DISCLAIMER: I MERELY OWN THIS PLOT, ZEKE AND HIS PALS, RIN AND AKIRA'S NAMES AND PERSONALITIES AND A REALLY DISTURBED DIGESTIVE TRACK AT THE MOMENT. THANK YOU. AND SEND ME SOME STOMACH SOOTHERS. T-T

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CHAPTER 4

Kyoya groggily woke up, realizing that he was still curled up by the door, and he was freezing. His eyes slowly scanned the room for the clock.

6:00 A.M

Groaning inwardly, Kyoya slowly uncurled himself, loosing the little warmth he had and crawled to his dresser, sliding it open. He dug for his uniform that he accidentally shoved in there. Slowly, he extracted Zeke's red shirt, the simple shirt bringing a smile from the raven, "You always find a way to make me smile." he said softly and put the shirt beside him, "Maybe you'll keep me happy for the rest of the day."

After locating his uniform, Kyoya grabbed his phone and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. As the water warmed, he checked for any messages. He had one message that he received at 4:50 that morning. It was from an unknown number, but Kyoya opened it regardless.

l0l l0ng distanz messagez! j/k dont u just luff meh?

ZEKE-TIMEZ

Kyoya laughed softly, seeing the familiar way of texting, "Thanks Zeke." he said softly, responding to the message.

Ahaha your funny Zeke Oh so very funny And yes I do "luff you"

He didn't have a signature like the fluttering blonde, and he sent the message before taking off his shirt. Not a minute after, his phone vibrated on the smooth counter. "Wow... Fast thumbs." he said, opening the message.

Yayz! Whatcha doin Kyo? AND GET URSELF A SIG!

ZEKE-TIMEZ

Kyoya laughed and decided to change his shower to a bath, filling the tub with the warm water as he replied again.

I'm going to take a bath Why aren't you sleeping And no I will not get a "sig"

Kyoya leaned against the counter, at this point not caring about time for school anymore. 'I'd rather just stay home, get a hot bath, lay in my bed for warmth and talk to Zeke.' he thought, grabbing his phone to read his latest message.

Oooo, yummeh! Send me a delish pic of ur hot bod l0l j/k unless u wanna?

ZEKE-TIMEZ

Kyoya couldn't help but chuckle at the message, "Just like you." he closed the message and lifted his phone to the mirror with the camera on, using the mirror to show his shirtless figure. He smiled and took off his glasses, setting them down before sticking the thumb of his free hand into the waist of his pants, giving a bit of a pout in his picture before pressing the button. He smiled and sent the picture with a message.

Like what you see Hahaha You bring out my other side

He quickly remembered the water and rushed to shut it off, "Close one..." He removed the rest of his clothing and stepped into the hot water of the tub, letting out a relaxed sigh as he let the warmth soothe his muscles. He immedietly flinched, remembering the pain he felt in certain areas in America, 'Don't remember...' He thought, grabbing a dry cloth and picking up his phone, holding it securely in his hand.

Hellz yah! l0l u look sexeh... l0l anywayz... how r u doin?

Kyoya sighed, not really in the mood to talk about the incident.

I'm don't want to talk about it But if you must know I'm not doing so good

He set the phone down on the floor beside the tub and slipped under the water, laying on the bottom. He held his breath and slipped his eyes open, staring up into the surface of the bath. His bangs flowed up enough for him to see the tips of them around his face. He thought for a moment and slipped his eyes closed, letting out a sigh. The sigh was regretted when he was quickly reminded of the water around him. In a quick panic he clasped his hand over his nose and sat up quick, giving multiple coughs and chokes from water slipping into his lungs. Managing to catch his breath Kyoya looked down, hearing the buzzing of his phone. He grabbed the dry washcloth and picked up the phone, holding it over the floor instead so to not drip all over it.

I'm sowwy... Wish I wuz thar 2 make u feelz bettah :(

ZEKE-TIMEZ

Kyoya replied, resting his chin on the edge of the tub.

Me too Haha I almost drowned in my bathtub I'm such a dork

He laughed at himself and began to wash his hair, running the sweet scented shampoo through his hair. The smell relaxed him even more and he soon ducked under water and rinsed his hair under the water, running his hands in it. Slowly, Kyoya slipped his head out of the water, but stayed low enough so that the water reached just above his top lip. He scanned the surface of the water, seeing his pale knees peeking out from the surface. There were islands of bubbles floating on the surface from his hair. He expected a yellow rubber duck to float by next, or a toy boat, or another small bath toy that any child would play with. He smiled a bit, the thoughts making him feel a little more secure. His imagination was cut off by the vibration of his phone again.

R u blonde? Just becuz Kairi says therz a scratch n sniff at the bottom dusnt meen u shood do it! j/k luff u

ZEKE-TIMEZ

Again for the hundreth time this morning Kyoya laughed.

I'M SORRY Kairi can be so believeable Hahaha

Kyoya quickly grabbed the conditioner and made a quick work of getting it through his hair before rinsing it off in the same way as the soap. This time when he surfaced, Kyoya sat up fully, his eyes stinging from the soap. He gave a bit of a sniffle from the water and stood to his feet, climbing out of the tub and wrapping his towel around his waist. He dried his hands off and picked up his phone, but saw no reply, "He must have fallen asleep." he said to himself and set about to getting ready for school.

The air was cold around him, feeling even colder because of the loss of the warm water. The drain was pulled and the water quietly swirled down the hole. Kyoya dried his body and pulled his boxers on, followed by his school pants. He draped the towel over his head on his wet hair, putting on his glasses before looking into his mirror.

In the mirror, Kyoya didn't see the cool and collected Shadow King named Kyoya Ootori, son of the most powerful families in Japan. In fact, since that night... All Kyoya saw anymore was a pale, sickly looking seventeen year old that was-

Kyoya violently shook his head, "Don't remember. Don't remember." he whispered quietly, scolding himself. He shivered a bit, suddenly feeling colder than before as the memories forced their way into his head. The cool and collected Shadow King crumbled to the floor, leaning against the wall as his hands covered his face. Quiet, helpless sobs racked his body as he cried into his palms.

"Kyoya, you're going to be-" Rin's voice was cut off once he saw the small ball huddled into the wall. Immediatly Rin was sitting beside Kyoya, his arm wrapped around the younger's shoulders, "Oh Kyo..." he said sympatheticly, pulling the raven against his chest, letting the cries be muffled by his shirt as shaking hands clutched his sides, "I'm not letting you go to school, ichiban. You can't go to school like this..." he said softly once the cries quieted. It was hard to see his usually calm brother so broken and helpless.

The two sat together on the floor. Rin kept his arm around Kyoya, and Kyoya kept himself against Rin's chest. He felt so pathetic and weak. He wasn't supposed to be sitting here, crying like a girl. He was Kyoya, dammit! He had to be stronger than that!

"I already know what you're thinking, Kyoya. You're a teenager... Don't act like you're some adult... Anyone would be this way if they had the same thing happen to them..." Rin said with a tone Kyoya rarely heard him use.

"But I-"

"I don't care what you're going to say. Don't ever think that you're weak or pathetic... Please." The brunette gave a soft hug to his brother before standing, picking him up. Kyoya let himself be carried, somewhat amused by Rin's brotherly actions. "You need to eat more, Kyoya. I can carry you without a sweat." Rin said jokingly as he carried Kyoya to the couch. He set him down and handed Kyoya the red shirt Kyoya had planned on wearing beneath his uniform, "Here. I have to go do some work, but I'll be back soon. I'll let the maids know you'll be staying home." he said, smiling softly before leaving.

Kyoya smiled and pulled Zeke's shirt over his head, "Thanks Rin..." he said softly and lied down on the couch. He shut his eyes, "Maybe I can sleep now..." he mumbled softly and curled up, letting sleep take him.

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