Kyouya walked slowly out of Ouran Academy. He knew he could call and have a car there in only a few minutes, but that would involve seeing another human being - something he knew he could not face. It was well past three in the morning when Kyouya let himself into his house. He was sweaty and his arms were starting to seize up from clutching his laptop to his chest for so long.

When he turned from locking the door behind him, he saw who he soon realized was the second-to-last person he wanted to see was. The last person was of course Tamaki, but as his father moved towards him, Kyouya recognized that this was not someone he wanted to be around.

Although he did not flinch, he closed his eyes and made sure to turn his head with the blow because he'd read somewhere that that is what one is supposed to do. Once he'd found his glasses and put them back on, he got to his feet and faced the furious man before him and, for the first time, he did not care what his father thought of him. He was hurting too much to care about anything anymore.

"Where the hell have you been?" his father bellowed.

"School."

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" he roared.

"No."

"What have you been doing all this time? You're a mess!"

"I walked home."

"Why?"

He had never heard his father shout this loudly before, but Kyouya's voice remained dull as he tried to focus on the pain that was prickling his check rather than the pain that was stabbing his heart.

"I didn't want to be around anyone."

"I don't know what's wrong with you," his father began, but Kyouya had had enough and finally snapped.

"You know, maybe if you paid a little more attention to me and actually bothered to find out who I am, you would!" he shouted before pushing past his father and heading for his room.

"Ootori Kyouya!" his father shouted after him, every syllable full to the brim with more rage than Kyouya would have thought possible.

Kyouya didn't turn. He didn't even flinch.

"Father!" cried Fuyumi from the top of the stairs where she had appeared, clearly woken by the shouting. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Both father and son ignored her.

"Ootori Kyouya, you get back here this instant or not only will you rue the day you were born, but you will no longer be a part of this family!"

That stopped Kyouya. For so long the only thing that had mattered to him had been his family. Not in the nice, family values sort of way, of course, but in a business way. His family was his chance at getting anywhere in life. But ever since he'd fallen for Tamaki, he'd spent all his attention on him instead.

"Well?" his father prompted. "Don't expect me wait."

Slowly, Kyouya turned and faced his father once more, but he did not move from the bottom of the stairs.

"You heard what I said," his father growled, reminding Kyouya that his order had been to come back, not to simply turn around.

"Yes, I did," said Kyouya in a passive voice that was barely more than a whisper.

Kyouya walked slowly back to his father.

And passed him.

He stopped at the door and unlocked it once more before turning to face his father.

"I don't see why you expect me to obey you any longer." His voice was chocked with suppressed tears.

"What?" whispered his father in a voice so filled with hatred and rage than an outsider would never think that he was talking to his own son.

"Kyouya!" cried Fuyumi desperately.

"Disown me, throw me out of the family," said Kyouya his mind filled with a rage to match his father's and an even greater sorrow. "I. Don't. Care."

With that he opened the door and started out into the night.

"Don't think I'm going to let you in when you come crawling back here!" his father called after him.

"Oh, I won't be back," he said in a voice that was suddenly calm, turning to father for the last time. "And don't worry, I doubt anyone will find my body."

"Kyouya!" screamed Fuyumi as the night swallowed her little brother.