"I'm sorry, sir, but visiting hours are over today."
Takashi sighed heavily before standing from the chair he was sitting in as quietly as possible, trying his best not to wake Amaya. He didn't want to admit it, but she had given him quite a scare. It was Sunday evening, just over twenty-four hours since the showdown at the tournament. She had been asleep when he arrived at the hospital that afternoon and hadn't woken up during his tenure there. A huge bouquet of red roses with a card signed from the Host Club sat at her bedside table, waiting for her when she opened her eyes. The bouquet had been Tamaki's idea.
He paused by her bedside before leaving the room, looking at her poor face. He had a sudden urge to stroke her cheek, but abstained from the gesture, instead issuing a silent prayer for healing. The fight with Rin had not treated Amaya well. She had a large black eye and a cut on her cheek that had needed stitches. Her leg was now in a cast and was raised on a pulley system to keep swelling down. The fracture in her ankle had required surgery, and she would probably be recovering for another three to four months. Her ankle injury was so extensive that she would be out of school keeping her leg elevated for at least two weeks. Thankfully, the surgeon that the Ootari family employed was one of the best.
"Sir?"
The nurse was growing impatient, obviously wanting him to leave so her shift could end. If it were up to him, he would stay by her bed all night. He didn't want her to wake up to loneliness.
"Yes," he responded absentmindedly, turning toward the door, but taking one final glance at the girl before leaving.
The aftermath of that fight had not been enjoyable. The Sendo syndicate had orchestrated the entire tournament, paying off, threatening, and blackmailing many of the members of the Tokyo Martial Arts Committee to ensure that Rin won. As champion fighter, Rin would gain access to private meetings with the Committee president, who happened to be a member of the Haninozuka family. Ultimately, the plan was to assassinate him for financially related actions he had taken against the Sendo family. Amaya's iron will and ultimate knock-out of Rin had caused an uproar. A last minute aim to assassinate the president directly led Sendo syndicate members to swarm the arena, causing a massive fight that ended with Yorihisa and Takashi's own father, Akira, joining in. Not surprisingly, the syndicate plan of action was soundly crushed and the president remained safe. However, extra measures had to be taken and deals struck that ensured further safety for not only the committee president, but also for Amaya. On top of that, the Haninozuka and Morinozuka families had both gotten extensively involved, since they had helped appoint many of the members on the Tokyo Martial Arts Committee. Yorihisa had not been happy, for a variety of reasons. The fact that Takashi had taken it upon himself to see to Amaya's safety and health after the fight was additional salt in the wound. He fully expected an uncomfortable conversation with Yorihisa in the near future.
As he entered the lobby of the hospital, he was surprised to see his father waiting for him.
"Blood ties are a powerful thing," Akira said quietly, standing up to greet his son. "Her beauty is quite striking, is it not? She looks like her mother, but with the Haninozuka eyes. It is hard to miss."
Indeed, it was hard to miss. Takashi had known the moment he saw her in the dojo that winter morning. Mitsukuni had also recognized it, but had waited until the events following the fight to finally discuss it with Takashi. Now, the entirety of both families knew, and Yorihisa's shame was tangible.
"Aiko loved him," Akira continued, speaking the name of his own sister for the first time since her death. "Despite the deep shame he caused her, she loved him, and she never stopped loving him."
Takashi didn't speak. He knew his father's story would end up with a point. They always did.
"Let's go home. I have the car pulled around."
As they exited the lobby and stepped into the car, Akira continued speaking. "Aiko had been quite fond of that tea house, actually. She loved it as much as Yorihisa did, but for a very different reason."
He let the silence settle during the first few moments of the car ride.
"Is she worth it?" Akira asked him, finally. Takashi was caught off guard by the question. "Many members of our family still do not forgive Yorihisa for what he did. Lust is not a reason to act immorally. Indeed, if it wasn't lust that caused him to slip in his honor, he has yet to speak the truth. However, even that was not enough to break the ties between our families. We have always served the Haninozuka family, and we will continue to, even if our status doesn't require it. I can tell you are drawn to her, Takashi. Is she worth it?"
Takashi sat in thought, watching the street lamps pass by as the car made its way through the maze that was Tokyo.
"I don't know."
"You cannot serve two masters, my son. She may have Haninozuka blood, but she is not a Haninozuka. If you choose to serve her, it is not out of familial duty."
"It is not a question of loyalty," Takashi replied, turning to meet his father's eyes. "I will always be loyal to Mitsukuni, and the Haninozuka family."
Akira's lips turned up into a sad smile, knowing that there was a long journey ahead for his eldest son. "I am not telling you what is right and what is wrong, Takashi. I just want you to be aware of what you choose. Love is not a thing to be taken lightly."
Love? Why was his father speaking of love? His love was for his family and for his duty. He knew, without a doubt, that he would always follow and protect Mitsukuni.
"Mitsukuni is fond of her," Takashi replied. He was angered at how much it sounded like an excuse.
"That is another matter entirely," his father replied. "Mitsukuni has come to accept what his father cannot: that we cannot change the present by regretting our past. Rather, we must take every blessing that our mistakes reveal and cherish them.
"You have always followed Mitsukuni, almost to a fault. We serve the Haninozuka family, yes, but we have freedom to make that choice. You must make that choice for yourself, Takashi. You will only find peace when you do as your own heart tells you. In so many words that may sound selfish, but it does not mean that you never have to make sacrifices. When you care for others with your whole self, your heart will lead you in the right direction."
As the car pulled up in front of the Morinozuka household, Satoshi opened the front door to greet them.
"How is she?" he asked as soon as his two family members had stepped inside.
"Still asleep," Takashi answered, a slight strain apparent in his voice.
"I will make tea," Akira said. "Join me in the kitchen, Takashi."
As Takashi slipped off his shoes and turned to follow his father, Satoshi grabbed his arm and stopped him.
"Onii-san, you look tired. She'll be okay. You saw how she fought Rin. She's not going to give up now." He paused. "I can see why you like her."
Takashi shifted his eyes toward his little brother. It must have been pretty apparent if Satoshi had noticed it.
"She's in pain," Takashi said softly, too stressed and too tired to let the words go unsaid. He turned from his little brother and entered the kitchen. The tea kettle was already boiling.
His father poured two cups of green tea. They sat across from each other, neither speaking for many minutes.
"Our family will rely on you heavily in the coming years," his father began. "Your future has been laid out since the day you were born."
Takashi knew where the conversation was headed. He would be lectured on the responsibilities of adulthood, where he would be at the head of the Morinozuka family.
"You have many years ahead of you, but when the time comes, you will marry," his father continued. Takashi silently sipped his tea. "Whom you marry will not only affect your future, but the future of the entire family as well." Akira cleared his throat. "Yorihisa thinks it wise for me to arrange your marriage."
Takashi almost choked on his tea. He had not expected this. He felt a flurry of emotions: anger, fear, worry, resentment. All flew through him like an angry flock of birds. He barely registered his father's grey eyes watching him closely, gauging his reaction.
"I told him no."
Akira watched as relief flooded over Takashi's face, in minute, almost unreadable changes.
"I told him you were wise enough to make the right decision about who to marry," Akira said softly. "Remember that with that choice, you also have a great responsibility."
His father finished his tea, standing to leave for bed. "I love you, my son, but remember that ultimately you will have to live with the decisions you make." He left the room.
Takashi remained in the kitchen long after his father left, thoughts barely entering or exiting his mind. Only one image burned brightly in his mind.
Takashi lay in bed that night mulling over his father's words. He was certain that he would always be loyal to Mitsukuni. His happiness was so ingrained in Mitsukuni's happiness that it was hopeless to consider any situation that would not involve the small boy. As he considered these things, his mind drifted toward the girl, Amaya. She had her own gravitational pull on him, but he wasn't sure if it was attraction in the romantic sense. Yes, she was beautiful, but she didn't pull in a crowd with her mystery or her innocence or her kindness, the way that Haruhi managed to do. No, she was no Haruhi Fujioka. He laughed to himself. Still, he had an urge to protect her, but he couldn't quite figure out why. He worried about her the same way that he worried about Mitsukuni, which perhaps was part of the blood tie his father had mentioned. He knew full well that Mitsukuni could handle himself, and yet he took responsibility for Mitsukuni's actions. He felt similarly about Amaya, but did not yet have a relationship with her where he could assert his protectiveness. She had also been clear that she did not require a protector.
Perhaps the gravitational pull was due to the fact that she was unattainable. Because of their families' histories, she had been placed in a category that made her an outsider, not welcomed, not wanted. In his personal history, however, this was not a trait. If he wanted something that was unattainable, he was not usually driven by desire or lust to have it. Instead, he contented himself with the things he did have and maintained balance without the unattainable. No, that was not the aspect about Amaya that drew him toward her. He did not know what it was. There was nothing special about her.
Still, there was something about the way that she said 'Mori-san' or how she chose to ask for his advice and his help over the help of others. Even more beguiling was the way that she shoved him away and followed her own heart. She had a strong will and she knew her own strengths and weaknesses in a way that he had never seen in a person. She knew discipline, yet she knew joy and fulfillment. She was traditional and contemporary, past and present, all wrapped up into one, having reverence for the necessity of both.
He thought about the way that she fought. Her natural skill was clearly handed to her from her ancestry, but even though she was trained, her full skill was still raw and untapped. He wanted to call her stubborn, but he couldn't. He knew that she was capable of listening to reason, but she would take all the advice in the world and still decide on her own, with what her heart was telling her. The question was, what was his own heart telling him?
He flipped over a felt a pang of jealousy, thinking of the way Amaya and her friend, Ethan, had acted so close. The way Ethan treated her at the end of their fight made him angry. He had wanted nothing more than to jump off of the stage and punch him in the face. Had Amaya dated him? But then, Ethan had yelled those words. The ones in English that rang clear in his mind, 'You like that guy?' Ethan was the jealous one, not Takashi. That made him smile, but it didn't answer the question of the origins of his attraction. Instead, he cleared his mind and hoped that sleep would come. Amaya would remain a mystery for another day.
Takashi entered the hospital room on Monday after school. The kendo club was not meeting, and the Host Club could wait.
"Mori-senpai!" she exclaimed happily as she saw him. His own heart fluttered in pleasure at her excitement, in opposition to his gut, which clenched when he saw her face. The black eye had colored a deeper blue during the night and was swollen completely shut.
"I know," she said, "it looks bad. They almost didn't want to give me a mirror. But it will heal."
He was sure his facial expression had not changed to give away his concern, but her perceptiveness had caught it anyway. Perhaps this was part of the gravitational pull she had on him.
"I brought you your class work," he said. "It would be bad if you got behind before final exams."
"You're too kind. Please, have a seat and talk with me. Would you like some tea?" she asked, pointing toward a steaming teapot. "Kyoya-sama was here earlier…he told me all of the details after the fight and why the Ootari police force has been on a vigilant watch outside my door."
Takashi poured two cups of tea and handed one to her.
"I'm sorry," she finally admitted.
"You did nothing wrong," Takashi replied, sipping the hot tea.
"I created a mess and caused people to worry. The tournament ended before Yasuchika got to compete. They told me that no one else was injured, so at least there's that."
"That would have happened regardless of who fought Rin. The tournament wouldn't have continued, even if you forfeited. The mob fight had been planned from the beginning."
They sat in silence for a moment as Amaya took in the information.
"Congratulations," he finally said softly.
"For what, the fight?" she asked.
"For passing your Japanese History exam."
She began to laugh. "Your excitement is delayed," she said. "Will you do me a favor, Mori-san?"
He waited patiently, looking at her with expectant eyes.
"Will you read to me?" she asked. "Any subject, really, but I'd prefer if you read to me about the Edo era. Perhaps, enlightenment."
He was happy to oblige.
A/N: So sorry about the huge hiatus. I definitely didn't mean to take that long away from this, but the writing process slowed to a stop because of other responsibilities. Thank you to everyone who followed, favorited, and commented during the hiatus though. It's amazing to think that you're still reading this and enjoying it, even though I've been a total jerk and haven't published anything!
ariannapeters18, Nightscarlett, Mamabug, JJofthehex, JessiDarkFox, kpacademygirl, Celestial Moon Lady (thanks for the fyi...I'll go back at some point and fix it!), and BCole...thanks so much for the reviews! Once again, I'm so sorry this took so long and I know you wanted more, so this chapter is dedicated to you!
