"You need to understand, I will do anything to protect my family. I know you know what I'm talking about. So don't mess with me. Don't interfere with my business again. Because I will kill you and anyone you care about."

-Adrian Toomes; from Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Disclaimer: First half of the chapter has mentions of abuse. If you're sensitive to that subject, then I'd suggest skipping to the middle of the chapter.

"Cassidy!" The sound of Eiji's shouts filled the house. Cassidy, only thirteen at the time, was in her room, the door closed and locked. She was huddled against the furthest wall of her room, hoping to keep as much distance between her and her uncle as possible. It was one of those days, where Eiji was filled with an uncontrollable rage. It was an unfortunate circumstance that Cassidy would usually have to handle her uncle's rages in whatever form of abuse he wanted. Since the day she got her first period, rape seemed to be Eiji's favorite form of abuse. The older man, from what Cassidy understood, had difficulties holding down girlfriends thanks to his temper. Eiji's niece was the only female companion he had, one who had no choice but to stay with him. The older man could let out all his pent up frustrations on Cassidy, and she'd just take it. Sometimes at least. Most days the thirteen year old would get an idea in her head that she should fight back, that only fueled Eiji's anger.

On that day, that particularly rageful day, Eiji had woken up in a foul mood. He wasn't sure what it was, but he was angry at everything. The filthiness of his home, the sounds of everything around him — coming from both inside and outside the house — along with Cassidy's mere presence in the home made Eiji's temper rise. Unfortunately, the young girl had received a vicious beating from her uncle before he went to work, leaving her with all kinds of cuts and bruises on her body. Cassidy stayed in her room for the remainder of the day, too sore to move and to frightened to leave. Not long before her uncle came home from work, Cassidy had pulled herself up from the floor to close and lock her bedroom door. It didn't matter how badly her body ached, how badly the cuts on her face and body stung, or how hard it was for her to breathe sometimes, Cassidy needed to defend herself somehow. At one point, she did go into the kitchen and took out a knife, one that seemed extra sharp. Eiji found it almost immediately and held it against her throat, threatening to kill her if she tried anything like that again. The tip of the knife cut her throat, not deep enough for her to be seriously injured, but deep enough for there to be a small scar. That was a reminder for Cassidy to never try something like that again.

"Open the door!" Eiji screamed, pounding his fist on the door. "Open it now!"

Bringing her legs up to her chest, with her arms wrapping around her legs to keep them close, Cassidy buried her face in her knees. Her chest and sides ached from the beating she received that morning. Her arm hurt the most, burning every time it was moved. Cassidy's face was littered with all kinds of bruises and cuts — her lip was split in two areas, her eyes were already started to bruise and swell a little, blood stained around her red nose, and big ugly bruises formed on her cheeks. The beatings Cassidy received from her uncle were definitely vicious. They were worse than the ones Géneviève used to give. Considering Cassidy's whole upbringing was her enduring all kinds of pain, she had, in a way, grown used to it all. Part of her still wanted to fight back, didn't want to believe that she was enduring something so horrible, but she just couldn't envision a life without it.

The sound of her bedroom door slamming open caused Cassidy to grip her legs tighter. Eiji's stomps filled her room, coming closer...

~. . . .~

Cassidy watched Kai eat his M&M's happily. He seemed so blissfully unaware of everything. He was happy, he was enjoying life. At only two and a half years old, Kai didn't have much to worry about. He was a smart kid, even at his age. Come on...any parent would say that about their kids, right? Cassidy couldn't help but think that her son was advanced to a degree, though he did have room to grow. For one, Kai's speech wasn't the best. At two, he should be able to at least speak in sentences to a certain degree. Kai still spoke in fragmented speech. Most people would look at him as being slow. The two and a half year old was a bit underweight, thanks to Eiji's decision to not buy fresh food. Kai was also a bit smaller than most boys his age, and Cassidy hoped that he'd grow into himself once he got older.

But there was also that lingering thought in the back of her mind. Was Kai's physical setbacks because of his incestuous background? To a degree, it would make sense. If family members had a sexual relationship of any kind — consensual or not (at least from Cassidy's understanding) — there were bound to be some kind of physical or mental deformities in any children that were born from it. It was a miracle in and of itself that Kai hadn't manifested any kind of special needs from the conditions of his conception. And as for the baby growing in Cassidy's stomach, the nurse who performed that first ultrasound said the fetus was growing normally. For the meantime, Cassidy could only assume her unborn child would be OK, but lingering thought of that fetus developing abnormalities later stayed in her mind. The young mother had to keep all doors open. She had to be prepared for whatever happened.

During Cassidy's pregnancy with Kai, Eiji had been acting carefully around her. He wouldn't beat her or rape her, but he was verbally and emotionally abusive. He would call her all kinds of names. As her pregnancy with her son progressed, Eiji's verbal and emotional abuse intensified. It made Cassidy feel horrible about herself. Eiji blamed her for getting pregnant, he blamed her for her being raped. Saying things like Cassidy was "seducing" him, that she was just a "useless whore". Of course she'd believe him. What else was she supposed to do? She didn't have it in her to leave him. Where would she go? Eiji would find her before she got very far. Looking back at that time, when she was pregnant with Kai, Cassidy came to realize she had been in a deep depression. She didn't have the mental strength to get herself out of Eiji's grasp. She saw herself being stuck with him forever. She wanted to be able to protect the children she had with him, because the amount of times Eiji was raping her, Cassidy assumed she'd have more than just one kid with him.

The idea of having more children with Eiji was sickening. He was the last person she wanted to reproduce with. But, like mentioned before, what was she supposed to do? Whenever she fought back, he'd beat her and rape her even more brutally than before. As awful as it was for Cassidy to admit it, Kai and the baby were the greatest things to come out of the abuse. It gave her something to fight for. It just took her some time to figure it out.

So Cassidy watched Kai eat his M&M's, she watched as he his eyes lit up with each candy he took out of the bag. Watching him get so happy with his candy filled her with joy.

Hesitantly, Cassidy also placed a hand on her flat stomach. It was too early in the pregnancy for there to be any noticeable bump, but the longer she stayed on the street, the more dangerous it would be for her, the baby, and Kai. Cassidy had to think of a plan, and quick.

~. . . .~

On more than one occasion, Cassidy envisioned a life where she was surrounded by people who loved her. No one beat her, no one put her down, no one sexually assaulted her. Cassidy was loved, she was appreciated, and she was happy. A life like that always seemed easier, tolerable. She didn't have a single worry in the world. Nothing else mattered. A lot of the time, thoughts like that served as Cassidy's escape before Kai's birth. A world where the young girl had two loving parents, a healthy living environment, friends, an education...the things that all other kids her age took for granted.

To anyone else, something like that may be silly. They didn't have to worry about getting an education, their parents made sure they were in the best schools. Other kids Cassidy's age had at least one or both of their parents, and those parental figures were supportive and loving. Those kids had friends and after-school activities, they had little areas to hang out at and have fun. Cassidy craved for things like that. She wanted to laugh and talk and hang out with other people. She wanted to understand their thinking. What did they like to do? Did they have any dreams for the future? How did they plan on accomplishing those things?

Was that too much to ask for?

She hoped it wasn't. Cassidy may not have two loving parents, or supportive friends or anything like that, but she'll get an education and she'll have the love of her kids. Cassidy would, without a doubt, make her life better for herself and her kids. She didn't need her parents for that. She didn't need Eiji for that. Once she got out of Eiji's clutches legally, Cassidy would be able to start over. She'd be able to live the life she dreamed of.

(A/N):

I know, this chapter isn't the best. Just let me know if there's anything that needs improvement. Constructive criticism is always welcome, OK? Give me suggestions on how to improve this.

Nothing in the OHSHC belongs to me. All I own are my characters and the subplots I put in.

So far, I've had one kind reviewer tell me that, out of all the Host Club members, Cassidy and Kai should meet Honey and Mori first, eventually going to live with them. I think that's a good idea, actually. Does anyone else have any suggestions? Should Cassidy and Kai meet the Host Club when they're all together, or should she meet them individually? PM me or leave a review.

Thanks a bunch.

Willow