Chapter 57: Bonus Chapter: The Parent Trap part 1

"Alright happy campers! We've arrived at your destination! "

Kaoru lifted his head off his bus pillow and excitedly looked out the window, his bus seat partner almost squishing him as they looked over his head, but the redhead didn't mind very much. Unfortunately, from his view point he couldn't even see the mountain range that surrounded the Daisetsuzan National Park, but that did little to dampen Kaoru's mood.

The bus slowed to a stop and the kids around him started gathering their pillows and backpacks, their voices increasing in volume as the reality of the situation started to set in. Kaoru was grinning broadly as he started following the others off the bus. He'd never been to summer camp before! And it was an international camp on top of that! This was going to be so exciting!

He just had to find his duffel bag first…

Spotting a large pile of bags piling up on the grass, the redhead shouldered his backpack and hurried over, dodging other campers as they ran towards bathrooms and counselors and translators holding up different country flags. Kaoru was still grinning as he started naming them all in his head.

Italy… Germany… America… Austria… India… Man, Aunt Jin would love this place. If only she could've taken the time off to volunteer here. But then again, Kaoru hummed to himself as he finally spotted his green duffel bag laying on top of a nearby pile, if she wasn't so busy this summer I wouldn't be here at all.

The redhead reached out to grab his bag… just as ten more were tossed onto it.

He groaned and pulled his hand back, pushing his sunglasses onto the top of his head. His bag, which had been right on top , was now unable to be seen from the outside. Rolling up his sleeves, Kaoru reached back into the pile and grabbed onto a strap that he assumed belong to his bag. Pulling as hard as he could, he managed to get the green fabric to stick out. But other than that? Nope.

"Hey! Need a hand?"

Turning around, the boy noticed what appeared to be a brother and sister walking over to him. They both had pale faces and light brown hair, and were clearly not Japanese.

He smiled kindly at them and nodded, "Yeah… my bag kinda got trapped in the middle before I could grab it."

The girl smiled back, "Don't worry, I get it. Happened to me the first time I came to this camp."

"Yeah, and then she let it happen to me when I came with her the next year." The brother pretended to kick his, apparently older, sister before turning back to Kaoru, "I bet the three of us can get it out."

Kaoru nodded and moved over, grabbing the strap yet again while the siblings squeezed next to him. Once they all had a grip on it, the girl counted out, "Three! Two! One! Pull!" They did just that… and fell backwards into the dirt when it came loose. It collapsed on top of the brunet boy and all three of them started laughing.

"Thanks!" The redhead stood up and took his bag, letting the boy stand up, "What are your names?"

"Oh! Klara and Leon Danialsson! We're from Sweden."

"Really? That's so cool! My aunt's best friend lives in Finland with his husband, and we went to visit him last summer. We popped over into… Kolari, I think… just across the border. It was nice."

Leon dusted off his hands, "Ha! Well, I'm glad we made a good first impression…" he squinted at the name embroidered in black along the side of the duffle, "...Kaoru. So, where are you from?"

"Tokyo."

The siblings gasped in obvious delight, "That's so cool!"

"We've always wanted to travel there!"

The redhead chuckled, "Well, I don't actually live in the city. My mom owns her own law firm, so we managed to buy a pretty nice house off in the suburbs. Oh, and we also live with my grandfather who helps his friend run a nice motel over the summer, so he chips in with the rent."

"Wow… I wish we lived with our grandparents. We don't get to see them as much as we'd like to."

"Fujioka Kaoru!"

The redhead turned around at the sound of his name coming through a bullhorn and raised a hand, "Here!"

"Light blue!"

Klara clapped her hands together, "That's the cabin color we were assigned!" Her brother pumped his fist by his side, prompting an even bigger smile on the redhead's face. He could tell this was going to be a great summer.

Across the way, a sleek black car rolled up next to the parked buses. The campers who noticed raised their eyebrows and gossiped among themselves. There were usually a few "rich" kids who showed up at camp like they were all that because their family didn't have to save up to send them there. More often than not, they left camp before the eight weeks out. A few were alright… but not all of them.

The backdoor popped open and a tall man with immaculate black hair and silver glasses stepped out, his clothes oddly casual given the mode of transportation. He walked over to the back of the car and opened the trunk as a younger boy climbed out after him.

Hikaru stood on the dirt path and took in a deep breath, already enjoying the fresh air. It reminded him of the fishing trips his father had obsessed over when the redhead was still a young kid, and had since then become sort of a father-son tradition. And that was the thought that kept him from jumping straight back into the car and not moving until he was driven back to the airport.

"Hikaru? Would you mind grabbing your own bags? I'm not your butler."

The teenager smirked at his 'uncle', but did as he was asked. Once the trunk was shut again, the two gave the camp another look. Most of the people who had watched them arrive were now focusing on their own things once again, which eased Hikaru's nerves. He hated being stared at… having a Japanese ethnicity in Paris tended to make that real old real quick.

"Well, I know it's not what you're used to, but please attempt to enjoy yourself while you're here, Hikaru."

The redhead scoffed, but managed to smile a bit, "And if I don't…"

"Your father will send out the private jet without further question."

"Thanks, Kyoya…"

The man offered Hikaru a small smile of his own, and held open his right arm casually, his smile growing a little as the redhead immediately went for a hug. As much as Hikaru didn't want to admit it, Kyoya could tell the boy was nervous. Poor kid didn't have many friends back home, since he was often made fun of for his ethnicity and tended to shut everyone out. That was why Kyoya had insisted on his best friend's son being sent here. Hikaru needed to learn to let people in.

The teenager pulled away quickly, pretending like he wasn't about to cry. Noticing immediately, Kyoya shook his head and quickly ruffled up the boy's hair.

"H-hey!" Hikaru batted at the offending hand, but his signature 'troublemaking' grin was back. He reached up and started combing his hair back down to its original neat and tidy appearance.

Kyoya watched the action in amusement before taking a breath, "Well, I should be off. I need to check on the corporate office while I'm here, and there's a meeting I have tomorrow night back home."

Hikaru's shoulders tensed up, but he nodded, "Right… so… bye. I guess."

The two hugged briefly one last time before Kyoya gently nudged the redhead towards the counselors. Hikaru grabbed his suitcases and made it halfway before looking back. The ravenet nodded encouragingly, but didn't make a move to leave until the boy was being pointed towards a cabin.

The bespectacled man took in a deep breath before climbing into the car, "Airport, please."

The very next day Kaoru was already having the time of his life. The food was great and he had multiple choices from different nations to try out, even if he internally thought that his Aunt Jin could've made something better, and the day's activities were more than he could've hoped for. He'd always been a sort of outdoorsy child, preferring to do things outside if given the chance, such as hanging out with his 'sort of' cousins while they practiced their karate and kendo or reading on the porch with his mother and aunt.

So when he heard there was an open field to be used whenever they wanted to for field athletics, Kaoru had been so excited he could barely sit still.

He and the Danialsson siblings were just walking onto the field when they noticed a gathering near the edge of the track. Walking over, they heard the end of the announcement for a race.

"Now, we're not expecting any Olympic-like talent, but what better way to break the ice between all of your cultures? The first race will be once around the track, and we'll need one participant per country."

Some of the kids started whispering among themselves, debating whether they should go or if their friend want to try. Kaoru, on the other hand, was bouncing on his toes. Even though he wasn't particularly interested in the martial arts that his 'sort of' cousins and actual aunt took part in, he had been encouraged even as a young child to at least exercise with them. His mother wasn't particularly athletic, but thankfully that was one of the few personality traits he hadn't inherited.

And they ran… a lot.

First off, let's get a volunteer from Japan-" Kaoru's hand was in the air before the counselor was even finished, "Fujioka Kaoru! Step onto the track please! Next, a volunteer from the United States…"

The redhead took his place on the far left side of the track just as a large brunette boy stepped up to his side, "Hello!"

"Hey! So, how's your first day looking so far?"

The boy shrugged, "It's interesting. Little disorienting hearing so many different languages, but I like the new phrases I've started picking up. You?"

"Pretty decent. You're from the United States, right?"

"Yup! Arizona!"

"I… don't know where that is. Do you run track?"

"Yeah, but only short distance. I'm probably not going to be able to run this whole thing. You?"

"Nah. My aunt goes on runs before she starts practicing at the dojo and I just… started joining her one day. I guess I might have a chance at it."

"-and Suoh Hikaru for France!"

Kaoru blinked and leaned out a little, looking over towards the other side of the track. Suoh Hikaru was a Japanese name… not a French name. He watched as another kid said just that from the sidelines, and a boy with combed down red hair that sort of matched Kaoru's own hair color stepped out a little from the line up.

"Just because my parents are Japanese doesn't mean I'm not a French citizen! Do you want me to show you my passport?"

The counselor quickly moved in to calm the other boy down while Kaoru moved back into place.

Geez, touchy much?

"Alright campers! Ready?" Most of them shifted a foot back. "Set?" Kaoru crouched down and peeked down the line out of the corner of his eye, spotting Klara somewhere in the middle. "GO!"

They took off.

Almost immediately Kaoru started weeding out the competition in his head. A number of kids were falling behind, and not because they were saving their energy. They were like Kaoru's mother, who just so happened to be… a slow runner. And then there were the kids who took off like freaking bullets. Klara being one of them. If he wasn't focusing so much on his own speed and breathing, Kaoru might've been tempted to call out to her that she was using up all of her energy too soon.

But hey, a little less competition, right?

The sound of cheers from the sidelines grew fainter as they headed towards the other half of the track. Kaoru's heart started beating in his ears, but he wasn't growing tired. Not just yet.

As they rounded the corner, he noticed more and more people falling behind. Klara eventually stumbled to a stop, breathing heavily, but still managing to shout out, "Go, Kaoru!" He smiled and put on a little more speed.

The track runner beside him started falling behind as well as they got perhaps 3/4ths of the way around. He laughed and slowed down quicker, giving up.

By that point, Kaoru realized it was just him… and the other redhead. Hikaru.

Finally tapping into his last reserves of energy, he full on sprinted towards the line he'd started at. Closer… closer…

"Augh!"

At the shout, Kaoru slowed to a stop, looking over his shoulder and seeing Hikaru laying on the track, his hands and knees covered in little scrapes. One of his shoelaces had come undone. Kaoru winced and was about to run over when a familiar voice shouted from the sidelines.

"Kaoru won! Good job!"

The redhead blinked and looked down at his feet. Sure enough, he was standing on the other side of the finish line. He smiled and waved at Leon, but quickly remembered Hikaru when he heard a hiss of pain behind him.

Quickly jogging towards the fallen boy and the counselor helping him off the ground, he called out, "Hey, you alright?"

Hikaru turned around with a scowl on his face, but it died almost immediately when the two boys saw each other. Kaoru stopped dead, his eyes widening. They… looked so similar. And it wasn't even the hair color! Their faces were the same shape, eyes the same golden honey color… heck, even their eyebrows were the same!

"Oh my…"

The counselor's words restarted the boy's brains, Hikaru quickly going back to a scowl and carefully brushing the dirt off his hands.

Kaoru stepped forward, pulling a tissue packet out of his pocket, "Here, let me help-"

He and Hikaru both gasped lightly when their hands came into contact, but Hikaru quickly pulled away, "I don't need your help!" The two redheads stepped awkwardly away from each other, glancing around to see that the other campers were staring at them oddly. Hikaru's shoulder's tensed. They were whispering about him… like he was some sort of freak.

"Hey, are you two related?"

Hikaru jumped and glared towards the voice, but couldn't make out who actually said it, so instead he turned to Kaoru and raised an eyebrow, "Us? Related? No way."

"Seriously?" Now it was Kaoru's turn to glare, "I get that you're a jerk, but you have to admit that we look alike."

The French boy raised an eyebrow, "Oh, really?" He looked the other up and down. In the back of his mind, he had to admit that they looked incredibly alike… but there were also a few differences that kept them separated. For starter's, Hikaru's hair was combed down and parted on the right side of his head while Kaoru's hair was a little wild, thrown up in spikes and seemed to be parted on the left. And then their skin tone. Hikaru tended to spend most of his days indoors, but it was clear that Kaoru did not. The other boy was decently tanned, a few lines on the sides of his face that told of sunglasses.

"Hm… you know, we do look somewhat similar, I'll give you that, but… your eyes are a bit closer together than mine. Your ears… oh, don't worry, you'll grow into them. It looks like braces are in your future. Clearly, you do not own a comb nor know what one is, probably. Or sunblock for that matter." He tilted his head to the side, "Are you perhaps from a family of farmers?"

Kaoru's jaw was clenched and Hikaru had to internally admit that it was a little nerve wracking to see his own eyes sending such powerful glares at him, but he didn't let on.

One of the girls who had been racing stepped forward, coming up to Kaoru's side, "Want me to deck him?"

"How violent. And in front of a counselor?"

"Cool it, Klara. I have a feeling his cabin mates will take care of him for us if he's this charming with everyone else at camp."

Hikaru took a step forward right before the counselor stepped in between then, "Ooookay, gentlemen. Let's break it up. Kaoru, Hikaru… I-I mean..." The two turned away, not admitting to themselves the little thrill of nerves that had come from being mistaken for each other. "Um… come on, boys. Apologize to each other. Or do I have to call your parents?"

Kaoru's eyes went wide. His family might understand him being rude to a jerk he met at camp… but all three of them were super busy at the moment with their jobs and he didn't want them worrying about some squabble he'd had. Behind him, Hikaru's eyes were also a little big. This was the exact reason Kyoya had convinced his father to send him to this camp, because he always pushed others away. He could only imagine the look of disappointment on his father's face if he got that phone call…

Sighing, Hikaru turned around, "Je suis désolé. Vos vêtements sont hideux."

The counselor raised an eyebrow, "What was that last part?"

"I apologized for my rude words, and said that they weren't true." He turned back to Kaoru with a fake smile, but was caught off guard by the glare of death he was being given.

"Je peux parler français aussi, perdant." Hikaru's mouth fell open while the other kids began praising Kaoru, who shrugged but gave the other a smug smile, "My Aunt taught me French, German, and Spanish. I'm so glad for those lessons now."

Hikaru's jaw clenched, "Laissez les jeux commencer, puis."

Leon climbed on top of Kaoru's back as they walked back from the lake, "So, I haven't seen your evil clone since the race. He wasn't even at lunch. What did you say to each other?"

"Oh, he said he was sorry, then called my clothes hideous. Then I responded that I knew french and called him a loser. So he said 'let the games commence'. God, I don't know what his problem is."

"He said games? Aren't you a little worried?"

"Nah. It was all talk, I bet. He's never done an actual thing in his life-"

"I… wouldn't say that." The boy's glanced at Klara, then followed her expression of awe towards their cabin. Leon slipped off of Kaoru's back.

Kaoru took a few steps forward, not believing his eyes, "Is… that… my bed? "

"Um, and your suitcase. And your underwear."

The three stared in a mixture of shock and disbelief at the sight of Kaoru's bed on the roof of their cabin. Just Kaoru's. His duffle bag was there, too. And hanging on a stick, with the French Flag waving proudly above it, were his tidy whities.

"Oh… that jerk is going down. "

"Need some help?"

"Please."

"What do we need?"

"I'll start the list."

The next morning, Kaoru held his breath as he peeked into the orange group's boy cabin. It was almost 7, so the bell for wake up would be going off any-

Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong!

-second.

Leon giggled briefly, only to be elbowed by his sister. Watching carefully, they saw Hikaru shift in his bed, turning his head to the side, which made Leon giggle again. The boy in the cabin scrunched his face up a little before opening his eyes wide. Jerking upright, he reached up to feel the whipped cream that was all over his head.

"MERDE!"

His cabin mates jumped out of their beds and half of them collapsed immediately due to the thick layer of butter that had been tediously smeared across the cabin floor last night. A chorus of 'ewww' came from the boys who had caught themselves with their hands or ended up with butter clumps in their hair.

Hikaru glanced down at his shirt and made a retching noise, his pajama shirt covered with honey and more whipped cream. Slowly, he stood up and started sliding his way through the butter, not looking his cabin mates in the eyes.

"I'm sorry you got caught in this. I'm going to the camp counselor."

"Yeah!"

"You do that, Hikaru!"

"Get 'em!"

"WAIT!"

Before he could stop, Hikaru's foot hit a string he hadn't noticed. Instantly, a wooden panel that had been disguised against the roof tilted down and water balloons began raining down on the French boy's head. He gasped, a hand coming up to wipe the fluid and excess whipped cream off his face. The boy whose bed he was holding onto at the moment grabbed his tissue box and went to give it to Hikaru, only to forget about the buttery floor and crash onto his face.

"Ugh! Gross!"

Hikaru was shaking, "That… boy… is the most horrible, disgusting person on this planet! "

Outside, Kaoru began bowing to his friends, who quietly applauded him. He grinned at them, and was very glad that there was no evidence that they were the ones who had trashed the cabin. They hadn't gone to the counselors about the bed issue, so if Hikaru tried to say that they were getting revenge for that, either the counselors wouldn't believe him or he'd get himself in trouble for starting the whole thing.

To be honest, Kaoru had never really pranked anyone this hard. His aunt teased him sometimes and played a few tricks, but he hadn't ever buttered a floor or used water balloons so early in the morning. It was pretty… fun!

"Surprise cabin inspection campers!"

Those four words sent Kaoru's stomach plummeting to his toes. Oh no… the chocolate milk! Before the Swedish siblings could even react, the redhead ran to the cabin door and jumped in front of the camp director, Amano-san.

"Kaoru-san? Is something the matter?"

"I… I… you don't want to go in there! One of the boys got sick last night, and it was a big mess. We're still cleaning it up and he just fell back asleep!"

"Oh my, well, if someone's sick then I must go in! Thank you, but please stand aside, Kaoru-"

"Actually, we're all fine in here." Damn it. "Unless Kaoru here knows something we don't, then you can come right on in. I insist."

The director raised an eyebrow, but reached for the door handle, "Stand aside, Kaoru-san."

"But-!" He quickly dove out of the way as Amano-san opened the door, a full bucket of chocolate milk dumping itself on his head. The man screamed in surprise and ran forward before Kaoru could protest. Immediately he slipped and fell on his back, the last of the milk pouring directly on his face.

Groaning, the director attempted to stand up, but continued to slip on the butter.

"I… told you it was a mess in here."

"He would know. He did it!"

"Only because you put my bed on the roof!"

"BOTH OF YOU! PACK! YOUR! BAGS!"

The redheads stared at the director, hearts suddenly encased in ice.

" This is all your fault. "

"My fault?!"

"Quiet you two!"

Hikaru and Kaoru relapsed back into silence, following the director with their heads down and bags in their hands. They had been hiking for almost eight minutes, and still had no idea where they were going. But from the looks of it, they weren't getting kicked out of camp at least.

The man in front of them suddenly came to a stop, turning around and glaring at them, "Now… I don't know what started your little feud, but from here on out you're either going to learn how to get along or at least be far enough away to not harm anyone else but yourselves!" The red headed boys tucked their chins downwards as the director continued, "You will both be staying in the Isolation cabin for the rest of camp! And all of your after dinner activities have been suspended."

Once the teenagers nodded in understanding, they were sent up to unpack.

The Isolation cabin didn't look half bad from the inside. Of course, the outside left something to be desired, but inside was actually cozy. No bugs or mice at least.

"What a hovel."

Kaoru turned to glare at the other just as thunder boomed overhead. He sighed and walked into the room, "Guess we got here just in time."

"Yeah… suppose."

By the time both boys had unpacked their things, it was a full blown storm outside. Hikaru lazily leaned back in his bed, bored out of his mind. For a split second, he almost wished that he was back in the orange cabin. No one in there had really talked to him until this morning when they were united against Kaoru's prank, but at least it hadn't been this quiet.

On the other side of the room, the other boy was still pinning stuff to his cork-board. Lots of pictures and postcards. He saw a lot of Kaoru and three other boys. The others looked to be younger than the teenager, but they were in a lot of the pictures, so they were clearly close.

Hikaru's eyes drifted over to his suitcase, where the faint lines of a box were just barely visible in the front pocket.

No. Not right now.

"Ah!"

He looked up again and saw Kaoru quickly backing away from his board. He was staring up at the ceiling with a look of defeat as water started dripping down. Frantically, the boy started scooping up his small box of pictures and placing them on his bed before they could get wet. Hikaru sat up and looked around the room, spotting a metal bucket sitting by the corner.

Glancing at the other, he slowly slid off his bed and went to grab it. Walking towards Kaoru's side of the room, he offered him the bucket.

For a moment, they just stared at each other.

"...Thank you, Hikaru." Kaoru gave him a small smile before taking the bucket and placing it under the drip before going to inspect his box of photos.

Hikaru shuffled his feet, "Did any of them get wet?"

"Um…" the other boy shifted them around before letting out a low groan, "Just one." He pulled it out and started shaking it, attempting to dry the picture off. "It just got the corner... so hopefully it'll be fine."

Hesitantly, Hikaru looked at the photograph over the other's shoulder, blinking in surprise when he realized what was in the background, "That's… an Ootori hospital!"

Kaoru spun around, eyes widening, "You recognize it?"

"Of course I recognize it! My uncle Kyoya is the CEO of the Ootori Group."

"Wow…" Kaoru laughed lightly, "That's crazy! My Aunt Jin is the head bookkeeping accountant for the Ootori Group. She's the brunette with me in the picture." He held it out for Hikaru to see a little better, "Maybe they know each other?"

"Maybe."

Kaoru smiled at the other boy before placing the picture back down into the box, "So, how come your last name is Suoh but your uncle is an Ootori?"

"Well, I say he's my uncle because I've known him my whole life, but we're not really related. He moved to France with me and my father to get away from all the stereotypes of being the youngest son and taking over the company."

The other boy smiled a little wider, "Again, that's interesting you say that, because I also have two uncles who aren't really related to me! They're cousins who run a very respected dojo and kendo in Japan. They knew my aunt since they were kids, so I've known them my whole life, too! It's so weird that we have so much in common!"

Hikaru clenched his jaw and took a step back, "Yeah, weird." He sat back on his bed just as Kaoru straightened up.

"There you go again."

"What?"

"Shutting people out. For once we were having a decent conversation and you just… ended it. Why?"

Hikaru rolled his eyes and turned to the wall, "We don't have much in common until you say you get made fun of in school all the time!" Instantly he shut his mouth, embarrassed by his own outburst. Who says that? Really?

"Then I guess we're more alike than you think."

Hikaru turned over in disbelief, staring at Kaoru, who shrugged, "I mean, I'm the only kid at school who doesn't have a dad, and my red hair comes from my grandfather who is a transvestite. Once the kids at school learned about that… and instead of trying to understand it they just started making fun of me. I'd get a bunch of cheap make-up and stuff in my school bag… which was almost worse, because I couldn't even give it to my grandfather or my aunt to use." Kaoru laughed a little, but it wasn't a happy laugh.

For a moment, Hikaru didn't know what to say. Then he sat back up in his bed, "I don't have a mom. She and Dad split up when I was still a baby. And I'm also the only one of Japanese ethnicity at my school. The other kids make fun of me by pulling at the corners of their eyes to make them squint and stuff. I've… never really had any friends. I guess that's why my uncle wanted me to come here so badly… to meet people who wouldn't make fun of what I looked like."

Kaoru smiled softly at the other boy, "Well, guess it worked." Hikaru smiled softly, and his doppelganger suddenly reached into his bag and pulled out a box of cards, "Want to play?"

Hikaru smiled a bit, "Sure."

The other hurried over to sit on Hikaru's bed and started opening the card deck, "Any particular game you want to play?"

"No… you go ahead and pick one."

"Okay! There's this game my aunt taught me called 'Garbage'. She learned it when she was studying abroad in America, along with a few other games, but we can't play Euchre because you need four people. I used to hate playing that game, because my aunt and mom always paired up and they can literally tell what the other is thinking just by looking at each other!"

"What's your mom like?"

"Hm?" Kaoru looked up and saw that Hikaru was staring at his feet.

"I just… my dad never even talks about my mom, and I can't talk to anyone at school, and my uncle isn't married, so I don't really know what a mom should even be like."

"Oh…" Kaoru tilted his head in thought, "Well, every mom is different, but my mom is the best. In my opinion, at least. She's really kind and understanding, but she's also super hard working. She owns her own law firm in Tokyo, and on top of that she organizes a bunch of events with the help of my aunt and grandfather to help raise money… for the illness that took her mom when she was five."

Hikaru blinked, "I'm sorry… my grandmother passed away, too. My dad was the illegitimate son between my grandparents, but then my great grandmother forced them to separate. My dad never even met his father until he was 15, and only saw his mother again when he moved back to France with me after being named the heir to Suoh Enterprises. It was a big mess, and she passed away from lung cancer about eleven years ago."

"Geez… our lives are just really big sob stories, huh?"

"Ha! Yeah." Hikaru shook his head and looked back at the cards in front of him, "These look new."

"They are! Freshly opened three minutes ago! I got them for my birthday last week and figured this was the best place to use them for the first time!"

"Your birthday was last week, too?"

"Yup! June 9th!"

If Hikaru had been drinking some water, he would've choked on it, "That's my birthday! How old are you?"

"Fourteen!"

"Me too!"

"We have the same exact birthday?"

"Yeah!" The boys started laughing in pure amazement. "What even is this? You steal my face and then you steal my birthday?" Hikaru continued to laugh until he realized Kaoru had stopped.

"Hikaru… what was your mom's name?"

"I don't know. My dad doesn't talk about her much. When he does… he gets this weird look in his eye like he's about to start crying. I don't ask him about it anymore. Why do you ask?"

"It's just…" Kaoru leaned back on his hands, staring at the ceiling in thought, "We have the same exact birthday… and we look alike… you've never met your mother, and I've never met my dad. It just feels like the only logical solution is that we're-"

"Long-lost twins?"

Hikaru meant to say it as a joke, but the moment the words left his mouth it was as if all the pieces fell into place. The two redheads did nothing but watch each other for a long period of time before the French boy abruptly stood up and went to his suitcase. Unzipping the front pocket, he pulled out a small silver box and opened it, grabbing a ripped photograph from inside before clutching it to his chest.

"I have only one picture of my mother. So… whether she looks like yours or not will end this whole thing, right? It was from their wedding, but it got ripped at some point so it's not even a whole picture so I… what are you doing?"

Halfway through his description, Kaoru had launched himself across the room to his box of pictures, frantically clawing through them until he reached the bottom. Grabbing one old picture and holding it to his chest, he turned around.

"I… found a picture of my dad. We were cleaning the house and it was inside a little box in my mom's closet. After that I kept sneaking in there to look at him until she finally just gave it to me. And…" He took a step closer to Hikaru, "It's ripped, too. Right down the middle."

Hikaru gulped, staring at the back of the picture in Kaoru's hand, " Down the… this… this is crazy."

"I've already said that. So… on three?"

"One…"

"Two…"

"Three!" They turned the picture halves over and showed it to the other. With a gasp, they pushed them together to create the whole picture. Haruhi Fujioka and Tamaki Suoh stared back at them from the picture, arms around each other and smiling at the camera.

Kaoru laughed lightly, a wobbling smile making its way across his face, "That's… that's my mom."

"And that's my dad."

Hikaru rubbed at his cheek, brushing away the tears, "I'm… I don't…"

"Oh my gosh… Hikaru… we're brothers. "

"Brothers? Kaoru, we're twins! "

The redheads took one look at each other before throwing themselves into a tight hug. Hikaru buried his face into his twin's shoulder, not even bothering to hold back the tears.

"Hikaru? What's Dad like?"

The redhead hummed and leaned his head to the side, letting it fall onto his twin's shoulder as they stared through the dark cabin, "Well, he's an idiot most of the time. He used to really obsess over those father-son bonding things like playing catch and going fishing. We now have a fishing trip thing we do every year. He's a good CEO and a decent businessman, but he's got nothing on uncle Kyoya. And Dad's the nicest person in the world. I've seen him give away his umbrella to random people on the street if they're suddenly caught in a downpour and can have a conversation with basically anyone."

Kaoru chuckled, "Wow… he sounds amazing."

"He calls me 'Mon Caneton'."

"Little duckling?" Kaoru laughed happily and looked over at his brother in glee, "Why?"

"I saw a bunch of ducklings following their mother when I was four years old and started following Dad around the house with a little waddle and quacking. He hasn't let that go in ten years." Hikaru smiled as his twin laughed again. Usually being laughed at was very unpleasant for him, but somehow he knew that Kaoru wasn't making fun of him. No, he was just making his brother laugh. It felt good.

When he calmed down, Kaoru tucked his feet further onto the bed, "And he never remarried?"

"Nah. Uncle Kyoya said he's still pining over losing our Mom. She… hasn't remarried either?"

"Nope. She likes to say that I'm the only boy in her life, usually to tease my grandfather and Uncle Honey and Uncle Mori, but she's never been into dating. I bet she's still not over Dad either."

"Hm… that's funny. Wonder why they split up in the first place. Maybe one of us should ask when we go home."

For a few seconds they sat in silence, until they both perked up at the same time and turned to each other, "I have a brilliant idea!"

"Okay, ready for your test?"

"I'm ready!" Kaoru smiled at his brother's enthusiasm and started holding up the photos.

"Grandpa Ranka. Uncle Honey. Yuudai-chan. Aunt Jin. Misuzu-chi."

The test went on for another minute before Kaoru ran out of pictures, "That was it! You're officially ready to impersonate me!"

"Well… not completely." Hikaru smirked and pointed at his head, "I can't exactly pretend to be a wild child with my hair combed down like this, now can I?"

Kaoru rolled his eyes and started pushing his brother towards the only mirror in the cabin, "I'll show you how I gel it up. First, I start with the bangs, making them point away from my part… oh." They still parted their hair on different sides of their heads.

"Um…" Kaoru turned Hikaru to face him and started trying to move his part to the other side. Except… with the way his brother's hair was cut…

"This isn't working."

"No." Moving Hikaru's hair back to the way it usually was, Kaoru hummed, "But… with the way your hair is cut… it is possible to have it look like mine. Just… inverted."

Hikaru raised an eyebrow, "And you really think Mom and Dad won't notice?"

"Who says they don't need to notice? We can just say we wanted a change!"

His brother took in a deep breath, then nodded and scooped up a small amount of gel onto his fingers, still facing Kaoru, "Then show me. I'll mirror your moves."

Kaoru grinned, "Perfect. Like I was saying, you take your bangs…"

Ten minutes later and Hikaru turned to look in the mirror. He gasped aloud, "Oh… my…"

"Lookin' good, bro."

The two glanced at each other in the mirror, and promptly started laughing. They'd never looked more alike...

"Okay, campers! The buses are loading, time to say your last goodbyes!"

Once again, everyone was gathered at the front entrance to the camp, but this time they were all hugging and exchanging phone numbers. Hikaru and Kaoru were no different, their hairstyles inverted and each other's bags resting by their feet.

Pulling away, Hikaru quickly started straightening out his brother's hair, "Right, so you're going to find out why Mom and Dad split up-"

"-and you're going to ask how they met. I know, Hikaru, we've gone over this a million times."

"I know." He smiled at his twin, "I'm just going to miss you."

Kaoru's eyes twinkled with mischievousness, "Just until they try to switch us back. And after that-"

"-we'll be together all the time."

They hugged one last time just as 'Suoh Hikaru' was called out by one of the counselors. Another black fancy car was parked by the buses, ready to drive Kaoru to the airport with Hikaru's passport in his pocket.

Taking a deep breath, Kaoru grabbed 'his' bags and hugged Hikaru one last time before running towards the car. The counselor smiled as he hugged her briefly before climbing into the vehicle. Hikaru watched his brother drive off with a smile, " You're going to love Dad, Kaoru… and he'll love you, too. "

Stepping into the terminal was a really fascinating experience for Kaoru. He'd never been out of the country before, and now he saw tons of different people of different nationalities speaking in different languages… it was a tad bit overwhelming.

Pulling his suitcase down past the other flight decks, he did his best to look through the crowd for his ride. His 'uncle' Kyoya. It wasn't until he passed the metal detectors that he heard his brother's name floating above the crowd.

"Hikaru!"

Kaoru did his best to smile as the older man came into view, "Kyoya!"

The ravenet walked over to the redhead, and Kaoru couldn't help but feel nervous. Kyoya looked exactly like his pictures, and while Hikaru had told him over and over again that the man was harmless and kind, he still looked frightening. Also, this would be the first test to see if Kaoru could play off being his brother around someone who'd known the other his whole life! Would he be able to tell?

Kyoya stopped in front of the boy, and Kaoru's stomach dropped to his toes when the man raised an eyebrow, "Your hair is mussed."

Panicked, Kaoru turned to the long wall mirror on his right, looking for his mistake, "Where?"

"There." Kyoya's right hand shot forward and started ruffling up the younger boy's perfectly combed hair, his thin fingers raking the red hair up into a spiky mess. Kaoru started laughing and batted the offending hand away, trying in vain to fix his new look. Kyoya was sporting a small smile as he watched, "I wasn't sure if you'd forgotten that trick. I'm pleasantly surprised."

"Jerk."

"Troublemaker." The ravenet smirked again and pulled the younger into a brief hug, "Mmm, we missed you out here. Just so you're aware, I don't think your father's ever letting you leave his side for that long again, so I hope you enjoyed that camp like it was your last."

Kaoru laughed again, and Kyoya's eyebrows narrowed a bit, as he realized something, "Your hair is parted on the other side."

"Oh, yeah, I just... wanted a change. Do you hate it?"

"What's to hate?" Kyoya shook his head and grabbed Hikaru's suitcase, "Well, we'd best be off." He began leading the teenager through the crowd, unaware of how the feeling of lead in Kaoru's stomach had lightened up considerably.

The car ride was almost magical. Kaoru had to resist the urge to stick his head out the window in his effort to remain cool, but his eyes and heart wanted to revolt. There was just so much to see! And it was beautiful…

But not nearly as beautiful as when they pulled up to the house.

Kaoru's heart was in his throat as he climbed out of the cab, suitcases in hand. For a moment, he just stared up at the huge three-story house. Completely white, with light green shutters and a grey roof… Kaoru thought it was amazing.

Kyoya opened the gate that lead them through a garden overflowing with different colored roses, and Kaoru couldn't stop himself from admiring the light blue and orange ones that were side by side. It had him thinking about the colored cabins he and Hikaru had been in right before they were moved to the isolation cabin. Maybe he could ask for two of them to be put in his room? That'd be nice.

Pushing open the front door, Kyoya toed off his shoes and called out through the house, "Tamaki!"

Kaoru takes off his own shoes and stares around the parlor in awe. It was huge! White and black tiled floors, a crystal chandelier, and a winding staircase… Kaoru thought those were just myths!

"Mon Ami? Mon Caneton? You're here?" And there he was. Kaoru's father rushed down from the second floor with a huge smile, his blond hair a well tousled mess that made him look even more handsome than it did in his wedding picture.

"Dad…"

"You're back!"

Without another word Kaoru ran up the stairs to meet Tamaki halfway, hugging him tightly and trying not to cry.

"Ooo… I missed you so much…" the blond pulled back, and Kaoru felt a little better seeing that he wasn't the only one close to tears, "You are never going back to summer camp, I missed you too much!"

"I-" Kaoru pressed a hand to his mouth, blinking rapidly.

His father's unique purple eyes softened even more, if possible, and he began stroking Kaoru's hair, "Oh, Mon Caneton, are you alright?"

"Yes… I just missed you so much…"

Tamaki smiled and hugged his son again, only pulling away to the sound of nails clacking on tile, "Oh, Antoinette!" He and Kaoru walked down the stairs just as the golden retriever ran into the foyer, "Look, girl! Hikaru's home!"

"Hi, Antoinette!" Kaoru beamed at the sight of the dog. He'd always wanted one… but they never had the time or the funds. He would sometimes volunteer at the animal shelter his Aunt had worked at for years, but that was as close as he ever got. The retriever ran excited up to Kaoru, but hesitated a few feet away. He saw the dog's nose wriggle before she let out a small growl. Instantly the redhead gulped. Oops… he didn't smell like Hikaru…

Tamaki raised an eyebrow at the dog, "Antoinette? What's the matter girl? It's Hikaru."

"Don't worry too much. He probably still smells like camp and the airport. She hasn't seen him for two months." Kyoya shook his head and walked further into the house, scratching the dog behind her ears before grabbing Kaoru's suitcase, "Come on. Let's get you unpacked."

"Wait, Hikaru, you have to tell me all about your trip!"

"Tamaki," Kyoya's voice suddenly turned serious, "I think you've forgotten about something you still need to do."

Kaoru's father got a funny look on his face, "Oh… that's right. Well, Hikaru, you go unpack with Kyoya, then come back downstairs. There's someone I want you to meet."

"Okay, Dad," Kaoru smiled.

Tamaki chuckled and slipped on his shoes, quickly kissing Kaoru on the top of his head before walking outside. The moment he disappeared, Kaoru's smile disappeared, "Meet… who?"

Stepping off the train, it took Hikaru less than three seconds to spot his mother.

Haruhi was standing against one of the many pillars lining the station, grinning at the doors that Hikaru was stepping out of. She had on a t-shirt and knee-length khaki shorts, and her short brown hair was stylishly pinned to give her a professional appearance despite the casual sense of her clothes, but her smile was the thing that caught his attention.

"Kaoru! Welcome back!"

"Mom!"

The boy ran through the station and wrapped her up in a hug. They were practically the same height, perfect for Hikaru to bury his face in her shoulder. And if a few tears leaked out? Well… it was an emotional moment.

"Woah… you okay, sweetie?"

"I just missed you… a lot."

Haruhi laughed and kissed her son's forehead, cupping his cheeks, "Let me get a good look at you." Her big brown eyes took in Hikaru's face and he tried to turn away so she wouldn't see him cry, but she just smiled and brushed them away with her thumbs. "There's something different about you…"

Hikaru's breath caught.

"Oh! You changed your hair!" Haruhi released her son, "It's parted on the right, now! When'd you do that?"

"A-at camp."

His mother pressed another kiss to his forehead before gesturing with her head, "Should we head home?"

"Y-yeah. Let's go."

Mother and son walked out of the station and down the street. They were in Bunkyo, one of the suburbs of Tokyo, and the buildings were unlike anything Hikaru had ever seen. That is… if he could've been bothered to look at them.

All the way home, Hikaru couldn't take his eyes off his mother. He would just ask her question after question about how her firm was doing, how Aunt Jin was, how Grandpa was, but he barely heard most of it. He was too busy committing everything to memory. The way her hair color shifted when they moved from shade to sunlight, how her laugh sounded, the teasing tone when she tried (and failed) to make a joke... She was just so beautiful, and too often Hikaru would find himself on the brink of tears, unable to believe he was finally seeing her.

"Home sweet home."

"Hmm? Oh!" They walked up to a two story house that Hikaru would've passed right on by if his mother hadn't said anything. It wasn't nearly as big as he was used to, and it looked very plain. There was a balcony from the second floor and a small yard, but other than that there was nothing special.

The Hikaru from before camp would've scoffed and dismissed it, but now…

"I'm home."

"Yes, you are."

"Is that him?" The front door opened, revealing a very beautiful brown haired woman who looked similar to Hikaru's mother, "Is that the little boy we sent off? That tall gangly thing?"

Hikaru laughed and ran forward, hugging his Aunt Jin just as tightly as he'd held his mother. Considering she was the reason he and Kaoru had figured it out at all, and the many wonderful things his twin had shared about her, Hikaru found himself on the brink of tears yet again.

Pulling away, Jin cupped Hikaru's face just like Haruhi had done in the train station, "Hey, you're never going to an eight week camp again, you hear me? We missed you too much."

"Come on now, Nēchan. He's a growing boy and needs adventure." Haruhi smiled and nudged her sister with her elbow, "Is everyone else here?"

"Of course."

"Everyone else?"

"Kaoru!"

"Kaoru!"

As one, three short boys ran out of the house and hugged Hikaru around his waist. He laughed, "Hey, guys! Wow, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you missed me!"

"We did!" Sadao insisted, hugging his 'sort of' cousin tighter. Yuudai, Sadao's older brother, and Nobuo nodded with his statement. They didn't pull away until a shriek alerted them to an older man with long red hair running into the front yard.

Hikaru's grandfather might've been getting up in years, but his hug nearly cracked the boy's back, "Oh… I missed you so much, buddy! Never leave us again!"

"That's what I said!"

"You two… I swear. So extra."

Ranka released the teenager and smiled, not noticing how Hikaru's eyes were glued to the redness of his hair. So many times he had wondered… wondered if his mother had red hair and his father was lying when he said brown… it was from his grandpa. This whole time.

"Kaoru? You alright?"

"I'm fine… this is my impersonation of a water fountain. You like?"

His grandfather laughed and hugged him again before pulling back, "Let's get back inside! Your uncles and aunts want to see you!"

Quickly grabbing his bags, Hikaru ran into the house, trailed by the other six. Instantly, a short-ish blond man launched himself at the redhead's middle.

"Uncle Honey!" He looked around the rest of the family room, "Uncle Mori! Aunt Reiko! Aunt Hisayo! You're all here!" Glancing up, he saw a 'Welcome Home, Kaoru' sign hanging above the line that separated the living room from the kitchen.

Swallowing, Hikaru smiled at all the people surrounding him, all of them trying to ask him different questions and looking at him like he was the most interesting person in the world.

I'm home...

"Hikaru, it is none of my business how your father makes a fool of himself."

"But you didn't feel the need to tell me before now that Dad has a girlfriend?"

Kyoya sighed, lifting the boy's suitcase onto his bed while Kaoru paced back and forth, "No. Because he's a big boy who can do what he wants, and I figured it would be best if he told you himself rather than having you hear it from me."

Kaoru crossed his arms and huffed, sitting down abruptly on his window seat. Looking down, he spotted his father helping a woman in a red dress out of a limo that had just pulled up in front of the house. The woman had a large black hat on her head, so Kaoru couldn't see her face, but he already hated her.

Something nudged the redhead's right leg, and he glanced up to see Kyoya standing beside him. Kaoru put his feet back on the floor and his uncle sat beside him, eyeing the woman as well, "Her name is Eclair Tonnerre. She's the only heir to Grand Tonnerre, and her family descends from royalty. Unfortunately, Grand Tonnerre is in risk of going belly-up…"

"And you think she's after Dad's fortune and family name?"

Kyoya sighed, "I'd say it's a definite possibility."

"So, she doesn't even love my Dad?"

"Eh, what do I know?" Kyoya stood back up and walked back to Kaoru's suitcase, tossing a good portion of the clothes into the hamper basket by his feet, "I've never seen the appeal of being a bigger moron than usual just because of another human being."

"You mean you're chronically single."

A dirty shirt was thrown into Kaoru's face in retaliation, "Watch it." Kyoya shook his head, but his small smile disappeared quickly, "But in all honesty, to answer your question I must say no, she does not."

He turned back to his task of emptying Kaoru's suitcase, "The reason her fortune and family name is declining has quite a bit to do with me. They were in the process of buying out my family's company when your father and I were still in high school, and would've done so too if I hadn't bought it out from underneath my own father, ensuring my role as the next CEO. But this move started a domino effect of other companies standing against Grand Tonnerre, which began losing its business. It's no surprise that she has developed an interest in your father, who happens to be my best friend and with an even stronger family name than my own."

"Then why don't you tell him? He listens to you."

Kaoru deflated a bit when his uncle only gave him a small smile, "I wish that were the case, but not when it comes to matters of the heart, Hikaru. The last time I told your father he was being idiotic regarding him and a woman, he punched me."

"He punched-what did you say?"

"I told him to run after your mother when she left." Kyoya sighed and stepped away from the now empty suitcase, "Well, that's all the unpacking I'm going for you. Now you might want to hurry up with the rest. Your father's expecting you outside to meet Miss Eclair before too long. I need to head home anyways."

Kaoru watched as his father and the woman in his arms wandered towards the backyard, his chest feeling like it was filling up with cement. Just before Kyoya left his room, he stood up.

"Kyoya?"

"Yes?"

"Think it's warm enough for a swim?"

The ravenet smirked, "I'd say so. See you tomorrow, troublemaker."

Kaoru smiled as the older man shut the door behind him. Kyoya reminded him a lot of his Aunt Jin… he just wasn't as obvious about his affections and teasing. Unfortunately, thinking about his favorite aunt made the redhead horribly homesick. He hadn't seen her or his mother in eight weeks, and now he had this mess to deal with.

Well, might was well make a lasting first impression.

Three minutes later, Kaoru walked into the backyard with a pair of swim trunks, a blue tank top, and a pair of sunglasses. His father spotted him from one of the chairs by the pool and stood up with his usual grin. It sent a flush of happiness through the redhead's body, but the feeling was immediately cut short when he noticed the woman sitting nearby.

"Hikaru," Tamaki placed an arm over Kaoru's shoulder, "I'd like you to meet, Eclair Tonnerre."

Slowly, the woman looked up, finally revealing her face. Eclair had a sharp face that was practically designed for looking down on someone, and her smile was so cold it almost gave Kaoru frostbite.

"Hi!"

"Hi… Eclair Tonnerre."

"I can't believe I'm finally meeting the famous Hikaru. Aww, Tama he's so adorable! You know, the way your father talked about you I expected a little boy but you… you're a grown man!"

"I just turned 14."

Eclair smiled brightly again and Kaoru almost felt the need to take a step back. His father clapped him on his shoulders once, "Well, I'm going to go back inside for a moment and get us a bottle of champagne to celebrate your homecoming, Hikaru. Why don't you and Eclair talk while I'm gone?"

"Okay, Dad."

Tamaki's eyes sparkled one more time before he walked back towards the house. Kaoru didn't want him to go, but decided to take the opportunity to remove his shirt so he was just in his swim trunks.

"Oh my, jumping into the pool so soon after you've arrived home? Your father told me the camp you went to had a… lake, or something, to go swimming in." Eclair eyed her manicured nails as she spoke, "Not a good match with your upbringing?"

"The lake was fine, but I spent a lot of time with my friends doing other stuff. Playing cards and sports, stuff like that. I like swimming, and this pool's just another part of my home." He glanced over his shoulder at the woman, "Do you swim?"

"Ah… no."

Kaoru shrugged and took a flying leap into the pool, curling up into a cannonball at the last second. Even through the layer of water that closed up over his head, he heard Eclair shriek. Smirking for a brief moment, Kaoru resurfaces and adopted an apologetic expression, "I'm sorry! Did I get you wet? My splashes aren't usually that big!"

Eclair was clearly struggling to maintain her composure, "You got me… just a little bit, Hikaru." She removed her hat while continuing to dab at her red dress with a towel. Kaoru wasn't sure whether to be pleased or worried with the way she looked angry for a second. If he could only prove to his father that she was terrible…

"Hey, guess what?" Eclair walked a little closer and leaned close to the edge, "Your father is the kindest, most romantic man I've ever met. He's taking me out to dinner in tonight… oh, I hope that's okay with you. I know you just arrived back home and all."

Kaoru swam up to the edge of the pool and put his arms over the edge, pleased with the way Eclair shifted away from the spread of water on the cement, "It's fine, Eclair! I'm used to my Dad going out on dates. Though, I must say, you're the first one who's even noticed I was there when my Dad was around."

"The first? There were others?"

"Yeah. I didn't count 'em, but there is a reason we have a 'special reserve' of champagne…"

"Here we are! From my special champagne reserve."

Kaoru raised an eyebrow at Eclair before plugging his nose and pushing into a backwards somersault underwater. He had to call Hikaru.

"Okay, Kiddo! Breakfast!"

Hikaru came running down the stairs at the sound of his Aunt's voice. He remembered all those amazing breakfasts Kaoru told him about and was very excited to try it himself.

Ring ring!

The redhead made his way into the kitchen just as Jin grabbed the phone and pressed it between her shoulder and ear, still focusing on the griddle and pancakes in front of her, "Hello? Kaoru?"

"Yes, Aunt Jin?"

The brunette jumped, grabbing the device on her shoulder so she wouldn't drop it, and turned around, "Oh, I'm sorry, Kaoru. It sounds just like you over the phone. I-I'm sorry, who were you trying to reach? Kaoru?" She looked over at the redhead, "It's for you, sweetie. Says they're a friend from camp."

Hikaru took the phone and held it up to his ear, "Hello?"

" Just say I'm Leon Danialsson from Sweden! "

"Oh, Leon! Hi!" Hikaru smiled at his aunt, "Yeah, it's the boy from Sweden I was telling you about." Jin nodded, but watched with squinted eyes as the boy walked out of the living room.

Hikaru walked up to his bedroom and shut the door, crawling into his closet, "Kaoru! What's going on? Did you find out-"

" That's not important right now! Dad's in love! "

"I… what? Dad doesn't fall in love, he's still moony over Mom."

" Then call it a rebound or a business situation, this woman is awful but they're all over each other! Kyoya doesn't even think she really loves him but they're going out on dates and kissing and it's just so gross! We have to get mom and dad together immediately! "

Hikaru gaped, "What?! Immediately? No way! I've just gotten to know everyone! Oh my gosh, Mom's incredible and I love Aunt Jin and everyone's just amazing I can't end this now- I won't!"

" Hikaru… this is serious! "

"Then find a way to break them up!"

" I'm trying! I splashed water on her and told her Dad's a player but they still went out to dinner! I mean, I'm kinda at a disadvantage! "

"Just… do your best! If nothing works… then call me again and I'll help you, but I want more time with Mom!"

" Okay… "

Hikaru hung up and walked back down to the kitchen. His mother and grandfather were down there now, too, eating at the table, and his aunt was still in the kitchen. He placed the phone on the receiver and grabbed a plate, "Thanks, Aunt Jin!"

"Hold up, kiddo." Jin had a hand on her hip and was studying him with that 'thousand year old' stare Kaoru had also warned him about, "What's going on with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your friend who called you, from Sweden? It's 8 am right now." Hikaru glanced at the clock on the stove. "That means it's 1 am for this Leon boy."

"He's a night owl. The counselors used to come into our cabin all the time to tell us to go to sleep, because he'd keep us all up with stories and games."

Jin tilted her head, "And not to brag or anything, but usually when I make breakfast, not even a call from the Prime Minister could pry you away from my food. Are you sick, kiddo?"

"No. I just knew how late it would be for him so I tried to get him off the phone as quickly as possible."

"Hmm…" Jin raised an eyebrow, "Okay, smarty-pants. Go eat. We're heading over to the dojo after breakfast."

Hikaru smiled, "Can't wait!"

"Bye, Kyoya! Thanks for the ride!"

The ravenet smirked as the redhead jumped out of the passenger seat, "Are you sure you don't want me to stay until you're done talking with your father?"

"Kyoya, I'll be fine taking the subway home! I've done it a million times! I see you for dinner!" And with that, Kaoru shut the door and ran up to the Suoh Enterprises Paris Headquarters. Kyoya watched him for a moment, eyes narrowing slightly.

" A million times, hm? " He kept his eyes on the redhead until he disappeared into the building. Turning back towards the steering wheel, a brief thought crossed his mind. Then he shook his head, and drove off.

Inside the building, it didn't take long for Kaoru to find his dad's office. Hikaru had given him step by step instructions on how to get there, since he went all the time . Tamaki smiled at his son when he appeared at his door.

"Hey, Hikaru! Would you mind going on a little walk with me for my lunch hour?"

"Sounds amazing, Dad."

The two walked outside and down the city block. Kaoru faintly recalled how his brother had talked about a little cafe they usually frequented, and was so happy he could experience it himself.

"Hikaru, I'm glad you agreed to come, because there's something important I want to talk with you about."

"Important? Well, what a coincidence. I have something important to talk to you about, too!"

Tamaki raised an eyebrow, "Really? Well, you go first."

"Okay… I want to talk about my mom."

Whatever Tamaki had been expecting, it hadn't been that. He actually stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk and stared at his son. Kaoru scuffled his toe against the cement before he walked over to a nearby bench. After hesitating for a moment, his father joined him.

Tamaki sighed, "So… you mother, hm?"

"Dad, I'm fourteen. How long did you expect me to believe that a stork left me on your doorstep?"

Thankfully the joke got his father to laugh a little and meet his eyes once again, "Well… what did you want to know? I thought we've had this conversation before."

"No… we've avoided that conversation. For forever. And I don't even need to know what she was like, or how you met… but I want to know why you split up."

"Why we…" Tamaki let out a long breath of air, "Well, that seems to be the question, isn't it?"

"You mean, you don't know?"

Kaoru watched his father, even though he didn't want to. It was like he was watching the man's heart break in front of his eyes, but he refused to back down. He needed to know. Shifting into his father's side, Kaoru hugged the man, feeling a heavy breath rattle his dad's chest.

"I'm sorry, Hikaru… I must embarrass you."

"No. You don't. I'm sorry for asking. If you don't want to answer right now…"

Tamaki sighed and started petting his son's hair, "No, I can answer. Your mother… was a very independent woman. It took me almost a full year to get her to agree to go out with me in the first place. And after that, things progressed slowly up until… they didn't. Suddenly I was officially named the heir to Suoh Enterprises and your mom was accepted into law school and, well… we loved each other. It was the single biggest irrational choice she ever made, marrying me so soon. And we were happy. We had you… and it was perfect. But then reality set in. I guess it finally got to be too much for your mother, and so… she packed."

Kaoru shut his eyes. He almost wished he could go back to five minutes ago and stop himself from ever asking for the story. It was worse than he thought. No wonder his mother never talked about his father! It wasn't because he was a horrible guy who got her knocked up, it was because she was so in love with him she acted irrationally and her stupid, stubborn, rational core caught up to her! It was his mother's fault! And his father's fault even more for not running after her like Kyoya had told him too!

Tamaki squeezed his son into an even tighter hug, "Hey… let's go get some warm muffins and hot chocolate, okay? You still have to tell me about camp."

"Didn't you have something to tell me?"

Kaoru's father pulled them both off the bench and lead his son down the sidewalk once again, keeping his arm around the young redhead, "We'll talk about it later."

Hikaru leaned back onto his hands, letting his head fall back so his face could be dappled with the sunlight that made it's way through the tree leaves. It was one of the few trees that was planted within the Haninozuka dojo, where Hikaru was currently watching as his 'cousins' went through their warm-up exercises. He was still a little winded from the run earlier. No wonder Kaoru had beat him at that race earlier this summer. His family had stamina.

Either way, he couldn't help but think about what his twin had said earlier. Dad? In love? No way… right? But Kaoru wasn't one to make something like that up…

"Kaoru!"

His Uncle Honey was walking over to the redhead, his big smile and blond hair so much like Hikaru's father briefly gave the boy a hot flash of homesickness. But he shook it off as quick as he could, "Yeah?"

"You alright? You've been really quiet all day." Hikaru smiled a bit, but couldn't help but remember something he needed to ask. Perhaps it was a better idea to not ask his mom… but her old friends?

He shifted a bit, "I'm fine… just thinking about… you know."

"What?"

His Uncle Mori and Aunt Jin were there now. Hikaru's 'cousins' were still practicing on the other side of the clearing, their mothers probably inside working on the paperwork for the four companies the two families ran.

Taking in a short breath, Hikaru pushed out the words as fast as he could, "I was thinking about my father."

The three adults went silent.

"Kaoru… maybe it would be better for you to talk about this with your mom-"

"My mom never answers my questions. Also, I don't like making her upset. Why doesn't anyone talk about him? I mean, you all must've been at their wedding? Can't you at least tell me what you thought of him?"

His uncles looked at their toes, but his aunt sat down beside Hikaru, "Kaoru, I only knew your father from the letters and phone calls your mother sent me while I was overseas. They married right out of high school, and I just barely made it to their wedding, where I met him for three hours. They divorced after having you… and I was still attending college in Germany at the time. But the reason your uncles don't talk about him is because… they were all friends in high school."

"Wait, really?"

Honey nodded, "Yeah, there used to be five of us. Your mother, your father, your father's best friend, and Takashi and I. We were all in a club together in high school. So when he cut us out of his life after the split, it hurt. Kyo-chan went with him and sends us updates about… your father every once in awhile, but it's not the same. I think he was so upset that it didn't work out with your mother that seeing us hurt just as bad."

"Oh…" Hikaru sat back, his eyes staring ahead, unseeing. He had been reading between the lines of their pauses, but it was the last one that really got him. So… Kyoya's been sending these guys updates about me this whole time? I know that's what Uncle Honey was going to say. Oh my gosh… He made a decision then and there to hug Kyoya as hard and as long as he possibly could the very next time he saw him.

"Hikaru? I'm back!" The redhead jumped off his brother's bed and ran to the staircase, looking down over the railing at his father, "Think now is a good time to talk?"

"Sure, Dad!" Kaoru ran down the staircase, but inside he was nervous. Did his dad want to talk more about his mom? Because he wasn't sure if he could handle that at the moment. He'd only just come to terms that his mother was the reason he hadn't have two parents or know he was a twin for his whole life… it was still a little hard to swallow.

But his dad was smiling as they walked onto the back patio and sat down, "So, you getting excited for our family fishing trip?"

"Can't wait!" Though hopefully by then we can take two more people with us and make it a real family trip.

Tamaki cleared his throat, "And… on the subject of family, I wanted to talk to you about something. Now, don't interrupt, because I really want you opinion on this."

"Okay…"

"Hikaru, what do you think of Eclair?"

Kaoru blinked, a million movie scenarios flashing in front of his eyes. Oh no… "Think of her as… what, Dad?"

"Just in general, I suppose. What do you think of her as a person?"

"Um… I guess she's nice looking. Good hair, at least. Eyebrows are done professionally… but in all honesty, Dad, she kinda scares me. She's a total stranger and seemed about as interested in my thoughts as a fish in politics."

Tamaki hummed, "Well, you haven't known her for as long as I have."

"Less than eight weeks?"

"...True…"

"Why do you want my opinion of her?"

Tamaki sighed, "Well, I've been thinking… about making Eclair a part of the family."

All of the fluids in Kaoru's body turned to ice, "Oh. Adoption. How sweet of you! I've always wanted a sibling!"

"I… what? " Kaoru had never really understood the need for the word 'flabbergasted', but it definitely seemed to fit his father's expression, "N-no… Hikaru, I'm not going to adopt… " Tamaki looked like he might laugh, "I was talking about… marrying Eclair."

Kaoru stood up, knocking his patio chair backwards, "Marry her?! Are you insane?"

"Hikaru-"

" That's a moronic idea! It's going to ruin everything! She's evil! She doesn't even love you and you're still pining after mom who is the most amazing person on the planet but you didn't fight for her- "

"Hikaru!" Tamaki was standing up now, too, and he grabbed the redhead's shoulder, "Are you speaking German?"

"I-I learned it at camp."

Tamaki gently cupped the boy's face, "Mon Caneton, what's gotten into you?"

"Nothing… oh, you can't marry her Dad, it'll spoil everything! "

And he turned and ran.