Just Look into It

60. Memory of His

"Miss Hisakawa, is everything alright?"

The brunette didn't respond, her eyes locked firmly on her laptop. There were dark circles under her eyes, emphasized by how pale she seemed to be. Kyouya let out a sigh as he noticed how her hands were hovering over the keys, her green eyes dull and glazed over. Luckily it was early enough that there were only one or two other students in the classroom. He hadn't known her too long but he was certain that anyone who looked at her could tell just how poor of a condition she was in.

It was close to the end of their first year and this was the worst he had seen her look.

"Miss Hisakawa," he found himself repeating, tapping her lightly on the shoulder. He raised an eyebrow at how quickly she jumped, eyes whipping over to meet his.

"Yes? Is something wrong?" she quickly asked, already composed as if she hadn't been staring off into space.

"I was merely asking if everything was alright. You seem to be under the weather."

Ryo shook her head. "I'm perfectly fine, thank you."

"You have been staring blankly at that document for the last ten minutes without typing anything," he blandly accused.

The brunette started to type as if to spite him. "As I said, Mr. Ootori, I am perfectly-"

Kyouya was a bit startled when she cut herself off by a rather powerful yawn, the young girl instantly reaching up to cover her mouth until it ended. She winced slightly, rubbing at her jaw.

His eyes narrowed. "Have you been sleeping well?"

"Does it matter if I have or not?" she shot back, already typing away.

He forced a pleasant smile on his face and closed the lid of her computer. Annoyance quickly overriding his common sense. She was quick to pull her hands out and shoot him a glare, the expression quickly morphing to shock as he grabbed her things and exited the classroom.

"Mr. Ootori!" she hissed, hurrying after him. "What in the world-"

"I will return your things in due time, Miss Hisakawa," he taunted.

She grumbled a reply behind him but continued to follow as he made his way to the nurse's office. He glanced back at her as they walked, taking note of how much more relaxed she was as exhaustion gripped her mind. Her eyes wandered the halls and the students, the corners of her lips tugging up in the slightest way. She occasionally tugged at her blazer, making sure it was still perfectly situated on her form, a tinge of embarrassment causing her to scrunch her nose each time.

He wondered how someone so unintentionally expressive could stay so distanced and cold to anything that didn't involve her system. What was pushing her to work to the point of neglecting her health?

A quick word to the nurse on duty allowed Ryouka to make her way to one of the many sectioned off beds in the room. She perched on the edge of the bed and looked up at him expectantly.

"Rest," he told her. "I'll come to check on you after first period."

Kyouya had started to walk back to the classroom before he remembered his promise to return her things. He was reluctant to hand them over in fear she would work instead of rest, but he was a man of his word. He made his way back to where she was resting, pulling the curtain open only to pause.

He stared blankly at the girl who had already fallen asleep sitting up against the head of the bed.

Kyouya turned off her phone and set it on top of her things that he placed on the nightstand. After looking at her for a moment, he carefully moved her to lay on the bed properly and pulled her glasses off.

She had done a number of things for him in their short time as classmates.

He found himself staring down at her, a small smile tugging at his lips. Ryouka looked much more peaceful when she was asleep. The tension in her shoulders was gone.

Kyouya stared at the sleeping girl, his common sense telling him to stop and return to class. Etiquette told him that he shouldn't stare. She would scold him herself if she woke up to see him standing there. He couldn't find it in himself to move regardless.

Ryouka was a beautifully confident young woman that he couldn't help but admire. He wanted to see her outside of their classroom and business interactions. His curiosity was almost overwhelming. She had a younger brother, that he knew. The glimpses of an entirely different, more open person that he caught whenever she was on the phone with him were dangerously tempting.

Kyouya wanted something more from her than a business partnership. Despite his own reservations and confusion, he couldn't deny it.

Ryouka was focused.

Kyouya sighed and made his way back to his classroom, trying to calm his thoughts.

She was focused on her future, on making a name for herself. It was that determination and confidence that had initially drawn him to her. He wasn't going to do anything to jeopardize that.

So he was going to stay a step away.

That didn't mean he wasn't going to try and poke at her boundaries to see where he could slip in.

"Hello, Kyouya," Yuu yawned as he pulled open the door. "Come on in."

"Thank you," he mused, pulling himself from his thoughts. He adjusted his glasses and stepped into the dimly lit house. grinning at the small pout he received in return when he reached out to ruffle Yuu's hair.

"I don't know how she does it," the young boy whined.

"Neither do I," Kyouya mused. "Where is your sister now?"

"In the kitchen."

Instantly he paused, glancing down at Yuu.

"Not cooking. She was making a grocery list," he quickly added.

A bit relieved, he made his way into the kitchen. A sigh slid from his lips as he shook his head, staring amusedly at the girl who was sitting up on the countertop, her head resting against the cabinets around her. He quickly made his way over and glanced down at the small list sitting in her lap.

"Miss Ryouka," he lightly called, placing a hand on her legs. "That can't be good on your neck."

"I wasn't sleeping," she muttered. "I was resting my eyes."

"Ah, yes. A short rest that lasted long enough for Yuu to call me over," he taunted.

Instantly she sat up and rubbed at her eyes. "You didn't have to come all the way over."

He brushed her hair behind her ear. "Yes, well, there aren't many things that I do without wanting to."

"Still," she argued. "It's late. You should be at home."

Kyouya smirked and helped her down. "At least thank me before you kick me out."

She shot him an exasperated look. "Thank you?"

Feeling mischievous, he quickly pulled her close and pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head. "You're welcome. Goodnight, Miss Ryouka. I'll see you in class tomorrow."

Kyouya let her go and stuffed his hands into his pockets, feeling incredibly proud at the blush that was overtaking her face before he turned and left. The memory of her startled expression stuck with him until he finally fell back onto his bed and drifted off.

He treasured each and every memory of his that she was in.