Disclaimer: I don't own jack!
Pairing: Kyoya/Kagome
Summary: He wanted more than what was laid out before him.
Suggested Listening: Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Rey
Reverence
Chapter One: Lost
Kyoya tucked his hand into his jean pocket. His phone vibrated incessantly as the train ride jostled him from side to side. He didn't need to look to know who it was. His lips pressed downward in a thin line. It'd been three months he'd last been in contact. Since that time he'd sold off a few of the stocks he'd been saving and traveled across Japan on his own without so much as a word to his family aside from his sister, Fuyumi. She alone was the only person whom he'd chosen to give sporadic updates of his travels. Even that was due to the fact those calls varied in their intervals. Ranging from a few days to several weeks apart.
The phone buzzed a second time. In this instance notifying him of a voicemail the caller had left. His fingers twitched. Damn them. Dark eyes shifted to glare up at the ceiling of the train car. This wasn't how he anticipated his travels going. He'd hoped that it'd give him a much needed break however the only thing it'd done was cause a greater ruckus than he'd wanted to deal with at the moment.
Kyoya roughly stood as the train came to his stop. He followed the crowd out and onto the elevated platform. The cuckooing of incoming train signals and departures reverberated loudly over the thick crowd. Women dressed in elegant kimonos rushed past him. Men in suits with cell phones tucked on their shoulders ran ahead. Had he looked like that a few months ago? Rushing in the wind with the vain hope of achieving some measure of success over another?
His phone vibrated again. He pointedly ignored it.
He was only a month shy of thirty and what had he gained in his life? A path walled in by limitations set by his brothers. A career that was stonewalled and never meant to excel. What was left? A dim opportunity in the blind chance at supporting his siblings' rise to power in his family? His eyes narrowed as his pace quickened. Like hell. He was the only one of the Otori children to have not married nor produce any children. Likewise, he was also the only child to have never disappointed their father. Save for his recent escape into the commoner life. It was rather freeing to some extent yet stifling in others.
In this world, no one knew his name. No one knew who he was. No one knew that he existed. He was merely another faceless man in a crowd; a person doomed to mediocrity amongst the penniless.
The man slipped his ticket into the machine. The light flashed green and the doors opened, permitting him to pass. This world was built on the goals of the simple-minded. Earn money, making a living and support a family. There wasn't anything more that he could find. Sure a spare few had aspirations that far exceeded their birthrights, but how many of those people actually achieved their goals? He left the station behind him. A throng of people followed suit; each of them filing in a semi neat line as they crossed the crowded streets and into the less modern sections of the city.
He was lost. He'd been lost since the moment he'd lost the right to even choose his own future was flaunted before him. His life had been perfectly painted portrait without a single brush stroke going awry. So boarded in by the Otori family rules, he grew restless. With the realization of his own limitations staring back at his face, he did the only thing he could:
He ran.
"Damn it." Kyoya cursed beneath his breath. He wanted to be successful. He'd spent his entire life working towards anything and everything that would've gained his father's approval. So why now did that path suddenly fall apart? When exactly had all his efforts gone to waste? He bit into his bottom lip fiercely. The taste of copper drew upon his tongue. Damn it all.
"Sir," A woman cried out somewhere behind him. "Excuse me sir, could you help me?"
He partially turned to spy the rounded face of a woman he'd never seen before. She was a few years shy of his own age and a bright smile lit upon her features.
"Oh good, I'm glad you heard me." The female ran up to him with her hands clasped together. "I'm terribly sorry to bother you but do you know where I might find the Minamiza Theatre*?" She appeared terribly lost in her simple jeans, form fitting shirt and exhausted expression. Was she a tourist? There was nothing about her that stood out save for the soft features and warm look she was casting him. He felt the slight twinge of appreciation for such optimism. He could never bring himself to be so exuberant.
Kyoya gestured towards the outcropping of the building behind them, "You'll find it just over there. It's hard to miss." His tone was flat and emotionless, yet she still smiled so brightly at him in gratitude.
"Oh thank you so much. I hate to admit it but I was running around the city all day looking for it." She held up her phone which displayed their location but an incorrect direction marker. "Apparently my GPS decided that it wanted to go haywire on me." The smile dropped as exasperation took over. It was a somewhat cute. He couldn't stop the slight quirk of his lips even if he wanted to.
"Then perhaps you should get a new one." His eyes glanced over the device with a thoughtful look. "That version is at least three years old so I assume that it likely needs to be upgraded. The software is probably can't handle the new updates." How in the world did she get anywhere with that sort of thing? Was she going to try climbing Fushimi-Inari with it too? The very thought caused his head to spin.
"Ah ha I probably should but I'm a bit odd. I don't like to get rid of things unless they're completely broken, you know?" She flashed him another wide grin. "Anyways it was good to meet you… ah?" She paused to get his name.
He offered a polite smile back, "Kyoya." He left off his surname entirely. If his family could so easily strike him off then so could he.
She grinned even wider, "Well Kyoya, then name's Kagome. Thanks so much for helping me out. I'll be hanging around here for the next few weeks so come find me if you need me!" Just like that she was gone. Only the slight image of her ponytail flying past his face registered as she took off across the street.
Kyoya used the tip of his finger to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose. A small smile tugged at his lips.
"What a strange girl." His smile widened ever so slightly. Around, huh? Perhaps he'd extend his stay in Kyoto for just a little bit longer.
His phone buzzed again. This time he didn't feel the egging sensation he'd had before. Only the slight encouragement of a new, intriguing subject. This would prove to be a very interesting trip.
**Minamiza Theatre—A Kabuki Theatre located in the Gion district of Kyoto. The Keihan Main Line Gion-Shijo Station is located directly next to the building.