"Stop bothering this girl this instant"
Touko had to clamp her hands to her mouth to avoid an involuntary squee. His voice was also uncannily similar in pitch to that of his son. She had to remind herself to keep calm, this was the father of the man she loved, she so wanted to impress him well…
"We are not bothering her, Kojiro-sama."
"Well, it seems to me that you are."
"No harm done. She's a normal next-door girl, it was obvious from the start that she-"
"She's not a prospective servant, nor a candidate for headship. You have no right to treat her like that. I'm sure you can grasp that much"
Touko, confused and scared as she was, cowered whimpering when Togami Kojiro approached her. The Head of the Group sided slightly to the left so that he provided her with cover, staring down the way his son was so used to do. But instead, there was a hint of softness in his pupils that unsettled her.
Togami-kun would never, ever, look at me like that, she thought.
And it dawned to her that Togami had never said "dad" or "my father". In other schools, the rich, snotty brats were always taking pride in their wealthy parents. Togami did not. He never mentioned them, not even his mother, ever once.
"With all due respect, Kojiro-sama, it's your softness on this kind of matters that has prompted the Council to speed up the Heir's election".
"I see" Kojiro gave a curt, dry laugh. "You are telling me I'm useless, just because I want you to stop overexerting this girl. You say she is frail and common, you have to badmouth her and make her break. Do you even have the right to do so?"
They were ignoring her. Touko felt tinier than a mustard seed. They were talking about things her puny little brain would never retain. What was she thinking? That she would convince them of her worth? That she deserved to be with Byakuya-sama?
She forced herself to listen, to see if she could understand better...
"You know your son has to start to consider his duties once he finished high school, or even before he graduates. As you know, it's all for the greater good of our Group. You shouldn't worry much about what we do, but about her worth as a Togami heir mate. She is a pawn in the chess board..."
"…then so am I" replied Kojiro, calmly. "We are two pawns, so go take care of the King. Let us two pawns be."
The King. Fukawa started to tremble. Did Byakuya's father call his son "the King"? Just… how much more powerful and revered was Byakuya Togami inside his family?
The reply came after a gap of silence.
"We are sorry, Kojiro-sama., but we have to see if she's worthy of Byakuya-sama..."
And then, Touko Fukawa snapped. She let out a shrilly cry, wanting to disappear, vanish, sink and die. This wasn't the common idiots they were surrounded by daily. This was his family. This was the environment Togami came from.
They didn't think much of her.
They were going to take her apart from her One and Only…
Blood came out of her nose, splattering in a squirt. And as usual, the Literary Girl began to lose consciousness, only dizzily aware that Kojiro had moved to catch her limp, fainting body…
And she lost her connection to reality, her last thought a memory. Byakuya Togami's back turning to her, walking slowly away, never turning back.
" Filthy, pathetic, eyesore. You're a disgrace. Go away".
/a/a/a/a/a/a/a/a/a/a/
Kojiro moved in time to catch the girl in mid-fall. When he straightened, his face was a mask of cold fury, all trace of faint gentleness gone from his eyes. His hands shook violently as he held the helpless form of Touko Fukawa in his arms.
"Get out of here or I'll shoot you all between the eyes"
"Kojiro-sama…"
"I SAID GET- OUT OF HERE- YOU FLEA-BITTEN-BEGGARS!"
The examiners rose, picked their stuff and left.
Sighing, Kojiro Togami walked out of the examination room, originally the medical wing of the manor. He tried to get the best of himself back, as he wondered what to do with her. On a sudden inspiration, he went out of the corridor, inserted an electro key and walked into a small dorm three doors away. He left her limp body over the bed and went out, motioning a young woman in.
She observed the braided writer from the door, as Kojiro's brisk voice filled her on his instructions:
-Put her in bed properly, will you? I have something to do right now… the last bit of the interview will have to wait.
The woman nodded, without saying a word. As he left, she smiled while taking off her shoes and putting the covers over the passed-out girl.
/a/a/a/a/a/a/a/a/a/a/
Her eyes fluttered slowly. She was unaware of where she was, but she was now angry and alert. SDomething in her guts told her she had been bullied, and now she wished for payback.
Looking around, she noticed a small table with cups and silverware close by. She heard voices in the corridor, and crouched in the bed, waiting like a hunting tiger.
"Might be up any time soon. I think you can come in, Kojiro-sama…
A woman's voice. She sounded cheerful, even cheeky. There was a grunt. A male's grunt. That sounded like Byakuya Togami, indeed.
Her body stood in alert. A woman near Byakuya… and who was this Kojiro?
"I might call you later, if you are off duty. Let me know if you're doing something important, so I won't bother you"
"Yes indeed, Kojiro-sama! At your service, sir!"
The grunt was louder this time. "Just… do as I ask…"
The door handle fumbled, and the Head of Group entered the room where he had left an unconscious Touko.
The blanket flew back, a body jumped in the air, arms toward his throat, and a bewildered Kojiro found himself hugged forcibly by a red-eyed, tongue-waving little freak.
"Hi, Byakuya-darling! Missed me much?"
Realizing she had made a mistake, she recanted, quickly drawing a pair of scissors from the holster. Kojiro's eyebrows joined. He had seen that weapon a while ago in the news. Just when and why…
"Are, are, are… don't tell me little inkfingers died and went to cryo, I slept for years, and you are my Byakuya? Still handsome as a statue, but I'm not fond of ojiji!" – she laughed insanely, putting up with Kojiro's blazing, angry eyes. "Enough of the comedy! You are not him… where's my darling run off to? Don't tell me you don't know… I heard his voice in the corridor…"
Kojiro said nothing. His mind was making heads and tails of the strange phenomenon in front of him. Quickly, he pieced the puzzle together and spoke.
"By 'your Byakuya', you mean Byakuya Togami?"
Syo cackled insanely again. "And who else? The One and Only Byakuya Togami"
"I don't know if you'll take my word for it or not, but he isn't here"
Syo realized the voice pitch and recoiled slightly." Wait… it wasn't him… it was you in the corridor?!"
"It was me, yes. Were you looking for him, perchance?" Kojiro drawled, feigning disinterest.
"Yeee-ppers! He's the beam of my morning, the O in my Obsession, the sweet angry glare that vibes me up! I'm ALWAYS looking for him, in this form, or in my other boring form! Either Fukawa Touko – she grimaced – or me, the awesome Genocider Syo!"
Wait. Just – just wait. Byakuya had chosen to mix with a serial killer? Kojiro frowned slightly, as the point of the scissors grazed his skin softly.
"And who would you be, gramps?" she laughed again, stopping as she took in the drapes and ornery in the room. "Hooo… Don't tell me this is Byakuya-sama's house and you're his father…"
"One hundred percent correct" Kojiro stated matter-of-factedly.
Syo lowered her scissors, joined her hands and smiled in what would be a friendly grin, if the tongue wasn't slipping out of her mouth. "Ahhh, I seeeee! Miss Gloomy made progress without me knowing! I always wondered if Byakuya-sama's father was a hottie, and bingo! Yet I'm sorry to say, and don't get mad if this friendly killer says the truth, son surpasses father! Gifu-sama, sir, pleased to make your acquaintance."
It was good that the education of a Togami heir was trimmed to deal with outlandish situations, but even Kojiro Togami couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. He was in front of the High School Level Murderer, and he was being greeted like this?!
It didn't seem to him that she was what the newspapers said. She had been around Byakuya for several months, and never attempted even to graze his skin with those scissors of hers…
What to do in this case…He murmured a "Hajimemashita" that seemed a little forced to buy some time.
After some solid reflection, he decided to use the trump card he had in his hands, to deal with the double-personality girl. He could be merciful or cruel… her fate would be entirely relying in her answer and reaction.
"My family group was in charge of a private business matter with the government. We were trying to help get Genocider Syo in jail, by putting people in every high school of the country to gather intel on her. We knew you only kill good-looking males, and that you've never been caught. But for you to be studying in the same school and class as the current Heir…
"Heh, surprised much?" Syo was unfazed at the revelation.
"A bit. If you walked yourself willingly in our hands, I believe the reason is that you knew about this and aim for revenge… going after this generation's Chosen…"
Syo stared at him, arms crossed. "Do you take me for a desperate, Gifu-sama? I've never been cornered and I don't fear threats. You're Byakuya-sama's father, so I can tell you… anyone who dares damage Byakuya-sama will be slain with these babies. Count this scissors in as always at his service. He ain't no filthy liar and no damn traitor either. He's hot and pretty, but he's the only pretty hottie I will NEVER harm, not even in foreplay" – She smirked- "If he ever needs to, I will protect him. Even if I die or are put in jail for this…"
The Head felt he had gotten the answers he had sought for.
Extending his hand, he plunged his fingers at the exposed carotida on Syo's neck and pressed expertly. The mankiller, too surprised to make a move, fell backwards, unconscious once again.
Kojiro mopped his brow of sweat, staring at the limp body. His martial arts training hadn't got rusty, that was a good sight.
Goodness gracious, was Byakuya even aware of this, or did he want to play cat and mouse with this girl?
Either way, he concluded as he heaved Syo into the bed once again, the dangerous game his son was playing had to come to an end, now.