Author's note: Welcome to chapter 21, dear Reader! I know, this one's taken a mite longer than usual. The muses were not kind to me. But here it is! It's a little bit of a cliffhanger, but don't worry! You've stuck around this long, just bear with me a little longer, ok? It'll all be worth it in the end, I promise!

Triggers: Hmm... Very minor, if at all. Things get a little intense, sort of dramatic. (Not Tamaki-level dramatic, thankfully!)

As always, I own nothing and no one Ouran-related. Reviews feed the muses!

-Takashi-

Sky watched her tall friend approach through the open door, admiring his unhurried stride. She was growing nervous, but desperate not to show it. She took a deep breath and offered a surprisingly shy smile. Heat crept up her cheeks when he smiled back and tousled her hair before sitting opposite her. He cast a questioning glance her way, and she waved a hand in dismissal.

"I'm fine, nothing to worry about. Just a little...emotionally wrung out, I suppose."

Takashi nodded in understanding and patted her hand lightly. She turned her hand over and laced her fingers with his, delighted when he gave her a little squeeze. She kept her hand tucked in his for a moment, drawing comfort from his gentle grasp.

She took a deep breath and slipped the last of the ornate little boxes in his hands. Another shy smile crossed her face as he examined the scrollwork and detailed Celtic wolf design. A soft look came into his storm-cloud eyes as he traced the contours of the wolf with his fingertips. She finally found her words as he opened the box and lifted the medal from the soft velvet.

"Mo cróga láidir mac tíre. My brave, strong wolf. You're always saving me from some catastrophe or other. You've been my knight right from the beginning. I knew there was something special about you from the day after we met. Do you remember, we were walking together and Honey was on your shoulders, and we were talking about 'Peter Pan', of all things?"

A faint blush had crawled up his cheeks at the Gaelic phrase. He nodded silently, lips curving into a small smile at the memory.

"Before that day, I would have been terrified to be so close to anyone male. Especially one so tall and strong. But there was just something about you, even then. And then, um... When you saw my wrist after that wicked panic attack... I felt so weak and ashamed, but you were so sweet and compassionate. You said I was strong. I didn't believe you, of course. I wasn't, not then. If anything, you made me strong."

He started to speak, but she waved a hand. She sniffed and rubbed her eye, clearing her throat lightly before continuing. Her voice grew soft.

"When I had that nightmare, that day you guys spent the night the first time... You were so sweet. The whole thing's a little fuzzy, because I was so exhausted, but... I remember feeling so safe, just because you were holding me. And that time with the pool. You're always rescuing me, you're so gallant. I always end up in your arms somehow, and instead of being afraid, you make me feel so safe and protected. It's become my favorite place in the whole world..."

She hadn't meant to say that last part out loud, and whimpered quietly. Embarrassed, she kept her eyes locked on her hands, twisted together in her lap. She swallowed thickly and tried frantically to think of something to say, some way to change the subject.

She didn't get the chance. Takashi put his hand under her chin and gently tilted her head up, forcing her to look at him. He was blushing faintly, and a little smile graced his lips. He slid his hand up to cradle her cheek and spoke for the first time, his words low and full of feeling.

"I'll always protect you."

Sky laid her hand over his and nuzzled his palm, even as heat crawled up her cheeks. Always? A little tremor ran through her at the thought, and her heart skipped a beat. She took a deep breath, calming her nerves. Her voice was quiet but steady as she brought her free hand up to his cheek, her eyes locking on his.

"Mo mac tíre, mo anamchara, you're not just my hero. Having you in my life is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I love you, Takashi."

He stood and tugged her to her feet, curling his arm lightly around her waist to bring her closer. A tender look came into his stormy eyes, and he ran his thumb softly over her heated cheek.

"I love you too, Sky."

After the smallest hesitation, she found her courage. She leaned up and brushed her lips over his, just the briefest contact. Blushing hotly, she cast her eyes to the floor. Before she had a chance to second-guess her action, his lips were on hers again.

She gasped in shock, and then her mind switched off completely. With a tiny whimper, she wrapped her arms around him and clung tightly. He held her firmly, the hand on her cheek sliding up to curl through her rainbow locks. His lips were surprisingly soft, and almost hesitant against hers. The pounding of her heart was a dull roar in her ears.

After what could have been mere seconds, or several dreamy hours, they parted, and Sky gasped for breath. She trembled, and was vaguely grateful that his arm was still tightly around her waist. The whole room seemed to spin and take on a grayish haze. Everything went fuzzy, and she collapsed, unconscious.

-Some time later-

Sky blinked repeatedly and squinted against the bright light. With a groan, she lifted one hand to cover her eyes, only to issue a little yelp at the sudden pain in her elbow. The hell? She looked down and noticed the I.V. tube sticking out of her arm. That could only mean one thing.

She looked around quickly as her heart pounded, breath coming in short little gasps. Hospital! She had no idea how she ended up in the hospital, but she knew if she couldn't calm down, they'd bring in the dreaded sedatives. It was no use. Her eyes darted frantically, her panic ratcheting up even higher. A quiet wail fell from her lips.

"It's alright, Pixie, try to calm down."

She whipped her head up at the sound. Kyoya stood in the open doorway, slightly pale, but calm. He walked over and sat in the chair next to the bed, taking Sky's hand gently in his.

"You're alright. Just breathe."

"What, what... I... Why..."

"What happened, and why are you in the hospital?"

She nodded, unable to form a coherent sentence. Her hand gripped Kyoya's tightly, and she trembled violently. Her eyes kept darting to the doorway, fear evident in the bright blue depths. A few tears silently trailed down her cheeks. Kyoya plucked a tissue from the box on the bedside table and carefully wiped them away.

"I know how you feel about hospitals, but you've got to try to stay calm, alright? You're ok, there's nothing seriously wrong. You let your blood sugar get too low, and you fainted. When we couldn't wake you, I called an ambulance."

Sky swallowed around the lump in her throat and took a few deep breaths, trying to steady her frazzled nerves. The last thing she remembered was...was... Oh... Oh, God... She cleared her throat roughly as a mortified rush of color heated her cheeks. A low keening sound escaped as she closed her eyes tightly. As usual, Kyoya seemed to read her mind. He patted her hand lightly.

"Everyone's in the waiting room. They're all rather worried, my dear. It gave us all a very nasty fright, seeing Mori-senpai running into the house with you passed out in his arms. I've never seen him so shaken. He looked downright terrified."

-School, the next Friday-

Sky sighed quietly and laid her head on her arms. The desk wasn't the most comfortable place to rest, but she couldn't bring herself to care very much. It had been an excruciatingly long week, and she just wanted to go home.

"Pixie-chan?"

"Hey Honey."

She spoke without lifting her head. She didn't seem to have the energy to do much of anything. Even with her eyes closed, she could feel the worried look on her friend's face. She heard a chair scrape the floor, and a moment later, Honey's hand was patting her arm.

"What's the matter? Are you sick?"

"Nah. I just...haven't been sleeping well."

Honey made a quiet sound and started stroking her hair gently.

"Poor Pixie-chan. Come on, I'll take you home, so you can rest."

He gave her arm a little shake, and she finally roused herself enough to stand. Honey finally got a good look at his friend's face, and a worried frown covered his face. Sky's eyes were red-rimmed, and she had dark circles under them deep enough to hide in. He knew this was more than lack of sleep. Something big was troubling Pixie-chan, and he was determined to find out what it was.

As Sky hitched her bag over her shoulder, he grabbed her free hand and held it gently. He dug his phone out and dialed with his free hand as they walked down the hall. Sky appreciated the warmth of his hand, but barely registered the words as he spoke.

"Kyo-chan, I need to skip Club today. No, I'm fine, but Pixie-chan's not feeling so good, I'm taking her home. Yeah. Yep. No, I think I'll stay and make sure she gets some rest. Yeah, ok. I will. I'll take care of it. 'Kay, bye."

He took a few seconds to call his driver, then stuck the phone back in his pocket. He stayed quiet until they climbed into the waiting car, and he watched Sky lay her head on the back of the seat with a dejected little sigh.

"Ok Pixie-chan, I know something's bothering you. You're not just tired, you've been crying, your eyes are all red."

Sky opened her mouth, shook her head, then closed her mouth. She thought for a second, then gave a little shrug and spoke in a quiet, rough voice.

"I was going to say it's just allergies... But I can't lie to you. Just this once I wish I could."

Honey made a dissatisfied noise, but let it go until they got to Sky's house. His heart hurt for his friend as he watched her shuffle into the house and toe off her boots. He followed quietly as she dragged herself up the stairs and dumped her bag just inside her bedroom door. She sat on the edge of her bed, crumpling like a used tissue, and buried her face in her hands. He waited, but it only took a few seconds.

"I screwed up. I screwed everything up."

Her voice was low and utterly hopeless. Honey climbed up beside her and wrapped his arms around her trembling frame. She broke after a moment and put her arms around him, clinging tightly as a fresh onslaught of tears rained down.

After several long minutes, Sky's weeping tapered off into quiet sobs and sniffles. Honey stroked her hair softly while she cried, and she finally managed to force some words out, between little broken gasps and whimpers.

"I'm so... I'm so Goddamned stupid. How could I have thought... God... Can't believe I fainted...hell's wrong with me?"

A light bulb came on in Honey's mind.

"Oh... Pixie, is this about what happened with Takashi?"

A low, keening wail came from Sky, muffled against Honey's jacket.

"I'm so unbelievably stupid. He probably thinks I'm weak and pathetic now. He's been avoiding me all week, he barely even looks at me. I can't believe I screwed up so badly..."

"What? Pixie-chan, that's not it at all!"

"Don't. Just...just... I can't talk about it anymore, ok? Please, Mitsukuni?"

Her voice was so small and broken. He sniffed as he shed a few tears of his own, hurting desperately for his friend. After a moment or two, he coaxed Sky into changing into something more comfortable than her uniform, then tucked her into bed. He pulled the blanket up over her shoulders and kissed her forehead, then excused himself for a minute with a promise to be right back.

Sky could hear him speaking on the phone, but she couldn't hear the words. His tone was harsh though, he sounded angry. She wondered vaguely who he was speaking to, but that last bout of crying left her completely exhausted, and she was nearly asleep before he came back in. She barely registered him crawling into bed beside her, though her arms instinctively curled around him as she finally drifted off.

A/N again: Don't worry, dear Reader, everything will be cleared up in the next chapter. I'm sure you were expecting someone else at the hospital, but we all know that Kyoya would be the calmest in that type of situation, hm? Until next time, poppets! Remember, reviews feed the muses!