~Okay, so here's my second fanfic. I do have to warn you though, if you are easily triggered you might not want to read this. There is self-harm and suicidal thoughts. I hope that all of you that read this will enjoy the story! I'll try to update as soon as possible, but with school starting soon it might be a bit harder to write. also, if you have any tips on how to improve my writing, I'd be grateful if you could tell me!~

~kuromochii

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club, I only own my OCs and the story.

Akemi hit the ground hard.

"Why do you act so perfect, Etsuko? We all know you're not, don't we girls? Stop lying to everyone!" Akemi felt the painful kick in her back. It was Kerria again, with the painful insults that Akemi already knew were true. She didn't even bother to try to avoid the punishment she received daily.

No one noticed how torn up she was, all her scrapes and bruises, the way she flinched whenever someone talked to her or touched her. No one noticed that she was breaking down on the inside. She only had one friend, and her three younger siblings were kind to her, but they were often scared of what they might find if they tried to dig deeper into everything Akemi was hiding. Her mother and father were always too busy with their companies and trying to uphold their reign on their small part of the business world that they never noticed when Akemi would come home with her long, white hair all tangled and tears threatening to spill from her broken, crystal blue eyes. No one noticed her. She knew that people did care for her, they just didn't bother or didn't have the time to take care of her.

"Now tell me, who's lying?" Kerria asked.

"I am," Akemi whimpered.

"And whose loyal mutt are you?"

"Your's."

"Good dog. Come on, girls. We don't want to be around this filthy mutt longer than we have to." Kerria and her small group of girls left Akemi on the ground behind the school, crying. When she was sure they were gone, Akemi stood up and brushed the dirt off her yellow school uniform, surprisingly untorn.

Akemi wondered the school grounds a bit more, finally collapsing on a bench in the garden, about to break down. Is this what my point in life is? Is it to satisfy Kerria's needs? Is that what I was put here to do? If so, then what's the point in living anymore?

Tears rolled down Akemi's cold, raw cheeks. Finally, they stopped, and Akemi sat on the bench, being covered by the gentle snow.

"Excuse me, princess," Akemi flinched at the sudden voice. She looked up to see one of the most popular boys in school, Tamaki Suoh, standing in front of her. "May I ask why you're sitting in the snow? Isn't it cold?"

If Akemi answered truthfully, she was sitting in the snow to try to numb her whole body. She didn't want to feel the pain anymore, and the snow was no longer cold to her, since her whole body seemed to be the same temperature. Akemi just stared at Tamaki, taking him in. She had never been up close to him, since she wasn't one for socializing and wasn't welcome around any popular kids. If Akemi was caught here, she was sure to get a beating from Kerria the next day twice as bad as that day's. Akemi knew her place, and Kerria made sure that she knew to stay there.

Tamaki reached out and grabbed her hand, Akemi flinching at the sudden touch. His hands were warm and brought the feelings she had just recently lost back into her body.

"You really are cold! Why don't you come with me inside and we can have some tea?"

Oh no, Akemi thought. I'm being reeled in. He's trying to take me to the Host Club. Kerria's there. If I go, I know I'll regret it, but…

Akemi didn't say anything as Tamaki pulled her to her feet and lead her inside the school.

"You're name is Akemi Etsuko, right? You're at the top of your class. Well, we're almost there."

"Wait, I can-" Akemi started.

Tamaki looked back at her as they were walking up the stairs to get to the music room where the Host Club was. His look was kind and gentle, but Akemi couldn't go in there, not if she didn't want to get hurt. She gently slid her hands out of Tamaki's and ran back out of the school.

"Wait!" She heard Tamaki call to her.

Akemi kept on running. The limo that had come to pick her up from school was still waiting there for her, as patiently as it did every day. Akemi quickly jumped in the back and closed the door, the limo driving off before she even saw Tamaki reach the entrance gate.

That night, Akemi curled up on her huge queen sized bed, in her huge bedroom the size of a normal apartment, inside her huge mansion that made her feel tiny and insignificant in the huge world that she lived in, where she was at the bottom of the social pyramid.

Akemi woke up the next morning with a yawn, dreading going back to school. She would have to try to avoid Tamaki for the whole day, possibly for the rest of the school year, so she wouldn't have to explain to him. It wouldn't be that hard, since no one that popular ever even so much as glanced her way. When she got to school she had a big surprise.

"Hello, Akemi!" Tamaki said, greeting her at the school gate. She saw Kerria look at her, utterly disgusted by the sight before her. Akemi, the dog, talking with Tamaki, the king.

"Good morning, Tamaki. Now I really must be going," Akemi tried to walk away, but she wasn't fast enough. Tamaki grabbed her wrist and wouldn't let go.

"Akemi, is something bothering you?" Tamaki asked, his voice full of concern. It took Akemi by surprise, hearing that worrying tone of voice. She hadn't heard someone talk to her like that for a long time. Tears were starting to gather in the corners of her eyes.

"It's nothing," Akemi said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, which she often did when she was lying. She finally tugged her wrist out of Tamaki's grasp and ran into the school building.

"Akemi!" Someone tackled Akemi in the hallway. It was a small girl with bright orange hair and big brown eyes.

"Etsu, can you please let go of me?" The small girl was still hugging Akemi tightly.

"Sorry! It's just I haven't seen you for weeks!" Etsu released Akemi and smiled up at her. Akemi smiled back.

"Maybe you should stop eating all that junk food and you won't get sick all the time," Akemi teased.

"It wasn't my fault this time!" Etsu complained. "Those cakes were just sitting there, begging to be eaten!"

"Okay, but it better not happen again," Akemi wagged her finger.

"Alright, let's get to class," Etsu lead the way, Akemi following closely behind.

"Akemi, stop running from me."

Akemi stopped dead in her tracks.

No, not now.

Tamaki came up to her and put his hand on her shoulder to turn her around. Akemi was forced to look towards Tamaki, but she wouldn't make eye contact.

"Can you look at me? Please?" Tamaki's voice was a whisper. "Do you hate me? Is that why you keep running from me?"

Akemi still was looking at her feet, unable to answer.

"Do you really hate me that much? That you won't even look me in the eye? We just barely met yesterday."

"No, I-I don't hate you…"

"Then why?"

"I-I…"

"Hey, Tamaki, why are you talking to someone as plain as her?" Kerria said, grabbing Tamaki's hand away from Akemi. "She has a lot to do, so you shouldn't bother her. She is at the top of her class, and we wouldn't want her to get bad grades, would we? So she doesn't have the time to go to the Host Club."

Tamaki looked conflicted, as if deciding between Kerria and Akemi. He looked at Akemi, her head still hanging.

"If you didn't have time, you could've just told me," Tamaki said.

Akemi didn't say anything.

"Come on, Tamaki, let's go," Kerria said, dragging him away.

"Akemi, come on, let's go," Etsu said, taking Akemi down the hall, away from Kerria.

They walked up all the stairs and onto the roof, it was there getaway when times got hard.

"So, I assume you're going to get a beating later today?" Etsu asked.

"Yeah, probably during lunch," Akemi responded.

"Ugh, I wish I was still sick," Etsu complained.

Akemi and Etsu were both victims of Kerria's bullying. They both took different defences. Akemi tried to ignore every living being around her, her emotions were numbed, and she often cut herself to be able to feel anything, to prove she was still living. Etsu tried to be joyus and happy, but she still avoided talking with anyone who knew Kerria, and she made herself sick so that she could miss out on school, and her emotions showed quite easily, which made her more prone to Kerria's attacks. Both girls cried themselves to sleep at night, and both had suicidal thoughts.

"It might leave some bruises today. Hopefully they don't end up on my head, that'll be harder to hide."

"Yeah, I'm probably going to be in the same boat after school," Etsu laughed without humor. "When will this end?"

"Maybe after high school?"

"Probably not. All of our families are the head of giant companies that we'll take over, we'll still have to deal with her, the rest of our lives. I don't want to do this anymore."

Etsu began crying, and Akemi hugged her.

"At least we have each other, and we don't want to drag anyone else into the pain we receive," Akemi said. "We're kind of like quiet heroes in a sense, saving others by taking the blame for them."

That was true, Akemi and Etsu often took the blame for other students insulting any of the more popular students. If someone hurt a popular student, Akemi would tell Kerria that she told them to do it. If someone started a nasty rumor about any popular students, Etsu would say that she started it. They always took the blame, and even the it hurt, they were happy they could protect someone else, even if they'd never be acknowledged for it.

"We better get back to class before someone notices we're missing," Etsu said, wiping her tears away.

Akemi took her by the hand and they walked into their class together.