Of Wisdom and Cunning
Chapter 25
Kyoya's POV
I sat in my bedroom, staring at the wall, seeing the lovely family picture there, sort of. My father's voice running through my head. "What do you mean, my future?"
"You cannot carry on like this, the company will collapse if you do. How about I let one of your brother's over see things for a while until you can-"
"No! if you do that I'll never get it back, they'll destroy everything I worked so hard to build, Father don't you see that? they've been out get me for a while now. No you will not give them a reason to exploit this temporary down fall of mine…"
"Kyoya, you are not in your right mind-"
"Maybe I would be in if you treated me like a normal child, growing up, we would not be in this mess."
"Kyoya-"
"Yoshio-san, this is my company, I will do as I please, leave my office before I have you removed."
"Why now? why not when she left, I was much worse then." I mumbled darkly, I got no response…it's not like I was expecting one…I was completely alone. I heard the staff hustling and bustling out in the halls, cleaning and cooking, along with the other nonsense that they did. I stood up carefully and went out into the hall.
"M-master, hello! How are you today? Your breakfast is waiting for you in the main dining room." the head maid said shakily as I walked down the hall toward the dining room. "Your daughter called, you were sleeping at the time so I told her to call back later, Suoh Tamaki also called and said that he wished to speak with you about something his daughter told him, that he thought might trouble you. You have meeting with the board at one and a dinner with Master Akito and Mistress Fuyumi at three. Your sport coat is freshly laundered and pressed for the dinner, is there anything else you require?"
"Is that really my entire day?" I asked turning toward the middle aged woman, she nodded and opened the dining room doors. "Nothing else, thank you." I said sitting down at the massive table and began my day. Roughly twenty minutes later I arrived at Ootori Group's main office building.
"Good Morning , Kyoya-sama, Suoh-sama is on line two, he says it's urgent, here's the file on today's meeting and your coffee is waiting for at your desk." My busy-body assistant, Kira, said rather quickly as I stalked toward my office door. "Um, Yuiichi-sama called earlier to let you know he was joining your family dinner at three. Akito-sama also called and said that he would be a tad bit late, his son has a play date at two. Fuyumi-sama called just to check up on you. If you need anything else you know where to reach me." and with that she bowed and quickly went to her desk. I, finally I might add, entered my office and collapsed into the chair and answered Tamaki's oh-so important call.
"Ootori Kyoya…yes hello Tamaki." I said quite shortly as I picked up the phone. "No not yet this week why? Well the last time I check she and-what do you mean? What picture?" I demanded, suddenly my computer screen lit up with a new email message. I opened it and scrolled through trying to find what this buffoon was spazzing about now, I stopped when I found it. My daughter was sitting on what appeared to be a well smoothed wooden broom stick with a boy that I vaguely recognized, he was just slightly taller than Albus, his skin a tinge darker, he was more filled out than Albus as well. "what is she doing with James? She knows my thoughts on that boy." I muttered, I heard Tamaki gasp on the other end. "No, I do not think that Kyoko is cheating on Albus, I think James is merely talking to her…yes they do look quite close I know…she does trust James, like Haruhi trusted Mori, as an older brother figure of sorts. The boy protects her, when he's thinking straight….Tamaki SHUT UP!" I bellowed and heard the blonde whimper on the other end of the line. "Like I said, I'm sure it's nothing. And why exactly do you care?" and then he said the words I never thought he'd say.
"My brat of a daughter is going to let this Albus boy know about this secretive looking meeting between James and Kyoko, that's why I care." He hissed darkly, I swallowed and closed my eyes counting backwards from twenty. 19
"What does Danica have against Kyoko?" 18
"Nothing, at least to my knowledge, unless for whatever reason she sees your daughter," 17 "As a threat." 16 15
"Tamaki, from my daughter has told me, Danica has been out to get Kyoko sense she entered Hogwarts." 14 13
" I know that's why I'm worried. Because, whether or not you want to admit it, I know your daughter and she's harmless unless threatened, having that horrid mix of your and Haruhi's temper, with a blunt tongue and stubborn defiance, and her ability to wield power good enough to rival you, your daughter is quite the terror. And I told my daughter that…apparently she didn't listen." 12 11 10 9
"Tamaki, something I should tell you about my daughter….she's…a warlock. She wields more power than the Ootori name has behind it, and not all of it is as mundane as Ootori Power. Tamaki when threatened my daughter isn't just scary, she's dangerous." I explained slowly, hoping he could comprehend. Tamaki stayed silent for a minute, I glanced up at my clock, okay roughly an hour, 7 6 5 4.
"My daughter is as good as dead if she keeps up at the pace she's going…..what does she want though?" he asked thoughtfully. I furrowed my brow just as confused. 3 2 1….relax…I closed my eyes and let out a deep breath, my internal strategist flicked on processing the problem quickly.
"Did Haruhi ever talk about Kyoko while she was with you and your daughter?" I asked. Tamaki thought silently for a few minutes.
"Yes, once, when Danica was misbehaving, Haruhi smiled a sad smile at her and said "My Kyoko would never behave that way, she's always been a little angel, just like the nick name Kyoya gave her as a baby." It stunned me and angered Danica, but she never misbehaved again. But every time she and Haruhi were alone for any sort of time Danica always ended up in her room and not because Haruhi sent her there." He replied. I contemplated this information.
"So she's jealous of Kyoko….because Haruhi never recognized her as a daughter, just a girl that you happened to be living with." I stated slowly as the pieces fell into place. "Tamaki, what sort of relationship does Danica have with her mother?"
"Not a good one, they have quite a few misunderstandings when I'm there, she ran away from home last spring, that's why she was in Japan for a while, she's been going to Hogwarts for a while now, I understand. I tried to get her to go to Ouran but she flat out refused. I was more than a little insulted by that. She really doesn't get along with either of us. Why?"
"I have a hunch." Was the simple reply. "Tamaki I'm quite sorry I've other business to attend to I'll talk to you again soon," and with that I hung up, in my usual cool manner. I sent a quick email to Kyoko explaining my findings. Hopefully she'd get it within the hour, the sooner she knew about this the better. Then I reviewed the meeting files.
"Kyoya-sama….they are here." Kira's voiced chirped over the intercom forty five minutes later.
"Coming." I replied and stood, straightening out my jacket and tie.
*time break*
"Master…Welcome home!" my head maid greeted me as I walked into the entry hall of Ootori Mansion. I shrugged off my suit jacket and nodded my head in her direction wearily. "Supper is in-" I walked right past her, cutting her off with a wave of my hand.
"I've had enough food…." I muttered as I walked up the grand staircase to my bedroom. "Haruhi, Kyoko, Daddy's home." I yelled playfully to my empty home.
"Kyoya, it's just me-"
"I was kidding Father relax." I hissed affectively cutting off the snide old man. "Have a sense of Humor once and a while, it does wonders. See I laughed, I laugh all the time, and cry…and I'm nearly forty and not a single wrinkle….you on the other hand-"
"You're drunk." Father said sharply.
"A little, the clones…they-their worse, I swear." I replied, gesturing to the air.
"The clones?"
"My brothers, their clones, I swear I'm the only man with an ounce of personality in this whole damn Family, even Shido-san is a robot." I slumped against the wall.
"So they got you drunk….interesting, I wonder why." He said his brows furrowing in concentration.
"Hah, they finally broke!" I exclaimed as my glasses shattered on the floor beneath me.
"Kyoya how did you glasses get on the floor?" Akito asked stumbling up behind me, "Oh, you've broken them…good for you." He said wrapping an arm around me.
"get your uncreative arm off me!" I growled pushing him away just as Yuiichi decided to come over and ruffle my hair.
"Ha! Akito-chan, Kyoya-chan is funny when he's drunk, is he not." He asked. Akito was still befuddled by my glasses.
"Answer my question little brother." He said squatting in front of my glasses now.
"They fell off my nose and broke, I don't know how or why but they did." I replied struggling with my eldest brother.
"Kyoya-chan, give your favorite big brother a hug, come on, I won't bite. I promise." Yuiichi whined as I pushed him away as well, finally. I saw my brother-in-law and ran to him with a sneaky smile.
"Okay, Shido-san!" I yelled and tackled him quite fiercely into a hug. We both fell to the ground, be quite honest, he looked a little stunned.
"W-what just happened?" he asked shakily. I giggled like a fool.
"Nii-san told me to give my favorite big brother a hug, so I did." I whispered playfully. Shido-san blushed, and three Ootori men burst into a ruckus of laughter. I think, now it may have been the alcohol, but I'm pretty sure I saw Father crack a smile.
"Alright all four of you bed, now, and no complaints tomorrow understood?" Father said pulling me and Shido-san up. I sniffled, Akito and Yuiichi pouted, Shido-san looked oddly over joyed at the idea.
"Daddy…" I said cautiously, Father froze at his study door. Akito and Yuiichi were already showing Shido-san to a room her could sleep in. "W-will you tuck me in?" I asked quietly looking down at my shoes. I looked back up and saw that he had turned to look at me, his face held cold indifference.
"Why on earth would I waste my time doing that, you're a grown man you can see yourself off to bed. You've been doing it for years." He snapped in reply. I bit my lip and looked away, feeling tears fill my eyes.
"W-well, Tamaki, and the Twins said that their parents always tucked them in when they were younger….I-I just wanted to know…never mind it was a stupid idea, good night Father." I said quickly walked to my room, wiping away tears as I went. I laid down in bed after going through my usual night time routine, tears threatened to spill again but for a different reason, I was completely alone here, no one in this house loved me the way my wife and daughter did, do. I don't even think they do love me, nothing binds us but DNA. I heard the door creak open.
"Kyoya?" it was Shido-san, I think the last time he snuck in to my room was when he and Fuyumi had been out a little too late and were afraid to go past Father's room to reach her's. "May I come in?" he asked carefully.
"Yeah." I croaked, and buried my face in my pillow. "Is Sister with you this time?" I asked hopefully. I managed to make out that he shook his head no. "Oh, then what to do you want?"
He froze and then sat on my bed, "You've never been tucked in by your parents?" he asked, I shook my head. "Well it goes a little something like this…uh, hmm, you don't have any children's books in here do you?"
"Why would I? Oh, wait, check that shelf." I pointed to Haruhi's books. He pulled one down a began reading it to me, I was to intoxicated to remember which story it was.
"And then, when Mothers and Fathers are done with the story, they would pull the blankets up around you, so you won't get cold, Mothers might kiss your forehead, some Fathers might to. I won't, that would be weird, and then they something along the lines of Good night, I love you, and leave the room." he finished standing up, I grabbed his wrist as he made to leave.
"Why did you do that?" I mumbled, he brushed my hair out of my eyes and smiled.
"I felt like your sister would want you to know." He whispered and left the room. I didn't feel any better. I sighed and rolled over and closed my eyes.
"Thank you…" I muttered before falling asleep.