"Listen, Morty, I hate to break it to you but what people call 'love' is just a chemical reaction that compels animals to breed. It hits hard, Morty, then it slowly fades, leaving you stranded in a failing marriage. I did it. Your parents are gonna do it. Break the cycle, Morty..."

-Rick Sanchez; from Rick and Morty (2014)

Disclaimer: Mentions of attempted suicide + other dark themes.

Cassidy was laying on her bed, her body was in excruciating pain, but the thirteen year old was used to it at that point. Eiji had just finished raping her, having come back from work in a foul mood and, as he said, "needed to let out some steam". Cassidy knew she'd have to wash her bedsheets later, that she'd have to take a very long shower after that. Her uncle had been very brutal, and Cassidy knew there'd be some bleeding.

Eiji, on the other hand, seemed unconcerned about his niece's state. He didn't care if she had been injured, as long as he was satisfied in some way. The older man was sitting on the edge of Cassidy's bed, boxers pulled on while the rest of his and Cassidy's clothes were scattered and thrown across the room. Eiji was deep in thought, his hands gripping the edge of the thirteen year old's bed, as if he were afraid something would happen.

"You look just like your mother," the older man said softly. "Do you know that?"

Cassidy didn't respond. She didn't have it in her to. If she got beaten for it, then that's what happened. She could care less. The abuse from Eiji had started to escalate out of control, and the young girl was at her wit's end. She could not take it anymore. The second Eiji left her room, Cassidy would go into the bathroom and kill herself. She had wanted to do so for years but she hadn't had the balls to do it. Unfortunately, Eiji kept all his medication locked up, so any chances of Cassidy overdosing were out of the question. But there were razors that were kept in a cabinet underneath the sink. Eiji used them to shave. Giving her uncle a sideways glance, Cassidy knew what she had to do. If no one from the outside was going to help her, she had to figure out a way to help herself.

~. . . .~

The young mother felt the scars on her wrists, the thick scars that would always make her feel guilty. Make her flinch whenever something touched them. The day Cassidy tried to kill herself had been absolutely horrific. Eiji caught her not long afterward and ended up calling one of his buddies to help out. Eiji's friend, Gus, a tall, thin, sickly looking Grecian man, stitched up the wounds and disinfected them. Eiji worked on cleaning up all the blood. Cassidy was locked in her room for a week and a half, repeatedly beaten by Eiji and periodically starved and left dehydrated. Gus was allowed into the room the check the wounds, and Eiji gave the Grecian man permission to do whatever he wanted.

Cassidy came to hate her uncle even more after that.

"You're lucky I found you when I did," Eiji would say. "I wouldn't want my precious girl leaving me."

Precious girl was Eiji's pet name for Cassidy. He used that word to show his control, his dominance. Cassidy hated that name. She never wanted to have another pet name in her life.* Whenever he said that, Cassidy would always feel bile rise up in her throat. Eiji always managed to find new ways to disgust her.

Letting out a sigh, Cassidy quickly removed her hand from the scar, not wanting to relive those memories. Instead, she wrapped an arm around Kai and held him close to her. The duo were on a transit, neither of them having the slightest idea on where it was going. Cassidy boarded the bus in hopes of it going somewhere near where Akihito's neighborhood was, but since the station worker had an attitude with her, the young mother wasn't in the mood to go back in and ask questions. Was it risky, blindly going onto any available transit in hopes of finding her father? Absolutely. But Cassidy had to keep in mind that with each passing second, Eiji could be getting closer to finding her and Kai. She didn't want her or her son to experience Eiji's wrath. He was morbid enough on his own, but when he was really upset, that was when Cassidy would experience true fear.

"Mama, hungry." Kai nudged his mother's side, looking up at her with those big brown eyes. Cassidy let out a sigh. She didn't think to bring food or water with them on their journey. The young mother believed they'd find Akihito's place in no time; but Cassidy was coming to the realization that she overestimated herself. Finding her father would be way more difficult than she thought.

"You'll get food soon, OK?" she responded, keeping her voice low. "Just wait a little longer."

The two and a half year old let out a whine, clearly not pleased with the response. Cassidy made no attempt to correct him on his behavior; she knew that when Kai got hungry, he'd be grumpy and uncooperative. That was just how he was.

After a couple more stops, Cassidy decided the next one would be where they got off. The transit was passing through a shopping district, so Cassidy could find some cheap food for Kai and maybe she could ask for directions to Akihito's. Hopefully the bus was leading them in the right direction.

Once the next stop came up, Cassidy grabbed her son's hand and they both hurriedly got off the bus. Cassidy made sure the hood of her sweatjacket was up and her head was lowered. If her uncle had anyone in the streets trying to find her, she couldn't afford to be found. But that also meant that she'd have to figure out a disguise for Kai. The two and a half year old could easily be detected by people associated with Eiji, and the last thing Cassidy wanted was her son taken from her.

"You said you're hungry, right?" Cassidy said, picking her son up. She felt her stomach flutter at the stress, then let out a grumble to show her that she was just as hungry. When Kai nodded against her neck, the young mother hurriedly went into the nearest grocery store to look for food. Placing her son down, Kai made sure he was holding onto her as they made their way through the store. "How about some candy? You want that?"

Kai's face lit up like a Christmas tree at the suggestion. Like any kid his age, he loved eating sweets. Cassidy smiled at his enthusiasm as she took him to the candy aisle.

~. . . .~

"What do you mean she's missing?" Junichi exclaimed. Junichi Akiyama was a young man with messy black hair and vibrant hazel eyes. He came from a family of drug dealers, the kind of people who always had connections to someone. While Junichi was involved in the drug trade, he was a rather naive individual. He tended to believe whatever people told him wholeheartedly, and that made him easy to manipulate. Eiji knew that the young man wasn't built for the kind of business his family ran, but it was something he was born into. The young man, being close to Eiji, believed that the older man was just an overworked man trying to take care of his wild niece and great-nephew. Eiji manipulated Junichi greatly, using the young man as a tool in a lot of situations in order for the older man to get what he wants.

"She ran away," Eiji said, burying his face in his hands. While he was truly worried, it wasn't the kind of worry that the young man was thinking of. Eiji was terrified of Cassidy revealing to the public what her uncle did to her. He was terrified that he'd never see Kai again. "I don't know what to do," he sighed. "I don't know where she went."

Furrowing his brows, Junichi set his jaw. "I may know someone who's good at finding missing people," he said, though he sounded uncertain. "Do you know Aya?"

"Aya Song?" Eiji's brows furrowed. "The Korean girl?"

Junichi nodded. "Yeah," he answered. "She's really good at finding missing people. I could get in contact with her and hopefully she'll help you out."

Aya Song was infamous in the darker side of Japanese society. Originating from Seoul, South Korea, the young girl came to Japan to escape prison time. Coming into the country with falsified identification, Aya managed to stay under the radar for decades. She got herself involved with Japan's most elite criminals, working as a hacker, informant, and tracker. Aya knew everything on everyone, so that made her valuable. Eiji had heard brief stories of the young Korean girl, but he didn't think too much on her. He knew better than to get himself tangled up with someone like her.

"Are you sure?" he asked, looking at Junichi with the utmost seriousness. "I can't afford to have Cassidy or Kai away from me too long."

"Trust me," the young man exclaimed. "Aya's good at her job. I wouldn't have suggested her if she wasn't."

(A/N):

This chapter is significantly shorter than the previous ones, but I hope you guys like it anyway. Let me know if you guys think there should be any improvement anywhere. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

OHSHC doesn't belong to me. All I own are my characters and the subplots I put in.

If you've got ideas for an OC or a subplot, leave a PM or leave a review. I'll try to add it in as soon as possible.

I'm sure I've mentioned this in previous author's notes, but Cassidy and Kai won't be encountering the Host Club just yet. It's only four chapters in and I don't want to go rushing into anything, ya know? I'd like to take it slow for the time being. I think I did ask this in a previous chapter, but how do you guys think Cassidy and Kai should meet the Host Club? Should they meet them individually or all at once? Comment on what you think!

Thanks a bunch.

Willow*