prologue
Your life was never yours.
With two neglectful yet somehow overbearing parents your life was planned since before you were born. Anything you did, anyone you knew, it was all planned and had to be approved by your parents.
At first you were resistant. But your father shut that down quickly enough, doing whatever he could to assure you'd never step out of line.
So you decided to continue on, be the perfect daughter and little sister.
And being the perfect daughter meant following whatever they said and going when beckoned. Thats how you managed to land yourself at Ouran Academy. You passed the exams with flying colors, and your last name was one known far and wide by all.
It didn't take long for people to attempt to use you.
You could always see right through that. But lucky for you, you found one genuine friend. A short boy who revealed she was biologically a girl that wore a neat pixie cut. You two clicked almost immediately and have been friends ever since.
Of course this friendship has been a secrecy from your family.
"So what are you doing now, (Y/N)?",Haruhi questions you as she looks around the academy. Students pour out of classrooms and into expensive cars or other classrooms. You shrug and sigh heavily,"Same old same old. Piano lessons, then ballet, then homework, then dinner." You chew on your bottom lip while naming off your routine for Fridays.
Haruhi rolls her eyes while shaking her head,"I'm sorry to hear that." You laugh without humor and shrug, your eyes falling down to the pavement.
"It is what it is. You have Host Club duties?",you quirk a brow, eager to change the subject. Your eyes rise up to look at your brunette companion.
Haruhi nods while blowing a raspberry,"Today is a tropical theme, I can't wait." Her voice oozes with sarcasm and you roll your eyes gently while nudging her.
"Hey at least you can see your boyfriend.~",you state the last part in a sing song way and Haruhi sticks her tongue out at you. She still couldn't believe herself that she was dating the one and only Tamaki. Truth be told she didn't even mind keeping it a secret, in fact that was completely her idea.
Afterall she still had a debt to pay off and refused help from you.
Haruhi walked you to the school gate and you gave her a soft smile,"Well I hope the dinner goes well and you at least get to eat some cake out of it." You nod and Haruhi notices the sadness that befalls your usually bright and warm eyes. Yet before she could try to comfort you you turn away and exit the gates of Ouran Academy.
Getting into the sleek black car you cross one leg over the other and toss your bag aside you. You've plastered on a soft smile that doesn't quite reach your eyes.
"Good evening Miss Matsui." You turn to the elderly driver and offer him a genuine smile and nod of acknowledgment not one to talk much to those who worked beneath your family. It wasn't due to being snobby or obnoxious however, it was due to being forbidden by your parents.
You didn't know if they tapped the car or not.
While driving to your house you felt a heaviness fall on your heart, one that often came when you left school. The thought of being back to who you portrayed yourself to be out to your parents. The fake smiles, the "yes mother", "no father", the obedience to all their requests.
The thought of it could give you another anxiety attack.
Luckily you already learned how to calm yourself down by now, breathing in deeply and slowly, thinking of things that made you happy. And your medication was pretty helpful too.
Your eyes stared out of the tinted window and you watched cars drive by, people walking along the streets and you think about how big the world truly is. How every person you see is living their own life. You often got lost in your own thoughts like this so you hadn't even noticed you arrived at your house until you heard your name being called.
"Miss Matsui.",you turn to notice the driver has opened your door,"We're here."
Blinking back out of your daze you nod and smile, stepping out of the car you offer yet another nod and walk down the path and up the stone steps to your house. An extravagant three story house that, despite all who resided in it, still felt empty.
Walking into your house you slip off your heeled shoes and slip on your house shoes. The soft cushion of them a relief from the heeled boots the academy forced you to wear. You walk past maids cleaning and head up to your fathers study, swallowing hard your hands began to shake slightly.
Your hands were so tight around the leather strap on your bag that your knuckles began to turn white. Raising one fist you gently knocked on the door three times, not one less and not one more.
You were surprised by how quickly the door opened only to see a tall man standing in front of you. One that wasn't your father.
He had fair skin and looked to be an older gentleman by the salt and pepper streaks in his raven black hair. His angled face adorned a few wrinkles and a pair of square rimmed glasses. But nevertheless he was fairly handsome. Looking to his cold and already calculating eyes you realized who this was. The one and only Yoshio Ootori.
His hand is held out,"Hello, you must be (Y/N) Matsui."
You're calm and collected as you take his hand and offer a firm handshake with a smile on your lips,"That is correct. You must be Mr.Ootori my father speaks of your incredibly intelligent business dealings, it is a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to being in business with your company in the near future."
Yoshio's brows raise ever so slightly as he drops his hands to his sides,"It seems you truly are the exceptional woman." Yoshio speaks with pleasant surprise and honesty. Your father stands up and walks over to the two of you exchanging formalities.
He wears a smile on his face and nods,"Yes she is, we've raised our daughter to be the best she can be." Yoshio nods slowly and offers you a small smile on his thin lips.
"Well it was a pleasure finally meeting you (Y/N). I look forward to engaging more with you tomorrow. Now if you'll excuse me."
Your brows pinch together as he walks away and is led away by a butler. Tomorrow? What's happening tomorrow? You think silently while turning to your father.
Your family had been in business with the Ootori's for as long as you could remember. You were both very prominent and powerful families so it was only natural you'd both hold a respect for one another. Yet you'd never met any of them up until now.
"Tomorrow?",you finally ask your father with a raising of your brow. He nods and walks back into his office, unbuttoning the button on his jacket,"Yes the Ootori family is coming over for dinner tomorrow. We have some news to share with our respective families. Eiji is coming for this dinner. I expect you to be your absolute best."
You feel an uneasiness fall to the pits of your stomach but the sound of your brother coming causes a wide smile to spread across your lips. You nod eagerly,"Of course, father. I'll be going to get ready for piano lessons."
You walk towards the door yet your father snapping his fingers causes you to stop in your tracks. You turn back to him with a curious look. His eyes seem to be analyzing you for a moment then he nods,"Look your best tomorrow. You're excused, please shut the door."
Your hands begin to shake again as you think of these vague statements your father is making. That uneasiness grows stronger yet you bid him a goodbye and walk away to ready yourself.
☔︎︎
"(Y/N), you're back so late again! The usual?"
You approach the corner store counter with a nod and smile,"Yes ma'am. How have you been Mrs.Hatori?" The elderly woman begins to rant about her messy husband eliciting a few laughs from you. Placing the cat food and other food into the black plastic bag you give her the money, much more than needed.
"My dear you must stop being so generous!",Mrs.Hatori scolds you while trying to return the money but you shake your head and smile softly.
"We've had this discussion, I will not accept the money back. Have a good rest of your evening, ma'am.",you walk towards the door and she waves at you.
"Please be safe, young lady!"
You smile back at her before walking out onto the cold streets with the bag in your hand. You inhaled the lingering scent of rain against the pavement and smiled at the prospect of rain.
You had snuck out after dinner, just as you usually did every Friday. It was your only escape from your house, aside from school. Not to mention you made a few friends who depended on you during this short time slot. Walking down the middle class neighborhood you enjoyed the cold winds whipping against your face and through your hair.
"Psst psst",you sounded as you approached the familiar alleyway while pulling the first can of cat food out from the bag. You hear soft mewls and a bright smile comes to your features. A dirtied white fat cat comes out from the shadows with her tail swaying from side to side. "Hello Mochi, don't you look plump on this late evening." The stray cat simply meows in response and rubs against the leg of your black sweatpants.
You crack open the can of food and that causes the other two to come out. The skinny black cats green eyes are sparkling as they look up at you,"You're back, Molly...where have you been hm?" You speak to the cats in a soft voice, the streets empty.
You open the last can for the fat tabby cat you lovingly named Fatso. He completely dug into the can of food within seconds of you putting it down and you smile softly.
"I'll see you three next—"
You pause abruptly when you stand up and hear a soft groan coming from the end of the alleyway. Your eyes narrow slightly to peak through the darkness,"Hello?...",you speak out in a soft tone. You pick up the plastic bag and reach into your pocket.
Pulling out the portable flashlight your eyes widen when you point it to a tall figure laying against the garbage bin. Your eyes fall to the blood leaking from his nose and corner of his lips, a pair of cracked and crooked oval rimmed glasses rests on his upturned nose.
"Oh my goodness!",you hurry forward and fall to your knees and put down the plastic bag and flashlight. Your hands gently cup his cheeks and with a soft grunt you lift him to a sitting position. He groans out in pain and you quickly apologize.
"I am so sorry. I—I'm calling the police don't worry you'll be okay.",when you pull out your phone his hand weakly grabs your wrist. Your brows pinch together and heart races as you look down to him.
His eyes are shut and he swallows hard,"N-No police—",he swallows hard again and you look at him with slight confusion. His eyes open slightly but they are weak, when his eyes open you realize he looks scarily familiar. "Dial—Dial...295 pound.",he says in a strained and tight voice. Your eyes widen when you realize who he is.
Kyoya Ootori.
Swallowing hard you nod and dial what was ordered. Holding the phone to your ear you glance around and look down to the bag. Pulling out the water bottle you hold the phone between your ear and shoulder.
"Seizaburo, here."
A gruff and deep voice answers and you exhale deeply,"Hello, I am here with Kyoya Ootori, he notified me to call this number. He is badly injured." You hear a loud gasp on the other end then the sound of scrambling and shuffling.
"Where are you!?"
You jump at his shouting and quickly tell him the address before he hangs up on you. You swallow hard and open up the water bottle, you hold it to Kyoya and his half-lidded eyes look away from you.
You sigh softly,"Drink the water, by the sound of your voice I know your throat hurts." Kyoya is a bit irritated by you yet feels you aren't threatening by the sound of your soft voice. He takes the water bottle with reluctance, you inhale sharply when he drops it. You're quick to catch it though.
He seems to grow more irritated before his eyes widen slightly. You hold the water bottle and your hand weaves to the nape of his neck,"Drink it." Kyoya would usually have threatened you in some sort of way, not in the mood for being babied. But by your pinched brows and deep frown he parted his lips and allowed you to give him the water.
Once finished you close it and place it down aside him. Your eyes look him over and you glance around the neighborhood. Kyoya watches your eyes glance around then move back to him.
He wonders why you aren't asking him a plethora of questions. He also wonders why you didn't call the police. In fact as he glances behind you to the stray cats he can't help but feel his curiosity and interest has grown.
But with his blurry vision and the blinding flashlight he can't exactly make out your face. All he knows is your soft voice is strangely comforting and brings a warm feeling to his heart. And he hates it.
He then feels something wet against his face and flinches back, causing pain to sear through his body. You then apologize once more,"I'm sorry! Its a wet napkin I just—didn't think you'd like the blood stain."
You wince when Kyoya glares at you, but his eyes look away and he hums out. You gently wipe away the nearly blood from his nose and chin, he tilts up his chin slightly and asks you a question. His tone is calm yet curious.
"Why haven't you asked me a question about anything pertaining to this situation?",you look to him and he notices you shrug.
"I don't think you would tell me if I asked." The sound of tires screeching against pavements follows your words. Your head whips around to notice three tall and well built men step out of a blacked out expensive looking car. The bald one and dark haired one run forward and are quick to pick up Kyoya and pulled him away from you. The blonde haired man steps towards you with narrowed eyes.
"Whats your name and how did you find Kyoya?",he questions in a deathly serious tone. You can feel the intimidating oozing off of him but with the sliver of accusation on his tongue you narrow your eyes. Crossing your arms you look up at him.
Your eyes fall to the empty cat cans,"I was in the neighborhood to feed these cats and I found him." You hesitate for a moment when he asks of your name. If you told him a fake one theres no doubt he'd take you in. But if you told him your real one he'd let you go, but definitely tell Yoshio who would tell your father.
You sigh heavily realizing it was a lose-lose situation,"My name is (Y/N) Matsui." The guard realizes who you are and he nods, his suspicions being quelled at the sound of your last name.
"Do you need a ride to your estate?",you shake your head at his question with a polite "no thank you" and he holds out his hand.
"Thank you very much Miss Matsui we will be in contact.",you give his hand a firm shake and he turns and leaves with a soft smile. You watch as he gets into the car and they drive off quickly. With a heavy sigh you feel worry prickle at you.
Not only for yourself but the rough-looking Kyoya.
Realizing this may be your last day of freedom you walk towards the cans of cat food and toss them into the garbage bin along with the water bottle and bloodied napkin.
You took your sweet time getting back to your house that day.