A reason for Kaoru and Hikaru to switch their hair colors, besides the fact that they enjoy messing with people. And…because I like the idea of them showering together. I've only ever seen the anime, not the manga (wish I could afford it!), so if there's something in here that was in the anime and not the manga, so please be kind.

"It's…not coming out."

Kaoru looked over at his brother through the mist from the shower. "What?"

"Take a look." Hikaru held up a few strands between his fingers. "Does it look any less pink to you?"

"Um…"

"And yours is still completely blue."

Kaoru ran his fingers through his wet locks. "Is it?"

"Take a look!"

Kaoru poked his head out of the shower to look at the mirror over the sink.

And winced.

"Ah."

"Kaoru!" Hikaru tugged at his brother's arm. "You said it would come out!"

"It's supposed to---"

"Why isn't it?"

"Well---"

"Get the box! Now!"

Kaoru slipped and slid over the bathroom tiles and fetched the hair dye boxes: one pink, and one blue. He turned the pink one over and read the instructions, the ingredients, and finally, a little warning, printed in the tiniest print imaginable:

May take from two to ten days to lose effect.

"Um…Hikaru?"

"Well?" His brother wailed from the shower.

"Well, the good news is, it isn't permanent."

"Oh. Great. Then why is it still showing?"

"Um…well, it'll be gone…in like…well, eventually anyway…Hikaru?"

Kaoru screwed up his face in anticipation. Any second now…

A shattering scream pierced five rooms, and was lost in the vastness of the Hitachiin estate.

"If it's any consolation," Kaoru tried to shout over the scream, "I'm stuck with blue…"

Hikaru began slipping and sliding his own way out of the shower towards Kaoru.

"EVENTUALLY? HOW LONG IS MY HAIR GOING TO BE THIS COLOR?"

"Not that long…only about a week, and probably not even that! It doesn't look that bad---"

"Kaoru!" Hikaru grabbed his brother's shoulders. "Don't you get it?"

Get…?

Oh.

"It's just a few days, right?" Kaoru said weakly. "Just a few days of…" There was no need to say it. The word hung heavily enough in the air by itself.

Identification.

Hikaru sighed, and pushed his forehead into his brother's shoulder. "I don't think I can stand this…"

Kaoru sighed as well. He was pretty sure he couldn't either. Even idiotic fangirls could tell the difference between pink and blue, let alone teachers and friends and…he gulped.

Parents.

"But wait…"

Hikaru was glaring at something over Kaoru's shoulder.

"How much of that dye do we have left?"

Kaoru reached behind himself and checked. "There's supposed to be enough for five uses at least…"

Hikaru smirked. "Hey, Kaoru. What color do pink and blue make?"

Kaoru raised his eyebrows in confusion…the lowered them in understanding.

"Purple."

Hikaru's smirk became a grin. "So if you use some of the pink dye, and I use some of the blue, what identical color will our hair be?"

Kaoru grinned as well. "We're safe!"

-Two Hours Later-

Kaoru groaned. Hikaru probably would have groaned with him if he hadn't been busy repeatedly smacking his newly dyed head against the mirror. He paused for a second to say:

"If I ever---ever---suggest anything to do with hair dye ever again, don't listen to me. In fact, kill me."

And then he began punishing himself again.

Because hair dye was the most ridiculous potion on the planet. Instead of giving the twins two heads of identical colors…

…it had just switched them.

Kaoru rubbed a hand through his newly-pinked hair. "Just think. In some two to ten days, we can laugh about this. Really, really hard."

"Maybe we can shave our heads," Hikaru suggested, his face smushed up against the mirror glass. "There'd be no way anyone could tell the difference between us then. We'd win the "Which One is Hikaru-kun Game" forever."

"I want some kind of hair," Kaoru shook his head. "Just not this color…pink…" He pulled at a fistful of his hair.

And then he realized something.

"I look like you."

Hikaru turned his face to the side a little so he could give Kaoru a proper "No shit?" look. "Really? I mean, do you really think so?"

"Hikaru---"

"But do you really think so? You think, after all these years of us being identical twins, that maybe you kinda look like me? 'Cause you know, I was almost about to say the same thing about y---"

"Hikaru! You do look like me!" Kaoru jabbed a finger at his brother's head. "Blue!"

Hikaru blinked. And finally got it. "And pink," He said slowly. "Everybody thinks that I'm…

Kaoru nodded. "And everybody thinks that I'm…"

Hikaru looked completely awestruck. "We are geniuses."

"Fucking geniuses," Kaoru agreed. He turned back to the mirror. "Maybe I can stand this for a few days. As long as…"

"Yeah," Hikaru grinned. "Nobody'll ever know."

The twins slept soundly that night. Kaoru squeezed Hikaru's arm tightly, silently thanking him for his idea. Hikaru reached over and squeezed Kaoru back, assuring him that all was well.

As far as they knew, they were safe.

The next day, Haruhi barely glanced at them. The twins smiled at each other, and decided that they'd won, and the threat of Fujioka Haruhi was long gone.

And then that afternoon, she identified them both correctly without looking...again.

There was no point in denying it anymore.

As she walked away, Kaoru glanced at his brother, hoping that maybe Hikaru would have another brilliant idea, or some word of assurance that Kaoru couldn't think of…

Hikaru didn't look back at him. There was nothing to say that needed to be said. Kaoru sighed and resigned himself to it.

The threat of Fujioka Haruhi was there.

To stay.