Welp, I know you've all probably been anxiously waiting for this chapter since the last one. I'm honestly sorry for how long these updates are taking, especially since I enjoy writing these just as much as you enjoy reading. Perhaps more.
Thank you to XBnemesisX, AusllyBeliever, crazychessgurl, queenglitch, Momochan77, havarti2, GoldenOakLeavesofWindClan, and 2 guests for your reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter, despite how it's so late!
Ouran Academy
Exact Location: Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
North Hallway
15:04
"Livia? Before class begins, you should probably be made aware that club activities have been cancelled for the evening. Feel free to go home once classes are finished."
"Oh. Okay. Are you still coming over to work on the egg project?"
"Not tonight. Something came up. Family matter."
"Alright, if you say so."
Livia frowned over the earlier conversation once again. Ever since Kyoya had told her, off-handedly, that club activities had been cancelled, something hadn't felt right. It had bugged her all the way through the last hour of class up to the front gates of Ouran Academy.
Now, as she abruptly spun on her heel and began marching back towards the building, she knew why.
Kyoya had lied to her.
Honestly, she should've seen it coming. For starters, Kyoya had been acting oddly all day. Mostly because he hadn't spoken to her unless he had to. And when he did it was in a polite, almost delicate tone. As if he was walking across a tightrope without a safety net beneath him. Livia couldn't understand what had prompted such an abrupt and unusual shift, and it became clear throughout the day that the rest of the club and their classmates had been confused as well. Even Ania Kahae, despite how she had smirked at Livia from across the room when Kyoya had dismissed her from club activities, had been watching Kyoya with slightly creased eyebrows as his strange behavior continued.
That was probably why Livia had believed Kyoya when he first mentioned 'family matters'. With a family like his, no wonder Kyoya would be so distracted. She had believed him.
Right up until she couldn't.
Just as Livia was about to exit the school grounds, two other girls passed her. One of them was dejectedly holding a container with two cupcakes in it.
"Oh… I hope my cupcakes still taste good tomorrow. I wanted Honey-senpai to try them."
"Don't worry, A-chan! Honey-senpai will love them!"
The girl smiled softly. "So, what do you think they're meeting about today?"
"Maybe a new cosplay!"
"Or another party!"
"Ooh… I hope so! I never got to dance with Haruhi last time!"
Livia didn't say a word to the girls. She just spun around and began marching in the opposite direction. There was a club meeting today, hm? It would've been nice to have been invited.
But why hadn't she been?
The whole way back into the school and up to the North hallway, Livia thought it over all the while trying not to feel offended. A meeting would definitely have explained why she hadn't seen any of the other club members leaving the school building, but that didn't explain why she hadn't been told about it? What had changed? Was it because of how close she and Kyoya were getting? Was this the club's version of an intervention? Or was it…
She hesitated right outside the door.
A secret meeting. The agent was not invited. The Charge and their closest friends all gathered into a room with only one exit?
Sounded like a massacre to her.
Trusting the sense of foreboding in her gut, she inched forward and carefully pressed her ear to the crack between the doors. She was able to pick out the host's voices, but it didn't sound like anyone else was in there. They were talking among themselves. And it sounded serious.
"Kyoya… are you sure? That's…"
"I'm positive. There's nothing else they could've been talking about."
A few beats of silence.
"What are you going to do?"
"I don't know. I wanted to speak to my father, but it doesn't sound like something he wanted me to know about. It's possible he would lie to me or not take my concerns seriously."
"Don't worry, Kyo-chan. We'll help you."
Livia's eyes narrowed. It sounded like Kyoya was in trouble. Something to do with his parents? Perhaps this was a family matter. And, with Livia as a perceived 'valuable asset', maybe he hadn't wanted to bring it up around her?
But the foreboding in her gut wouldn't quit. Something still seemed wrong.
Fuck it.
Pulling the door open before she could change her mind, Livia poked her head into the room. "Guys? What's going on? I heard from some girls that…" She trailed off. She had to. How else was she supposed to respond to the blank looks of fear being projected at her.
Her stomach dropped.
"Guys?"
It's only because of her years of training that she managed to sidestep the following attack. Honey grabbed her school bag, just narrowly missing her arm. She yanked at the bag but let it go when Mori tried to grab her from behind. With a yelp, she ducked underneath his arms and slipped behind a pillar, just barely dodging a flying kick from Honey.
"Honey-senpai! Wh-what-"
At his following lunge, Livia jumped back again. Every instinct in her body was screaming at her to fight back but she ignored it, instead hastily backpedaling from a sudden swipe from Mori, squeaking at them to stop. As much as she didn't want to get hurt (and how badly she'd been hoping for a chance to spar against the cousins) she couldn't blow her cover.
"Stop it!" She hunched behind the couch before running again. "What are you doing! Hon-eep! Please! You're scaring me!"
"You can't fool us anymore, Liv-cha… Trasic-san. We know what you are."
Livia's mouth flapped a little. What was going on?
Movement in the corner of her eye gave the agent pause. It was the rest of the club. They were running towards the doors in a tight circle. Kyoya was in the middle, his arms held by the others. Almost like they were steering him out of the room… shielding him...
The figurative light bulb went off over her head.
"Oh… you've gotta be kidding me!"
At Mori's next swing, she didn't bother dodging. Snagging the boy's wrist, Livia watched his eyes widen for a split second before she spun into the boy's chest and vaulted him clear through the air over her shoulder. Mori sailed across the room, just narrowly avoiding crashing into the group heading for the doors. He let out a pained grunt as he hit a couch, knocking it over.
Using the host's hesitation to her advantage, Livia jumped over a coffee table and skidded to a halt in front of the double doors, blocking their path. "You know, I'm getting really sick of you all messing up my job."
She watched the group move closer to each other, everyone looking around for another way out. In the back of her mind, Livia knew her word choice wasn't exactly de-escalating the situation, but she didn't care either. She was mad. Why not let them squirm for a bit?
"Kyo-chan, run!"
Livia rolled her eyes before sidestepping yet another attack from Honey. Another step had her standing beside her earlier discarded school bag. Honey recovered from his earlier lunge and turned back into another fighting position only to find Livia aiming a gun at him.
A dazed but no less distressed 'Mitsukuni' could be heard from Mori's spot on the floor, but no one dared move. The slightest taste of bile began rising in the back of Livia's throat at the sight of the host club's eyes filling with tears. Honey began to shake in front of her, staring up at her with fear.
Taking a deep breath, Livia calmly explained, "I don't want to threaten you, but you leave me no choice." They stared at each other for a moment longer before she jerked her head towards the others. "Go stand by them, please."
Ever so cautious, Honey backed away until his cousin grabbed him and pulled him out of the line of fire. Livia lowered her gun immediately, but she knew the damage was done. She couldn't hide anymore.
Tamaki took a shaky step forward. Livia raised an eyebrow as he did his best to stare her down. Raising his chin, the blond shouted defiantly, "I-if you want to kill Kyoya… Y-you'll have to kill us… t-too."
Livia couldn't help herself.
"Oh my god, you're all bigger morons than I first thought."
"Uh…" Tamaki hesitated, his fear giving way for the slightest hint of confusion. Behind him came more movement and Kyoya shoved his way past the blond.
"No. I won't let anyone get hurt on my behalf. Trasic-san, or whatever your name is, you can kill me but leave them alone-"
"Just shut up!"
He stopped, still trying to shake off the twins pulling at his hands, but Livia was no longer watching. Nor caring. Her free hand came up to tug at her hair, which did nothing for her developing headache. Of all the cases. Of all the people. Of ALL THE AGENTS!
"Didn't you hear me? I said if you want-"
"I heard you all the first time, but… good god you all think I'm the assassin? Really? Oh my god, I should've charged more from your father, Ootori! I swear you're going to give me an aneurysm before this is over with!"
Livia began pacing in front of the doors, waving her hands through the air. Even though the gun safety was still on she tried to remember not to point it at anyone. A headache had officially formed in the back of her brain, pounding unhelpfully along with her heartbeat.
"I mean, are you kidding me? You manage to figure out someone is trying to kill you, and you think it's me? How many details did you happen to gloss over to reach that conclusion? And instead of confronting your father who would've set you straight, you had to tell your friends and make them targets too? God- I'm so fucking done with your shit, Ootori! I'm demanding a raise the instant I see your father! Fuck!"
Both of her hands began waving around as a plethora of filthy Japanese and filthier English poured out of her mouth. A deep red was beginning to burn her cheeks and down her neck, making Livia look even scarier when combined with her unruly hair and shouting. Oh, and the gun, too. A few feet away, the host club continued to stare in shock. Mori's hands were covering Honey's ears, but even his mouth had fallen open as they watched the girl pace.
After another minute of hearing how he had failed as an intelligent human being, Kyoya regained his ability to string words together.
"Wait… what do you mean charge my father-"
"For fucks sake, Ootori, do I need to spell it out for you?" She finally stopped, staring at Kyoya in utmost disbelief. "You are both the smartest and the stupidest person I have ever met. I'm protecting you from getting shot, moron!"
The expression on Kyoya's face gave off the impression that Livia had chucked him into the couch as opposed to his older friend. "You're… protecting me?"
"Uh, duh?"
Livia's toes tapped against the tiles in a rapid staccato beat, her eyes continuously roaming around the room. The seven members of the host club were seated in a semicircle around her, nervously fidgeting as they squished together on two couches. Kyoya was the only one sitting still, sandwiched between Tamaki and a very shaken looking Honey.
Livia cast one last look at the newly barricaded front door before deciding to break the silence. "Hey… Honey-senpai? I'm sorry for threatening you. I promise I never took the safety off. And I'm sorry for throwing you into a couch, Mori-senpai."
Both boys gave her little nods in response.
"It's okay. It was out of self-defense."
"Right. Well, I suppose you all want a back story of some sort, so I'll keep this quick. I'm an agent from Romulus And Remus Enforcement, otherwise known as R.A.R.E. I don't care if you think it's a stupid name." She glared at Hikaru and Kaoru who instantly closed their mouths. "My organization specializes in raising and training children to protect others all around the world. We do things such as breaking up sex-trafficking rings and mounting hate groups, chasing kidnappers, and protecting those in danger of being assassinated."
Tamaki gripped Kyoya's sleeve a little tighter, but the ravenet didn't respond.
"You might not have heard about us before, but that's only because you're rather young. My organization has actually played a bigger part in most of your lives than you might know at this time. I've read your files. Tamaki?"
The blond looked up hesitantly, and Livia felt her stomach lurch unpleasantly when he wouldn't meet her eyes, opting instead to stare off somewhere by her left shoulder. "Your father, mother, and even yourself were all once protected by R.A.R.E. agents."
"I… I don't think so?"
"Perhaps you recall a certain extravagant woman from your childhood? Blond?"
He shut his mouth, looking at her shoes with his eyebrows creased and his eyes wide. He didn't need to say it. They knew.
"Hikaru and Kaoru had someone protecting them their whole lives, too. You just never realized it."
"Who?" They asked immediately. Another painful lurch in her stomach almost had Livia grimace. The red heads were meeting her eyes at least, but that only made it easier to see how upset they were. Livia's story of being an agent was a betrayal to them. A lie.
"I can't say. But they care a lot about you. That babysitter you had when you were younger? The one who stole from your family's safe? The agent was there, watching over you. They made a split second decision to see how you would handle her. They were impressed, by the way. And proud. The reason you never saw that nanny after she fled was because the agent had her caught almost immediately after she fled into the woods."
The twins didn't respond. Their hands were clasped together so tightly their knuckles were turning white.
"And finally, I myself protected Kyoya's eldest brother, Yuuichi, four years ago." Kyoya didn't even shift. "I was the only agent not on mission at the time with even the slightest idea of how to speak Japanese, so they sent me to be tutored by Kyoya's other brother Aikio and keep an eye on Yuuichi. And now I'm here to protect Kyoya."
Livia looked around. At her last sentence, everyone's face somehow went a little paler. They had read between the lines. If Livia was here protecting Kyoya, that meant someone wanted him dead. Haruhi scooted forward a little, raising a hand to catch Livia's attention. The action almost pulled a smile from the American. Still a student, even outside of the classroom.
"Haruhi?"
"Do you know why someone wants to kill Kyoya-senpai?"
"I'm pretty sure I can come up with a good long list if you give me a couple minutes." Livia let out a breath before saying a little louder, "I have a theory that it might be the patriarch of Grand Tonnerre. After all, once the story about how a high school student was able to buy a whole company out from underneath Grand Tonnerre, the company went into a downward spiral. So many of their future prospects and current business enterprises fell through. They're hanging on by a thread. Not to mention the humiliation of having the heir's fiance turning her down for someone in the middle class."
Clarity bloomed in Haruhi's eyes. "Is that why you asked me about Eclair?"
"Yeah. My supervisors thought that you and the rest of the club could provide background information that would help me with the case. That's partially why they put me in the apartment next to you."
Kyoya stood up sharply, nearly pulling Tamaki with him due to the tight grip on his sleeve. "We're leaving."
LIvia raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? On your own? You think you can run away from this?"
"I meant you and I." His grey eyes were narrowed until they were merely slits, his glasses just a hair away from glaring over. Livia noted how his hands were clenched into fists, trembling ever so slightly. "We're going to my house immediately and I'm having a word with my father."
Livia gave the rest of the host club one final glance before following the ravenet out of the music room. There were no goodbyes.
"Father! I need a word with you."
Perhaps it was in the sharp and angry way he said it, or maybe his tense body language, but Yoshio Ootori didn't respond to Kyoya immediately. At first, he only stared at his youngest son as he stalked into the sitting room with Livia in tow. The older man's eyes flicked to the girl before turning away from where Yuuichi, Aikio, and Noa were sitting beside the fireplace.
"Kyoya? What is it?"
"I would like to know why you thought I didn't deserve to know someone wanted me dead!"
Instant silence. Kyoya's mother clasped her hands over her mouth to stifle a squeak, her eyes wide and fearful as she looked between her husband and her youngest son. Yuuichi set his teacup slowly, eyeing Kyoya warily.
Aikio spoke first, also lowering his teacup. "Kyoya? You do realize how paranoid that sounds, correct? Were you and your…" He eyed Livia from her spot a little behind Kyoya. "...friends watching some American movies?"
"Aikio, silence."
Everyone turned to stare at Yoshio. The fireplace was now sending dark shadows over his face, but it was clear he currently only had eyes for one person.
"I thought we agreed not to tell him."
Livia didn't even flinch.
"I didn't say anything, Ootori. Your son figured it out himself, if not coming to the wrong conclusion. By the way, you owe me a raise. Kyoya set Haninozuka and Morinozuka on me under the assumption I was the assassin."
"Assassin?" Yuuichi and Aikio looked thoroughly confused, but no one was paying them much attention.
Despite the muscle starting to twitch in his father's cheek, Kyoya took another step forward. "My life hangs in the balance and you don't even think I have the right to know about it? Did you think I wouldn't figure it out? That I somehow wouldn't see the pattern of my sudden surge of near-death experiences?"
"You didn't realize when a sniper shot at your head in the Aqua Garden."
Kyoya ignored Livia's grumbling, his hands shaking again. "And then you brought her in! And told her to follow me around to make sure I wasn't shot at! When were you going to tell me?"
"Never!" Yoshio took in a steadying breath before continuing. "I had never planned on telling you. We had never planned on telling Yuuichi either, but circumstances arose-"
"So you would've waited until masked men were storming our home before saying they were after me?"
Yuuichi stood up hastily, knocking his teacup off his lap where it then shattered on the floor.
"Wait… does that mean that…" He was pointing at Livia, but couldn't seem to find the right words. She nodded, confirming that she had protected him all those years beforehand, but kept her eyes on the escalating argument before her.
"You didn't need to know. It was the easiest way to keep you safe and not announce to the whole world that you were a target."
"I've had a target on the back of my head since you announced I was to be your heir! Anyone in their right mind would understand a sudden increase of security! But you wouldn't dare do that if it gave off any sort of indication that you were scared! Because you'd be damned to show to anyone that you actually love your children!"
Kyoya screwed up his eyes and tensed, preparing himself for the hit. He had seen his father's arm moving before he even finished his sentence and knew what was coming next.
But the slap never came.
"Release me."
Kyoya opened his eyes, stepping back in shock. Livia was no longer standing behind him. She was now between Kyoya and his father, Yoshio's wrist in her right hand as she glared at him with a look that would've horrified a lesser man.
"No."
"You have no right."
"I have every right. Unless I'm mistaken, you hired me for the sole purpose of protecting your son. And I will be the judge of what that entails." Livia released his wrist and took a step back. "Whilst I am here, absolutely no harm will come to Kyoya. From anyone. Have I made myself clear?"
Kyoya had never seen his father look angrier than he did in that instant.
Then the moment passed.
"Very well. Are there any other… addendums you are adding to our contract with this change in circumstance?"
Livia's eyes flashed murderously, but her voice remained cool and controlled as she pointed at Yoshio. "You're giving me a raise."
At Noa. "Please get yourself a glass of tea, Ma'am, you look faint."
And finally at Kyoya. "And you are under house arrest for the rest of the weekend. Under no circumstances are you allowed off the premises. I'll alert your bodyguards, and you will have at least one of them at your side for the remainder of this mission whenever I am not around. Yes, this includes your house and your drives to and from school."
And with that, Livia marched out of the sitting room.
Hesitating in the doorway, Livia looked back to find all present Ootori's staring after her. "And Mr. Ootori? I feel the need to remind you that I have cameras throughout your house. So if anything goes awry…" She tapped the side of her head. "I shall know."
Making her way to the front door, Livia slid her outdoor shoes on. Shigeru was standing by the door, staring at her in shock. Internally, she sighed. There was no way he hadn't heard the shouts from the sitting room. Soon enough the entire Ootori wait staff would know, and none of them would want to have anything to do with Livia again.
At this point, she felt numb to it. Why not? Why not sever every personal tie she had to her fake 'normal life' in the same night?
"Please inform Choshi-san that he has the weekend off."
"Trasic-san?"
She turned around just as Shigeru walked off. Kyoya was standing a good ten feet away, his face devoid of all expression.
"What?"
"Where do we go from here?"
She didn't want to think of everything he was implying. She didn't care about their developing friendship, or her relationships with the other club members, or Kyoya's personal feelings about the girl he thought he knew.
Instead, she opened the front door and threw over her shoulder, "Well, since you royally screwed up my original plan, I suppose I'll just have to wing it and hope you don't die. Sleep tight."
Sighing, she leaned against the front door of the Ootori Mansion for a couple seconds. The night was dark and oddly peaceful in comparison to the metaphorical hurricane going on inside.
Pulling her recorder out of her school bag, she stared at it for a moment. With a sigh, she held it closer.
End Log.
Um... yeah. I hope this is a good apology for the tardiness.
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See you next chapter!
