Quote 11: Kyoya Ootori

"People say hate is a strong word; but so is love, and people throw it around like it's nothing."

0o0o0

Mai sat at her desk studying for her college entrance exams. Her father had been pushing her extra hard to stay at the top of her class, but she just couldn't keep up. The Ootori boy, Kyoya, was way out of her league. No matter how much she studied, she would not be able to top his grades.

On top of studying, Mai had also recently put herself through management training for her family's company. Her mother and father had always feuded over the inheritance of the Takeda Corporation. By family tradition, the oldest child should be handed ownership of the company, but her father was strongly against handing his life's work over to a girl. He argued that her thirteen year old brother, Hideki, was the better heir. Her mother countered that Mai was more mature and prepared to lead an entire corporation. The last thing she wanted do was disappoint her family. She wanted her father's approval so badly that she devoted almost all of her time to activities he approved of. The majority of her time was spent in school, studying, management training, and chores. She tried so hard to get her father's attention that she had begun to wear herself thin. She closed her books and took off her glasses. She had enough work in one day, so she laid down on her bed and fell fast asleep.

-

The next day, Mai's French teacher, Madame Dubois, gave her the class period off. She had already completed her coursework for the next four weeks, and there was nothing left to do at the moment. The girl strolled through the hallways of Ouran Academy. The one time that she actually had free time, she didn't know what to do with it. The dark-haired girl came upon the old music room. It had been years since her father made her quit piano, but she wanted to visit the room one last time before completely throwing her old life away.

She turned the brass doorknob and slowly opened it. The picture in front of her was not at all what she would have expected. There were numerous women sitting in various areas of the room chatting over tea with men. The room was no longer used for musical purposes but instead the location of Ouran Academy's host club. She had heard about it before, but she never had any desire to see the place. She was too busy for such trivial matters. Mai stepped through the doorway and looked around. The environment was inviting and very relaxing.

"May I help you, Mademoiselle?" said a tall blonde boy. She recognized him as Tamaki Suou from her class.

"No thanks. I'm just here to kill some time," she said.

Tamaki grinned, "Well, in that case, you've come to just the right place!" He escorted her further into the room and over near a small, round table covered with papers. Sitting at the table was Kyoya Ootori, Mai's academic rival. Truth be told, she never considered him a rival, but her father always nagged at her for letting him beat her, for not doing the best she could.

"Kyoya, do me a favor and show this lovely lady around the host club. She said she has nothing to do," Tamaki said. Kyoya put down his pencil and clipboard, and he pushed up his glasses as he looked at her.

"Very well then," he said. "What would you like to see first, Takeda-san?"

Mai shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Whatever you'll show me first," she said. She wondered how he knew her name, but then she remembered that being an Ootori, he would be most likely to know large head of corporations and their families.

Kyoya introduced her to each of the host club members, each of whom welcomed her with much kindness. He explained to her that Tamaki created the club, and most of their time is spent entertaining those who have nothing better to do. His explanation was rather business-like, but Mai didn't mind. She was used to being talked to as if her whole life were a business matter. Although she would have preferred to be treated normally--not like some company executive.

The two sat down on one of the many sofas in the club room. Mai let out a long sigh and relaxed herself in the fluffy cushions.

"Your father is Hattori Takeda, head of the Takeda Corporation, correct?" Kyoya interrupted her thoughts. Mai's eyes dulled a little.

"Yes," she said quietly.

"You must have a lot to take on when you inherit the company. Your father is one of the Ootori's biggest clients," he said.

"My father doesn't want me to take over the head of the company. He thinks that I would let his whole life's work go down the drain and that my younger brother is a better heir."

Kyoya was silent for a moment. Mai's circumstances seemed fairly similar to his own. He had to surpass his two brothers in order to be his father's successor. It was stressful at times, and he did everything he could to be better than them. There were times when he thought that he should give up, but his competitive side kept him at par with his brothers.

"I wouldn't say there's no chance," he said. "In order to succeed the head of our family company, I have to exceed my two brothers."

Mai felt better about her current situation. Kyoya had to work much harder to get his father's attention. "I'll tell you what. If your father acknowledges you as his successor, then I'll make sure that my father accepts me as his," she said. Kyoya showed a small smile as to agree with her.

-

Mai eventually finished her French coursework for the rest of the term. She was given a daily free period for exceeding the class standards. She used that period of time to relax and visit the host club. It was her getaway from all the talk of good grades and who gets what. She regularly requested Kyoya, and the day came when Tamaki knew what she wanted without her asking.

Their conversations had become less and less business-like and more personal. They talked about school and happenings within the host club. Mai asked Kyoya how things were going with his father and about his life. A week or two after her regular visits, Kyoya made sure to set aside some time so he could speak with her and no one else. He became her comfort and she, his. Since meeting Kyoya, Mai had begun to smile more often. It used to be rare that one could find the young Takeda smiling. She always wore a serious, business-like expression. She somehow felt that she could let her guard down around the dark-haired boy.

One day during her visit, Kyoya told her of the annual party that his father held for the company. "Would you like to come? It's this Saturday. I'm sure your father would be impressed that you are already making connections with other companies," he said. Mai's cheeks turned a slight shade of pink.

"O-of course," she said. "What time should I be there?"

"I'll pick you up at six," he said. He was going to pick her up? She was unsure if this party was supposed to be a business matter or a date. She told herself that there was no reason the Ootori would ask her to be his date. He would benefit from the connection as well.

-

"Absolutely not," Hattori said. "You are not to go to that party. I have arranged other plans for you."

Mai grew angry with her father's words, but she kept it to herself. The last thing she needed to do was to make him angry with her. "If I may ask, what exactly do you have planned for me?" she said calmly, yet in a cold tone.

"I have set up a meeting for your arranged marriage. The Nakayama family has proposed that their son, Takuya, marry you in order to better relations between the companies. You are to marry him to ensure that the Nakayama family remains faithful to the Takeda Corporation," he said.

"What if I don't marry him?"

"I will forever disown you as my child. You will marry Takuya Nakayama, and that's final," Hattori said sternly.

"Yes, father."

Mai quickly returned to her room and picked up her cell phone. She seriously thought about calling Kyoya, but she hesitated. What would he say? That she should marry a complete stranger? She didn't know what she would do if he said that. Mai had no desire to take such a big step in her career before she even started it. She flipped open her phone in the dark room and dialed Kyoya's number. She waited a few seconds for him to pick up.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Kyoya, it's me," she said grimly.

"What's wrong, Mai? You don't sound well," he said. The dark-haired girl fought back the tears threatening to spill over her eyes and pushed her glasses up.

"It's my father. He- he-" her voice started to crack, "set up an arranged marriage for me."

On the other side of the line, Kyoya's heart raced. Had he heard her correctly? He regained his cool and said, "I see. Meet me at the docks next to the Ootori main warehouse."

Mai smiled sadly. "Ok. I'll see you soon. Bye," she said.

"Bye."

Mai quietly searched through her room for her jacket and slipped on a pair of shoes. She opened the door and saw that the hallway light was shut off, and there was no sign of activity downstairs. She carefully treaded down the stairs and snuck out the back door. It took a few minutes to reach the docks. When she got there, Kyoya was sitting on the edge of the pavement looking down at the water below. He looked up and noticed her walking to him. He waved her over to him, and she took the place next to him.

"So your father arranged a marriage for you," he mused.

"Yeah," she said quietly.

"Which is more important to you: pleasing your father or having the freedom to do what you want?" he said. Mai stayed silent for a few seconds. She had always wanted to please her father, but she had never truly been allowed the freedom to much of anything outside of school and work. Up until that point in her life, both things had been equally important to her, but this time was different. She was on the verge of insanity. Working day after day to gain Hattori's trust was wearing her out. Things needed to change.

"I want to do what I want," she said. Kyoya had also been raised under strictly business circumstances, and he could see why Mai had begun to feel that way. His whole reason for meeting her at the docks was to keep her from being unhappy. He loved to see her smile, and he couldn't stand to see her sad.

"Then tell him that," he said. He put his arm around her and held her close. "I don't want to see you hurt anymore."

Mai looked up at him with a puzzled face. Kyoya was one of her best friends, but she never expected him to say something like that. She figured he was more about the business than happiness, but apparently she was wrong. He knew that love wasn't something you could force through a business deal. Hattori threw the word around like it was no big deal, but he was wrong.

"Thank you," she said and hugged him back. Kyoya held her cheek in his hand and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. He leaned closer to her and touched her forehead with his.

"Anytime," he said. Mai closed her eyes as her lips met with his. She returned his kiss with equal passion and ran her fingers through his hair. She then decided that her freedom to be with Kyoya was far more important than being her father's wind-up toy.

0o0o0

That must be one of the longest oneshots I've ever written... This was a request from StoryReader888 from Quizilla. It didn't take as long as I thought it would to write it. I quite enjoyed doing it. =) I hope you liked it! Reviews much appreciated.

Happy reading,

~Kai