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Relations

Welcome to the website's relationship section. Here you will find out more about Kaoru Orihara's various connections to other characters in the series.

Friends

☥ Nanako Misonoo is the protagonist of Oniisama E... She finds a friend in Kaoru during her first year at Seiran and is helped by the older woman more than just once. Nanako is also pulled to Kaoru through Rei Asaka who is Kaoru's best friend. The woman protects Nanako quite often and is a person the girl can rely on.

Kaoru also seems to know more about Nanako than the girl even knows herself. It is revealed later on in the series. Kaoru will make her an important disclosure: Nanako's confidant is in reality her stepbrother. Her stepfather abandoned Takehiko to marry her mother. How Kaoru knows this is defined later as well.

☥ Rei Asaka, nicknamed Hana no Saint Juste, is an intelligent and accomplished young woman, who like Kaoru, is admired by all of the girls at Seiran Academy for her talents, behavior and looks. Kaoru is her closest friend and it is likewise the other way around. Both know deep secrets of each other's lives and support each other in their own ways.

Both are the few who can recognize the inner torments, isolations and pasts. They are very alike in terms of sides of a coin - opposite faces, but still of the same source. Kaoru is actually quite dependent on Rei and feels she is not confident enough to live alone.

Loves

☥ Fans come along with the status of being one of "The Magnificent Three". Kaoru is compared to the legendary Japanese nobleman who bears the same given name. She is known to be an androgynous beauty with physical and mental talents, behaviorisms that attracts many fans. Kaoru, for her masculine appeal, is flocked after by many of the younger girls. It cannot be helped either, since she is in the same grade as them, thus to her exasperation, she is stuck with being worshiped by "screaming fan girls".

☥ Mariko Shinobu is Nanako's first new friend at Seiran. She has deep desires and Nanako is one of them! Through Nanako, Mariko begins to form deeper connections to Kaoru. Despite Mariko knew well of the older woman they had never really crossed paths before. She has an intense distrust to men and easily becomes enchanted by Kaoru when the woman shows concerns for her well-being. She possesses an unclear sexual orientation and displays something of a schoolgirl crush or at least great admiration for the older woman. She is grateful for the reciprocated affection from those she cares about, Kaoru's included.

☥ Takehiko Henmi is a University student. He was the teacher who gave Nanako, and other students, private lessons for cram school. Nanako held adoration for him and asked him to be her older brother and to read her letters. She writes him about the events in her life and the young man becomes her closest confidant. The young man goes deeper beyond such simplicities, however. His existence affects the lives of many others, including Kaoru.

It is found that he is in truth the son of Nanako's adoptive father, making him her stepbrother. Through Nanako he reads passages in her letters about Kaoru. The connection does not stop there either. Kaoru knows he is indeed Nanako's stepbrother for reason's unknown to the younger girl, but well known by her friend Rei, Takehiko's friend Takashi Ichinomiya and Takehiko, himself.

Another person is aware of the correlation... Fukiko Ichinomiya! Not only does she know of Takehiko through her brother, she is aware of how he and Kaoru know each other. It is revealed that he, like Kaoru has many secrets, some that they both share. Beneath his calm and quiet ways, he is a broken man. Not only did his father abandon him, but he has a love that will not requite his affections, Kaoru Orihara. Through Rei, the two met and fell in love at first sight. What happens to their love is taken into account later on after Nanako discovers such secrets.

Rival

☥ Fukiko Ichinomiya is the leader of the Seiran Sorority and President of the Student Council. She is one of "The Magnificent Three", thus is admired for her talents, bahaviorisms and looks. She is a two fold. She can be extremely kind and yet also be terribly cruel. She has the ability to control and influence anyone... except Kaoru. Their connection seem to simply be because of their status at the school and that they are drawn to Rei.

Their rivalry is somewhat passive and not exactly intentional. They also are also very alike in terms of sides of a coin - opposite faces, but still of the same source. Fukiko's main target for cruelties is Rei Asaka, Kaoru's best friend. Both know the reasons as to why and this is their main rivalry, to influence Rei. The battle is between having Rei under control against having her become free. For the most part, Fukiko has the upper hand for a long time. Kaoru is well aware as to why... Fukiko and Rei are related. With family bonds and love that are more intense than their loyal friendship and understanding, Kaoru struggles to help Rei stop remaining under Fukiko's power.

Another rival spurs when Nanako comes into the picture. Fukiko is the leader of the Sorority. Kaoru is the only one who goes against it openly, if perhaps not the only one who opposes it. Through declining acceptance as a Sorority candidate, Nanako soon is revealed as one and she will soon intertwine the two even more.

Nanako being Takehiko's stepsister influenced Fukiko to take great notice of her and it is slowly discovered as to why such a relation is so important. Fukiko is in love with Takehiko! She is aware of Kaoru and Takehiko's past relationship, but does not seem to possess any real worry now, since Kaoru broke it off with him a year ago and since then has avoided him. While Fukiko had the upper hand in the intentional struggles over Rei, Kaoru has always had the upper hand in the unintentional war for Takehiko's attentions and affections.

Acquaintance

☥ Takashi Ichinomiya, Takehiko's good friend, comes of the wealthy Ichinomiya family. He is a young college student as well as older brother of Fukiko. Unlike his sister, Takashi is pleasant person who takes things in stride.

Kaoru met him through Rei. The young man would visit Rei and it is known why later. Takashi, being Takehiko's friend, brought him over one of his visits and that is how Kaoru and Takehiko met. Other than that, Kaoru and Takashi do not keep much of a relation to each other.

They are aware of each other, respect each other and both care deeply for Takehiko's well being as well as being the few who know Rei well.

Family

☥ Kaoru is mentioned to have family in both the manga and anime.

In the third manga volume, Kaoru is told by Nanako that Takehiko is going to Germany the next fall and that he intends to take his wife with him. It upsets her deeply and she runs off. Takehiko finds her. Her parents are mentioned. He told her he was at her home and spoke with her parents before he found her there.

During episode 36, Kaoru goes missing after an upsetting meeting at a doctor appointment. A day has passed and she is still missing. Nanako finds out from a phone call that Kaoru never arrived for a basketball match. Kaoru's family say they have not seen her since the previous day.

She is missing for that entire day as well, but eventually goes home that night. The next morning Nanako called the Orihara's home, and she was told that had returned the night before. There are no other mentions of them in the anime and they make no appearances.

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