Kyoya's Secret Kitten

Chapter 5

The rest of my morning went much smoother. I was able to find all of my classes and get to each one on time. As I was headed to my last class before lunch, one of the teachers stopped me in the hallway.

"You're Yuki Kasuka, correct?" I silently nodded. "My name is Yura Sensei." I instantly recognized the name as my advanced music performance teacher, from the class I had missed earlier today. I began to bow and apologize profusely when Yura Sensei let out a laugh. "It's quite alright Mr. Kasuka, I've spoken with some people and your record will remain in tact. I simply wanted the chance to meet you before I hopefully see you in class tomorrow in room 208, and try not to get lost this time." With one last chuckle Yura Sensei continued on his way, leaving me to wonder who he had spoken with that could save my record. After class, I took my lunch and headed to the cafeteria. When I entered, I saw a sea of uniforms and no faces that I recognized. Not keen on the idea of attempting to sit with strangers, I gave up the idea of eating in the cafeteria and wandered the halls, looking for a suitable place to eat. Coming across an empty courtyard, I decided that it would do just fine. The courtyard was mostly flower beds and grass, but there was a small path leading to two benches on either side of a good sized fountain. I chose a bench, sat down, and dug into my boxed lunch. I had made it about half way through when I heard a voice next to me.

"Why are you out here all alone?" I recognized the voice, turned, and saw Haruhi standing next to me, a worried look on her face. "Haven't made many friends yet, have you?" Me, having a mouth full of food, couldn't do much other than nod while furiously chewing. "I'll sit with you then. Nobody should eat alone." Haruhi sat down next to me and, to my surprise, opened her own boxed lunch.

"No way," I said, half in surprise and half in amusement. "I was sure I would be the only kid here that brought my lunch." Haruhi looked down and laughed.

"No, I'm here on scholarship," She explained. "So the lunches here are a little too pricey. Besides, I'm not big on rich people food." I laughed a little when she called it that. "What about you?" She questioned. Not knowing exactly how much to say, I paused for a minute.

"My dad never let me buy a lunch." I answered hesitantly. Haruhi seemed to be satisfied with my explanation and the conversation moved on to other things. "Can I ask you a question?" I tested. Only after she nodded did I continue, lowing my voice just a little. "Am I supposed to know you're really a girl?" Haruhi burst into laughter and I soon followed. 

"It doesn't matter." She finally answered through laughter, wiping a tear from her eye. "The boys are way more worried about hiding it than I am. When I first came here I stumbled on the club just like you, only when I fell, I broke a vase valued at over 8 million yen." I gasped. Even though that wasn't too bad for a family like mine or these other wealthy families, 8 million yen is probably more than Haruhi's family will ever make. "So in order to pay back my debt I work as a host now." Haruhi looked around to make sure no one was near, and leaned in close. "And it's only fair that you know about me," she whispered just loud enough for me to hear. "Since I can tell that you're not a boy either." At her words, panic overwhelmed me and a sudden need to escape pushed all other thoughts from my mind. Leaving my lunch where it was, I jumped up from the bench and ran inside. I tore through the halls, not paying attention to what turns I took or where I was headed. The only thought in my head was to run, and the only thing I felt was fear. Before I knew it I had ended up on the roof. I hadn't been there more than a few seconds before my phone buzzed. It was Kyoya. I hastily answered, more than a little out of breath.

"Hello?" It was silent on the other end for a few seconds. It felt like an eternity.

"Haruhi told me what happened. What were you thinking running off like that?" I could sense the disapproval and condescension dripping from his voice, turning my fear into anger.

"I wasn't thinking," I admitted. Kyoya scoffed on the other end. Man this guy knew how to make my blood boil.

"Clearly," He spoke sarcastically. "Where are you? I'll send someone to bring you back." The tone in his voice stirred a memory, which I quickly suppressed. It had been a long time since that day and I wasn't a kid anymore, but the feelings I had that day arose as if it had just happened last night. The anger, the fear, the disappointment all came bubbling up again.

"You know what? If you want me to come back so bad, come and get me yourself Mr. Ootori." I angrily answered him. "I'm on the roof of building C. I'm not leaving unless you come up and get me personally." And with that, I hung up my phone. I paced back and forth, waiting for him to show up. I paced along the rooftop for over an hour before I began to feel drowsy. Curling up next to a heater vent I slowly dozed off, wondering if he would ever show up.

Kyoya's POV:

"Why couldn't she have paid better attention to where she was running?" I asked myself as I searched for Yuki. I had already been to building C and there was no sign of her, so I continued my search through the other buildings. I hated not knowing where she was. It was my job to protect her; I had to find her. As I was nearing building A, I heard something heavy fall to the ground and a young woman scream. Panic filled my mind and I rushed to see what was going on. Near the rear of Building A a large group of students had gathered around the fallen object. Pushing my way through the crowd, I found that it was only a bag of cement mix that had fallen while some repairs were being done. Breathing a sigh of relief, I turned to enter the building when I noticed that my heart was pounding. 

"It's simply all the running." I argued with myself as I headed straight for the roof. As I emerged from the doorway I scanned the rooftop. Not seeing anything immediately, I began a more thorough search. Just as I was about to give up, I noticed a huddled form lying near a vent. Panic swept through me once more and I rushed over to find Yuki, sleeping as if she were lying in her bed at home. As I watched her sleep, I couldn't help but be in awe of her. She had the strength and intelligence to escape from her father, the nerve to talk back to me, and the determination to make things right. She moved just a little and a scar on her wrist came into view. I examined it, careful not to wake her, and noted that it was probably 10 years old. It looked to be from some sort of blade, as the edges looked like it had been a clean cut, but I couldn't be sure.

"You're such an idiot." Yuki mumbled in her sleep suddenly. I couldn't help but smile as I lifted her into my arms, my heart once again pounding. As I carried her toward the stairs, the last bell of the day rang.

"Time for your first day at the club." I laughed to myself, suddenly feeling very comfortable holding Ms. Ito in my arms. We slowly made our way to the club room, all the while I hoped that the walk would never end.