Author's note: Hi there, and welcome! This is my second story for the Ouran fandom, and this one is way different from my first one. (Which is "The Scarred Princess and the Knights of the Menagerie", if you're so inclined to give it a try. End of shameless plug.) This story is set in a very different alternate universe, so the characters will probably seem rather OOC at times. I've tried to keep everyone relatively in-character, but I digress. (Please don't hate me when they act OOC!)

Join Onyx as she becomes part a very large, very strange family. For the first time in her life, the feline girl experiences kindness, compassion, and even love. Will her new life be as happy and carefree as it seems? Will the past come back to haunt her? And for the love of all things holy, will she ever learn to speak properly? Stay tuned to find out! (And by that, I mean, yes, I AM aware of Onyx's odd speech patterns and mis-pronounced words. That's just how she speaks.)

Reviews are always appreciated! Even when they contain -constructive- criticism. Please feel free to offer any and all suggestions, ideas, plot bunnies, comments, questions, and anything else you can think of! Reviews or PMs work equally for this. Thanks in advance, and thanks for reading! Please enjoy! (And don't worry, further notes will be FAR less rant-y!)


In a world where humans top the food chain, the elite live like kings, towering above the less-fortunate in their metaphorical ivory towers. Evolution, civilization, and just plain arrogance have given humans everything they could want. Comfort, privilege, prestige. But what about the lowest caste of them all?

Manx are feline humanoids, forever classed as "sub-human" for their obvious differences. They have pointed, furry ears atop their heads, long furry tails, and small, wickedly sharp fangs. Manx are considered exotic pets for the obscenely wealthy. They have no rights of their own, can own no land or property. They are no better than any other pets in the eyes of the law.

Things have been this way for generations. The world around them changes, humans become accepting and tolerant of so many things. But for Manx, things have barely begun to change. Very few humans recognize their true value, and almost none view them as equals.


Tamaki Suoh sauntered down the street, a tall, handsome man with lovely blonde hair and expressive violet eyes. He enjoyed these little walks through town, and often dismissed his driver for a few hours. Despite his wealth and social status, he occasionally liked to do things for himself, by himself.

He smiled at everyone he passed, and exchanged small greetings with several pretty ladies. He loved the way they would blush and giggle. It always made him happy to make the ladies happy. His heart swelled, and his smile was radiant.

This particular walk started out no different than the countless walks before it. Tamaki strolled down one street, then another, poking into quaint little shops and cafes. He bought silly little gifts for his friends, cute little trinkets that caught his eye.

He was about to step into another adorable little shop when something compelled him to stop. Sitting all alone, in the saddest and most dejected pose he had ever witnessed, was a pretty young Manx. Her hair was short and badly cut, but a rather lovely shade of red that complimented the jet black fur of her ears and tail perfectly. Her clothing was disheveled and rather unflattering. For one moment, Tamaki lost himself in a vision of her in something soft and frilly. In his mind, pretty ladies should always wear pretty dresses.

He shook his head roughly, dispelling the fantasy. Thinking to himself that he really needed to stop daydreaming like that, he slowly approached the girl. Her ears twitched at his footsteps, but she kept her head bowed and eyes downcast. She flinched as he drew near, and his fragile heart broke at the sight.

"Miss? Are you alright?"

She whimpered quietly and finally raised her head. Tamaki gasped in shock at the swollen, busted lip she sported. She sniffled, and tears fell slowly from emerald eyes as she looked up. Her fear was obvious, and he felt a rush of protective anger, though he kept a small smile on his face. The girl shook her head slowly and spoke in a low, quiet voice.

"Onyx."

"Pardon?"

"Not Miss. Name Onyx."

A little genuine smile lit Tamaki's face. She certainly didn't sound afraid.

"Well, miss Onyx, my name is Tamaki. May I ask what you're doing out here all alone?"

Onyx sniffled and reached up to rub her eye with one hand. Her glance flickered to his face before settling back on the ground. Her fingertips touched her sore lip, and she trembled, remembering.

"Master say stay. He not want Onyx anymore. Say Onyx bad girl, waste of money. Master loud, scary loud. Onyx cry, but he say no good, not work. Hurt face, blood. Scary blood."

Tamaki took a moment to process the girl's broken speech. When he had, a rage he had never felt before filled him. How could someone treat this poor girl like that? She wasn't some broken toy to be cast aside! Making his mind up in an instant, he took her shaking hands in his own and gently tugged her to her feet. He smiled at her and spoke brightly.

"Well, then, in that case, I think you should come home with me!"

"Onyx come...home? You Master now? Master Tama?"

"That's right, sweetheart, come home with me. I'll take care of you from now on."

He dropped her hands and fished his cell from his pocket. There was no way he would make this poor girl walk all the way to his house, so he called his driver, who arrived in moments. Tamaki nudged the confused Manx into the car, then slid in beside her. She had stopped crying, but she sniffled occasionally, even as her eyes roamed over the interior of the car. She ran her fingertips repeatedly over a small section of the leather seat.

Tamaki watched her, his eyes carefully examining her face and hands. He was relieved to see no injuries beside her lip. His thoughts drifted to her ill-fitting clothes. The girl would definitely need a proper wardrobe, he would have to get on that right away. And a hair stylist must be acquired. The poor girl looked like someone had ruthlessly hacked away at her hair with kitchen scissors.

They arrived home, and he gently took her hand to help her from the car. She looked up at the house and her eyes widened. Her astonished look pleased him, and he grinned broadly as he led her to the door.

"This Master Tama home? Big, much big."

"Well, it needs to be big, precious."

"Why need?"

"Because there are lots of people living here. We have a lot of bedrooms, so everyone can have their own."

Onyx nodded lightly, absorbing the information. She watched as Tamaki removed his shoes and traded them for a pair of house slippers. He smiled and helped her do the same. The slippers were so soft, she wiggled her toes in the warm fabric, and her tail swished happily. Tamaki even swore he heard a quiet purr for just a second.

"Much thankings you, Master Tama. Soft, much soft."

Suddenly, footsteps could be heard. Onyx's ears twitched at the sound, and the yelling that accompanied it. Red-headed twins walked into the room, arguing at the top of their lungs. The girl whimpered and took a step back, hiding behind her new Master. Before Tamaki could sooth her, the twins spotted him and rushed over.

"Tamaki! Settle an argument for us!"

"Hey, who's that?"

"Whoa! You brought home a Manx?!"

"Loud, much loud..."

Onyx's ears twitched and she winced at the volume level. She started to tremble, cowering behind the blonde. He waved his hands frantically at the twins, urging them to quiet down and back off a little. He took one of her hands and gently pulled her forward, then slipped a comforting arm around her shoulders before speaking lightly.

"It's alright, precious. The twins are loud, yes, but they won't hurt you. This is Hikaru and Kaoru, they're good friends of mine, and they live here. Hika, Kao, this is Onyx. She's going to live here from now on."

"Not hurt Onyx, live here. Hika-Kao, Master Tama friends. Not hurt."

She whispered to herself, then nodded, taking a deep breath. She remembered her former Master's harsh lessons, and took a step forward. She knelt and bowed, her head nearly touching the floor. Keeping her head down, she spoke quietly, and as steadily as she could manage.

"Honor meetings Master Tama friends."

"Oh, my God, so cute!"

The twins squealed in unison. Tamaki clapped his hands over his ears and shot them a glare. They ignored him, as usual, and bent to each grasp one of the girl's arms, pulling her to her feet. She let out a little yelp at the contact, then flinched, bracing herself for a blow. When it didn't come, she calmed a fraction, but still didn't dare to raise her eyes from the floor.

The twins noticed her fear, and immediately calmed down. Hikaru let go and took a step back, while Kaoru petted the girl's hair softly. Onyx gasped at first, but settled when it became clear he wasn't going to hurt her. After a moment, she actually closed her eyes and leaned into the gentle touch. A tiny, genuine smile appeared. Kaoru laughed quietly and gave her a gentle scratch behind one ear before stepping back.

"Thankings you, Hika-Kao."

The twins laughed out loud, and Hikaru reached out to ruffle the girl's dark crimson hair.

"You're too cute, Onyx. But his name's not Hika-Kao. It's Kaoru. And I'm Hikaru."

"Kaoru. Hikaru. No Hika-Kao."

"Exactly. You're a fast learner. Good."

She gasped, and her jaw fell open. Her bright emerald eyes filled with tears. The twins panicked, wondering what happened. They looked to Tamaki for help, but he was just as confused.

"Good? Onyx good? Good girl?"

Tamaki's heart broke at the scared-yet-hopeful tone in her voice. He wrapped his arms lightly around her and hugged her gently, stroking her hair softly.

"Of course you're a good girl, Onyx. No matter what anyone said before today, you are a good girl."

Onyx curled her arms around her new Master and held on tight, nuzzling against his shoulder. She wept, but only for a moment. She looked up at Tamaki with bright, happy eyes. He smiled and continued petting her. She returned the smile, then stretched up to rub her cheek against his, purring softly.

"Thankings you, Master Tama. Much, much thankings you."

"Aww, that's so sweet. She's too cute, Tamaki."

"Yeah, man. You did the right thing, bringing her home."

The pretty Manx turned back to the twins. She tilted her head to one side as another little smile lit up her face.

"Onyx home? Stay?"

"You're home."

"You stay."

She let out a happy sound and pounced at Kaoru, nuzzling his cheek just as she did to Tamaki. He laughed brightly and patted her back. Hikaru snickered at his brother, until Onyx pounced him as well. She rubbed her cheek against his, and he hugged her lightly. She went to stand by Tamaki again, purring and smiling happily, her tail flicking behind her.

More footsteps could be heard. Onyx whipped her head toward the sound, instinctively taking a step behind her Master. Three more men entered the room. One was short and blonde, the other two were tall with black hair. One was extremely tall. Tamaki took her hand and patted it gently.

"It's alright, precious, there's no need to hide. These are more friends and house-mates. Guys, come meet the new addition."

The shorter blonde rushed over and bounced to a stop. He was a couple inches shorter than her, but Onyx sensed power, lots of power. She whimpered and started trembling again. Her eyes darted between the three men she had already met and the three new ones. A muscle in her back twitched, and her former Master's lessons came crashing back.

She threw herself to the floor in another extreme bow, her forehead touching the floor. There was too much power from the blonde, and the taller dark-haired one approaching was almost as powerful. They frightened the Manx, and she stayed silent. The little blonde knelt by the girl and stroked her hair gently. His voice was soft and almost musical as he spoke.

"It's alright, no one's going to hurt you. You don't need to bow like that, please sit up."

Onyx flinched at the first touch, but he remained gentle. She sat up slowly, keeping her eyes downcast. He brought his hand down to her chin and tilted her head up to look in her eyes. He gasped when he saw her lip, but he said nothing about it. He smiled lightly at the trembling girl.

"You have such pretty eyes. Will you tell me your name?"

"My...my name Onyx."

"Onyx, how cute. My name is Mitsukuni, but everyone calls me Honey."

"Honor...honor meetings, Honey."

Honey smiled again and stood, then held a hand out to her. She placed her hand in his, and he helped her to her feet, then gave her hand a little squeeze before letting go. He turned to the two dark-haired men with a bright grin.

"Onyx, this is my cousin Takashi, but everyone calls him Mori. And this over here is Kyoya. They're both pretty quiet, but they're good guys. You don't have to be afraid, ok?"

"Honor meetings, Mori, Kyoya."

"She's adorable, Tama-chan. But...how did she end up here?"

Tamaki herded everyone into the nearest sitting room so they could be comfortable while he regaled them with his tale. Onyx stood nervously to one side, tail twitching anxiously. Kaoru noticed and motioned her over to sit with him. Her eyes darted to the sofa for a moment, but she decided to be safe and sit on the floor. She curled up and rested her head on his lap, purring quietly when he scratched and petted her head. She didn't listen to Master Tama's words so much as the tones he used when telling the story. She yawned and closed her eyes, surprisingly comfortable.

Kaoru nudged his twin when he noticed that the pretty little Manx had fallen asleep. Hikaru smiled and waved to get the attention of the others, giving everyone a shushing gesture. The others left the room, but Kaoru sat still, letting the poor girl sleep. It was obvious that she needed the rest. He continued to run his fingers softly through her hair.

An hour or so later, Onyx shot to her feet with a little screech. Her wide, terrified eyes darted back and forth across the room. She looked ready to bolt, so Kaoru stood and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, hey, it's alright. Calm down, it's ok."

"Kaoru. New home, safe. Master not here, gone. Master Tama now."

"That's right. It's ok, you're safe now. You're home, you're safe, no one's going to hurt you."

She calmed down finally, though her tail still twitched nervously. Kaoru patted her head and gave her a little smile.

"Come on, let's go get something to eat. It's almost dinner time. I'm sure you're hungry, right?"

Onyx nodded slightly, and he showed her to the kitchen. She sniffed the air as they approached, and made a small happy sound. She followed Kaoru with a little bounce in her step, until she noticed yet another new person in the kitchen. A short brunette woman stood at the stove, cooking something that made Onyx want to pounce. She turned at the sound of footsteps, and offered her hand to the nervous girl with a little smile.

"Hi there, you must be Onyx. I'm Haruhi, you were sleeping when I got home."

The Manx looked at her outstretched hand for a moment, confused. Haruhi laughed softly and grabbed her hand, giving it a gentle shake. She explained in a light voice.

"It's a handshake. It's what we do when we meet new people. No more bowing with your head on the floor."

"No bowing floor, handshake new peoples."

"That's right. Hika told me you were a fast learner, looks like he was right."

Onyx smiled a little and stuck her hand out, imitating Haruhi. Haruhi grinned and played along, grasping the offered hand, which was then shaken vigorously.

"Honor meetings Haruhi."

"Aw, so cute. It's an honor to meet you too, Onyx. Now, why don't you have a seat? Supper's almost ready. Kaoru, go call the boys, would you?"

Kaoru showed Onyx to the table and nudged her into a seat, then wandered over to one of the walls. There was an intercom system, and he used it to reach the rest of the house at one time.

"Supper's ready, so get your butts down here."

He paused for a moment, then added one little thing.

"Haruhi cooked."

Several people could be heard rushing toward the kitchen, causing Kaoru and Haruhi to burst into laughter. Onyx was confused, and a little scared, but she didn't dare get up. She settled for staring at her hands, clenched together in her lap. She wondered just how many people lived in Master Tama's house.

Tamaki and Honey burst into the room at the same time, followed almost immediately by Hikaru. Mori and Kyoya followed at a much less frantic pace. Tamaki sat next to Onyx and ruffled her hair.

"Did you have a good nap, precious?"

"Yes. No. Yes, good sleep. But, bad. Master, bad Master, say Onyx come back. Hit, much hits."

Tamaki looked a little confused. Kaoru rolled his eyes and translated for the blonde.

"She had a nightmare. Scared the hell out of me when she jumped up, made this screech-y noise, I almost had a heart attack. I guess it must've been about the guy she lived with before."

Onyx nodded, sniffling a little.

"Onyx sorry. Not mean scare Kaoru. Onyx not mean be bad."

"Aww. You weren't bad. You were terrified."

"Onyx not bad? Still good girl? What mean ter'fy?"

Honey pranced over and patted the poor girl's arm before sitting next to her. He spoke lightly, with a little smile.

"Of course you're a good girl. Having a nightmare doesn't make you bad. And terrified means really, really, really scared."

Onyx nodded at the new information. She had only been in this new place a couple short hours, and had already learned several new things.

"Ter'fy mean scare. Much scares. Before Master ter'fy Onyx. No more. Master Tama not ter'fy. Master Tama nice, much nice."

She leaned over and nuzzled his shoulder, causing him to grin and pet her hair softly. She purred quietly and nuzzled more.

"Master Tama friends nice too. Not ter'fy Onyx. All nice, much nice."

"Aww, you're just so cute!"

Onyx smiled prettily at Honey and leaned over to nuzzle his cheek. He laughed at the contact, a high peal of bells that made the Manx's smile grow broad. She actually let out a little giggle, and nuzzled his cheek again.

"Honey cute too!"

There was laughter all around, and a chorus of "aww"s. Haruhi and Hikaru brought the food over, and appreciative noises were made by all. Onyx looked around in confusion when no one told her to get up. Haruhi saw her and smiled, giving the girl a little scratch behind one ear.

"Just help yourself, Onyx. It's family-style when I cook, no need to be waited on."

The shocked little squeak went unheard as the chatter amped up. There were comments about being waited on, compliments on the food, and she wasn't sure what else. She stared at Haruhi, eyes glistening.

"Onyx eat here? Family?"

"Well of course you're family now, silly girl."

Several hands reached out to pet and pat the pretty redhead, and her tail swished happily. Tears fell from emerald eyes, but quiet purring could be heard as well. Tamaki grabbed a napkin and tenderly wiped away the tears that coursed down her cheeks.

"What's the matter, precious? Why are you crying?"

"Haruhi say Onyx family."

"Well, yeah."

"Onyx not have family before. Never family, only Master."

Kyoya's soft voice was heard for the first time.

"Well, that's not the case anymore. This house is full of insanity, but also more love than any of us would have thought possible."

With the barest hint of a smile, Mori chimed in, his quiet words shocking the Manx even further.

"It's true. You've got a rather large family now, little one."

Onyx's bright eyes flitted back and forth between Kyoya and Mori, and another pretty smile lit up her face. With a happy little squeal, she jumped up and bounded around the table. She flung her arms around first Kyoya, then Mori, nuzzling their cheeks and purring softly. Their laughter warmed her heart, and almost caused another burst of tears. Kyoya ruffled her hair lightly.

"She's certainly affectionate, isn't she?"

"What mean?"

"Being affectionate means showing people that you care for them. Like the hugs and cuddles, things of that nature."

"Fection mean hugs, cuddles. Fection good?"

"Yes, Onyx, giving affection to the people you care about is indeed a good thing. Feeling comfortable enough to show that affection is also a good thing. I'm glad that, despite what happened before you came here, you feel comfortable enough, and safe enough with all of us, to show us such affection."

"Master Tama give Onyx family. All here, all family now. Onyx safe, happy. Much, much, much happy. Never know so much happy."

Another chorus of "aww" sounded at the busy table. Mori patted the girl's head gently and gave her a little nudge, and she went back to her spot between Honey and Master Tama. Her eyes kept darting between the members of her new family, and soft little purrs and happy mewls could be heard throughout dinner.