Arugh...School has only just started, but I already feel stressed. I know it's been a while (coughcough), but here an update. Yes! Rated for language and possible themes.
Fuyumi sat by Kyouya's side, unsure of what to say to him should he wake up. He was a perfectionist at heart, and she knew that he would be upset to hear of the latest dilemma.
She sat by his side, and watched him sleep. After her call to Tamaki, her initial worries were mostly gone, but still, she couldn't help but feel alarmed.
Why were the detectives and bodyguards gone? Why had even the doctors disappeared?
Fuyumi may not have been taught to become an official in her family, but she did know the dangers her brother and Group faced. She read the papers, and lately, her brother was showing up more and more. She knew that there were several newspapers on the Group's payroll, but Kyouya was never one who asked for undesired attention.
She read about a rumored narcotics man, who had tried to find finance for a new drug deal. She read about Kyouya's shooting, and she knew that the two were connected.
On her own, Fuyumi deduced that the disappearance of the bodyguards and detectives were caused as a result of this narcotics man. After failing once, the man was probably going to try again.
She remembered, once, twenty years ago when their father was shot. She had been so scared, so terrified, that she herself had suffered a seizure.
The media had been everywhere, and they even followed her to school and when she was with her friends. She had wanted to disappear.
Now at thirty-six, she lived with her husband and two children in another neighborhood. She hadn't wanted her sons to be brought into the "family business," and Kyouya had respected her decision. His nephews, therefore, knew him as a famous businessman, not as the mafia chief of an infamous Group.
Her husband knew, as is inevitable when a man marries into such a distinguished family. Shido worked at a software engineering company, and for the most part, her family and Kyouya did not come into contact.
Until now.
A nurse crept into the room, and Fuyumi turned her head. "Yes?" she said.
"I'm sorry, ma'am," the girl said, "but visiting hours are over."
"But this is my family's hospital." Fuyumi remained seated.
"I'm sorry," she repeated, "but we can't make exceptions."
"Do you know who my brother is?" Fuyumi quietly asked. "Have you seen the papers? People are coming to kill him. Why else are there no doctors here?"
She wasn't going to have a seizure like last time, and for some reason, Fuyumi felt strangely calm about the whole situation.
With this newfound strength, Fuyumi said to the nurse, "Can we move him?"
"What? – of course not! There are hospital regulations, and not to ment–"
"There's a room down the hallway," Fuyumi interrupted, "and it's empty. I'm sure we can push his bed to there. If we can just disconnect the tubes for a second."
"Disconnect the tubes? But those are for breathing and–"
"Kyouya-kun can breathe fine on his own. Just help me." Fuyumi stood up, and went to the head of the bed, located along a wall. She pushed it out, and she motioned to the nurse, "Could you help?"
The nurse stuttered, and looked on the floor. Finally, she came over to Fuyumi, and helped her lug Kyouya's movable bed to another room.
Through it all, he was asleep. Fuyumi watched his sleeping figure, and brushed the hair from his eyes. "Don't worry, Kyouya-kun. This time, I'll help you."
--
Haruhi rolled her eyes.
On their way to the hospital, they realized that they were stuck in traffic.
Traffic.
Oh, the irony of it all.
--
After convincing the nurse to stay, Fuyumi left the hospital room, and went out to the front.
By now, it was almost nine, and she pulled up the collar of her jacket. The biting December wind hurt. She watched for Tamaki's car and any suspicious character.
A hooded figure slowly came towards the hospital driveway. Fuyumi pulled up on the hood, to conceal her hair. She watched him come closer.
Was it an assassin? Or perhaps Kuze?
His – or her – face was concealed, and Fuyumi wondered if she should call out to the stranger.
The figure came closer to her, and she stepped back, going up one step of the stairs leading to the hospital's front doors.
Then, the figure took off its hood to reveal that it was–
"Tamaki-kun!" Fuyumi cried out his name with much relief.
"Sorry, Fuyumi-san, we got stuck in traffic," he said, brushing his hair away, "and I offered to walk here."
"Walk? How far was it?"
"Oh, not far. I think it was twenty minutes, more or less."
Fuyumi dragged on his arm towards indoors. "You must be freezing. Here, let's go inside, and you can sit down."
"Sit down? Why, Fuyumi-san, people are coming to kill Kyouya. We can't go inside. I'll wait outside for the rest of them to come. You go inside."
"I couldn't do that," she replied, "I'll wait with you."
"But it's very cold, Fuyumi-san…"
"It's cold for both of us. I don't mind."
Tamaki smiled. "Thank you."
They stood side-by-side in silence until Tamaki asked her, "Why were you out here?"
"I was worried someone might come," she said, "and I did see someone, but it turned out to be you! So I'm glad that you managed to get here."
"Well," he said, "there are some people very intent on killing my best friend. There's no way that I would just sit by."
"Indeed."
Ten more minutes passed until a car began to turn onto the hospital drive.
"Is that your car?" Fuyumi asked.
"No." Tamaki frowned, then his eyes widened. "Oh, Fuyumi-san! It might be–"
"An assassin? Then what do we do?"
Tamaki turned towards her, and said, "Well, you should keep your hood on and your collar up so they won't see that you're a girl. See, put your right hand kind of inside your jacket." He demonstrated. "Yeah, like that. So they'll think you have a gun."
He did the same, and the two of them stood there, watching the car come closer.
"Where did you learn this, Tamaki-kun?" Fuyumi inquired.
"Commoner gangster movies!" he replied. "Haruhi showed me them, and I have to admit that they're rather entertaining. It's basically like yazuka movies, only they take place in New York."
"Oh."
The car came closer.
Fuyumi gulped.
The car parked in front of them, and Tamaki reminded her, "Look tough. That's what it's always like in gangster movies."
She merely nodded.
The back door opened.
"Tama-chan! Are you okay?" The effervescent voice of Hunny was heard.
One by one, the others got out.
"Damn traffic," Hikaru moaned. "Took so damn long."
"That's why we should have taken the subway," Haruhi said to him. "It's faster."
"Commoner transportation is always full of people though," Kaoru replied, "it's so claustrophobic."
"Anyway, I'm so glad that you guys made it!" Tamaki proclaimed. "But while you were whittling your lives away in a stuffed car, I was busy being protective bodyguard, and I have to say that I acted like a really professional one, right, Fuyumi-san?"
Fuyumi smiled.
--
"We need to move him back," Hunny said. "Being in a hospital – even if it belongs to our Group – is too dangerous. Kuze was behind this, wasn't he?"
"It's the only possibility," Hikaru was adamant, "and I bet that bastard thinks he's as sneaky as hell. Getting rid of all the detectives and bodyguards. Doctors, too. What a jerk."
"Well, I've spoken to the hospital," Haruhi read from a form, "and they say that they can move him tomorrow. I said great."
"Okay, so that deals with one problem," Kaoru concluded, "but what about that meeting with Kuze?"
Everyone immediately looked to Hikaru, but he only shrugged. "I've said my opinion. What do you guys think?"
Haruhi took a deep breath. She wondered if she should say this, and she was a bit hesitant. She knew that this was the only logical way to go with this, and it was only way to be rid of Kuze once and for all.
She opened her mouth, but quickly stopped.
Mori saw her though, and to Haruhi, it seemed to her as if he was telling her to say it.
Finding courage from him, she said, "I have something to say."
Hikaru nodded at her. "Go for it."
"Well, they want me to meet with them," her voice became clear and articulate, "so it will be me and Kuze on our own. Set the meeting up for the day after tomorrow, and get our informers to find out where the meeting will be.
"Insist that it has to be a public place, like a restaurant or bar, because I don't want to be going into any apartments or basements. I'll feel more relaxed, and they will too.
"They'll probably check me for a gun when I meet with them, so I can't have a…gun with me, but if you can find some way to install the gun there, I can pretend to go to the bathroom. And when I come back, I'll take him."
All five heads looked at her. Hunny, Mori, and Tamaki looked shocked, but there was something in their manner that suggested an understanding.
Hikaru and Kaoru, however, started laughing.
"You? Shoot Kuze?" Hikaru was stuck in a fit of snickering. "Wow, seeing Kyouya-senpai get all banged up must have really upset you or something." He turned towards his brother. "And who was the one saying that I was overreacting? You must have missed this girl then, because she's–"
"Please, stop laughing." The change in Haruhi was astounding. Her eyes were determined and her skin had turned a bleached color.
"Haruhi, what makes you say this?" Tamaki's voice seemed sad.
Turning towards him, she said, "I'm not sure myself…But I see Kuze trying to kill Kyouya-senpai so badly when he's pretty much helpless, and I wonder: is this what I've gotten myself into? Another world, only weirder?"
"Haruhi…"
"But I think that I did make the right decision," she continued, "as strange as that may seem. I know you guys have helped me a lot, and it's only right that I do something to prove myself. For myself."
Tamaki's eyes were glittering, and he sprung himself on her. "My daughter! Say no more, say no more! I understand your pain perfectly – why else am I not the ideal father? In fact, I'm willing to–"
"Senpai…you're really heavy…"
He jumped off her, and began to apologize profusely. She smiled.
Seeing this, the others relaxed. Hunny spoke, "But does she have to shoot him? I'm sure there are other cleaner methods of killing. Besides, Haruhi doesn't have any experience. It would be suicidal for her."
"Yeah." Haruhi folded her arms. "That's true, I guess. I was just trying to think of something."
"Takashi and I could teach you though," Hunny offered. "Maybe not for this time, but for others. You know, as self-defense."
"Thanks."
"And Hikaru and I will find out where the meeting is, so we'll also figure another way for you to get him," Kaoru said.
"That works."
"So it's decided?" Tamaki asked, and he turned towards her. "Haruhi, you don't have to do this. I could go."
"No." Haruhi shook her head. "We can convince ourselves of whatever we want, but we got it right the first time. And there's no point in arguing amongst ourselves."
"It's true," Hunny said, "Haruhi is perfect for a million reasons, and I know she won't fail, right, Takashi?"
"She won't."
"See? This is our decision, and we'll leave Kyou-chan out of it, because he's done enough," Hunny finished. He looked around. "Okay?"
There was a collective okay from everyone, and the meeting was left at that.
Still, Kaoru thought, as they went into Kyouya's hospital room, he couldn't help but feel a bit glum. The statesman forced into a hospital bed, and the lawyer forced to go on the frontline.
It was going to be another long, long day.
--
"Anthrax."
Kaoru was reading a report as Hikaru's voiced came into his bedroom. "What?"
"The perfect solution is what I've got."
"And what's that?"
"Anthrax. Didn't you hear me, dummy?"
"Anthrax? You want to expose Kuze to anthrax or something?" Kaoru set down his book. "Look, I know you're pretty upset that Haruhi is doing this, but there's no point in– "
"Don't you get it?" Hikaru ran a hand through his hair. "We can spike a note or something with anthrax on it, and Haruhi can give it to him. He opens it – and bam! Dead Kuze. Simple." He grinned.
And Kaoru gave him a look. "Are you drunk?" he asked.
"No, but I will be if you say no."
"Hikaru, look, I'm sorry, but what kind of plan is that? Where are we getting the anthrax? How are we going to carry this out? Honestly, I don't understand how we can do that when we don't even know where the meeting is going to be, and I–"
"Whoa, Kaoru," he cut in, "what's with you? You sound congested."
Kaoru sighed. "Maybe a bit stressed. I just got another report on the possibilities of the meeting place. Too many though."
"Where's Haruhi?"
"In her room, I imagine. She's working on getting Kyouya-senpai back today."
"Ah. Right. Especially after that fiasco yesterday, too."
Nodding, Kaoru motioned for Hikaru to sit down, and he did. "So what now?" he asked Hikaru.
"Kill Kuze – obviously."
"No, I mean after that."
"What do you mean? Go back to what we do. Have you lost your memory or something?"
"No," Kaoru replied, sighing, "it's just that I have a bad feeling that nothing will ever be the same."
Hikaru paused at that. Then, he bowed his head. "Amen to that, brother."
Thanks for reading. Comments/criticism will be appreciated.
