A/N: Well the last chapter was a little more gruesome than I normally would write, but I felt it fit the story. I haven't had a chance to work on FF too much since I got sick and have also been attempting NaNoWriMo, but I am updating as I can and am putting all genres on the backburner to tell you that the new poll is up. You pick who Haruhi gets paired with in the new Christmas story. The poll can be found at the top of my author page. If you don't have an account, you can leave your vote in the comments. Enjoy!
Chapter 12 – Waking Up
"Mmm," Haruhi groaned painfully before turning her head to the side and frowning. Her body was trying to wake up, but she didn't want to because the closer she got to a cognizant state, the more her body hurt, and she didn't want to feel or deal with the pain. But there was something she felt like she was forgetting. What was it? "Mmmm," she released another groan and then hissed when she accidentally jerked her lower body, her eyes flying open as tears fell down her face.
Ranka was at her side the instant he heard the first groan, and when he saw her eyes open, relief overwhelmed him and his own tears started to fall, "Haruhi? Oh my baby girl. You're safe and are at the hospital."
Safe? What was he talking about? Hadn't she always been safe? Well, except for Tamaki's hugs, she had been. "Wha-what are you talking about dad?" Her voice was raspy from disuse.
"Haruhi?" He hit the red call button so fast, he didn't even think about allowing her mind to catch up to the situation.
"This is the nurses' station. Is everything all right?" A voice came over the speaker.
"My daughter…she's awake, but she doesn't know…I mean she doesn't remember what happened!" He rushed.
"Dad?" Haruhi called out. Her mind was still trying to clear the fog and her father's yelling wasn't helping matters at all, and the amount of pain she was in, she just wanted to take a large pain pill courtesy of Kyoya and go back to sleep. Wait. Did her dad say she was in the hospital?
The voice over the speaker said, "We'll call the doctor for you immediately. Ootori-sama is on his way in now."
"Thank you!" Ranka returned his attention back to his daughter and started running his fingers through her hair, brushing her bangs out of her face, "Now, don't get upset or scared. Kyoya is making sure you and Nekozawa have the best of care."
She almost pointed out that she wasn't the one freaking out, he was, but Haruhi managed to hold her tongue.
"How are you feeling, Haruhi?" Kyoya inquired as he entered the room.
Before she could say anything, Ranka jumped up and wrapped his arms around the younger man and sobbed, "Oh Kyoya, it's horrible! She doesn't remember the kidnapping or the accident or anything like that!"
Used to dealing with a certain blond, who was currently being held by security in the basement after he grabbed Haruhi, pulled her out of bed, and cried over her unconscious body so much, her hospital gown was dripping with liquid. Ranka came in about that point followed closely by Kyoya and Tamaki was taken away by security rather beat up himself thanks to the redheaded father. Since he was used to his best friend, he could easily manipulate…I mean handle, Ranka. "Considering she has been unconscious for a couple of days, it sometimes takes a little bit before the cobwebs are dusted away." He focused on the patient, "How are you feeling?"
"I hurt," she declared plainly. She tried to move her leg and couldn't. Glancing down, she found one leg sticking out of the covers and in a red cast. "What the hell?"
"That one was Tamaki's idea. He believed red would be best since it is your rose color."
It seemed as if everything came back to her in a rush, and after a few minute of silence, she turned to stare out the window and asked, "How is Nekozawa-senpai?"
"He'll live."
His choice of words were like a whip upon a raw wound and she visibly flinched. She wasn't sure why, but she needed him to be all right…to do more than survive. She could still feel his lips on her cheek and she lifted a bandaged hand to the very spot her senpai had branded her. "Kyoya-senpai, were the cuts on my hands bad enough for bandages like this?"
"Indeed. By the time we got you back to the hospital, infection was settling into one of the cuts and it had to be opened, drained, and washed. You have five stitches there. Your ankle was broken, it was a wonder you could actually walk on it. You knees were raw, but did not need any sutures. You were severely dehydrated, your wrists were raw from what appeared to be rope burns, and your core body temperature was lower than it should have been. On top of that, you were exhausted, which given the circumstances, it is a wonder you were able to help us find Nekozawa-senpai."
"How is he really?"
Kyoya knew she always preferred the truth and he gave it to her straight, "He lost a lot of blood and needed a transfusion. He also had infected burn where it looks like they branded him, a dislocated shoulder, a broken hand and arm, one eye was swollen shut, a broken cheek bone, several cracked and/or broken ribs, and three different stab wounds. Most men would have died in his condition, but he's strong and he'll make it. We don't know yet what kind of psychological damage has been inflicted since he is still unconscious; however, his is medically induced and he will be woken up slowly. His hand and arm had to be surgically repaired and so did his cheek."
"I want to see him."
"He doesn't quite look the same right now."
"I don't care, I want to see him."
Bowing his head slightly, he said, "I will arrange it if your doctor agrees you are well enough to get up out of that bed."
"Who's my doctor?"
He smirked, "My eldest brother."
"Great, another Ootori in charge of my life," she deadpanned.
"Well, he is the best and we needed to be sure that you were taken care of to the best of our ability. When we arrived, Tamaki and the others had already been notified that you and Nekozawa-senpai had been in an accident. We have not explained the entire situation as of yet. As it was, that idiot overreacted to seeing you in your current condition and had to be detained. The others will return tomorrow and only left about thirty minutes ago." What he did not tell her is that as he was being removed from the helicopter, Nekozawa called out Haruhi's name and it had been the last thing his senpai had uttered.
She stared out the window for a few more minutes listening to her father cry. She could hear Kyoya shuffle him and drop him onto the small sofa in the room before walking over to the side of her bed. There had been so many things, things that made her think everything had all been a bad dream, but it appeared as if nothing had actually been a dream. Everything was real. And that meant so was the unexplainable. Her ropes came undone with a spoken word. The window popped open with no problems for Nekozawa, but she hadn't been able to get it to budge. And then there was the cat. It had looked so real, and what it had done to those men…she shivered just thinking about it, but in the aftermath, it had been the very thing to lead her directly to Nekozawa. How? "Kyoya, was it all real?" She had to know.
"What are you referring to?"
"He was able to undo my binds in order to help free me, the cameras stopped working, the window opened…the cat that no one else could see but me. Was it real?"
He chose his words very carefully, "I have learned that when it comes to Nekozawa-senpai, unexplainable things just seem to happen, and I've learned not to question them. You saw a cat and we were able to find him. We wouldn't have been able to locate him in time if it had not been for that. Why question it?"
"I thought magic wasn't real."
"Was it magic or simply a connection to a mere man?"
Her head whipped around and she hissed again, "What do you mean?"
He smiled and pushed up his glasses, "Surely even you've heard of the red string of fate."
"Yeah, everyone has."
"What if there is some sort of connection and it allowed your mind to conjure something you associated with Nekozawa-senpai? There are also explanations for the other things. He could easily untie a couple of knots because his fingers are dexterous and he is stronger, so a stubborn window should pose less problems for him than it did for you. As for the cameras, maybe there was a glitch and they never actually worked. They could have just been there as a decoy or scare tactic."
"But the red light…"
"It is up to you what you want to believe, but I have noticed that there are many unexplainable things in this world. Just take Tamaki for an example," he chuckled. "I tend to be reasonable and scientific, however, there are many times when reason does not apply to Nekozawa-senpai."
"So you believe he actually has magic powers?" She scoffed.
"I'm not saying that. I just don't think you should think too hard on it or question it when all of it lead to your rescues. If you want to think about it logically, there are explanations. However, if you choose to believe that something beyond science, reason, or logic had some hand in it all, then that too is acceptable."
"How is the patient?" Yuuichi asked as he entered the room and found his brother standing next to the hospital bed. He had heard a little of the conversation before he made his presence known, and now he was more curious than ever to know exactly what happened and how exactly Kyoya had been able to find both missing students.
"She seems to be in pain, but her mind is sharp," Kyoya answered on her behalf.
Nodding, the doctor asked, "On a scale of 1-10, what would you say your pain level is at?"
Haruhi sighed, "Seven."
After a brief examination, Yuuichi said, "Well, you seem to be doing all right. I want to keep you a couple more days just to be sure since it took longer than it should have to get your body temperature back up."
"Can I go and see Nekozawa-senpai?"
"Why don't we wait until tomorrow and if you are up for it then, you can go; however, I'm limiting his visitors at the moment, so I don't want the others to go with you…especially Tamaki Suoh."
"As it is, he is even banned from seeing Haruhi for the time being," Kyoya muttered.
The elder brother smirked, "And when will he be allowed to come out of time out?"
"He has another thirty minutes before his father arrives."
"I see."
Yuuichi looked at Haruhi and noticed her confused expression, however, instead of answering her unspoken question he stated, "You and Umehito Nekozawa are both lucky to be alive. Once you get out of here, I don't want you returning to school immediately. Chairman Suoh said that he will take care of everything so that you do not get penalized or fall too far behind in your studies. And since you did injure your hands, crutches are out of the question for at least two weeks. I want to be sure all of the cuts on your hands heal properly, but you will get the stitches out in another four days. That means, you will need to use a wheelchair for the time being. I understand that you live on the second floor of an apartment building."
"Everything has been arranged for her release," Kyoya stated simply as if it this was a minor detail.
"How so?" Haruhi demanded.
"You will be staying at Hunny-senpai's house. Both he and Mori-senpai have traditional Japanese homes, which means there are very little stairs. That will allow you to have more freedom than if you were to stay with another of the hosts. It has already been arranged with the Haninozuka family."
"Wait! What are you talking about Kyoya-senpai?"
"There are a vast amount of stairs at everyone's homes except Mori-senpai and Hunny-senpai. We decided on Hunny-senpai's dwelling since he wouldn't be afraid to…handle Tamaki or the twins if they happen to show up and cause a ruckus. His parents and brother would also be able to step in if necessary. Mori-senpai would defend you from the others, but they are less afraid of him than they are of Hunny-senpai. And I believe since Hunny-senpai wanted you to stay with him, Mori-senpai didn't argue."
"Wait a minute! Why are you planning all of this for me? Why can't I stay at my house?"
"How will you climb the stairs? Your apartment is also too small to allow much movement with a wheelchair. Your father has already approved the plan."
"Great. Let me guess another debt?"
"Not at all. This is just friends helping friends. However, your medical costs are being covered by the Nekozawa family."
"What? They don't…"
"Haruhi, they want to. Not only were you kidnapped with their son, you helped save him," Yuuichi interrupted. "Let them do this for you."
She wanted to argue, but she couldn't. The fact was, she couldn't do much with her leg in a cast and her doctor forbidding the use of crutches. She knew it was for the best, but that didn't mean she liked it. As for the whole Nekozawa paying for her situation, how did one argue when you knew you would lose the fight? You didn't. "Fine." Her eyes darted across the room to her father, who was now snoring in his sleep.
"He hasn't slept much since you got here, and from what I understand, he hasn't really slept since hearing about your disappearance," Kyoya explained. "He was worried about you. We all were."
Nodding, she remembered something she heard, "Kyoya, why did that guy think I was royalty?"
"Technically, you are, but not exactly."
"What are you talking about?" Her head was starting to join in with the rest of her body and was pounding.
"Your mother's family is related to one of the princesses from approximately 300 years ago by marriage when she married into your family. Once a female marries into another's home and takes their name, they are no longer considered royal per se. Therefore, when someone suspicious calls in to request information about you, my informant will spread fictitious information in order to lead the party astray. The best lies have roots in reality and in this case, it probably saved your life."
Sweat dropping, she mumbled, "I see." She was almost afraid to find out what else he had up his sleeves, but decided to leave it for now because she was tired and hurting. "What about the police?"
"We've handled them. You don't need to worry."
"I don't think I want to know right now."
During their conversation, Yuuichi slipped out and got her some medicine and slipped back in. Walking up to her side, he pushed the pain meds into her IV, and soon she was drifting off to sleep once again. To his brother, he said, "She is probably going to have more questions for you."
"I know."
"So she isn't a simple commoner?"
"No, she was never a simple commoner to us. She's special, but to answer your question, her mother went to Lobelia and came from a prominent family, and when she married Ranka, she was disowned."
"Does that mean she has relatives out there she doesn't know?"
"No. Her mother's brother was killed in a car accident and her grandparents died shortly before she was born. There were no other grandchildren besides Haruhi."
"Does she know all of this?"
"Doubtful. Ranka hasn't shared anything about this as far as I know, and she has never been curious or asked."
Yuuichi nodded again before asking, "What is she to you?"
"A friend, and that is all you need to know." In truth, she was no more than a friend. In the past, he had had a small crush on her, but soon realized she would make a better friend than a lover for him; and now he counted her as one of his closest friends, just behind Tamaki. She was someone who cheered him on, griped him out, and confided in him just as he confided in her. They were just friends, and if someone threatened her or any of his other friends, they would pay just like these kidnappers had.
Based on what his elder brother was observing, Yuuichi wasn't so sure about that; however, he would leave it alone for now, stepping back in order to watch and observe. "Well, I have other patients to attend to. I'll stop in and check on her before I go home."
"How is Nekozawa-senpai?"
"Stable, but that could change at a moment's notice. He had to have more blood yesterday."
"If we lose him, I have this feeling she will be devastated."
"I don't plan on losing him or her," Yuuichi proclaimed before exiting the room.
Kyoya looked down at his friend lying in the bed and whispered, "You better not." He left her alone to go check on Nekozawa himself, and as he gazed at the monitors in the other room, even he started to question everything, wondering how his senpai had survived the entire ordeal. For that matter, he wondered how Haruhi had led them to him, and how she had escaped. Everything seemed impossible, but then again, it was Nekozawa.