Chapter 8: The Incident
"Ootori! It's time to make good on your deal!" a feminine voice trilled in a little song as she spoke. Kyoya looked up from his lunch to see a bright-eyed Kagome Higurashi standing before him.
"Are you speaking of our little exchange, Higurashi?"
"Duh. Can you help me study for the English exam after classes today? Remember you promised."
"Of course, I am a man of my word after all," replied Kyoya smoothly. Kagome grinned broadly.
"It's a date!"
"Ugh, why is English so hard!" Kagome grumbled, blowing her bangs out of her face in frustration.
Kyoya smirked at the girl in front of him glaring intently on a piece of paper. They had been working for the last hour on the same assignment, Kagome's slow progress barely making a dent in the work for the next class.
"Try this section again, use the study guide I made to help decipher some of the harder conjugations," Kyoya instructed, sliding the notebook toward her.
Kagome pouted as she took it, the stress of homework crushing her spirit. The two were situated comfortably in a cafe. Having such a beautiful sunny day warranted outdoor seating and fruity drinks that they sipped on while they worked.
High school was a whole different beast compared to middle school. Ouran Academy had very high academic standards which promoted a lot of studying. Typically, Kagome could handle the load, but with her new role in the Host Club her English went by the wayside. It didn't help that she hated their English class with a burning passion. It was hard enough to learn simple phrases, much less complete a novel study on some novel!
Looking up through dark lashes, Kagome watched her study partner tap away on his laptop. Squinting she tried to see what he was working on in the reflection of his glasses.
Kyoya chose then to slip the frames off and clean them for an inordinate amount of time.
Rolling her eyes, Kagome looked back to her homework and smiled, leaning her cheek into her hand. Although Kyoya was only here because of their deal, Kagome was happy that he was there.
"Kyoya, thank you for helping me," Kagome said suddenly. Kyoya looked at her with a small smile.
"Of course. A deal is a deal, and it is my responsibility to make sure our newest addition to the Host Club makes it to club meetings. Wouldn't want you getting on academic probation." Kyoya replied.
"Why, you–!" Kagome cut herself off suddenly, catching the boy off guard. Her head jerked behind her. It was deeply unnerving watching the raven-haired girl have such a look upon her face. Kyoya had seen similar expressions on his family's officers in training.
Before Kyoya could quip about her strange behavior, Kagome jumped from her seat, grasped his shoulders and suddenly slammed him to the ground. Their bodies collided with the concrete with an uncomfortable thud.
The resonating crack of a gun sliced through the air then. Behind them, the glass window of the cafe shattered immediately followed by panicked screaming. Chaos ensued as terrified customers and bystanders attempted to flee.
"Ootori! I know you're in there! Come out and face me like a man!" A stranger's voice called out above the ruckus.
Kyoya's mind was a blur with the Kagome's physical closeness and the sudden intrusion. Legs were straddling his hips and chest pressing into his chin, Kagome hovered protectively over him. If circumstances were different, the Ootori would feel compelled by her forwardness. However, the resonating gunshot rang in his ear and destroyed all coherent thought.
What the hell was going on?
Looking upside down, Kyoya could make out a disheveled man pointing a gun at him. The weapon made his stomach sink. This was bad and about to get worse if nothing was done about it. The Ootori slowly reached into his pocket, fingers trembling slightly as they tried to pry his phone out. Just as he was about to pull it out, it slipped from his fingers with a noticeable clatter catching the man's notice.
Fuck.
"Go ahead call your police force, they ain't gonna find shit once I'm done with you." The man yelled, a deranged smirk spreading across his face. "I'll even keep your girlfriend alive, bastard."
"Stay away from him," Kagome hissed in warning.
"Kagome–!" Kyoya was interrupted when Kagome positioned her body over his face.
"Don't come any closer!" She screamed at the approaching man.
Another resounding crack echoed. Dark gray eyes widened in disbelief as he watched the girl cry out clutching her shoulder. A bright, red spot began to bleed fast down her shoulder. The tiniest droplet of scarlet splashed upon his cheek.
With no more thoughts than the blood dripping down her arm, Kyoya sat up and reached over to the girl with trembling hands. Weakly, he tried to call her name but the syllables died on his tongue when sharp blue eyes burned into him.
"Stay down, idiot!" she demanded.
With her good arm, Kagome grasped one of the tables and flipped it to its side to create a barricade between the Ootori and the gunman. Once the menial barrier was erected, she winced at the pain lacing through her arm.
"Kagome, you're bleeding!" Kyoya hissed, eyes widening with clarity.
Heart palpating wildly, Kyoya scrambled for his phone and immediately dialed the emergency number. One thing he could always count on was the swiftness of his father's police force. Any minute they would come and clean up this mess. The Ootori reached for Kagome only to find air.
On the other side of the barricade, Kagome released an ear-piercing scream.
"Let go of me, bastard!"
"Settle down, bitch, I won't hurt you much–!" a grunt of pain punctuated the gunman's sentence. "I'll fucking kill you for that!"
Another shot.
Another scream was followed by the sound of bodies colliding with concrete. Kyoya couldn't move, his body demanded he stay put and out of sight. His heart clenched at the sound of Kagome's peril, but he wasn't sure what he could do to help without getting shot himself.
No.
He had to do something. Standing on shaking legs, Kyoya crawled out from behind the barricade. Just as he stepped from his safety, the screech of a siren announced their salvation. The red and blue glow of police lights illuminated the area as hundreds of officers dressed in black gear entered the area.
"There he is!" An officer shouted.
Before he could string a thought to another, Kyoya was wrapped in a shock blanket and promptly removed from the area. Two officers walked side by side to an ambulance parked down the street.
"Get Kagome!" Kyoya demanded, eyes flaring wildly. "The girl!"
The officers looked at each other before gesturing to a gurney behind them. The boy's heart dropped to the ground at the sight of her. Multiple EMTs surrounded the girl, fluttering around her like a cluster of white birds. From his vantage point, Kyoya didn't miss the bright spot of red that stained her sleeve or the bruising on her cheek. He could see how perilously pale her skin was and his heart contorted painfully in his chest.
Revelations crashed down upon him like bolts of lightning. She had risked her life for his. She saved him. The man was after him and Kagome put herself into life-threatening danger to make sure he was safe. With sudden vigor, Kyoya stood up to make his way over to her. He had to thank her. Do something.
Suddenly, the world became a blur of police lights and Kyoya's legs wobbled like jelly.
"Ootori-san!" The officers called out to him as he collapsed onto the ground.
Under the fluorescent lights of the hospital room, Kagome was beginning to feel bored. Restless fingers brushed against now tender, bruised skin when the shot had pierced through flesh and bone. A scar would bloom in its place most likely. Her powers had activated when the surgeon was removing the bullet from her arm and disrupted the healing process. The fact that it had it had healed so soon after she was admitted to the hospital created a whole mess.
Shippo had burst into her room hours ago in a frenzy. After a distinctly awkward amount of unintelligible crying, the fox yokai left her to make a phone call. The whiplash of his coming and going left her feeling dizzy even after several hours.
And so here she was by herself getting increasingly antsy. Vaguely Kagome thought of her family, wondering where they were in all of this. However, it didn't take long for her mind to stray back to the boy whose life she saved. Wherever Kyoya Ootori was, she hoped that he was okay.
"Why couldn't it have just been a cute little study date? That was the second time he's used my first name…" Kagome thought to herself, lying against the stiff hospital pillow. Kyoya looked so afraid, she'd never seen that much emotion in him. Even the way he said her name was drenched into a heartfelt something.
"Kagome!" cried out Kyoya's voice.
"Kagome!" The distressed chorus of family called her name as they rushed into the room. They surrounded her with hugs, her grandfather weeping ceaselessly, Souta hugging her arm tightly, and her mother checking her face for any damage.
"The bruising on my face healed hours ago. This still hurts something awful though." Kagome said, lifting the sleeve of her hospital gown to reveal the ugly bruise on her arm. Her mother gasped, tears shining at the corners of her eyes. Tentatively, her fingers touched the rough-hewn of scar tissue puckering on her daughter's skin. She tightly closed her eyes, covering her mouth with a hand.
"Mama?"
"When you got hurt back then, we never saw the aftermath," her mother choked. "To see you like this right now… My precious girl, what have you been through?"
Kagome was enveloped in the arms of her three family members. Letting herself be held, the miko leaned against her mother and began to cry.
"I had to protect him, Mama. I couldn't let that man kill him." Kagome wept.
"They arrested the bad guy and took him to jail, it's already on the news," chimed in Souta. Her little brother's style of comfort was Kagome's preference. No fuss, just a comforting presence always ready with a distraction. The boy grabbed a TV remote and turned on the news.
"Tonight at 7:00, we have breaking news. A shooting in downtown Tokyo started by gunman resulted in the injury of one after an ex police officer hunted down one of the sons of a prominent businessman. Luckily the perpetrator was quickly apprehended by the Ootori Special Police Force. More news to come, thank you."
Kagome turned the television off quickly, staring at her reflection in its black screen. What a nightmare this day turned into.
"Excuse me? Could the family of Miss Higurashi step out? We need to perform some tests before moving forward." A nurse came into the room with a familiar red-head in tow.
The rest of the Higurashi family left without complaint, leaving the three alone in the hospital room.
"Did you have to send them out? They only just got here, Shippo." Kagome pouted. When he didn't respond to her jest, she found herself sitting a little straighter. "What's going on?"
"Fortunately, but unfortunately, you're completely healed," said Shippo.
"Almost. I have one hell of a bruise and I think it'll scar."
"That's the problem. If you leave this hospital with nothing more than a bruise it could compromise our situation. So, I pulled some strings and managed to get you transferred to this hospital."
"What're you talking abou–?"
Before Kagome could finish, Shippo's aura pulsed followed by a transformation. His teeth and ears elongated to an elegant point and a fluffy red tail flicked behind him. Blanching, the miko whipped her head toward the nurse. Rather than the human woman she previously saw, an oni woman with deep blue skin stood in her place.
"This is a hospital that Sesshomaru owns and controls. It's a private hospital for youkai, hanyou, and humans alike." Shippo answered.
"One day you will be the salvation for this very hospital and its patrons, my lady," said the oni nurse. "We are more than happy to aid in your healing process in the meantime."
Swallowing the lump in her throat, the miko nodded in understanding. Without another word, the nurse performed her tests. After checking her vitals and making sure she had no lasting physical trauma, the nurse excused herself to gather paperwork. The door closing behind her echoed loudly, leaving Kagome and Shippo by themselves.
Fiddling with the hospital blanket, Kagome refused to meet Shippo's eyes. She was glad he had moved past the uncontrollable crying, but this awkwardness sucked. The tension hung between thick and smothering until he spoke up.
"What were you thinking?"
"I wasn't, I had to–"
"Had to what? Put yourself directly into the line of danger? Kagome, we're not in the Feudal Era anymore. You can't do stuff like that without expecting consequences!" Shippo's voice rose with each word until he was yelling at her. The miko winced as his words sliced through her eardrums and mind.
"He could have died, Ship. If I didn't step in, Kyoya would have died and I couldn't live with myself if that had happened."
Tears began to spill in heavy droplets down her cheeks. As Kagome buried her face into her hands and cried, Shippo's eyes softened a touch. Slipping next to her he wrapped his arms around her. She leaned into his embrace and began to cry harder.
"Some things never change with you, Kagome," Shippo said once there was a lull in her crying. Wiping off tears and phlegm, the miko looked at him questioningly.
"Your heart is too big and it makes you stupid sometimes."
"Hey!" Kagome gave his arm a weak slug. "Don't speak to your mother/sister figure like that, it's rude."
"I only tell the truth, Okaa-san."
"I'm not sorry for saving Kyoya's life."
"I know."
A pause followed by silence.
"What now?" Kagome asked. Shippo shifted to look at her directly.
"I don't know. But I know it'll be a huge pain. Look at you going through that trouble to save your boyfriend."
"He's not my boyfriend!" Kagome denied with flaming cheeks.
"Whatever you say," said Shippo. When he rolled his eyes, Kagome landed him a more earnest punch to the shoulder.
"Ow!"
After being dismissed from the hospital, Kyoya's return home was the definition of suffocating. Many servants swarmed the teenage boy, flitting around him like nervous moths with buzzings of concern. With a disarming smile, he placated their worries with an easy smile and requested to go straight to bed.
Showered and wearing his most comfortable pajama set, Kyoya lay in his bed and stared at the ceiling. He was called for dinner but did not attend. Food did not seem the least bit appetizing and weariness spread through his body like a liquid heavyweight. Accounting for every curve and line that his ceiling, Kyoya's mind whirred like a hot, oiled machine.
The image of determined blue eyes would cross his mind. Had she always had such a captivating appearance? Kyoya wrapped himself in a blanket as the phantom of her strong body protectively over his sending shivers down his spine. It was soon followed by the deathly pallor of his savior. White and deathly pale.
When the sound of her scream began to ring in his ears, a soft knock at his door pushed him from such thoughts.
"Master Kyoya? Your sister wanted to bring you some dinner, can she come in?"
"Why not?" Kyoya replied monotonously, making no effort to get up. His sister entered the bedroom and the servants excused themselves.
"Kyoya," whispered his sister, Fuyumi. She carried a tray of food from that night's dinner. "Can I sit with you?"
Kyoya said nothing which was invitation enough for Fuyumi to sit next to him on his bed.
"Are you okay?" Fuyumi asked in hushed tones. He had seen her use this voice before. It was her attempt at a maternal tone, practice for her own future children. While her kindness was misplaced, Kyoya wanted nothing to do with it.
"Even Father is worried about you," she continued when he didn't reply.
That speck of information caught Kyoya's attention. Turning to look at his sister, the bespectacled boy offered her a wry smile.
"I will be okay, dear sister. If I may have this time to myself to process…"
"Of course."
With that, Fuyumi got up from the bed. When she reached the door, she looked over her shoulder once again. He wanted to be mad at her for how concerned she was, but couldn't muster the energy for it. Without another word, she closed the door and left him be.
Small grumbles of hunger urged the Ootori to get up and eat some bread. The small morsel of baguette was all he could stomach before returning to his bed and falling into a restless slumber.
That first night and many others to follow drowned in that awful event's sensations. The sound of that fateful gunshot and the timbre of Kagome's voice. As Kyoya fell asleep the image of her bracing herself over him without consequence for her own life haunted him.
Some nights he would awaken in a cold sweat, nervous fingers grasping for his saviors. Other nights he dreamed that it was him who acted as the hero.
Other nights he dreamt of her body against his, their situation far from dangerous and far more sexual.
These were horribly selfish dreams born of self-deprecation, frustration, and a deep, unrealized burning desire. The feelings remained buried deep throughout the day and into night. These sensations weren't him, their sheer ferocity sent his mind into a spiral.
In his mind, Kyoya sorted through the truths of the situation. Organizing each awful feeling and thought in an orderly fashion would help. With labored breathing the boy sat up in bed, throwing his feet over the side of his bed. His soles were met with icy cold marble, anchoring him.
Truth: Kagome Higurashi saved his life.
Lie: he could have stepped in.
Truth: the protective embrace of the blue-eyed girl haunted his every waking moment.
Lie: he hated her for it.
