Chapter 14

Hana's arrival to Japan was heavily publicized. Hiro's incident had caused an uproar in tabloids, a juicy story with a musician-slash-heir hailing from a rich family. Rumours of inheritance claims, family feuds, and Hiro's personal life was now put into speculation for the public to see.

Hana never had to deal with a swarm of paparazzi in her entire life. The Sawada family ordered body guards to protect that youngest of the family, as she was escorted through the airport and into the vehicle.

The ex-model would've argued that the body guards attracted much more attention than intended, but after a 14 hour flight, Hana was in no mood to argue. She took the earliest flight home after her last exam, and landed in morning.

She pulled her luggage through the hospital, a backpack attached to the handle and her travel bag on her shoulder. Her hair was tied up in a half bun, sunglasses perched on top of her head after she avoided the paparazzi outside the hospital as well. Her trench coat reached down to her mid thigh, a dark colour that complimented the rest of her outfit. A pair of jeans and grey knee-high boots to combat the winter.

She immediately recognized the Host Club sitting outside of the room, sitting solemnly. They were always a rowdy bunch. But today was not the day. Tamaki was the first to recognize the sister who briskly walked through the halls, lugging all her baggage.

"Hana," he greeted. "It's so wonderful to see you." Tamaki pulled her into a hug. She greeted the rest of the Host Club, except Mori who stood far from the group in the corner. She acknowledged his presence by giving him a small nod.

"They aren't letting anyone into the room but family," Kyouya explained. He flew from Harvard to Japan over the break, mostly to take care of company matters but he was still a friend nonetheless. It was his hospital that the Sawada family admitted to.

"He came out of surgery two days ago. He's still in a comatose state, and it seems like it may take some time before he wakes up," the Ootori explained. Hana nodded. She patted the Ootori's shoulder out of gratitude and thanked Hiro's friends for showing up.

Hana glanced over to the blocked doorway. Two burly men stood in front of the room, hands across their chest, and dressed in a pristine suit. Bodyguards were everywhere. Security was tight, especially with all the attention that the family now garnered. Regardless, she was family. Hana walked over to the hospital door and reached out for the handle only to be stopped.

"You cannot go in, miss."
"I'm his sister," Hana explained.

The two guards looked at each other and shook their heads.

"We're under strict orders, miss. You cannot go in unless you are approved by Sawada-san."
"He's my father," the woman stayed calm.
"I'm afraid not. You are not on the list," the man referred to the list of one name under Family. It was her mother's name.

Hana looked up at the two men, carefully observing them from head to toe.

"Are you armed, sir?"
"Armed?"
"With a taser, or a gun, perhaps?"

The men stayed silent, choosing not to answer such a question. Hana sighed and walked over to Mori who had been watching this interaction. She passed him her luggage and told him to look after it. Takashi had a slight suspicion of what she was about to do, but Hana wouldn't be so reckless, he thought.

But indeed, she was. Hana took one deep breath before punching one man in the nose and quickly diverting the attack of the second guard. She kicked him in the shin, and immediately elbowed the second man in the spine. Hana would apologize, but not today. She swiftly made it into the room where her parents sat in silence, next to the hospital bed.

"H-Hana," her mother stood from the hospital bed. Obviously startled by the scene in the doorway, she asked, "W-why didn't you call?"

Her father peered out the doorway to find the two men hunched over, one of them bleeding from his nose and the other on the ground.

"What the hell did you do?" he roared.

"They didn't let me in," Hana shrugged. She kept a neutral expression before turning to her brother lying on the hospital bed. "Because I wasn't family." The young woman shot a glare at the patriarch of the family before turning back to her brother.

He was wrapped in bandages, his head was wrapped especially. He looked like a mummy, with white sheets, and even a white cast over his left arm. He breathed through a ventilator, attached to machines that beeped rhythmically according to his heartbeat. Hana reached for her brother's hand, with an IV needle slit into his vein. He was hanging on to dear life and Hana could do nothing about it.

"What's the prognosis?" Hana asked.
"His head injury of the frontal lobe is likely to cause his motor functions to… be paralyzed at worst," her mother's voice quivered. "We won't know until he wakes up."

Hana nodded in understanding. "He'll wake. He'll be good as new," she squeezed her brother's hand. "You'll be good as new, I promise."

"Don't kid yourself," the father raised his voice. "He's useless now. He won't be able to walk. He won't be able to move. He can't be an heir like that."

The young woman stood from the bedside and faced what used to be her father. "You don't know that. He hasn't woken up yet."

The father scoffed. "He wasn't suited to be the heir. Bringing scandals to the Sawada name, with tabloids of him kissing other men in his free time. Whatever silly career he had, it killed him. We should have never let him go off to pursue this silly thing. It's all your fault," he blamed Hana's mother.

Hana put the pieces together in her head. "You're the one who leaked that article of me studying at Stern." No one else knew. Whoever knew had no business in telling the press about where Hana was studying or what she was doing. The only benefit of doing so was for the company at a critical time like this. "You're going to throw away your first-born for the sake of another heir?"

"It's what you've always wanted," the father pointed out. He saw no issue with replacing the heir with his second-born, who was painted as a diligent student abroad. Hana was studying finance. It was the perfect candidate now, even if she wasn't his own blood. The press and the world didn't have to know about that one little detail.

"I don't want your empire," Hana spat. "I want my brother alive. You shunned me out for the first 20 years of my life, and you bring me back out of convenience?"

"Don't spring this back on the hand that feeds you," her father warned. "I raised you."
"You didn't raise me!" Hana shouted. "Ojii-san raised me. Don't you dare say anything about raising children when you have done nothing to be a part of our lives."

"Then who provided a roof over your heads? Who put you through school? You ungrateful little brat, sauntering into this room like you own the world now that you've been abroad. What have you learned, Hana? What have you seen with the privilege I've bestowed upon you? You owe this family and I own you."

She was ridden with guilt. Hana was born into a family of privilege, whether she liked it or not. She stemmed from privilege, she had opportunities because of her privilege. Hana could not deny that she wouldn't be where she was without bring born into the upper class.

"I'm paying for Stern out of my own pocket," Hana calmly explained. "You haven't paid a single cent. You aren't putting me through school. So let me tell you what I've learned from my privilege: it's damn well useful to have, but never did I ask to be born into this family. Never have I asked for you to provide a roof over my head. Never have I asked for you to be a father – because you aren't. I'm not even on that fucking list you gave to those morons outside. So don't talk to me about being a parent, don't you lecture me on what I owe this family."

"Then why are you here? You weren't on that list for a reason, Hana. You haven't been back to this country in a year and a half – what made you think we expected you come?"

"Because I love my brother," Hana was exhausted. She had no other words to explain why she would come back. A blanket of silence came over the family. The father paced around the hospital room, while the mother wept beside her son. Hana stood beside her brother, watching the lines of the machine move.

"It does not matter," the father finally decided. "You are the heir, Hana. Or you marry so your husband is the heir. You have a choice here."

The patriarch left the room. Hana's mother followed her husband seconds later, leaving the siblings alone. Hana sighed, realizing that she forgot to close the door. The Host Club was still outside, and if they hadn't left by now – they must have heard the entire thing.

She stepped out of the hospital room, noting a look of fear in Twins' eyes after her little stunt in taking two fully grown men down to their knees.

"You should… all go home," Hana meekly said. There was no point in addressing the family feud that they had all overheard. "Get some rest. I'll let you all know if he wakes up." Hiro's friends all nodded and went their separate ways. Mori came out of the shadows to latch onto Honey's arm, and dropped off her luggage. They shared a glance at each other before silently going their separate ways.

"He's alive," Hana spoke on the phone with her grandfather. "Still in a comatose state, but… he's alive."
"Hana, it's 6:45 AM. Did you spend the night at the hospital?"

The young woman looked over to her suitcase lying in the corner. She stayed for the entire day and night. In all honesty, Hana had nowhere to go and her jetlag prevented her from sleeping through the night anyway. Her laptop was open on her lap as she made herself comfortable on the couch meant for visitors.

The room was rather spacious, being a private hospital and all. With amenities like internet and exceptional cell service, Hana got some interviews done over the night via video calls or phone calls.

"Yeah, I spent the night," she answered.
"You should go home," Sawada-san chided.
"No," Hana's voice was firm. She'd rather sleep out in the cold than to go back to the mansion. But she also wanted to be by Hiro's side. They'd been apart for so long, and it was partly her own fault. Hana was selfish in pushing Hiro away over the past few years, but he always came back. Relentlessly showing his love for his own sister, reminding her that he was there if she needed it.

But now she couldn't even return the favour.

"At least come over to my place to sleep," her grandfather softened.
"I can manage," Hana insisted. "Security is pretty tight here. I don't think you can visit."
"That's fine," the elder sighed. "Hana, don't push yourself."

It was the granddaughter's turn to sigh. She was running on adrenaline for the past 48 hours. Hana wasn't sure when it was going to run out but she was hoping not any time soon.

"I'm fine," she assured. "I'll take a nap later."

Hana decided that her body needed to rest, and forced herself to sleep for at least a little bit. She was woken up by a knock on the door, which she found odd. The nurses came in without warning through the night as they always had access. The sun was now up, the light glaring through the windows and onto Hana's face. She tried brushing through her hair in an attempt to look the least bit put together before answering the door.

She opened the barrier, only to find Mori holding a bag. Hana gestured for Takashi to come in.

"He can't go in, miss," the guard put out his arm to block the entrance.
"He can come in," Hana growled. "Unless you want a flashback to what happened yesterday."

The arm slowly lowered to allow Mori through. He closed the door behind him.

"Sawada-san told me to deliver you food," Takashi explained.
"Thank you," she tried to smile but it quickly disappeared. "You don't have to stay if you're busy. Hiro was the same through the night."

Takashi did his usual shrug. He began unwrapping the cloth bag, opening up the side dishes for Hana to eat on the small coffee table in front of the couch.

"Takashi, you don't have to—"
"—Eat," he ordered. Takashi placed the pair of chopsticks in her palms. He waited until she took her first bite before averting his gaze. Hana did as she was told and ate quietly. Mori looked over to the bed of Hiro who was wrapped in white. Bandages over his head from surgery, a cast on his arm, and the blankets that surrounded his body. He had earbuds in his ears, and an iPod carefully placed in his free hand.

"What is he listening to?" Mori curiously asked.
"His favourite composer, Liszt," Hana answered. "A sprinkle of Debussy on the side, some Chopin songs mingled between. He really loves the Romantic Era."

Takashi nodded. Of course, Hana knew her brother best.

"I thought… maybe music would make him feel better," she explained.
"I'm sure it will," he comforted.

Hana cleaned up the table, stacking up the tupperware containers and retied the cloth knot. The two sat across from each other in silence for a bit, letting the beeping of the EKG fill in the silence. Takashi watched as her long hair flowed down to her shoulders. She had it cut. It was no longer the usual light brown she had, but instead her natural dark brown colour. Her eyes were dull, but her expression stern. Hana wore the same thing as she did yesterday, except her coat was over the chair across the room. She had a thin grey sweater that was cut wide enough to show her collarbones.

She was thinking.

"Did you all hear… what happened yesterday?"

Mori wasn't the type to lie. "Yes."

Hana shook her head and rubbed her eyes. "I was pretty fucking stupid to not close the damn door."

"Don't worry." The Host Club were tight lipped about such things. Gossiping was never the chosen past time for any of the members, unless it was within the group itself and they were teasing. They were loyal people, through and through.

"They…" He tried to take her mind off of it. "Were pretty impressed by the whole… stunt."
"I'm not particularly proud of physically assaulting my way through situations," Hana clarified. "But I'll admit, it felt good."

Takashi had to chuckle at that last statement. Hana would never lose that fighter inside of her, even if she tried. She shook her head at herself. She really shouldn't have punched, kicked, or elbowed anyone in retrospect. Calling her mother would have been the most civil thing to do.

"Hey," Mori tried to bring her back from her thoughts. "I enjoyed watching it."

She let out a small laugh. "Thanks. I think Ojii-san would've liked it too."

Hana stood from the couch to check on her brother. Her playlist had stopped playing. She pulled an earbud out of his ear and whispered, "Mori is here to see you, Hiro. Your friends are so kind. They all came yesterday, but they couldn't come in. We're all waiting for you to come back, to serenade us with your melodies and your laughter." Hana replayed the playlist that she made the night prior. She squeezed her brother's hand before turning to find Takashi waiting patiently behind.

Mori had gotten closer to the bed, standing a good distance behind the sister. He had his hands in his pockets, his gaze now averted towards Hiro who laid still.

"I didn't want to meet like this," she murmured.
"It's alright," Takashi wasn't sure how else to comfort her.

She looked down to the ground. "I wish I was a better friend, Takashi. I wish I brought you food when you needed it. I wish I showed up in your life whenever you were lost or alone. But… you're always the one who's been there for me."

He pulled her close, enveloping her body into his. She buried her face into his chest. It was like he invited her to pour out all her emotions pent up in her body. She wanted to cry but now wasn't the time. She had too many things to deal with. Emotions were to be dealt with later.

But right now, she took a break. She let herself be held, and pulled him closer.

"I'm sorry," Hana mumbled into his chest. "I'm so sorry. I'm awful. I keep depending on you when I shouldn't."
"I don't mind," his deep voice rumbled against her ear. Her hair was tucked right under his chin, her hair still smelled the same as he'd always remembered it. Takashi felt her grip tighten before letting go when she realized that it crossed a boundary.

But in all honesty, Takashi didn't mind. He could stay like this forever, as long as she wanted to. It pained him to see her this way and he had no other idea how to make it better. She slowly pulled away from him with a guilty expression over her face.

"I've missed you. I've been an awful friend. I don't text. I call… on your birthday. I have no excuse," Hana admitted.

Takashi shook his head. She didn't need an excuse. He understood her. And that was enough.

"No, stop that. You should be angry. You should… feel like it's been unfair. You shouldn't just brush things off like that," Hana vented. She held her hands up in the air. How was it possible that someone had so much patience for someone like her?

Mori gently pushed her arms back down and held her close. He felt her calm down, her shoulders loosening and her breathing slowed.

"You're here now," was all he could say. It didn't matter to him how they met, where they met, or what the circumstances. She orbited back and all he could see was her. It brought him a sense of peace, even in the midst of chaos. Even if they spoke, her words, their conversations, every single detail would replay at the back of his mind. All Takashi needed was a piece of her. Nothing more. He was not raised to be greedy.

"I want to stay," she confessed. "I want to stay here, in this moment." Her voice as soft as a mouse, almost afraid that even the walls would hear her.

"Stay," Takashi ran his hand through her hair. How he wanted to do that for so long, her hair was as soft as he imagined with all the individual strands that combed through the space between his fingers.

"I can't stay," Hana had a better grip of reality than he did. "Hiro needs to wake up. Then I have to go back to school. I need to deal with company matters. Then I… I don't know what's next."
"Are you afraid?"

Hana shook her head. "The future used to terrify me. But it cannot be feared when you need to take control of it."
"That's good," he softly said, admiring her courage. Takashi wondered if she knew how brave she was, despite all the circumstances. He didn't think he could do what she did. She pulled away, but not far enough for him to lose contact.

They were interrupted by a phone call. Mori's phone vibrated in his pocket and Hana smiled. It was a brief moment of peace, but now it was time to get back to reality. She let him answer the call while she grabbed her own phone to check for any messages.

"Honey is awake," Takashi explained. "Wants me to go have cake with him."

Hana nodded. "You should go. Say hello to him for me."

He turned to leave, only to be stopped by Hana's hand on his wrist. She was at a loss of words for a second, he could see it in her face. When she finally settled her thoughts, Hana nodded.

"Thank you, Takashi."

He acknowledged her gratitude before turning to leave.

Honey latched onto his cousin's hand as they walked into the bakery café. They hadn't gone out like this in a very long time. Honey called his cousin as often as he could, just to check in to see how he was doing. A heavy feeling often sat with the blonde, who felt as though his departure had caused Mori to fall into a rut. But as the years went by, his cousin slowly changed.

He no longer seemed to be unhappy, or lost. Mori no longer let Honey lead the way, but rather walked alongside. The small changes that Honey noticed in his own cousin grew into a deep sense of relief. They sat across from each other, while Honey ate his piece of cake as he told his cousin about his engineering studies. A moment of silence came between the cousins.

"Have you heard anything about Hiro?" Honey asked.
Mori shook his head. "He's fine, though."

"Do you think Hana is okay?" The blonde had only seen her a handful of times. Each time they conversed, the more Honey came to like the girl. She was polite, and sweet. Hana was genuinely kind in every way he imagined, but he most certainly did not expect someone so docile like Hana to beat the pulp out of two grown men.

"She says hello," Mori shrugged. As if to say that she was fine.
"You saw Hiro today?"

Takashi nodded in response.

"Hana spent the night then…" Honey realized. "It must be tough."
His cousin agreed.

"Do you think she'll choose to be the heir?"

Mori shrugged. He didn't know. She was a smart young woman, he had faith that she was formulating a plan as they spoke.

"Hana-chan really doesn't have much of a choice, does she?"

Honey watched as Takashi tilted his head. What do you mean?

"Hana can choose to be the heir, or get married. But… the truth is that she'll have to marry, eventually. Whether she has control of the company is a different story, right Takashi?"

Mori nodded. She'll have to marry, eventually. That sentence hurt him in more ways than one. He felt his chest aching, his throat closing. Hana wouldn't choose marriage, Takashi knew that. She would rather be an heir than to be tied down.

But would she really? He didn't know. She was a wildcard. She was filled with surprises. And if Hana decided to marry within her class… it was likely that she would do it for the sake of the family and their reputation. If it wasn't going to happen now, it would happen in the future.

Her future was set in stone.

And the thought of that hurt him. The idea that she would have to cut him out of her life, regardless if it was a conscious choice or not. It would happen, because she was always going to be up in the sky, high above the clouds, always untouchable.

That was their reality.

She was in the sky as he stayed bounded to the ground.

Hana woke to her mother gently shaking her shoulder. The girl had her head laid on the side of the bed, next to her brother. The girl groggily rubbed her eyes awake to find a manila envelope placed in front of her.

"Your father transferred shares to you today," her mother explained. "It isn't much. Only 5% for now."

Hana stretched her neck. "What?" The young woman was still trying to process what her mother had said. What 5%?

"Shares of the company are under your name," the mother explained again. "This is happening, Hana. You'll be the heir."

"Hiro is the heir," she argued. "I'm not the heir."
"Hana, please," Hana's mother pleaded for her daughter to just stay still for a moment. "Hiro could never be the heir at this rate, even if he recovers fully. He's off with his music and… we both know he isn't fit to take over a company."

"I never agreed to this," the young woman pointed out. "I never wanted to be an heir, I wanted equality. To be treated like Hiro, but you two are misconstruing—"
"—Hana, stop being selfish. All you want is more, more attention, more of this freedom or more equality as you call it. When have you ever thought of the family?"

"When was I ever part of the family?" Hana shot back. "You said it yourself. I'm not legitimate."
"But they don't know that."

The said-heiress crossed her arms, obviously frustrated with the whole ordeal. The public had no idea behind the mess of their family tree.

"Hana, listen to your mother. If you want your freedom, or to go off doing whatever silly degree you want, you can do so. But you'll need to marry someone suitable so we can secure the future of the company. You can do what you want, while your husband takes care of the corporation."

"You can sell the company, you know. Merge with another conglomerate. Why is that not an option?" the model wasn't silly. She was also considering the future of the company. But preferably not at the expense of selling her soul, and her entire life.

"Your father built this company. You think he'd want to see it swallowed up with another? Keeping it in the family is a must."
"I'm not marrying someone," Hana was firm.
"Then you'll take over the company," her mother gave the other option, leaving out the fact that Hana would have to marry regardless.

"I'll take over the company, and then what?"
"You'll have full control."

I'll have full control.

It was enticing. But Hana knew that as soon as she had full control, she'd merge or sell the entire company. Perhaps to Kyouya, if he ever became the heir to his own family's business. But that wasn't smart, selling the company to the first person she knew. Hana did not have the conscience to betray the hand who fed her. The man who built the company from scratch wouldn't want to see it collapse into nothing.

All in all, Hana was well-aware that she was not a suitable heir.

"If you do not agree to either of these options, you know fully well how your father could sabotage any chance of you working in the industry," her mother warned.
"You're blackmailing your own daughter?" Hana fumed. That was a game-changer. Forget playing the role of being a filial daughter for show. Something inside of her snapped.
"I want you to be the heir, Hana. I want the best for you," her mother insisted.
"You're all fucking maniacs," the daughter threw her hands up in the air. "How fucking dare you— fine. You know what? Fine. I'll be the heir. But you back off of my life until I finish my degree. I don't want any announcement of this being official until I come back from New York. I don't even want a word from you or father."

Her mother stood up from the seat. "Very well then. It's settled."

A/N: If you can't tell by now, these frequent updates are me frantically trying to finish this story before I go back to school. I hope the writing hasn't decreased in quality as I've been writing non-stop for the past few days. Things are picking up after a bit of a writing slump I had earlier in the August. As always, your thoughts are much appreciated. Thanks for reading.