My first non-log chapter of this story! Hope you like it! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to write this… please forgive me! It's been a stressful past few months!

Thank you to Amarenima Redwood, Auslly Believer, Momochan77, havarti2, queenglitch, konohasfangirl, and JustUrAverageLoser for your reviews!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Host Club.

Charge Camera Recording #63

Ootori Mansion: Cameras 007-041

2318 hours

Empty.

Empty hallways. Empty rooms. Empty staircases.

That's all Livia could see as she sat at her small dining table, chin resting in the palm of her hand. She stared blearily at the multiple videos playing on her laptop. The apartment is silent, save for the soft clicking of the mouse as she rotated through the different cameras that had been set up around the Ootori Mansion.

The brunette lets out a yawn, which is followed by a long groan as she straightens her back, joints popping in protest. Rolling her head around to relieve the tension from her neck, she glanced over to the microwave hanging above the oven.

Eight- no… Nineteen minutes past eleven.

Rubbing at her eyes, she let out a long sigh before glancing back at the screen. Nothing was moving, save for two figures in the sitting room and one in the kitchen. She couldn't see her charge from the way her cameras had been angled, which meant he was in bed. And since there were no lights on in the room that she could see, he must be asleep.

One last sigh was released before Livia stood up from her chair, shutting the laptop as she did so. If even the workaholic had turned in, perhaps she should do the same. It was a school night, after all.

The brunette slowly wandered into her bedroom, her right hand blindly swatting at the wall until the kitchen light went out.

Underneath the lip of a mahogany table, a minuscule red light flashed periodically. Too small to be noticed by anyone who wasn't looking for it, and yet the camera it was a part of remained in a place that allowed it to view most of the hallway.

Said view is, at the moment, empty. And of course it was. It was mostly of bedroom doors and as it was past eleven o'clock at night, everyone was asleep.

Or, not everyone.

One of the doors slowly opened, at the very far end of the hallway. A black-haired boy in light blue pajamas emerged from the dark room. Kyoya pulled his door shut behind him with his left hand, his right holding an empty water glass by his side. The boy briefly lifted his glass and observed the inside of it. He must've noticed some remaining droplets of water, because he quickly drained the last of it before walking down the hallway.

He stifled a wide yawn with the back of his free hand as he passed the mahogany table, leaving one camera's view and entering the focus of another. And he continued to move from one videotape to another, quiety padding his way to the staircase at the end of the hallway.

Kyoya was so tired.

He unhappily paused at the top of the stairs, rubbing at his dried-out eyes before continuing on. The sluggishness of his actions, while it could be mistaken for an attempt to sneak around the house and not awaken the rest of his family, was unfortunately more from hindered brain functions, which did not sit well with the ravenet.

His left hand was lightly resting along the railing of the staircase, just in case he slipped and didn't want to break his neck on the way down. Mentally, he tried to reprimand himself for staying up two hours past the 'bedtime' he had attempted to set for the night, but knew there was no getting around it.

The Host Club's financials were never done… apparently.

Yawning once again, Kyoya finally reaches the bottom of the stairs and starts walking towards the dining room. He almost runs into the doorframe and sighs.

I just need another glass of water, and then I'm going straight to bed, he promises himself. After all, he had a busy day tomorrow. Not only would he have school and the usual club activities, but he would also be joining Livia Trasic at her apartment afterwards to work on their egg project.

Kyoya can't help but smirk at the thought, his mind instantly focusing on Livia… which he had been doing a lot of, recently.

We should've started working together sooner, he can't help but wish. She's a decent companion, work-related or otherwise, and even if her words are occasionally sharp when they aren't fake… talking to her is almost inherently interesting.

Kyoya's smirk had grown a bit by the time he reached the kitchen, knocking on the door. A few seconds later and the dish washer emerged, one earbud still plugged into his left ear. The last remaining staff member of the day smiled softly when he realized it was the youngest son and gestured with his head for the other boy to enter.

A few seconds later and Kyoya was standing by the sink, refilling his glass quickly so the other could get back to work. Even though he seemed fine with the momentary break, drying his hands to shuffle through his music selection, the man probably wanted to go home sooner rather than later.

Kyoya slipped to the side once the glass was full, leaning against the counter top while the older man took his place, grabbing the sponge and a dessert plate with the remains of what looked like chocolate frosting on it. Probably an extra slice of chocolate cake that Fuyumi had sneaked into her room after dinner. Her younger brother couldn't help but smile as he sipped his drink. His only sister had always seemed younger than she actually was. Perhaps that was why she and Livia got along so well?

He should invite Livia to dinner in another few days. After all, she and Fuyumi hadn't really spent much time together so far, and they had been pretty close friends the last time the American had been in Japan.

He couldn't help but chuckle at that. Last time… he hadn't given the American girl much thought. Sure, they were in the same class, but she was more of Aikio's project than his own. And if he were to be honest, Kyoya hadn't thought her worth his time. She'd kept her head down and didn't speak much in class. Besides, he was more interested in meeting her parents, but since no opportunity for it arose during her time in Japan, he hardly gave her a second thought.

Which was a mistake.

Livia was so much more than he'd originally given her credit for. She was smart, yes, but also full of passion and fire. She didn't trouble herself with making friends, yet at the same time seemed to fiercely defend even the idea of lasting and caring relationships.

Kyoya cast a sideways glance at the employee working beside him. He had never really considered what they must think of his family, cold as the current patriarch was. They were simply employed to keep the house looking immaculate and provide the basic household chores that could not be done while the Ootori's were all either at work or school.

And perhaps he had also assumed they would only think negatively of them all. It would've made sense.

Now, however… ever since Livia had mentioned that the staff actually cared for Kyoya and his family… he had begun to notice a few things, here and there. Like how if he woke up with a slight chill and wore a sweater to breakfast, there would be an extra blanket waiting on his bed that night. Or how his mother never lost her reading glasses because her personal maid always knew where they'd been placed. Or-

He went to set the newly emptied glass down on the counter, but before he could the dishwasher held out a hand for the cup. The older man smiled kindly when Kyoya thanked him before rubbing the glass with the soapy sponge.

-things like that.

Yes, he mused as he exited the kitchen, Livia is certainly full of surprises. And… she is very beautiful. Kyoya shook his head, lips still slightly curled into what might almost be an actual smile. Livia Trasic was a mystery, one that he was slowly unwinding the longer she remained at Ouran, and despite his best efforts she was unwittingly starting to win Kyoya's favor… in more ways than one.

"Please, Dear, try not to worry so much. Kyoya is safe. Do you think I would allow him to leave the house if I believed otherwise?"

Kyoya froze in place, his head whipping around to stare across the hallway. The doors that lead into the sitting room were cracked open just a hair, enough for his father's quiet words to escape and still allow the boy to hear them.

"I understand that… but I can't help but worry… And what of his friends? And Trasic-san-"

"There's no need to worry for any of them either-"

"Yoshio, he is your son!"

Kyoya had now crept across the hall, hovering a mere inch away from the doors. He didn't dare touch the wood, nor attempt to peek in through the small crack, lest either of his parents realize that he was not in bed like they clearly assumed.

From what he could tell…

"And I trust that he is safe enough with the protections we have put in place! With the amount of money we've invested in his safety, I'd be surprised if the perpetrators weren't caught within the next week."

Kyoya's eyes narrowed, leaning closer. Perpetrators?

"Still, I am his mother. It's my job to worry over my children."

His father sighed, a deep sound that almost forced Kyoya to look into the room regardless. He'd never heard that sound come from his father before. Never. It sounded almost like… giving up.

"And I am his father."

There was another brief moment of silence, peppered only by the sound of sniffling. It took Kyoya longer than it should've to realize his mother must be crying.

"I thought… I thought it would be over after Yuuichi-" she cut herself off, the sound of a tissue being used following shortly after.

"As did I," his father continued, "but we are a powerful family, with intelligent sons. It is only to be expected-"

"There is no reason to expect your sons to be assassinated!"

Kyoya's eyes went wide, heart stopping dead mid-beat.

Before his father could respond, or his mother could follow up, the boy slowly backed away from the door. He moved backwards all the way to the bottom of the staircase, his grey eyes glued firmly to the golden line of light shining from the sitting room.

His calf bumped the bottom step.

And he ran.

Kyoya was back in his bedroom in less than a minute. Never had he ever run so fast in his life before, nearly tripping on the way up the stairs and again as he fumbled with his doorknob. Once he got the door open, he wasted no time in closing it from the other side.

It took a while to lock it behind him, though. His hands were shaking like mad.

When it finally slid into place, Kyoya spun around, pressing his back against the wood while his left hand flung outwards to turn the lights on. His bedroom lit up before his eyes, but it wasn't enough. The large windows that practically made up an entire wall of his bedroom now loomed ominously before him. Kyoya could almost imagine the sound of shattering glass echoing in his ears as a bullet flies through them before burying itself in his chest. He strained to see out into the night, but it was impossible.

His heart rate increased.

Shaking, his whole chest tightening in terror, the ravenet launched himself across the room towards the staircase that lead up to his loft. Ducking into bed, he unashamedly pulled the blankets over his head. His glasses dug uncomfortably into the side of his face and across the bridge of his nose, but he couldn't find it within himself to care.

The memory of gunshots going off fills his head…as if it were only last week.

*Four years prior*

A thirteen year old Kyoya sat bolt upright in his bed. The loft was a fuzzy collection of dark objects wrapped in even more dark. Meaning… he couldn't see anything. At all.

Blinking his tired eyes, the boy reached over to his nightstand and grabbed the glasses that currently rested there. Yawning, he went to turn on the lamp when he noticed the time. It was three in the morning. What was he doing up?

He'd… heard something.

It had sounded like a loud crack. Perhaps it was a thunderstorm? But… he couldn't hear any rain…

Crack! Crack crack!

The boy quickly pulled his arm back. That most certainly wasn't thunder. And he was now hearing something else. Voices, coming from just outside. Very loud voices… someone was shouting. A few people, actually. But he couldn't understand what they were saying.

Swallowing, fear crawling around his chest, even though he wasn't sure why, the ravenet slipped out of his bed. His bare feet gingerly touched the cold rug and he shivered, wishing for his house slippers. Except… he wasn't sure where they were. He'd need to turn the light on to find them, but he didn't want to do that. For some reason.

Kyoya crept down the stairs, a hand holding tightly to the railing in the dark. Just as he reached the bottom there were another series of 'crack's, this time accompanied by screams and flashes of light. Before he could inch closer to the windows to see what was going on-

BANG!

"Young Master Ootori!"

It was Aijima, one of Kyoya's personal guards. His bedroom door had been thrown open, and Kyoya could hear his other guards Tachibana and Hotta shouting in the hallway. Before the teen could ask what was going on, his guard had entered the room and was now grabbing his arms. The boy let out a small cry of alarm as the larger man hauled him out of the bedroom, keeping himself between the windows and the teenager in his arms.

The hallway was completely lit up, forcing Kyoya to shut his eyes against it's yellowy brightness. Squinting, he saw the rest of his family up ahead, all in the arms or grips of their own personal bodyguards, much like Kyoya himself.

"Father! What's happening?"

His father didn't appear to hear him. The bodyguards were all shouting, either at each other or into their earpieces or providing directions on where the family was turning next. Kyoya looked around frantically as he was quickly pushed and, when he tripped, even carried down at least three staircases and numerous hallways. There were no staff members remaining at this time of night. Only the night guards. Most of whom were completely suited up and charging towards the front doors.

It wasn't until one of his mother's guards pushed open a door that was painted to blend into the wall that Kyoya understood where they were being taken. The "Bunker", as he and his siblings had dubbed it. In a matter of moments, the Ootori family was quickly shoved into the small room and the door shut behind them. Kyoya's father threw the long bolt into place and… it went quiet.

The family's shaky breathing echoed around the cement chamber. There was nothing to sit on. No rugs. No windows. Not even an outlet. Only the smallest of air vents, a small case of water in the left back corner, and a locked door.

Kyoya jumped in shock when another pair of arms were wrapped around his shoulders. It was Fuyumi. She was shivering… or perhaps that was him. It was cold standing on the cement with no slippers…

"Father, what's going on?"

The man turned to his family, and Kyoya could swear he was watching his father age before his eyes. Did he always have that many grey hairs? Or all that exhaustion in his eyes?

Fuyumi held him closer.

"You all might wish to sit down."

There was no hesitation. The four siblings sat down beside each other, shivering slightly at the cold cement floor sucking out the warmth from their bodies, but didn't complain. They simply stared at their father and waited.

Inhaling deeply, Mr. Ootori looked over his family, "Perhaps you will be angry at me for keeping this from you for so long… but please understand I was trying to keep you safe."

"Safe from what?"

"Father, you're frightening us."

Another sigh, "One of our rivals has… hired an assassin to kill Yuuichi." The eldest son stiffened in place, his eyes growing wide in shock. His brothers and sister unconsciously moved closer to him, even as they stared at their father in disbelief and fear. "We put protections in place, but it appears that they have attempted to raid our house. They were spotted, thankfully. Tonight will hopefully be the end of it, but until it is safe to leave… we'll be spending the night in here."

Back in the present, Kyoya was shaking, his breath coming out in gasps. That night was surprisingly vivid in his head. He remembered how he had clung to Yuuichi the entire night, a few tears leaking onto the older boy's shoulder. The waited had been the worst experience of Kyoya's life. As much as Yuuichi annoyed or irritated him, he was still his big brother. He couldn't imagine a world without him.

Only now… Kyoya was far more terrified than he had been all those years ago. Because now it was his life on the line.

For a while, he simply stared around his bedroom. The lights were a comfort, chasing away the shadows and nightmares. It calmed Kyoya down like no other. To be able to see things as they were, in an objective manner, where no imagination could impede on reality.

Kyoya focused on breathing. Then on the shaking. And, finally, on completely relaxing.

He wasn't dead yet. And, according to father, there were already extra security measures put in place to keep Kyoya alive. It sounds as though his parents were using the same technique or equipment as they had with Yuuichi and his assassination scare. That was a comfort, as it had saved his big brother's life, but Kyoya couldn't help but think perhaps it wasn't enough. Did they even know who was trying to kill him?

Finally finding a question he could focus on, Kyoya sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

There were no doubt a fair number of people who felt their company's standings were threatened by his sudden overtaking of the company. As the third son, it was a huge testament to both Kyoya's abilities and his father's expectations for his future. And there were no shortages of enemies for the Ootori Group in general. People who couldn't hold up their end of a bargain and were cut loose, attempts at sabotage that were announced publicly, or even simple rival companies.

Kyoya attempted to think on it for a moment before deciding it was rather late. Perhaps tomorrow he could do his own research. There must be a few that could be ruled out automatically, such as those who wouldn't be able to afford an assassin or something of the like.

The ravenet took one last glance around the room before reaching over to the light switch by his bed, something he'd had installed a few months after that night four years ago. The room was once again thrust into darkness and he laid back, places his glasses on the stand beside him. Staring up at his dark ceiling, Kyoya squirmed under his bed-sheets. He was still… nervous.

Well, that was probably obvious. Not everyone has an unknown person out there trying to kill them. He could only imagine what would happen if the news of it was spread to his friends or those the Ootori Group worked with.

Wait.

He sat up in bed once again, turning on the light. That's what had been bugging him! The news of his brother's almost-assassination had been a whispered rumor for months! A fair few of their enemies must've heard of it! And if the people who wanted him dead also knew of it… and expected his father to react with a plan of action similar to when Yuuichi needed protecting… would they hire someone who was familiar with the counterattack and know how to get around it a second time?

Kyoya's heart was pounding once more. It made sense. There was no guarantee that someone hadn't escaped jail time that night. He wasn't supposed to, but the ravenet had seen a number of guards whispering to each other as they pointed off towards the woods… despite the two attempted assassins having already been arrested and taken to jail hours before hand.

So if someone had escaped… and knew now what Kyoya's father would do to try to stop them… Kyoya might be in more danger than they realized.

But who could it be? He hadn't noticed anything strange recent- No. Wait.

The dog.

The plane fuel.

Those… hadn't been accidents, had they?

Cursing his stupidity, Kyoya rubbed at his temples. Okay… so clearly someone had already attempted to kill him, with perhaps… less orthodox ways than one might expect. They didn't care if others got hurt, which made Kyoya's mere presence a danger to his friends and family. Ugh, he had been so careless! If Livia had shut the car door any later…

...or if she hadn't... seen that crack in the plane wing...

He froze. How had she… there was no way… unless she's known…

A sharp and burning sensation embedded it's way into Kyoya's chest, making him breathless once more. Everything suddenly made sense. Livia had been around his family for two months before the night of the shooting, and right afterwards went back to America. She never visited. Never contacted Fuyumi. And her parents never made any actual appearance. Not even a phone call.

Back then he had assumed she had heard of the shooting and was taken back home by her parents for her safety. But now...

To his complete shock, a tear developed in his left eye. He swiped at it, attempting to will up his anger and betrayal, but another tear formed regardless. It all made sense now. She was suddenly back in Japan after four years, hanging around him at the exact same time that someone wanted to kill him. And while she claimed to not like him, she still found reasons to hang around. The dog… the plane… all those times he thought she was saving his life, but now he knew she was just gaining his trust! Who else would be so calm around an attacking dog unless they'd trained it themselves? Who could've spotted a tiny crack in an airplane wing unless they knew what to look for and where?

He had trusted her…

A single tear traced its way down his cheek before he buried his face in his hands.

Um… yeah.

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