Chapter 5: Loneliness

Oh, Mitsukuni had been right. They were both in trouble. The footage had been rather damning. And none of the adults had been pleased to see the Haninozuka heir sleeping on the job.

Takashi faced his father. The tall man looked at his son with his steely gaze. Mori returned his look. He owned up to his mistake of letting Catwoman go.

XxoxX

Katryna bit her lip as she watched Mori enter the classroom...alone. The other girls crowded him, asking the silent giant where Honey was. But he said nothing. Her keen eyes could see something strange about him. Yes, he was quiet but he almost seemed...depressed...and worried. The girls went to their desks, disappointed that they couldn't get an answer because Sensei entered the room.

After class, she watched Takashi leave the room abruptlly. The girls saw this and immediately started gossiping. She gathered her things, intent on finding him before the Host Club. No doubt with his broading nature at maximum, he would be surrounded by girls trying to find ways to get him to spill the beans and then find ways to comfort him.

Katryna used her agility and speed to work through the crowd. There was no way she should know which way he went but something was pulling her outside and to the dojo on campus. The Kendo Club didn't meet today but she just knew that he needed to be somewhere familiar to ease his nerves, even the slightest bit.

And sure enough, there he was. He stood in the center of the dojo, shoulders stiff. Taking off her shoes, she entered the building and approached him carefully. He must have heard her despite her silent footfalls. And like a warrior on the edge, he attacked.

Katryna blocked his punch and held his wrist, her green eyes clashing with his stormy orbs. She held his gaze as she watched his vision clear. He had the muted expression of mortification and shame. "...sorry..."

The young woman shook her head with a soft smile. "It's not your fault. I should have known better than to startle you. I'll make sure to say something next time. Besides... now I know why they call you the "wild" type~" She chuckled.

He gave a slight smile then looked at his wrist that she still held. Her hands were very soft and small but he marvelled at how she was able to defend herself against his attack. He looked back at her eyes to see her blushing slightly and releasing his hand.

"I guess it's my turn to apologize."

He shook his head then looked away. "...why are you here?"

Katryna bit her lip again. "...something happened to Mitsukuni? You don't seem quite like yourself." She really hoped that she wasn't overstepping any boundaries.

Takashi became quiet, the air between them charged with negative emotions that he usually suppressed. His lips were pressed together and his eyes had a hard glint to them. Besides that, nothing seemed to change. After a long period of silence, he finally spoke 4 words. "...Mitsukuni was sent away..."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Sent away? For what?" But in her heart, she knew why. And she couldn't even apologize to him without exposing herself. And it was too soon.

"His father wasn't happy that our mission failed. Mitsukuni was telling you about it... We were supposed to defend a large jewel from Catwoman. There was no jewel and she got away." He shut his eyes as if in agony. "Mitsukuni was caught on camera...sleeping. His father thinks that his son has become too soft and sent him to a boot camp to toughen up. And my father refused to let me go with him."

Why was he telling her so much? Probably because he hadn't slept last night, worrying about how his charge was doing. Though Mitsukuni had a terrible temper in the morning and was very strong, he would be without cake, Bun Bun was forced to be left behind, and he didn't know when he would be back. He had the stuffed the rabbit in his school bag. But that didn't ease his anxiety and worry.

"..." Katryna couldn't stand the guilt she felt. She looked to the side, hoping that he understood that if she had known this would happen, she never would have gone there. "...if you can get the address, perhaps you can send a letter? Or maybe call him, if they allow communication?"

Speaking of communication, Takashi looked at his cell phone and sighed. "I need to go to the Host Club."

Katryna nodded and pulled out her phone. "Want to exchange phone numbers? In case you want to talk to someone, I'm available to talk or text." They quickly swapped phone numbers and went their separate ways.

XxoxX

Kyoya broke his pen in his fury. Honey-sempai was gone...Mori-sempai was even moodier than usual...Tamaki was moaning about how their family was broken. He had to give refunds to Honey's customers for all of their pre-paid visits. Even the extra money from Honey-sempai's picture books and Mori's surplus of customers wasn't enough to make up for all the money they just lost. And there was one person to blame.

Catwoman.

He swore that he would find out her identity, have his police force collect her, and torture her until she wished she never put on that leather body suit. Then he would make sure she was jailed for the rest of her miserable life. If she ever got out, her life would be ruined, she would be penniless and everyone would know her as a thief. Kyoya was out for blood.

XxoxX

Katryna looked at the envelope in her hand. It had to be delivered by hand. After all, it was for Catwoman. Someone knew who she was or at least where to find her. But with no sirens, she knew she wasn't being exposed. Opening it carefully, she held it away from her face. Nothing happened. So she took the picture out of the envelope. It was of Mitsukuni in chains and glaring at the camera. Someone had colored his hair a nauseating green and made a red smile from ear to ear. On the back, a single message.

"Joke's on you. Get Batman and let's play."