p class="MsoNormal"***Birthday***br / The sky was covered with grey clouds, and not a peep of blue was showing. There were barely any birds singing, and there were no squirrels playing or butterflies flying. It was all quite / br / Kaoru didn't know why they were at school. Surely they were allowed such a day off? He was tired and stressed and...
Sad. He had awoken that morning and instantly started to cry, as did his brother, who was sitting next to him now. Neither of them had said a word all day, not even to each other. All noise they had made came from crying that morning. They hadn't taken anything in from lessons, they had just been sitting there in silence, reminiscing,
and forcing themselves not to cry. A teacher had asked Hikaru for an answer, but he didn't say a word, and just looked away. Some of their class members were a little confused by this, and others just sniggered at him. He didn't care; they didn't know. None of them knew. He didn't want any of them to know. br / br /
The bell rang for lunch, and the class packed away. The twins were expected at the club room, but they didn't want to host that day. But they had to go there to say that they didn't want to host, otherwise it would just be impolite. They trekked down the halls before stopping outside the familiar door. They looked at each other and took a deep breath, before opening the door and stepping in. br / br / "SURPRISE!" Many voices shouted, as streamers and confetti showered the twins. The twins looked around in shock, seeing the club room covered in balloons, confetti, streamers,
banners saying 'Happy birthday' and ribbons. There were tables laid out with food and drinks and cake on them, and there was music playing. Every host member was there, wearing a pointy party hat.
They all ran up to the twins, smiling and laughing at their shocked faces. br / br / "W-what is this..."
Kaoru stuttered, astonished at the rooms look. br / br / "It's a surprise birthday party! Since you guys weren't going to have one, we thought we'd throw one for you!" Tamaki announced proudly. The amount of emotions that were flying through the twin's veins was unreal. br / br / "B-but...
W-we w-were... We..." Hikaru started. br / br / "Hikaru..." Kaoru interrupted his brother, looking at the floor, sadly. His voice was so sad and distraught; all the hope had been dragged out of / br / "... What is it?" Hikaru gulped, scared of what Kaoru was going to say. br / br / "This is... The party we never had..." Kaoru said, before he covered his face with his hands and began to sob. The cheering of the host club stopped as they looked at Kaoru. Hikaru immediately put his arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace, whilst Kaoru curled his body up slightly. br / br / "Kaoru? W-what's wrong?!" Tamaki asked, feeling sad that one of his friends were sad. br / br / "It's... A long story...
Don't worry Tamaki; the party is amazing, it's just..." Hikaru said, not wanting to tell them more. Kaoru looked up at his brother with teary eyes. br / br / "...Y-you might as well tell them..." He cried. Hikaru was shocked. Kaoru wanted to keep it a secret more that he did when they first met the host club. "It's hard enough dealing with it, let alone keeping it a secret!" Kaoru continued to bawl. Hikaru felt the first few tears fall down his cheeks, as he held his brother. br /
br / "How about you come sit down and then we can talk?"
Haruhi said, pressing the mute button on the speakers to stop the music. The twins agreed to it and walked to the sofas, hand in hand.
They both knew it was time to tell the secret. The host club sat down, a silence falling over them that was only filled by the silent sobs of the twins. br / br / "Do you guys... Want something to eat or drink? Or something to make it easier for you to do this?" Tamaki offered. The concern in his voice was genuine and comforting to the twins. The both shook their head, before wiping their tears away and composing themselves. They looked at each other, before they sighed and looked at the hosts. br / br / "Ten years ago, it was our sixth birthday. We and our parents were going to go out for dinner at this really nice place" Kaoru started, smiling at the good memory. br /
br / "So we did, we got there and the food was amazing and we got great presents and we had a lot of fun. We talked with our parents and we made some of our fondest memories there" Hikaru continued, also smiling. br / br / "So,
once we were done, it was time for us to go home to a surprise party that our parents had been planning. We were really excited because we loved parties! We couldn't wait..." Kaoru said, his smile starting to fade. br / br / "So we were on the way home. Kaoru and I were buzzing as we talked to our parents,
laughing and giggling... It was all going so well..." Hikaru sighed, his eyes welling with tears again. br / br / "A car hit our own car... Really badly in the side. I can remember our Parents screaming and the car rolling... But then it all was so fast and I... I don't remember much... Until I opened my eyes and I was lying in the road, blood pouring down my face with shards of glass and metal everywhere..." Kaoru started crying again. The rest of the hosts didn't like where this was going. br / br / "I also don't remember much... But there was fire, and I silence that was so awful... All I could hear was the fire crackling a bit, and Kaoru crying, but that was it. There were no other sounds from anything. I crawled over to Kaoru and I saw his wounds. They were bad and... I think he still has the scar under his fringe. He was bleeding so much that I thought he would die... His arms and legs were bleeding also under his ripped clothes. It was almost as bad for me, but Kaoru was sitting on the side of the car that got hit" Hikaru said, crying. Kaoru felt for the scar under his fringe. It still hurt a bit when he touched it. The twins needed a quick break, their tears were flowing too fast. They looked away as they cried, slightly embarrassed about it. br / br / "Th-then what happened? Guys?" Honey asked, his eyes also welling with tears. Even Mori looked sad for the twins. br / br / "We... We sat there crying for ages... It started raining, but the fire kept burning. Soon, the ambulances came and we were taken away, but we were crying to see our parents. We couldn't see there anywhere... But the doctors wouldn't listen and they just took us away... When I woke up again, I was in hospital,
with people I had never seen before walking around. I had an oxygen mask on, and I took it off and started crying for Hikaru and crying for my parents. It got their attention, but they didn't actually listen to me... They just started talking all at once and doing all this medical stuff. I just kept crying for my family..." Kaoru explained, tears going down his blushing cheeks. br /
br / "I was lucky. I only had a few scratches and bruises, no real issues, but Kaoru had two broken ribs, and some big gashes that needed stitches. We stayed in hospital for a while, and after two days, I was finally allowed to see Kaoru, since I wasn't too hurt. I stayed in the room with him for a week, then we were well enough to go home" Hikaru said, crying more. He put his arm around his twin as they both sobbed. br / br /
"S-so... We were waiting for our parents to come and take us home, but they didn't come. We waited hours, and they never came. But then, we caught sight of our aunt and uncle, our dad's brother and his wife. We were close to them, so we were happy to see them, but they didn't look happy to see us. They looked sad and empty..."
Kaoru described, trying to control his tears. br / br / "They told us that they were going to take us home. And we asked them if mummy and daddy were already at home. They looked at us sadly, and shook their heads. We asked where... Where were mummy and daddy? And they simply looked at us in the eyes, and said 'heaven'" br / br / The host club all looked at the twins, shocked. They didn't want to believe it. This couldn't be true; surely they would have known beforehand! It was too awful to be true... The twins were hugging each other, tightly,
silently sobbing into each other's necks. They couldn't believe they had just told them their darkest secret. However... It felt... Good.
They felt so relieved, still sad, but relieved. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted off their shoulders. No one said anything.
What could anyone say at that time? It was too much to / br / "When we got home... All the decorations and food was still out from the night we were supposed to have the party.
So from then on, we never wanted a party, because we couldn't bear to have a party without our parents there... We found out that their death was instant. There was no pain; the moment the car hit us, they were destroyed, but it was painless..." Kaoru sobbed, trying to smile. br / br / "So, now, we live with our uncle and aunt, and we have done since our parents died... They're amazing and we love them, but... We still miss our mummy and daddy!"
Hikaru bawled, sounding like a child. There was still silence, except the sobbing noises. The hosts were thinking of something to say, but none of them had any idea, except... br / br /
"So I guess I'm not the only one who's felt this before..."
Haruhi spoke up. The twins looked at her. Of course! Her mum died when she was 5! Her eyes were filled with tears and she stood up and hugged the twins closely, understanding their pain, fully. The twins had never felt something so comforting in their lives. They both latched onto Haruhi, sobbing louder, like small children. A few tears leaked out of Haruhi's pale face as she hugged them, knowing
Sad. He had awoken that morning and instantly started to cry, as did his brother, who was sitting next to him now. Neither of them had said a word all day, not even to each other. All noise they had made came from crying that morning. They hadn't taken anything in from lessons, they had just been sitting there in silence, reminiscing,
and forcing themselves not to cry. A teacher had asked Hikaru for an answer, but he didn't say a word, and just looked away. Some of their class members were a little confused by this, and others just sniggered at him. He didn't care; they didn't know. None of them knew. He didn't want any of them to know. br / br /
The bell rang for lunch, and the class packed away. The twins were expected at the club room, but they didn't want to host that day. But they had to go there to say that they didn't want to host, otherwise it would just be impolite. They trekked down the halls before stopping outside the familiar door. They looked at each other and took a deep breath, before opening the door and stepping in. br / br / "SURPRISE!" Many voices shouted, as streamers and confetti showered the twins. The twins looked around in shock, seeing the club room covered in balloons, confetti, streamers,
banners saying 'Happy birthday' and ribbons. There were tables laid out with food and drinks and cake on them, and there was music playing. Every host member was there, wearing a pointy party hat.
They all ran up to the twins, smiling and laughing at their shocked faces. br / br / "W-what is this..."
Kaoru stuttered, astonished at the rooms look. br / br / "It's a surprise birthday party! Since you guys weren't going to have one, we thought we'd throw one for you!" Tamaki announced proudly. The amount of emotions that were flying through the twin's veins was unreal. br / br / "B-but...
W-we w-were... We..." Hikaru started. br / br / "Hikaru..." Kaoru interrupted his brother, looking at the floor, sadly. His voice was so sad and distraught; all the hope had been dragged out of / br / "... What is it?" Hikaru gulped, scared of what Kaoru was going to say. br / br / "This is... The party we never had..." Kaoru said, before he covered his face with his hands and began to sob. The cheering of the host club stopped as they looked at Kaoru. Hikaru immediately put his arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace, whilst Kaoru curled his body up slightly. br / br / "Kaoru? W-what's wrong?!" Tamaki asked, feeling sad that one of his friends were sad. br / br / "It's... A long story...
Don't worry Tamaki; the party is amazing, it's just..." Hikaru said, not wanting to tell them more. Kaoru looked up at his brother with teary eyes. br / br / "...Y-you might as well tell them..." He cried. Hikaru was shocked. Kaoru wanted to keep it a secret more that he did when they first met the host club. "It's hard enough dealing with it, let alone keeping it a secret!" Kaoru continued to bawl. Hikaru felt the first few tears fall down his cheeks, as he held his brother. br /
br / "How about you come sit down and then we can talk?"
Haruhi said, pressing the mute button on the speakers to stop the music. The twins agreed to it and walked to the sofas, hand in hand.
They both knew it was time to tell the secret. The host club sat down, a silence falling over them that was only filled by the silent sobs of the twins. br / br / "Do you guys... Want something to eat or drink? Or something to make it easier for you to do this?" Tamaki offered. The concern in his voice was genuine and comforting to the twins. The both shook their head, before wiping their tears away and composing themselves. They looked at each other, before they sighed and looked at the hosts. br / br / "Ten years ago, it was our sixth birthday. We and our parents were going to go out for dinner at this really nice place" Kaoru started, smiling at the good memory. br /
br / "So we did, we got there and the food was amazing and we got great presents and we had a lot of fun. We talked with our parents and we made some of our fondest memories there" Hikaru continued, also smiling. br / br / "So,
once we were done, it was time for us to go home to a surprise party that our parents had been planning. We were really excited because we loved parties! We couldn't wait..." Kaoru said, his smile starting to fade. br / br / "So we were on the way home. Kaoru and I were buzzing as we talked to our parents,
laughing and giggling... It was all going so well..." Hikaru sighed, his eyes welling with tears again. br / br / "A car hit our own car... Really badly in the side. I can remember our Parents screaming and the car rolling... But then it all was so fast and I... I don't remember much... Until I opened my eyes and I was lying in the road, blood pouring down my face with shards of glass and metal everywhere..." Kaoru started crying again. The rest of the hosts didn't like where this was going. br / br / "I also don't remember much... But there was fire, and I silence that was so awful... All I could hear was the fire crackling a bit, and Kaoru crying, but that was it. There were no other sounds from anything. I crawled over to Kaoru and I saw his wounds. They were bad and... I think he still has the scar under his fringe. He was bleeding so much that I thought he would die... His arms and legs were bleeding also under his ripped clothes. It was almost as bad for me, but Kaoru was sitting on the side of the car that got hit" Hikaru said, crying. Kaoru felt for the scar under his fringe. It still hurt a bit when he touched it. The twins needed a quick break, their tears were flowing too fast. They looked away as they cried, slightly embarrassed about it. br / br / "Th-then what happened? Guys?" Honey asked, his eyes also welling with tears. Even Mori looked sad for the twins. br / br / "We... We sat there crying for ages... It started raining, but the fire kept burning. Soon, the ambulances came and we were taken away, but we were crying to see our parents. We couldn't see there anywhere... But the doctors wouldn't listen and they just took us away... When I woke up again, I was in hospital,
with people I had never seen before walking around. I had an oxygen mask on, and I took it off and started crying for Hikaru and crying for my parents. It got their attention, but they didn't actually listen to me... They just started talking all at once and doing all this medical stuff. I just kept crying for my family..." Kaoru explained, tears going down his blushing cheeks. br /
br / "I was lucky. I only had a few scratches and bruises, no real issues, but Kaoru had two broken ribs, and some big gashes that needed stitches. We stayed in hospital for a while, and after two days, I was finally allowed to see Kaoru, since I wasn't too hurt. I stayed in the room with him for a week, then we were well enough to go home" Hikaru said, crying more. He put his arm around his twin as they both sobbed. br / br /
"S-so... We were waiting for our parents to come and take us home, but they didn't come. We waited hours, and they never came. But then, we caught sight of our aunt and uncle, our dad's brother and his wife. We were close to them, so we were happy to see them, but they didn't look happy to see us. They looked sad and empty..."
Kaoru described, trying to control his tears. br / br / "They told us that they were going to take us home. And we asked them if mummy and daddy were already at home. They looked at us sadly, and shook their heads. We asked where... Where were mummy and daddy? And they simply looked at us in the eyes, and said 'heaven'" br / br / The host club all looked at the twins, shocked. They didn't want to believe it. This couldn't be true; surely they would have known beforehand! It was too awful to be true... The twins were hugging each other, tightly,
silently sobbing into each other's necks. They couldn't believe they had just told them their darkest secret. However... It felt... Good.
They felt so relieved, still sad, but relieved. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted off their shoulders. No one said anything.
What could anyone say at that time? It was too much to / br / "When we got home... All the decorations and food was still out from the night we were supposed to have the party.
So from then on, we never wanted a party, because we couldn't bear to have a party without our parents there... We found out that their death was instant. There was no pain; the moment the car hit us, they were destroyed, but it was painless..." Kaoru sobbed, trying to smile. br / br / "So, now, we live with our uncle and aunt, and we have done since our parents died... They're amazing and we love them, but... We still miss our mummy and daddy!"
Hikaru bawled, sounding like a child. There was still silence, except the sobbing noises. The hosts were thinking of something to say, but none of them had any idea, except... br / br /
"So I guess I'm not the only one who's felt this before..."
Haruhi spoke up. The twins looked at her. Of course! Her mum died when she was 5! Her eyes were filled with tears and she stood up and hugged the twins closely, understanding their pain, fully. The twins had never felt something so comforting in their lives. They both latched onto Haruhi, sobbing louder, like small children. A few tears leaked out of Haruhi's pale face as she hugged them, knowing