Pulsation

Chapter 1

The beds are stacked up on top of each other, looking like crates. The air around him is stale and smells of sickness and sweat. He still hasn't gotten used to it. The floor underneath his bare feet is only narrow slabs of wood, wet and rotting. Everywhere he looks there are flies and cockroaches. The heat is sweltering and people around him moan, to sick to even leave their beds.

He is eight years old and he knows what death looks like, knows what burning bodies smell like. He's watched in wide-eyed horror as his parents were dragged away from him. He remembers his mother trying to reach for him, can still hear her terrified screaming ringing in his ears.

He's wearing soiled rags. His nose is running, his hair is matted with filth, and his body is covered in open sores and insect bites. He's staving, his limbs look skeletal. He wonders why he's still alive. Beside him is his younger brother, his twin. He loves him more than anything, will do anything to protect him because his twin is the only thing he has left. Their hands are clasped together, fingers interlaced so tightly it hurts.

A man towers over them, peering down in unmasked amazement. His uniform is dark navy blue. He has short dark hair and is clean-shaven. His boots are black, made of leather, and so polished they shine. There are silver buttons as well as golden badges on his uniform. He smells like shaving cream and cinnamon.

He smiles, kneels down at their eye level but without quite touching the floor. "What are your names?" He asks softly, kindly.

The last time an adult paid this much attention to him without biting words, harsh orders, and shouting is hard to remember. It feels like some distorted dream when he and his twin used to hide their mother's underwear and ate chocolate chip cookies before dinner. When they heard bedtime stories, holding their breaths with anticipation each time their mother turned the page and giggling when their father enacted the voices.

"I'm Hikaru." He responds instantly. His throat is dry and his voice is raspy from disuse. He gestures to his twin. "That's Kaoru." He answers for him since Kaoru hasn't spoken ever since their parents were taken. He and Kaoru can just as easily communicate without words so he doesn't think it matters much.

"You're twins." The man says, Hikaru can hear the excitement in his voice as he glances between the two of them. "You're completely identical."

It's not a question but Hikaru nods anyway, smiling through cracked lips.

The man smiles back, reaches into a duffel bag he has placed on the floor, pulls out a container. He takes off the lid, revealing that it's filled to the brim with jellybeans and black licorice. "Do you like candy?"

It's been days since Hikaru's eaten anything except for watered down soup. Kaoru's fingers curl slightly against his own. Hikaru reads it for what it is, Kaoru's afraid of the man, wants Hikaru to stay away from him. Hikaru ignores his twin, too consumed by hunger. He pulls away from Kaoru, reaches for the candy with broken fingernails and dirt covered hands. He grabs as much as he can, shoves it into his mouth, nearly swallowing it whole. The candy is tangy and sweet. It makes his teeth hurt but it's the best thing he's ever remembered tasting. He grabs another handful, the man takes his elbow. "Not so fast. You're going to make yourself sick."

Hikaru nods, forces himself to chew. The man is gentle, amazing, and doesn't belong in this place. In seconds Hikaru is completely won over, completely trusts him. He feels a sense of hope; maybe the man has come to take them away from all this.

Hikaru swallows what's left in his mouth and turns to his twin. Kaoru hasn't reached for any of the candy. He's moved to stand behind Hikaru, arms wrapped protectively around himself, staring at the floor in disinterest.

The man lightly touches his shoulder, regaining his attention. Hikaru meets his eyes. They are warm and deep blue. All Hikaru can do is repeat in his head please save us…please get us away from here. Save us please please please!

"How would the two of you like to come with me?" The man asks as if he can read his thoughts.

Hikaru feels pure relief wash over him. Tears sting his eyes and he wants to fall to the floor sobbing and crying. Instead he turns to Kaoru but his twin's eyes are glazed over with pure terror. "No!" Kaoru's voice cracks but Hikaru just looks at him in shock to hear him finally speak.

"No" Kaoru repeats, taking a frantic step backwards. "We can't go with him Hikaru! We can't! We can't!"

Kaoru is panicking, screaming, crying.

Hikaru doesn't understand why and it scares him. He reaches out to his twin, holding on to him. "We're saved." He tells him, repeating it like a mantra. "We're saved. We're saved."

Kaoru struggles against him, something he's never done before. His eyes dart in all directions, trying to find a place to run. "I don't want to go!" Kaoru shouts to no one, his voice reaches past hysteria and it's agony to hear. "I don't want to go! I don't want to go! Please don't make me! Please don't make me! I don't want to go! Please no! No! No!"

In the end they don't have a choice but Kaoru was right so completely right because the next thing Hikaru knows is that he's strapped down to a metal examination table. There are bright lights constantly in his eyes. There are needles, scalpels, and no anesthetic. His throat is raw and he can taste blood in his mouth from endless screaming. The man claims he's a doctor. He comes and leaves as well as others.

Hikaru wishes for death because his world is nothing but terror and endless pain. Even with everything he's been through, he never could have imagined this, not even his nightmares could come close. This is pure hell. He cries for his parents who are probably dead, he cries for anyone. The man doesn't care, neither do the others. They stare down at him, taking notes, always taking notes. Their eyes are a mixture of wonder and detachment. Sometimes he catches what they say.

"There's so much we can learn about twins."

"They're the secret to genetics."

"Medical mysteries."

"It's amazing. They're completely identical."

Kaoru's beside him through all of this. Kaoru never leaves his side. He's strapped down to another metal table right beside his and Kaoru screams right along with him. Hikaru can't see him. He can't turn his head, it's wrenched backwards and he can only stare at the ceiling. He's counted twenty-seven cracks.

He's been forced into unconsciousness countless times and he always comes out of it slowly. He's learned to stop panicking when his vision seems hazy and his thoughts feel scattered but this time he can tell something is off. He blinks, tries to focus and moves his hand toward Kaoru as far as the restraints allow. "K-Kaoru" he calls weakly. There's no answer. Usually, Kaoru finds some way to reply and even when he can't Hikaru can hear his heavy breathing. Hikaru vaguely remembers sounds of banging, ripping, and metal scratching against metal. Then his twin's familiar screaming but it had been different. It was vibrating, piercing, and wet until everything had fallen dead silent.

Hikaru gasps for air, he feels as if his chest has been cut open, his ribcage crushed, his organs torn out but he's not sure why. He's still whole as far as he can tell. "Kaoru!" He calls again, forcing his voice to go louder. There's still only silence. Somehow it's deafening and he feels as if he could choke on it. There's a metallic scent in the air and somehow Hikaru knows. He feels it like an electric jolt and he presses his fingers into the cold metal table. His stomach lurches into his throat and tears unconsciously run down the corners of his eyes. He feels sick, so sick and he hates himself as he pleads,pleads, pleads that Kaoru really is dead.

He freezes as he hears footsteps echo in the room as the man comes to stand beside him. The same man with the blue uniform and the black licorice, who smells of cinnamon with the promise of I'll get you out of here. "W-what...K-Kaoru?" It's all he can force from his throat.

The man doesn't answer him, instead hovering over him, a slight grin on his upside down face as he pulls Hikaru's eyelid back. There are more blinding lights. The man writes something on a clipboard, prepares an injection. Fighting never does any good but Hikaru still struggles, fights every single one. The injections burn like liquid fire. The needle is moved closer towards his arm. "Please no…No! No! No!"

He can feel the tip graze against his skin. "NO!"

o0o

Hikaru's eyes snap open. He's staring at the ceiling of his neighbor's house. Everything is pitch-black except for moonlight streaming through a large window and the glow of the TV. He sits up breathing hard, clutching at his chest, feels his heart racing. He runs a hand through his sweat-slicked hair, taking deep breaths. "What the hell was that?" He mutters.

He must have fallen asleep on the couch. He was watching The Fast and the Furious but instead a late night talk show is on. He turns the TV off, clicks a lamp on, and glances at the clock. It's been nearly two hours. He nearly jumps when his cell phone rings. He grabs it off the coffee table, flips it open without looking. "Hello?"

"Hikaru?"

He feels a sense of relief at Haruhi's voice. "Hey, Haruhi what's up?"

She's silent for a few seconds before she responds. "Hikaru, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Why?"

"You sound shaky."

Hikaru props his feet up on the coffee table, leans back against the couch. "I had this really messed up nightmare."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He considers, but the details are already slipping away from him, seem distant. Trying to recall them makes him shudder, makes his stomach twist. "I don't remember most of it." He replies. "But I think I was strapped to a table. There was someone else with me. We were being tortured." He takes a breath. "Think it means anything?"

She doesn't answer.

"Haruhi?"

"Sorry." Her voice is breathless as if she's trying to hold back laughter. "I was just thinking maybe it means you have commitment issues."

"Funny." He says sarcastically.

"Hey, I'm just trying to distract you a bit. So how's babysitting going?"

"Fine."

"No problems?"

"No, the kids are upstairs sleeping. They were asleep before I even got here. I've been watching TV. It's boring honestly."

"Hmm." She hums.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm up in my room studying."

Hikaru smirks. "What are you wearing?"

"A T-shirt and boxers." She says without hesitation.

"Boxers? You're not any good at this Haruhi."

"Guess not. They're comfortable anyway."

He's about to reply when the baby monitor clicks to life from the side table. It sounds as if someone is breathing heavily into it. There's a large amount of static 'Kaoru's standing in the doorway, waiting to be born' says a childish voice which is broken up into fragments but Hikaru can hear each word eerily clear. He can't take his eyes away from it and he feels a sudden chill. Somehow the shadows in the living room seem longer. "Haruhi." He says into the phone and can't quite keep the uncertainty out of his voice. "I have to go. I think one of the kid's is awake."

"Hikaru," He can hear the concern in her voice. "Are you sure you're okay? You sound strange again."

"I'm fine I-"

"Look, I know it's late but I can come down there if you want."

"No-"

"It's really no problem."

"Haruhi, it's alright really. The kids' parents should be home any minute now and my dad's right across the street anyway."

"Alright, if you're sure," Haruhi still sounds skeptical. "Call if you change your mind. So see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I love you Haruhi." It's the first time he's ever said it even though they've been together just over a year. They met on college campus when they were both eighteen. They both had lost their mothers, were both raised by their fathers who seemed to never be at home. Ever since he'd met Haruhi life had gotten amazingly better.

There was a pause and for a moment Hikaru was afraid she wasn't going to reply.

"I love you too." He could nearly hear the smile in her voice.

Hikaru closes the cell phone, makes his way to the stairs. The hallway's dark and seems unnaturally long. He feels jumpy, on edge, and really can't figure out the reason. There's nothing out of the ordinary. He's in his neighbor's house, checking on the kids, that's all. He reaches the baby's room. The doorknob feels freezing cold. The room's pitch black but he can see Matty the four year old, leaning over the crib.

"Matty, hey you're going to wake her up. You should be in bed." He flicks the light on, blinking as his eyes adjust. He sees a flash of something silvery dangling from Matty's fingers. "Matty, c'mon what are you doing?"

It's not until Hikaru takes a step closer that he can see what it is, a small piece of mirror that looks broken and cracked, the edges pointed and sharp. Matty's has it dangerously close to the infant's face, the point of it grazing right between her eyes.

"Hey!" Hikaru shouts, gripping Matty's shoulder to jerk him away.

The boy's express is blank, his eyes black and hollow. He lashes out. Hikaru doesn't have a chance to move out of the way before the fragment of mirror skims against his cheek, leaving a long shallow cut.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Hikaru pries the mirror away from Matty's death grip, grips the boy's shoulders.

Matty looks at him with the same blank expression. "Kaoru's standing in the doorway."

"What?"

"Kaoru's standing in the doorway." Matty says louder.

"Kaoru's standing in the doorway."

"Kaoru's standing in the doorway!"

o0o

His neighbor's arms are crossed, her lips pressed into a thin line as she stares at the cut on his cheek. "Are you sure Matty did that?"

Hikaru bites his lip in irritation. He doesn't point out that he wouldn't be careless enough to cut his own face, not to mention how hard it would be, and that it had taken him at least twenty minutes to drag the kid back into his own room. "Positive."

Her husband meets her eyes. "Matty has been acting strangely the past few days, distant."

She sighs, runs a hand through her blonde hair, and opens her purse, hands Hikaru the agreed on amount and a little extra. "I'm sorry about this Hikaru. We'll talk to him. Thanks for coming over."

"Yeah, sure." He reaches the door before turning around again, their faces look troubled, lost in thought. "Matty kept saying 'Kaoru's standing in the doorway' does the name…does Kaoru mean anything to you?" For some reason the name makes Hikaru uneasy. The more he thinks about it the more he feels an obscured sense of familiarity but he knows he's never heard the name in his life.

"No." She shakes her head, sounds a little disturbed, unsure. "I've never head of that before."

"It's probably just an imaginary friend." Her husband concludes. "Matty's probably just going through a phase."

Hikaru lets himself out, promising himself he'll never baby-sit again.

o0o

His father is still up when he gets home. The TV is on in the living room, although turned down so low Hikaru can barely hear it. His father sits at the kitchen table, paper work lying in piles. He's resting his head on one hand. There's a pen in the other. He looks up when he sees Hikaru. "How'd it go?"

"Fine," Hikaru relents. "No problems."

His father yawns. "Glad to hear it."

Hikaru heads to the stairs. "I'm going to bed Dad. I have class in the morning."

His father stares blearily back down at the paperwork. "Oh, right. Goodnight Hikaru."

o0o

Hikaru leans over the sink, spitting out toothpaste and rinses his mouth out. He glances up and catches his reflection from the medicine cabinet. Without thinking he lifts an arm and runs his fingers down the glass.

He thinks about Matty leaning over the crib, the way the jagged piece of mirror looked as it reflected the infant's eyes. He can still see Matty's blank expression as if the four year old was somewhere else entirely.

'Kaoru's standing in the doorway, waiting to be born.'

Hikaru's breath catches in his throat and he presses his hand fully against the glass. It's almost as if he looking at someone else and he half expects something to reach for him. But it's only a mirror and he forces himself to turn away and leave the room.

It's hard to get to sleep. The dream keeps coming back to him, of being strapped to a metal table, the terror, the razor sharp pain. He can nearly feel an equally terrified hand in his, a small voice calling out to him, screaming his name over and over again, begging him to make it stop stop stop...

Hikaru twists, the sheets wrapping around his legs.

'Kaoru's standing in the doorway.'

He realizes if he tilts his head a little he can still see the mirror from the bathroom. It's a long time before sleep comes.

o0o

AN: So I watched Host Club and now I'm completely obsessed with the twins. Then I watched The Unborn and I got this idea. The fic is based on the movie and is going to follow it somewhat but end up very different. This is also completely AU if you haven't guessed, meaning there was never a host club.

This is also not going to focus on romance at all. As far as the Hikaru/Haruhi thing goes I just basically needed a main female character and Haruhi was the best fit. Plus I kind of like the pairing but like I said there's basically going to be no romance. I just think there needs to be more suspense type stuff especially around the twins!

Thanks so much for reading guys!