Chapter 1:

Fujioka Haruhi stood at the crime scene, staring blankly into space. In front of her, was a body. Long, red hair covered the face, but it was blatantly obvious who it was. Blood stained the ground, but Haruhi couldn't see anything. Couldn't hear anything. The unbelievable news wouldn't sink in. No, it was more like it COULDN'T sink in. What she saw, couldn't have been real.

Police dragged her from the scene, seeing as she wouldn't even walk. The image repeatedly flashed through her sight of her father's dead body was permanently seared into her brain. Still, she couldn't believe it. Even as if it felt like the infernal message had solidified and was currently trying to make it's way through her skull. Once the official had let go of her, she turned around and walked robotically up the stairs to her house. She opened the door around the empty apartment. She didn't cry. She couldn't. She was so in shock that no emotion came through. Automatically, she went through her nightly routine and settled into bed for a world of nothingness.

A few hours later, the sleeping girl was no longer asleep as the door creaking open, woke her up. Still half-asleep, she called out, "Dad?" Bad move. The door opened fully, revealing four grinning thugs, staring at her with hate-filled eyes. "Aw, look. The little girly is waiting for her daddy." In a second, the speaker had crossed the room and grabbed Haruhi's hair, yanking her up. Despite her sleep, the shock wouldn't go away. As a result, all she felt from the action was pressure. The man brought her close and harshly whispered, "Your daddy is dead. He paid for what he owed, and you will too." He turned to his followers, whose ugly faces were lit up, eagerly anticipating their leader's verdict.

"She'll bring us a fair amount of money," he took a knife and slid it gently, but deeply across Haruhi's cheek, drawing blood. The cold steel snapped her out of her mental paralysis. She punched, connecting squarely with the man's jaw, forcing him to let go. It wasn't, however, strong enough to leave a mark. He just shook his head and glared at her. Two of his thugs ran behind Haruhi and held her arms. She kicked back and was granted with a self-satisfying crunch! Still, their grip was firm. The man from earlier punched her in the stomach, causing her to double over.

Before she could even recover, he drew his fist back and into her temple, making her see stars. She felt something warm, trickle down her cheek. Still, she wasn't going down without at least trying. She kicked back again, and this time, it hit one of the thugs in his 'most precious place'. His grip vanished and she was able to free her left hand. She took a wild guess and swung a fist backwards. She felt the pressure on her other arm loosen and she yanked her arm out of the grip. Unfortunately, that led her to the clutches of the last thug. He kicked her and she fell to the ground. Their leader started punching her. "We'll teach you not to mess with us again!" He grabbed the knife and raised the blade above her leg. The thug had just begun to swing down when a voice broke through the air. A voice, Haruhi thought she'd never have been happier to hear.

"Ha-ru-hi!" The gang froze at the voice. For a second, they decided if they should run, or stay and fight. However, the pounding on the stairs indicated that there was more than just one person. They decided on run. The leader dropped the knife and his group ran out the window. The knife didn't dig into her leg, but it did graze it, leaving a long, shallow cut. Now that she had half a mind back, the pain of the assault started dimming her consciousness. She wanted to die then. Maybe she'd go to a better place and see her parents. Dimly, someone, no, a group of someones, yelled her name. Strong arms lifted her up. Then, all was dark.

Beep...beep...beep... The sounds of the heart monitor were all that filled the hospital room. Hitachiin Hikaru sat on one of the chairs, trying hard to keep from punching something. Hitachiin Kaoru sat near his brother, ready to stop him in case he let his anger get out of control. Haninozuka Mitsukuni sat on the bed next to their sleeping friend, watching anxiously. Morinozuka Takashi stood next to his cousin, worry crossing his normally, emotionless face. Otori Kyoya sat at a table, clicking away on his ever-present laptop. Though his face conveyed a cold indifference, the tightening of his jaw showed his anger. Suou Tamaki was up, and pacing back and forth. Like a broken pendulum.

The silence lengthened for a few more minutes before a rustling could be heard. The group whipped their heads in the direction of the sound. Haruhi groaned and sat up, much to the boys' delight. "Haruhi!"
"Haru-chan!" As overjoyed as they were, they group restrained themselves from hugging, guessing that from her wincing, her wounds still hurt. The girl glanced around, then stared quizzically at the six boys all standing in front of her.
"Where am I?" Kyoya decided to take it upon himself to answer her questions.
"At the Otori Hospital."
"What- what happened?"
"We were hoping YOU could tell us. You see, we found you on the floor of your apartment with various bruises and cuts."
"How long was I out?"
"About a few hours. Any more questions?" He may have seemed irritated, but inside, the bespectacled boy smiled. Glad that their friend was able to talk.
"Just one more. Who are you?"