"Amaya?"
Takashi lifted his sleepy head to find himself in a hospital bed. The sun was just beginning to shine through the window. He rubbed his eyes and looked around the room. No one was there.
I must have been dreaming, he thought. He took in his surroundings, noticing the gauze taped to his arm. He slowly peeled it back, finding that it protected fifteen, no, sixteen perfect black stitches. What a scar that would turn into. It would be his third from a katana blade.
Mitsukuni bounded into the room, hopping on his bed. "Takashi! You're finally awake!" he exclaimed. "Do you remember what happened yesterday?"
Takashi taped the gauze back down and thought for a moment. "I remember when I was wounded," he said, assessing the situation in hindsight. He put his head in his hands and groaned. "I should have listened to Amaya."
"She did tell you it was worse than you thought," Mitsukuni told him. "You lost a lot of blood yesterday...enough to require a transfusion."
"Did I say anything embarrassing?"
"Father said that the car ride was...uncomfortable."
Takashi sighed heavily. "Where is she?"
"She went home. She was here until late last night."
Takashi sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He hated making her worry.
"She likes you a lot," Mitsukuni noted. Takashi could see that his friend was hinting towards a deeper conversation.
"I know."
"Do you love her?"
Mitsukuni's words caught him off guard. Takashi frowned at his small friend, imploring him silently to stop this conversation. Mitsukuni was usually this forward when they were alone together, so the question didn't necessarily surprise him. However, this was a conversation he did not want to be having after waking up in a hospital bed.
"Yes," he said after a long pause.
"Are you going to act on those feelings?" Obviously, Mitsukuni wasn't getting the message that the conversation was unwelcome.
Here was the question that convoluted everything. He did not want to drive a wedge between his own family and the Haninozuka family, even if he loved the girl. Mitsukuni would tell him it was okay, but Takashi wasn't yet able to cause his best friend that much pain, either. Mitsukuni and Yorihisa had a good relationship. Yorihisa was excessively proud of his firstborn son, yet Amaya's presence ripped through that pride with shame that was like a dark smear. Takashi was sure that the pressure on Mitsukuni was difficult to bear.
"No. Not yet."
"We're graduating soon, Takashi. Do you think she'll wait for us to be family heads?"
"That is a long time to ask someone to wait," he said with another exasperated sigh.
"Are you going to break her heart?" Mitsukuni asked quietly, soliciting Takashi's response with his large, golden-brown eyes.
Here was another question that made Takashi question himself. If he chose his family, he knew he would hurt her. In his three years of high school, he had turned down many girls at Ouran, crushing their dreams. Not many girls could compare with the love that Takashi had for Mitsukuni, but Amaya came damn close. Takashi knew that if he turned her away, he would also be breaking his own heart.
Is this truly the only option? he asked himself. No matter what choice he made, he knew he would feel regret.
"Takashi?" Mitsukuni pulled him out of his thoughts. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to," he said. "But consider your own heart, too."
Takashi could never understand how Mitsukuni read him so well, but he was glad to have his best friend at his side.
"Mitsukuni," Takashi began, wondering what his friend thought about the situation, "she's your sister."
"I can't believe father hid her for so long," Mitsukuni stated harshly. "It's sickening."
Very rarely was Mitsukuni so objective about his dislike for something, and every time he spoke out like this he surprised Takashi.
"Your father is honorable," Takashi replied, not willing to speak ill about Yorihisa. "There is something about the situation that he is hiding."
"He's not helping himself by hiding it," retorted Mitsukuni. "He's only succeeding in pushing her, and me, away."
"You can confront him."
Mitsukuni looked toward his toes, swinging his feet back and forth over the edge of the bed. "If I do, it has to be a fight."
"You wouldn't lose."
"No, but how different would that be than forcing his hand? If my father comes clean about what happened so many years ago, he needs to do it of his own accord. That's the only way he'll overcome his shame."
Once again, Takashi's small friend showed his maturity despite his child-like appearance.
Before they could continue their conversation, a familiar face came into view and knocked on the open doorway.
"Mind if I come in?" Kyoya stood at the door with a bright twinkle in his eye.
"Of course Kyo-chan!"
"I have some interesting news that I'd like to share with you two," he began.
8 hours earlier...
"The cafeteria will be closing soon," came a voice at the door. "You might want something to eat. I also brought you some extra clothes...I'm sure it's not comfortable wearing a dress covered in dried blood, even if it is Mori-senpai's." Amaya turned from her perch near Takashi's bed, finding Kyoya standing at the door.
"How did you...?" she began.
"It's my family's hospital," he responded. "I know what happens here."
Amaya gave him an unconvinced look.
"Fine," he said. "Honey called me. I do have after hours access though."
"Are you here to tell me something else about my family that I don't know?" she asked him obtusely. She had always gotten the feeling that Kyoya knew more than he let on, especially when it came to her family. At times like these, she resented him for it.
"Maybe," he said calmly. "But Takashi is my friend, too. I wanted to make sure it wasn't worse than in the reports. Thank you for taking care of him." Kyoya looked at his watch. "Come on, you should get food before they stop serving for the evening. He's not going to wake up soon."
Amaya thanked him hesitantly, suspicious of his kindness toward her. He knew something that she didn't, and he was going to make sure the news was delivered in the most lucrative way possible. Nevertheless, she made her way down the hall and changed into the clothes he brought her before joining him in the cafeteria. She ordered the onigiri and sat down at one of the tables to eat.
"So, what news are you going to break about my father this time?" she asked him.
"We're on the same page as far as he goes," he said.
"The Morinozuka family, then," she stated, trying to figure out what he was after.
"Not this time," he replied blithely, "although I've heard that Akira-sama has taken quite the liking to you."
"He's more cordial than my own father." She took a bite of her onigiri, surprised at how ravenous she was. "Don't change the subject," she said with a full mouth. "You're hiding secrets."
Kyoya sighed and glanced at his watch. "I'm not hiding anything," he said. Amaya didn't believe him. "I'm simply ensuring that my friends are taken care of."
Amaya paused mid-chew, narrowing her eyes. She sensed a double meaning behind his words. For once, his intentions seemed pure, but there was definitely more to the situation.
She registered footsteps near the entrance of the cafeteria. Both she and Kyoya looked toward the new visitor. Amaya quickly recognized the woman from earlier who had asked about her ring. Kyoya seemed to know her and stood up to greet her.
"Good evening, Nagasaka-sama," he began. "I hope your stay in the hospital has been comfortable so far."
"It has been pleasant," she said. "My husband is recovering just fine, thanks to the care of your doctors."
"We do take pride in employing our nation's top doctors," he responded with an award-winning smile.
"I was hoping to find something to eat before the cafeteria closes," she said. "Would you mind if I join you?"
"It would be our pleasure," Kyoya responded.
The woman placed her order, returning to the table with a bento box.
"Ah, we met earlier," the woman said, greeting Amaya as she sat at the table. "You're the girl with the incredible ring. I can't stop thinking about it!"
Amaya slipped the ring off of her finger and traced around the filigree. It was a beautiful piece of jewelry.
"Emiko Nagasaka and her husband Shion are two of the top jewelers in Japan," Kyoya explained.
"My husband specializes in filigree," Emiko continued. "Your ring has many similarities to a ring my husband custom made many years ago, before we were married. Not many jewelers in the world can filigree such a tight design as that one. Do you mind if I ask what jeweler made it?"
"To be honest, I don't know. I'm not sure where my mother got it from. I assumed it was a family heirloom, but she never spoke about her family before she died."
"Well, if you want to know, my husband could appraise it for you after he fully recovers."
"Your ring would be quite safe with them," Kyoya piped in, a little too eagerly for Amaya's liking.
Amaya slipped the ring off of her finger and handed it to Emiko, curious herself. It was a long shot, but perhaps she might find out some interesting information about the Matsura family. The older woman studied the ring again before pulling a ring box from her purse and tucking the rubied band safely inside.
"I'll do what I can," she said finally.
Amaya finished the last few bites of her onigiri while Kyoya and Emiko exchanged pleasantries and small talk. Her hand felt naked without her ring. She excused herself after a few more minutes and left the two to converse as she made her way back to Takashi's room.
He was still sleeping, but she pulled her chair closer to his bed and took his hand in her own. His long fingers were warm. She absentmindedly began tracing the veins in his hands up his forearm and back down, meditating on the constant pulse that drove blood to his extremities.
She wondered why her mother had never spoken of her own family. Amaya grew up without a father, without siblings, and without extended family. Grandparents weren't a part of her life, nor aunts, nor uncles, nor cousins. She thought of how tightly knit the Haninozuka and Morinozuka families were, and a wave of sadness passed over her.
"It doesn't make any sense, Takashi!" she exclaimed. "Why can't I have a normal family. A mother and a father...brothers and sisters. Why did all of that get taken away from me? What's even worse, all of this bars me from you, too. Why does family have to play such a significant role here?" Even in modern Eastern culture, independence wasn't as highly regarded as it was in the United States. She felt the weight of being without a family much more here than she ever had in California.
Her thoughts turned to another subject: Takashi. She thought back to the many instances of Takashi's kindness toward her in the past few months, the comments he made, the subtle looks, and the deep conversations. She finally admitted to herself that Takashi returned her feelings. With his actions, there was no denying it. But, he would have to be the one to act on those feelings because of his own position within his family in relation to hers, and the uncertainty of such an action on his part made her apprehensive. She knew that if he didn't act, she would have to, and the results could be disastrous.
"If you care about me, Takashi, don't make me wait to hear it."
She put her head down on the side of the bed and closed her eyes as fatigue began to overtake her. It had been a long day, but she still did not yet want to leave Takashi's side.
Moments passed and Amaya began dozing off. When she awoke, she found her fingers still entwined with his.
"Let me give you a ride home. It's late."
Amaya was too tired to be startled by Kyoya's voice behind her. She let go of Takashi's hand and glanced at the clock. It was well past midnight, and she had stayed at the hospital longer than she intended.
With Kyoya watching, she leaned down and kissed Takashi's forehead gently before leaving the room.
A few moments after the door closed, Takashi mumbled her name in his sleep.
"Hah!"
"Kyah!"
"Hyuh!"
Amaya's kiais echoed around the empty dojo, punctuated by his own as Takashi threw punches and kicks toward her, trying to catch her off guard.
Amaya was steadily improving at a faster rate than Takashi had expected. Although he was still stronger than her, she had almost overtaken him in speed.
About a month had passed since the Ouran Festival and his overnight in the hospital, and while things with Amaya were back to normal, it was only a matter of time before they would change again. Kyoya had dropped a massive bomb in the hospital that had everything to do with Amaya, and it had taken Takashi and Mitsukuni a while to wrap their heads around the situation. Parts of it still didn't make sense, and Kyoya implored them to keep the information a secret until he could fully work out the details. As much as Takashi didn't want to admit that it changed the way he interacted with Amaya, it had. He had no loss of love for her, but he hated keeping secrets from her.
She threw a wheel kick at him. He blocked it but grunted at the impact, impressed once again by the strength that this girl possessed. Before she could pull it back, however, he twisted his hands and formed an arm lock around her shin, twisting and pulling her off balance and over. She anticipated and jumped, swinging her other leg up and into a modified crescent kick. Takashi leaned backwards to avoid the kick and let go of her, getting his hand up just in time to block a punch that she was following with as her first foot touched the ground.
Her momentum was still moving in the direction of the kick, so he moved in behind her and swept her unbalanced foot off of the ground, taking her down to grapple. He straddled her and pinned her arms down, but she was quick enough to avoid the pin and shoved her left hand against his knee while pushing her right against the inside of his elbow to break his guard. Without a balanced position, he faltered and crashed through the short distance, falling on top of her. She used all of her might to flip him onto his back, staying low to the ground in an effort to keep the upper hand. She quickly got into the perfect position to execute an armbar, but Takashi saw it coming. As she swung her legs into position with his arm locked over it, he followed, bending at the elbow to prevent the pressure at his joint. In a second, he was behind her and had her in a headlock. Normally, this was a position he wouldn't have been able to afford, but he utilized the fact that his limbs were much longer than hers in order to leverage an upper hand.
She tapped out.
"Ah!" she exclaimed, clearly frustrated. "I was so sure I had you on that one!"
"Close," he responded, breathing heavily. "I only got out of that one because I'm taller than you."
"That's really not fair," she said haughtily.
"Mitsukuni could teach you how to use your stature to your advantage," he responded lightly. He stood up and reached his long limbs out toward the sky, yawning. "We'll stretch before we're done today. You should find an Onsen and relax tonight."
"Why?"
"Exams."
"Oh, right," she said, beginning to stretch out her hamstrings.
Those in Class 3 who wished to attend Ouran University had their internal exam in the coming days.
"Are you planning on going to Ouran University, or did you take the exams to study abroad?" she asked him.
"Ouran University. I have to start learning the family business, too, so I need to remain close to home."
Takashi was mildly surprised by her question. He thought she knew. Normally, Ouran High School fed straight into the University. It was as prestigious as the high school. Because the high school already presented its own exams, students didn't have to take the national exams to be accepted. However, some of the students opted to go abroad for their college years to Ivy League schools-Cambridge, Stanford, and the like.
"What are you planning on studying?" Takashi asked. He actually had very little idea what Amaya wanted to do with her life.
"I don't know," she sighed. "I've already been offered a scholarship if my test scores are high enough, but given the state of things, I'm not even certain that I should pursue University right now. Perhaps Ouran wasn't meant to be my future."
Takashi was perplexed by her answer. She was smart, passionate about her school work and her extra curricular activities, and had so much potential to be great at anything she did.
"Let's be honest, Takashi," she continued, furrowing her brows in frustration as she did a lunge. "I don't have any ties to Tokyo. I don't have any family here, and I can't stay with Tomiju forever."
"A university degree would be worth it regardless," he stated. "And besides, the Host Club will still be here," he said, trying to reassure her. A complete disappearance from Ouran would be difficult for the entire club, let alone for him, to accept. I'll still be here, he thought.
Amaya read between the lines.
"You're sweet, Takashi, but I'm not going to interfere with your future, either. High school has been nice, but we both know our relationship can't continue after here." She said the words in a matter-of-fact way, but he could tell that she was trying incredibly hard not to choke on them.
He looked down, guilt pouring over him. Takashi didn't know how to fight for her to stay, because he knew he would just be drawing out their feelings for one another if he did. His options flashed through his head and almost made him flinch, like they always did. He could forsake his family, or he could forget Amaya, and he didn't have the option of not choosing. If only he had more time! He hoped that the information Kyoya had shared with him would be enough to keep her in Tokyo, at least. If it did, he could try to change things later when he became the head of his own family. That was the best plan so far, but he still wasn't confident in it.
"It may just be better for me to leave," she finally said. "I'll take some time off and apply to University next year, perhaps in the states."
Takashi stood from stretching and opened the doors of the dojo, not knowing how to answer her. A cold breeze entered the building and he turned to see Amaya standing near him.
"It's better if I leave here, isn't it?" She said the words as a statement rather than a question.
He only looked at her with sadness filling his dark irises. "I don't know," he said, ashamed that these were the only words he could find.
They stood in silence for a few moments. "It's okay, Takashi," she said quietly, clearly disappointed by his answer. For a moment it looked like she was about to say something else, but instead she changed the subject.
"I heard there's another tournament coming up at the end of the school year, hosted by the Haninozuka family," she said brightly. It was true. The Haninozuka's were replacing their involvement with the Tokyo City Martial Arts Tournament with a tournament of their own. Amaya continued. "We have the rest of the winter and the spring. I was thinking that we could start focusing on some weapons techniques so I can be prepared!"
Takashi's heart fell. The grin on Amaya's face faltered when she saw him hesitate.
"It's an all male tournament," he said hesitantly.
"Oh, of course it is." She picked up her bag. "Still, we should still start with weapons tomorrow." Without giving him a chance to respond, she walked out of the dojo and into the wind.
Takashi was bothered by their conversation. He stood at the door of the dojo watching Amaya. He wondered if when the time came, he could ever forgive himself for letting her walk away.
As he stood watching her disappear, his phone began to ring. It was Tamaki.
"Mori-senpai! We have special guests coming to the Host Club today, so please get here without delay! These guests were quite unexpected, so we have to hurry to prepare."
The wind whipped Amaya's ponytail around as she left the dojo. She was discouraged by her conversation with Takashi and upset by his lack of responses. She made her way toward classroom 3-A to pick up her bag of school books before leaving for the day.
She found the classroom empty save for Haruhi, who was standing near the window and looking out over the courtyard.
"Hey Haruhi, what are you doing here?"
"I came to find you. We have special guests at the Host Club today, so Kyoya told me to make sure you came looking your best."
Amaya knew she looked disheveled. Hair was falling every which way about her face from the wind, and her ponytail was lopsided. She sighed heavily.
"I'll shower and be over in a bit," she said. "Did Kyoya mention why I have to be there?" She didn't want to go to the Host Club today, especially after her conversation with Takashi. She needed time to process what had happened, but it didn't look like she was going to get it.
"No...he just said there would be consequences if you didn't show up."
"Oh. Well for your sake I'll be there," she replied. The two girls made eye contact, sharing the same distaste for the uncalled for extravagance that normally occurred behind the doors of the Third Music Room.
Amaya wandered back to the girls' locker room and showered, dwelling on Takashi as she rinsed the stale sweat from her hair.
She didn't know when she had fallen in love with him, but she admitted it to herself now. Her feelings for him were much more than just attraction and love for their friendship. Recently though, every time she spoke with him, trained with him, or interacted with him, there was mild tension. In fact, ever since his stay in the hospital, she felt that there was distance between them and she wasn't sure why. With graduation impending, they were both holding back from one another and that the friendship they had built was beginning to crumble. It burned her up knowing that she couldn't do anything about it, and she desperately wished he would say something.
She put her uniform back on and braided her hair into one long, single french braid, the way her mother used to style her own hair. She searched through her bag for her ring, glad to have it back in her possession. It had been returned to her after a couple of weeks in Emiko's hands, but with no new information as to who her mother had been. However, she did find out that the ring was a true ruby and was worth quite a sum, so she was still curious as to where her mother had acquired such a thing.
Finally ready, she made her way to the Host Club.
She pushed open the door to the Third Music Room, rose petals and the sweet scent of cake greeting her per usual. This time, however, the room was devoid of other customers and the Host Club members weren't dressed in themed attire. They didn't even notice her enter, and were instead seated around an elderly couple who were laughing and sipping on their tea.
"You've picked out the finest china! I'm impressed that this school has such a tasteful club," the woman said.
"We commissioned the designs ourselves," Hikaru said.
"It's one of a kind," followed Kaoru.
"Would you like some cake?" Honey asked. "We have chocolate, red velvet, and carrot cakes today."
"No, thank you, but I would take another cup of this oolong," the gentleman said. Takashi stood and completed the request.
Amaya cleared her throat. "Excuse me," she said.
"Ah, you're here," Kyoya began, turning his head as if he just noticed her. Before he could continue, the jarring sound of a teacup crashing to the floor broke through the chatter and silence fell over the entire group. Amaya glanced toward the source of the sound. The gentleman was staring at her open mouthed. His teacup had slipped from his hand and had shattered on the floor. The woman's face had turned white, as if she was seeing a ghost.
After a few agonizing moments of silence, he found his voice.
"K-Kazu?" he asked.
Amaya's eyes went wide. It was her turn to freeze out of shock and confusion.
"Kazunomiya?" he asked a second time.
"How do you know that name?" Amaya whispered.
"Kazunomiya is my daughter," he replied. His hands were visibly shaking.
Amaya's brain whirred a million miles per minute. Dare she believe what was happening?
"Kazunomiya," she said slowly, "was my mother."
The gentleman caught the meaning in her words. "Was?" he asked, almost choking.
"She passed away, a little over a year ago," Amaya said softly. She felt something wet on her face. Tears had appeared out of nowhere.
"No..." breathed the woman, and she, too, began to cry.
For a moment no one in the room moved. Finally Honey gathered up his courage to break the silence.
"Don't cry," he said sweetly, "Your daughter raised a beautiful and lovely daughter of her own. Don't you want to get to know her?"
Amaya stepped closer to the couch that her grandparents were sitting on and knelt in front of them.
"Grandmother? Grandfather?" she asked, eyes bright with excitement and hope, "I'm Amaya Matsura. I want to be a part of your family...a part of the Matsura family."
Her grandparents glanced at each other suddenly. "Matsura..." they said together, as if they were unfamiliar with the name.
Amaya looked quickly to Mitsukuni and Takashi, suddenly confused. She always assumed her surname was her mother's maiden name. She looked back to her grandparents, suddenly noticing the crests on their clothing. No... she thought. She quickly removed her ring and compared it to the crest, all the comments, hints, and similarities about the piece of jewelry flooding back into her mind.
"No..." she repeated aloud, holding the ring in front of her. "It can't be. My mother was a Tokugawa?"
"And you are a Tokugawa," replied her grandfather slowly, letting the weight of the words sink over her. "We gave your mother that ring as a gift upon her betrothal. It is a family heirloom."
Amaya was speechless, trying to take in all of this information and what it meant for her.
"You...you want me?" she asked, incredulous. At this point, tears were streaming down her face. At her words, Honey and Takashi exchanged glances, both ashamed that theirs could not be the family to welcome her.
"Of course," her grandmother whispered. "We were so distraught when Kazu ran away. When Kyoya-san told us that he may have located a granddaughter, we were overjoyed at the thought of a reunion with our own daughter. But it seems we waited much too long. We pushed her away and never got a chance to ask for her forgiveness. Will you forgive us?"
Amaya turned to look at Kyoya. Too emotional to be angry at him for hiding the knowledge from her for the past few weeks. She mouthed the words "thank you," at him before turning back to address her grandparents.
"There is nothing to forgive. I am just happy to have found you."
"We have so many questions," her grandmother said, relief flooding her face.
"I have so many questions..." Amaya breathed, wiping tears from her eyes.
"And we have all the time in the world for them," her grandfather said, picking her up off the floor and pulling her into a secure embrace.
A/N: Woooooo! Update! Finally! Thanks for your patience, reviews, likes, favorites, all of that stuff. I loved reading the reviews on the last chapter-shoutout to Shortie87 for calling it! Yes, the ring had been in the works to be a Tokugawa heirloom from the beginning. It only made sense to me that Amaya was descended from a strong Shogun family, and I really want to explore the power play between the Tokugawas and the Haninozukas.
Thanks to T'Mu-Yor, Mamabug, Cristi-anitaXD, pessimisticiguana, Shortie87, angelvoice15, lightlovebunny, and all the guests for the reviews.
To answer lightlovebunny's question, and so you all know what's in store next, I am planning on continuing the story slightly past the end of the manga with an epilogue and maybe a few future one-shots here and there. I'm also taking a bunch of liberties in terms of where the anime and manga crossover-while the beginning of Amaya's story followed closer to the anime I'm planning to move into the graduation phase of the manga and beyond.
Once again, I seriously apologize for delays in posting chapters, but I am totally committed to finishing this story so please be patient with me!