Author's Note: We don't really learn much of anything about Kyoya's brother, Yuuichi, but I've always wondered what his reaction was to Kyoya's decicion to try to be named heir, especially since Kyoya seems so much more peaceful about the whole situation by the end of the manga. There's a depressing lack of good stories about Kyoya's family in this fandom, so I decided to write one of my own. This story is actually part of a much longer, but currently unwritten story, told from Kyoya's perspective, that would probably be slightly AU, or at least have an alternate interpretation of Kyoya's character, and in which his challenge for the position of heir is actually a cover for an entirely different scheme. I think it works well enough as it is, though. Enjoy!
As I walked from the car to the front door of my father's house, I ran through a mental checklist of the events of the day in preparation for my customary report over a cup of tea in my Father's study. His investment in H pharmaceuticals was finally paying off. The results of their recent study towards finding a cure for a rare neurological disease were the most promising yet. The assistant director deserved a letter of commendation for his work. The company would be in good hands when Yamamoto retired in the fall. Doctor Shimoto of X Hospital was stirring up trouble again, and at least one doctor in the Pediatrics department was threatening to turn in his letter of resignation. If the latest incident couldn't be smoothed over, Shimoto would have to be let go. It would be regrettable to lose his skills as surgeon, but his attitude towards the rest of the staff could not be overlooked. Our butler opened the door as I approached and I handed him the jacket folded over my left arm. Despite a chilly morning, the weather was almost uncomfortably warm this evening. As I turned away to enter the house, I saw that my brother, Kyoya, was regarding me intently from the top of the stairs.
Our eyes met and he offered me a smile as I greeted him. "I'm home, Kyoya-kun."
"Welcome home, Yuuichi-san," he replied. "May I have a moment of your time?" He spoke politely, as always, but without the cool aloofness I had grown accustomed to in the little more than a year that I had been home since graduating medical school. It was not unexpected after an absence of six years, but I couldn't help but miss the child who met me at the door with a hug and a proud smile as he presented the carefully brushed characters from his handwriting practice for review.
"Of course. Father expects me for tea soon, but I'm a little early today so I can give you a few minutes of my time now. Or if you'd prefer to wait until later this evening I would be available for a more extended conversation."
"No, this will only take a moment." He regarded me calmly as I strode up the stairs toward him, more relaxed than I had seen him in months and with a gleam in his eye that I could only hope meant that he had worked through whatever had been causing the tense and almost wary distance that had grown between us.
He spoke again as I drew level with him. "Yuuichi-san," he announced calmly, "I have decided to challenge you for your place as our Father's heir. Will you recognize my challenge?"
I stared at him for a moment, shocked into silence at his words. "You... You want... Have you spoken to Father about this?"
"I have not, but I will in due time," was his quiet response.
I had seen that Kyoya was troubled and unhappy. Fuyumi had mentioned that he seemed to be even more withdrawn around me than he was around her. We had also noticed that he worked himself relentlessly for even the slightest hint of Father's praise. We had chalked it up to my absence and Father's almost ruthless desire to bring out the best in us. I had never considered... for a moment I felt almost betrayed, but I shook the feeling off and tried to think rationally. Kyoya had been thinking about this for a long time, I was certain. It was not a rash challenge born from the frustrations of a moment. He had seemed unhappy, driving himself almost desperately to excel in his schoolwork, hoping for recognition of his skills. His tutor had confided that my brother had one of the most brilliant minds for business that he had ever seen. If one were to judge by accomplishments and merit rather than birth, my greater experience currently gave me the advantage, but I would not be surprised to see him catch up in a very few years, if given the chance. But he wouldn't be given the chance, not as things were, not the same chances I had been given. Perhaps, this way, he might at least be given more than he would if he played the part of the contented third son. Perhaps it would drive us apart, but I could not help thinking that Kyoya would be better off for it even so. Perhaps I would be as well. I knew that he held himself back at times to intentionally leave the spotlight to Akito and me. I had occasionally wondered what his limits would be if he tried to shine. Perhaps this would draw him out of the shadows a bit. Perhaps he would even be able to give me the sort of challenge I had felt was missing in my life since graduation. It might take him some time to catch up, but I still couldn't help but be excited at the prospect. Even so, this wasn't something to rush into blindly.
"Kyoya-kun." He tensed, waiting for my decision, but I wasn't quite ready to give it. "Have you considered that I might tell Father myself? He is unlikely to approve of this challenge of yours."
"I have." He gave me only that measured response and continued to gaze at me calmly. After a moment, when it became clear that I was waiting for a more complete answer, he continued. "I rather expected it actually, I have given you a clear challenge, and you are free to use any means at your disposal to respond to it. If you are able to persuade Father that my challenge should be dismissed, it would be to your advantage. I have arranged to speak to Father later this evening, and will inform him myself if you do not."
"And why do you allow me this advantage?" I asked. Did he hope our Father would expend his displeasure on the messenger? Surely he knew better than that.
"You have so many other advantages, I did not feel that this one changed the balance any further," came his quiet response. The words were true, but his false smile spoke of some some deeper reason. It wasn't like him to undermine his own chosen course of action. I puzzled over his words a moment longer before understanding swept over me. He had planned this confrontation well. I had so many advantages over him that he was choosing to give me also the advantage of the opening move. In utilizing that advantage, I would give him a sense of my strategy, leaving him free to prepare a calculated response. He had timed our conversation such that I would have little time to compose a formal plan of my own. I would be forced to think on my feet and thus more likely to reveal my true motives or make mistakes. He also arranged for our conversation to take place in a public venue, in full hearing of the servants who were likely to report it to Father if we did not. Regardless of my choices in the matter, Father would hear of this. The seed would be planted. Kyoya had already committed us on some level to his chosen course of action. I suppressed an admiring smile before it reached by face.
"I thank you for the consideration," I responded blandly. "The winner would be the heir of the Ootori family, but what would be the fate of the loser of this competition of ours?" As much as the prospect of a challenge appealed to me, I could not agree to this if it meant disowning my brother at the end of it.
Kyoya's responded immediately and without hesitation. "The loser will be free to offer his support to the winner if he wishes. If he does not, or if the winner does not choose to accept his support, he will be given control of a single hospital or other company chosen by the winner and granted autonomy from the Ootori Corporation." Not the most secure of prospects, as the winner could choose a failing company or likely even drive the loser out of business if he so chose, but still a reasonable solution. The loser could accept defeat with grace and remain part of the family, or would be given their independence. I wondered briefly which option Kyoya would choose, and if perhaps this was really all a scheme to gain his independence. Which option would he prefer? Or did he really expect that he might be named heir? If he was, which option would I choose? Could I possibly be content to serve at the side of a man more than ten years my junior who had come to me with questions about his homework or for refuge from Akito's teasing? Or would I choose to leave the business I had spent so many years learning and drive a permanent wedge between us. As I pondered I realized that as the eldest son, my place as my father's heir was so ingrained into my expectations of the world that even considering a different future was a jarring sensation. The thought struck me of the power my brother could have over me, that I could choose to offer my assistance and be refused the chance to give it, even be barred from offering it for the remainder of my life. My advice and experience, however limited they were at the moment, could be cast aside on a whim. No one but my Father had ever had such control over my life. I felt almost dizzy at the change in perspective, as though my world had suddenly tilted at its axis and I was left unable to tell up from down. The risk Kyoya had taken even to extend this challenge to me swept over me. Sudden recognition of a thousand little ways I could make his life miserable without even trying - perhaps without even noticing - if he genuinely provoked my displeasure made me feel almost ill with shame for my own blindness. I had never considered that my authority over him was a weapon that could be turned against him, and perhaps that very ignorance had caused him to feel the threat of it all the more. I had never before that moment understood what it was to be a younger son. I could salvage a certain amount of pride from the fact that he trusted me enough to challenge me so openly. All was not yet lost. I had time to make amends, and to prove myself. I swore silently to myself that when the time came, I would be worthy to be head of the family and Kyoya, as well as Akito, would choose to follow me of their own free will. I already knew my first task.
"Kyoya-san, I accept your challenge."
Author's Note: I started out with a general idea of where I wanted this scene to go, and I mostly stuck to it, but Yuuichi reacted somewhat differently than I expected, and the scene felt finished with the last line, so I ended it a bit sooner than I intended. It's always fun when your characters surprise you. Reviews are appreciated.