Hanayama's Princess

chapter 17 - New Challenges

"Hey, you're back!"

It was Katsumi. Not wanting to see Kureha so soon we went to the shin shin kai dojo, they had a doctor to redo my stitches and moments after the man in question bursts into the room.

I smile softly, wincing when the doctor pulls out a piece of string carefully "Hey."

"You said it was Kaoru, and then you were gone. What happened?"

"I was half right."

We sat there for twenty minutes as I explained what had happened and answered any of his questions. Katsumi felt bad, saying he should have been more aware but I waved it off. After all, I was the one that told him to stay there.

"And how did you get this?" The doctor asks, turning my face to look at my cheek. I had a pretty nice bruise.

I shrug with a small smile "I was being me, they didn't like it."

He nods, crushing a small bag in his hands "Give that a minute then put it on your face."

I nod and continue squishing the bag, the longer I waited the colder it got "And the drug?"

"Well as far as I can tell it was a simple sedative." He removes the blood pressure cuff from my arm "I can run a few tests if you want but you're not showing any alarming signs. And if he is Hanayama's uncle I don't see why he would give you something dangerous."

I sit up carefully, Katsumi sits beside me. I look him up and down, taking in the same Karate outfit I'd first met him in and glance at Kaoru; my gentle giant had yet to look up from the folder. He was reading each page slowly, taking in each before moving to the next. I look at the folder and feel my face fall.

"Kaoru?" at this his head rises "Was your uncle serious about that?"

He sighs, shutting the book "My uncle has never done anything he didn't want to do."

"But he can't just expect a high school senior to run four businesses with no training of any kind," Katsumi adds

"I've been leading the family since I was fifteen. I had help, yes but that was me."

"What happens if I can't make them successful? Do we break up?"

"No." There wasn't a moment's hesitation and I felt my heart flutter "I meant what I said Sophia, I would fight anyone, do anything for you."

"Even leave the family?"

The shock was evident on my face "What? Katsumi! Why would you-"

"Look at you, Sophia. You were just kidnapped in broad daylight!" he sighs "I understand that Kaoru has a lot of power and fear in the underworld and yes, you can fight but really? What would you have done if that wasn't his uncle? You're willing to die for him?" He takes my hands in his "Sophia I owe you my life. How am I supposed to carry that every day when you're risking yours just standing beside him?"

I lift a hand, placing it on his cheek "By having trust in me." He turns his head, a pained look on his face "I'm with him because I want to be, nothing more. I have lost so much in my life; I refuse to live in fear. My dad tried to force my hand and we haven't spoken in nine days. I love my dad but I'm done making everyone else happy at the expense of my own." I remove my hand taking both of his "Don't feel like you owe me anything. I'm here. I'm alive, so are you. Be happy about that."

The door shutting had my head-turning. I look at it than the empty chair, the papers left in Kaoru's absence "Shit!" I move to the door feeling Katsumi's hand grab mine, my head snaps back to him

"Sophia-"

"Don't!" I rip my hand from his grasp and open the door "Kaoru!"

I look down the empty hall and groan, picking a direction. It was moments like this that I hated his height; with his long legs, Kaoru was much faster than I was. I glance at the elevator, each number was grey and told me it wasn't in use. I move to the end of the hall, opening the large door to the stairs. Why the hell he chose to walk seventy flights of stairs was beyond me.