A/N: Trigger warning for some non-consensual behavior. In short, my OC does something ill-advised with predictable Shoujo Manga results.

"Papa, it is just a birthday party for a classmate!" Kaori dug her fingers into her palm to keep her voice level, but she could hear the childish whine in her tone.

"No. I don't know the family."

"Then you could drop me off and meet her parents!"

Papa slammed his bowl of soup on the table. "No, Kaori! It isn't safe – you can't attend and that's final!"

An uncomfortable silence descended around the dinner table. Saburo shot her a look of sympathy, but it wasn't like he had stood up for her. None of them ever did. She was still fuming about it an hour later as she did the dishes. Really, it was just a formal party hosted by the parents of the stiffest, most proper girl in her class. It wasn't like she'd ever done half the things her brothers had done when they were in high school.

Attend a high school birthday party. Yet another thing she'd never done and, with graduation looming, it looked like she never would. Her world was really small, wasn't it? Her horizons so limited. She was almost eighteen, but there were kindergartners who'd done more, seen more, than she had. How could she become a wife if she never had the chance to grow up first?

~oOoOo~

"Mana! Oh My Gosh, you're alive after all!" Kaori hugged her friend tightly and tried not to spill her food tray.

"Sorry. Exams." The bespectacled brunette struggled to extricate herself while she could still breathe. "I should head back, just came to get this." She held up wrapped bread the cafeteria brought in from a gourmet bakery.

"Oh no you don't. I haven't talked to you since before mid-terms! You're eating with us!" She grabbed Mana's arm and dragged her over to the table already occupied by Yuki, Rio, and Yui. The three had their heads together, whispering excitedly. They cut off abruptly as soon as Kaori and Mana sat down.

"What's going on?" Kaori eyed Yuki suspiciously. The girl was staring fixedly at her tray and pushing her rice around. "You look like you're up to something." She'd stopped asking about the things the three of them got up to after middle school. It was too depressing since she could never be included.

There it was again, stupid word. She was very, very tired of 'never.'

Kaori flicked her eyes around to see if anyone else could overhear and said in hushed tones, "Is it something fun?"

The three exchanged glances. "Come on, Yuki, we should tell them" said Rio.

"We need two more anyway," agreed Yui.

Yuki thought for a minute then nodded her head. "Alright." She gave Kaori and Mana a fixed stare. "You have to promise you won't tell anyone else."

"Yes, yes, we promise!" exclaimed Kaori.

"Yeah, whatever. I guess" said the clearly enthusiastic Mana.

"Remember I told you how I'd met Kei? Well, we've been dating!"

Kei? Who was Kei? Oh wait – that vocalist from the band she liked. The one who was a first year at Toudai. She'd mentioned something about him before the break. Wait a second. "But…but you're engaged!" Kaori shouted and the lunch room again fell silent around them.

"SHHHHHH!" hissed Yuki. She flipped her auburn hair back and tried to look sophisticated. "My engagement's just business. I told you, it doesn't matter if I play around a bit before hand – everyone does it." She gave Kaori a slightly superior look and added "well, almost, everyone. Anyway, he wants me to meet his friends this Friday so I said I'd bring some of mine and we'd go out for" her voice lowered so she wouldn't be heard over the crowd "karaoke!"

Kaori gasped! Karaoke was at the top of her list of things she never (stupid word) thought she'd get to do. Even if her father wasn't over protective, even if the only people she was allowed to go out with weren't Takashi and Mana, there was the fact that Ouran girls simply didn't do karaoke. It was, well, common.

"We need two more people." Rio said excitedly. "Do you want to come?"

"No" said Mana firmly. "And neither does Kaori. This doesn't sound good - what do you even know about this guy? You can't have been dating for more than a month. Besides, you should ALL be studying for exams."

Yuki opened her mouth to defend her love but was stopped at a whisper from Kaori. "…want to go."

"Huh?"

Her voice rose as she put in all the confidence she didn't feel. "I said, I want to go. I'm in,"

Mana blinked at her, owlishly. "Kaori, you know your father will never…"

Stupid, stupid word. Now she simply had to. "I could tell him I'll be studying at your house! I'll even come over afterwards so it won't be a lie. " Mana's face was hard and unmoved. "C'mon Mana, I can help you study for Japanese lit." It was the only class she scored higher than her friend in.

"Kaori, no. This is a really dumb idea."

"Then, I'll go anyway and… sleep on the street or something."

"You can stay at my house," volunteered Yui, "my parents are out of town anyway – it'll be so much fun to finally have you come."

"Good, all settled then," said Yuki. "Now we just need to find one more."

Mana glared at Kaori and sighed. "All right, I'm in too. Someone has to keep an eye on you guys."

~oOoOo~

Kaori discreetly checked her watch; they'd been here less than an hour. This had been a mistake. It wasn't fair – if you were going to rebel after eighteen years of good behavior you should be having a lot more fun. Yuki was in the corner acting very….enamored of Kei. It was kind of uncomfortable the way they were entwined around each other. Rio and Yui also seemed to be having a good time; they were pealing with laughter at the antics of the two boys next to them.

She didn't want to admit it, but she didn't like Kei and his friends. They gave her the same feeling the Hitachiin brothers did; only somehow less… friendly. She suppressed a sigh and gave herself a stern lecture. It was wrong to judge people without getting to know them first. She just needed to put more effort into it.

"So, what are you studying?" she asked the one hovering by a little too close to her side. She moved away just a little, putting some distance between her and the knee that kept pressing against hers. At this rate she'd be off the edge of the bench soon.

From the looks Yui and Rio kept shooting him, she guessed they found him attractive. Kaori didn't see it, His bleach-blond spiked hair looked like something out of an anime and his face was a bit girly, even without the eye-liner. The black-jeans and t-shirt only made him look scrawnier; he was already thin enough to topple over under the weight of all that silver and leather jewelry. What was his name again? Shou? Shin? That didn't seem right.

"I haven't picked my major. I'll probably go into law like my dad. Right now I'm focused on my music career. You know we got an audition for a label next week."

"Right. I think you said that already." At least two times. He'd also talked a lot about playing the guitar. Maybe his name started with an H?

The room was hot and the food so greasy it turned her stomach. Her cardigan was itching in the heat, but she could feel her white tank dress caked to her back with sweat so it had to stay on. The new black boots didn't fit right either; the right one was just a bit too tight for her brace and pinched like heck. It had been a mistake thinking she could handle a small heel. Even without the pain her gait felt wobbly. Good thing they could take a taxi back to Mana's house, walking would be painful.

From across the table, Mana shot her a superior look. Kaori glared back and tried to look like she was having fun. Grabbing her glass, she tried to quench her parched mouth but found only ice.

Whats-his-name handed her some juice from the tray that had just been brought in. "Here, you look thirsty."

"Thanks!" See! He was being considerate. This is why it was important to listen to Mama's advice about giving people the benefit of the doubt. The drink held the sweetly-acidic taste of pineapple and she gulped the entire glass. The cool liquid felt good as it cascaded down her throat.

Rio and one of the guys started screeching out a duet that made her ears hurt. As soon as it ended, Mana stood up with a yelp and pushed at the boy next to her. "I'm going to the bathroom," she announced while giving Kaori a look that said 'you come too.' Kaori shook her head; she didn't feel like moving right now. The room was feeling even hotter and the smell of the greasy food was making her nauseous. At least her feet weren't hurting as much now.

"Hey, you don't look so good – do you want to go get some air?" asked (was it Hiroshi? That sounded almost correct) as soon as Mana left the room. Some fresh air might be what she needed. Afterwards, she could plead illness so Mana wouldn't get to say 'I told you so.' Her nod made the room spin just a bit; maybe she really was getting a little sick.

"She's not feeling well; I'm going to take her outside," said probably-Hiroshi. He grasped her right elbow and helped her up.

She stumbled against him as they left the room. How thoughtful, he'd remembered to bring her coat and purse. Mama was right; never judge someone by your first impression.

Mana walked back slowly from the restroom. The whole evening was even worse than she'd thought. The guys were acting like this was a gokun not a friendly get-together. Did Yuki mislead the boys or did she deceive her own friends? Perhaps Yuki was the one who misunderstood; the girl didn't seem to be aware of anyone except the dark-haired Kei.

She'd give it thirty more minutes before faking a headache and getting Kaori out of there. Maybe Yui and Rio would be willing to come too by then. Yuki was on her own.

The tension in her neck and shoulders were threatening to turn her alleged headache real. Steeling herself, she reentered the cramped and dirty little room. This time she'd make sure to take a seat as far away from drummer-boy as possible. It might be an excuse to separate Kaori from that lecherous blonde hedgehog as well.

She knew something wasn't right the minute she walked in. "Where's Kaori?" A niggle of worry caused her heart to beat faster. Kaori wouldn't leave without her and there was only one hallway between here and the bathroom.

"She dran… I mean she wasn't feeling well so Souta took her outside" said the guy who'd been grabby with her earlier. The two with Rio and Yui laughed at his statement, it wasn't a pleasant sound.

She grabbed her purse and raced out of the room, frantically trying to find her cell phone. Nobody was in the hallway or on the stairwell and she didn't recognize anyone in the group of high school students checking in at the desk.

"Sumimasen," she said to the least flashy of the girls in the group, "did you see a couple pass by on your way in? The girl's a short blond and the guy is tall wearing black and lots of jewelry?"

"Eh? Yeah, I think so. They kinda looked like they wanted to be alone. Why? She steal your boyfriend?" The group's laughter was cruel; they'd be no help.

Mana gave a hurried thank you and ran outside. Neither Kaori nor the hedgehog was anywhere in sight. Frantically scrolled through her contact list until she found the one number she never thought she'd call.

~oOoOo~

"Kaori's in trouble."

Time slowed down until he was aware of everything around him. There was no room for panic, or anger, or any other emotion. A clear head, a clear heart, was required for decision and action.

Mori was out of his office, down four flights of stairs, and on the street before the voice on the other end of the line had finished the briefing him on what had occurred.

"The security team says they'll be there in thirty minutes, Onii-san." Satoshi's clear baritone was struggling to stay level. "Chika and I'll get there in twenty. – Shoot, Chika! Tell your driver to go faster; he doesn't need to stop at every yellow light! – I gave them her cell number and they're emailing you a link to the live track."

Mori checked his email; the location was about a fifteen minute walk from here. Giving a grunt of acknowledgement, he thumbed the 'end call' button and broke into a run.

~oOoOo~

The lights of the buildings around her and of the headlights passing by looked like pretty, sparkling stars but her eyes winced if she looked at them. The boy (no, Hiroshi wasn't right at all. It was something else) had draped her coat around her when they'd left the building, but she didn't need it. Her cheeks felt warm despite the cold January air that fogged her breath.

Where were they? He'd said there was a park she could sit down in, but all she could see were buildings as he pulled her along the sidewalk. Why was he holding her hand? Mori wouldn't like that. She wasn't Yuki.

They should go back, Mana would worry. It would be a good idea to go home, she didn't have to fake feeling sick. Kaori pulled away from his strong grip and turned. Her too-tight boots tangled around each other and she fell, left knee slamming into the pavement. It didn't hurt.

"Whoa, you can't hold your drink at all," said the boney kid. That made no sense, she hadn't drunk anything. Besides, drinking made you feel happy and sleepy. She didn't feel happy at all. She opened her mouth to say so, but her tongue was too heavy to form the words.

The boy looked around, the street was busy but the sidewalks deserted. "Well, I guess here is good enough. I don't feel like dragging you to the hotel," he muttered. Possibly-not-Hiroshi helped her to her feet, pulling her arm around his neck for support. The coat slipped off her back and landed in a puddle at her feet.

A vague feeling of wrongness started hammering at the back of her brain, churning her stomach and deepening the fog around the edges of her thoughts. Time slipped and went funny, like looking at a series of pictures with every blink another click of the shutter.

Blink

The bright lights disappeared, replaced by dark walls of concrete on either side.

Blink

Her back scraped against a wall and the blond man loomed over her. From this close, he didn't look as scrawny and weak.

Blink

Hard lips mashed against hers and she choked against the reek of cigarette smoke and leather.

Blink

Something moved underneath cardigan and roughly groped at her chest. Her palms ached from beating at his shoulders. Whimpers feebly escaped a throat to dry to scream.

Blink

She shivered when the cold air hit her legs and coarse fingers pawed at her thighs. "What the heck is that!" The outraged voice made her flinch. She gasped deep breaths of air into her lungs when the weight pressing against her released.

Blink

"You should have said you were a fucking cripple!" Her neck snapped to the side from the force of his blow. His arm drew back and formed a fist; Kaori closed her eyes in anticipation of more pain.

Blink

A roar filled her ears and then nothing but silence. The blow didn't fall. She opened her eyes slowly and beheld him levitating off the ground with his back towards her.

Time snapped back to its normal flow.

Still dazed, she could now clearly see that her attacker was being lifted up off the ground. With her eyes she followed the path from the hand around his neck, down the thick muscled arm, to the face of an angry god. Her cry of relief came out like a strangled sob.

~oOoOo~

Mori turned frantically in circles on the sidewalk, the tracker had led here but she wasn't in sight. He dropped his gaze lower on the next survey and spotted it. Across the street her coat lay pooled in a ball outside an alley. Horns blared and brakes squealed as he dodged through the traffic.

His eyes were adjusting to the darkness when he heard the telltale sound of a slap followed by a brief sob. With a roar, he charged towards the two figures halfway down and spun around the one closest to him. Over the attacker's shoulder he could see Kaori huddled in the wall, eyes closed and arms wrapped around her torso. His hand closed around the man's neck in a vise and he lifted.

Every fiber of his being urged him towards violence. The man needed to suffer. He needed to bleed. He needed to have it tattooed into his flesh until the end of time that you didn't hurt women and you especially did not hurt this woman. And then, he needed to go through that again so the message stuck.

A rough whimper drew his attention back to Kaori. Her white dress was stained from the alley and locks of hair had escaped to hang in ragged bunches around her face. She looked small, and scared, and heart-breakingly alone.

Mori looked again at the red-faced man struggling to breathe. This was not his priority right now. He effortlessly tossed him into the opposite wall. The man slid down, landing hard on his backside.

"Run. Away. Now." Mori ordered his prey. The terrified man scuttled backwards like a crab, then flipped over and half-ran, half-crawled out the alley.

The cold slowly seeped into the edges of her awareness, clearing the fog that clouded her mind. Oh God! It wasn't a dream was it? He'd kissed her and put his hands…. She turned to her left side and sagged against the wall, fighting the urge to vomit. Mori had disappeared. Maybe he was as disgusted with her as she was with herself. She wrapped her arms tight around her middle. She should move. She should call someone and go home. NO! Not home. Mana's house, that was it. Papa could never, ever know about this.

Warmth enveloped her as strong hands draped her coat around her shoulders and secured it tight. He hadn't abandoned her. She was torn between clinging to him and running away to hide, but he took the choice out of her hands. With one arm he held her so tight she struggled to breathe and used his free hand to make a call.

"She's safe." He paused while a voice she couldn't make out responded. "I'll leave it to you and Chika. And Satoshi? Thank you."

She wrapped both arms around his waist and burrowed into his chest. His skin felt cold through the thin dress shirt. Silly to be running around dressed like that in this weather. His muscles felt tense under her fingers. She peeked up at him, his normally stoic face was hard and his lips pressed together in a grim line. Her heart began beating faster in panic and she crushed the fabric of his shirt in her fists. They stayed like that until a discrete cough sounded from the alley entrance.

He stepped back and she shivered at the loss of his heat. "The car's here."

"Are… are you going to take me home?" She'd end up grounded until her wedding day. That is, if she would still have one. The anger was radiating off him like waves. Would he believe her explanation or think she was 'playing' like Yuki?

"Do you want me to?"

She looked at the ground and shook her head. "Pl…please. Ta...Takashi, I can ex… explain…" She was not going to let the tears fall. Not yet. Not over that guy.

Mori's heart twisted at the sight of a terrified Kaori; knowing that he was responsible for her fear. His gut was still clenched in a fury he couldn't let go, but he wouldn't leave her thinking she was responsible for it. He pulled her in for a quick hug, packing as much reassurance into it as he could, and kissed her forehead. "Kaori, it's okay. We'll talk later. Let me take you somewhere safe." Without waiting for a reply he scooped her up in one arm and took her to the waiting car.

A/N: Okay, so I did resort to a Shoujo manga trope – but trust me I really am going somewhere with this plot and character development wise.

Thanks once again to all reviewers, followers and favoriters. You guys are amazing!

crazyangelgirl21: You go ahead and stay an immature kid at heart as long as you want XD. I have a habit of skipping whole pages of romances myself, that's why you'll only get kissing and a fade to black here. Lots and lots of kissing.

Jessi Darkfox: I honestly can't tell if Honey is being overprotective or just having way too much fun messing with Mori. I think he's kind of a closet sadist.