Another Time, Another Place

Disclaimer: I own neither Inuyasha nor Ouran High School Host Club. I wish I did, I could use the money…

This chapter is dedicated to all of my reviewers for the first chapter. You made quite a showing, and as thanks, a slightly quicker update then planned. Ya'll rock!

Another Time, Another Place

Chapter Two

Kyoya, having arrived early as usual, sat at the school desk sorting through papers. Being the excellent student he was, people might think that he was doing some preemptive studying. Those who knew him better, however, wouldn't be too surprised to discover that what he was sorting through were updated files on old students, and the information so far discovered on the incoming year.

Most of the information was already known to him, but Kyoya enjoyed going through it again. He liked knowing things. He liked being able to control his situation, and manipulate it. Being the third son, a deft hand and an ingratiating smile were often required. Being Kyoya required much more. At almost every moment in the day, background plans were being conceived, evaluated, and then either discarded, or acted upon. There were a few moments where he woke up, not being a morning person, in which his brain had yet to function, but unfortunately, he was a human being and certain defects were to be expected, planned for, and circumvented.

There was a new scholarship student in the twins' class-a girl named Fujioka Haruhi. Pretty, but not someone who was likely to be involved in the Host Club, considering her lack of funds, and apparent devotion to scholarly pursuits. She had apparently been popular for her looks in her middle school, but had brushed off all offers to date. Not someone he would likely need to concern himself with.

There were, of course, the incoming freshmen, but despite the fact that they were new students, having grown up among the elite of Japan, he either knew most of them personally, or knew the family.

Really, the most interesting addition to the school was the transfer student that was going to be joining his class. Higurashi was not a name of the elite. Her family was not one that had become rich overnight, nor was it old money. Her previous school had not been listed, but the name of her sponsor to the school, Fumitaka Kozue, had been. A brilliant businessman that Kyoya admired greatly, Fumitaka was known for being ruthless, and yet his businesses which were varied, specialized in being environmentally friendly. He was known to have a manner so intimidating and unnerving that all he had to do was look at a man to send him cowering, but was also known for sponsoring many orphanages and schools. He was also a recluse, being seen generally only when conducting business and never showing up for informal gatherings, regardless of the fact that business was also often conducted in those settings as well.

Not only was he all these things, but he was also old blood. The Fumitaka family had been around for generations.

So why had he sponsored Higurashi? There was practically no information in her folder other than her name, age, and current address. This was unusual, since his sources were good-they always provided not only the facts on file, but more personal information. Because he knew this, it was likely that someone had buried her files for some currently unknown reason. There was the possibility that she worked in the government and was here undercover, though Kyoya rather doubted that. The government would put more work into making a background for her, if they wanted her to not be suspicious.

It seemed more likely that she was connected to Fumitaka in some way, had done something for him and in return, he financed her tuition to this school. It was possible she slept with him. A smart woman would realize that by asking for this as payment, she would better her chances in life, or at least would have a chance at snaring a wealthy husband.

Another possibility was that she had done or was doing some sort of job for him. This seem a bit unlikely (why would someone like Fumitaka chose a girl not yet out of school when he could well afford someone more qualified) but was a possibility. Maybe he meet her somehow, she caught his interest, and he decided to make her a charity project, though this didn't seem that likely, considering that he mainly concentrated on making sure young children, not teenagers, stayed off the streets and were treated well.

Another note of interest was, since his contacts had failed so spectacularly at digging up information on Higurashi, they had included a page about her current residence. She had apparently taken over a Shinto shrine that had apparently been scaring away prospective caretakers for years now. The longest length of time anyone had stayed before her was three days-she'd lasted over a week now. It was unusual that someone so young, however, would be taking over a shrine, and the fact that she was taking over a shrine didn't support some of his possible theories. Maybe Fumitaka was a superstitious man, and Higurashi had done some sort of spiritual favor. Again, unlikely since Japan was obviously full of miko and priests-why a sixteen year old girl?

Kyoya smiled slightly. Regardless of the reasons, Higurashi was in some way connected to Fumitaka. Considering the fact he was such a recluse, this would be a chance for him to possibly develop contacts. He would need to do some more research, however, to discover which angle best to use. His usual channels didn't work, which was disappointing, but understandable, considering his sources weren't perfect. Besides, it would be just that much more fulfilling when he finally figured everything out.

"What are you plotting? You look like your plotting something" Tamaki asked with a grin as he slid into the seat beside him, "Are you making plans for the Host Club? I can't wait until we can go-I've missed it this summer! And now there's a whole new class of freshmen girls who have not yet had the chance for us to brighten their day!"

Kyoya smiled slightly. "The summer break was beneficial to our sales due to our absence, but as you said, this is a good chance to increase our clientele."

Tamaki rolled his eyes but smiled, "You are such a devious person," he said.

While they were talking, more people were entering the classroom. Kyoya noticed the person he knew must be Higurashi (after all, he'd known almost everyone in this class from the moment they started school together) but restrained himself from looking too closely. Tamaki, while a bit of an overenthusiastic puppy personality, paid more attention then one might think to his surroundings, and Kyoya most certainly did not want Tamaki involved yet. He might be useful later, depending, but until he knew for sure, it was better not to pay any special attention to her. Tamaki might get the idea that Kyoya had some sort of ridiculous school crush on her, and decide to set them up.

So it was that Kyoya gathered tidbits of information about the new student throughout the day without attracting attention to the fact that he was.

She was interesting. Transfer students were not common, and which made everyone intensly curious. As everyone else quickly figured out, she was not a member of the upper class. When questioned, she revealed that she was helping Fumitaka with something, and this was part of her salary. When asked for details, she said that she was required to keep job information confidential.

Unfortunately for her, Ouran High School Students were as prone to gossiping, speculation, and the creating of fantasy as any other teenagers. Also unfortunately, the story tended to favor the idea that Higurashi was having sexual relations with Fumitaka, and when Higurashi violently denied that possibility, that only cemented the impression that that was indeed her "job." As soon as that story was settled upon, it spread quickly throughout the school, and Higurashi was the school pariah. It wasn't as overt as it might have been in other schools in which students hadn't been raised to be as polite, but it was outright snubbing all the same.

Kyoya rather thought it was a pity. He'd already pretty much thrown that possibility out, since he'd been observing her expression closely when she realized what they thought she did, the look wasn't denial, but horror. She seemed repulsed at the idea, which was another oddity. Fumitaka was a rather good looking man, and it wouldn't be surprising if she was attracted to him, but she obviously wasn't.

After the conclusion had been drawn that she was "available" to the highest bidder, she'd had a boy attempt to sit next to her during lunch. He'd acted friendly, from what Kyoya observed, but he'd obviously ended up suggesting something quite offensive, and she'd slapped him. His face still looked a bit red, and both sexes were avoiding Higurashi at the moment. He wasn't sure how long that would last, however. Higurashi was rather comely, and a breed apart from Ouran girls. Where most girls at Ouran had been raised to be ladies and with a few variations, mostly appeared to be porcelain dolls, Higurashi was an athlete. She moved with a grace reminiscent of Mori and Hunny, and Kyoya suspected that she was trained in some sort of martial arts. While he'd not been there at the time, he'd overheard the story of the girls' gym class. They'd been assigned laps, and Kagome had overlapped most of the girls at least twice by the time she was finished. The coach had apparently about begged for her to join the track team (she'd beaten all of their best times) but she'd refused.

Kyoya had also been slightly amused at the fact that no one really talked about Higurashi around Tamaki. He'd gotten a bit of a reputation for helping out the helpless, and no one wanted him taking on another stray. As this suited his purposes for the moment, Kyoya kept silent. Tamaki would probably scold him if he knew Kyoya was allowing a fair "flower" to be abused when innocent of the rumors, but she'd gotten herself into the situation by not anticipating possible reactions to her story, and Kyoya was interested in seeing how she dealt with it without outside assistance.

That afternoon, something happened that would likely distract Tamaki for some time. The new scholarship student Fujioka Haruhi had stumbled into their club and broken a vase, thus incurring a debt to the Host Club. Kyoya had been rather surprised when he realized who she was-her middle school picture which had been included in the file had looked nothing like the unkempt waif that had appeared in their midst. She honestly appeared to be a male, and Kyoya was enjoying watching the Host Club members as they failed to realize that one key fact. They'd had her doing chores all day, but he was sure it wouldn't be long before someone had the bright idea of giving her a makeover (or a return to a civilized appearance, since she had looked fine before she'd started attending here) and made her a host. He made a private bet with himself that they wouldn't find out the fact that she was a girl until after that happened.

All in all, the school year had started out well, Kyoya thought as he settled into his chair in front of the computer at home. He had a puzzle in the form of Higurashi Kagome, and Fujioka Haruhi, who, while previously dismissed as inconsequential, seemed to have great potential for latter amusement, especially with her attitude that could best be described as deadpan oblivious innocence. However, while Haruhi did have potential as amusement, he had larger goals to tackle. Such as finding out whom, exactly, Higurashi Kagome was, and how he could use her to meet Fumitaka and win him over as a contact.

To Kyoya's amusement, no one in fact realized she was a she until after she'd become a host. Tamaki, of course, had been the last, for while he could be amazingly intuitive at times, at others, he remained remarkably obtuse. On a positive note, Haruhi seemed to have a lot of promise, especially as a host for the shy type of girls who felt overwhelmed by some of the other hosts. She was always calm and polite, and paid attention to them without making them nervous. She also seemed unaware of her charm, and they seemed to like that as well. Ever girl she hosted could imagine Haruhi as a potential husband, someone kind, caring, devoted, and perfect for raising a family. All in all, Haruhi was a promising addition to the Host Club.

While that was going well, he was having a slightly more difficult time with Higurashi. After her rather disastrous first day, she remained aloof and separate from the others. She could often be found in her books or making notes in her notebook. She also seemed to observe people a lot, rather like him in that respect. Kyoya had been tempted several times to go and speak to her, but felt a bit uncomfortable without a source of data. Most of the time, the people he spoke with either were people he knew all about, or people who didn't really matter. Unfortunately, she did matter, and he still didn't know anything about her.

So, for once, he decided he would be a bit adventurous, and talk to her without sources. He didn't want to speak to her at school-for one, people would get the wrong impression, and two, the school grounds were enemy territory for her. If he went to her shrine, a place that while public, was hers, she'd feel more at home and less defensive.

So Kyoya made sure that the Host Club wrapped up things quickly, and gave his driver instructions to the Toshiharu Shrine. Once he arrived, he told Hiro that he might be here for some time, and he'd call when he was ready. The shrine steps, like many other shrines, were numerous in number, but Kyoya was fit, and, since Tamaki like dragging him around all over the place, was used to climbing stairs.

To Kyoya's surprise, for a shrine that had barely been open to the public about a week, it was relatively crowded. A row of people stood in front of the stand where the various charms were sold, and more people could be seen wandering about.

Higurashi, who was manning the stand, looked a bit frazzled, and Kyoya thought it might be best to wait until business had slowed down. He wandered around, seeing the sights. While the shrine had obviously had a lot of work done to bring it back to it's former glory, Kyoya could tell that Higurashi hadn't yet finished doing all the things she wished. The garden paths near the shrine looked nice, but it was obvious that some of the plants were either new, and had yet to grow in, or were old, and had recently been severely cut back. The farther you got from the main part of the shrine, the more unkempt it was. She was obviously having trouble getting time to work on cleaning things up, being the only person here to tend to anything.

Maybe, if things went well, Kyoya could offer to loan her some of his gardeners. It was always better to offer things needed rather than empty gifts that would only be displayed for their value.

Never the less, Kyoya enjoyed the peace and quiet in the forest garden. He seldom had a chance to get away from crowds of people. At home there were either servants or his sister practicing her house keeping skills (which she needed, but he'd rather she didn't practice on him, or just let the servants, who were PAID to do so, do so). At school, of course, there was practically no place he could have some quiet.

However, this was not his main purpose in coming here, and Kyoya eventually wandered back to the main area. It was getting darker, and was close to the time the shrine was to close. Higurashi appeared to be deeply involved in thought while she swept, but she must have heard him approach because she looked up and spotted him. Her surprise didn't really register until she noticed the uniform. She had obviously not spotted him earlier, but with no one to distract her, her attention went directly to him. Her face shuttered slightly, and she looked at him, measuring and a bit wary. Kyoya simply stood there, hands in pockets, as she took him in.

"Hello," she said finally, "You're Ootori Kyoya, right?"

"Yes," Kyoya said, and walked a little closer. "The grounds here are very nice. Did you do all the work yourself?"

She flushed slightly. "I haven't been able to work on them that much. Between school and all of the visitors, I don't have much time to tend to them as I might wish. I do like gardening though, and I'm looking forward to when I can really spend some time on them."

Hm. Maybe a no on offering the services of gardeners then. "Still, you've done well so far."

She flushed a little more and looked away, obviously uncomfortable with the praise. "Thank you. So, did you come here to look at the shrine, or did you want to talk to me?"

Kyoya smiled slightly. "I came to speak to you, though it was an added benefit to see a shrine that has such a dedicated worker. I was surprised, though, that so many people were here after it just opened."

Higurashi's shoulders slumped slightly as she looked at the mess she was cleaning up. "I know. I wasn't planning for it-I should have been. With this shrine's reputation, when someone actually managed to stay and open it, everyone wanted to see who managed it. And then people started talking about how the omamori they got for school helped them pass the test and another who'd gotten an ofuda for keeping away pests had a decrease in flies and such, suddenly everyone's been coming, wanting their own, and then some of them want personalized ones, which I have to spend more time on."

Kyoya's mouth twitched slightly. "I've never heard someone more dismayed at their own success."

Higurashi laughed self-consciously. "I guess that's true. I am grateful the shrine's doing well, though. My grandfather will be proud to hear of my success."

Kyoya, seeing his opportunity, jumped at the chance to get some information. "Your grandfather? What does he do?"

"He takes care of the Higurashi Shrine. He's always been on my brother and me to become shrine keepers like him. When he found out I'd be coming here, the first thing he did was see if he could get me to take over a shrine. This was a dream come true for him," Higurashi said.

"You didn't want to come here?" Kyoya asked.

"No," Higurashi said, "However, I have found that I really do love this shrine, despite all the trouble it's causing me. But enough about me, what can I do for you?" She looked a bit suspiciously at Kyoya.

Kyoya, anticipating this, decided to be mostly honest. "Well, I'd heard Fumitaka had sponsored you. I've always admired him as a businessman, but he's a bit of a recluse. I was hoping you could tell me a bit about him."

Higurashi blinked. "You admire him?"

"He is rather brilliant at what he does," Kyoya said.

Higurashi, as he suspected, seemed relieved that he wasn't interested so much in her and her story, but in Fumitaka, though she obviously couldn't understand why he'd be interested in her boss.

"Well, then," she said briskly, "I'm about done here. Let me lock things up, and then you can come with me to my house. I'm a bit hungry, and I have dinner cooking. You're welcome to join me."

That was…sudden. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it. On one hand, she'd obviously went pretty much straight to work when she got home, and didn't want to be rude and send him away to have dinner, but on the other hand, it seemed a bit forward to invite him over when she barely knew him. Well, he could always leave if things didn't go well, and hopefully her cooking wouldn't be too unpalatable. He made a quick call to let Hiro know that he would probably be a couple more hours while he waited. Higurashi quickly finished, and emerged from the stand carrying a quiver full of arrows over her shoulder and a rather large bow in her hands.

She smiled a bit at his surprise. "A miko's gotta have her bow and arrows, right?" she said cheerfully, "My house is this way."

Her house was even deeper into the woods then he'd wandered, probably as it was located in the far corner of the property. It was alarmingly small, but the solitude she had probably more then made up for it. And Tamaki would adore it. It was done in a very traditional manner. It was very sparse, but it looked elegant. There was no TV, though she did have a CD player. She brought him into the dining, from which he could see her stirring a pot, after which she put a frying pan on the stove and put something in. While that started warming up, she brought over two pair of chopsticks.

"Give me just a couple more minutes," Higurashi asked, before returning to the kitchen and getting out a couple of bowls. While the bowls were mass-produced dishes, they were a rather fetching shade of forest green. She flipped over whatever she was frying, and then started serving what appeared to be udon (oden). She covered the pot back up, turned off the burner under the frying pan, and put what looked to be aburaage (sweetened deep-fried tofu pockets) on top, finishing up what was apparently kitsune udon.

She brought the bowls over, placing one in front of Kyoya, and the other at the head where she was sitting. She brought over two cups, and asked, "Is there anything you want to drink?"

"Water will be fine," Kyoya said. Higurashi nodded, and brought out a glass pitcher of water that had been chilling in the refrigerator, which looked rather antique. She poured the water and then sat down.

"Itadakimasu," they said, and began eating. Kyoya was pleasantly surprised to discover that the dish had been well made and tasted quite palatable. As both were hungry, they ate quietly for a few minutes before Higurashi spoke. "So, what did you want to know about Fumitaka?"

"What do you know about him?" Kyoya asked.

She seemed to think about this, taking a bit of her udon. "He's a grumpy, manipulative, greedy, powerful, unbelievably arrogant, presumptuous know-it-all."

Kyoya raised his eyebrows as the corner of his mouth twitched. "Really…"

"Yes," Higurashi's voice was firm. "Of course he also has a sense of justice, of what is right and wrong, and never deviates from that course. He can be kind, when he chooses. And while he doesn't know it all, I will admit that he does know most of it, not that I'd ever tell him."

"It almost sounds like you might not hate him," Kyoya said, still amused, and so feeling safe in acting a bit familiar.

Higurashi smiled. "I don't. He annoys the crap out of me, and he frankly sometimes terrifies me, not that I ever let him know it. We having a working relationship, I'd guess you would call it."

Kyoya really wanted to ask what exactly it was she did, but things were going well-it would be rather idiotic to ask a question that was apparently so sensitive after all the commotion at school.

Higurashi, however, seemed to guess what he wanted to ask, sighed and said. "You know, I can't really say anything about my job-it's in a contract. I never thought I'd need to sign a confidentiality contract, you know? It's like he thinks I have a big mouth or something. Anyways, about the most I could say is that I'm sort of his errand girl. I go out and get things done for him in this part of Tokyo."

"The way you phrased that, you make yourself sound like a mafia member or an assassin," Kyoya pointed out, smiling a bit at the thought. She really neither looked nor seemed like the type. Of course, on the other hand, no one would ever suspect Hunny was the martial artist he was…

Kagome shook her head. "I guess it did sound like that, didn't it? Well, anyways, enough about boring Fumitaka. What do you like doing?"

"Hm," Kyoya said thoughtfully, "I'm a member of the Host Club at Ouran High."

"Host Club? They have a Host Club there? This school is crazy," Higurashi said fervently, "Did you know the track coach won't stop hounding me? It's not like I'm doing anything special, I'm just running, but he's taken to stalking me around the school halls!"

Kyoya raised an eyebrow. "From what I heard, you're a rather good runner."

"You'd be too, in my situation," Higurashi muttered, then shook her head. "Anyways, Ootori-san, tell me about this Host Club. Girls really go there? And you are in it? You don't seem the type."

"Please, call me Kyoya. We have many people who go there, and I'm more in the managerial side of things," Kyoya admitted.

"Kagome, then," Kagome requested, "And I wasn't saying I couldn't imagine girls liking you, I mean you are cute, I mean…" Kagome had a fierce blush on her face, and Kyoya was smiling broadly.

"I knew that wasn't what you meant. I'm not really the sort that seems like he'd enjoy wasting most of his time with girls. I do, however, enjoy managing things. Tamaki and the others are the ones who are best suited for what they do, and I take care of the details," Kyoya said.

"You do seem the type to enjoy handling things. And I hope you don't mind wasting your time with me," Kagome said, with her blush having faded but still there.

"I'm not wasting it. Aside from be sponsored by someone I admire, you are quite the anomaly," Kyoya admitted.

"I'd take offense, but my life ceased being normal over a year ago. Why do you think I'm odd?" Kagome asked.

Kyoya, who had NOT planned on admitting that he was investigating her, for once found he was unable to keep the truth from spilling out of his lips. "I keep records on all of the students at Ouran High. All I can find for you is your name, current address, and age. That's all."

Kagome grinned, leaning forward and putting her chin on top of her hands. "So, you're one of those."

Kyoya, rather abashed at her reaction, leaned back slightly as he folded his arms. "One of what kind?"

"The nosy kind. The kind that has to know everything," Kagome said.

"It's a hobby," Kyoya said, on the defensive now.

"Not for you it isn't. The fact that you are that sort of person, however, is very interesting. And it's going to drive you crazy that you will be unable to find out everything that really matters about me, isn't it?" she asked.

"What makes you think I won't be able to?" Kyoya asked, going on the offensive.

"You can try. But will you believe?" Kagome said, a faint, maybe sad smile on her face.

Kyoya noted the odd phrasing, "will you believe?" for later thought. "A challenge, then?" he asked, pushing up his glasses.

"Of sorts. If you know enough, my contract says I can tell you. But until then, you'll have to do everything on your own." Kagome had an odd look, excited and wistful, "I wish you luck. In the meantime, however, I have pocky for dessert, and I want to hear more about your Host Club. Did you found it?"

They talked late into the night. Kagome let a few more hints fall, though she might not have realized it, and Kyoya, while enjoying the conversation, (for some reason, she was easier to talk to then most people. He found himself telling her things he didn't normally confess too. Maybe it was the fact she seemed to know who he was –a devious, crafty bastard- and didn't seem to care. Either way, it was nice to have someone to talk to without any pressure, or fear of things being repeated.) also wished to hurry home and research those very clues. Kyoya had been challenged, and challenges were something Kyoya made sure to never loose. So while he did want to stay longer, his overwhelming desire to get a head start on winning this challenge prompted him to reluctantly bring the conversation to a close. Kagome, however, offered to walk him to the shrine stairs.

"That's really not necessary," Kyoya protested, though he didn't really want to refuse.

"Haven't you heard the rumors? The forest is haunted. You need a miko escort at night," Kagome said, slinging her quiver back over her shoulder and taking up her bow once more.

"Really?" Kyoya asked, his voice sounding dubious, but with a smile on his face. They didn't really talk on the way back, enjoying the silence and the sounds of the night creatures moving through the forest.

"You have a good night. Sorry for keeping you so late. Do I need to call a cab?" Kagome asked, suddenly nervous.

"No. I've sent a text message to my driver; he should be here, ah, there. See?" Kyoya said a trifle smugly.

"Rich people," Kagome said, shaking her head, "Have you really kept that poor person waiting for you while we talked?"

"He's getting paid, and he's been able to go do whatever he wanted within a reasonable distance," Kyoya said.

Kagome just rolled her eyes. "Get on with you," she said, making a shooing motion, "You need to get home so that poor man can get some rest."

"Rest well," Kyoya said, ignoring her admonishments as he started down the stairs.

"You too," Kagome said, "And next time, make a set time for when you're going to be leaving at least so the poor man doesn't have to wait around for your call or text."

"That poor man isn't poor. We pay him, remember?" Kyoya said. He smiled as he heard her huff of exasperation. He reached the car soon after that. "Take me home, Hiro," and whimsically, thinking of Kagome, added, "Thank you for waiting."

End Chapter Two

Well, what does everyone think? This would have been out yesterday, but since this was my first time writing Kyoya, I wanted my friend's opinion on whether I kept him mostly in character or not. She seemed pretty enthusiastic, so luckily for you I didn't have to rewrite the whole thing. It will be switching back to Kagome's point of view next chapter, and we'll be covering what's been happening to her the past week. Anyways, thanks again to everyone for the reviews. They really inspired me to get off my butt (figuratively speaking, since I don't exactly write standing up…) and start the next chapter. I'm really glad everyone's enjoyed it so far, and hope you liked this chapter!

PS To my DC readers-don't worry (and don't kill me). I'm just sulking because of Truth Will Prevail. I'll get over it, and start working on them again soon, but only after I finish sulking.