"Wait a minute," Tsubaki yelled loudly, jumping from his chair as he looked around at most of his brothers, "she left with a boy?" Kaname and Masaomi, Yusuke still in shock, had told one after the other when they came in. They had now only started to wait for Subaru and Natsume and Ukyo.

"Yeah," Kaname confirmed. He was slumped in his chair, hand half way on his forehead, and pushed into his bright blond hair, shoving it back and out of his face. It had come as a shock to them all, so much so that they didn't even get a good look at the boy.

Ema didn't go with boys- unless it was one of them; and even that was hard for her to do.

Tsubaki leaned onto his twin brother Azusa covering his eye's as he faked sob, Azusa just sitting still trying to understand what had just been said. Why Ema had left with the boy, and what the boy meant to her.

As much as they'd hate to admit it, they were all in their own state of denial.

Wataru sat on Masaomi's lap, licking at a purple lollipop that Masaomi had given him when he wouldn't stop crying. Masaomi had changed from his earlier outfit, and now sat quietly on one of the couches, legs crossed at the ankles. Thinking to himself. To his left was an angry Fuuto, he had been fuming the moment that he had heard. Walking around the house and messing things up, even going as far to be as hateful to his brothers as possible; he was in no mood to play nice.

Walking out of the kitchen was Iori, holding a tray of goods. He always cooked when he was upset or nervous, and right now was no exception. He placed the tray on the table, in front of Louis. Louis sat at the edge of the couch, in his lap was an angry Juli. Louis couldn't even find it in himself to pet the small animal, and Juli didn't even have it in him to mess with the brothers.

Juli knew who the man was, that Louis was sure of. The small animal knew everything there was to know about Ema- even this. Only, Juli didn't get a good look at the man who had so abruptly taken her.

Hikaru leaned over Louis, and grabbed a small cracker from the tray, popping it into his mouth. He had pulled his hair back into a pony tail, telling the other brothers that he was ready for a fight; and it was clear who the person he wanted to fight was. And how truthful his comment had been.

Hikaru was ready for a brawl, and no doubt knew his brothers would have his back should he lose. He highly doubted he would, though.

Fuuto turned to his brother quickly, looking Yuskue in the face, "Are you sure you don't know who the boy is?"

Tsubaki nodded, also looking at the red haired boy, "That's right! You have been going to school with Chii the longest! Does anything stick out in your head?"

Yusuke sighed and slumped against the wall, his foot no longer kicked up on the wall and instead slammed into the floor. The same question had been plaguing him the whole time after she left, "He does look familar. But there's no telling." The loud grumbles circled around the room as the door opened. All their attention snapping to the red wood hanging on the wall, silence.

When Subaru and Natsume walked in sighs echoed through out the house once more. Subaru raised his eyebrow, and Natsume chuckled, "Well that was a little rude."

"We thought you were Chii." Wataru explained, "She left with a boy earlier and has yet to return." Wataru could tell when all his brothers made subtle actions at the mention of her leaving. Fidgeting around and looking anywhere but each other.

"A boy?" Natsume asked, attention peeked, "A cousin or something?" No one answered, because no one had the answer. Subaru grunted and sat down on the arm of Louis' chair, the best answer they were probably going to get. Natsume sat down by Tsubaki and Azusa.

Not much time passed until the clock hit 6:10 P.M. and loud stomps were heard coming from the hall. The door slammed open and Ukyo walked in, Ema laying in his arms crying. He looked annoyed, but they could tell it wasn't because of her. The way he held her close to his chest also told them something bad had just happened.

None of them moved.

"I'm sorry, Ukyo-san." She sniffled, "I didn't mean to cause you any trouble." It was just like her to be apologizing in this state. He walked straight pass the living room, filled with males, and into the kitchen as he placed her on the counter. The other brothers took minutes until they got the nerves up and followed after the two, as Ukyo moved towards the freezer their eyes caught the light purple mark appearing on her cheek.

"Ema," he said without looking at her or his brothers as he opened the freezer, "who was that?" His voice was calm and collected, but it held a hidden threat. She didn't answer him, but instead looked down at her lap, her fingers turning white as she gripped the counter edge. Ukyo sighed and came back to her, placing a cold bag of pea's to her cheek. When it became obvious she was not going to say anything, Louis spoke.

"What did he do?" Juli jumped from the silver haired man's arms and ran across the counter to Ema, curling up beside her leg. Azusa stepped forward placing his hand on her other cheek. She reflexively flinched, and in turn they all flinched.

"Why did he hit you?" Ukyo asked, answering Louis' question with his own. When he came up to their building, he had saw the man pull back his hand and he was to late to stop it. Ema went tumbling to the ground in a heap. Then in a sudden rush Ukyo found himself feeling useless and in a fit of rage slammed his fist into the younger boys face.

"I told him he couldn't come up to the house," she said. She looked up and looked them all in the eyes, her own blazing with the truth. Her eye's no longer a bright brown, but dull and lifeless. The tear's she had cried earlier was now drying on her cheeks. The ice pack dropped from her hands, and then she hopped of the counter, and the pea's dropped to the floor in a loud cracking-like-sound. "He doesn't like when I talk back, but dad said not to have him up here."

Yusuke bit his tongue as he clenched his fist, "I know who he is," he stated in a low voice, now pushing his way to stand in front of Ema. She didn't move, but instead stood there and observed him; as if she was interested in what nonsense he was about to say. Chin tilted slightly up as she looked at him, careful not to make eye contact. The way she was now seemed almost like she was... broken.

The girl standing before them was only a mask of the original.

When they had meet her dad he had talked about his daughter, he had said how she transformed when she no longer wanted to be alive. That she would do almost anything to escape the pain. He said it didn't happen much, but somethings would just push her over the edge and she would be that way. He didn't know what really caused it, or how to stop it, only that it did happen.

"Well who is he?" Hikaru asked irritatedly, pushing his finger into Yusuke's back, shoving him a step forward.

Normally the gesture would have made Yusuke mad, but right now that wasn't the case. He bent down and picked up the pea's, holding it in his hand. "Hinashi." He said and a single tear slid down Ema's face- her mask was cracking.

"Don't." She whispered softly, and somehow he knew he had to go on, even if it meant breaking her heart. They would repair the damage of this, fix it so well she wouldn't have to worry about this pain any more.

"He was an ex," Yusuke didn't feel like 'ex' was the right word to describe Hinashi, "he didn't go to school with us, and I'm not sure how you met him. But you'd been dating him for a month, and then suddenly he was no longer seen around our school." He left a pause, "And neither were you."

Ema dropped to her knee's, covering her ear's with trembling hands. Her body shook with sobs. Yusuke bent down as well, "Stop!" Subaru shouted, "You're hurting her!" Yusuke ignored him and reached for her, and Iroi grabbed his hands moving to stop him.

"She has to hear it!" Fuuto shouted as he shoved Iroi's hands away. Kaname dropped to his knee's and pulled Ema into his lap, pulling her hands away from her ear's. Her head snapped up and she looked around, fear now visible in her eyes.

They knew what they were doing; they were about to open wounds that never had the chance to heal. They were about to bring back memories she fought to suppress.

Ema looked around the room for anyone who would help her. She didn't want Yusuke to go on, she didn't think she could bare it if he did. Yet, all the ones who would help were being restrained.

She looked at Yusuke with a pleading look, tears coming more and more, "Please," she hiccuped, "don't do this to me." Her voice sounded broken, but she no longer was.

He ignored her request, even as she broke his heart, "Word got around school fast about what had happened to you. When your dad had forced you to stop seeing Hinashi, well, Hinashi didn't take it very well." Ema thrust her leg's out, and flared her arm's. Trying to break away. Scream's echoing from her throat.

Hikaru grabbed one arm, and held it to his chest, while Kaname moved his hands around her torso. Ukyo grabbed her other arm. Tsubaki stood in the corner, holding his twin brothers hand, one moment they both truly felt pain. Iroi and Subaru could no longer look, and looked away. Fuuto pushed his older brother's forward a step, "Look at her." They did. Masamoi stood by Louis, who was still with shock, and covered his mouth. Natsume stood by the counter, his hands clenching into a fist against the hard marble.

"He hurt you," Yusuke stated pushing her hair from her face even as she tried to fight against him. She resembled a wounded deer, fighting for her life. As if any of the boys around her could hurt, even though she knew they where not capable of such a thing.

Not physically.

But she knew emotional pain was a trauma all on its own.

"He was never kind to you, everyone knew it, but no one stepped in to help. Because they never knew how far he would take it- until it was done." Yusuke coughed and looked down, "He'd called you out, I don't know where or when, but he did. He'd beaten you, and when he knew you could no longer fight against him he had tried to... to rape you." He forced the words out, and all the Ashina brothers bit back the words that came flooding into their heads, struggling to listen to Yusuke.

They didn't want to hear this as much as Ema, but she was forced to listen and so they were going to do the same.

Ema started to shout louder and cry as she looked at Yusuke, her cheeks now flushed, "Stop! No more! Please..." Her pleads broke off as she cried silently, head hung low. She was reliving the moment that she had been ruined.

"He didn't rape you, because someone had found you. But the damage had been done and you'd been placed in the hospital; when you came out everyone was surprised that you pushed the memories back- and remembered nothing." As he finished his story, Ema slowly stopped fighting and her body went rigid. The only thing that told the brother's that she was awake, was the way her body shook with her anguished sobs.

"I was so scared," she whispered, and her body begun to still, "I didn't want to remember!" Her back arched and she screamed loudly, "But they made me, they all made me!" As her breathing came to a slow pant she looked at them, her eye's a fathomless black hole and the corners of her mouth curled into a sad and hopeless smile, "Why did I have to go though that?"

Kaname leaned into her ear and whispered softly, "Because the most precious of people, have to go through the worst of pain." It was so quite that everyone heard his words. Ukyo let go of her arm, and placed his forehead to hers, Hikaru then released her as well. Kaname didn't let go, but instead hugged her tighter.

The phone in her hand bag slowly begun to go off, an American song playing through the full house that was oddly empty. Everyone was inside, but now their minds were all somewhere else. Ema grabbed the phone and flipped it open, her voice a soft sob, "Hi, papa." she whispered. After a few curse words he asked to speak with Ukyo. She handed him the phone.

"What happened?" He demanded.

"Nothing," Ukyo replied without taking his eye's off Ema, "We just got done hearing a rather... sad story."

There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and then a relieved sigh, "Okay. Tell Ema that I won't be home for quite sometime, but when I do return I expect a full reprot."

With that he hung up, the phone leaving a soft beeping noice behind. No one spoke, until Wataru crawled into Ema's lap, looking at her with a small frown, "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Ema looked at him with wide eyes, and then she smiled. It was a heart breaking smile- but it was also a diamond in the rough kind of smile. She nodded her head, "Will you?"

Kaname released his hold on her and leaned back on his palms, as Wataru nodded his head and shot forward wrapping his arms around Ema. Ema hugged him back, her tears already soaking through his white shirt. Masamoi moved forward and brought them both into a hug, followed by Louis, and then Natsume, and Iori and Subaru, Kaname, Ukyo, and Hikaru, Tsubaki and Azusa, Yusuke and Fuuto. Somehow, they could all feel Ema against them- as if they all had a piece of her.

author note:

I just want to go ahead and say I apologize if I misspelled any of their names in this. I wrote this so long ago, not an excuse, but kind of is.