Summery; Warning; Disclaimer: See First Chapter.

If any of you noticed, there wasn't any narration from Rayne at the end of last chapter, or in the beginning of this one. It's because she's beat up, so I figured to not have her narrate it. Make sense, or no?

Please review if you read. Comments, ideas, helpful criticism, and suggestions are welcome.

"Hatori, you could lose your license for this," Shigure reminded him quietly. All the reply he received was a glare before the doctor turned back to Kyo.

"Are you sure you can manage this?" Hatori asked, and Kyo smirked at the adults.

"Of course," he retorted, glancing around, "I'm not a cat for nothing. You can count on a distraction, don't worry. They've never met me, so who cares anyway?"

"All right then," Hatori nodded, and turned to Shigure. "Do you have the key?"

"Yes," he nodded, "Tohru found it in Rayne's bag."

"Good," Hatori turned back to the house, which they gazed at from across the street. The streetlights were on, but Kyo had previously broken the one in front of the house in question earlier.

Silently, the orange-haired teen crept across the street, and snuck around back. When they heard a short whistle, the two other Sohmas followed his lead.

"I still think we should have brought Hatsuharu," Shigure whispered, as they crept around back to meet Kyo, who snorted.

"He can't keep his cool," Hatori replied shortly, before fitting the key in the lock. Kyo shimmied up the gutter, and Shigure remained outside to stand watch.

"We're all going to be arrested for kidnapping," he thought gloomily, now alone in the dark.

Kyo remained hanging on the gutter outside a window as Hatori made his way through the house. Remembering the description from Haru, he soon found the hallway, and began to peek in rooms. The first was Leo's empty room, and the opposite one was the bathroom. On the third try Hatori managed to find Rayne, and had to bit his tongue to keep from swearing rather loudly.

Her face was bruised almost beyond recognition, and Hatori was almost positive bones were broken in several places on her body. Picking her up gently, he cradled her as he quietly returned to the back door. As they reached the kitchen, he froze in horror when he heard someone moving around.

Kyo, however, had also picked up the noise, and suddenly crashed through the window. Hearing a woman's shriek, Shigure shook his head wryly.

"He's enjoying this far too much," he thought. The adults had picked Kyo to help them because of his agility for climbing roofs.

Hatori rushed out several seconds later, and Shigure pounded on a window, their cue for Kyo to take off. Sure enough, a slim figure jumped into a tree shortly after, and followed the other two across the street and down the block.

"That was more fun than I thought it was gonna be," Kyo remarked, jumping into the car. Shigure started it, and Hatori was once again in the backseat with Rayne.

"Is she…?" Shigure began hesitantly, but Hatori shook his head in disgust.

"No, just beaten," he replied sharply, and then focused his attention on the battered girl. Carefully feeling her face, he sighed in relief when he found, much to his surprise, that no bones in her face had been broken.

"Anything broken?" Kyo asked, turning around in his seat. Although he hadn't had had much contact with Rayne, he still liked her as Tohru's friend.

"Two breaks in her right arm," Hatori said grimly, "And a few ribs are cracked as well. I have to make a full examination once we get back."

"What about the hospital?" Shigure asked in surprise, but turned the car around.

"What do you think will happen if we show up with a beaten girl at two in the morning?" Hatori asked impatiently, and Shigure blinked in realization.

"Haru's going to freak out," Kyo mentioned, and Shigure groaned.

"My house…"

"We won't let him see her until later this morning," Hatori decided, "And then, we'll have you, Kyo, and Yuki restrain him if necessary."

"If necessary?" Kyo repeated incredulously, "He's going to go ballistic, to say the least. And why aren't we going back to the house?"

"That's the first place they'll look, Kyo," Shigure reminded him, as Hatori focused on Rayne. "I'm taking Hatori and Rayne there now, and Haru will go later. You, I, Yuki, and Tohru will stay in the house, to avert any suspicious. Ritsu and Ayame are meeting us there, to open up the resort and to help Hatori."

"Help?" the doctor muttered.

"You're taking her to the hot springs?" Kyo asked, apparently impressed by the plan the supposedly-idiotic Shigure had formed. "They won't think to look there?"

"If they do, they can't without a warrant – it's private property," Hatori told him, "And by that time, if it comes, we'll move her to the main house."

"What?" Kyo demanded, now believing that the two adults were complete assholes. "You'd put her there?"

"It'd be the last safe place where Hatori could care for her," Shigure said with a sigh, "Akito knows, but Hatori convinced him that it was for the best. I believe he insinuated that she may break under pressure, and reveal our secret. As long as she isn't near him, it will be fine."

"I think you're a bunch of idiots," Kyo told them bluntly, and Shigure grinned.

"You're not the first," he replied cheerfully, and Kyo groaned.

"Why can Ayame and Ritsu go to the hot springs without suspicion?" he asked after a few minutes silence, "It is 'cause they're adults?"

"Bingo," Shigure nodded, and glanced back as they turned onto the curving mountain road that would take them to the springs. The Sohmas usually took a bus to the springs, but in this case, it was for the best that they stay in the car.

"Oh dear," Ayame said calmly, regarding the trio as climbed the steps into the main building. Ritsu jumped up, and immediately began to panic, causing Hatori to close his eyes in frustration.

"Calm down, Ritsu," Kyo demanded, and turned back to Shigure, "We better be going, if we want to get back in time for school."

"He's right," Ayame added, coming forward, "We can take it from here, Shigure. You better go."

Shigure nodded, and cast another glance at Rayne. "Call me if anything happens," he ordered, and Hatori made a noise of agreement as he strode into the back rooms.

"Maybe we should bring Ritsu with us," Kyo whispered, and Shigure paled at the thought.

"No, it's better that he's here," he said hastily, and dragged Kyo out the door to the car before the cat could say anything else Shigure might regret.

"Hatori? I made you some coffee," Ayame slipped into the room Rayne was sleeping in a few hours later, waiting for Hatori to have finished caring for her wounds. Seeing him slumped over, straddling a chair with his head in his hands, Ayame's first instinct was to leave and let him sleep. Before he could, Hatori lifted his head slowly.

"Thanks," he muttered, taking the strong drink from his friend and drinking it absently.

"You look awful," the snake commented seriously, "Hatori, what's wrong? I've never seen that look on your face since you had to wipe Kana's mind. You didn't have to…?"

"No," Hatori shook his head grimly, "Not yet, though."

"What happened?" Ayame pressed, sitting in another chair. Taking the now-empty mug from the doctor, he waited for Hatori to reveal what was the matter.

"She didn't just get beat up," Hatori began slowly, and stopped as a look of anguish crossed over his face. "It would be kinder to wipe her memory right now, and save her from this…" he murmured, and glanced at the girl in the bed. Her breathing had evened out since Hatori had checked her ribs, but she was still pale. The bright bruises were a stark contrast to her skin.

"Why?" Ayame asked, "Hatori, this is more than a matter of her getting beat up, isn't it?" Hatori cast a dark glance at nothing in particular, and then dropped his head back down on the chair.

"Her legs," he whispered, a threatening tone in his voice. Ayame remained still for a moment, puzzled, and then stood up.

Glancing at the now-silent Hatori, Ayame crept up quietly to the bed. Crouching next to Rayne, he slid the bed sheets down until her legs were showing. He frowned, and glanced back at Hatori in confusion.

"What about her legs?" he prodded, covering her back up. "They're all bandaged up."

"From the thigh to the ankle on both legs," Hatori said absently, almost to himself. Looking up at Ayame, he rubbed his hand over his face. "Aya, her father burned the skin off her legs. He essentially skinned her legs."

A look of disgust crossed Ayame's features briefly, and was quickly replaced by one of both anger and pity.

"Is it painful?" he asked, before he realized how stupid that sounded. Hatori ignored it, and nodded.

"Extremely. Morphine will help, but it will take months to heal. And she'll be scarred even worse than she previously would have been," Hatori told him. "I think he did it because of her markings. He didn't like the proof of his evil in his face, so he got rid of it."

"It's horrible," Ayame shook his head in disbelief, "How could a father do this to his own daughter?"

The two fell silent, and Ayame realized after a moment that Hatori fell asleep. Beckoning Ritsu to come in, they helped Hatori into another room to sleep, disregarding his protest. Once they had managed to get him in the bed, Ayame grinned in triumph.

"I'll stay with Rayne in case something happens," Ritsu offered, quickly, and Ayame nodded.

"All right. I'll take over later, if Hatori's still sleeping," he decided.

"My house…" Shigure moaned, as Yuki and Kyo tackled Haru. Tohru tried to calm him down, but it was useless, since the teenager had just been told the extent of Rayne's injuries.

"Maybe we should throw him in the lake," Momiji suggested, and then ran behind Tohru when Haru spun toward him.

"Hatsuharu, if you keep this up, Hatori won't allow you near her," Shigure told him firmly. He froze immediately, and Kyo remained sitting on his shoulders, while Yuki twisted his legs.

"Whew," Momiji sighed in relief, and crept out from behind Tohru, who was also relieved as Haru stood up calmly.

"When can I go?" he asked, and Shigure shrugged helplessly.

"Now, I suppose."

"Why doesn't he have to go to school?" Kyo demanded, and Haru shot him a glare.

"Because I'm sending a note with Tohru saying that he's caught the flue," Shigure told them, "And I don't need him destroying any public property, either. You four better get going, or else you'll be late."

"Yeah, yeah," Kyo muttered, and stalked out the door.

"Bye, Shigure!' Tohru called, with Momiji chasing after her. Yuki shot a glance Haru's way one last time before he turned to follow the others.

"We may as well leave too," Shigure said to Haru, "Hatori will let you know everything when we get there."

"Why? What else happened?" Haru demanded, following the adult into the car. Shigure ignored him, deciding it was best to let Hatori deal with the bi-polar teenager when he found out about Rayne's legs.

"You made it here pretty quick," Ayame commented as the two stepped into the house, and then took a closer look at Shigure's face. "What happened to you?"

"He wasn't going fast enough," Haru growled, and Shigure sighed.

"What he said."

"Hatori's still sleeping, and so is Rayne," Ritsu told them, "You shouldn't go in to see her yet, Hatsuharu. Hatori said so before he went back to sleep."

"I better get going, before the police show up," Shigure remarked, turning back to the door, "I'm sure they will, and it's best that I be there."

"Yes," Ayame agreed, and then looked at Haru. "Maybe you should use the hot springs to relax before anything else happens. At this rate, you'll blow a blood vessel."

"Good idea," Haru nodded, and strode off, leaving the three adults in shock.

"He's become much more passive since Rayne arrived," Ritsu commented, "He's hardly ever Black Haru now."

"I noticed that too," Shigure agreed, and then grinned. "Well, all the better for our health! Call me if anything happens, Aya."

"Will do," the snake nodded, and then returned to his book. Ritsu stood quietly for a moment, and then disappeared back into the kitchen.

Groggy from the morphine, Rayne slowly opened her eyes, and immediately began to panic when she saw that she was in a strange environment.

Hearing the noises, Haru rushed in, followed by a quickly-awakened Hatori.

"It's all right," Haru soothed her, and she calmed down at his touch. Hatori, rubbing his face to wake up, felt her forehead, and was pleased to find that she didn't have a fever.

"Haru?" she managed to whisper, and he nodded.

"We took you to the hot springs resort to heal," Hatori told her quietly, "No one's going to bother us here, you can be sure. Ayame and Ritsu are here as well."

"They let you?"

"Not exactly," Hatori paused, and then just patted her hand reassuringly. "Don't worry about it. I'll go have Ritsu make you something to eat – are you hungry?"

She nodded, and then froze at the pain the movement caused her. Hatori frowned slightly, and then straightened up.

Waiting until Hatori had closed the door behind him, Haru knelt down next to the girl. Moving his arm behind her shoulders, he held her against his chest gently, and she felt his lips on her hair.

Relaxing against him, she closed her eyes and managed to move her left arm on his shoulder, her fingers tightening their grip on his sleeve. They remained still for several minutes, and Haru released her quickly when he heard Ritsu coming down the hall.

Leaning back on the pillows, Rayne let Haru help her sit up as Ritsu strode into the room, a tray in his hands.

"Hatori said you shouldn't eat anything solid for a while yet," he told them. Haru noticed curiously that Ritsu didn't place the tray on her lap, but instead held the bowel of soup for her.

"I think I can mange," she said, but Ritsu shook his head.

"I can help," he insisted, "Your arms aren't strong enough to support anything yet. Haru, Hatori wanted to see you in the kitchen, and lunch is in there for the rest of you."

"This early?" he blinked, and checked the clock. To his surprise, the clock read almost noon, and he realized that the adults must have given them more privacy time then he had thought.

He stood up reluctantly, and after casting another glance at Rayne, who was now being fed by an eager-to-please Ritsu, left the room.

"She seems so relaxed around us," he thought, "Even being who we are, and with the threat of Akito and her parents over her head, she still trusts us."

"There you are," Hatori turned away from the window as Haru entered the kitchen. "Ritsu made us some sandwiches."

"I'm not that hungry," he shook his head, and eyed Hatori suspiciously, "What'd you want?"

"I need to tell you the extent of Rayne's injuries," Hatori began, "Her father burned the skin off of both her legs. Her right arm is broken in two places, as well as a few ribs."

Haru remained silent for a moment, and Ayame stood nearby, in case he exploded. To their surprise, however, he merely punched a hole in the table before returning to normal.

"I'm going to see if she needs anything," he announced, and stalked out of the room. Hatori and Ayame exchanged amazed glances.

"I suppose she's had a larger effect on him than we realized," Ayame said finally.

"Thanks, Ritsu," Rayne smiled gratefully as the Sohma stood up, beginning to take the tray to the kitchen. "I don't need anything else right now, thanks."

"All right," he nodded, and passed Haru as he left the room. Haru paused at the doorway, and observed Rayne for a moment. She was unaware of his presence, looking out the window.

"With parents like hers, it's a miracle she became the way she is," he mused, "Even beaten as she is, her beauty still shines through. At least to me."

"Oh, Haru!" she shifted to see him, and watched as he made his way to the bed. He sat next to her, and peered at her. "Is something wrong?" she asked hesitantly, unsure what his expression meant.

"Rayne…are you all right?" he asked finally, and she blinked in surprise. The morphine was beginning to wear off, but she wasn't eager to return to a drugged sleep.

"I suppose," she began, but he cut her off.

"Honestly, Rayne. No one's going to blame you," he told her firmly. She gazed at him for a few moments, and suddenly turned away.

He sat motionless as her shoulders shook from sobs, and he placed a hand on her back comfortingly. She continued to cry, and he moved her into his arms. Holding her as tight as he dared, Haru wryly thought of how many times he had held her like this.

"I don't…it's not fair," she said between tears, "It's not fair. It hurts, Haru, and it won't go away. Why'd this have to happen? What'd I do? It's not fair…I want to go home."

He rested his chin on head, and thought of the significance of her last statement.

"Home…home where?' he wondered, "She couldn't mean with her parents…Germany where she met us, maybe?"

Rayne quieted down eventually, but continued to lean into him. Haru held her gladly, and finally voiced his question.

"Home where?"

"I don't know," she whispered into his shirt, "Maybe my idea of a home…the vague picture I have in my mind. I don't know."

"As long as you're with us, you'll be safe," Haru assured her, and felt her nod against him. He remained with her until she fell asleep, and then laid her back on the pillows gently before leaving.

A lot has happened since we last talked, hasn't it? Haru…Haru was my source of strength, I think. And Hatori – I can never thank him enough. Any of them. But enough of this. I'm sure you want to know what's happened.

Here you go! Kinoke Gurl; Fan 101; moon-dragon91011; DancinStarlight; White Starburst; Aki-Shi-Kitsune's: I'm glad you guys all like this story so much, so I'm dedicating this chapter to all of you. Your reviews gave me inspiration.