"Dad! Mom!" Kana leapt out of bed at the sight of her parents' faces in the doorway. Her twisted ankle protested sharply, but it only took two hops to reach them. They didn't say a word in response, just grabbed and held her tightly in a hug between them. Her shoulder was stuck in an awkward angle and it was hard to breathe, but she didn't care. They were home. They were safe.
"I was so worried about you!" Kana's words were muffled from pressing her face into her father's shirt.
He let out a surprised chuckle. "You were worried about us?"
"Of course I was! You could have been in real danger, and I didn't hear anything from you, so I thought...I thought..." Kana trailed off, not quite bringing herself to say it.
"Young lady, do I need to remind you which of the three of us has taken a ride in an ambulance today?" Her mother said in a mock-scolding tone.
Kana sighed. "I know...I'm really sorry. I never meant for you to worry about me. I thought I could take care of myself..."
Anna and Kyon glanced at each other, sharing a pained look.
"A-hem..." The nurse coughed politely behind them. Sheepishly, the family of three parted, only for Kana to realize she had been balancing precariously on one foot, and she waved her arms awkwardly for a few moments before Kyon caught on and steadied her against him. The nurse smiled. "As I was about to say, Kasuga-chan does need to keep her ankle elevated as much as possible over the next few days...and I would not advise putting weight on it until the swelling subsides." She gestured to a wheelchair in the corner. "If you are ready to leave, it might be best for you to have a seat in this."
"Leave?" Kana looked at her parents, and the nurse, hopefully.
Her mother nodded.
"Come on, sweetheart. Let's take you home."
That evening, once Kana was settled into bed with her leg propped up, and Flick nestled happily in the crook of her neck, her mother sat at the edge of her bed, looking thoughtful. Kyon hovered in the doorway a moment, but at a glance from his wife, came in and sat down on a stool beside her. It was too short for him, so his knees came up almost to his chest. Kana would have laughed, but her father's face looked serious.
"Kana..." He ran a large hand through his hair and sighed. "I'm sorry." He tried to laugh, but it came out a little strangely, and his eyes were glistening. "I'm...I don't know what else to say..." He trailed off, putting his head in his hands, hiding his eyes from his wife and daughter.
Anna reached out to rub his shoulders. "We both owe you an apology, Kana. You needed us, and we weren't here. As your parents, there is no excuse for that."
Kana opened her mouth to protest, to tell them what she'd been telling herself for years, that their work was important...but the intensity in her mother's gaze stopped her.
"No excuse. No matter what work we're doing."
Kyon recovered his voice, borrowing from his wife's strength. "When you become a parent, you are making a choice...to raise, nurture, and protect another human being. Because it's a choice, there is no excuse for neglect. And Kana...we've neglected you."
"What?! No! You...you guys are great parents...you..." Kana said the words, and believed them, but a lump formed in her throat and she trailed off.
Anna smiled gently at her daughter. "Part of being 'great' parents is acknowledging when we've done wrong, especially by you. And we have. We've left you alone too much, and you got hurt-"
"That's not your fault! If I hadn't...!" Images of her argument with Mori flashed through her mind, of her stubbornness in insisting she could do everything by herself, in pushing away people who could have helped her, including the staff her parents put in place for exactly that reason-
Her father reached over to take her hand. "We can talk about what you could have done differently later. But you need to know, even if you hadn't gotten hurt, we've still neglected you." He took a deep breath, smiling a little, though his eyes were still wet. "I'm just sorry that's what it took for us to realize it."
Kana looked into each of her parents' faces. Something in their expressions made her heart hurt. She wished they would stop looking at her like that, with so much raw emotion. She wished her father would make a joke about putting meat on her bones and that her mother would tease her about visiting the host club, which she surely knew about by now. But they both just sat there, her father holding her hand, and her mother patting her leg, and Kana felt her eyes begin to sting.
"I slept in your bed," she whispered. It wasn't what she'd meant to say. The words started bubbling out. "I called you, over and over, and listened to the phone ring out. I didn't know where you were, what you were doing, if you were safe-" she choked as the words spilled out, louder than she expected, and was surprised that her face was already wet- "but even that was better than boarding school! Even that was better than-" Than having the girls in my bunk cut up all my extra clothes, than dumping my pillow in the toilet so I had to sleep without one, than being surrounded night and day by people who hate me so I just preferred to be alone-She had never told her parents just how bad it had been. She simply begged to return to Japan, and they asked no questions. Sometimes she wished they had.
She was crying openly, now, and both her parents had enveloped her in a warm hug, leaning across her bed. Her mother made soothing noises in her ear.
Her father mumbled something that sounded like, "Never again."
Kana took a shuddering breath as the words washed over her. Please.
Only a few days later, her ankle healed well enough for her to insist on going back to school. She could move around the house fairly adeptly on her crutches, and was not needing to spend as much time with her foot elevated as she had been. Her parents were reluctant, if only to let her out of their sight, but they relented when she told them how she missed her friends who had come to her rescue.
"Bring them here, sometime, Kana. We'd love to meet them..." Her mother waggled her eyebrows in an extremely embarrassing way. Since their talk that first night, Kana had worried things would be awkward with her parents, that they would start being too careful around her...but it seemed like they were both determined to be even more relentlessly affectionate. She smiled. And rolled her eyes.
"I'm off to work!" Kyon announced cheerily.
"How...long will you be gone?" The question was automatic, and Kana stumbled over it a little. Things were supposed to be different, but-
"Three days exactly. Fewer if I can weasel out of some meetings."
"Have fun, dear." Anna kissed him, handing him his carry-on.
Kana looked between the two of them, confused. "Wait...you aren't going with him?"
Anna shrugged. "Not this time. I have plenty to do around here. I'll have a few meetings today while you're in school, and in the evening, I'll be home to spy on you if you bring home any boys!" She said the last part as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Kana sweat-dropped.
Her father kissed her head. "And, I have a present for you." Kyon knelt in front of her, eyes twinkling, and held out a gift bag in her direction.
Taken aback, Kana opened the bag tentatively, and found a small black cell phone inside. She smiled awkwardly. "Well...Dad...thank you, but I already have a cell phone..."
He laughed, seeming amused by her confusion. "Ah, but you don't have one like this!" He winked, reached into his pocket, and pulled out another phone, identical to the one in her bag. "These phones have a special secure connection. They aren't for regular use. But..." He smiled warmly. "It means I can talk with you and mom, every night I'm away."
Kana grinned, and hugged him with all her strength.
"Why...are you here?" Kana stared blankly into Kyouya's smiling face. He held the door open for her in a limo which his family had, apparently, sent to pick her up today.
"I'm just here to ensure you have a warm introduction to your new security detail, Kana-hime. Please, have a seat." He continued to smile as he helped her into the car, and handed her crutches over to one of the...security detail?
There was a small host of men and women in black combat suits surrounding the limo, and getting into different compartments once they were seated, but Kana assumed this entourage following Kyouya was for show. He seemed to like being intimidating. "Wait...what do you mean 'my' security detail?" She looked suspiciously after a man who had taken her crutches into one of the rear compartments.
Kyouya blinked at her. "Exactly as I said. These fine men and women are your new security detail. I thought you'd like to meet them in person on their first day. Don't worry...I selected them all myself from my family's finest." He smirked, seating himself across from her before the car began to roll.
Kana twitched. "I thought...your family was in the health industry?" She laughed nervously.
"We are..." He leaned forward, giving her a half-lidded gaze that was more than a little creepy. "I would say that providing you with armed guards is definitely within the realm of protecting your health, wouldn't you say?" He chuckled. "How's that ankle, by the way?"
"Uhh..." I'm...I'm so glad I'm not on his bad side. At least I don't think I am. I'm not, am I?! "It was just a sprain, and the swelling's gone down considerably. I can get around just fine with the crutches, and...the school is letting me wear flats this week!" She was nearly giddy about wearing comfortable shoes. It was almost enough to tempt her to sprain her ankle once a month. Almost.
Kyouya raised his eyebrows. "And, have you spoken with Mori-sempai since...?" His tone suggested he knew perfectly well she hadn't.
"Well, I..." Kana blushed. "It's not like...like I have his phone number or anything..."
"Hm. It might be easier to continue your tutoring if you have that." He said it expressionlessly, but Kana gulped.
"I...hadn't been thinking about tutoring..."
Kyouya smirked. "Or Japanese History, I imagine? You know, while the teacher will likely give you some extended grace due to your absence, this will only put you further behind. You should probably double your studying efforts."
Kana squinted at him. "Why do you even care about this?"
Kyouya sighed, pushing his glasses up irritably. "Mori-sempai...has been skipping club activities recently."
"What?!" Kana leaned forward, suddenly worried.
"The guests are concerned for him...and frankly, for you. You must know they've begun to...root for you two." He looked at her like he was stating the obvious.
Kana's mouth opened and closed. Like a fish.
He arched an eyebrow. "Hm. Apparently not. It was an experiment I'd wanted to try for awhile...Renge has advised me that girls today are very into the business of "shipping", and suggested exploiting this might raise our profits. It seemed to be working, but now..." He shook his head. "Well, the bottom line is, I want you to talk with Mori-sempai. See if you can get him to return to his hosting duties."
Kana was still stuck on trying to understand the word "shipping". Boats?
"Ah, here we are." As Kyouya began gathering his books, Kana noticed the car was coming to a stop in front of the school gate.
One of the 'security detail' came to help her out of the car. "Welcome to school, Kasuga-chan! My name is Rina. I'll be the head of your security team." She smiled. "Don't worry, we'll stay out of your way, but I have something to show you on that phone your father gave you this morning."
Perplexed, Kana pulled the phone out of her bag, and watched as Rina turned the phone over, indicating an orange button. "Keep this with you at all times. If you run into trouble, just press this button and hold it. That will alert us and we'll converge on your location. It slides to unlock the button, so you can't accidentally set it off."
Rina handed the phone back, and Kana gingerly placed it back in her bag. Despite the woman's reassurance, she felt a little more cautious about touching it.
"Max will still be coming to pick you up from school. Nothing in your day-to-day will change unless you need it to." Rina bowed. "Ootori-sama just thought you'd appreciate having a face you could recognize if you do need our help."
Kana blinked a few times, then smiled. She glanced at Kyouya, but he seemed preoccupied with his cell phone. "Kyouya-san was considerate to arrange this, and he's right. I do appreciate it. Thank you, Rina-san."
Rina straightened, returning the smile. "You are most welcome, Miss Kasuga. Now, if I may...?" She moved a little to the side, gesturing to a wheelchair that had mysteriously appeared on the sidewalk outside the car door.
Kana gaped. "I...I brought perfectly good crutches!" She protested.
Rina reached for her hand, apparently ignoring her.
I should have known something like this would happen. Even if they are "my" security team.
Seeing no other choice, she allowed Rina to help her into the wheelchair.
Kyouya coughed.
As Kana looked over toward him, he glanced significantly at the school gate. Kana gulped, and followed his gaze. Leaning against the ivory column framing the gate, staring in her direction, was Mori.
In reality, it had only been a few days since Kana had seen him, but he looked different to her. She felt that, over the past few weeks, she had come to understand his expressions a little bit, but she did not understand this one. He seemed...tense, as he looked at her. And while he returned her gaze, he did not move to greet her.
"Kana-chan!" Hunny's cheery voice popped into her awareness. He bounded over to her. "Is your ankle all better? You can't put weight on it yet, right?" He smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry! Takashi and I will escort you to all your classes!"
Kana smiled back at the blonde senior, but her smile wavered as Mori straightened and moved toward them. He was no longer looking at her, didn't say a word, just slipped behind her. She felt the warmth of his hands clutching the chair handles by her shoulders. Despite the tension between them, she felt her face warm a little.
Hunny nodded decisively. "Yep, you push her, Takashi! Not too fast, now, okay? I'll lead the way!" He marched off in the direction of the main doors, and Kana felt herself moving as Mori steadily pushed the chair along.
They arrived at her first class, causing a bit of a scene as Mori wheeled her directly into the classroom, where a desk was waiting to accommodate her current seating arrangement. Hunny loudly announced their arrival, insisting a path be cleared to let her through, and drawing all manner of attention. Ayanokoji was there, frowning at the noisy interruption to her socializing. She glanced at Kana's chair, started to smirk, but immediately paled and shrank away as she looked up at Mori. Kana could not see his expression, but it was as if everyone in the path of that gaze shrunk in size and scurried away. His fingers tensed around the handles at her shoulders. She swallowed. He's...protecting me?
An odd way to show it, since he hadn't said one word to her, nor met her eyes since that first moment in front of the school gate. It struck her suddenly what was so different about him, as he was always taciturn—that was nothing new—but he said so much with his eyes that the lack of contact was disorienting.
"Kana-hime!" Tamaki came bounding over to them, and Mori's hands relaxed. "I'm so relieved to see you! Are you well, my dear?"
Kana smiled. "Yes, Tamaki, I'm fine...it's just a sprain." She lifted her leg slightly, indicating her still-wrapped ankle. "I should be able to put a little weight on it in a few days."
Tamaki glanced in Mori's direction. An oddly serious expression crossed his face before it relaxed into a fond smile. "And Mori-sempai is walking you to your classes, I see. Don't worry, sempai, I'll look out for her from here on. If you don't hurry, you'll be late, right?"
Hunny produced a bunny-shaped watch, his mouth forming an 'o' as he looked at the time. "He's right, Takashi! We'd better hurry!" Hunny started out the door.
"Mn." Mori seemed to hesitate before releasing the handles of the chair.
Kana craned her neck to look at him. She met his eyes only briefly before he turned and walked out of the classroom, nearly bumping into Kyouya on his way. Kyouya adjusted his glasses irritably.
"That," he sighed, "Is what I meant. He's been like that. Clumsy, gloomy...even Hunny's bright disposition can't seem to overpower the cloud that's hanging over his head. I hope you can talk to him quickly. This is bad for business. The customers are getting worried."
Kana twitched slightly at Kyouya's display of...friendly 'concern'.
"Kana-hime, are you coming to the host club today?" Tamaki asked, looking hopeful.
"Ah, well, I haven't really decided..." Kana hesitated. "Kyouya-kun, didn't you say that Mori-sempai's been skipping?"
Kyouya smirked. "Yes, I did. Why, is that a problem for you, Kana-hime?" He asked too-innocently.
"I...!" You set yourself up for that reaction, Kana. There's no one to blame but yourself. She blushed, but carried on bravely. "I...don't know about that..." She swallowed, willing herself not to stutter. "But...I wanted to talk to him anyway." ...I still need to apologize. Recalling that sobered her mood.
Tamaki smiled gently. "I think it would be good if you did. Just...be patient with him, Kana-hime. Mori-sempai can be stubborn. Especially when it comes to people he cares about." He gave her a significant look.
Kana's face heated, and she glanced away from the boys. She was spared from having to respond by the teacher arriving to begin the lesson.
Moments after the bell rang, before Kana had finished gathering her books, Mori appeared once again in the doorway of their classroom. Without a word, he took up his station behind her, and she felt the warmth of his hands by her shoulders as he gripped the wheelchair handles.
Tamaki and Kyouya exchanged glances, but said nothing.
It continued like this every class period. He showed up moments after the bell rang, ran off to class once she was settled, then showed up again when class was over, all without a word. Sometimes Hunny came with him. When he arrived to English, alone, with beads of sweat forming along his brow, she knew he'd been running to get there.
"Mori-sempai..." she said softly. "You...it's very kind of you to do this, but I don't want you to be late..."
He did not respond, but she thought he may have gripped the handles a little tighter.
At lunchtime, he arrived as usual, and started to wheel her toward the second years' lunch hall, before slowing down uncertainly.
He cleared his throat. "Where...do you want to eat?"
The sound of his voice startled her; he hadn't spoken to her all day. "Um...well, I really like eating outside on nice days like this..." She trailed off, wondering if that was asking too much.
But he hesitated only a moment before agreeing, "Ah."
Kana directed him to an out-of-the-way sakura tree, near the school flower gardens. It was well away from the cafeteria windows, so they would not have to worry about other students gawking. She was uncomfortable enough without going through all that again.
Her parents had packed her a bento today. Teriyaki chicken, tempura vegetables, rice, a thermos of tea, and red bean buns for dessert. Mori got it out of her bag for her, and she insisted he share some of every dish. He hesitated to take it.
"Please, Mori-sempai. You normally eat school lunch, right? And today you're not getting it, because you're out here with me. My parents packed too much, see?" She showed him the enormous portions. "There's no way I can eat all this, and I wouldn't want it to go to waste..." She looked up at him hopefully.
Finally, he did reach out and started taking bits of food as she offered them. He murmured a simple "thank you," for every bite. Something about it bothered Kana. The formality seemed forced; Mori could be quite formal about certain things, but she'd never seen him so reserved about food. When they had shared food together before, he seemed so much more at ease...now...
Kana swallowed. Now seemed like the time to address the tension. "M-Mori-sempai...um..."
He looked at her, expectant but stiff. Like a servant awaiting an order.
The expression undid her, and she burst out, "Please stop looking at me like...like that! I'm sorry! I am...so sorry..." she trailed off as tears started forming, realizing that this was coming out all wrong. She tried to start over. "Um...I should never have...I mean, when we were...when you bandaged my leg..."
Mori looked...pained. His eyes widened, and he reached for her as she began crying, but his hand stopped short of wiping her tears, of touching her in any way. "Kasuga-chan..."
Her surname. He had been calling her by her given name up until today, so it stung to hear him say it. She stopped mid-sentence. "Kana! My name is Kana! You've been calling me that, why would you stop? Are you..." She faltered. "Are you...that angry with me?"
"...Angry?" He actually paled at that. "You think that I'm...angry? With you?"
Kana sniffed. "Are you not?"
Mori shook his head adamantly.
She let out a deep breath. "Then why are you acting like this? Somehow, I feel like you're avoiding me, even when we're together! You're so..." She struggled to put a name to what was so wrong and different about the way he was acting. "...Distant."
'Distant.' That was it. Mori was quiet, unobtrusive, and hard to read at times, but he never felt distant to her. Not even when he held back his feelings about horseback riding. He had things on his mind, certainly, but this was a complete emotional withdrawal. And it hurt.
Mori closed his eyes, processing her words. "I am not angry with you. But you have every right to be angry with me. I was...trying to respect that." He opened his eyes, regarding her solemnly.
Kana's jaw dropped. He's...he's serious?! "But I'm not angry!"
Mori sighed. "Well...perhaps you should be. I'm pretty angry with myself." His jaw tensed, and he averted his eyes from her. "When I told you not to walk alone anymore...it came out all wrong. I was worried about you, but, as you know...I'm...not very good with words." He sighed again in frustration. "...like now."
"I know you were worried, and I shouldn't have gotten so upset. I felt bad about it as soon as I left. If I'd stayed and listened to you, instead of acting childish, all of this..." she gestured to her ankle, and the wheelchair, "Would never have happened!"
"I should have gone after you." He continued to avoid her gaze.
"...When I made it clear I didn't want you to?"
"I..." He stopped, having difficulty arguing with that. He had been trying to respect her wishes then, too. "There..." His fists tightened in frustration. "There must have been something I could do...!"
Kana's eyes softened in understanding. "Mori...it's okay that it happened. I'm all right. And you did everything you needed to do." She smiled. "Did you forget...that you saved me?"
Mori turned to look her in the eye. He held her gaze for several moments, searching her expression, saying nothing. For some reason, at this moment, it didn't make her nervous. She gazed back at him, her smile unfaltering.
Finally, he spoke.
"...Takashi."
"...What?" That came out of nowhere.
Mori smiled back at her. "My name is Takashi. Call me that."
Her face warmed at that, but her smile grew wider. "Takashi...?"
"...Yes?"
She swallowed, glancing away from his intense stare, which had heat behind it now. That still made her nervous. "Ahh, n-nothing! Just trying it out..." Despite her nervousness, she still could not stop smiling.
Mori reached over to ruffle her hair. "Try it out all you like."
They resumed eating, and Mori's reservations melted away. He commented on how good the dishes were, and insisted she eat both red bean buns, since she liked sweets more than he did. She tried to protest, but he won in the end by holding it close to her lips until, blushing, she took a bite. Her expression made him laugh out loud.
"Ah...lunch is nearly over..." he said, checking his watch. He sounded disappointed.
They had been enjoying themselves so much, Kana had nearly forgotten about Kyouya's request. As they packed the lunch items away and prepared to return to the school building, she ventured, "Mor- uh...T-Takashi..." She still couldn't get used to saying it. "Takashi, are you going to the host club after school today?"
He hesitated. "Kyouya-san told you I haven't been going, didn't he?" It wasn't really a question, and he didn't need to see her nod sheepishly to know he was right. "I haven't been in the right...frame of mind...to entertain customers lately..." He trailed off, eying her for a reaction. She was fidgeting with the bow on the front of her school uniform. He smiled. "...Are you going?"
"Ah, me? Well...I mean...it depends...I-I don't know who I'd designate, if you weren't there..."
Mori's smile grew into a grin, though Kana couldn't see it, as he pushed her along from behind. They started down the garden path to the building that held Kana's afternoon classes. "Entertaining you is different."
She straightened, flushing. And gulped. Is he teasing me? "S-So...it's all right if I designate you as my host for today?"
Mori chuckled. "...Just for today?"
Kana fidgeted even more, squirming in the chair. "Well...I...I'd like to keep coming to the host club, honestly. I mean...you've all been looking out for me...and..." She took a deep breath. "T-Takashi...stop for a minute."
Curious, Mori stopped pushing her, just short of entering the school building. He came around in front of her and knelt down to get a better look at her face. Something in her tone said this was important.
Kana hadn't expected this proximity, so it took her a moment to regain her voice, and to get over the fact that he could probably see her blushing by now. She swallowed. "Takashi...I...want to keep designating you as my host. I...really like spending time with you...and with everyone!...but...I think I would be lonely, even at the host club, if you weren't there..." She trailed off, mentally kicking herself for being so bad at just saying it.
Mori smiled softly, and before she could begin explaining again, he bent down to place a light kiss on her forehead. "Then...I'll make sure you aren't lonely."
Kana was left speechless as Mori resumed his place at her back, his hands nearly touching her shoulders as he pushed her along in the wheelchair. She felt warm all over. And she couldn't wait until school was out.
END OF CHAPTER.
Tamaki: Aaaahh, we have no fanmail this chapter!
Laleanen: That's okay, Takashi. We're wrapping up.
Tamaki: Wr-wrapping up? What do you mean?
Laleanen: Well...technically...that's the last chapter.
Tamaki: WHAAAT? But...! But! Laleanen-hime, there are so many questions left unanswered! So many romantic opportunities left unexplored! How can you end THERE?!
Laleanen: I suppose you're right...I might be persuaded to write an epilogue. ;)
As an aside...that really is the last official chapter of Please Stay Off the Grass! However, I do plan to write an epilogue to completely wrap things up. I think it needs it. I don't know how long it will be, but I have a few goals I want to accomplish in terms of securing Kana and Mori's future, and an epilogue should cover it. Before we get there, though, I want to thank everyone for reading this far! It's a pretty long story, and I'm honored if you've taken the time to finish it.
When it became clear that this was going to be longer than 14 chapters, I started thinking about how I'd like to have a fanfiction wherein each chapter could be an episode in a 26-episode anime series...and I've done it! I guess you can think of the epilogue as...an extra-long finale? We'll go with that.
I'm really, really excited about the epilogue. I can't wait to show it to you guys! There's lots I've been wanting to do with these two that I haven't been able to tackle yet. ;) Look forward to it!