Surprise! I got you all a new chapter before January! hehe, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from OHSHC! All the OC's are mine (even if I borrowed names from other anime) XD
Everybody sat in silence for almost 25 minutes when Scar suddenly perked up.
"Finally!" he breathed a sigh of relief, "Home sweet home!"
Chapter 12: The mansion
Haruhi couldn't contain a gasp of surprise at the sight before her. The huge iron gates swung open without a sound when the limo approached. Dense forests sat on either side of the double driveway, with flowers of every imaginable color sprinkled across the ground and even some vines crawling up tree trunks.
"Look, a rabbit!" Hani exclaimed in delight as he saw one of his favorite fluffy animals curiously sniffing the air next to the road. Only a moment later it was joined by a few little ones as well.
The limo driver was driving slowly especially for the enjoyment of the guests. He knew that they might enjoy the wonderful show of nature, and Scar forbade any fast driving anyway as there are a lot of wild-life in the forest.
Next to show curiosity, was a small herd of deer. They were used to the noisy metal creatures, so they were not frightened away by the sound of the engine as one would expect.
Emmy showed excitement as she saw a fawn. (a.n: thanks to valleydoodle01 for pointing this out! *blush*) Her eyes practically sparkled and her smile stretched clear across her face. It was, after all the first time she got to see a baby deer up close! With her face pressed against the window, Emmy was the first to notice the large Grey wolf a little father back into the trees. She sighed out of pure relief when all the wolf did was look at the car and walk away.
Yasuchika, Satoshi and Mori were also surprised by the expanse of the trees. They didn't think it would be so much. Most mansions only had one or two large trees by the gates, if any. On the opposite side of the road from the deer, a pack of wolves were lazing in the shade, seemingly not interested in the deer at all.
Mori noticed that almost all of the wolves were wearing collars and asked the driver about it, surprising everyone in the limo.
"Oh those? No need to worry about the wolves, they are only collared so that Scar-sama can keep track of their movement." The driver answered with a smile.
The rest of the (surprisingly long) drive up to the house was done with only the occasional exclamation from someone about one animal or another.
XXX
With Tamaki and the twins:
"Wow! This place is all trees! Don't tell me you live like some jungle-man in the forest."
Hikaru was quite rude with his statement, but Scar answered in a way he knew would annoy the orange-haired teen.
"Of course. What did you expect, a palace?"
Hikaru and Tamaki sputtered something unintelligible at the answer while Kyoya inwardly rolled his eyes at their idiocy. He could tell Scar was only being sarcastic. Instead of paying attention to his fellow hosts, Kyoya proceeded to stare out the window at the natural wonderland.
Kaoru also stared out at the animals they passed and he blanched slightly at the sight of the wolves. Not able to hide his concern, he asked
"Um, those wolves, they don't roam near your home, do they? I mean, the place is fenced up to keep them out, right?"
Scar tilted his head to side slightly before answering a straight forward
"Of course not."
At that, even Kyoya turned to look him with an incredulous expression on his face. Did he not realize that those are wild animals?
Seeing the concerned expressions, Scar requested the driver to stop. He calmly got out of the car and walked a few paces away before letting out a short, sharp whistle.
The hosts gasped at what they believed were pure craziness, when all the wolves got up and charged at Scar. They all held their breath as the first wolf jumped
right into Scar's arms… and proceeded to lick every inch of his face.
Rex chuckled at their open-mouths before speaking up. "I wouldn't suggest any of you trying that. Those wolves might be tame around the Boss, but they are still wild animals."
"They get to roam free?" Tamaki whispered.
"Yes. They have free access to any part of the grounds."
"My precious Antoinette will be in danger!" Tamaki yelled with rivers of tears streaming down his cheeks unchecked as he hugged his 'precious baby' close.
While Tamaki was freaking out, Kyoya kept a close eye on the way Scar seemed so at ease even with the possible danger the wolves presented. He noticed how Scar gave every wolf attention and not just the one which had jumped into his arms. Kyoya had been quite surprised that Scar didn't even shift with the extra weight of the animal.
After giving sufficient attention to all of his comrades, Scar returned to the limo and once more they were on their way to his home. Rex noticed that his boss was now much calmer than he had had been just a few moments earlier. It never ceased to amaze him, what a big effect the animals have on Scar.
Kyoya couldn't help but stare at the gentle look on Scar's face after he got back into the limo. Scar seemed almost, feminine, with such an expression. Kyoya imagined that he felt his heart flutter, but he quickly squashed any such wayward thoughts. He definitely did not like the guy, he is wary of him after all. Thus, he simply chalked it up to the slight nervousness he felt with a fellow human being surrounded by dangerous animals. Lucky for Kyoya, no-one else had noticed his momentary lapse.
Scar felt refreshed after seeing his long-time comrades again. Not many people knew why the wolves were so comfortable around him and he with them. Scar was curious as to why Shadow and Snow were not with the pack, but he also knew there was nothing to fear from the alpha-pair.
XXX
The mansion:
Everybody felt their mouths fall open at the sight of the 'mansion'. When Scar had said mansion, Haruhi had pictured something like what the hosts lived in. Not this, this…. CASTLE!
With a large fountain in the middle of a circular driveway and a wide staircase leading up to double doors, which seemed to be made of oak, the castle was an impressive sight. Not to mention that it was also three stories high with floor-to-ceiling windows in the corridors. Untamed vines crawled up the walls, giving it that 'little something extra'.
Kei and Daichi outright laughed at their companions' surprise, fondly remembering their own first reactions to the sight.
"Welcome to our home, gentlemen. Please remember to pick your jaws off of the floor before leaving the vehicle." Scar just couldn't resist teasing the hosts.
"This… this is… not a mansion!"
"It's a friggen CASTLE!" The twins once again completed each other's thoughts.
"17th century to be exact. I inherited this castle and the surrounding forest a few years back. It's been my home ever since." Scar smiled with pride at the 3-story castle.
"Stay here while I go greet our host." Now that was a direct order. Luckily, the hosts were in too much shock to realize just how Scar had ordered them around again.
Haruhi's party exited their car to get a better look at the castle, but did not go closer, since neither of their escorts made a move to go closer.
Scar walked up to a middle-aged man standing just below the stairs at the front doors. Scar bowed respectfully and held the bow as he spoke.
The man just stared at Scar through his entire speech, not saying a word. At the end he just sighed while pulling a hand through his hair. An exasperated smile touched his lips as he put his hands on Scar's shoulders to pull him up and into a firm hug.
Scar smiled and returned the hug before motioning for the others to join him. All the hosts stood closer as indicated while Scar introduced them all.
"This is the Morinozuka brothers; Takashi and Satoshi; the Haninozuka brothers, Mitsukuni and Yasuchika; the Hittachin brothers, Kaoru and Hikaru, Tamaki Suoh, Kyoya Ohtori and Antoinette – Suoh's dog." The dog was introduced with an exasperated look on Scar's face. "Haruhi Fujioka and finally, our newest addition to the family, Emmy-chan. Everybody, this is Sunny. He is the foster father for all the kids here."
"Welcome all. I trust that Scar and the boys have explained the house rules to you?" At the nods, Sunny continued. "Good, then you may come and bring your bags to your rooms."
Hikaru and Tamaki had looks on their faces that clearly stated 'you-expect-us-to-carry-our-own-bags?'
"Of course you have to carry your own bags, morons. Out here, there are no servants to do your every bidding; if you want something, you do it yourself." Scar told them in a tone that gave no room for argument.
When it looked like they were about to argue some more, Scar efficiently shut them up with a simple "If you can't live without servants, you are free to go home right now."
All those about to argue shut their mouths and turned to get their bags. The rest was already waiting to be shown the way.
Before Sunny could utter another word, a few excited screams came from the door. "Akira-sama! You're home!"
6 children came running out straight into Scar's open arms. Scar gently tossed some in the air and tickled the ones he didn't pick up. One little girl looked around after getting her toss and toddled over to Daichi yelling 'Daddy, Daddy' all the way.
"Hey princess! Did you miss me?" Daichi picked up his daughter and kissed her on the cheek, making the little 3year old squeal in delight.
"Hey, don't I get even one hug this time?" Kei asked pouting. A giggle was heard before two children left Scar to hug Kei. Rex stood to the side with a small, happy smile on his face, waiting for the older kids he could see coming downstairs.
The moment everyone was outside, introductions began anew. Scar asked the kids to stand in line from oldest to youngest so that he could introduce them properly. They did as Scar asked without second thought or complaint.
"Ok rich-kids, listen up. I'm going to start with the eldest and work my way down, I'll also include their ages for your benefit, so try to keep up.
Eiji – 18. Angela -16. Sanosuke – 15. Katsu- 14. Kimi – 13. Jiro – 12. Setsuka and Shizuka, the twins are 10. Ren – 8. Emmy-chan is also 8 years old. Ran – 6. Isamu and Yukhito are both 5. Aiko-chan is 4 and little Misaki is 3. Misaki is also Daichi's daughter. Kids, I will now introduce our house-guests for the week.
"Takashi Morinozuka, Mitsukuni Haninozuka, both 17. Tamaki Suoh and Kyoya Ohtori are 16, Hittachin Kaoru and Hikaru and finally Haruhi Fujioka, all 3 are 15. Satoshi Morinozuka and Yasuchika Haninozuka are both 14. Emmy-chan is also the newest part of our family, so please treat her kindly."
The kids and the hosts took a while to look each other over and assess the other group. Haruhi noticed that Angela was slowly trying to move in behind Eiji. She seemed really nervous and even a little scared.
Scar noticed that and tactfully placed himself between Angela and the hosts. That seemed to calm the teenager down enough to only grab hold of Eiji's sleeve and not hide behind him as she wanted to. Eiji gently took her hand and asked permission to go back to their homework.
"Sure thing guys. Did everyone else finish already?" Scar looked pointedly at Ren and Setsuka as he said that. Setsuka left with an 'hmph' and a flip of her hair. Shizuka rolled her eyes and followed her sister with Ren in tow. Slowly all the other kids started leaving as well, but Mori and Hani both noticed how the kids were nervous about turning their backs to the strangers.
Scar sighed softly. 'Well, that went better than I had expected. Let's hope it stays this way.'
Mori looked down when he felt someone staring at him, before him stood the four year old Aiko. She looked at Mori with wonder in her eyes before whispering "Waa, so tall…" Mori didn't really know what to make of that statement, so he merely blinked at her.
Scar disguised his chuckle as a cough, so as not to insult the child, but Hani slowly came over and told Aiko how much fun it is to ride on Takashi's shoulders. Aiko nodded even though her eyes never looked away from Mori's own. The moment Mori blinked, he felt the small hands grabbing fists full of his clothing and climbing up to his shoulders like he was a tree.
All the hosts just stood there, dumbfounded at Aiko's actions, but Kei could no longer hold it. He burst out laughing so hard that tears started streaming down his face.
"You…you should….have seen…the looks… on…on your…. Faces!" He got out between his gasps for breath, before he doubled over again laughing. Scar tried in vain to hold his laughs, but with Kei's infectious laughter, it was a losing battle. After a while everybody joined in. Even Mori let out a little smile. Aiko just sat on Mori's shoulders looking like the cat that stole the cream.
After he got his laughter under control, Scar looked up at Aiko and asked
"Aiko-chan, did you ask the nice man permission before you climbed onto his shoulders?"
Aiko looked a little uncomfortable and shy, but nonetheless answered softly. "N-no…"
"Is it polite to sit on someone's shoulders if you didn't ask first?"
"N-no…"
"Good. Now climb down and apologize to him please."
Aiko looked properly ashamed of herself as she slowly climbed down from Mori's shoulders. When she was back on her feet, she bowed as well as a four-year old could and apologized for 'violating the tall man with her unworthy hands.'
Scar looked like he had been punched in the stomach with those words. He picked Aiko up and took her to his office where they could talk. He had no idea where she got those demeaning words from, but he was going to find out. If it had been that beast of a father of hers, Scar will personally pay him a visit in prison.
Sunny got over his shock and shook his head. He cleared his throat and asked everybody to follow him to their respective rooms. The rooms will have to be shared two-two, but he hoped the boys wouldn't mind. The west wing is off-limits to guests after all.
The entrance hall was filled with antique vases, furniture and paintings, all dating back to before the 1860's. The works were all put together tastefully. Not too much, not too little, just enough to get a cozy feel of a place lived-in.
The staircase looked like it was made out of white marble. It started with two sides at the bottom and came together on the first floor. (A/n: Think the staircase in The Princess diaries 2 at the end of the movie.)
Sunny led them up the east side and into the east corridors. The floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over the expansive forest and long driveway. The first few rooms were empty, and as such, will be occupied by the hosts.
Hani and Mori got the room closest to the stairs. Next to them were Satoshi and Yasuchika. The Hittachin twins will share the room across from Mori and Hani, with Kyoya and Tamaki taking the room diagonally across from Satoshi and Yasuchika.
While the boys were told to settle in, Sunny took Haruhi to the second floor, telling her that she may have either of the rooms closest to the stairs. Haruhi looked around her new room for the week. It wasn't very large when compared to the suite-like room she stayed in at Mori-senpai's place, but it was still huge compared to her bedroom at home. She barely noticed that Emmy-chan was still with her. Emmy did not seem to mind being alone now that the men have gone.
Emmy-chan decided that she wanted to share a room with Haruhi-san while the older girl was still around. She felt safe with Haruhi-san.
The room was brightly lit by the morning sun. Green drapes were pulled open to let the sunlight in. The entire room was decorated in shades of green with a few browns worked in. The large four-poster bed almost felt like it would swallow her, as Haruhi sat down. She laid back and slightly sank into the soft mattress.
XXX
Scar was livid. Aiko's father had told her that she was a filthy child who would violate anything she touched, and that she was unworthy of any form of kindness or happiness. Scar had spent some time talking to Aiko and assuring her that she was special and not in any way filthy or unworthy of anything.
The four year old only stared at Scar without a word. Her daddy's word had been law in her home all her young life, so even though she was no longer living under his roof, she was still afraid of him and what he would do if he ever found out that she was not acting subservient as he had always expected of her.
Scar knew it would take time for Aiko to understand that she was safe with him, but he still felt his heart break as Aiko merely stared at him. Aiko had only been living at the castle for two months, so he couldn't expect miracles, but still, he could hope.
After his talk with Aiko, Scar went to find Bunny in the kitchen. He desperately needed something to cool his head with. The picture of the older teens helping the younger kids with their summer-homework warmed his heart to its very core. A soft, gentle smile adorned his face at the sight. Bunny was the first to notice Scar's entrance and motioned him over.
"We need to talk." The stern look in her eyes already told Scar exactly what she wanted to talk about, so he walked to the adjacent sitting room, that he had converted into a type of talking-room. The room had been sound-proofed for private conversations, just like the one he and Bunny were about to have.
"Now tell me straight, Akira-chan, why have you allowed those spoilt brats into this house?"
Akira(Scar) closed his eyes, took a deep breath and simply said
"Her name is Haruhi Fujioka."
Bunny felt her jaw going slack.
"You mean…the daughter of…. That Haruhi Fujioka? The daughter of…"
"Yeah. She is the daughter of that Ryuji-san."
Bunny ungracefully plopped down on one of the sofas in the room. Her head was spinning from the enormous amount of information Akira had just tossed in her lap with those few words. She knew of Ryuji of course. Anyone who got involved knew of him. His daughter was the clan's secret princess. All those who were truly loyal to Scar or his grandfather, have vowed to protect her, even though it was not known why she was considered to be the clan princess.
Akira stood by and watched as the wheels in Bunny's mind continued to turn, sliding information into the right slots and creating a puzzle of the bigger picture. After a while Bunny looked back up and spoke in a business-like tone that she used when gathering information.
"So now what? That still doesn't explain why the rest is here also."
"They wouldn't let her come alone and Ryuji-san is currently in a coma. It was clearly the work of professionals since he got serious head-trauma, but had not died even though he had been bleeding out for a while. There is only one family branch that could have pulled such a stunt off successfully without killing him in the process."
Akira pulled an agitated hand through his hair again, showing the left side of his face for a moment.
"He wants her, Bunny. He wants her bad, and if I don't stop him before the week is out, we can say goodbye to life as we know it. He will use her to control the entire empire and destroy everything and anyone in his way.
"You know as well as I do what Kurogasa is capable of, and I have promised that Haruhi will never have to see my side of the world. I made a promise that I will protect her until the very end of my own life if it ever came down to that. Haruhi will NOT be allowed to live on this side."
Bunny stared at Akira for a long moment while letting the information sink in. Kurogasa was a very dangerous man. He would not hesitate to kill a person if they got in his way; Bunny knew that first-hand. Her youngest brother had been killed by the man. If not for Scar and his team, Sunny and Bunny would have been next.
"Well, if Kurogasa wants a war, then that is exactly what he will get." Bunny declared in a firm voice. "You will do what you must Scar, but just promise me one thing. Promise me that while the brats are here, you will look out for the kids. Promise me that no-one will get hurt."
Scar looked at Bunny with hard eyes as he spoke in a grave voice.
"I don't make promises that I don't know if I can keep."
With that Scar walked out of the room back to the kitchen. Bunny shook her head sadly. 'I hope you know what you are doing, child, because I sure don't.'
XXX
All the hosts converged in what appeared to be a playroom. With a TV, puzzles, DVD's and a whole bunch of other games and 4 big sofas placed around the room. Hikaru and Kaoru went directly to the videogames to see what there was to play. Haruhi and Mori were attracted to the library right next door to the entrance to the left. The others just explored the different kinds games piled on a shelf in a corner.
Just as Hikaru and Kaoru turned away from what they were doing, Angela walked in. The second she saw them all in the room she froze. She looked like a deer in headlights and her breathing sped up. Wide eyes flicked across everyone in the room while she backed into the wall next to the door. Her face drained of all color and she looked just about ready to faint; the deep rooted fear in her eyes was the only thing keeping the hosts from jumping to catch her as she sank down the wall, shaking.
Hani wanted to go and comfort the poor girl, but remembered the warnings they had been given in the car. Instead, he lifted his hands in front of him in a placating gesture and spoke in as gentle a voice as he could. He tried to assure her that none of them would hurt her, but he was utterly unsuccessful as Angela practically tried to climb through the wall at her back.
Scar chose that very moment to enter the room. Seeing the state Angela was in, he immediately took charge, telling everybody to move away from the cowering girl on the floor. Scar crouched a little ways away from Angela, putting himself, once again, between her and the hosts, also making sure to keep away from the door should she choose to bolt.
"Angela? Sweetheart, please look at me?" Scar tried talking to the petrified girl, but he could see that she was not mentally with them. Her mind was far from the current time and place, it made Scar wonder what had happened in the 3 weeks he had been gone. What could possibly have made Angela revert back to the way she had been when she was first brought home?
When asking her to look at him had no effect, Scar very slowly reached out and gently touched Angela's hand. She flinched and swung her eyes, wild with fear, to Scar, not really seeing who was in front of her.
Scar continued to speak in soft tones as he once again touched her hand. This time she did not flinch. Angela slowly seemed to become more aware of her surroundings. When she finally came completely to her senses, she flung herself into Scar's arms and sobbed.
Scar effortlessly, yet tenderly lifted the sobbing girl into his arms and walked out of the door, leaving behind a bunch of shell-shocked teenagers. The severity of the situation slammed itself mercilessly into the brains of the ignorant.
XXX
Eiji entered the room to see a bunch of pale teens. He frowned at them, wondering what could have caused that kind of reaction, but shrugged it off. He had to find Angela first.
"Hey, have any of you, by any chance, seen Angela around here?"
Haruhi blinked as though coming out of a trance. She nodded. Haruhi's voice shook slightly as she spoke.
"She was just here. She looked like she had a panic-attack. Scar-san took her away just before you came in."
'Oh no, I was afraid this would happen!' Eiji thought as he spun on his heel and ran out without a word, to the one room he knew Scar always took the kids when something like that happens. The room in the West wing.
XXX
Scar held the sobbing girl gently as he sat on the king-sized bed with his back supported by the headboard. He had tried to ask Angela what had caused her to react the way she did, but he also knew that she was in no state to answer.
So Scar only sat, with Angela curled up on his lap like a small child while she cried her heart out. Gently Scar rocked her back and forth, trying to calm Angela enough to take a proper breath; he didn't want her to start hyperventilating.
After some time, the heart wrenching sobbing had died down to only the occasional hiccups and silent tears. Scar felt Angela's breathing becoming slow and even, indicating that she had fallen asleep. Even so, Scar did not let go of the girl in his arms. Something had happened to her, but without facts, he refused to even start thinking of what it might have been. He had seen way too many horrors to even venture a guess. So Scar waited for the one person other than Angela herself who might give him some answers.
Scar did not have to wait for long before he heard the hurried footsteps coming in the direction of his room. As he had expected, Eiji rushed into the room unannounced with a worried look on his face. Even so, Eiji made no sound as he entered the room, afraid of waking the girl in Scar's arms. Eiji swallowed thickly at the look on Scar's face as he approached the bed silently.
"What happened to her?" Scar's voice was soft, but Eiji could clearly hear the underlying anger. He lowered his head before he spoke.
"I'm not really sure. I have my suspicions, but none of it is confirmed." He frowned darkly as he continued softly, not wanting to wake Angela. "We were in town for the groceries with Bunny. Angela wanted to go to the bookstore, so Bunny said it's ok if Angela and I went to the bookstore while she got the groceries. We were to meet in front of the music shop afterwards, since it's on the way back.
"I went to look at the new car magazine and lost sight of her when she went to the adventure books. I thought it would be ok, I mean, we were in the same store and I could see the entrance from where I stood. I didn't realize the back door was open, since it is usually locked. When I went to find Angela, the back door was open and she was gone!"
Eiji took a shaking breath as he remembered the heart gripping fear he had felt when he couldn't find Angela. Taking another deep breath, he continued, still not daring to look up at Scar.
"I ran out the back door without thinking. All I knew was that Angela is gone and I need to find her...
She was in the ally, surrounded by men. I don't know what had any of them said to her, but as far I could tell, none of them touched her. She was petrified when I got to her. Those guys just turned around and left. Like I said, it didn't seem like they touched her at all."
Scar's mind worked overtime as he put the pieces together. It was completely possible, since the police didn't arrest all of them. Scar really needed Angela to confirm his suspicions, but he didn't have the heart to wake her. So he gently untangled himself from the sleeping girl's hold and thanked Eiji for the information and told him to watch over Angela until she woke up.
Scar really needed to do something. First Aiko and now Angela. He needed to let out some steam, and the dojo was the perfect place to do it.
XXX
Next to walk in on the shocked hosts, was Sunny. He had had phone calls to make and had just finished. Scar had asked him to show the guests around, since Scar himself had important things to do.
The pale faces that greeted him, was all Sunny needed to know that the guests had just experienced their first taste of the harsh reality. The castle was a sanctuary to beaten and abused children, there was no way for them to be guests in the castle and not see someone break down. Even so, Sunny felt a little sorry for them, because he knew what it feels like to stand by helplessly while someone obviously suffered.
Offering a smile, Sunny dragged the hosts out of their shocked state to tell them that he will show them around. Dazed nods all around and they were walking outside once more.
"Stay clear of the west side. That is Scar's personal area, but feel free to explore the gardens and the surrounding forest. Just don't go too far in without one of the crew accompanying you; otherwise you will never come back out again."
Kaoru looked severely uncomfortable with just the thought of venturing into the forest, never mind alone. He couldn't forget the wolves. The way they had attacked Scar even though they didn't attack at all had scared him very thoroughly, and he had absolutely no wish to become a meal for what he thought was vicious creatures.
"Out back there is a dojo for those of you who are interested in a little training. If you follow the stone path up the slope, there is also a… Well, you could probably call it a temple; if any of you feel the need to meditate or just to take a breather."
Sunny kept smiling the whole time, even as he watched all of the unwanted guests with a sharp eye. While talking, Sunny had led them around to the back of the castle towards the dojo. The gardens were breathtaking! Surprisingly, there was also a swimming pool on one end.
A harsh yell brought Sunny's attention to the dojo. It sounded like a fight had broken out again. He sighed. Would Scar never cease to pick fights with the other guys?
A pained scream tore through the silence and a flock of birds took flight at the sound. Sunny suddenly panicked. What if Scar had lost control? Everyone would be in danger then! With that single minded protective instincts roaring in his ears, Sunny took off towards the dojo at full speed, followed by the hosts.
Thanks very much to all my loyal readers and especially the ones who left reviews! It makes me happy to know you enjoy this story!
Well, drop me a review and let me know what you think or if you want to make a suggestion! I'm always open to ideas! ^.^
Kitty
Edited: 7-17-2016
