Chapter Twenty

Kaoru

"Hika." I felt my eyes widened as I read Kyoya's text.

Cancel all clients tonight. Meet at the usual place in one hour from now.

"Hnnh?" My twin had been absorbed in his handheld gaming console, not paying attention to his phone. We had been laying together on my bed, avoiding the schoolwork we were meant to be doing that day. At least, that was the excuse we had given Kyoya when we requested to not be booked that weekend.

"Kana's been with Kyoya, and he just…" I held my phone out to him.

Hikaru's ears perked at the sound of Kana's name. He hit the Pause button on his game and grabbed my phone, his face growing concerned as he read the text. "Shit. The last time he did this, Haruhi had that run-in with-"

"That one really skeevy man-" Even when we were alone, Hikaru and I had a habit of finishing each other's thoughts.

"What was his name?"

"Tatsuo. Or something."

"But Kana-chan doesn't interact with anyone else. Except…" Hikaru's eyes met mine. He grabbed his phone and began furiously texting. Within moments, my own phone buzzed, a next text appearing in our group text with Kana.

What's happening?

I quickly typed my own message.

Kana, are you alright? Are you with Kyoya?

Hikaru and I stared at each other in silence, waiting for our newfound friend to respond to us. We both cared for her, in our own ways. Hikaru seemed to regard her more as an extension of the two of us, a potential sister to add to our mix. I, on the other hand…

"God, why isn't she responding?" Hikaru tossed his phone to the floor. My twin's temper flared easily, especially when it came to people close to him. Kana hadn't been in our lives very long, but she had impacted us in a way that few others had.

"She has to be with Kyoya." I squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"Does that make you feel any better?" Hikaru's fingers wrapped around mine. "You two were really close last night."

"Were we? I hadn't noticed." I shrugged, knowing there was no real point in trying to hide from him. He could read my mind as easily as I could read his.

"You'll blame being drunk, but I know you Kao." A mischevious grin stretched across his face.

"This isn't the time Hika!" I groaned. My attention turned back to my phone, where a message from Kana had appeared across the screen.

I'm with Kyoya. I'll see you in a bit.

"So she's coming." Hikaru let out a long sigh. "I can only imagine that Kyoya ran into her mother."

"We should get ready." I stood up and moved to change into something other than the sweatpants I had been wearing all day.

"Mm, second."

I glanced back to see Hikaru huddled over my phone. "What are you-?"

"Nothing." Hikaru stuck his tongue out at me. "Gotta go change!"

I unlocked my phone once he had left, only to find that Hikaru had sent several heart emojis to Kana.

Fucking hell…

Hikaru drove us to a small, upscale restaurant that held our private meeting room where the Host Club often met to discuss matters we wished to remain secret. It was in that room where we decided to offer more intimate services to clients we trusted. It was where Tamaki had divulged his plans to propose to Haruhi. And it was where Kanami Inao now sat next to Kyoya, their arms touching on the table.

The room was small and held a long, circular booth covered in black leather. The table was made of a rich, espresso-colored wood. Candles were placed around the room, the only light source, given that the curtains were drawn shut, as usual. Even in the low-light I could tell Kyoya was silently fuming.

"Where is everyone?" Hikaru slid in the booth next to Kyoya. I know good and well that he intended for me to sit next to Kana. Not wanting to give him that pleasure, I slid in beside my twin.

"Tamaki went to order food for Kana. She hasn't eaten today." Kyoya gave us a pointed stare. "He insisted."

"That's the boss." I sighed. I could feel Hikaru tense beside me.

"He's ordering for all of us, Kyoya-senpai." Kana rolled her eyes.

I allowed myself to get a good look at Kana. She seemed fine, yet her eyes were filled with an emotion I couldn't quite decipher. Worry?

"You can't blame us for her not eating." Hikaru glowered.

"No, but I can blame you two for how late she was out last night." Kyoya raised an eyebrow.

"Can you stop, please?" The sharp tone in Kana's voice caught me off guard. "I had fun last night, Hika, Kao. Kyoya's just angry at the moment."

"That's for sure." Hikaru mumbled just loud enough for me to hear.

"Oh, you're here Kana-chan!" Honey's chipper voice cut through the tension. He had entered with Mori just behind him, as usual.

"Honey-senpai!" Kana gave Honey a warm smile, obviously grateful for a distraction.

"Thank you for all of the candy you sent." Honey quickly sat down next to Kana and took her hands in his. He gave her a small kiss on her knuckles. "I liked the little square ones the best."

"They're called Starbursts." Kana's face flushed. Was she really flattered by Honey, of all people?

"I'd love to repay you somehow." Honey lowered his chin slightly, looking at Kana through his bangs.

Kyoya cleared his throat. "We might have an idea in mind."

Mori had taken the spot next to Honey. His eyes narrowed slightly at Kyoya's words. "Tamaki?"

"Right here, gentlemen!" Tamaki, always once for grand appearances, came in carrying a full tray of drinks. "Kana-chan, I wasn't sure what you would like, so I just ordered what I usually get."

"She doesn't like sweet drinks, boss." Hikaru smirked.

"And how exactly do you know that?" Tamaki stopped in his tracks.

"Because we spend time with her." I grinned, catching on to Hika's game.

"Kana-chan, I'll get you something else! Whatever you'd like." Tamaki sputtered. "Anything for my-"

"Suoh-senpai, please calm down." Kana's blatant disregard for Tamaki's flirtation was obviously disheartening to him. "I'm guessing it's this pink one?"

Kyoya began speaking once Tamaki had sat down next to me and the drinks had been passed around. Alcohol was the last thing I wanted after last night, but I couldn't turn down a Peach Fizz.

"I had a rather interesting encounter with Amelia Claire earlier today while I was at Kana's house." Kyoya spoke slowly, as though he were considering his words carefully. "She had a key."

"Don't tell me, she caught you two-"

"Hikaru!" Kana hissed.

"Anyway, for those who haven't met Amelia, her treatment of Kana isn't what we would consider desirable by any means." Kyoya continued, unphased by the interruption. "I am requesting that we take Kana into our protection for the time being, until I'm able to remove her from her mother's estate. That matter will be complicated, I'm afraid."

Mori grunted. His hands gripped his drinking glass tighter, threatening to break it. "Kanami-san, I'll escort you to every class from now on."

"You've got your own classes, Mori-senpai." Kana said quietly. Mori gazed at her unwaveringly. After a moment, she finally nodded, an unspoken agreement between the pair.

"Wait, Kyoya, you can't just say that without an explanation!" Tamaki burst, overreacting as usual. "Is our Kana's life in danger?"

"Nothing that bad." I said, not being able to resist divulging I knew even more information that the blonde wasn't yet privy to. "But bad enough."

"Do you want to tell us, Kana-chan?" Honey took Kana's hand once again, an effortless gesture.

I wondered just how much Kana would reveal, or what it was that caused Kyoya to bring the Host Club into the situation. I did my best to remain calm, observe quietly, while Hikaru was visibly upset with the situation.

"My mother didn't want to have me, so when I was old enough she tried to force me into an acting career, and when that didn't work…" Kana took a sip of her drink and made a face. "She was in financial control of my father's business after she left us, and she took that opportunity to maintain control over me. Why do you think you all had never heard of the heir to Inao Industries?" When none of us responded, she continued. "There's a lot that I don't want to get into. I think my father's plan was to quietly marry me off once he found someone suitable. He was just as influenced by her as I was. He had to convince her to allow me to have any education. I think that, if she genuinely had things her way…"

Kanami clasped a hand to her mouth. I watched as Kyoya whispered something in her ear. The act sent a sharp pain through my chest.

"Kaoru, would you mind going outside with her? You smoke don't you?" Kyoya's question caught me off guard. "Hikaru and I will explain the rest."

"Um, yeah. I'll take her Kyoya-senpai. We'll go out back."

Kanami and I wound up behind the restaurant, away from the street. The restaurant staff had agreed to keep our meetings to themselves. Hikaru and I often had members of the press following us, whenever our mom was going to release a new collection.

"Never would've guessed that Kyoya would willingly let you come out here alone with me." I quipped. I leaned against the brick wall and watched her pull two cigarettes from her pack with her small fingers.

"Why not?" She lit one of the cigarettes and passed it to me before lighting her own.

"I'm guessing you didn't tell him that I kissed you last night." I said bluntly.

"I didn't have time to fit it in before Mother decided to tell him all sorts of lovely things about me." Kana took a long drag. "Figured he'd heard enough for one day, you know."

"I'm sorry, Kana. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"I'm not mad at you, Kao-chan. It was nice." She gave me a small smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"But since you and Kyoya are-"

"We haven't really discussed much, but he's still taking clients. And he's given me the option to explore other opportunities." Kana spoke quietly. "I liked kissing you, Kao-chan. I'm just-"

"You're overwhelmed, aren't you?"

"Yeah. Between the Host Club, school, and Mother…"

"What exactly did she say that sent Kyoya into such a tailspin?"

Kanami sighed, then went through the details of Amelia Claire's visit to her home. I felt my stomach drop as she described how her mother treated her as she was growing up.

We smoked in silence for a few moments while I absorbed what she had told me. I wanted to scream, honestly.

"I'll talk to Mom about cutting her relationship off with Amelia." I pulled her into a tight hug. "She needs to know how evil that woman is. Besides, I need you to be able to visit us without worrying about her being there."

Kanami wrapped her arms around my waist. "You don't have to, Kao-chan. You can just come to my place. Kyoya doesn't want me to be alone there until he can get all of the locks changed."

"Wait." I pulled her away slightly so I could get a look at her face. I couldn't help but to give her a wicked grin despite the situation. "Does that mean we get to have sleepovers?"

"Don't get too many ideas." She winked.

I felt my heart flutter. Now, if I could only convince Hikaru to let me visit her alone...