Ouran High School Host Club Fan Fiction ❯ Her and Us ❯ Her and Us ( Chapter 1 )

 

Disclaimer: Don't own anything related to Ouran. It's just the same writing hobby countless other fangirls engage in.

 

And this story is very much meant to go against the grain of the view concerning the possibility of a Hikaru/Haruhi pairing in which Kaoru would hate Haruhi or become jealous. So I tried to do the realistic tension you do start to see without going down the same path I have seen so many times.

 

Her and Us

 

Kaoru's eyes remained fixated on the book before him. In one of the rare occasions of him being alone, he had decided to take the opportunity to divulge in something that he personally enjoyed. He had taken an interest in English at a young age and took every opportunity to find books to read as he seldom had anybody he could speak with in the language, at least not proficiently.

 

Despite the fact that everybody in their household had some grasp of the language, it was Kaoru who had truly gone to great lengths to communicate in the language. His parents and brother all had incredibly thick accents and at times had a difficult time picking up the sounds of the words. So thus, he often found himself reading on the internet or finding random books while on vacation.

 

The book he had found wasn't particularly good or bad. It was overly wordy at points and seemed more concerned with the technical aspects of the setting rather than characterization. However, Kaoru continued to read on, a dictionary on hand for the occasional word that he was unfamiliar with. Even a mediocre book was better than simply lounging about waiting for his brother to return from his date with Haruhi.

 

It wasn't as though it was entirely unexpected. For quite some time the younger Hitachiin twin had noticed how his brother looked at the girl. It was only a matter of time before he was resigned to waiting on the sidelines while his brother moved on with his life. While he was quite happy for his brother finding someone else in his life who was important, it admittedly was a bit lonely.

 

Sighing, Kaoru set the book beside him, taking a moment to let his eyes focus. The study he was currently in was the one corner of the estate in which the eccentricities of his family truly revealed themselves. Visitors never found their way here so there was little need to ensure the tidiness or to arrange opulent decorations as a status display. He could go through every corner of the room and find some hint to one of the members of the household.

 

The couch he was currently laying on was well worn, with the material ever so slightly frayed in corners and marked with the occasional stain from his father's coffee or as a victim of some game by Hikaru and himself. However, it was far too comfortable to dispose of, and thus it was kept in this room. Both of his parents had attempted at some point only to have both brothers protest it vehemently until they relented.

 

The nearby table had a small stack of literature that had been started by Kaoru at various points, various scraps of extra fabric or pieces of paper marking where he had left off last to either forget about or to return to at some point. More lined a heavy oak bookshelf, waiting to be read.

 

On the floor near one end of the couch Hikaru kept several video games that he had finished at some point. Absently, Kaoru flipped through each of them, seeing if there was anything of interest. For all their similarities, they were quite different when anybody looked beyond the superficial. They both always played video games, but Hikaru had more of an interest in fighting games; the more blood the better for him. Kaoru didn't mind them but a look at his collection would show his preference for storytelling games with long epic plots. He wasn't entirely sure why Hikaru had left the games laying out in such a manner, yet it was his own touch to the room.

 

His parents took up much of the opposite end of the room with their projects. Most of his father's deals that occurred online took place in his small corner of the room. His mother was in the middle of designing a a new line of clothing, mostly women's' wear. There had been talk already of Hikaru bringing Haruhi home at one point so she could be used to model some of the designs.

 

Haruhi… Kaoru had to admit that she was absolutely fantastic. There were so many good qualities to her that he could understand why his brother had fallen for her. That moment where she told them apart without hesitation was the beginning of the end of their own personal world. He had to admit that even he felt a little something for the brash commoner girl, but nothing like what his brother felt.

 

But why did he feel so lonely? He knew that this was a possibility for quite some time. Kaoru had tried to prepare for it. Perhaps it was because he was alone now. Hikaru was going to move on and leave him behind. The idea hurt considering that for sixteen years they had been together virtually every moment. That part made him wish that they had never gotten together.

 

With a soft creak, the door to the study opened. Hikaru had come home. Kaoru had been so lost in thought that he hadn't heard his brother's return. Looking over to him he tried to put on a smile s he greeted him, “Hey, how was the date?”

 

“It went pretty good,” Hikaru said, his face lighting up a bit, “It was a lot of fun. We didn't really make any plans so we just wandered around.”

 

Smirking slightly Kaoru couldn't help but tease, “And you didn't leave her alone in a rainstorm this time?”

 

That had been a slightly touchy subject for Hikaru ever since it had happened. He still felt guilty for acting as he had that day. “No, I didn't. Of course not. I'm not that stupid…”

 

“I know…” Kaoru said, his voice trailing off as though lost in thought again.

 

Noticing the tone with which that prhase came, Hikaru couldn't help but tell that something was a bit off. In fact, his younger brother had seemed somewhat detached in the past few weeks. “What's been eating you anyway?”

 

Shaking his head Kaoru dismissed the concern, “It really isn't anything Hikaru.”

 

“You know… Haruhi wants to see this new movie being released next week. It's some American flick. You should probably come with since you'll probably like it better anyway.”

 

It wasn't like Hikaru to take a guess at someone else's emotions and to be so right. Despite the closeness of the twins, it had always been Kaoru who was well in tune with emotions of those around him. Hikaru had a tendency to act out on a whim and seldom realized how he affected those around him, even his own brother. It was never that Hikaru didn't care but rather that he failed to pick up on indirect signals.

 

Switching to one of the books sitting on the table and flipping to the page he left the marker, Kaoru sighed, “No, it's okay. You and Haruhi are going to go on dates… I'm not going to be a third wheel.”

 

“Actually, she was the one who suggested it.”

 

The thought caused Koaru to smile a bit. He realized just how silly it was to think that he was losing his brother. One of the reasons that they had let her into their lives at all was because she saw them not as one person but as individuals… the other was that she above any outsider knew just what kind of bond they held. She wouldn't divide them. Hikaru could have time for both him and her.

 

“Huh? Kaoru?” Hikaru mentioned, a puzzled look on his face, “what's with the spaced out thing?”

 

“No, it isn't anything, really. I was just thinking, “ Kaoru said honestly, “Although if it's the one I think she is talking about I guess I can tag along. It will be fun.”