Disclaimer: I love Ouran High School Host club but the honor of owning it belongs to Bisco Hatori.
Sorry this one took longer. I needed to think on how this one would end on the right noteā¦
The host club sat in the waiting area of the hospital. They had rushed to the nearest hospital. Hikaru paced restlessly through the small space, looking like a trapped tiger. Kyouya calmly wrote in his notebook. Tamaki was nervously drinking cups and cups of instant coffee. Hunny sat still and hugged his bunny. Mori practiced his martial arts. Haruhi stared at the ground, stunned. After a while, the doctor came out. They all either stopped or looked up at them.
"Well?" This was Tamaki. The doctor sighed and removed his gloves.
"The patient will survive at least for now. Tonight will tell." The host club sighed, releasing the breath they had all been holding. They asked the doctor to call any of them should any news appear. The doctor agreed and the host club went home. There was silence in the Hitachiin limo. Hikaru stared out at the passing scenery. He couldn't believe it. He would be going to bed by himself for the first time ever. Kaoru would be staying at the hospital. He hoped he would be strong enough to survive it.
Kaoru sat next to Kano's bed. Her heart monitor beeped steadily. The doctors had said that she should have woken up by now unless she had fallen asleep naturally. Kaoru looked at her. They had taken the oxygen mask off of her. He sat there staring at her sleeping face. Even in the short time he had known her, he hadn't ever expected to see her in the hospital. Here she had been hospitalized because of him. He put his arms on the bed staring at her face before burying his own into her bed.
When Kaoru opened his eyes later, Kano was nowhere to be seen. He stood up knocking the chair over. He headed for the door and stopped. There she was in the corner, shaking. Her bandages showed through the collar of her hospital gown. Kaoru walked over to where she was and knelt down to her eye level.
"Kano? What's wrong?" Kano stopped shivering and stared up at him. Her eyes took him aback. The look in them paralyzed him. He fell back, still looking at her. "K-Kano?" She stared at him. The look was being taken over by fear. Suddenly, Kano began screaming. This brought the nurses and doctors into the room right away. Despite their soothing words, it seemed only to make Kano worse. She viciously swung at anything that came within arm's reach. The head doctor called for security. Kaoru grabbed the bag that Haruhi had left behind for the doctors to use.
If things get out of control, put this on her and push play. Those had been her words. Kaoru pulled out a pair of slim sleek headphones. It was attached to a CD player with a CD that was only marked in lines and dashes. He pushed past the helpless doctors and aides. He struggled with her trying his hardest not to get hit without much success. In the end, he stopped trying to block her fists and ended up jamming the headphones onto her head. Protecting the CD player with his body, he pushed play as hard as he could. Almost instantly, Kano quieted and her head leaned forward against his back, limp. The doctors attempted to pull Kano to her feet but she silently refused to move. Kaoru looked at them and just shook his head. He hadn't moved since Kano had put her head on his back. The employees simply left with a few appreciative nods at him. Kaoru felt a few wet spots on his back and mustering his courage, turned to face Kano. There were silent tears falling from her eyes. She looked so helpless and lost. He found himself pulling her into his arms and was surprised that she didn't even have the normal anti-hug resistance that she usually had.
"I'm sorry, Kano. I'm so sorry," he whispered into her ear as she only shuddered in silent sobs on his shoulders.
Next morning found Kano back on the hospital bed, headphones still on her head, and Kaoru sleeping with his arms on the bed. There was a bruise beginning to show on one of his arms. Kano reached out slowly towards the bruise. Her finger gently touched the bruised skin before she drove her finger into it with an unrestricted poke. Kaoru was startled out of his sleep and he yelped with pain. Kano pulled down the headphones so that they rested on her shoulders as she smiled at Kaoru.
"Did I do that?" Kaoru only nodded, gently rubbing where she had poked. "Are you insane? Jumping in like that when I'm like that? What were you thinking?"
"I needed to help you somehow since you did save my life." Kano gave him a curious look.
"I did?" She paused. "I guess so but I did it more to protect Lexander more. If he had shot you, he'd have gone to jail. Since he shot me, (Here she shrugged and winced in pain.) he won't." Kaoru opened his mouth but she cut him off. "I won't press charges. This is his responsibility. Him sitting in jail will only make him worse, not better. Didn't you hear him scream?" He nodded. it wasn't pleasant. Upon realizing that he had shot Kano, Lexander had let out a terrifying scream of pain and had run away. Even as she had lay there bleeding from a wound just below the left side of her collarbone, Kano had asked the Host club not to chase him.
"Why won't you?" The door had opened to reveal Hikaru and Haruhi. "Press charges I mean. It would mean justice is done." Kano waved a hand toward Kaoru.
"Take a look at your brother's arm. I did that." Hikaru did and when he saw the bruises, he grew infuriated and made to attack Kano, but Kaoru stopped him. "Think of the anger you have now, and multiply that by a thousand. That is how angry I would be if Lexander was sent to jail. I made a promise and I intended to keep it. I've given him life as a fugitive of his own mind. That's enough punishment." Then she turned away from them to leave Kaoru to comfort his twin. She looked at Haruhi evenly.
"Did you break?" Haruhi asked calmly.
"I don't remember." Kano shrugged and handed the CD player to her. "That copy's yours isn't it? I wish I still had mine but you know how things are." She shrugged again.
"When can you return to school?"
"Tomorrow at the latest. I asked the doctor." Kyouya entered the room. He put a package on the nightstand next to the bed. "A get well present from Hunny-senpai. Of course, Kano, the medical bill will go onto your debt." Kano sighed.
"Always an opportunist, Kyouya, but by adding onto my debt, you're passing up an even better opportunity." Kyouya looked at her interested.
"Oh? And what opportunity would that be?" Kano shrugged.
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe by giving out free medical aid to a classmate, more people will think that working for the Ootoris might not be so bad since they care so much about others. Then by hiring more people, don't you have more people to profit from than just one person?"
"An interesting opinion." Kyouya pushed up his glasses. "Maybe you're right." Haruhi and the twins were surprised. Kyouya's opponent was usually the one to give in. Kano smirked.
"Of course I am. Don't you know a business proposal when you hear one?" Kano closed her eyes briefly before opening her eyes to look out the window. With a final sigh, she heaved herself out of the bed and began to usher Haruhi and the others to the door. "If you excuse me, I must change if I expect to be wearing something decent when I leave this place." Before they could answer, Kano had pushed them out of the room and closed the door.
"A business proposal, huh?" Kyouya smiled to himself and walked down the hall. Haruhi and the twins watched him go.
"I wonder what Kano meant by business proposal." Haruhi mused.
"We wouldn't know." The twin sync-up was restored. As the three of them left, Hikaru joked with Haruhi as Kaoru followed slightly behind them. Questions floated in his head about Kano. Questions that probably only she could answer.
