Chapter 11

Things were awkward around the club for a few weeks. Kagome returned to her hosting duties, but she wasn't the same. She was kind and courteous to her guests but found herself unable to participate with the others and their antics. It was a struggle to act normal when it felt as if her world had fallen apart around her.

There was also the fact that she could not bring herself to face Sesshomaru. He might not blame her, but she did, it was her fault, and now she was faced with fixing that problem again. But who was to say she would be able to make the right choice the second time around. She had already been through this, and her decision had been proven wrong. How would she ever be able to trust her instincts again? It was confusing. And it tormented her at every turn.

Walking into the Host club, Kagome was welcomed by what appeared to be an ordinary day. Guests were seated with their desired host, whereas she was lacking in guests, which meant she needed to help other hosts get refreshments and so on. It was a far more relaxing day than most, and one she honestly needed. There was always something going on, so it was nice to have a relaxing club day.

Making her rounds, Kagome was stopped by the twins. They had a game they often played with their guest: "Which one is Hikaru Game." They would regularly change their hairstyle or wear a hat to prevent the guest from telling them apart from their usual hairstyles. She, on the other hand, didn't need their hairstyle to tell which was which.

Shippo liked to play pranks; his favorite had been making clones of himself to see if Kagome could find the "real" him. And she did, every time. It was the same thing with the twins. Many would argue that it would take a master of aura manipulation to tell apart twins, as they were identical in every way, but she could do so with a mere glance. There were minuscule differences between the twins. Hikaru was the more outgoing and bold of the two, whereas Kaoru was more quiet and thoughtful, and that subtle difference could be seen and felt in their auras.

The two spoke in perfect syncrasy, hiding the slight differences in their pitch. Their movements also mirrored the other. They moved with such ease and grace; it was bewitching to watch. "So, can you tell which one of us is Hikaru!?" They grinned at their guest. Each girl smiled back excitedly.

"It's hard to say!" One guest started.

"You two are identical!" Another girl giggled her face flush, no doubt flustered by the twins.

The twins moved as one, a victorious smirk mirrored on their faces. "Many ladies have tried telling us apart, but so far, none have succeeded."

Kagome found herself laughing in tune with the twin's guests.

"What's so funny, Kagome?" The twins turned, moving in unison towards her.

She smiled. "I'd like to try."

Kaoru wasn't one to get nervous; in fact, he'd near met a girl that could make him remotely flustered. And yet, his heart raced, his palms grew sweaty, and his stomach felt like it was doing summersaults.

Despite the new feelings, he maintained his smile, matching his brother's every move with practiced ease. They leaned forward as Kagome approached, making them eye level. Her eyes sparkled as they peered into his, their sapphire hue rivaling that of an actual jewel. It had been weeks since Kaoru had seen even the hint of a genuine smile. She smiled at her guests and acted the part of a perfect host, but something had been missing for the last three weeks.

It was like Kagome was finally returning to him- to the club.

He fought against the blush that threatened to rise in his face. Kaoru prided himself on his acting skill; he and his brother could charm anyone without any lingering attachments- to them, it had always been a game. But being so close to her made him nervous, his heart was pounding in his ears, and he feared that she'd be able to hear it.

"That's the dumbest game I've ever heard of." Haruhi interrupted.

Kagome offered the girl a small smile as she turned. "You think so?"

The girl nodded with a bored shrug.

"You got a problem with our game Haruhi?" They turned with a matching glare, seemingly annoyed at her interruption.

"Not really I guess, I just don't understand why you two are so popular." Haruhi popped up, looking at the twins with suspicion.

"That's not very nice!"

Kagome grinned. Haruhi was so innocent and naive that it was adorable. For someone so smart, the girl was unaware of romance nuances or social undertones.

"They're taboo," Kagome explained with a laugh, much to Haruhi's confusion.

"See, Kagome gets it." For some reason, that didn't sit well with Kaoru; a sense of possessiveness bubbled in his chest. They had always shared everything with each other, but for some reason, Kaoru didn't like the idea of sharing Kagome- with anyone.

"I'm disappointed in you, Haruhi." Hikaru started.

"Apparently, you don't understand the merits of having a pair of twins as host club members." Kaoru continued.

"Listen up. Having a couple of good-looking guys with homosexual tendencies earns the club high points. It also helps if the two struggle between their attraction and their friendship." Hikaru explained, throwing his arms around Kaoru in a dramatic show that always seemed to work with their guest.

"And in our case, because we're twins, our relationship is taboo and therefore more intriguing." Kaoru returned his brother's gesture, but his eyes kept flicking to Kagome, studying her unchanging expression, trying desperately to gage her reaction, or in this case, the lack of.

"And besides, who hasn't fantasized about twins? Having two lovers is better than one, don't you think?" Hikaru teased while leaning in toward one of their guests.

Kaoru leaned down, tucking a stray hair behind the guest's ear. The act makes the girl's face glow with a bright shade of red. "It's every young woman's romantic fantasy." Even as he said it Kaoru looked to Kagome, a part of him wanting to know her preference.

The guest seemed to melt at the twin's antics, her face flush and beyond flusters as she confirmed the twin's explanation. "Yeah, you're right! I can't take it!" she squealed in delight.

Kagome shook her head before offering Haruhi a shrug. "For me, the whole love triangle is overrated. But there are a lot of romance books out there that can attest to their appeal, especially if their twins."

The twins shared a trumpet grin, but for Kaoru, his heart fluttered happily at Kagome's admittance.

Haruhi wrinkled her nose and shook her head adamantly, making Kagome laugh before patting the other teen's shoulder.

"Oh, by the way," Kagome walked right up to Kaoru. "Your Kaoru!" As she said his name in that low excited whisper, she pulled off the hat from his head.

This time he couldn't fight off the blush; it crept up, staining his cheeks a light shade of pink.

She turned away and did the same thing to Hikaru. He rolled his eyes and mumbled "lucky guess" under his breath.

Looking over her shoulder, she grinned at the twins before heading in the other direction.

"I could never mistake you for your brother." Her words ran out in his head; Hikaru was wrong; she could tell them apart- Kagome could tell him apart.

When Tamaki began interrogating them, though, Kagome was at the computer with the other guest staring at the screen in a mix of shock and awe. Just last night, Kaoru and Hikaru had uploaded a collection of candid pics featuring both Kagome and Haruhi. The photos were photoshopped, but they still looked real.

A part of him became embarrassed, almost ashamed that they had used Kagome's image in such a way.

There were three pictures in total. The first was of a topless Haruhi. The photo was edited from behind, having Haruhi looking over their shoulder. The second was the same as the first but with Kagome. The last image was of Kagome and Haruhi; their bodies were facing away from the camera while facing each other in a sensual embrace at the hip.

Even when making it, Kaoru had been embarrassed, but now having her look at it was worse.

He thought she would yell and call him a pervert, but instead, she laughed. Kagome grinned, looking at the photo before grinning at the girls in a charming way. "I didn't know I was so handsome."

She through her arm around Haruhi's shoulder. The girl seems to be in shock. "Come on, Haruhi, it looks like they're selling the pictures as posters. And I'm sure those sales will be going to our debt."

Her mood quickly shifted, her eyes lighting up before turning to Kyoya, who stood a couple paces away. Kagome offered him a slight nod, the two having kept their distance since the "incident," as the others deemed it.

"That's right, Haruhi, 10% of the earnings will be credited to your debt." He explained softly.

This had Haruhi grinning once more, but she did look at the twins with a scowl. "No more making weird pictures of me, or Kagome, without our permission, you got me? Just what do you guys take us for anyway?"

"Isn't that obvious?' Kaoru moves with his brother on instinct, their arms falling across the other's shoulder. "Our toy!"

"In order to entertain one's self in this otherwise boring life-"

"-One must find himself stimulating toys." Kaoru finished in an equally teasing tone.

Kagome stares at them, her face void of any emotion.

Haruhi, on the other hand, her face twisted in one of annoyance. "I'm not your toy!"

From the doorway, a student appeared as if being summoned. His body was shrouded by a dark shadow and dressed in a dark purple cloak. "You want a toy?" Even his voice was deep and as ominous as his entrance. A smirk was the only thing visible about his pale face, the rest hidden by his dark hair and cloak. "Toys, toys, if you like toys, then you should come and visit my black magic club. We've opened a marketplace that boasts black magic items from across the globe. We're also holding mass around the clock. And if you visit right now, I'll even throw in a free curse doll. You can have a Beelzenfef as your free gift."

"Why's he talking to us through a door?"

"Nekozawa-Senpai likes to hide. He doesn't really care for brightly lit places." Kyoya pops in with his infinite knowledge about everyone and everything.

Tamaki also took that moment to appear, grabbing Haruhi by the shoulders with shaking hands. "Don't get involved with that guy Haruhi- if you do, you'll end up cursed!"

At this point, Kagome turned away, the look on her face conveying a level of emotion Kaoru had only seen the one time.

"Kagome?"

She turned, shooting him a glare that left him rooted to the floor. There was a well of hurt and anger that flashed across her gaze, and it was directed at him. The need to submit and beg swelled in his chest; he had never begged, yet he couldn't handle the thought of being the cause of her pain.

"Don't come near me." It came out as a low hiss, angry and final.

He stepped forward, hand outstretched. "Kagome, I-"

"Don't!" She snapped, eyes blazing. He froze, fighting back the low whine building in his throat. "I thought we were friends." Hurt colored her features, her eyes seeming to well with tears. It made him sick to his stomach; he had never wanted to hurt her, and the very thought had him reeling. "But I'm not some-thing for you to use and throw away when you get bored, Kaoru. I'm a person, and I deserve more respect, especially from someone I thought was my friend."

Kagome walked away quickly, wiping at her eyes before going to sit with Hani and Mori.

But Kaoru couldn't move, his eyes pinned to her. His instincts screamed to go to her, to beg for forgiveness, yet his logical side understood that she didn't want to talk to him. And that hurt, even more; the thought of her never wanting to speak to him again tore into his heart.

An arm over his shoulders tore him away from his thoughts and his eyes from her. His brother was laughing, his grin stretched across his face. "You should have seen that Nekozawa guy! He ran so fast!" Hikaru laughed, lazily flipping a flashlight in his hand. "Come one, I'm bored. Let's see if Haruhi will let us come over to her place."

Kaoru nodded meekly, forcing a smile. "Sure."

wolfYLady: Hey! I know it's been a long time, and I want to say thank you for your patience and understanding as I have been going through a lot of personal issues.

And as for the story, although Kagome does know that the hosts are demons, they don't know that she is a Miko. But everything will come out soon, just as some romance will also start. Maybe even a love triangle.

I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and please don't forget to review.

Until next time!