This is the story of a certain feared and most respected corporate lawyer Haruhi Ootori and her husband the shrewdest businessman of all times Kyouya Ootori.
A few days later, Kyouya's room:
Kyouya heard a knock on his bedroom door. He shouted a loud 'come in' as he slowly started descending the stairs to the bottom level of his room. He saw Tachibana cross the threshold of his room with a white envelope. 'So they have found some information about her after all' He thought.
Tachibana handed him the envelope and said "your suspicions were correct, Kyouya-sama"
He took the envelope and sat on the couch. He tore it open only to see the pictures of Éclair Tonnerre with a maid. He immediately recognised the maid from all the pictures of Tamaki's childhood that he had seen.
"Good work Tachibana." He said, "Now our biggest problem is going to France and escorting her back to Japan without detection. I cannot go it would only cause suspicion. I think I'll send Aijima. Father might suspect something but we cannot help it, we have got no other choice."
Tachibana protested immediately. He was upset over the fact that Kyouya had assigned Horita as some kind of a personal bodyguard for his friend and sending Aijima to France would mean that the security would be thinned even more. "Kyouya Sama. I don't think that's a good idea. You have already assigned Horita to protect Fujioka-san during the times she is not at Ouran. Now you are….."
Kyouya interrupted. "It is okay Tachibana; I trust you to protect me well. I have no doubts in your abilities whatsoever"
Tachibana was still not okay with the idea. He was about to protest when Kyouya said, "Everything will be fine. Now, I heard that Yuuichi nii-san is attending a medical conference in France in a few days. I want you to make sure to replace one of his bodyguards with Aijima. Do whatever you have to make sure that Aijima accompanies nii-san to France." Kyouya said curtly.
Tachibana instantly knew from Kyouya's tone that there was no room for argument anymore. He gave in and asked, "For how long do you want Aijima to be Yuuichi Sama's personal guard"
"A few days before his trip to France and until two weeks after the trip. That should put any suspicions to rest" he said "by the way, what about the other thing that I wanted you to investigate."
"Kyouya sama, we are not able to precede much from the starting point. We are searching for any hints as to where Ryoji Akiyama might have gone to, from the area that he was last seen at after his wife's death. Since it has been some 15 odd years, the locales there don't remember seeing him at all. Even those who remember him do not know where he has gone to."
"Hurry up with the investigations. It is essential that I find out his whereabouts before I buy the Akiyama zaibatsu. I don't want anyone posing problems after I had bought it. It would be easier to give some kind of compensation to him and his child before I buy the zaibatsu so that they don't interfere when I am buying it or in the future."
"Yes Kyouya sama. We would try to strengthen the investigation from now on." Tachibana said before he turned and walked towards the door. When he reached the door he said, "Horita told me that Fujioka-san offered him some snacks while he was on duty ." With that, he walked out of the room.
Kyouya smirked. 'So she found out about Horita! She caught on to it much earlier than I expected her to.' He thought. He had assigned Horita to guard her ever since the day he saw his father at the Fujioka residence. Even though, his father had seemed extremely normal on that day, he couldn't help but feel that his father had some kind of a hidden motive. He didn't want to take any risk when it involved Haruhi, so he had assigned Horita to be her guard much to Tachibana's annoyance. That was also the reason, he had started picking her up in the morning and dropping her back after school every day.
He still couldn't believe the fact that Haruhi had become someone so important in his life in a very short period. He had entrusted Haruhi with all his plans and goals and depended on her to accomplish them. He was able to do all that he wanted to right now only because of her constant support. His father had always told him that when it came to business complete trust and dependence on another person would make him vulnerable. However, it gave him strength and contentment knowing that she would be always there no matter what.
'Always... Isn't that too optimistic? She will eventually become a full-fledged lawyer, move on with her own life, and have to cater to her own family! She cannot constantly be there for you.' He thought bitterly. The thought seemed to kindle some hidden emotion that lurked in the depths of his heart. He had started to rely on her so much that he always wanted her to be beside him. He couldn't imagine a future where Haruhi would be living with her family and he'd be an outsider to her.
'Haruhi is going to be in my life, now and forever whether she likes it or not. Even better, I'll make her like it. Even after she becomes a lawyer, she'll be bound to me and me alone.' He thought.
"So her name is Haruhi. Now that I know her name when am I going to meet her" Kyouya heard the familiar and distinct voice of his sister. He groaned realising that he had voiced his thoughts aloud. 'Great! Now the gods have made it official, I can never have peace in this birth' he thought
He threw a dirty look at his sister who was standing near the door and said, "It is not what you think, nee-san"
"What is not what I think" Fuyumi prodded Kyouya.
"Shouldn't you be in your house with your baby? You had delivered a child only a few days back. Any normal woman would take some rest and fuss over her baby." He said. His main intention was to try and make Fuyumi guilty, so that she would completely forget their current topic of discussion.
Fuyumi shuddered at the similarity between their father and Kyouya. Their father had practically said the same thing to her when she had arrived at their mansion.
"Well in any case I am not a normal woman, I am an Ootori. Besides, Shido said it would be better for me to spend a month here with my family than to stay alone at home when he goes for work. I am taking good care of Kyouichi and he is currently taking a nap." She said with a pout
She went and sat next to her brother "so when can I meet her?" She squealed.
"For Haruhi's sake, I hope you never meet her." He said in a monotone.
She huffed at his reply but carried on "come on, I just wanted to meet the girl who had captured my little brother's interest. You didn't so much as mention her name in the hospital. The more you keep quiet about her, the more interested I get" she knew that her last sentence would get Kyouya to open his mouth.
"Look here nee-san. She's an honour student at Ouran and she's in the host club. That's all there is to it"
"Oh... I know all that. Tamaki Kun told me about her. What I want to know is if you are dating her or not"
"Nee-San" Kyouya sighed deeply "she is just my friend, not my girlfriend"
"No she is not your girlfriend, not yet! Oh, I can't believe that my little brother has grown up. He has finally fallen for a girl" she squealed. Fuyumi knew for sure that Kyouya's feelings for the girl ran deep. The moment she heard him unconsciously voicing his innermost thoughts, she realised that Haruhi would become that special someone in Kyouya's life.
"What part of 'she is a friend' don't you understand?" he groaned
"The 'friend' part, since when did you consider any girl as your friend? You avoid them at all costs" she countered.
"I am a host, nee-san. I don't avoid girls; I just don't flirt with them as Tamaki does. That's all!" he said curtly hoping to end this conversation. However, knowing his sister, he was sure she wouldn't let him rest until she squeezed out all the information from him.
"Oh really, Then what's with the 'Haruhi is going to be in my life, now and forever whether she likes it or not' line" she asked determined to make him confess.
Luckily, for Kyouya, his cell rang and for the first time in his life, he was eager to attend Tamaki's call. Fuyumi left his room knowing that Kyouya would not budge for a while. 'Oh my little brother, I will find another opportune moment to dig further into the matter, after all I am staying here for a month. Knowing more about this Haruhi girl is going to be my mission for now' she thought as she left his room.
Yoshio Ootori's study:
Yoshio was going through the some important paperwork when his phone started ringing. A smile tugged his lips when he saw the caller ID and he immediately answered the call.
"Hey there, big man Yoshi! How is everything on your side?" The voice form the other end said.
"I am all alone now. You can talk." Yoshio said nonchalantly, knowing that Ranka's main concern was privacy.
"Can't you even ask 'how are you' for the sake of courtesy, us being friends and all. I feel like I am talking to an answering machine not a person. At least Kyouya is chatty whenever he calls me." Ranka complained.
"Now I wonder what your mother will say if she finds out that you consider an Ootori a Friend. By the way, becoming friends with the girl's father is the easy and reliable way to get all the information you need about her." Yoshio said purposefully brushing aside his friend's complaint.
"Yeah… Kyouya's motive is not that simple anymore. He is dead set upon finding what happened on the day you visited me and about the contents of the CD. I feel like I am constantly on his Radar or something, I have to be on guard whenever I talk to him. Ever since Haruhi became his secretary he has also put her on my trail, can you believe that?" Ranka sighed
"Hey wait? Did you just say secretary? Has he made Haruhi his secretary?"
"Yeah... That's right. Moreover, I had called you to talk about that as well. I took a sneak peak at Haruhi's laptop that Kyouya had given her, when she had gone shopping and I happened to find a list of companies that Kyouya is planning to acquire."
"Are you kidding me? He just bought my medical equipment company. That was a major dealing. He wouldn't have enough funds to buy any more company at least until he graduates from high school." Yoshio said.
"You are wrong about that pal, why do you think he needs a secretary now if he has to wait till the end of high school to start his own business. Apparently, he has enough money to buy some more companies. Two days before he seemed to have bought a blooming small pharmaceutical company that comprises of 23 outlets across Tokyo"
"This isn't one of your jokes right? There is no way…" Yoshio stated when he was cut off by Ranka.
"Hey do you think I will be joking on such serious issues. I myself saw Haruhi pouring over contracts and rechecking them. But the main reason I had called you was that I also saw the Akiyama zaibatsu in the list" Ranka said
"This time you have got to be kidding. There is no way it is possible. One thing the money involved to buy it would be enormous; Kyouya may still have some funds to buy some small companies, but not an entire zaibatsu. Secondly, the people on the board of directors are very strong willed, loyal and cannot be easily swayed. That's how the zaibatsu has been holding out for so long without an heir." Yoshio said.
"Do you think I wouldn't know that about my own family business? He has chosen seven different financial backers. Apparently, he is going to use their financial aid in this venture. Suoh is one of the backers and he has already given his consent to this project. He has also given his consent for Kyouya to skip classes as well, from the looks of it. I have seen Kyouya's schedule, he has been meeting those backers that he had chosen during the school hours. He just goes to school only for the host club activities"
"I can't believe it. That Suoh bastard didn't let out a word about it and I happened to meet him just yesterday. Maybe Kyouya had asked him not to." Yoshio sighed. His son was going at a speed that he was finding it difficult to catch up with his plans let alone his actions. 'Probably that's why he made Haruhi his secretary, with her help he will be able to do all the things he wanted at a faster pace." He thought. "But that doesn't guarantee anything. Those backers would have bought the zaibatsu for themselves a long time ago if they could. The major shareholder is your mother. So even if he manages to buy some shares it will not do him much good." He said.
"Haruhi had a list of members on the board of the Akiyama industry as well. He had chosen nine members out of the 14. He apparently, planned to convince them into selling their shares. Together their shares would exceed what my mother has, but those nine are the most loyal to our zaibatsu. Kyouya has set himself a difficult task ahead. I am not sure where he is going with it." Ranka said. There were a few minutes of silence when both of them were contemplating whether this was a good thing.
"Alright, I will tell him to stop this. If he has planned everything in such detail, then that can only mean he will not rest until he buys the zaibatsu. "Yoshio said mentally making a note to talk to Kyouya the same evening.
"Don't be an idiot, Yoshi. The kid's amazing. He has already earned my respect a long time back. If he can pull this off; I would be bragging about him in your stead, as I know you wouldn't do it even if it kills you." Ranka said with a hint of pride in his voice.
"Look, in case you have forgotten Haruhi is the original heir. Even if you are in hiding now, it doesn't mean you'll be like this forever. When the truth comes out, wouldn't Haruhi demand what rightfully belongs to her?" Yoshio said being the more rational of the two.
"Haruhi has no interest in business whatsoever. She wants to become a lawyer; she's not going to give up her dreams to become the heir of some filthy rich family. Besides, if they both end up married, the zaibatsu would eventually belong to Kyouya. Even if they don't get married, I wouldn't regret that Kyouya has bought the company"
"Are you certain about this? Do you think it is okay to let him carry on with this?" Yoshio said, still quite uncomfortable about the entire thing. Kotoko and Ryoji were among the most important people in his life. He didn't want to jeopardise that.
"It is fine. I called only to let you know of the situation,not to make you stop him. Toko and I had never seen Kyouya when he was born, but I am sure she would be glad that he had turned into such a fine young man. Speaking of man, I just remembered something. There has been a creepy bald guy, who is roaming around the area recently. It is not obvious, but I think he's watching our apartment. I am getting suspicious. I also saw him following Haruhi to the super market yesterday. Can you send some of your private police to scare him off?" Ranka asked. He didn't like asking for favours, but when he saw that the guy was discreetly following his daughter, he knew he had to do something to put an end to it.
Yoshio knew that Ryoji rarely asked for favours, so it could only mean that the situation was serious. He took out the schedule of the security personnel to find out who was free of duty, at that moment. Since Kyouya was at home, he concluded that all of his guards would be free. When he saw the chart, something struck him. 'Wait…Horita is on duty, but Kyouya's at home. What is Horita doing exactly?' he thought. He thoroughly went through the entire schedule. To his surprise, he had found some other thing as well.
"Hello…."
"Hello? Big man Yoshi, you there?"
This pulled Yoshio out of his musings and he asked, "How old is this guy?"
"I don't know, somewhere around late thirties and early forties" Ranka replied.
Yoshio could hear the opening of a door on the other side and a mild 'hey dad'.
"Well, you don't have to worry. I think that is one of Kyouya's personal bodyguards-Horita. It seems Kyouya has assigned him to guard Haruhi. I just checked the schedule of Ootori security personal and I found some major discrepancies. Apparently, his personal bodyguards have chosen to obey his commands rather than my direct orders." Yoshio sighed. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the fact that he was getting old was resounding. To think he had missed such things, while it happened right under his nose was bad enough, the fact that his own son was outwitting him was even worse. He couldn't help but smile. 'Kyouya is indeed growing up' he thought.
"But why, I don't understand" Ranka said.
"Apparently, he is concerned about Haruhi's safety. And this concern is triggered by my visit to your place" he said
Ranka's boisterous laugh echoed though the phone. He could hear a feminine voice "dad, who is on the phone. I have never seen you laugh when you are chatting with someone on the phone"
"Haruhi, It is just a friend of mine from the okama bar" he could hear Ranka's voice
"I know it is not someone from the okama bar and don't even tell me it is one of your clients. If it were, you would be in your fan-girl mode now, not your sober self. The fact that you are lying about this clearly means that the person on the line is someone important" Yoshio could clearly hear Haruhi's voice with an accusatory tone on the other side.
"You know our parenting issues arise from the fact that our kids are too smart for their own good. I'll call you later then. Bye" Ranka said. Yoshio put down his phone before taking a deep breath. He needed some time to digest all the information that he had heard from Yoji. He also needed to address another issue at hand.
He called the head of the Ootori police to his study and then dialled Yuzuru's number. Yuzuru Suoh picked up the phone after a couple of rings "Hello…Yoshio… what's the occasion"
"There are some things that I want to clarify and also some things to discuss with you, in private. When are you free?" Yoshio demanded.
Yuzuru knew that the issue must be something serious if Yoshio wanted to discuss it in person.
"Why don't you come to the school tomorrow evening? The host club is throwing a graduation party to the entire high school division to the graduation of their seniors. We could do with a mild entertainment." Yuzuru suggested.
"Alright then I'll come around 5'o clock in the evening." Yoshio said crisply before disconnecting the call.
By the time, he had disconnected the call there was a knock on the door.
"Come in" he said.
The head of the Ootori private police force came and stood before him.
"There's been a change in the personal guards for Yuuichi. Why is that?"
"His usual personal guard's wife was extremely sick, so he had taken leave to take care of her. So his usual bodyguard was replaced. Sir" he said.
"Why did you replace him with one of Kyouya's personal guards?" Yoshio questioned. He already knew the answer to that, but he wanted to confirm this.
"Well Because Yuuichi Sama is going to France in a few days; Tachibana himself said that it would be better to put someone with some experience in being a personal guard instead of the ones trained for normal security. He assured that both he and Horita would be able to handle Kyouya Sama's security on their own. Even Kyouya Sama didn't want a third bodyguard in the absence of Aijima. If you want to make any changes I'll do it, Sir!" He said.
Yoshio knew that Tachibana would bite his own tongue than to suggest such a thing out of his own will. 'Just as I suspected, Kyouya is behind this' he thought.
"No need for that. You may go." He said. He knew that Yoji was also not faring well just like him. His daughter had seen right through him and called on his bluff. 'He is right; our children are too smart for their own good. Haruhi and Kyouya would make a terrific couple' he thought. Now that he learned a lot about his son's plans, he couldn't wait to taunt Kyouya. 'Dinner is going to be fun tonight' he thought.
Fujioka Residence:
Ranka was quite anxious during the dinnertime. Haruhi didn't ask him anything about the phone conversation. She acted as if she hadn't caught him lying and like everything was normal. He slowly started to relax.
This was one of the basic differences between Kyouya and Haruhi's perceptiveness. When Kyouya sensed something was wrong, he jumped right into it and tried to find out by analyzing situations and circumstances. Whereas, Haruhi did the same by analyzing people: their emotions and reaction. Just as their perceptiveness, they way they utilised it also differed. While Kyouya used his ability to pressurise and manipulate people into doing what he wants, Haruhi used hers to understand people and their inner self. Therefore, he relaxed knowing that unlike Kyouya, Haruhi wouldn't coerce him into telling the truth. However, he never expected her to ask him something so random.
"Dad, why is that I never got to meet my grandparents, not even once" she asked cocking her head to a side, deep in her thoughts.
Ranka nearly choked. He immediately gulped the food in his mouth before answering "Haruhi dear, I told you the reason before. Our parents never accepted our marriage, so they kind of disowned us." He said sweetly.
"But dad, it was more than a decade ago. Don't you think their anger might have simmered down by now? Why haven't you tried contacting them?" She asked chewing on her food.
Ranka knew that when Haruhi questioned something, it was only an attempt to have a better understanding of the situation. If she had started questioning about her grandparents, then something else must have triggered it. He wanted to know what it was.
"What brought this, Haruhi?" He inquired.
"Well, a few days ago I heard a story of some rich couple who had given up their lifestyles and wealth for love. You see the couple have the same first names as you and mom. I know it is a weird coincidence, so I let it slide" Haruhi said. She noticed her father's pale face and rigid expression.
"Haruhi, it is a weird coincidence alright." Ranka laughed nervously "They are a bunch of rich people. Surely, you didn't think that your mom and me were that couple. I heard that teenagers have wild imaginations, but I never thought you'd…"
She interrupted her father "I never said that I thought you were the rich couple, dad." Something about her father's attitude didn't sit well with her. She could notice the nervousness that her father was desperately trying to conceal. 'He has been acting strange ever since Kyouya sempai's father visited him. He has been unusually cheerful yet at the same time extremely edgy' she thought. Ranka stopped eating altogether while Haruhi was munching away her food.
"In fact, I was quite sure that you and mom weren't that couple. What I wasn't sure about was why I was sure of it. You see I believed that it was an unnatural coincidence based on our family background. I wasn't sure about our family background. I have never seen my grandparents. I don't know about any other relatives. I haven't even seen photos of my grandparents. Surely, mom and you must have had some pictures of your parents and family with you" she said.
Ranka didn't like the way she used the past tense in her explanation. Due to anxiety, he had jumped to the conclusion and blurted stupid things. He knew that Haruhi could notice his actions and read more out of it. It unnerved him. Right now he preferred being under the constant surveillance of Kyouya to the scrutiny of his daughter. He drank some water before replying.
"We did have photos, Haruhi. I think we lost them when we moved to this house. I must have misplaced them when we moved." Ranka lied smoothly
"Understandable" she said picking up the empty "did you misplace the box that contained mom's memorabilia as well, it has been missing for some time now." She said smoothly. She noticed that the box was not where it should have been when she searched through his room for the CD.
Ranka blanched. He hid that box, ever since Kyouya's sneaky attempt to take that CD away, as it contained some important things that might give away his identity. He didn't put it past Kyouya to take Haruhi's help to rummage through his stuff. In fact, Kyouya had just done that. However, he didn't expect Haruhi to take note of the missing box.
He smiled his goofy smile "I think I must have misplaced it as well. Your dad is getting old and forgetful"
"You have barely eaten anything dad, you must eat before your food gets cold" Haruhi said form the kitchen signalling the end of conversation. She clearly heard her father sigh before he started eating again.
She was deep in thought while she was washing dishes. She knew for a fact that her father had gone through many files in her laptop. She never put it past her father to do so. She knew he would go through it to find if she had a picture of a secret crush or something. He had always fantasised about her having a secret crush. What she didn't expect was for him to go through all the documents concerning Kyouya's business and even his schedule that she had.
She found out from the position of the laptop that her father had used it. When she clicked the 'recent places' link she found out that her father had particularly searched everything that was under the folder titled work. The phone call from earlier had also disturbed her. She knew how important this was to Kyouya. It was Kyouya's dream and she was pleased that Kyouya trusted her enough to rely on her.
From what she could garner, Kyouya rarely trusted anyone but himself. So, to trust someone like her with all his plans and goals even to the extent of making him prone to vulnerability meant that he believed her with his heart and soul. That fact alone made her feel proud. She also knew that Kyouya cared about her a lot so much so that, he had assigned one of his own bodyguards to her just to ensure her safety. He was the most considerate out of all the hosts, even though he pretended to be indifferent. That's why she didn't want his dreams to be endangered. She respected him and his ambitions.
'I think I should warn Kyouya before hand and I should 'password protect' all my files as well' she thought as her father brought his plates into the kitchen for washing.
Dining hall at the Ootori mansion:
The dinner at the Ootori residence was unusual. It was unusually late and unusually crowded. Since Fuyumi had decided to stay here, her husband had come there to meet his wife. Kyouya's father and brothers were also present. Kyouya cautiously walked into the dining hall and took his place. Something about his father's look was giving him the creeps and he wanted to finish his dinner as quickly as possible and seek the refuge that his room offered. His sister didn't seem in the mood to pursue their earlier conversation. He thanked Kami for that. She seemed exhausted and he could see her husband caressing her hand.
He took the first bite of his food when his father started the conversation ('here goes, he's setting some kind of trap' he thought).
"There has been some rumour that the Kenkou pharmaceuticals had changed hands. What do you think Yuuichi?" He asked.
Kyouya mentally panicked. He didn't know how his father found out about him buying the pharmaceuticals. 'I am positive that he had found out otherwise he wouldn't even bother bringing it up during dinnertime.' He thought but he chose to remain calm and impassive.
"It's quite possible, father. After all, it was a blooming company with 23 outlets all over Tokyo. We had even discussed about buying it if it ever reached the target of 40 outlets." Yuuichi said.
"Nii-san is right. It is quite possible. Besides, whoever had bought it had planned it well. It is the right time to acquire it. It would give them a perfect foundation upon which they can improvise." Akito added.
There was strangling silence in the dining room. Akito was surprised that Kyouya had not volunteered to express his views. He always thought that Kyouya's ideas were practical and exceptional, though he was usually put off by Kyouya's competitive nature.
Yoshio sensed Kyouya's silence as well. 'So you refuse to play, han? Too bad, I am all up for it and you are going to set the pace, Kyouya' he thought.
"Kyouya, you are unusually silent today. What's your opinion about this?" He asked.
When Kyouya had returned the company to his father, he had decided that he'll no longer play by his father's rule. He knew his father was prodding him, but he chose to neither confirm nor deny his father's suspicions. 'If it is a game he wants, he is going to get it. However it will be my rules this time' he thought.
"I don't know, father!" he said knowing that those words would annoy his father more than anything.
Everyone at the table stared at Kyouya as if he had grown an extra head. Even Shido knew that Kyouya contested with his brothers to become the heir of the zaibatsu. He had seen the boy making use of every small loophole to outshine his brothers in his father's eyes. This nonchalance was not something he expected. From the reaction of Akito and Yuuichi, he could tell that they were just as surprised as he was. Fuyumi looked at her brother as if she was seeing him for the first time. 'Kyouya is so confident almost as if he had already become the heir already. I knew that there was some change in him, but never realised the extent of it' she thought
Yoshio could clearly sense his son's blatant refusal to play by his rules 'well at least he did set the pace. If he's going to be blatant about things, so am I' he thought
"Since when did 'I don't know' become your opinion Kyouya" he asked.
"Since the time, you started showing a major amount of interest in such a small company, father" Kyouya replied and causally chewed on his food.
The Ootoris were sharp enough to notice a battle when they saw one. The conversation between Kyouya their father was definitely a battle where both of them were not willing to lose. By now, everyone in the hall was hooked on to the conversation.
Yoshio smirked "yes one might say that Kenkou pharmaceutical is quite a small company when compared to … Let's say the Ootori medical equipment company or the Akiyama zaibatsu"
Kyouya visibly blanched. He could see his father practically grinning and pulled himself together 'how did he know about it? I am sure chairman Yuzuru never revealed anything to him. I have to find his sources and put an end to it' he thought.
"Well father, this time I have an opinion" he said sarcastically. "I think the value of a company does not depend on its size, but the meaning it holds for the owner." He said. Everyone was surprised at the clipped tone Kyouya had used while talking to their father.
"That's no way to talk to father, Kyouya... Apologise….." Akito began but stopped abruptly when Yoshio held up his hand.
"I agree, Kyouya. The value lies in its significance especially if it is the first stepping-stone for someone's business." Yoshio said his smirk intact.
Kyouya was about to reply when his phone rang. Everyone usually left the phones outside the dining hall. The maids brought the phones to them only if it was a call about some emergency or an urgent issue. However, Kyouya had started carrying his cell phone to the dining hall, as at the current stages of his business all the calls were important to him. He could clearly sense the disapproval of his brothers; since their father didn't comment on it, they remained mum. He took out his cell phone and seeing that the call was from Haruhi, he excused himself and walked out of the dining room to talk.
"I can't believe he brought his phone to the dining room." Yuuichi said.
"He just walked out halfway during dinner just to attend a call. He has been acting strangely for some time now. He has been behaving like a rebellious teenager all of a sudden." Akito declared.
"I think he's just growing up and exploring his individuality" Fuyumi retorted defending her youngest brother
"When one finds some space to spread their wings, they would always want to flap it." Yoshio commented.
Yuuichi was just surprised at the conversation and their father's words. He just thought that Kyouya was going through a rebellious phase. However, Akito did not stop there; he felt that their father was trying to get Kyouya to confess something with all his prodding. He made a mental note to check up on all the companies that were brought up by their father in the conversation. 'That might give me some hints about what this is all about. Apparently, Kyouya and father know something that we don't. I have to find out what it is at all costs' he thought.
It was some time before Kyouya returned back to the dining hall. He sat quietly in his place and continued eating.
His father began immediately "who was on the phone Kyouya?" He asked. He had some idea as to who it might have been, but still he wanted to confirm it.
"My secretary" he said coolly.
"What..." Yuuichi said disbelievingly.
"Since when did you have a secretary? Even I don't have one!" Akito declared.
"I am more interested to know who it is" Yoshio said smirking.
"I am sure you know who she is, after all you took her father's aid to find out what my current plans are" Kyouya replied his tone tinted with accusation. He was glad to see his father's smirk was wiped off his face.
Yoshio was shocked, he never expected Kyouya to find out how he got the information. He was sure, from Kyouya's earlier reactions that he didn't have a clue. 'The phone call, that's it! Haruhi must have figured it out and decided to inform Kyouya. Great, now Kyouya is going to be on guard. Apparently when Kyouya and Haruhi team up, they are completely unstoppable' he thought. He couldn't help but laugh at his thoughts. To say that everyone was astonished would be an understatement. To catch the stern Ootori patriarch laughing was nothing short of a miracle.
"She called you just now to warn you, didn't she? I must say you have an exceptional secretary. No wonder, you assigned your own bodyguard to protect her 24/7" he said after his laughter died down.
By now, everyone in the dining hall had given up trying to figure out what the entire conversation was all about. 'So he has a secretary and he has assigned one of his bodyguards to protect her. What I don't understand is why he needs a secretary in the first place?" Akito thought
"Haruhi is not just an exceptional secretary; she is also a valuable friend and an important person in my life. You are still welcome to try and pry into my personal life but I would appreciate it if you don't involve her or her father in any way." he said wiping his mouth with a tissue.
Fuyumi was beaming. Kyouya had just confessed what she was trying to get him to confess earlier. She knew that Kyouya wouldn't make anyone his secretary. 'He must trust and respect the girl a lot. I have to meet her' she thought.
'It was about time you admitted that she is important to you. But you still have a long way to go Kyouya' Yoshio thought. "I never thought you'd consider a commoner a valuable friend. But to admit to the fact that she is an important person in your life, is something I never expected you to do" he said.
"I never expected you to grace their commoner house with your presence either. So I guess that makes us even." Kyouya said sarcastically "besides, it's not just me. Like I told you before, everyone in the host club considers her as an important person in their life. They would not tolerate even if she is least bit perturbed"
As he saw Kyouya walking away from the dining room leaving behind a stunned audience, Yoshio commented, "he is not just flapping his wings, he is flying"
The next day, Chairman Yuzuru Suoh's office:
Yuzuru was in his office. He could see some of the early arrivals of the party. He always loved the festive moods. The host club had chosen the last day of the term before the exams for the celebration. 'A befitting ending for an exhilarating academic year' he thought. 'Tamaki has matured a lot over the past year and has made some excellent friends. I wish mother could accept him just the way he is'
A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts. He turned around to see Yoshio Ootori entering his office. Yoshio walked in and sat on the couch.
"To what do I owe this pleasure, my friend?" Yuzuru asked.
"I thought I would just drop by and clarify certain things. You can start by telling me as to why you are allowing Kyouya to skip classes." Yoshio said curtly. Yuzuru didn't like his tone one bit even though he was expecting this.
"I have no reason to make him attend the classes." He said as he walked toward his desk to pull open a drawer. He picked a folder form it and handed it over to Yoshio.
"What do you mean?" Yoshio asked. He was pleasantly surprised to see the document that was handed to him. It was Kyouya's mark sheet.
"He had already taken his second year exams and has achieved quite high grades as you can see in his mark sheet. This time he is going to sit the exams for the final year students and I have no doubt he'll top it as well." Yuzuru said.
"That's good. He's graduating a year ahead. I never expected him to do that. Well, I'll ask him to take the entrance exam to the university. His brothers aren't going to be pleased when they hear this." Yoshio said brimming with pride.
"Well I don't think they will hear this. Even though he is taking the exams a year ahead, he'll be graduating along with Tamaki."
"What?" Yoshio's voice was marred with an accusatory tone. his usually impassive face had taken an expression of unbridled fury. One look at Yoshio's face, Yuzuru realised that he had worded the situation in a wrong way.
"Oh don't give me that look, Yoshio. It was Kyouya's wish. He wants to graduate along with Tamaki. However, he'll be exempted from attending school the next year. I must say he's quite a lot of things on his plate right now, so preparing for the entrance exams of universities is out of the question. He needs time, so I decided to respect his wishes." Yuzuru explained, visibly relaxing as Yoshio calmed down.
"So might I ask what those things are?" Yoshio asked.
Yuzuru flinched. In his attempt to calm Yoshio, he had revealed a bit too much information. 'How am I going to get out of this one' he thought. However, before he could open his mouth Yoshio said, "Look, I know that Kyouya intends to buy the Akiyama zaibatsu and that you agreed to be one of his financial backers. That's one of the reasons behind my visit. "
"What? How did you know? Kyouya was keeping this under wraps and I don't think anyone else apart from me and Haruhi knows about this!" Yuzuru said.
"Haruhi's father informed me about this. He had nicked the information from Haruhi's personal laptop." Yoshio said in a matter of fact tone.
"I can't believe you conspired with Haruhi's father so that you can track down your own son's movements. What method did you use to get him on your side- bribing, threatening or blackmailing?" Yuzuru asked clearly disapproving of Yoshio's way.
"I did no such thing. He volunteered with the information out of his own will!" Yoshio said obviously affronted with his friend's blatant accusation.
"Yeah right! Tell that to someone who'll buy it. I don't see why he would do such a thing when obviously what Kyouya's up to is none of his concerns." Yuzuru retorted, disbelief apparent in his voice.
"Oh it's his concern alright. After all, he's the rightful heir to the Akiyama zaibatsu." Yoshio said deliberately and scrutinising Yuzuru's face.
"Come on… I know their first names are same, but that's impossible. I mean, I even checked his background and I have seen his photos as well." Yuzuru said desperately trying to process the information.
"Have you seen him without his make up on? I have! He is Ryoji Akiyama all right. He had completely tampered and falsified his own records and identity before going incognito. He even sold his family heirloom to pay a hacker to remove all the pictures of him and his wife from all the profiles on the internet. His only proof of his identity is his face, which he covers well with the makeup"
"My god! Therefore, Haruhi Fujioka is Haruhi Akiyama. Does she know about this? Oh no…. I promised Kyouya I'd help him in any way to get his hands on the Akiyama zaibatsu…"
"No, Haruhi doesn't know anything about this and don't worry, he isn't even a least bit bothered about his own property. In fact, he is rooting for Kyouya. He hasn't changed a bit; he's still the same Yoji who doesn't care about family business, lineage, wealth or any other thing for that matter. I would say it is Haruhi who is taking care of him than the other way around"
"That's Yoji for you! He reminds me a lot of Tamaki you know what I mean! Both are laid back and completely oblivious to the methods of this cruel world, yet they both are the most caring and kind people I know. The only difference I can see is while Tamaki loves his mother, Yoji loves to annoy his mother." Yuzuru said laughing. Even Yoshio smiled at the apt description. However, he turned sober again "Speaking of Tamaki's mother, have you got any clue as to where she is?"
"No, I have tried a lot to pinpoint her location. However, I don't even have a clue as to where she is. With my mother's vigilant eyes, I can't even make any bold moves." Yuzuru sighed. He missed his wife just as much as Tamaki missed his mother. He constantly worried about her well-being and safety.
"Apparently, Kyouya seems to have done that job for you. I think he knows where she is"
"What? How? When all my investigations have resulted in nothing, how could he have gotten wind of her?"
"Even I am not sure how he did that! I think he picked out some clue that we have overlooked and started his search for her in the right places. You see, he had assigned one of his bodyguards to Yuuichi right before Yuuichi's trip to France. There's no other reason for his actions other than helping Tamaki to meet his mother." Yoshio blurted out his assumptions. A strange silence hung between the two businessmen.
"I don't know what to say! If Kyouya succeeds in getting Anne back, then I assure you, I'll be eternally grateful to the boy. I must say befriending Kyouya was one of the wisest things Tamaki ever did" Yuzuru chuckled.
"He's going at very fast pace that, I am struggling keep up with him. It makes me feel that I have gotten old. I want you to keep an eye on him okay." Yoshio said.
The hall where the graduation party is held:
"You are late" Haruhi said as Kyouya approached her. She was leaning on a wall in the corner next to a door, away from all the bustle of the party. Kyouya had messaged her earlier saying that he would arrive late as his meeting was taking longer than he had expected. without Kyouya there to handle any emergencies and make sure that everything was going according to plan, she felt even more nervous. Fortunately for her, everyone took the news as Kyouya had predicted and seemed to accept it.
"Since my secretary took care of everything, I took the luxury of being late." Kyouya said as he took in her appearance. She looked rather stunning in the purple dress that reached her knees. It had a bateau neckline with cap sleeves and light ruffles at bottom. The empire waistline was accentuated with a white lace belt. In short, it was simple yet captivating like Haruhi herself. He chuckled at the thought. When enquired he just shrugged it off.
"Sempai, you know about my father. I am sorry for what he did. He's never like that. I don't understand why he did that. Gomen! You know he would never do anything to sabotage your plans. I think he assumed that he was helping you by…" Kyouya effectively cut her off by placing his finger on her lips.
Haruhi's mind went blank. All her senses were focussed on his finger on her lips. She thought that she was immune to a guy's touch after all the twins and Tamaki were manhandling her all the time. Somehow, this simple gesture felt more intimate and unnerving than anything did. She took a step back just as Kyouya withdrew his finger.
Kyouya was practically smirking. Haruhi's sudden tensing up and her flabbergasted expression boosted his male ego more than anything did. His insides were humming at the thought that such a harmless touch of his could make her react when she was practically unresponsive to the constant hugs the other hosts bestowed her with.
When Haruhi saw Kyouya's smirk, she gathered herself and her pride was hammering her feminine mind for such a dumb display of weakness. 'What's wrong with you? To think that you are more refined than those fan girls! Sheeshh... He's a host, it's in his nature to charm the girls out of their minds. You of all people should know that' she thought.
Though the truth was out of all the hosts Kyouya was the least 'touchy and feeling' with her. The occasional times that they had, any physical contact was when he touched her shoulder as a sign of reassurance. Thus, this gesture left her completely perplexed. She was unprepared for his next move though.
"Dance with me. Then I'll accept your apology." He said.
For some odd reason he yearned to dance with her. The last time he danced with her left him wanting more. He had always maintained a certain distance with her before because unlike Tamaki and twins he didn't want to succumb to her innate warmth and radiance. He wanted to consider himself immune to the lady who had the entire host club revolving around her. However, she not only hammered down all his walls but also made him succumb to her charm, surrender to her genuine intentions and made him to rely on her heavily. 'Now that I think about it, she had coaxed me into willingly giving her my heart and allowing her to do whatever she wants with it. I'd be damned if it remains that way. I am an Ootori and I would settle for nothing less than a mutual give and take. If she has coaxed my heart out, I am going to steal hers' he thought.
Haruhi didn't know how to react. Coming from Kyouya the request was in itself unusual, but her wanting to dance with him was even more so. She craved the sense of ease and comfort that she felt when she last danced with him, but at the same time, her aching feet reminded her of the realty. After her secret was revealed to the entire student body of the high school, (which went smoothly without any hustle thanks to Kyouya) many guys had asked her to dance with them. Then she had to dance with the rest of the hosts as well. She had never danced so much in her entire life and the four inch heels that she was forced to wear the by the Hitachiin twins didn't help her as well. She had taken refuge in a corner away from the entire buzz to soothe het aching feet.
Kyouya saw the uncertainty in her eyes. It angered him that she was reluctant to dance with him. As he tried to rein his anger, he noticed that she was slightly shuffling her feet as if to alleviate pain. Then it dawned on him. "You can dance with me sans your heels, I don't mind!" He said coolly.
Relief washed over Haruhi as she stepped out of her white high heels. "That's odd. I thought Kyouya Ootori never associated him with anything, which was not prim, proper and impeccable. Therefore, wouldn't it ruin his reputation if he danced with someone who was bare feet?" She asked playfully as she placed her into his proffered hand. The moment she did, he pulled her right to the dance floor.
"Well then that means you don't know me at all. Here I thought my secretary would know me better" he replied in a mock hurt tone as he placed his hand on her waist and started leading her.
"Oh really, what gave you that impression?" She asked.
"If you had known me, then you'd have realised that I choose practicality over impeccability. Dancing in high heels is impractical." He said as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.
'Typical shadow king! Trust him not to admit that he was being considerate' she thought.
"Well perhaps you don't know yourself as well as you think. If you vouch for practicality then isn't dancing with a commoner in front of all the fan girls who could get jealous which might cause a strain in the host club, impractical?" She asked as he twirled her.
'Leave it to you to force me into confessing that I care, Haruhi. But I am not going down without a fight' he thought.
"Depends on what you think is impractical." They both fell into a simple and easy rhythm with him leading her with feline grace and her following him like a breeze. They were so immersed in their conversation that they didn't notice the five pairs of eyes that were trained on them. Moreover, they didn't have any means of knowing about the two pair of elderly eyes that were glued to the screen of a television in the chairman's office that was displaying a live feed of their dancing.
"How so, The Kyouya sempai I know would do anything to protect the host club and would do nothing that does not give him merits and certainly dancing with me doesn't give you any merits and you are putting the host club at stake here. So aren't you contradicting yourself?"
"Well, after this we have exams and vacation before the next term starts. Therefore, the girls would forget this small incident over time. The host club will be unharmed. Besides, dancing with you has merits, trust me. Now that you are my secretary and therefore know a great deal of inside information about my business, I cannot risk letting you be by yourself without my vigilance. It has become my first priority to keep you close to me all the time. As close as possible" he said as he pulled her closer.
Haruhi felt the same unnerving feeling from earlier. She felt that Kyouya was baring his heart to her. Even though he said it like he wanted her to be close to him for business purposes, the way he said made her feel like it was a cryptic message. She knew what the message was but didn't dare to believe it. Looking deep into his eyes, she knew that he was being honest. She pulled herself and continued with the little game that they were playing.
"Is that why jeopardized your own security to send one of your bodyguards on my trail right into the commoner's supermarket"
"Oh is that what you think. I cannot help if my bodyguards decide to shop at the commoner's supermarket" he smirked while saying it.
"Ok then are you going to tell me that your bodyguard found the wall of our building interesting enough to stare at it for hours at a stretch from his hiding place in the alleyway"
"Who knows? After all, Horita is a weird guy. He could have some wall fetish for all I know." He said in a matter of fact tone.
Haruhi laughed at his comment, blissfully unaware of her surroundings and devoid of inhibitions. This dance was the same as the previous dance that they shared and so much more. Both of them were at ease and content in each other's presence.
Tamaki was brimming with fury. He turned around to see that Hunny sempai and Mori sempai were watching the dancing couple with interest and the twins were looking at them with curiosity. 'I can't believe that they are standing there and doing nothing when Kyouya is…' he thought. He didn't know what to think. He knew that he wanted Haruhi's attention to himself and didn't like if anyone else got it. When the rest of the hosts were dancing with her, he was mildly annoyed which was nothing compared to the fury that he was feeling now while he watched her dance with Kyouya. He noticed how Haruhi completely transformed from her usual apathetic self to the Aphrodite who was now dancing with Kyouya. His fury doubled when he saw her laughing and chatting with Kyouya like it was the most normal thing in the world.
He felt that Haruhi was slowly slipping away from him. He started walking to the dance floor to ask Haruhi to dance with him, when all of a sudden he was dragged by Hunny sempai. "Come on let's have some cake" he said
"I don't want to eat any cake!" Tamaki snapped.
"You don't want to spend time with me on my last day here?" Hunny asked turning his teary eyes towards Tamaki. Tamaki couldn't say anything and followed Hunny reluctantly.
Kyouya was completely lost in the dance. He wanted to dance with the Haruhi the entire night. All the same, his sane side kicked in alerting him of Haruhi's condition. As the song ended, he twirled Haruhi once and slowly walked her to the corner where she had left her shoes. He didn't want her tire her or elevate her pain. 'After all the crap about I do nothing that does not benefit me, here is concerned about me' Haruhi thought fondly.
Haruhi was moving slightly to pick her shoes when she felt Kyouya tense up. He straightened herself to look at the direction where Kyouya's eyes were trained. She noticed that there was a figure standing in the doorway near their spot. As the figure moved forward, she gasped lightly. The person looked a bit like Kyouya himself with the black hair and defined chin. She inferred that he must be one of Kyouya's brothers. What surprised her was that he was looking at Kyouya with loathing and anger etched on his face.
Kyouya was surprised not only to see Akito there but also the anger that was exuberating from him. He stood there not knowing how he ended up in the predicament. "Akito nii-san…" he began trying to figure what made him to be at the receiving end of Akito's anger. Akito quickly cut him off "come with me"
Kyouya followed him. Haruhi opted to stay behind but her heart and mind was warring over following him and not wanting to involve herself in their family issues respectively.
Kyouya apprehensively followed Akito, when they had reached a corridor farther from the hall Akito turned on his heel and punched Kyouya squarely on the face before Kyouya could even react. He grabbed Kyouya's shirt and pulled him close enough to deliver punch after punch. Kyouya's mind recovered from the initial shock and his reflexes sprang into action. He wrestled out of Akito's grip and pushed him with all his might so that Akito fell to the ground. Kyouya stood there his head swaying with the force of the punches he received.
"KYOUYA"
Haruhi's panicked shriek reached his ears as he staggered over to the nearby wall and flopped down. Haruhi was at his side the next moment. She kept repeating his name unconsciously as she took a handkerchief from her purse and started wiping the blood that flowed from his bruised lips. He winced when Haruhi's fingers brushed across his lips and looked up to see her. Her eyes were glazed with tears and her concern for him was evident on her face.
Akito stood up and straightened himself. He was confused by the situation. The girl that he had seen earlier with Kyouya was currently kneeling by his side. However, he didn't dwell on it too much. His suppressed fury reared its head again. After the previous day's conversation between Kyouya and their father, he set about gathering any information about the companies their father mentioned, especially the Ootori medical equipment company. What he had discovered shocked him as much as it angered him. He had found out that the company had been under a strained situation, which their father had kept under the wraps and Kyouya had used the opportunity to buy it right under their noses. He always knew that Kyouya contested for the position of heir of the zaibatsu, however he never realised that Kyouya would go so far as to buy the company to achieve his dreams. He could hear footsteps and turned his head to see some five boys walking towards them. He was blinded by fury to bother about keeping their family brawl private.
"You bastard! I had always warned you not to compete with nii-san and be happy with what you have. Do you ever listen? You are even ready to break the semblance of family that we have just to fulfil your power hungry and selfish ambitions"
Haruhi turned her head towards Akito and glared at him. Her concern for Kyouya had turned into rage as she faced Akito. she had never seen Kyouya so beat up neither physically nor emotionally. She could see the hurt that was reflected in Kyouya's eyes. Before Kyouya could respond to Akito's sudden outburst Haruhi said rather harshly, "what is wrong with your family? You all are always taking out your frustrations out on him and you are accusing him of breaking up your family"
All the host club members had arrived at the scene by now and they were taken back to see a bruised Kyouya and a furious and unforgiving version of their usual kind Haruhi.
Kyouya squeezed Haruhi's arm to make her silent. He didn't want Haruhi to get involved in this. He was already worried over her safety after the previous incident where she had defended him. However, she paid no heed.
"Look girl; don't talk like you know us. I bet you don't even know anything about Kyouya over whom you are getting so worked up." Akito sneered. He heard new footsteps coming from the opposite direction, but he carried on "I'll tell you what he's like, he's a filth! He's a vicious snake lying at your feet stalling till the right moment to bite you. He's a greed-filled, power hungry maniac who stabbed his brothers' back and bought one of our companies just to ensure his future as the heir to the Ootori zaibatsu." He said as felt someone grabbing his arm and turned around to see his father but that didn't deter him. He addressed Kyouya this time "you are such a vile and despicable creature. I can't believe you have the audacity to stay under the same roof as Yuuichi nii-san after you had taken away something that rightfully….." He abruptly stopped the sentence as a felt a sudden sting on his cheek. He looked around caressing his aching cheek to see who had slapped him and was stunned to see the girl with her arm raised.
Haruhi was breathing hard. She knew that Kyouya was hurting emotionally with the words that his own brother hurled at him. She didn't know what made her slap the man, but she held no regrets as she said, "I don't see why you are whining about this. If you couldn't do what he did then you should suck it up, not crib about it. Kyouya bought the company fair and square through his hard work and skills. Are you blind not to see that or for that matter are you an Ootori?"
Kyouya pushed himself to stand up. He wanted to stop her and staggered towards her.
She yelled at the already stunned man "how can you launch at him without even knowing the entire story. I know about Kyouya more than you do. I know that Kyouya deserved the company that he had bought yet he had the heart to give back all the management rights to your father. He has enough love to make the arrangements so that his nephew Kyouichi inherits the company when he turns eighteen. I don't think…." Haruhi stopped her tirade when she a felt hand on her shoulder. He turned around to see Kyouya shaking his head.
Once he felt that Haruhi had regained her control, he turned and walked away from there. He saw his own father and the chairman standing near his brother. As he walked away, he also saw the rest of the host club members, their expressions mirroring the concern he saw on Haruhi's visage. He couldn't bring himself to stop. He needed to get away. When Haruhi moved to stop him, he just shrugged and walked away. Many people who had called him a snake before, but when he heard those words from his brother, it hurt like hell. 'It's not my fault, if I have to strive and struggle to get father's acceptance that they both had received without any hindrances. He's right…I should no longer stay there. I'll stay in some hotel from now on... I am not going back to the mansion, never again!" He thought.
Haruhi watched as Kyouya's dejected form disappeared from view. She was at a loss as to what to do next when she heard Yoshio Ootori's deep voice "something tells me he took Akito's words seriously and that he's not willing to return home. Will, you all do a favour for me? Will you convince him to return home with me? I'll be waiting here. Please"
All the hosts were stunned at the request of Yoshio Ootori. They never expected him to request them such a thing of them. In fact, they had quite expected him to share Akito's view on the subject.
After hearing Yoshio's words, Haruhi calmed her wildly beating heart and walked ahead in search of Kyouya. The rest of the hosts followed her with the exception of two. Hunny and Mori walked towards Akito instead.
"The only reason you are alive even after what you did to Kyo-chan is because you are his brother" he trained his steely eyes on an already stunned Akito. "However I guarantee that if you try to pull such a stunt on Kyo-chan again, I wouldn't be this forgiving"
Hunny was upset with the accusations and the hurtful words that Akito threw at Kyouya. he knew that Kyouya had constantly lived under the shadow of his brothers and didn't understand why they would blame him for trying to come out of it.
"Kyouya cares genuinely for people who really matter to him in spite of the indifferent and selfish attitude that he dons. Even though he manipulates them, he makes sure that they get best out of the situation. If you haven't realised that, then I don't think you have any right to call yourself his brother." Mori said also displeased with Akito's attitude.
They walked away leaving behind a completely stunned and shocked Akito Ootori along with his father and the school chairman.
Thank you so much for all your reviews.I hope you like this chapter.
Fairy Demon26: Haruhi lets it slide as a coincidence as the last names in the story are different and she believes that her parents are commoners. Nevertheless, that story does stir up her suspicions and in the later chapters, she would figure out the truth herself.
