Disclaimer – I, unfortunately, don't own any of the characters from Ouran high host club…although if anyone knows how to…
What seemed like an age ago, before the Host Club, before the beginning of high school or even junior high, Kyoya had developed a peculiar habit.
He liked to watch people.
Over the years, these simple glances turned into logical guesses, that hurt look in someone's eye would well into a tear, and it did. Then it became almost like a report, logged into his mind and updated until, with a simple glance, it became a calculation so precise that even he didn't like to acknowledge it.
And then, junior high ended, just as Tamaki approached him with his idea for the Host Club. Thinking it would be interesting to watch, as was Tamaki at the time, Kyoya agreed and found that keeping the books was more interesting and fun than he could have imagined.
Watching people squirm was nearly as much fun as simply watching people.
But with the Host Club came a more interesting thing to watch than Tamaki's odd chivalry, Mori's stoic nature or Hunny's over-excited eagerness. And that thing was Kaoru and Hikaru.
He observed that, at the beginning, both of them where constantly reaching out for the other, their long fingered hands catching the others waist, shoulder, elbow or wrist. Always touching the other hand, cheek, gentle pats of the head or a soft rub on the others back.
It seemed as if they were so close that the air between them was unbearable to stand, that physical touch was needed to assure that the other was there, that they weren't a mirror.
Perhaps it was just to confirm that they were two people, not just one.
And this interesting double act, this strange behaviour that Kyoya simply couldn't calculate – sure, he knew it brought in the customers, that if they leaned a little closer, or touched a little lower it would have the girls faint, but he didn't know why they touched so often, even when no one was there to watch.
Then the pair started their first year of high school, and Kyoya moved onto his second, and still he watched them with interest, for anything rarely lasted more than a few days under his intense scrutiny.
And that's when things started to break, the arrival of Haruhi. At first, the twins still always reached for one another and then, Haruhi became involved in that game, although she never reached out for them.
Then slowly, so that even Kyoya hadn't realised, the older Hitachiin stopped reaching out to his brother, and instead reached for Haruhi, whilst the younger stopped reaching for Haruhi and only reached for his brother.
It was the first time Kyoya had been able to tell them apart, after watching this for some time, and he was surprised to think that this unique relationship between Hiakru and Kaoru was now so suddenly ending.
A month, maybe more passed and he observed another change in this relationship, Kaoru reached for his brother, and then stopped before withdrawing his hand, choosing instead to watch Hikaru reach out and catch Haruhi.
Kyoya noticed this development with interest, mildly surprised that watching this connection between the pair dissolving was more interesting than seeing it work flawlessly. Looking at it backwards, he wondered if he could see how it had started in the first place, a week later, it was decided that the headache wasn't worth it.
He would continue to watch.
And now, a new development had occurred in Kaoru just yesterday. Kyoya was watching over the top of his notebook as Kaoru and Hikaru packed their bags, seamlessly intertwining their hands to collect their things from the others possession – a rubber here, a ruler there - until they were finished.
Then Hikaru's head jolted up as Haruhi called him over, and obediently, he trotted away from his brother and left the room with Haruhi. Kaoru watched them both and, hand beginning to move, Kyoya was waiting for him to reach for the now closed door.
But the hand stopped and fell back limply to the younger brother's side, and, lowering his head, Kaoru walked slowly out of the Host Club, a wounded light in his eyes.
And then Kyoya noticed something very interesting, his own hand was raised, as if to reach for the younger boy.
Now why had he made such a gesture? He only ever watched, right?
That week, Kyoya was plagued by his own thoughts, trying to analyse and calculate his own gesture to the younger boy. Had he simply copied the action that he thought Kaoru would do? Had he been watching the younger boy so much that he had missed something in himself?
He froze, on Friday night as he lay in his bed thinking of the incident that had occurred on Tuesday. Since when had he stopped watching Hikaru and Haruhi? When had he only ever watched Kaoru?
The thought slowly grew and grew until, at three in the morning, he had all his notebooks laid out in front of him full of his many observations and calculations and the odd random note that seemed a bit too disconnected to be in such important documents.
Why had he written about an essay next to a calculation involving the possible profit margin for the Host Club doing a theme from ancient Egypt? One that now he looked at more closely he noticed could easily be made profitable if he just tweaked this and that?
Sighing, Kyoya pushed his glasses further up his nose before looking at the notes he was supposed to be looking at for the sake of being allowed to sleep. Thankfully, he had dated them.
It would seem, after an hour backtracking the notes that it was shortly after he had told them apart, when Hikaru turned to Haruhi and Kaoru slowly stopped turning to anyone that he began to watch the younger boy more. The answer to that was simple in his observations; Kaoru was more interesting to watch.
A tragedy after all was more amusing than a comedy in relation to the depth they held, and if Haruhi and Hikaru where a comedy, Kaoru would be the tragedy with top reviews and audiences that were sold out at every performance.
So now the question was 'why?'
Please review! You're thoughts are appreciated – and don't worry, Kaoru starts to play a bigger part in the next chapter!