There's a lot of pretty, pretty ones

That want to get you high
But all the pretty, pretty ones
Will leave you low and blow your mind

-The Dope Show; by Marilyn Manson

Cassidy was quick to have her son finish his snack so they could be on their way. The young mother didn't want them to stay in one area long; considering Eiji could've contacted any of his friends, that meant they were in danger. Cassidy was hellbent on ensuring her son and unborn child were put in some kind of safe environment, no matter what. And as much as she didn't want to admit it, Cassidy knew she'd do whatever it took — whatever it took — to make sure that happened. Desperation was her best friend at the moment.

Kai seemed rather unhappy that he didn't get the opportunity to finish his M&M's, but Cassidy, rather forcefully, told him that they had spent enough time sitting around and they had to keep moving. That answer resulted in Kai throwing a mini tantrum, which resulted in Cassidy threatening to punish him if he didn't behave. It took a moment for the two and a half year old to calm down, but he eventually did. It left the young mother in a foul mood, but she couldn't dwindle on that any longer than necessary.

For the past half hour, the small family walked through the streets of the city they were in. Cassidy held onto Kai's hand tightly, wanting to have him as close to her as possible. In her other hand, Cassidy held the envelope Akihito's letter was in. She was trying to concentrate on studying the address while studying the buildings around them. They were still in the shopping center of the city, and Cassidy knew that she wouldn't be able to find any actual homes aside from an occasional apartment building. None of the apartment building's addresses matched Akihito's address, either, so it didn't matter. After almost an hour of confused searching, Cassidy knew she'd have to ask people for help. She couldn't do it on her own, especially with the sun getting lower and Kai becoming antsy and tired.

Not very many people were willing to stop and help. That was one thing Cassidy realized. She didn't blame them; she looked like shit. Some pregnant sixteen year old with her toddler? Not to mention a filthy looking teenager — who'd go out of their way to help her? It was frustrating. All Cassidy wanted was a general direction on where to go, instead she was getting filthy looks and heated glares. Yeah, she didn't look good, but that didn't mean she shouldn't get help.

"Mama, tired," Kai whined.

Looking up at the sky, Cassidy saw the sky turning into various shades of purples, dark blues, yellows, and oranges. The sun was getting very low in the sky, and Cassidy was nowhere close to finding where Akihito lived. Not only that, but she had no way of finding shelter for her and her son. Cassidy had a brief understanding on how city streets worked at night, and it wasn't pretty. Kai shouldn't be exposed to something like that, the young mother understood that, but she wasn't sure if there were any women's shelters or abandoned buildings to seek refuge in. Abandoned buildings weren't that safe, either. Maybe an unlocked car or something. Unused cars in big cities were typically left parked on the side of the road, and sometimes car owners left their vehicles unlocked. If Cassidy were lucky enough to find one of those, then she'd at least be able to give Kai a place to sleep.

"Just hold on a little longer," she responded, looking at her son. "Can you do that for me? Can you do that for mama?"

A scowl came across Kai's face. It was almost adorable. Giving a grumbled response, Cassidy continued on her journey to find someone to help her.

~. . . .~

For Akihito Hisakawa, he couldn't have asked for a better life. He was a successful lawyer, he had a beautiful wife and gorgeous children. They all lived in a good home in a better part of the community, where Akihito and his family could live comfortably. But despite all the wealth and comforts his life had, there was still the lingering shadow in the back of his mind. And it had to do with his eldest daughter, the one he had with Géneviève. Akihito's parents refused to acknowledge the relationship he once had with the Brazilian woman, so he had no choice but to cut her out of his life. It only made things more difficult when Géneviève announced her pregnancy before the split. Akihito's parents, Rey and Hana, didn't know about his eldest daughter's existence, and it was good that it was left that way.

Rey and Hana were strict, wanting to stick to the traditional way of Japanese life. Which meant the eldest child — who had to be a son — would be expected to inherit everything, and the only union between their children should be with someone who was fully Japanese. Géneviève's Brazilian background went against Rey's and Hana's values.

It had been a long time since Akihito had seen his ex-lover, and from what he understood, Géneviève had been doing poorly since their split. Their child had been taken into protective custody, later being put into the foster system. Akihito later learned that his daughter was living with Eiji, the youngest of the Hisakawa siblings. While the decision to have the child live with Eiji wasn't the best, considering the youngest sibling's dishonorable past, in a way it was good on Akihito's part — he felt a sense of closeness to his daughter, despite her living with his disowned brother. Eiji, on the other hand, gave Akihito no contact with his daughter. He wasn't able to physically visit her, despite Akihito wanting to. It was strange, but he chose not to pursue it further in fear of getting some kind of outburst from his brother.

However, in one instance, Akihito did manage to send out a letter to his daughter, saying that he wouldn't mind being able to arrange a meeting with her some time. Considering they never met in person, he wanted to get to know her, to see what kind of person she turned out to be. Should they ever meet up, whichever direction their relationship would go, would be completely up to her. She wouldn't be forced to do anything she wasn't comfortable with. But that letter had been sent a while ago, and he hadn't heard anything from her. It was worrying, and Eiji wasn't really cooperative at the best of times. Akihito tried his best to not let it bother him, though. He had to keep in mind that he had a business to run and another family to take care of. He had to think of what was best for the family he currently had, as badly as it hurt him to think like that.

~. . . .~

It was useless, that was Cassidy's conclusion. No one would help her, no one would even come close to her or Kai. The sun was almost gone in the sky, and Cassidy had spent most of her time hoping to find help. Now that she and Kai would be on their own, Cassidy had to come to the realization that she had no idea where she and her son would sleep. The idea of sleeping in unlocked cars still seemed like the best approach, considering she had no idea where local shelters were in the area. The thought of having to sleep in someone else's car, however, was frightening. If someone caught her and Kai in their car, they'd undoubtedly call the cops. If law enforcement got involved, then she'd be sent either to a social worker and get separated from her son, or get sent back to Eiji. Neither of those options sounded pleasant.

Chewing on her bottom lip anxiously, the young mother tried to figure something out. If she didn't, then she'd not only be exposing herself and her son to what the night life had to offer, but she'd be putting herself and Kai at risk. The last thing Cassidy wanted was to put her son in more danger. Not only that, but Cassidy also had to think about her unborn child. If she were to be attacked by someone, if she were to be abducted or severely injured, chances are Cassidy would suffer a miscarriage. If she were to be unfortunate enough to suffer a miscarriage while on the streets, she'd have no way of getting the proper medical attention needed. It was hard enough seeing a doctor while living with Eiji, but living on the streets would make it impossible. Eiji refused to let Cassidy save up any money of her own, but what he didn't understand was that she'd salvage any money available just in case. Obviously the amount she had would only be good for transits and maybe shopping.

But as she looked around her, seeing the streets start to clear out and the nighttime people come out, Cassidy realized that she needed to make a decision quick. She couldn't be wasting any time pondering over what she might think is right.

"Kai-bear, do you wanna play a game?" Cassidy whispered, kneeling down to her son's eye-level. His face lit up at the idea. Nodding frantically, he started bouncing where he stood, incapable of containing his excitement. "OK. What we're going to do is a really hard game of hide-and-seek. Are you up for it?"

"Yeah!" he cried.

Putting her pointer finger on her lips, she quieted Kai down. "We're going to be hiding in one of these cars," she whispered, gripping her son's shoulders. "If we can stay in one all night without getting caught, then we win. Does that sound fun?"

Kai nodded happily.

With a forced smile, Cassidy nodded in return. Now all she had to do was find an unlocked car.

(A/N):

Sorry for this poor excuse of a chapter. I am recovering from studying my brains out for an exam. Hopefully there's something in this chapter you guys found even somewhat interesting. If there's something you think needs improvement, let me know.

OHSHC does not belong to me. I own my OCs and subplots.

If you'd like to add your own OCs or subplots to the story, don't hesitate to PM me or leave a review. I'd gladly add it in as soon as possible.

Thanks a bunch.

Willow