Chapter 7- Secrets!

It's been a week and Kyoya has yet to find any more information on the Sohma's than what he had already discovered. He tried to look for any information on a Momiji Sohma, but the only thing he found was a transfer request for some brat from a boys' school to a rundown public school with a cousin who got into fights. That couldn't be him, even if the family liked to go low-class for all their needs, surely they wouldn't stoop so low when it came to education, they are still elites in Japan's society-they would still have some sense of class.

Closing his laptop, he headed to the kitchen to eat. It was already past midnight, so his family should either be asleep or working all night on some project or another. He knew he should be doing the same with his schoolwork since finals will be after the Ball, but since this concerned his club, he thinks this takes priority.

With a sandwich in one hand, he reopened his laptop in the family room to try again. He was so concentrated on his work he didn't realize someone looking over his shoulder. But there could only be one who would stoop so ungracefully.

"And what can I do for you Fuyumi?"

"Just wondering what has got you hold up in your room all week. Couldn't be finals since that's a few weeks away still. Club maybe? Problems with that girl in your club?"

Even when she doesn't have a clue what is going on, she can still hit the nail on the head. But he wasn't going to admit that, that would spill Haruhi's secret and what fun would that be?

"Ball preparations. It's in about two weeks, so we need to continue planning."

"I see," She was quiet for a moment, "And this Momiji Sohma will help with that?"

His fingers stumbled over the keys but righted themselves in a second's time, which of course confirmed her suspicions.

"Yes, he is a backer. He wanted to contribute to our club."

Even to him it sounds like a bad lie, but that's what she makes him into, a sappy individual. He relies too much on her, probably because she understands and recognize his talents more than the rest of his family. Well except for his mother, but she can't comfort like Fuyumi can with their father around. Not that this family provides much comfort. This family is more like a game of chess meets Russian roulette. But that just makes it even more enticing to play.

He tries to change the topic, "Didn't Father tell you to not come here anymore since you are married now?"

"Yes, but I like it here, plus I'm worried about you. You get caught up in Father's games and he plays you like a puppet. But you probably will say you are the puppeteer in this house."

She ruffles his hair and says before leaving, "Well get back to looking at the Sohma's background to help your friend."

He gives her a look, "I can put two and two together. You don't do anything without cause, especially for someone you care about and the only one who could be connected somehow to the Sohma's is that girl. Father knows a Sohma Doctor by the way. I think his name is Hatori. Why don't you ask him tomorrow?"

This was news to him, but it makes sense. His father is a CEO of The Ootori Group, a group of medical and healthcare physicians. So, knowing a Doctor with the name Sohma would be immensely crucial to his social standing. And he already met this Doctor Hatori at Haruhi's house when this all started. So, all he needs to do is search his Father's company backers and see if he can find this physician's office. He also found out that the twins designer friend, Ayame

Sohma, has a shop about thirty minutes away. He'll go there tomorrow after school, then he'll go to see this Doctor.

Pulling up to the shop, Kyoya gets out of the car and immediately hears shouting from inside. He gets closer.

"You shouldn't have gone I tell you, Akito is pissed and that will only hurt her more."

"I know but I had to try."

"And now he wants to confine her more! Just like what he wants to do with her brother except this time it's a room instead of an actual cage." The first voice complained in a higher voice than the other men.

"Same thing isn't it?" The third voice was a bit gruffer than the others, it's also familiar.

"Well, there's nothing for us to do now. We just need to keep an eye on Akito." The Third huffs.

"It's not like we can refuse him though." The second says quite indulgently.

"True but Hatori is right, all we can do is wait." The first ends the conversation.

By now Kyoya was leaning against the wall listening but with this ebb in the conversation he thinks it best to go in now. He sees a black-haired girl in a maid's outfit. She's dancing around this white-haired man in Chinese looking clothes that looks slightly different, but he couldn't tell how.

The man was talking to two black-haired men, one in a kimono and one in a suit. The suit guy Kyoya immediately recognized as Hatori Sohma, who is the first to notice him standing there.

"Can we help you?" He eyes Kyoya with sharp eyes, recognition dawning in his eyes but his face impassive.

"Yes, I was looking for Ayame Sohma, I wanted to buy a dress for my sister."

"That's me." The white-haired man sang. "What kind of dress does she like? Is she here? I could get her measurements. Or is this a surprise?"

"It's a surprise, her birthday is next month."

"Do you know her measurements? What type of dress does she like? Formal or informal? What color do you want it? What does she look like? Do you have a picture of her?"

The man rattled off questions at him and he did his best to answer truthfully. Hatori stares at him the whole time, probably wondering what his game is.

"Come on Hatori," The Kimono wearing man pleaded, "take me home now, my dear Tohru and Anri are probably worried about me by now."

"You just want to eat." Hatori responded back.

"Yes but…" He stops and quickly eyes Kyoya who pretends not to notice. "Never mind, we'll continue our conversation later."

They turn to go. This wouldn't do. His luck brought all these Sohma's together, he needs to get them to stay.

"Anri you said? My friend Haruhi has been acting quite Strange this past few weeks. Then all of a sudden she wants me to call her Anri. Do you men know anything about this?"

Crap. He didn't want to be that straight forward, but he's desperate. The men all stop in their tracks. The kimono man looks at him confused and warry. Hatori set his lips in a straight line, eyes demanding not to go forward with his questioning. Ayame and the black-haired girl stood still, Ayame staring at him, the girl looking from Ayame to Kyoya.

"Who are you really?" The Kimono guy says.

"Kyoya Ootori. I am friends with Haruhi Fujioka. Like I previously stated she's been acting off lately, it started after Doctor Hatori here came to her house to talk to her. She wouldn't tell me what she talked about but the next day she was gone. The week after she was back at school, but she wasn't living at her house. She then requested that I call her Anri. I was wondering what you men know about this?"

The men stare at each other, the two men giving a more ferocious glare toward Hatori.

"What does he know? How does he know?" Kimono man asks.

"She came back to her adopted father's house that day with a group of friends. All boys. Six of them." Hatori shrugs, "I had to tell her to come back in the front yard instead."

The Ayame looks surprised at the taller man. "What?! Six boys?! What is she thinking? That is way too dangerous! What if something had happened? I assume she spends her time with these boys if she's bringing them home. My, my, and her adopted father knows about this and still lets it happen? This is trouble. Should we tell him?"

The Kimono man shakes his head vigorously, "We can't, that would ruin her. She just got her whole life uprooted; her school is the only thing she has of her previous life. If he hears about that she would have to leave, and she earned her way in there, so it wouldn't be right to take her away. And you know she wouldn't be allowed to leave his side if she does leave."

Hatori nods, "Your right. He wouldn't let her leave now. She'll be as trapped as her brother. She must tell the school that she's a Sohma but she's planning to do that after the Ball they are having shortly but is that enough time? I don't think he's patient enough to wait that long, he'll check up on her and once he sees her with six guys… well, that can't happen. Ayame, can you distract him until then? Shigure look after her and make sure she immediately tells the school after the Ball."

Both men nod looking grave and doubtful. "I can make some new wardrobe for him. That'll take a good two weeks."

"I can look after her, but at school…"

That's when the men remember Kyoya is still standing there hearing all of this.

"But in school you could be our eyes and ears, yes? For Haruhi's sake?" The kimono man, now known as Shigure, phrased the last part in a question as if he wasn't sure if he would really look after her.

"I will but only if you tell me what's going on. Where is she? Why all the secrets? What are you hiding?"

"We'll tell you all we can, but some secrets need to remain in the family." Hatori says as Ayame slipped in the back to talk to the girl who left while the man was talking.

With a nod of Kyoya's head they told him that the patriarch of the family wanted his prized family member back after Haruhi's father gave her to his coworker years earlier. Well, the men said pet instead of a family member, but Kyoya couldn't picture Haruhi as someone's pet; she wasn't the servient type of person at all which she proves time and time again.

She was now living with Sigure and her brother along with another Sohma kid plus one outsider that they were shocked that she was allowed to stay. They explained that the reason why they were shocked was because how cruel he is, how he stabbed Hatori in the eye just because he wanted to marry a woman not of his blood. How Haruhi's brother was the disgrace of the family and that he'll be thrown in a cage for the rest of his life if he doesn't get stronger than the other Sohma kid living with them. They sounded like they knew he'd never beat him, that he was destined to be in that cage. That's all they told him though.

He knew that there was more, he didn't push though. He was just thankful to be included now. With him assigned to keep an eye out at school and the rest of the Sohmas assigned tasks to keep the patriarch and Haruhi separate, Kyoya left. He was serious about wanting a dress for his sister, so he did tell Ayame about her to his liking before leaving. Now he needed to prepare how he was going to do this. He needed to help her. He already promised to tell the Hosts about it in a way that wouldn't flip them out, which he was pretty sure they'd do anyway. Although even though Haruhi wants the Hosts to know before the school, he knows she wants to wait until after the party. So, he has two weeks to come up with and initiate a plan.

11/29/ 2018