serious face, failing terribly at doing so.
"You...you--step away from Sei this instant you fiendish doppleganger!"
Sei bit her lip in feigned uncertainty though she could still feel the smile twitching at the corners of her lips, and like Kaoru, she had trouble keeping a staight face.
"Tono, can't you see that me and Sei are simply meant to be? You can't tear us apart this time for we're leaving to get eloped! Next time you see your precious daughter she'll be Hitachiin Sei!" Kaoru managed to declare seriously before his face contorted into a smirk at the blonde's face; a mixture of disbelief and outrage. Sai stood a little ways behind the Prince, holding his palm over his lips to stifle his own giggles. It seemed as if Tamaki was the only one not in on the joke, but why bother telling him when they could continue having fun with the situation?
Tamaki let out a horrifed shriek and stomped forward to grab the burgundy haired girl and pry her away from Kaoru,"Elope?! My daughter will not be corrupted by your filthy mind!"
Kaoru looked affronted,"Excuse me? I don't appreciate these accusations you're making on my behalf!"
Sai brought his hand down to rest at his sides, adopting a serious look,"I will not stand idly by while you deflower my innocent little sister you scoundrel!"
The burgundy haired girl lifted an eyebrow,"Ah, don't I get a say in this?"
The three boys shot her an incredulous look before shouting in unison,"No!" and going back to their false glaring match, though in Tamaki's case it was all completely real to him.
Her brother's phone began to buzz in his pocket, distracting him from the task at hand while he fumbled with the device for a moment or two. His eyes snapped away from the screen once he finished sending his text message and met his sister's gaze,"Hey Sei, we gotta go."
She sent him a questioning glance to which he explained,"I told Kani to meet us at the house, and she's almost there and I want to spare her the awkwardness of having to wait by herself for us." He grinned,"Don't worry, you'll see them tomorrow."
Kaoru frowned now that the mind-game they were playing with Tamaki was over due to the fact that his girl had to leave, that's right she was his girl,he felt a light pang in his heart at the thought of parting with her, even if it was only for the night. From his peripheral vision he caught the quick movement Sei had made as she turned her body fully to face him, he followed suit so that they were now face to face.
Sai made a disgusted face at the two before turning around, giving his sister and her new beau some privacy, which was more than what Tamaki gave them as he stood there staring with violet pools of confusion. Kaoru pulled her close to him, tracing his finger tenderly along her jaw-line before closing the distance, capturing her lips with his gently. Tamaki's face burned beet red and he quickly turned around like Sai had, burying his face in his hands to try and block out the image of Kaoru and his daughter.
When the two pulled apart Kaoru had a dazed grin lighting up his handsome face as he stared lovingly down at Sei who was wearing a similar look. Feeling a surge of impatience pulse through him, Sai turned around with a huff and grabbed his sister's wrist, dragging her down the hallway while shouting over his shoulder,"You can see her tomorrow!"
Tamaki whirled on Kaoru the moment that the burgundy haired twins had disappeared out of earshot and sent him the most menacing glare he could muster, however it wasn't very effective and instead sent the ginger-haired freshman into a fit of giggles at the sight.
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The twins made it out to the courtyard in record time, though Sei was pretty suspicious that this was only because her brother was eager to see the beautiful blonde model, Kaniya. All the same, she admitted that she was pretty happy with the thought of seeing her best friend after those long 3 long weeks away.
Glancing up at the sky she noticed it was nearing sundown, apparently they'd stayed at Ouran much longer than had originally been intended. The sky was now a medley of oranges, pinks, and purples all splashed against a once blue canvas and Sei had to take time to admire the beauty. However she was brought out of her little reverie when she help her brother's grip tighten around her wrist and push her so that she was behind him. Confusion swam through her as she blinked a few times, peeking out from behind him to see...
She let out a loud groan.
"Dawson, what d'you want?" Sai spat from his protective stance infront of his sister.
The boy standing a mere 10 or so feet away grinned handsomely, running a hand through his already messy dirty blonde hair in an act of nonchalance,"Why Kaito, I have no idea what you're talking about, afterall, I do happen to attend this prestigious academy." He gestured the the building behind them.
Sai narrowed his dark jaden eyes suspiciously on his ex-friend,"Quit the shit, Dawson, you're here for a reason now what is it!?"
Itaru placed a hand over his heart in feigned pain,"Ow Kaito, it hurts deep that you'd suspect me to be up to something foul."
Sei bit her lip as she watched silently from behind her brother's back, she noticed as he visibly stiffened, becoming angrier and angrier with each passing moment. To be honest she was feeling quite terrified at how quickly the situation was escalating and hoped someone came to intervene before the two boys broke into a fight. Her eyes darkened,"Maybe that's due to the fact that you are up to something! Don't try to mask it with fake innocence, we're on to you!"
Itaru's fake countenance of innocence dissipated quickly as he chuckled darkly,"You know, Nanami-Sei, I was really looking forward to the marriage. Traditional white wedding with an extravagant flair, in time you'd learn to love me."
She snorted, taking a step out from behind Sai to come to stand next to him instead, her arms crossed over her chest as she glared pointedly at the grey eyed boy, "I don't give my love away to monsters such as yourself, sorry."
He pouted mockingly, throwing his arms up into the air as if to symbolize defeat but then his face marred into that of a malicious smirk,"You say that now, but darling I have other ways of making you see the light."
"More like the beast hiding in the shadows." Sai growled and the blonde regarded him momentarily before turning his attention back to Sei.
He took a step forward,"You know, love, I could have given you whatever you wanted--"
"--except for true love, which only Kaoru can offer." Sei narrowed her eyes,"Take the hint, Dawson, it's over."
The tall blonde boy considered this for a minute or two before the twins caught the devilish glint flash in his grey eyes and before they knew what was happening Itaru had pulled out a gun and was aiming it for Sei. His eyes were wide with malice and a disturbing sort of maniac laughter escaped his lips.
"You just couldn't leave things the way they were, could you?" He sneered, his lips curling back over his pearly whites in a sort of animalistic snarl.
The twins' eyes were the size of saucers, cautiously eyeing the crazed teen before them, fear gripping at their very core at the prospect of him going through with it and pulling the trigger.
"Now,Itaru, buddy, you don't want to do anything you're gonna regret in the morning...why don't you just put the gun down and we can talk this whole thing over, yeah?" Sai tried to reason, his arms slowly waving infront of his chest in a defensive manor.
The shaggy blonde haired boy laughed coldly,"Buddy? Oh so now we're friends, eh? It's a little too late for pleasantries, Kaito. Because of you and your slut of a sister I won't be getting what I want! I don't like not getting what I want, Kaito."
Sei bit her lip at the insult but shook it off,"Want? What was it that you wanted?",realization hit her,"You wanted my mom's company didn't you? I should've known that's what you had been after this whole time, I mean it was rather obvious that I wasn't what you were after."
Itaru's eyes narrowed,"Oh very perceptive Nanami, did you figure that all out on your own or did you have a cheat sheet? Yeah, it would've been a great merger; the Dawson's Landscaping and the Tsukyoshii's Animal Health and Zoo Corporation. Think of how beautiful your zoo's would be with our landscaping expertise."
"Well, to be completely honest mom already hires the best landscapers in the business to take care of her land so..." She trailed off with a squeak when she noticed his hand trembling, fingers inching towards the trigger as his eyes narrowed into angry little slits.
"No more excuses, Sei, it ends here!" He growled dangerously, cocking the gun and pulling the trigger. At that moment Sai's grip tightened on his sister and they tore off across the courtyard to get away from Itaru, the loud blasts from the gun echoing across the schoolyard.
Sai was much faster than his sister could ever hope of being and was more or less dragging her along behind him as they narrowly missed the bullets that whizzed by, aimed for them, or more specifically her. He would not let her get hurt, especially by Itaru, he had to get her to safety, he knew that much, and he had to do it quick because if he was starting to tire than she must've been exhausted already. As if to prove that his theory was correct, she collapsed behind him, unable to run anymore. He glanced over his shoulder, tugging at her arm furiously,"C'mon Sei, just a little farther, we don't have time..."
"Ha. You're right on that one, you don't have time." Itaru stood mere feet away, his weapon trained soley on Sei,"Say bye bye."
Sai had no time to think things through as the bullet raced from the barrell of the gun, headed staight toward's his sister who was frozen to the ground. This wasn't happening, he couldn't live without his sister there by his side like she always had been, he just couldn't. He needed her. Quickly he shoved her out of the way of the bullet, just in time.
A sickening squelch was all Sei heard as time seemed to slow down, her head whipped to the side to see her brother sprawled out on the grass, his shirt quickly being soaked through with a sticky crimson substance. It took her a moment to realize that it was his blood, she hadn't been hit, he had.
"No one hurts Nana-chan or Kai-kun!"
Itaru cast a glance over to where Hunny and Mori were standing in battle stances, shadows dancing across the tiny blonde senior's eyes as he glared threateningly. Itaru had no time to react as the two seniors rushed forward, springing towards him with great speed, instantly separating him from his weapon. He stumbled backwards before leaping forwards and swinging his fists blindly, his attacks were easily intercepted by Hunny who blocked and then landed a high jump kick to the boy's face, rendering him unconcious.
"I called my medical team and secret police force, they should be here in a matter of minutes." Kyouya informed, waving his phone around lazily as he kneeled down to assess Sai's wound. He placed a hand on Sei's shoulder,"I'm saying this as a professional and a friend, you need to remove yourself from the situation."
Her eyes were red and puffy from the waterfall of tears that were spilling down her cheeks in a never ending flow and her bottom lip quivered,"I-I...I can't l-lea-leave him," she choked through sobs as her body racked with shudders.
Kyouya groaned, massaging his temples before staring past her pointedly,"Kaoru, Hikaru, get her out of here."
Her head snapped up as she felt two pairs of arms gently lift her to her feet,"N-No! No! G-get off me!" she kicked her feet, struggling to break free of the Hitachiin boys' grasp but their hold was firm and they had no intention of relinquishing their grip on her.
"He's m-my brother! L-let me go! I-I have t-to make sure h-he's okay!"
Kaoru and Hikaru exchanged concerned looks, their eyes mirroring each other's sadness as they pulled her away gently and led her over to the far end of the courtyard. Kaoru wrapped his arms around her waist protectively while Hikaru rubbed her back soothingly. Sei watched through bleary vision as the paramedics carefully loaded her brother onto a stretcher and rushed him to the ambulance, she wasn't allowed to go with him.
Tamaki sat down next to Hikaru on the curb and peered over at the burgundy haired host who was clinging tightly to the younger Hitachiin convulsing from the sobs racking her body. He couldn't believe what had just happened, Ouran wasn't a place of violence and to think that one of his friend's had been hurt by another student really blew him away. He'd be having a talk with his father later on about the security of Ouran, he'd make sure that nothing like this ever happened again. He just hoped that it wasn't too late for Sai, wishing against all odds that the bullet hadn't ruptured anything vital. The blonde shuddered at the rememberance of all the blood that he'd seen pouring out of the other boy's wound, no one could bounce back from losing that much....he shook his head to clear his mind. Sai had to pull through....for Sei.
"Haha! See Sei, I told you that if you messed with me you'd be out one brother!" Itaru cackled as several of Kyouya's personal police officers loaded him into one of their vehicles.
Haruhi frowned,"What'd he mean by that...?"
Hikaru growled,"Sounds like he was referring to a previous threat..."
Sei coughed into Kaoru's shirt and gasped for air through her sobs,"It w-was, h-he said that if I t-told anyone th-that he was such an ass-h-hole that he'd hurt S-S-Sai."
"So that's why you went along with it...you were protecting your brother." Kaoru grit his teeth, not at Sei but at the thought of that bastard Itaru threatening her.
Tamaki placed a comforting hand on the burgundy haired girl's shoulder, squeezing gently,"Hey, how about we get you something to eat, yeah?"
She shook her head stubbornly, sniffling,"I-I just wanna s-see S-Sai..."
Tamaki glanced up at Kyouya with a pleading pout,"Is there any way that we'd beable to go and check up on him in the hospital?"
Kyouya sighed, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose,"Not at the moment, no, but I suppose she could be allowed to stay in the waiting room." his dark eyes cast the burgundy haired host a sympathetic look,"The only reason the paramedics didn't want her to ride in the ambulance was because they were afraid that she'd be hysterical and distract them from doing their job."
Hikaru stared up at the Shadow King with a look of astonishment etched into his face,"Well she has every right to be hysterical! If something ever happened to Kaoru I don't know what I'd do!"
The burgundy haired host looked up, out of breath from crying and stared up at Hikaru and Kyouya with her puffy emerald eyes,"I-I understand what K-Kyouya's saying, Hika-kun, I-I wouldn't w-want to d-d-distract the paramedics from helping S-Sai." She wiped her runny nose with the back of her sleeve, not caring how disgusting that gesture must have seemed to the others,"Can we p-please go to the h-hospital?"
The shady 2nd year nodded his head slowly, his dark eyes softening a fraction at the sight of the broken girl and deep down he hoped that her brother's injuries weren't too severe. No one should have to go through what she was going through, he decided, especially not someone as kind hearted as Sei.
"I don't see why not," He spoke evenly, watching as Kaoru helped her to her feet and wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her steady,"We'll take my limo."
Everyone piled into the long sleek stretch limo quietly and spread out so as to give Sei some breathing room as the vehicle sped down the highway towards the Ohtori's private hospital. Hunny buried his face into the fur of the adolescent fox, but the others could hear his muffled sniffles.
The air in the limo was tense at best, a swirling whirlwind of emotions that fought for dominance among the eight teens, fear, grief, anguish, and the smallest sliver of hope that perhaps it wasn't as bad as it had appeared to be. Sei vaguely recalled hearing Kyouya mention that they had arrived but all she was focused on was seeing her brother again, she didn't even feel Kaoru wrap his arms around her waist to keep her standing upright.
"Ano...excuse me but...oh, Ohtori-sama!" The receptionist started but at seeing Kyouya stopped mid-sentence and blushed madly, bowing her head,"Are you here for Tsukyoshii Kaito?"
"Any news on his condition?" Kyouya pressed, his eyes hard and searching.
She swallowed hard and shook her head,"He's in surgery at the moment...but from what the doctors were saying it doesn't look too good..."
Kyouya frowned and nodded before turning around to face his friends who all held very solemn expressions, having heard the exchange between him and the receptionist at the front desk. His dark eyes shifted their gaze to Sei who had collapsed into another fit of hysterics at hearing what had been said, everyone was at her side within seconds trying to soothe her aching heart, but nothing anyone said was making any impact on her.
"Sei." He spoke softly, kneeling down infront of her,"Nothing's for certain at this point, don't waste all your energy on tears when everything could turn out right in the end, you just need to think positive about the situation."
The burgundy haired girl choked on her tears, lifting her head up a fraction to stare at the Shadow King, she was rather surprised by the somewhat kind words he had offered her,rendering her speechless with the exception of the involuntary cries racking her body. She couldn't control it anymore, it was like her body knew what was happening and was acting on its own.
"I,er,th-thanks K-Kyouya..." Sei managed weakly, clinging tightly onto Kaoru's arm.
The group waited with baited breath for what seemed like an eternity when in truth had only been half an hour until a doctor clad in sterile white scrubs entered through the double swinging doors and scanned the room until his bright eyes landed on Kyouya. The mother of the Host Club strode over to his employee and listened to what the man had to say, nodding a few times and adding his own comments here and there. The rest of the group stained their ears to try and hear even a snippet of what was being said, but to no avail, so they waited impatiently until Kyouya was finished speaking to the much older man.
"What'd he say?" Hikaru asked.
Kyouya ignored the ginger-haired freshman and instead knelt down infront of Sei again, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder,"He's going to be fine, they have him in ICU for the time being, they say he's recovering remarkably well and is scheduled to move into a regular room in the morning."
Sei's breath hitched in her throat at the good news and she flung herself away from Kaoru and wrapped her arms around the bespectacled boy's neck, murmuring 'thankyou' over and over again. To say that Ohtori Kyouya was surprised by her actions would have been an understatment, he was completely taken aback by her behavior that his mask slipped away. Awkwardly he patted her on the back, offering her a small twitch of the lips when she pull away and hastily stood up.
"Am I allowed to go see him yet...?" She asked eagerly.
He glanced behind him at the doctor who was standing in the doorway, smiling warmly at the group of teens.
"I don't see why not, but only 2 visitors at a time." The doctor spoke,"Don't be surprised if he sleeps through the visit, though, his medication isn't due to ware off until tomorrow morning. He's a lucky one, any higher and the bullet would have pierced his heart, any lower it would have severed several vital arteries."
He really was lucky. Hikaru mused, grateful that the doctors had been able to stabilize Sai and fix him right up, he was going to be just fine. He cast a side-long glance to his own twin and felt a dull pang throb in his chest, if something like that had happened to Kaoru....Hikaru didn't know what he would have done. His golden gaze landed on Sei who was rubbing at her eyes with the sleeve of her hoodie, what she had gone through tonight had been immensely painful, he knew, and was extremely glad that it was all over...
Right before Sei and Kaoru could push through the double doors to find Sai the sliding front doors opened and in stumbled a flustered blonde. The petite girl straightened herself out and was about to run to the front desk when her sky-blue eyes landed on the teens,"Where's Kaito?! Is he okay?! What happened?!"
Sei whirled around smiled as brightly as she could,"Kani-chan! I was just about to go see him, they say he's really lucky to be alive and he's doing really well!"
Kaniya breathed a sigh of relief,"All I know is I got a call saying that Kaito was in the hospital in critical condition during the middle of a shoot for a commercial I was in and I booked it out of there as fast as I could to get here, I must've ran through atleast 6 red lights to make it here."
"You can come with me to see him," The burgundy haired girl smiled before remembering something and turning to face Kaoru,"You don't mind, do you?"
The golden-eyed boy shook his head,"No, no, you two go on ahead."
Kaniya and Sei simultaneously took in a deep breath, the emerald eyed girl held out her hand to which the blonde gratefully accepted, intertwining their fingers before pushing through the doubledoors and into the sterile white-wash hallway.
"This way please," The doctor motioned forward, leading them down the hallway, taking various twists and turns until they arrived at the Intensive Care Unit,"He's in room 203, please remember that visitation ends in 8 minutes, a nurse will come to remind you when your time is up." with that said the middle-aged man turned on his heel and strode down the hall.
Kaniya squeezed Sei's hand, both of them thinking along the lines of the same thing now or never. Biting her lip, Sei rested he rhand on the handle of the door, turned it and pushed the heavy door open slowly.
Inside the two girls were momentarily overwhelmed by the smell of anticeptic and the whir of beeps from the EKG and various other machines that Sai was hooked up to. Cautiously the two friends stepped forward towards the peacefully sleeping boy, an IV slowly dripping beside his bed and making its way through the tube and needle and into his body. An oxygen mask covered his nose and mouth so that he didn't have to strain his body in order to keep breathing. With a wince, Sei noticed light smears of blood on his cheeks and the blanket that was covering him, she suspcected that the bandages wrapped around his abdomen were bleeding through just enough to soak through to the cotton material keeping him warm.
"He looks so fragile." Kaniya whispered.
"I dare you to tell him that when he wakes up." Sei joked and the petite blonde giggled softly.
All jokes aside, the two stood side-by-side next to his bed staring somberly at the sleeping figure wrapped up in bandages and various wires and tubes. Kaniya released her hand from Sei's and exchanged it for Sai's sweaty palm, tracing undiscernable shapes along the smooth skin of his hand. Sei bit her lip, watching her bestfriend for a moment before tearing her eyes away from the scene, even if she knew that her brother was going to be alright it still pained her to see him hooked up to all sorts of machines with needles and tubes poking and proding him all over.
"Kaito, baby, when you get out of here I'm going to become your own personal nurse! I'll take really good care of you, I promise, hun." Kaniya whispered quietly to the unconcious boy, bringing his hand to her lips and planting individual little kisses on each of his fingers.
"Kaito, darling, when you get out of here I'm going to make sure that you don't take advantage of my bestfriend who is going to be playing the roll of the cute nurse." Sei grinned, shooting a teasing glance in Kaniya's direction who's cheeks were promptly set ablaze with a tinge of red.
A light knock came at the door to get their attention before a petite woman with curly chestnut hair entered, smiling apologetically,"I'm sorry but visitation has ended, you're more than welcome to come by tomorrow though."
The two girls nodded, bidding their goodbyes to the unconcious boy lying in the hospital bed before shuffling out into the bright hallway where they met with the nurse and followed her back out to the waiting room. The Host Club was still waiting in those hospital chairs that were uncomfortable beyond belief, Sei and Kaniya both cracked small smiles.
"He's gonna be okay, he's gonna be okay..." Kaniya let out a relieved sigh, hastily wiping at the moisture pooling at the corners of her sky-hued eyes.
Sei faltered a moment at the sudden appearance of tears in her best friend's eyes and bit her lip, pulling the tiny blonde into her arms in a tight embrace,"Don't cry, Kani, everything's okay. It's okay.."
"I'm not crying because I'm sad, silly," She said finally,"I'm crying because I'm so...so relieved. God, I love Kaito so much and when I got that phone-call it felt like my world had just...stopped spinning and stood still. I don't know what I'd do without him, I couldn't live without him!"
The burgundy haired girl stared wide-eyed at the model who was still in her arms, not exactly sure what to say to something like that. She blinked stupidly before a massive grin spread across her face,"I always knew you were the one for Sai."
Kaniya beamed at the comment.
Haruhi let a small smile twitch at the corners of her lips, sure, half the time she wondered why she bothered to hang around all these rich bastards, aside from the fact that she needed to repay her debt, but it was touching moments such as these when she was proud to be among the few allowed within this inner circle of friends. Yeah, her life had been nothing but a crazy roller coaster ride ever since she got pulled into the Host Club, but in truth, she wouldn't have it any other way.
Sei stifled a yawn with the sleeve of her hoodie.
Tamaki tilted his head,"I think we should go home and get some rest, it's been a long day."
Kaoru and Hikaru nodded in agreement.
Kaniya frowned and turned to Sei,"I don't want you to go home alone, how about you come and sleep at my house?"
The emerald eyed girl considered the offer for a moment, the thought of going home without Sai didn't appeal to her, it wasn't because she was afraid of her father or anything, more of the fact that it wouldn't feel right without knowing that her brother was sleeping just across the hall. She nodded her head, she didn't like being alone.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x
For the next week and a half the two girls visited Sai almost religiously, they were amazed by the progress he had made in his recovery and it wasn't long before he was able to leave the hospital and go home again, though he was on strict orders to stay in bed and take it easy.
Tsukyoshii Hideki left the house to go on a business trip to Australia and wasn't due back for several months while he established a new branch of his company off in the land down under.
Sei sighed in elation as the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day and the start of after school activities. She'd never been so glad in her life to be going to school and especially the Host Club, she'd missed everything about Ouran.
"Welcome back Sei-kun!" Her designates chorused with glee as she walked through the door a little late.
"Thank you everyone, it's so good to be back in the presence of such lovely ladies." She smiled charmingly, resulting in the swooning of the four girls at her table.
"Oi, Nanami-chan! I'm here to punish you for being late." Kaoru smirked, plopping himself down in her lap.
She winced,"Kyah, you're heavy...get. off."
Haruhi watched the exchange from her own table surrounded by a few of her regulars, she was amazed at how close they were as a couple but were able to keep it toned down while at Ouran. Her eyes wandered over to Hikaru who had appeared on the other side of Sei, wearing a mischievous smirk identical to his brother's. Then again...
"Kaoru did you hear Sei?"
"I did! I think he just called me...fat!" Kaoru wailed.
Hikaru shot a glare at the burgundy haired host,"The Howler Monkey's* throwing around insults!"
Sei knew he was playing, she and Hikaru had come to an understanding and he put aside his hostility towards her, but the comment he had made confused her without a doubt. Tilting her head to the side, she raised an eyebrow,"Whaa~?"
The twins snickered at her confusion towards their little inside joke.
Miwako cocked her head to the side a light tinge of pink dusting over her cheeks as she watched the scene play out before her, along with the 3 other girls sitting around Sei's table, she enjoyed seeing the Hitachiin's play around with the Curious Rebel.
And it went like this for the rest of the time that the Host Club was opened that day, the Hitachiin's and Sei teasing eachother over this and that, and the designates of both groups huddling together in fangirl bliss.
"The Host Club hasn't been this interesting in weeks!" Hikaru smirked, draping an arm around Sei's shoulders as the doors closed behind the last customer of the day.
She made a face,"What'd you mean by Howler Monkey?"
He paused, exchanging a glance with his brother before they both fell into a bout of laughter,"D-don't worry about it!"
Kaoru wrapped an arm around her waist,"It's an inside joke from a few months ago."
Sei didn't look too convinced but let it slide for the time being,"It feels like I've been away from Ouran for years, when it's only been a few weeks." she mused,"School's going to be ending soon..."
"Knowing them they've got something big planned for the end of the year." Haruhi chimed in lazily.
Tamaki swept in with an air of extravagance,"Right you are my dear Haruhi! Since summer's just around the corner, the Host Club will be hosting a Summer Fashion Show!"
The two girls exchanged glances before sending withering looks in the blonde Host King's direction, to which he deflected with his ignorance of their annoyance.
Hikaru let out a bark of laughter,"Well, Sei..."
"Welcome back to the Host Club." Kaoru finished with a grin.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x
*The nickname the Hitachiin's gave Sei when they were visiting her mother's zoo.
And the hospital scene was kind of ironic, because I had been to the hospital to bring my mom in for surgery the day I wrote that particular scene. xD
And I just HAD to mention Kaniya running through redlights because while my mom was in surgery I drove me and my brother to McDonald's and on the way back to the hospital I got lost and ended up going through a red light (in my defense, the traffic lights up here are different from the ones down in the south :o )
Anywho;
Here's a sneak peak of the first chapter to the sequel; Here I Stand
"Ano, Sei-kun? What're the Hitachiin's doing?"
"What else? Harassing Tamaki-senpai."
"K-Kyouya! There's ghosts in the Host Club!"
Tamaki buried his face in his hands,"I am ashamed, I didn't even know! I'm so sorry ladies that you had to witness a scene such as that!"
"Sei-kun and the Hitachiin's are trapped in a love triangle, ne?"
Please don't un-favorite this story now that it's finished, once I have the first chapter of Here I Stand posted up I'm going to upload a little note to It's a Twin Thing so you guys can easily be informed of the new story. Thanks so always being so patient with me and my eradic updates! I love you all so much
=D
