Youkai Academy

Chapter 16: Part 2 of 2

Kagome awoke with a start, coughing and wheezing for air. Seawater and bile burned her throat as it came rushing up from her lungs and stomach. Though she was feeling disoriented from the shock, Kagome forced herself to take in deep breaths of air in order to fill her lungs and regain some composure. She shivered as the wind wiped against her cold, wet clothing. As she glanced around, she began to remember what had happened.

She'd fallen off the cliff and into the ocean after trying to protect Haruhi, Momoka, Kimiko, and Ruri from those drunkards.

As her head cleared, she became aware of the figures sitting next to and behind her; large wet hands gently propped her up.

The sun was just beginning to set, and its dying light bathed everything in an orange-pink hue. And beside her, the mysterious savior who had come to her rescue. His features were hidden in the shadows of the fading day, but she felt an immense sense of peace because of him. His arms had cradled her, pulled her back from the brink of the deep and unknowable depths of the ocean; he'd just saved her from certain death.

"You can't keep doing this!" He yelled. "You can't keep putting yourself in danger, Kagome!" There was a fear in his voice that Kagome never thought to be possible.

"Kyoya-senpai?" She blinked, his face slowly coming into focus.

There was something else in his voice and face, an emotion far more powerful than alarm. He was hunched over next to her, his head bowed and shoulders shaking. She could scarcely make out his features beyond the gleaming strains of wet black hair that was purposefully falling into his eyes. She was bewitched by a single water droplet. Her heart ached as it slid down his cheek before dropping off of his chin. It made him look as if he were crying, but that should have been impossible as they were never that close.

And yet there was something beautiful and tragic about Kyoya at that moment, a rare glimpse of emotion that was only for her. It warmed her in the strangest of ways.

His words reverberated through them both as he repeated himself: "This has happened twice now! That's too many!" He shouted. "You're not like us, Kagome!"

She blinked before offering a weak smile, her hand weakly landing on his.

"Why are you yelling at Kagome!? She did nothing wrong; those guys are the ones at fault; they attacked her!" Haruhi yelled, a deep rage and worry filling her voice.

"And why did you step in?" Tamaki snapped back. "You should have gotten one of us! You're not like Huni-Senpai or Mori-Senpai; you're not a martial arts master. Why would you confront them!?" His question seemed pointed at both of them, and Kagome shied away, a part of her ashamed. "What made you think you could stand a chance against them? You against three boys!"

"You didn't see how they touched her or how hard she was fighting!" Her voice warbled, watery with angry tears. "If I hadn't, they would've...." Haruhi broke off.

"They touched her?" Kaoru asked, his voice stiff and hollow, like the calm before the storm.

"How?!" It seems Haruhi's hesitation only made them angrier. Kagome couldn't discern who was speaking, nor did she have the strength to fight back.

"They had her cornered," Haruhi started slowly, almost guiltily, like she didn't want to share in another woman's assault by talking about it. "They-they were grabbing at her chest and- and her pants were unzipped and..." Her voice trailed off into a whisper.

Kyoya's grip on Kagome's hand tightened, his silent anger palpable.

Looking up, Kagome stared in wonder at Mori, her breath catching in her throat. He was usually such a calm and collected man, but now his features were twisted in a mask of fury and deadly rage. Water dripped from his hair, caught in the last rays of sunlight, and Kagome had to fight the urge to reach out and touch him. He was so beautiful, even when angry, and she couldn't help but be drawn to him.