Write Me a Love Story (OHSHC)

XXVII: I Missed You

March 26

"Hm." A sharp, dismissive sound was brought to Kyouya's ears, and along with it, two polished shoes appeared in his vision. He looked up, standing up as quickly as he could under the weight of Kaiyoka's mother looking down at him, her eyes flashing angrily.

"You've got some nerve coming back here, Kyouya." She crossed her arms, tapping a shoe with a click-click and waiting for a response. "And I heard you visited my daughter in the hospital yesterday? Would you like to explain anything?"

"Mrs. Sahni, I still mean what I said, all those days ago on the phone. I still do want to be with your daughter, if you'll allow it. I'm here to apologize- both to her and to you- for how badly I've treated her. My mind was in the wrong place for a while, and I lost sight of what really mattered." Kyouya found himself admitting far more than he intended, but at the very least, he could say he was completely honest. "I let everything around me get in my head and get in the way. And as a consequence, I lost Kaiyoka. I deserved it, but it was the emptiness, the nagging feeling that someone was missing that really got to me." Part of Kyouya's brain told him to stop talking, but he barreled on for a little while longer.

"It made me realize how important Kaiyoka was to me. Your daughter really is something special, Mrs. Sahni, and I ask for your forgiveness. For your forgiveness, and for a second chance. Please." Kaiyoka's mom softened her gaze. It was like looking through glass when speaking to Kyouya. She could easily tell when he was being sincere, and he was as serious as could be.

"I accept your apology, Kyouya, and I appreciate your taking the time to do so for me. However, you still have a lot of trust to regain. I need to know that I can trust you with my daughter's heart. And I can tell you now, Kaiyoka will tell you that she trusted you and you took advantage of that." Kyouya looked away slightly, feeling his heart beginning to hurt- a strange sensation he'd never felt before.

"Speak from the heart. Kaiyoka, if nothing else, lives for honesty." Kyouya gained the courage to look at her once more. He was surprised to find a little smile on her face.

"Mrs. Sahni, do you think that she'll forgive me?" Kyouya asked, and the older woman smiled at him.

"Between you and me, I know she will. But she's hurting right now. She's going to be back in school tomorrow and was discharged from the hospital today. She hasn't seen you in over a month, and on more than one occasion she's come home crying. You need to show her that you mean it." Kyouya nodded again, understanding fully what she was saying. A written apology, he realized, wouldn't be the place to start anymore.

"Thank you, Mrs. Sahni," He said earnestly. She chuckled quietly, in such a way that Kyouya couldn't quite tell what for. "Don't thank me yet, Kyouya. She'll be on her way to you tomorrow. Be ready for her." She unlocked and opened the front door of her home, closing the door softly after one final look, leaving Kyouya on the step, which was fine with him; he had no intention of going inside. He strode back to his car, full of a fervent desire to see her smile at him again that had never been so strong.

*

Kyouya rehearsed the words over and over again in his head as he sat in Language the next day. They reeled through his mind like a loop, and he'd memorized every word. And, though he'd painstakingly memorized each intended word of his apology, the script flew out of his mind when Haruhi wheeled Kaiyoka into the classroom in a wheelchair. For what felt like the first time in ages, he heard Kaiyoka's voice cut through the dull noise in the classroom.

"Good afternoon, Ma'am." Their teacher greeted her warmly, doing the usual song and dance over her injuries.

"Why don't you sit over there, by Kyouya? He has the end table, so it will be easier for your friend to come and get you at the end of the day." The older woman suggested. Kaiyoka nodded after a moment, and Haruhi rolled her over to the edge of the table where Kyouya was seated. Haruhi helped her arrange her things, and then said,