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Ever since the fire, Hikaru's skin has always been a steady source of warmth. Even in the chill of winter, Hikaru is always warm, and it makes his brother cling to him even more than usual during this time.
Kaoru has never considered the exact reason for this warmth, though. It's always just been a fact to him - his brother is warm, like how the sky is blue or how water is wet.
Besides that, Kaoru doesn't particularly like to remember that... Event. It's just better, easier, for him to not think too deeply about the heat his brother emits constantly.
"Oh!" one of the girls says. She'd fallen to the ground in pure joy after the last act the twins put on, and now Hikaru has her hand clasped in his, lifting her to her feet. "Your hand... Hikaru, it's so warm!" she gushes. She has yet to let go, something that makes the sickening stone of jealousy set itself in Kaoru's stomach.
"He's always warm," Kaoru states, careful to not put any venom in his tone. He shifts closer to Hikaru, resting his head on the other's shoulder. "Makes it nice to sleep with him... Especially in the winter."
The girls all squeal at this impromptu 'act' - though the truth is that the two of them really do sleep together, and that Kaoru really does love it more in winter. Whether or not they believe this or are aware of their act, this one thing is the one truth hidden in a sea of artful lies.
Finally, the girl releases Hikaru's hand, and sits in her seat properly. Kaoru lets out an imperceptible sigh of relief.
Or... Perhaps it isn't, because he catches the way Hikaru glances at him, just briefly, with an unreadable emotion in his gaze. But he looks back at the girls immediately after, smiling a casual 'host' smile.
"I'm gonna go smoke," Hikaru states as soon as they're in their shared room. He reaches into their sock drawer and pulls out a pack that he's hidden there.
Kaoru frowns - he detests the smell of smoke. It always makes him feel like he's choking, and it reminds him of the fire from their childhood... Thus, Hikaru smoking is the only time they're ever alone - as few and far between as those times are. Hikaru got that pack at the beginning of the year, and he's only smoked two of the cigarettes so far.
Still, he lets his twin go out the door. It's only about a half minute later that he realizes that Hikaru forgot to take his lighter. He sighs, and snatches the thing up off their dresser. He goes outside to the garden, where he knows Hikaru smokes. "Hikaru!" he calls out, holding the lighter over his head. "You forgot-"
He freezes when he sees Hikaru, with a lit cigarette between his lips.
"How the hell...?" Kaoru whispers. Hikaru appears to realize what's going on, and he slowly pulls the cigarette out of his mouth, an unreadable expression on his face as he drops it to the ground and stomps out the light.
"I'll explain inside," Hikaru says - voice just as indecipherable as his face. All Kaoru knows is that it sends chills up his spine.
"Okay," he whispers, unable to be any louder. He feels like his throat is closing in on itself, preventing him from speaking at a proper tone of voice. Hikaru approaches him, and Kaoru flinches as he passes by to go into the house.
Slowly, he turns and follows him.
His heart is racing as they make their way into their room, and he jolts when Hikaru shuts the door behind them.
Hikaru grasps his hand, and the warmth that Kaoru would normally find comforting now makes his heart race and his stomach churn. He's guided, numbly, to their bed, and he sits down, keeping his gaze down on the floor.
The silence is deafening. Kaoru hears the clock next to their bed ticking away, and it's quite possibly the loudest thing he's ever heard in his life. His hands are clenching tightly to the silk sheets he's sitting on, wrinkling the fabric.
"Well?" he finally chokes out when the waiting gets to be too much.
Hikaru's reply is instant, and it makes his heart stop - no, it makes the world stop.
"I'm not your brother."
Kaoru forces his head up, and he looks at Hikaru. The expression on the other's face is grim, dark. "What do you mean?" Kaoru manages to ask. "You're my twin - which obviously makes you my brother."
Hikaru, however, shakes his head. "No. I'm not," he says, whispering. "Your brother died in the fire, Kaoru."
Kaoru feels ice take over the warm blood in his veins, feels his heart nearly stop beating. His eyes go wide, and, unwillingly, he finds himself reliving that event far too vividly in his mind's eye.
Kaoru's running down the stairs frantically, coughing violently. His brother is just two steps behind him, coughing and hacking just like he is. Heat is surrounding them, making a haze in front of their eyes. The flames are spreading, catching on anything and everything that they can reach.
Kaoru stumbles out the doors of the mansion, and runs down the steps into his mother's arms.
"Where is your brother?" she whispers suddenly, icy fear gripping her voice. Kaoru spins around, hoping to see his brother just now stumbling out after him.
A full minute goes by, and he doesn't come out.
Kaoru struggles his way out of his mother's grasp, ready to run back in to find Hikaru, but a maid - their favorite maid, Kaoru realizes distantly - snatches him up and holds tight to him, no matter how he struggles. "Leave it to the professionals," the maid whispers, for once being kind to the child instead of snapping at him.
Indeed, firefighters are coming onto the scene. His mother informs them that his brother is still inside, and two of them promptly run in - the rest begin hosing down the fire.
Kaoru is sobbing his eyes out, tears blurring his vision. He doesn't even stop when the firefighters come out, carrying his brother, because he's all burned and he's unconscious. His mother takes Kaoru from the maid, while the firefighters begin calling paramedics for Hikaru.
Kaoru reaches out, desperate to hold on to Hikaru, but his mother won't let go of him. Why won't she let go?!
"Let go! I need my brother!" Kaoru cries out, but his mother won't listen, and Hikaru won't open his eyes, and, and, and-!
He must black out, then, because next thing he knows he's in his mother's lap next to Hikaru's hospital bed, clutching desperately to his brother's hand. "Wake up, Hikaru," he whispers. "Please? Pretty please?"
And, by some miracle, the hand he's clutching starts to twitch, and Hikaru's eyelashes flutter...
"You're joking, right?" Kaoru forces himself to say, barking out a hollow laugh. "That's not funny, Hikaru."
Hikaru, however, shakes his head. "I'm not your brother. I'm not Hikaru." And then, as if that's not enough, he adds, "I'm a demon. I'm a fire demon who possessed the dead body of your brother."
Kaoru slaps him, the sound of his hand meeting Hikaru's cheek echoing in the otherwise silent room. "Stop it, Hikaru!" he shouts, tears stinging at his eyes. "You're being mean, stop it!"
Hikaru grabs Kaoru's wrists and shoves, pushing Kaoru to the bed, straddling his waist. Kaoru's eyes widen, and, despite the situation, he can't help but blush. "I'm being serious!" Hikaru snaps. "I am not your brother!"
Kaoru sucks in a breath, trembling.
"Then," he whispers, voice shaking as much as his body, "tell me your real name. You must have one, if it's not Hikaru. What's your name, mister fire demon?" His eyes narrow. "Unless you're joking."
"I'm not joking," the 'demon' snaps. "And I do have another name. But you wouldn't be able to pronounce it. It's better that you refer to me as Hikaru."
Kaoru scoffs, rolling his eyes. "Yeah right..."
Hikaru raises an eyebrow. He releases Kaoru's hands, and moves off of Kaoru. Kaoru takes the hint, and sits up. He watches as Hikaru lifts a hand, holding it up like he's expecting Kaoru to give him something...
And then, a flame appears on his palm.
Kaoru's breath hitches, his eyes going wide.
"Do you believe me now?" Hikaru whispers.
He feels like his voice has up and gone on an impromptu vacation, so all Kaoru can do is nod. He watches as the flame disappears from Hikaru's palm. He feels himself shaking, all over, with the realization that this is not his brother.
He shoots up, standing from his place on the bed. Hikaru's eyes narrow. "Going to tell someone?" he asks, voice dark and deadly.
Kaoru doesn't reply for a moment. It takes him a bit to find his voice. "You're not my brother," is all he can manage to say, and then he's moving towards the door.
His hand is on the knob when Hikaru finally responds to that.
"Would your brother return your feelings?"
Kaoru freezes, every muscle in his body tightening with shock.
He hears Hikaru stand up, hears his footsteps on the floor as he walks towards Kaoru. "He wouldn't, you know," Hikaru says. "But I do. I fell in love with you a long time ago, Kaoru. You should be happy that I'm a demon. Your real brother would be disgusted with your feelings."
Kaoru feels the tears from before come back, feels them track their way down his cheeks. He chokes out a sound, something like a sob. His grip on the doorknob tightens. "How," he whispers, "did you know?"
"I'm a demon, Kaoru," Hikaru reminds him, as if he'd forgotten already. Kaoru jolts as Hikaru's arms wrap around his waist, and his chin rests itself on his shoulder. "I can sense these sorts of things... These sorts of sinful things..."
His heart clenches at the term Hikaru has used to describe his feelings.
Sinful.
It's not like he doesn't know it - Hikaru is... Well, he thought Hikaru was, his brother. And he fell in love with him. Of course that's a word that should describe his feelings.
But it still hurts.
"You said," Kaoru chokes out, "that... That you love me back, right?"
"Mm-hmm..." Hikaru starts pressing soft, warm kisses to his neck. He shivers at the feeling, and he can feel Hikaru smirk as he does. "So why tell someone? They'll only try to exorcise me. Why not let me stay? Why not keep a brother who's alive and loves you back, rather than get rid of me and end up with a dead brother who wouldn't have loved you back anyway?"
"You said... You said you weren't my brother..."
"I've been at your side for the past ten years," Hikaru murmurs against his skin. "I may as well be your brother, no?"
Kaoru swallows thickly, and gives a slow nod. After a moment, he releases his hold on the doorknob. He can feel Hikaru practically purring as he does - pleased with his decision.
"That's a good boy," Hikaru murmurs. "Now come on... Let me show you my love..."
He's silent - numb - as Hikaru turns him around, and grabs his wrist, tugs him over to the bed.
This is not his brother, but this is who he fell in love with...
Right?