A Song For Another Time - A Hikaru Hitachiin Story

Chapter Twenty Four - I'm The Same Old Stupid Boy

If they had been anywhere but Rose's house, Hikaru and Kaoru would have broken into crocodile tears. Their famous waterworks could quell the anger of any beast and make the heart of any maiden swoon. Rose's foster mother, on the other hand, looked like the type of woman who could see right through them.

Molly was dangerous and unlike any mother figure they had ever met.

Their own mother, while beautiful, sophisticated and loving, was not around often. She loved her red-headed monsters with all her heart and dreaded the day they would ultimately leave her, but that didn't change who she was and what she did. She was away often - too often - and that didn't leave her two devils with much guidance or structure.

As far as the twins were concerned, they were allowed to do whatever they pleased as long as it didn't tarnish the Hitachiin reputation or get in the way of their parents' work. They were hardly scolded (though that could be due to their early affinity for crocodile tears and not completely because of a lack of parenting) and were more than used to getting their way. They were masters of manipulation who were often left alone to use their skills.

Now, facing the foreboding dirty blonde, with one hand on her hip and the other firmly placed on the bar top, Hikaru and Kaoru came to realize they have never found mothers challenging up to that point. Staring into her eyes, with admittedly a little fear fluttering in their chests, they were struck with sudden clarity.

Yuzuha Hitachiin was a deity. She ruled from on high, with great distance, using untouchable power and unquestioned laws.

Molly Richards was a war-tested queen.

The twins were facing odds the like of which they had never seen and, between them, they knew they were going to have to resort to tactics they'd never dared tried to use with an adult: telling the truth. And, if they tried to think about it rationally, Rose had never explicitly told them not to tell her foster mother anything - and Molly probably had a right to know. Right?

Hikaru and Kaoru, who are known for being so precisely in sync, choked down simultaneous hard gulps, shot a wide-eyed look at each other and then took turns explaining what they knew to the queen. Molly was extremely calm as she listened to Hikaru recount that night in alley and when it was over, she reached over the bar, squeezed a hand of each of the brothers lightly while breathing out a light thank you, turned back toward the kitchen and began tidying up.

The twins could only see her back as she whisked herself around the kitchen and because of that they would have said she was acting freakishly calm. They couldn't see how tight she was holding her hands around the sponge or how frantically she was searching for something to clean - to occupy her mind.

Moments later, a refreshed Rose stepped out of the hallway bathroom and walked herself back to the empty bar stool. She smiled at the boys as she sat down and swiveled her seat toward them.

"Have you boys been torturing my foster mother," she asked them teasingly. Hikaru and Kaoru shot a knowing glance between themselves, so brief that no one aside from them would have known they were communicating, and wide grins spread across their faces.

"Well it was just so quiet in here," Hikaru said.

"That we had to find something to entertain ourselves with," Kaoru finished.

Molly turned back toward the trio, sufficiently out of the kitchen to clean, and plastered on her motherly smile.

"Don't you worry boys, it won't be quiet for long. As soon as 3:30 hits, this house will be the loudest one on the block," she said.

"Why 3:30," Kaoru questioned.

Rose rolled her eyes at him. "Because that's when school lets out," she said plainly.

"And everyone will be home, including Mr. Richards," Molly said with mild excitement. "You'll get to meet everyone, and trust me it will be anything but quiet."

A small groan escaped Rose's lips. It was hard enough handling the two mischievous twins, she didn't know if she could handle them in combination with her current foster siblings - one of them she hadn't even met yet.

Hikaru, picking up on Rose's discomfort, thought it might be a good idea to see how far he could push her buttons. He may be a smart boy, but he could be incredibly stupid.

"Hey," he said, turning to look at Molly, "Could we look at Rose's baby photos? I'd kill to see a tiny Rose covered in chocolate."

While Hikaru sat in self-satisfaction and thought about how clever he was, Rose turned to face him thinking he must be the single most brainless man on the planet. The air in the kitchen turned heavy as Rose dropped her feet to the ground and slid off the stool.

"I'm going for a walk," she said and promptly exited the house.

The second the door slammed shut, Molly turned to the black haired twin with a glare and smacked the side of his head.

"Are you some kind of idiot," she scolded.

"What?" Hikaru asked, turning to his brother for some sort of explanation. Kaoru just shrugged at his brother.

"There are no baby pictures," Molly said. "And even if there were, I wouldn't have them. Rose was already a preteen when she came to us."

Both twins' eyes widened as they realized what Hikaru had done. Remorse washed over his face and he felt an urge pushing against his chest, telling him to run after her. This wasn't like when he had left Haruhi in the storm. That time he had read all the signs wrong and claimed innocence instead of ignorance. No, this time he had known and forgotten. He couldn't play the fool if he already was one.

With a small grunt, Hikaru leapt off his bar stool and found himself chasing after a hurt Rose, yet again. Only this time, he was the jerk to blame.