Upon sliding into the car, Maddy kept her eyes on the two boys who followed her in. Wary and more than a little unsure about the whole situation, she kept her hand on the handle of the door on the opposite side of the car. Upon seeing the look the small blond was giving her, she shrugged and looked down at the floor.

"Sorry, but afteh the night I've had, don't be surprised I'm a wee bit shy of strangers right about now."

The blond boy spoke up.

"It's ok you've been through a lot neh? For now if you can, just trust us that we'll get you back to Nal-chan safely."

Maddy nodded her head slowly, trying to ignore the dull ache at the base of her head that made movement agonizing. Her stomach was still rolling queasily from the horrors she had woken up to, so for now she merely focused on keeping what was left in her stomach and not all over the limo floor.

The drive was a short one much to Maddy's relief, and she watched the two boys warily even as sleep threatened to make her head nod. Upon arriving at their destination, Maddy looked out the window and surveyed the large mansion she had been brought to.

"Where are we?"

The blond boy whom she realized she didn't know the name of, spoke again.

"Mine and Takashi's home. It's the safest place we could go to where we wouldn't have people interrupting us. Nal-chan and the rest are inside."

Maddy watched him warily, as he slid out the door that the driver held open for him, debating whether or not to follow.

Honestly what choice do I have?

With that thought in mind, she slowly scooted across the seat and out the door, wincing when the sunlight hit her eyes again. Her head was throbbing, and her eyes hurt, and she really wanted nothing more than to sleep, but that wasn't an option yet.

Stepping after the boys slowly, she jumped in surprise when the smaller one gently grasped her arm and pulled it around his shoulders.

"Lean on me so you don't fall!"

Tense at the sudden touch, and knowing she was getting blood all over him from her dirty clothes, she was hesitant to lean into him, but when she felt herself swaying on her feet from the dizziness, Maddy knew she didn't have a choice.

"Thanks."

He hummed in acknowledgement but didn't speak.

As they approached the house, the front door burst open, and someone sprinted down the steps towards them. It was Nala. Wonderful, beautiful Nala with worried green eyes, and her brown hair flying around her face as she ran.

"Maddy!" She barreled into her cousin. Hard. With an 'oof' they both went down. "You're ok! I was so worried! Oh Maddy!"

And to Maddy's surprise, she felt tears on her face, but they weren't hers.

With a small noise of pain, Maddy sat up and hugged her cousin who was practically in her lap.

"Shh there doona cry. 'M alright thanks to ye and yer friends."

Maddy had slipped into English, too tired and in pain to want to deal with Japanese so her accent came out thicker. With a gasp, Nala jerked back from the hug and put her hands on either side of Nala's face her green eyes vibrant and filled with worry as she looked over Maddy.

"You're covered in blood! What happened? Where are you hurt? Kyoya!"

Thankfully, she had switched to English to accommodate Maddy, but at the sound of his name, the boy seemed to appear out of nowhere and Maddy got her first look at the Ootori son. He looked intimidating with the way his glasses flashed on his face, but Maddy couldn't muster up any fear for him after the day she had been through. However, he crouched down next to her and began speaking in Japanese apparently not picking up on how Maddy was having trouble following his words..

"Hello Miss Aisling. I'm sorry that this happened to you on your first day here. Rest assured my family's private police force will find the people responsible."

Maddy was vaguely aware of several other boys standing around her, but she focused on Kyoya and tried to keep the ringing in her ears from distracting her.

"Hi Kyoya-" Pausing a she realized she was speaking English, she tried again this time in Japanese. "Hi Kyoya-kun. Thank you, I'm sorry that I showed up to you like this, but before you worry let me assure you that most of this blood isn't mine. I-" She broke off for a moment and blinked to clear her head. "I think I have a concussion though so before we talk can I see a doctor?"

Nala made a noise from where she was now crouching next to Maddy holding her hand. However, Kyoya shot her a glance and shook his head managing to silence her before she could speak.

"Of course, Mori if you wouldn't mind?"

It was a command phrased as a question, and Maddy glanced over as the tall, dark haired, silent boy who had accompanied Maddy in the car stepped over. Bending down, he gently picked her up in his arms and began carrying her to the house. Nala, being who she was, hurried along at his side and began chattering away. Maddy knew it was what her cousin did when she was upset and couldn't help, she definitely hasn't changed that much in the years since we've seen each other but the only thing she managed to pick up from the girl talking was that Haruhi was on her way to the house.

"Nala."

The calm collected voice of the young man carrying her almost instantly silenced Nala's chatter.

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking."

Maddy smiled weakly at her, but let her eyes drift shut and focused on the gentle swaying that came with being carried by the man Kyoya had called Mori. It would've been so easy to just drift off, to sleep and not worry about the pain in her head, or the fear that had wrapped its' way around her heart, but as she felt herself drifting off, someone shook her shoulder.

"Maddy stay awake for the doctor ok?"

With a small grunt, Maddy forced her eyes open and looked around her. She must've drifted off while she had been carried to the house, because she now found herself on a soft couch, and there was an older gentleman leaning over her. She tensed instantly when she didn't recognize him, and fear flashed through her. It was quelled when Nala's familiar, and still worried face peered around the man's shoulder. She smiled at Maddy.

"Don't worry, it's one of Ootori's best doctors come to see you."

Maddy let out a sigh of relief and sank back into the cushions.

Thank goodness because I was ready to book it and run.

As the doctor examined her head, Maddy let her eyes wander as she took in both the room and its' occupants.

Hovering near the couch, was Nala, her green eyes worried and signs of strain at the corners. Behind her stood Kyoya, his dark eyes going from Nala, to the doctor, and back again. He looked like he wanted to hold her but was too aware of the other people in the room to do it. Speaking of other people in the room….Maddy's eyes slid to the tall boy who had carried her, Mori. He was standing by the door a little ways away, watching her getting examined on the couch with quiet eyes. He held himself very still, much like a martial artist in complete control of their body.

He looks like a good guy to have at your back in a fight.

A small movement at his side had her looking at the small blond who had escorted her to Nala. Honey was his name if she remembered correctly, but with how woozy she was feeling Maddy couldn't be entirely sure.

He looks like a grade schooler, but there's something too...knowing in his eyes….Like he's seen far too much happen in his short life.

Maddy knew the look far too well. She saw it every morning when she looked in the mirror. Even as she thought that, there was a crash and the doors behind Mori burst open.

"Is she ok!?"

Haruhi was standing there, her brown hair disheveled, her large, doe-like eyes glancing from person to person until the landed on Maddy as she lay on the couch. Behind her was a tall blond with stunning violet eyes, which were filled with worry, and something else. She could have sworn she saw them flash red for a moment before his attention was back on Haruhi.

Jaw dropping, Haruhi gaped at her and Maddy winced. She knew she looked bad, but she didn't want to be reminded that she looked that bad.

"How is she?"

The quiet voice of Kyoya snapped her out of the moment, and her eyes slid from Haruhi to the doctor who was just beginning to straighten up and fix his jacket.

"She'll be fine sir." The man addressed Kyoya with respect in his voice, not even sparing her a glance which bothered Maddy. "She has a minor concussion and should rest for a few days before doing anything strenuous, but after that she'll be perfectly ok. Her current fatigue and dizziness is from the nasty bump she has on the back of her head, and dehydration. She'll feel much better once she has some food and water."

Nodding, Kyoya dismissed the man and turned to her.

"Well Miss Aisling, it looks like you got off pretty lucky. Care to tell us what happened?"

He was all business, and despite their previous phone calls, he wasn't entirely what Maddy had thought he would be. She glanced between him and Nala, who was still standing at his side.

Not what I expected at all, but if he makes Nala happy….

He cleared his throat, and Maddy blinked at him before shaking her head slightly to clear her thoughts.

"Right. Sorry I'm kind o' out o' it right now. Do yeh think I could snag that water from yeh before I start talking? And some advil while yeh're at it."

With a frustrated glance, Kyoya nodded and stepped aside to the door to call a maid and relayed what his instructions to her.

A few minutes later found Maddy sipping water and taking several Advil as she straightened out what she wanted to say. Setting the glass down, Maddy glanced at the other boys in the room around her and decided introductions were in order after her story, or maybe before.

Nala seemed to read her mind, and stepping up to her, pointed out each boy in turn and gave her a brief introduction.

"That's Tamaki, he's the host club president, and Haruhi's significant other." She gestured to the tall blond behind Haruhi who nodded and gave her a charming smile.

So that's the one I've heard so much about….

"Next to them are Mori and Honey, they're the resident seniors,"

Ha I had their names right go me!

"Then of course you know Kyoya, and the twins are on their way here now."

Maddy smiled up at Nala.

"Thanks Nala. Sorry I figured it would be better to know who they are now." With a small frown, she bit her lip and glanced around the room. "Should I tell my story now? Or wait for the twins?"

Fortunately, Kyoya spoke up.

"Tell us now, they can be given the details when they get here."

With a nod she gave the brief summary of what had happened.

"Well. at the train station I saw Nala an' I didna' realize anything was wrong 'til I saw how scared she looked, an' before I could do anything someone decided to use my head as the baseball to their bat and I was out."

Maddy shuddered as she thought about what she would have to tell next.

"I woke up on the ground in some dark room, covered in blood an' dirt," she glanced ruefully down at her still dirty clothes. "My apologies for getting this on yer couch." Honey just waved a hand in acceptance and beckoned for me to continue. "But once I woke up, I opened my eyes and I could see because of dim lights that were on, and I…" She flushed in embarrassment. "I proceeded to upchuck meh dinner from las' night."

"Why?"

Kyoya was writing everything I said in a small black book that had seemingly appeared in his hand from nowhere.

Am I being interviewed or something? What is up wi' the book?

"Er, well, I saw something awful." Maddy turned her gaze to the floor and shuddered. "A man, he had been cut apart like a biology dissection and he was all in piles on the floor an' I realized I was lyin' in 'is blood and I couldna keep my dinner down."

"Oh Maddy."

Nala and Haruhi were staring at her with sadness and worry, she could feel it in their gazes, but she didn't look back up. Swallowing, and focusing on keeping her accent in check so they would be able to understand her, Maddy continued.

"Once I stopped puking, I made myself get up and begin looking for a way out. I first found a door on the far wall an' headed for that, but it didn't look right 'cause it went to a set of stairs that led down into darkness. So i shut the door an' began looking for another way out. Except before I did that I looked for a weapon, and opened a cabinet on the other side of the room found it full of acids. I took one, and kept the lid loose enough to pop off if needed."

As she explained what had happened from there, the only part of the story that anyone interrupted was when she said she dumped the acid on the monster's face when it had held her ankle. It made Maddy's skin crawl to think about it, but she described it anyway.

"It had long almost skeletal fingers, and it's skin was so pale it was more grey than flesh colored. And its' face…." She paused for a moment as another shudder worked its way up her spine. "It was like looking into the face of a rotting corpse that is almost a skeleton. It was...it wasn't human whatever it was an'I know that sounds crazy, an' maybe I was just hallucinating, but it wasna the face of a man. It was the face of death."

After that, no one had interrupted her again until she had finished.

"I'm sorry Mad-chan. That's awful."

Maddy's eyes instantly went to Honey as he spoke and used the nickname, an eyebrow flicking up in surprise at the term.

"Mn."

Mori nodded his head with a small hum of agreement, his eyes thoughtful and dark.

"Yes Miss Aisling, our sincerest apologies for this incident."

Kyoya spoke formally, and Maddy nodded in understanding. As the daughter of a rich business man, she knew he was being polite and caring in the best way he knew how to, but in that moment it struck a little too close to home for her with how similar to her father he sounded so her response was a little bit stiff.

"It's fine I guess. I jus' need some sleep if tha' can be arranged?"

Kyoya nodded at her, his attitude about that one of no nonsense which she appreciated at the moment.

"Of course, we'll leave you here, someone will be in to check on you in a bit just to make sure you're ok, and the silver bell next to you if rung will immediately bring one of the servants here. Until we can procure a phone for you that will have to make do."

Nala opened her mouth as if to protest, but a firm shake of Kyoya's head made her shut it again and Maddy ducked her head to hide a smile.

"Aye, tha' will be perfect thanks."

With another nod, and a hand on Nala's shoulder to steer her out of the room, Kyoya, and the hosts with him, departed from the room to let Maddy sleep.

*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*V*

Soft snuffling woke Maddy ,and something tickled across her face; swatting at it in annoyance, she huffed and went to roll farther away on the bed. However, there wasn't anywhere farther to go and with a sharp gasp of breath she fell of the couch she was on. With her head throbbing, and her pride more wounded than her butt from the fall, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, and opened her eyes. The second gasp she let out upon doing so this time wasn't from shock however, this one was from fear. Standing scant inches away from her, with golden eyes that were narrowed into suspicious slits, were two massive tigers.

Maddy froze, going deathly still as she stared at the animals. Of course someone as ostentatiously rich as these people would have pet tigers who wandered around in their houses, but a little warning would've been nice to have.

They watched her, standing just as still their golden eyes roaming over her, except for one tiger whose tail kept twitching. She blinked slowly, scared that any movement might set them off, and when that didn't startle them she tried another approach.

"Ello there fellows. If you don't mind I'd really appreciate being left alone righ' now. "M not exactly feeling a hundred percent well and don't think I'd be such great company. Also, yeh both have rather large teeth…"

At her comment about their fangs, the one who seemed more riled up with his flicking tail, bared them at her in an open warning. She gulped hard. The one who hadn't barred his teeth at her stalked forward, sniffing her, and when he got close it was like a switch flipped. He reared back with a loud snarl, colliding with the coffee table standing there and knocking it over. His lips were pulled back, ears flat, and eyes all but glowing with anger as he surveyed her. Whatever he smelled must've reached his sibling at that point, because that one too let out a snarl or anger. However, rather than retreating backwards, this one stalked closer towards her, and Maddy scrambled backwards on her butt trying to avoid the sharp teeth that were drawing too close for her liking.

Another warning growl from behind her was all she got before bumping into the other large cat. She felt it trembling from rage, and swallowed hard. This was going to be how she died, of course it was. She survived a demon, only to fall into the grasp of two big cats who shouldn't have a problem with her. A whimper slipped out of her, and she cowered; hands raised above her face as if the few extra inches of muscle, bone, and flesh would somehow keep them back.

Maddy could feel the cats anger like a physical thing, pushing down on her from all sides until she was gasping for breath, silent tears tracking down her cheeks, and her heart beating so rapidly it was like someone had trapped a hummingbird in her chest.

A door rattled nearby, and the animals stiffened, before drifting away from her. She lay on the ground gasping for breath, and watched as the tigers slipped out of the room through another door. Fear pounding through her, she pulled herself upright and threw herself onto the couch just as the door across the room opened to admit Honey and Mori.

When Honey saw she was awake he smiled brightly at her, but it disappeared when he saw the tears on her face, and the broken table beside her.

"Maddy! Are you ok?!"

Honey rushed forward, worry on his face, and for a moment she debated telling him about the cats, but before she could, two other people swept into the room. Twins, red hair, and gold eyes that stared at her the same way a cat stares at a mouse. She felt caught under their stare, a strange fluttering sensation filling her chest.

"Honey, have you seen the shadow lord?"

Honey turned back to them, a frown on his normally bright face.

"No I think he's with Nala, but have you met Maddy yet?"

Maddy stood slowly, ignoring the ringing in her ears, and nodded towards them in greeting with a soft hello, extending a hand to shake that only stared at, with eyebrows raised. Slowly Maddy let it drop back to her side. Obviously these two weren't extremely friendly fellows, even if Honey was staring at them like they had both suddenly turned into strangers.

"If you'll excuse us."

Turning, they swept out of the room.

"That was weird. Maybe they didn't have enough cake today, normally they are just like Tama-chan." Mori was staring after them too, a frown on his face, but he let out a considering hum at Honey's words before nudging his cousin again. "Oh Nala! The table! Are you ok? Did you have a nightmare?"

Maddy blinked having momentarily forgotten about the table since she was too caught up in the golden eyes of the Hitachiin twins.

"Oh, yes...something along those lines. I'm sorry Honey, I'll pay to fix it."

He waved away her concern, telling her not to worry about it before mentioning to her that Kyoya had sent them to see if she was awake and wanted to eat something. A grin slid over Maddy's face, and she nodded eagerly at the idea of food. Honey shared the grin with her, and Mori offered his arm to help escort her to the dining room.

As they left the room, Maddy glanced back at the broken table and felt a shudder of fear crawl up her spine. She didn't have an explanation for the tigers, couldn't have tried to explain it even if she wanted to, and with the way her head was aching the thought of food was all she wanted to worry about at the moment. No more thoughts of boys with eyes like molten gold, or tigers that didn't respond to her the way most animals did. Just food, hot, rich, maybe some chocolate if she could convince someone to grab her some.

Honey pushed the door open, and Mori escorted her into the room only for her to stop cold. The tigers were there, sitting calmly across the room from her, their predatory eyes watching her like she was the prey.

Mori followed her gaze and let out a surprised grunt at the sight. The other hosts, who had been sitting at the table talking, turned as well, and it looked for a moment like Kyoya actually flushed with anger.

"Would someone care to explain the choice of exotic pets before I sit down to eat next to them?"

**Authors Note**

Hey all! It feels pretty swell to be writing again not gonna lie, I hope you all enjoy this second chapter! Please feel free to leave reviews and comments for me, they are always the highlight of my day!

Shout out to...

artgirlperry + 123VampWolf (thanks for the follows and favs!)