Shadowed

KibaSin

Summary: "Wait, Kyoya-senpai likes that girl? Like, like likes her?" Was that even possible? [Kagome x Kyoya]

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Ouran High School Host Club. They both belong to their respective copyright owners.

Rating: K

Genre: Romance / Drama

"Kyoya."

Various voices halting with the sound of the Host King's call, Fujioka Haruhi turned on her heel to watch as the second year prince pointed down a separate hallway leading away from the Third Music Room. Blinking curiously at the smile that plastered itself onto the Ootori boy's face as he stalked in that direction, she found herself asking, "Is something going on?"

Honey pulled on her sleeve, smiling up at her, as he exclaimed, "It's probably just Me-chan!"

"Hn," Mori agreed.

"Mei-chan?" Haruhi blinked again.

Honey shook his head, saying, "Kagome-chan! She's in Tama-chan and Kyo-chan's class!"

"Oh," Haruhi said. That explained absolutely nothing. Taking a step back so she could glance down the hallway that the twins and Tamaki were making an attempt to sneakily peek down by hiding around the corner, she almost sighed when the blonde prince grabbed at her to pull her into the preferred hiding spot. "Why are we hiding?"

"Haruhi!" Tamaki whispered. "We have to stay out of sight!"

"It's never going to work, tono," the twins chirped.

"Shush, you!" Tamaki hissed. "Those fiends are already doing everything in their power to keep poor, sweet Kagome as far away from the Host Club as possible, and it's our mission to make sure that that delicate flower isn't corrupted in the process!"

"What?" Was nobody going to explain to her what exactly was going on?

Hikaru and Kaoru turned to her at the exact same moment, both blinking at the sight of her tucked underneath Tamaki's arm and out of the way. They snickered at one another, identical grins sprouting, as they quickly extracted her from Tamaki's grip and finally allowed her a view around the corner by poking her head out between them. Ignoring the cry of displeasure the Host King gave at the action, they pointed and said, "That's Kagome-senpai!"

"Uh, yeah, I got that," Haruhi deadpanned. She found herself tipping her head at the sight of Kyoya standing near the opposite end of the hallway behind a long, raven haired girl that had yet to notice him. The look on his face seemed almost predatory, one flick of his wrist raising his little black notebook, and it was obvious that he must have information on each of them from the way the group of boys quickly turned pale at the display. The girl herself tilted her head in confusion, seemingly oblivious, as they suddenly started to make excuses and rush in every direction to escape the malevolent, deadly waves radiating from the Shadow King.

"See?" Tamaki gushed.

"Yeah, but now what?" Hikaru quipped.

"Kyoya-senpai is already retreating," Kaoru pointed out.

"Uh, what?" Tamaki cried. "No!" He made a frantic motion with his hand around the corner, pointing back toward the girl standing alone in the hallway. "Kyoya, go get your ladddyy loooveeee!"

"Wait." Haruhi paused, watching as the girl slowly began to turn on her heel. "Kyoya-senpai likes that girl?" Was that even possible? She supposed that it could be, but the manipulative, information gathering Ootori boy had never really struck her as the type to even notice girls outside of Host Club hours. "Like, like likes her?"

"Is there another kind?" the twins asked.

"Oh, Kyoya-kun!"

Tamaki sighed dramatically, one hand to his chest and the other on his forehead at the sound of Kagome acknowledging Kyoya's presence in the hallway with her. Muttering under his breath for a moment, he finally said, "Such a tragic love story!"

"Kyoya-senpai and Kagome-senpai were paired together for an assignment early on last year," Kaoru explained to Haruhi quietly.

Nodding, Haruhi watched as Kyoya quickly turned on his heel back toward the girl. He did not look startled in the slightest, quickly playing off the situation as if he had merely walked by when the group of boys had scattered, but she could see the way his spine stiffened when the girl smiled brightly up at him.

"Tamaki-tono was devastated," Hikaru snickered.

"I was not!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"So, he suggested that Kagome-senpai come to the Host Club after school hours," Kaoru picked back up. "That way Kyoya-senpai and her could have a place to work on their assignment together, but Kyoya-senpai was extremely against it from the start."

"He wanted to study with Kagome-senpai alone," Hikaru wagged his eyebrows.

"Then," Kaoru said, "after the assignment was over, Kagome-senpai showed up at the Host Club. Said that Kyoya-senpai told her that he would help her with her math homework she was struggling with, and that he cleared a spot for her during club hours. He didn't even make her pay."

"Really?" Haruhi felt her mouth drop a little, quickly becoming engrossed by the tale.

"She started showing up all the time," Hikaru nodded. "Until her little fan club got in the way."

"She has a fan club?" Watching as the pretty girl blushed at something Kyoya said under his breath, Haruhi was quickly beginning to realize why the boys had come to the conclusion that they had. It was pretty obvious that whatever feelings the Ootori might have were mutual. Even as the other girl tried to hide her flaming face, her leg lifted and began to tap her toe lightly against the marble floor in that classic, downright smitten way they often depicted in movies.

"Me-chan is the head of the Ouran Academy Choir Club!" Honey joined in. Bun-bun bouncing in his hold, he turned his head upward when he said, "Her voice is beautiful, isn't it, Takashi?"

"Very," Mori said, smiling a little himself.

"They had a big concert coming up," the twins said together.

"Those hooligans!" Tamaki shook his fist, clearly remembering the incident.

"And some of the other choir girls were pretty jealous that Kagome-senpai was getting private, one-on-one tutoring with Kyoya-senpai during Host Club hours," Hikaru frowned. "It obviously wasn't affecting her ability to make it to the Choir Club on time, so nobody really thought about it."

"Until her fan club heard about it," Kaoru said.

"Oh." Haruhi could already tell where this tale was going. She finally looked away from the two raven haired teens, her eyes seeking those of the rest of the Host Club surrounding her. "Did they tell the teacher in charge?"

"Not exactly," Mori shook his head, Honey frowning alongside him.

"They had the choir girls claim that they needed extra practice time," Hikaru continued. "And they went right along with it, because they didn't like Kagome-senpai spending time with Kyoya-senpai outside of class everyday free of charge. So, the teacher in charge extended their hours."

"Kagome-senpai hasn't been able to visit since," Kaoru finished.

Hearing Kyoya chuckle down the hallway, Haruhi asked, "Why can't they see each other after school?"

"That's why it's tragic, Haruhi!" Tamaki leaned against the wall, despair shadowing his features as he wrapped his arms around himself. "Kyoya's father would never approve. How can he possibly admit his feelings for such a lovely flower when he's tied to such traditional ways of life?"

Taking another glance back, Haruhi frowned, "What are you talking about, senpai? Why wouldn't Kyoya-senpai's father approve?" The girl was beautiful, with soft, pale alabaster skin, shining raven colored locks that seemed to have a blue shimmer underneath the lights, and glittering, unique cobalt colored eyes beneath sweeping lashes. She wore the Ouran Academy's female uniform with grace and confidence, even if it looked like she had altered it slightly so that it lacked the upside down cupcake silhouette that every other girl seemed to adore. What exactly would Kyoya's father not approve of?

The Host Club boys glanced between themselves, each frowning.

Tamaki's voice was low, serious, as he said, "Kagome's a… a bastard child," and he looked away. His eyes reflected the disapproval and hurt that he had grown up with himself when Honey grabbed his hand in reassurance. "A commoner. She was taken in by her father after she failed middle school, but she doesn't stand to inherit anything from him."

"Oh…"

"Me-chan's father is going to give his company away to his legitimate son once he's old enough," Honey continued, squeezing the Suoh heir's fingers. "She said she was sent here as his way of making it up to her, so she could get the best education possible after her future looked so bleak."

Mori's hand settled onto Honey's head, ruffling the blonde locks in a silent, comforting gesture.

"Maybe if they still got to see each other like before," Hikaru huffed.

Kaoru's soft gaze continued to watch the way the two teens interacted down the hallway.

Haruhi felt her heart ache at the sight of them all, quickly coming to understand that somehow Kagome had wiggled her way into the Host Club the year before. Whether due to the fact that Kyoya seemed to have repressed feelings for her or not, it was obvious that they each cared about the girl in some way or another and wanted to help her in any way possible in that regard. "But if Kyoya-senpai likes her…"

"Kyoya-senpai's father wants to arrange marriages for each of his sons, Haruhi," Kaoru whispered. "A match with Kagome-senpai wouldn't benefit his family, so he wouldn't consider her."

Tamaki hit the wall behind him, saying, "Kyoya won't…"

"Kyo-chan wants to inherit his father's company ahead of his brothers," Honey said.

"So," Haruhi frowned, "he doesn't want to disappoint his father by falling in love with a commoner girl." They looked solemn and forlorn then, hidden away from the light laughter coming from the other hallway by the corner separating them, and Haruhi shook her head at the image. "That's stupid."

"It's how it is," Mori said, though he nodded in agreement to the statement.

"We try..." Tamaki sighed, leaning so he could look around the corner again. "Kyoya always goes to her whenever she needs him. He won't admit it, but… if we could just get them to spend more time together like before…"

Haruhi's gaze hardened, "Then he might…?"

"Maybe," the twins replied.

"Then we have to, right?" Haruhi asked.

"Haruhi…?" Tamaki blinked, surprised.

Pursing her lips together, Haruhi explained, "If Kyoya-senpai likes Kagome-senpai, and she likes him, then he should be with her. His father shouldn't decide who he gets to love."

Tears welling up in his eyes, Tamaki launched himself at the younger girl without hesitation.

"Ah, Tamaki-senpai!" Haruhi exclaimed, trying to push him off when he began to babble on about her sudden interest in romance and love. Silently resigning herself to the assault, she blinked in surprise when the couple in question came around the corner at that moment to find them all huddled there. "Uh…"

"Oh!" Kagome smiled, not looking surprised in the slightest. She nudged Kyoya in the arm slightly, ignoring his near silent grunt, as she turned that beaming gaze upon him. "I guess I should have expected to find the rest of you nearby if Kyoya-kun came to my rescue."

Pushing up his glasses, Kyoya replied, "As I said before, Kagome-chan, I was only passing by."

"Sure," she clicked her tongue.

Sweeping himself away from Haruhi, Tamaki quickly lifted both of Kagome's hands into his own. "Kagome," he nuzzled her pale flesh against his cheek, delighting in her laughter that followed. "Your radiance only gets lovier every time I see you!"

"Tamaki-kun," she giggled, "you just saw me in class."

Though he tried to pass it off as anything but, it was with a clearly possessive, jealous gesture that Kyoya smacked Tamaki upside the head with his notebook to detach him from the beauty's hands. "Now, Daddy," his glasses flashed, "I believe Kagome-chan has told you several times this morning alone that you should learn to keep your hands to yourself."

Nursing his cheek, Tamaki pouted. "You don't have to be so mean to me, Mommy!"

"You really don't have to beat him, Kyoya-kun," Kagome said.

"Are you accusing me of assault, Kagome-chan?" Kyoya flashed her a smile that was clearly anything but. "I do believe I was simply defending your honor, but if you would like to dispute that fact, then, by all means."

"Now, I don't believe that's what I said at all," she smirked back. "I was just implying that you could have easily solved the problem with less physical means, like you did those boys who refused to leave me alone." She reached out, tapping lightly on the notebook within his hand. "I'm sure you have all kinds of interesting information on them in here."

"I believe I've already told you several times that I was only passing by," Kyoya replied. He tilted the notebook in her direction, though, his eyes watching the way she continued to drum her fingers across the surface. "It would be in your best interest to simply believe me at my word, Kagome-chan."

"Oooh, why?" Kagome giggled. "Are you going to blackmail me, too?"

"Blackmail you?" Almost subconsciously, he leaned into her, his voice lowering slightly. "Whatever reason would I have to blackmail you, Kagome-chan?"

"I dunno." Her own voice dropped, as she batted her eyes up at him from underneath her lashes. "You tell me, Kyoya-kun."

Haruhi's large eyes blinked at the way they started to banter back and forth, the girl trying to hide her amusement behind her hand after a moment. Looking around at the boys surrounding them, each of them watching the scene with various expressions, she saw the determination to find a way to bring the two of them together burning brightly. A small smile appearing on her own face, she felt her resolve harden at the decision that she was going to help the rest of the Host Club figure out how to make the Ootori boy admit his feelings before it was too late.

After all, it was obvious she would be good for him.