lost in the woods

KibaSin

Summary: Their vacation gone awry, Kyoya quickly finds himself struggling with the reality that there is a whole other world hidden just behind the veil that his girlfriend seems to be intimately involved with. Lost and alone. Hunter and prey. Will he learn to take her hand or perish in the woods? [Kagome x Kyoya]

Genre: Drama / Romance / Humor / Angst / Supernatural / eventual mature content

Rating: M

I am taking some liberties with the national forests in Japan with this piece. Compared to trekking across feudal era, modern day areas would seem like a walk in the park (quite literally) for our dear Kagome without doing so.

The whirling blades overhead sent stray locks of hair whipping in every direction, and he noticed the way her fingers tightened around the strap of her shoulder bag the moment he stepped up into the cabin. Chuckling softly at the tentative expression, never having known her to be afraid of anything, the young Ootori boy held out his hand with a reassuring look of his own. His voice heightened to overpower the gusting wind surrounding them both, he yelled, "Everything will be fine, Kagome."

Eyeing the modern day death trap, Higurashi Kagome yelled back, "Kyoya, I really just don't know about this." It seemed absolutely silly to be taking a helicopter the rest of the way to Niigata in the first place, and she knew from the way his lip tilted that he had caught the little internal jab as her face shifted.

His eyes softened at the way she shuffled her feet, her dark blue eyes fixating on the spinning blades above them, and felt his chest tighten with the sudden need to protect her. "I'll be right beside you the whole time," he told her. His liquid gaze focusing on the way she bit her lip at the sentence, he released a little sound drowned out by the helicopter at how cute she looked in that moment. "Trust me."

"I don't understand why we can't take a car like normal people," she pouted. No matter how many times he assured her that the view was absolutely to die for, she knew that there was no way to possibly tell the Ootori boy that she just did not feel safe without the warm, comforting feel of a red dyed kimono clutched between her fingers at such a height. At least not without sounding crazy, that was, and no matter how much she knew he loved her, she was still fairly certain Kyoya would try to put her in a straight jacket if she started going on about time travel and sacred jewels.

The dark, looming chasm of metal and teeth beckoned her at the sight of him holding out his hand, asking her to trust him, and she bit her lip harder in an attempt to take on some level of that same confidence he exuded. The whirling death machine could not save her in the event of an unlikely fall, but as she tightened her grip on her shoulder bag like a lifeline, she tried desperately to remind herself that she was not helpless.

At least not anymore.

"It's perfectly safe," Kyoya smiled, allowing his features to melt into a tender expression he reserved exclusively for her on rare occasions. The familiar wash of color across her nose only softened the look, as he finally stepped down from the cabin to approach her. She really was just too cute, and he felt the obsessive need to make certain she felt safe with him. Settling his hand onto her cheek, feeling her lean into the palm without hesitation, he gently bumped her nose with his own in a playful manner. "Tachibana assured me that he and Aijima double checked the fuel and the flight path and the weather, and Hotta is the best pilot that I know. He'll make sure that we arrive safely. There's nothing to worry about, Kagome."

Looking down and away from him, the cool feel of his glasses caressing the bridge of her nose, she said, "Yeah, but… Tachibana-san and Aijima-san are both going to be driving the rest of the way. Why can't we just go with them instead?"

"Flying cuts the time nearly in half." He chuckled, lowering his lashes as he said, "You wouldn't want to keep the onsen waiting, would you?"

Releasing a strangled sound at the mention of the hot spring resort his family had recently opened, Kagome considered the possibility of actually stepping willingly into that monstrosity behind him. If not for that one fateful meeting that had landed her with the Ootori's third son after finally reuniting with her feudal era friends nearly a year and a half ago, she knew that she would never have put herself into the situation otherwise. "But…"

"I'm right here." Kyoya listened to her hum in appreciation at the quick, chaste kiss he pressed to the corner of her mouth, as he gently led her closer to the helicopter. His hand slipping down to take her own, he laced their fingers together and squeezed reassuringly when he took the step back up into the cabin awaiting them. "It's okay. I won't leave you."

Her pupils dilated, and the Higurashi girl had to stomp down the nagging, twisting feeling that developed in the pit of her stomach as she stared up into the awaiting abyss of metal and machine. Sending a silent prayer to whatever deity might be watching over her for the day, she slowly smiled up at the calm, collected face of her boyfriend and gave a small, tentative nod. This was his world, after all, and she did not doubt that his three bodyguards had taken every precaution to assure that they would remain safe during the trip.

It's fine, everything's fine, but that nagging feeling refused to leave even with the mantra.

Kyoya pulled her up into the cabin beside him with relative ease, tightening his hold on her hand when she twisted her head toward the cockpit. Tipping her head back in his direction, he held her flickering gaze and hoped that her anxiety would lessen once they were in the air. As adorable as she looked in that moment, he did not want her experiencing that level of uncertainty the entire time before they touched down. "We'll be there before you know it," he smirked, "and then you can fling yourself into the first available onsen that catches your eye."

Puffing out her cheeks slightly, Kagome tried to relax the death grip she had on her shoulder bag as Kyoya helped her lower it slowly to the ground and kicked it halfway under the seat with his foot. "That was one time, Kyoya."

'And I'll never forget it," he chuckled, his eyes twinkling in amusement when the flush returned to her features. Coaxing her down into the seat, he shook his head lightly at the glare she pinned on him, and helped her begin to strap in for the flight. Satisfied once the safety harness was properly in place, he accepted the pair of headphones from Tachibana when the older man stepped up into the cabin to double check the straps himself. "Here," he tucked several strands of her hair back to nestle the equipment neatly over her ears. "Now you're all set."

Allowing Tachibana to tighten and adjust the only available safety net, Kagome found her hands gripping the straps as she watched him turn to help Kyoya buckle up for the flight himself. A pair of identical headphones soon put into place, she called over the intercom system, "It's not too late to take the car, right?" She heard him chuckle back at her, the sound slightly distorted by the equipment, and nervously bit her lip again when her eyes were drawn to the cockpit where Hotta was flicking several buttons into position.

"Ready to go, Kyoya-sama?"

"Whenever you are."

The calm, reassuring presence of the Ootori boy beside her did little to stop the little flip her stomach performed when Tachibana finally stepped from the cabin, Aijima quickly shutting the door behind him with a thumbs up toward the cockpit. A sudden, keen sense of dread washed over her with the realization that they were doing this. It was happening. She had allowed herself to be herded into a flying hunk of metal that was soon going to leave the safety of the ground below, and everyone involved was quickly cutting off every possible means of getting out of the situation before that happened.

It's just nerves, it's okay, you're fine. Everything's fine, but still that persistent, dreadful drop lingered as the helicopter lifted itself from the safety of the ground.

"Hey." Kyoya settled his hand onto her clenched fist, and sighed quietly through his nose when she snapped large, unsure eyes in his direction. So used to her fearlessly approaching every given situation throughout the end of high school and into university, he had not taken into consideration that maybe he should have offered her anxiety medicine beforehand. He tightened his fingers around her death grip, slowly trying to get her to let go of the strap and hold his hand instead. "I'm right here."

"I know."

She looked like a deer caught in headlights, her voice barely a whisper over the intercom system, and for a brief moment Kyoya wondered if he should have humored her by taking the car when she asked. The helicopter ride had been the most logical choice, however. The direct route not only cut down on the time necessary to reach the resort, but the view of the national forest they were scheduled to fly over was something he knew would delight her if she would just relax for a moment.

He had hoped she would consider the thoughtful appeal toward her love of nature romantic. The miles and miles of lush greenery was supposed to attract her eye, cause her to gasp softly, while the steady incline of adrenaline from the initial take off was supposed to attract her more to him. He had spent a good quarter of a month calculating and planning the flight path, even going as far as to make several calls to Tamaki for his and Haruhi's opinion, but he had not anticipated her sudden fear of flying when she seemed unbothered by heights.

Managing to get her to take his hand, Kyoya kissed her knuckles softly and pressed the smooth skin against his cheek. His gut twisted when those wide, quivering orbs only flickered toward the cockpit, and wondered if he could salvage the situation without getting a tongue lashing about never taking another helicopter ride for as long as they lived once they touched down. He closed his eyes, feeling his glasses shift when he tilted his head further into her warm embrace, and found himself at a loss of words on how to comfort her. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Sucking in a breath at the feel of his lips brushing a kiss against the palm of her hand, Kagome lowered her gaze and felt a smile break through the unsettling feeling that demanded her attention with each passing minute. Cupping his cheek fully when he released her hand in favor of settling his own comfortably on her knee, she tried to calm herself by combing back the stray strands of hair obscuring his face from her view. The cool feel of his glasses was a welcome balm with each gentle brush, and she adjusted them back into place on his nose as he watched her through half lidded orbs.

His eyes melting into a liquid silver coloration, she felt herself start to flush as that lingering little feeling of unease was quickly overpowered by the purely feminine rush that swept through her. She pushed on his cheek playfully when she noticed him starting to smirk, no doubt having caught the way she had clenched her thighs suddenly, and found herself lightly laughing into the earpiece. "You're such a jerk!"

He did not deny it, only tilting his head in a nod against her fingers. Pleased by the way she slowly released the other strap from the death grip turning her knuckles white, he lightly pressed another kiss against her wrist. The tiny sound she made was inaudible through the headphones, but the smirk tilting his lip fully formed at the sight of her mouth falling open when she made it. He shifted, his lips sliding down her arm to press another kiss lower, and felt his own heart quicken at the cool feel of his saliva lingering on her flesh as it brushed against his face.

"Ah." Though she fluttered her eyes toward the cockpit out of embarrassment, she quickly had to stomp on the insistent, dreadful twist of her stomach when she saw Hotta reach up briefly to touch the corner of his eye through the available opening. "Stop it, Kyoya."

Chuckling when she snatched her hand back, the Ootori boy was quick to lean into her before she had the chance to fully retreat. The proximity spread the color across her face, and he smiled a little knowing that she half expected him to try and kiss her despite the equipment holding him securely at bay. He pointed out the window instead, saying, "Look, Kagome, you can see Mount Asama from here."

Her eyes finally drawn to the window, she released that soft, endearing gasp he had been seeking and reached out a hand to press against the plexiglass separating them from the view. Little dots of civilization cut through the greenery surrounding the area, but the glittering white cap atop the volcano demanded attention across the distance. Smiling at the sight, Kagome turned back toward Kyoya with the slow realization that he had purposely distracted her so she could enjoy the scenery passing them by. "It's beautiful."

Those liquid silver orbs still positively molten, Kyoya told her, "Not nearly as beautiful as you."

Unable to stop the pleased little laugh that resulted, she scoffed and playfully pushed on his cheek again with two fingers. "You think you're awfully charming, don't you, Ootori-san?" she giggled, batting her eyes up at him mockingly. "Shouldn't you at least serve me tea before you try and make me swoon?"

"Think I'm charming?" Shaking his head at her antics, he pushed up his glasses slightly to readjust them and continued, "Why, Higurashi-san, I know I'm awfully charming. It must be terribly difficult for you to resist."

"You haven't been a host for nearly six months now, and you're still..."

"Hm?" Kyoya frowned at the way her head whipped back to the cockpit, the sentence trailing off as she focused her attention toward the front. "Kagome?"

Something was wrong.

Something was terribly, terribly wrong.

Concerned by the panic that flashed across her face, Kyoya frowned, "Are you a—?" The helicopter unexpectedly jerked roughly to one side, causing him to smack his head against the back of the leather seat. Attempting to shake off the flare of pain that erupted in his temple, the Ootori boy turned his own attention toward the cockpit. His voice harsh, he demanded, "Hotta, what in the world are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, Kyoya-sama, I'm trying to—" he cut himself off with a loud, frightened sound that made Kyoya's eyes widen, never having heard such a noise leave one of his trusted bodyguards.

The machine turned halfway on its side, veering in the opposite direction, as Kagome leaned forward against the straps holding her in place. "Hotta-san!" she shouted into the earpiece, ignoring the way Kyoya's head snapped in her direction at the piercing noise. She felt her power swirl beneath the surface, and desperately started tearing at the equipment holding her down knowing that she would need to transfer the energy directly to cut off the sudden swell of youki pressing against her senses. "It isn't real!"

Fuck, she was so fucking stupid! It had never been the flight that had caused that dreadful nagging in her stomach, and she had stupidly fucking ignored it!

Managing to unlatch herself, the Higurashi girl only took one step before she was jostled roughly in the opposite direction. The headphones ripped from her head, having forgotten about them entirely, she grunted when she tripped over Kyoya's leg and hit the side of the helicopter with a pained cry.

"Kagome!" Kyoya felt fear lance through him at the sight, as he started to fumble with the latch to unhook himself when she raised one hand to her forehead and came away with a trail of blood. Already suspecting a concussion from the blow, he bared his teeth until the blasted contraption holding him down finally relinquished its hold.

Shaking her head, Kagome tried to clear the spots in her vision when she felt Kyoya's hand settle onto her shoulder. Opening her mouth to ask him what in the world he thought he was doing out of his harness, she yelped instead when she was sent tumbling into him back toward her own seat with another sudden jerk.

The wind knocked out of him, his glasses hanging at a crooked angle, Kyoya released a hiss at the pain that radiated from his side. Clutching onto the warm, solid, struggling form of Kagome only made it worse, as he found himself desperately shouting into the pair of headphones that had smacked him in the side of the face. "Hotta, put this blasted plane down!"

Startled by the sound that Kyoya made in her ear when she pressed against him to try and get away, Kagome turned her head sharply in his direction to watch as he clenched his teeth. A broken rib, she immediately realized, before whipping her head back toward the front when the swell of youki tightened like a coil around Kyoya's trusted bodyguard. "Kyoya, you have to…!"

His fingers only tightened around her at the sudden, unexpected sound of Hotta screaming from the cockpit. His pupils dilated with the noise, the pain momentarily forgotten, as he felt his throat tighten and it became difficult to breathe for an entirely different reason. "...Hotta?" Kyoya whispered, his voice small and fearful when the scream turned into a gargled, indescribable plea over the headphones leaning against his face.

"Hotta-san!"

The noise resonating through the cabin was abruptly silenced, as the helicopter tipped at an angle that rolled them both forward and into the available seat against the separation wall. His back protesting from the continued abuse, Kyoya yelped when Kagome's shoulder bag slid out from under the seat and landed heavily on the arm he had wrapped around her head. His nails roughly digging into the little cut on her forehead, he brushed several wayward strands of hair from her face out of habit at her resulting hiss, and felt his heart nearly stop when their positioning caught up with him at the desperate, panicked look she gave him.

They were heading down.

Down..

Down….

"Oh god…" he choked.

They were going to die.

Moisture clouding his vision with the sudden reality, Kyoya attempted to hold Kagome closer as he whispered her name. His dilated, quivering orbs trying to take in every little detail of her face, he blinked and sent a few cascading tears rushing over the swell of his cheek. A watery, gasping laugh escaped him then, as he swore his mind was playing tricks on him when those dark cerulean eyes he loved faintly started to glow from within. Unsure if she could hear him with his voice so small, he said, "You're so beautiful."

"Kyoya…"

Hiccuping at the call of his name, he shook his head when he felt the helicopter jerk violently. No doubt the wing had clipped the edge of the canopy. He buried his face into her luscious raven colored locks, soaking in the scent of her, and tried to keep her as secured as possible when the entire cabin spun with the motion.

"Kyoya, it's okay."

Her voice was louder in his ear, as her warm hand settled onto the back of his neck. The Ootori boy sucked in an unexpected sob, his nose twitching from the way her hair floated with the downward movement, and wished that that were true. That it would be okay. That they would be okay. But…

They should have taken the damned car.

Her fingers pulling his head back, Kagome smiled lovingly into those slowly widening gray eyes when Kyoya finally blinked up at her. "We're going to be okay," she told him, as she tuned out the sound of crushing metal and teeth swelling up around them. "I'm right here. I won't leave you."

She's… glowing...

She really was… his mind had not been...

Then the world exploded.

A chaotic clash of raining metal, scorching fire, and a brilliant blue light that kept it steadily at bay.

Kyoya felt his eyes roll back in the confusion, and then everything was black.

Note: Guys, I'm always working on like five things at once, in case you ever wonder why in the world it takes me so long to update sometimes. Whoopsie!

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