Author's Note: I have yet to leave an author's note so I thought it was about time.

First of all, I actually have a soundtrack to this story and I would post lyrics on chapters that correspond to them but I'm not sure if that's a violation or not.

Second of all, I have these little pictures and things I wish I could put on the chapters but I guess I can't and that can't be helped. Oh well.

Enjoy.

Chapter 4 (A Reunion For The Broken)

Hatori opened the door to the main house and allowed Kita to walk in first. It looked so different without the decorations adorning every nook and cranny. Kita had never seen the inside of the estate without them. It was still beautiful and majestic though. Intricate painted tapestries lined the halls and every so often you would see a vase or some other piece of art on display. It was a very well kept house, as can be expected with all the servants. Not a speck of dust or dirt could be found.

For a brief second, Kita thought that she wouldn't mind living there for two months but then she started thinking about all the possible things that could result from her living there and she decided that she would rather not.

"Take off your shoes," Hatori reminded her, pulling off his own black leather ones.

Kita snapped back to the real world and tried to take off her navy blue ballet slipper-like shoes. They weren't coming off as easily as she had hoped and she started to jump around, trying desperately to get the infernal footwear off. Her skirt was slipping off her hips in the process so in one swift motion, she took off her shoe and grabbed her skirt before it could fall and placed the flat shoes by the door next to his. She hadn't noticed when they walked in but she and Hatori had been approached by an elderly man in a plain-colored yukata. He gave her an odd look after having witnessed her dance but just shrugged her off as an ill-mannered sort of girl even though Kita is the antithesis of ill-mannered.

"Follow me." he said unenthusiastically, walking down the long, familiar hall.

Kita pretended to be busy adjusting her socks so Hatori would walk in front of her. She didn't want to be the first to enter Akito's room although it probably didn't matter too much. Either way she would get singled out by him but it made her feel better to fool herself into thinking it made a difference.

Their guide stopped in front of the door with its tree designs that Kita remembered so well, not as tall seeming or as mystifying but still just as peculiar. It didn't have the same light emanating from it as it did all those years ago. In fact, it looked rather dark on the other side.

"You may go in now." the guide said simply before bowing and walking away, leaving Hatori and Kita to stare at the door, frozen in time.

"Ready?" Hatori asked her finally, putting his hand on the handle.

"Yeah." she said, not fully believing it. What other choice did she have? She could feel sweat forming above her brow and her hands were already shaking. This is it.

Hatori slid the door aside and they both entered slowly. It was very dark for one thirty in the afternoon. The only dull light was coming through the door that lead outside which was opened the most minuscule amount. Akito was standing undisturbed in front of the crack in the door with his back to them. Hatori knelt down on the floor facing him. Kita followed suit, making sure to carefully tuck her skirt behind her heels so it wouldn't come off. She tried to remain so quiet that he wouldn't hear two people enter. Maybe he wouldn't turn around and would end up thinking Hatori is the only one in the room. There's still a chance that he didn't know she was coming.

After kneeling in silence for a very long minute, Akito spoke.

"Hatori, why is it that you have come to see me?" he asked, still facing the door.

His voice sent chills down Kita's spine. She had forgotten how cold his voice was, even if it has changed since he was seven.

"There is a situation regarding the residence and guardianship of a Sohma." Hatori said, formally. Akito remained quiet, waiting for him to continue.

"She has been recently orphaned by the death of her father and since she doesn't have any grandparents or aunts and uncles, she needs a new place to live and a guardian at least until she graduates high school which will be in two months." Hatori finished. Kita mentally thanked him for not mentioning her name.

"A recent death of a Sohma?" Akito pondered suspiciously. "Why haven't I heard about this?" he demanded. Kita tried to remain still but fear was starting to take its toll on her body. There was no way this masquerade could continue without her identity being exposed.

"Because...he...was...exiled." Hatori said slowly, lowering his head in shame. Kita's nerves tensed and her pulse quickened to a deadly rate. She had no way out now.

Akito perked up, straightening his posture and turning around slowly, his eyes immediately falling on Kita, whose head was bowed low. She made it look like she was trying to be respectful but in reality she was too terrified to look up. Akito smiled evilly.

"Kita, it certainly has been a long time." he said, looking down at her lustfully. He was right in choosing her. She had grown up to be a pretty, matured version of the adorable little kid she was when she was five.

"Hatori, you may leave the room." he said, his gaze never leaving Kita. "I think Kita and I have some catching up to do."

Kita tried to smother her involuntary shudder but failed. Akito's smile dropped as he glowered at the frightened girl before him.

Hatori reluctantly stood up from the floor and exited the room with one last sorrowful looked at Kita.

I'm so sorry Mina, he thought to himself as he walked shiftlessly down the hallway. Jiro, I wish I could have helped her. Now, it's up to Kita to protect herself.

Akito sat down on the floor in front of Kita and placed his hand under her chin, lifting her head up towards his. He was handsome, Kita decided. She didn't want to believe it to be true but it was. Like her, he hadn't gone through any drastic changes in appearance since he was young. He looked like nothing more than an aged version of his younger self.

"Poor little Kita." he said, cupping her chin in his hand, his bony fingers curling around her jaw. "No parents to protect you from this big, bad world."

He gently stroked her cheek with one of his long fingers. Kita's back stiffened and she felt nervous excitement creep through her like a cool breeze on a scorching hot day.

"Don't worry. From now on, I'll protect you. You'll live here with me starting tomorrow and I won't let anything bad happen to you."

Kita's eyes widened. Remembering the time he had slapped her, she was sure he meant that he'll protect her from everything but himself. Today seemed to be safe though. He was so pleased to see her that maybe she had nothing to fear. Maybe the worst thing that could happen to her would be that he would make an advance on her. And that wouldn't be bad at all.

"Now that we have that settled, there's something I've wanted to ask you." Akito said, in a way that made Kita nervous again.

"Why didn't you come to New Year's after your mother died? Every year, I was kind enough to invite you but every year you failed to show up." His eerily serene voice made Kita wonder if this was the calm before the storm.

"Hatori.." she started but Akito pressed his index finger to her lips as if to say he wasn't finished.

"I wanted to see you again. I missed you a lot." He whispered, tickling her ear with his hot breath.

He ran the finger that was once keeping her mouth shut, over her closed lips, down her chin and throat, and her breasts until it reached her bellybutton. She watched the finger violate her body but didn't try to stop it. She didn't want to stop it.

The finger was then removed from her stomach and Kita looked down disappointed.

Before she could wrap her mind around the foreign feelings he was evoking in her, the hand that harbored that finger reached out and made contact with the side of her face, knocking her to the floor. Her head hit the floor the hardest, causing sharp pains to go straight to her brain like daggers being hurled at her temples. She was struck with intense vertigo and her vision faded out, temporarily going black. She rubbed her head furiously, trying to alleviate some of the pain but finding her efforts to be fruitless. Audibly, she had made no noise during the entire interaction: no cry, no pained groan, no scream. The only sounds to be heard were the sounds of his hand hitting her face and her head hitting the floor.

Kita curled her legs in towards her chest, trying with all her strength to slow the spinning in her head. She tried to conjure tears in hopes of getting sympathy like when she was five, but even a crocodile's cry wouldn't come to her. In spite of how badly she wanted to, she had been hurt too badly to cry, something she had assumed was impossible. Motionless, she laid on the floor wondering why he did this to her. Why did he confuse her so much?

Akito stood up casually and walked over to her decrepit, wretched form. Her skirt had fallen to her knees during the fall, exposing her lower half to him. Akito smirked at her and gradually pulled her skirt back up to her hips, allowing his hands to stroke the bare skin as he did.

He stood back up and put his foot onto her shoulder, pushing her onto her back and causing her to collide with the floor again, spreading new pains through her skull. He wanted to stare into her eyes while he spoke to her. He liked to see the fear he put in them.

"See Kita? This is what happens when you don't do as I say. Hopefully this lesson will be enough to teach you that. You're lucky that I didn't give you a longer punishment after twelve years of neglect."

He took his foot off her shoulder and walked towards the door, leaving her sprawled out on the floor.

"Goodnight, little Kita. Tomorrow will be move-in day." he crooned as he exited the room. He needed to find Hatori or one of the servants to go pick up the mess he made.

Now I'm finally getting paid back two months early, he thought grinning. Such a pretty, new toy I have.