Joceline POV

'That idiot just had to go get himself lost.' I thought to myself uneasily while stepping over a dead, fallen down tree branch. It seemed to had given away years ago...maybe decades. My shoes were getting muddy from the big rain last week, and everything was still wet from the lack of sun glistening through the trees. Hikaru seemed to notice his, now trashed, sneakers too when I saw him mindlessly rub it across several broken and fallen leaves in utter disgust. His eyes drew back from ahead and landed on me in accusition. I quickly lowered my gaze to the musty ground.

He seemed to hate everyone with that utterable glare, all except his brother Kaoru anyways. His eyes were always cross, and his face seemed to be stripped from any sort of emotion. I didn't know why I always confused the two, because he is obviously a big jerk compared to his brother, but when they are together they seem to be inseparable and quite alike. It must've taken Haruhi forever to figure it out.

"What's bothering you?" He irritatedly asked me while still walking farther and farther ahead. I tried to catch up.

"Nothing." 'Just wondering what on earth your problem is.' I mentally added. It was a shame that I couldn't say it aloud without sounding rude, even though it was meant to be, and totally abnoxious. What would everyone think of me then? Besides, it's not like what I am actually saying is any different than my personality.

"Then stop pouting."

He said it as if he was trying to order me to be happy. I rolled my eyes with a tickled sigh. Kyo and him were just alike, and they may have been even more so than I currently realized. 'Their both stupid cats.' I thought, reading it out in Yuki's voice inside my head. No wonder he had tensed up so much around the three.

Tohru was so lucky to get the good twin. Kaoru was so nice to me, even when I confused him for his brother for about the fifth time, and didn't seem incredibly irritated to even bother asking if anyone was alright. It was as if they both were the good twin and the bad twin.

Seeing him while off his shoes once more, I noticed the brand and gasped. "I see now!" He looked back at me. "You wore these expensive shoes on the hike, and didn't want to get them ruined."

For a second his face looked puzzled, and then a loud laugh escaped his lips. Running his fingers through his hair I watched him bend over to examine the shoes. "Who cares if their ruined, I could always get another pair."

I gasped, "But those are like, ninety US dollars!"

"So, that's really cheap."

He sounded so cool, and I glanced down at the dark blue and black runners sneakers. They were brand new, top of the line actually, and had the designers name printed firmly along the sides. I covered my face with my, not dirty, left hand. He eyed me.

"What?"

I grumbled. "Those are amazing shoes and you are just going to throw them away?"

He shrugged once more before looking down again at the mud covered bottom. The wind blew a bit causing my hair to go every which way, and I felt for the hair tie in my right pocket. "Fine, but don't come crying to me when your parents get mad over your ruined investment."

There was a slight pause of silence between us, and I calmly pulled my hair back into a ponytail. It was hot and I was sweating like crazy. Good thing my makeup was sweat and water proof. 'I don't want to go around looking like a zombified raccoon.'

"My mom wouldn't care." He said nonchalantly. "She's the one who designed them."

I stopped my hands and raised my head so I could see him, "Your mom is Yuzuha Hitachiin?"

He turned around and faced me, "Yeah, is that a problem?"

I felt my unfinished ponytail easily slip down and out of my dry hair. The clumped strands loosely wrapped around my neck and stuck to my sweating back. Suddenly I felt incredibly stupid for not making the obvious connection. Their last names were the same, their looks even matched a bit and you could see the resemblance. I blinked once before gathering my hair back up again.

"No." I calmly stated, bending back over to redo my hair. The tie laid on the ground, and was covered in soot when I picked it up. "It just shocked me."

"You didn't even make the connection..."

His tone was flat, and I could see that he truly thought I was stupid. I grumbled as a strand of hair was pulled making my eyes water and nose tickle. I felt some dirt that had been dry on the surface fall off my hands and into my scalp.

My spider bite was itching, and it stung a bit after a while. I thought of my medicine that had kindly given me. I didn't get the chance to take it, but I had thought that the shot would serve in its place for my morning dose. 'I guess not.'

"Your hair has dirt in it."

"Tell me something I don't already know."

As I straightened up, I waited for his snarky comment. But he just sighed and turned away, glancing back in a sly smile. "Just checkin', you know, all kinds of bugs hide within dirt."

I froze and took a step towards him uneasily. "What?"

"Bugs during this time of year love to hide in specs of dirt. A lot of ants. A lot of baby spiders..."

When he said that I could feel my head beginning to itch along with my bite. I could just imagine them crawling around on my scalp looking for a place to web or, depending on their type, dig a hole. 'Surely...i-it would h-h-hurt...right?' I asked myself who gave off no answer. I slowly raised my shivering hand to my head, and felt for anything suspicious. The second my hand landed on the creature I jumped and ripped out my ponytail.

When my hair finally fell loose I bent back over for the third time and dusted it out with a scream. I hollered for it to get out and scratched for objects. I heard something land on the ground beneath me and glide across my ankle in the direction of the wind. Hikaru's psychotic laugh came afterwards.

"You idiot!" He said breathlessly with a smirk."It was a dry leaf!"

I blinked as one of the tears fell from my tear ducts onto the ground, and I watched the small petal truck on away in the wind. A shiver went down my spine as I shivered at the thought of all the possible insects it could have been. Glancing at Hikaru I groaned.

"WHAT THE HECK, HIKARU?" I shouted, making him instantaneously shut up. He switched back to a harmless, unamused face which made my blood boil more. "Don't say things like that! Heck, just don't say things in general!"

When he didn't reply I picked up the hair tie again but this time slipped it back deep, down into my pocket. My hair was crazy and tangled, but I didn't care. The feeling of bugs all over me got worse as I walked past him without a sound. As his eyes met the corners of mine I saw shock come over his face when I looked back down.

We continued on in silence.

Tohru POV

Kaoru was nice, but I could still feel the unsettled feeling coming from his eyes. He hadn't said a word since we got paired together. 'Perhaps he is missing his brother?' I thought back to Ayame and Yuki's relationship, and realized that those two could learn a lot from Hikaru and Kaoru. They seemed inseparable, and when they were separated the air became thick and cold. I had never seen anything like it.

"Kaoru, if you want to, you can go find your brother." I offered as we walked. He stifled a laugh.

"No." He said, then smiled back at me. "Hikaru could use some time away from me."

There was a hint of mischievousness in his voice, but it didn't seem to be directed towards anyone or anything. It was as if he actually meant it for him as a caring, well being opportunity. I stayed quiet.

I could see how the two were different. Hikaru gave off a cruel and hateful front in everything he said or did, when Kaoru smiled and went with the flow. Their voices were even different, one being higher than the other. It made me wonder what had happened to them to make them that way.

"Do you miss your brother right now?" I asked once more, and I heard him sigh.

"I always miss him, but it's better for the both of us to be as separated as possible.

"May I ask why?"

He came to a stop but didn't really say anything. His eyes remained forward, and his face remained still. Yuki was always so tense around them, and Kyo shared the same feelings. It was a good thing that there was a patch of bushed nearby, otherwise he would have been seen. 'And he still hasn't answered my question.'

He turned and faced me, "It's complicated to explain, but I want him to realize that there is room in his heart for more than just us."

"Doesn't he have other people that he can hang out with...besides you?"

"No, not really. We've been together since we were little, and after that we just never talked to anyone else." His voice wasn't raspy like usual and his facial expression was soft. "The Host Club was our first time opening our world up."

The story was short and simple, but easy to understand. After being mixed up by everyone, even their own mother, it must have been difficult to make friends. All the people they teased, all the feelings they've hurt, just because they were born. It doesn't seem to give them an excuse though.

Mom used to say that it didn't matter what you went through, because there was always someone out there who had it worse. While they couldn't find a girl who like them for who they were as individuals, someone was being either slapped or hurt by their best friends. When they would close themselves up from the world, there was also a kid who was being physically beaten by their own world. As their parents had a hard time telling them apart, someone was on the verge of death and probably succeeded.

Kaoru was just trying to make amends for their years spent alone.

"I'm sorry..." I said, fighting the urge of my quivering tear ducts and lower lip. "It must have been awful t-to..."

I felt his hand come to rest on my left shoulder as my breathing shivered unsteadily. His touch was gentile, and it gave me a sense of warmth that Yuki seemed to carry around with him every second he was around. I glanced up at him and took in a breath. 'Does Yuki really know them?'

A smile came across his face, caring and sweet. "Hey, there's no need to cry. That's why I'm here, to use the opportunity. It's not your problem to help solve or worry over, just continue today with a smile."

Haru POV

Yuki seemed tense as we walked, and I felt his irritation radiating from his body. When I had first asked, he gave off a simple shrug but didn't say anything for it. It made me worry even more. Tohru had went with one of the peppy duo bunch boys, so it was the only lead I had. "That idiot just had to go wandering off."

Yuki nodded at my right, and I shoved my hands down deep into my pockets. "And Tohru is alone with Hikaru."

He tensed up.

"Wait, or was it Kaoru that she went with?"

His purple eyes flared in rage, I could almost see his veins popping from his forhead, and I saw the tips of his hair spike a little. 'It's a good thing Kyo isn't here.' Giving him a pat on the shoulder, I took a second to search for the cat myself. He wasn't anywhere in sight, and if he was then he was hiding pretty far away. It would have been even better if he had went back to the hot spring to get some clothes or at least cover. Tohru might have forgotten to give him his after he transformed.

"Hey, Yuki?" I asked once he began listening again. He lifted his chin. "Do you think one of those two have made a move on her yet?"

The second it left my mouth he jumped in the opposite direction ready to sprint Tohru's way. I quickly grabbed his shoulders and tackled him to the ground. He began to strangle from my grip.

"Haru, let me go NOW!" I ignored his plea and tightened my grip. "Haru-"

"I WAS TALKING ABOUT JOCELINE, YUKI!" I shouted in his ears making him lurch back in pain. Once he had settled down I let go of him and watched him rub his ears. "Sorry, but you wouldn't calm down."

"Man, when your voice travels...it really travels." He muttered in a short sigh. I helped him back to his feet.

For a second he staggered, then I watched him catch his slowing breath. I didn't mean to make him go off raging towards them. 'Though it would be funny to watch.' But I just couldn't stand to see him like that. If he likes Tohru, then he really needs to hurry and confess before that damn cat gets to her first. Kyo may be slow, but he realized it before Yuki at least.

"Well, I was surprised." I said. "Cause I didn't know that you were going to go off in a high speed pursuit towards Tohru."

He lowered his eyebrows into a scowl. "I wasn't going to go off in a "high speed pursuit"."

I chuckled a bit before continuing on ahead. We checked everywhere; the bushes, the trees, even up at the top of the trees, were empty. But he couldn't have gone too far.

"And Haru," Yuki said. "I don't think the twins have gotten to her yet. They don't seem to care that much."

He seemed to be preoccupied with other things, and I felt worry swell up inside me. I cared for him, he was my first love, and with Akito raging in on everybody he was all I had. His emotions would scream when he was alone, because I could feel them, and it pained me to feel such things. Every since my anger was released, I no longer blew up at people so badly. "Black Haru" became less corrupt.

When I told him that, he widened his eyes in shock.

The second me is ruthless, but I kind of like it. It gives me the chance to say what I really think without caring about what they think or say. The only creepy part is that the stupid cat Kyo always tries to trigger it with a challenge. That one time, all I had wanted was a match, and he had to go off with insults like usual triggering the cow inside me. 'If only my appearance was my actual animal.' In our families story, I was the cow. But in reality the animal was the ox.

Joceline was an ox, it was easy to tell with her over-swinging emotions, and maybe there was a hint of cancer like me. But because I was cursed I got the double personality. She still had a way to go, and I heard Honey mention it earlier. She was sweet, but impulsive and had many things to say and opinions that interfered. I had always wondered if she'd listen if someone tried to talk to her about it.

Yuki pulled himself out of the nearby bushes and called out Kyo's name once. "But if they do, she'd believe anything they'd say."

I smiled up at the clouds and listened as another group shouted his name. It sounded like Momiji. "I don't think so. She may seem weak, but there is a part of her that's a natural born leader."

Momiji and the rest appeared through a clearing past several trees. I waved as Yuki watched them approach us. He sighed.

"Do you really think that girl can handle herself with those two?" He asked pulling a dry leaf out of his short, light grey hair. I turned back and smiled.

"She's a cow, isn't she?"

***Author's Note******

I may edit later, but I really wanted to get this out for you guys. I never wanted Joceline and the other Fruits Basket characters to be the main figures in the story. I wanted it to be everyone. The next few chapters will really focus on the Hosts Club and their adventures.

Do you guys think I'm using Joceline too much? What about the others? Leave a comment below!

WonTahn-Chan.