I'm really excited. This is the ending (wrapped up sooner than I expected, I know, I know…), and if you have read me before, my endings suck, so I add epilogues. After that, I'm rewriting a crash-and-burn Black Butler fic called Dancing With Death. If you're interested, it's a 1950s asylum AU featuring OCs, and the name will possibly be changed.
Anyway, thanks to lillyannp for her constant support and reviews! All of your questions will be answered in the epilogue, my friend.
So, enjoy!
I find myself running, my uniform heels making desperate clicking sounds in the otherwise soundless halls. I'm panting raggedly, shots of pain sting my ankle from when I tripped on the first flight of stairs and tumbled down, only to spring back up and take off again. My chest feels like it's compressing, my lungs straining, and I'm talking, clipped, into my cell.
"Takumi-" I pant, letting out a breathless gasp as I nearly fall, rounding a corner into a trio of third years. Their confused eyes follow me, their whispers not going unnoticed even in my haste. "-you gotta… come, hospital… move!" I shove past a girl, her books scattering everywhere, and burst down yet another flight of stairs.
"What about the hospital, Mizu?" He asks, suddenly frantic. "You're not hurt, are you?"
"No!" I stumble on a stair, right myself on the bannister, and take the rest of the steps two at a time, switching my phone into my other hand. "Meet me- hospital on… Eighth Street, twenty minutes… I'm running, may be little late… hurry!"
"Hospital on Eighth," Takumi mimics. "Twenty minutes. Got it."
"Bring your laptop," I order breathlessly, lungs burning for oxygen, the stitch in my side screaming as I throw open the north building's doors with my shoulder and burst into the courtyard, not breaking stride.
"Right. I'll wait for you outside."
There's a click as he hangs up, and I shove my phone into the bag bouncing on the small of my back as I run.
Sprinting along the streets of a Japanese town isn't all that easy. I had to shout at countless people to move and got honked at by a furious driver more than once. (One guy even ended up on the side of the road when I tried to cross without waiting. Needless to say, I didn't stop.) Eventually though, my muscles screaming, lungs burning, and dizzy with heat despite it being the dead of winter, I arrive at the doors to the Eighth Street hospital.
"Mizuki!" Takumi calls to me as soon as I enter through the sliding doors. "What did you-," he looks me up and down and smirks, an eyebrow raised. "Did you run all the way here from Ouran?"
"Yeah," I gasp, hands on my knees. "Leiko Rin told me… what exactly she was do-ing. I- ow, my side -came as quick as I could. We have to- talk to… Kyoya."
"Yeah, okay," Takumi takes my hand gently and leads me to the receptionist. To the painted lady behind the desk, he says, "Which room is Ootori Kyoya staying in?"
The lady raises one annoyed groomed eyebrow. Around her chewing gum, she says in an irritated voice, "Master Ootori doesn't want anyone seein' his son." She turns lidded brown eyes on me, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I say, my voice strained but my breath returning to normal. "Why can't we see Kyoya? I'm a… friend… of his from school."
"Apparently," she drawls, leaning over the desk excitedly. She must be the gossipy type. "Master Kyoya-san got beat up at school. Real ugly, they say. I heard that the girl who did it, she's still not been caught. Girl like that needs to be locked up, I'll say." She leans back and examines long, purple painted fingernails. "Anyone who could beat up someone an' walk away wifout any guilt belongs in chains."
"Right," I draw out the word, hiding a snicker. I look out of the corner of my eye to see Takumi's lips tightening around the corners. "So why can't we see him?"
"Dunno." She sounds like she's getting really annoyed with us. "You should probably just leave before I call someone to make ya."
"You should probably not talk to her like that," Takumi interjects. "We have something important Kyoya would like to see, so if you'd please let us in, we promise we'll be gone before anyone can notice."
"Sorry, sweetheart," she drawls, popping a lime green gum bubble with her teeth in Takumi's face, making him blink with surprise. "Can't let ya through. Gotta have a special appointment."
"Fine, okay," I drum my fingers on the counter, irritated. "We'll just be going then."
I pull Takumi moodily away from the receptionist and plop angrily in a plastic chair, tapping my finger on my arms and chewing my bottom lip. After a moment of silent brooding, I turn to Takumi and ask, "You can find the room right?"
"Already on it," Takumi says distantly, his laptop already perched on his knees, typing madly. I purse my lips and wait impatiently as he works, scanning the room for any possible means of getting past the receptionist without her seeing.
I consider ducking under the curved counter, out of her line of sight, but conclude that would be suspicious to the other occupants of the waiting room. The next idea is a little bit better; maybe we could look around the building and find a fire escape of some kind, but I brush it aside when I notice the smoke alarm mounted to the hallway wall. They'd be connect to the fire escape doors if the Ootori Group is as trustworthy as they say they are. My final idea is probably the safest. We could cause a distraction of some sort, and escape in the chaos.
"Done," Takumi says, turning his laptop towards me. His screen shows a blueprint of the third floor of the hospital. He taps a room on the far corner, away from the street, a room marked on the print as 399. He leans closer to me and asks over the screen, "So, how are we getting past the receptionist?"
"A distraction would be the best idea," I murmur. "If we could set off the fire alarms somehow, I'll bet the building would go into lockdown."
"How are we going to move around if it's locked down?"
"Simple," I say, studying the blueprint once more. "Hospitals have staff rooms, right? So we get doctor's costumes."
"Easy enough," he agrees. "I can activate the fire alarms digitally. I can also lock Ootori Kyoya-san's room door, since it's all on a linked electronic locking system" Smiling calmly, he pulls up a complicated looking guard-access security database, toggles a few settings, and presses a button with finality.
Almost immediately, the fire alarms start blaring.
People look up frantically. The receptionist drops her bottle of Coke and stands abruptly as the sticky brown liquid splashes over the sleek countertop.
"Everyone!" She calls fruitlessly. "Go on, leave, but order, please!"
Through the crowd, Takumi, tucking his laptop safely in its case and slinging the strap over his shoulder, he slips straight past the preoccupied people and down the hall. With halfhearted, fake panic, he and I walk briskly in the opposite way of the main exit. After a consultation of a wall-mounted map, we find the nearest staff supply room and slip inside, closing the door and muffling the sound of the fire alarm.
"So, what do we need?" Takumi asks. Moving among the rows of standing shelves that seem to stretch for eternity.
"Well, if we're going to get your computer past the people, we're going to need one of those metal rolling bed things," I suggest, pointing to a row of extras lined up on one wall. Takumi tugs one out of the line and wheels it out to where I'm standing. He shoves his computer case under the mattress, and flattens it down so it's almost unnoticeable.
"What next?"
"Um… They don't seem to have any uniforms…" I ponder, my eyes scrolling over the items along the shelves. I turn around, only to see Takumi grinning, holding up a single white laboratory style coat. He slips it over his shoulder, having to roll up the sleeves a little bit.
"There's only one," he says nervously. "And you're too young to be a doctor. You look fourteen."
"Do not!" I protest, but refuse to pursue the argument. I lay myself down on the rolling bed and pull the light blue sheets up to my chin to hide my clothing that obviously isn't a hospital gown. Takumi's laptop's corners dig hard into my shoulders, but I close my eyes and keep quiet.
My brother wheels me out of the staff room and down the halls, the fire alarm's wails now bursting my ears.
"Hey, kid!" A voice comes after a while. I crack open an eye to see who stopped Takumi. "Are you one of those new apprentices?"
"Yes, sir, Ootori-san," Takumi bows respectfully, his eyes flitting like they always do when he's nervous.
"Then you must know where the entrance is by now. Where are you going?"
"I- I was just-," Takumi stammers, his vibrantly blue eyes darting back and forth from my face- keep still, keep still, don't move… -back to Ootori's. "Sir, I apologize, I was… erm, I… I didn't know where the… the fire was… I thought it may have been back there, so I… I didn't want her getting hurt, sir."
"How valiant of you," Ootori sniff haughtily. "I trust you can find your way to safety?"
"Yes, sir."
"Very well. I have some things I must attend to, but I expect a full report when this is all cleared away."
"Of course, sir."
With a small sigh, Takumi escapes Ootori. I experience a bump as he rolls me onto the industrial elevator, presses a button, and exhales in relief.
"That was close," Takumi sighs.
"Not really," I refute. "You're just so used to sitting behind a computer screen and not really doing anything exciting."
"Mizu! That's so-," He's cut off by the ding and the elevator doors opening. I close my eyes once more and let him wheel me down the hall, the squeaking wheels barely audible over the infuriating ringing of the fire alarms. In this part of the hospital, we're passing more desperate doctors and nurses wheeling beds and making frantically for the series of elevators lining one of the hallways.
X-***-X
It takes us until the fire department arrives to find Kyoya's room. The door handle is rattling violently, but it looks like he hasn't quite lowered himself to shouting for help. Being locking in a room, not knowing where the fire is, if there's even a fire, oh, it must be maddening. And it makes me smile.
The hallway is empty now, the fire alarms long since turned off. Down in the street, I can hear vague shouts of the fire department as they systematically scan the building from top to bottom. Takumi knock on the door and the handle stops rattling.
"Ootori-san? My name is Takumi, and I'm sorry I had to lock you in here but-" I snort, but cut myself off as Takumi casts me a withering look, "-I'm going to open the door now. We need to talk to you, so please don't run. We're not going to hurt you."
Takumi takes out his phone, punches a few characters in, and the electronic lock on the door blinks green. Slowly, Takumi eases the door open. I jump off the bed, dig under the mattress for Takumi's case, and shove it into his chest as I stroll inside.
Maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me, but I could swear I see Kyoya blanch as he sees my face.
"Kyoya," I greet, feinting warmth.
"Why are you here?" He asks bitterly, pushing his glasses onto his nose.
"Don't be like that," I snap, but reign myself in and take a deep breath. I continue, much calmer. "You can put your petty grudge aside for a minute, right? My brother Takumi, you remember him, right? Well, we're here to show you something."
Behind me, Takumi is casting glances at me as he types, his laptop balanced on one arm. I sigh, understanding, and talk to Kyoya as he pulls up the bank records.
"Look, I realize I was wrong, and it's partially-," Takumi scoffs, "-mostly my fault, so… I'm sorry, Kyoya." I make my bicolored gaze meet his steely one. His arms are crossed in disapproval. "I was mad, kinda delusional, see, I had thought my whole family died, and it's still your fault that Kagami-"
"Mizuki," Takumi cuts me off. "Just be quiet. Ootori-san, these are your bank accounts, one of yours personally and one for the Host Club. This third one is under the name Fujioka. Well, Mizuki accidently encouraged a girl to hack you and I think Mizuki and those redhead twins said something about paying back Haruhi's debt and transferring her to Lobelia Girls' Academy."
Kyoya's face goes pale, and I almost laugh. Hell, he's white as the alabaster walls! His glasses catch the light's glare, and I could swear, that just for a moment, his eyes water.
"Takumi-san, was it?" He asks under his breath in a menacing tone.
"Yes."
"Perhaps you should take a look at those records once more."
Takumi presses his lips together, not a good sign, and turns the laptop around to face him. He stares at the screen, and I can only see half of his expression from the corner of my eye. He takes in a deep breath.
"Mizuki," he breathes. "What have you done?"
"Lots of things," I answer nonchalantly. "What is it?"
"The money, Mizuki. She emptied out Ootori-san's bank account. And," a few more clicks, "the Lobelia student roster has been updated. They have a new honor student."
"Dammit," I breathe. I squeeze my eyes shut, because maybe, just maybe, this is a dream. Maybe I didn't help Leiko Rin put Haruhi in Lobelia. Maybe I didn't bankrupt Kyoya. Maybe, maybe, maybe…
But when I open my eyes, I'm still in the hospital, and the last remnants of the illusion lift. It's real, and I, the infamous Ouran Illusionist, should have seen that all along. But I didn't, and I know exactly why. Leiko Rin, she's always been better than me. She told me I was good, but she lied. She lied, she lied, she lied, and she's been lying from the very beginning.
They say revenge is sweet, so I wait for some kind of feeling: betrayal, triumph for avenging Kagami, regret for everything that could have happened, loss, emptiness, anything.
I wait.
And I wait.
But I feel nothing.
