The Host Mafia

Chapter 2

Haruhi stared at the man that stood in the doorway, and knew that he wasn't the man that her aunt and uncle had found to hurt her tonight. For one, he looked as if he didn't even know about her existence, and two, from the look of terror in his eyes, this wasn't something he agreed to. She blinked as he swayed slightly, and feared that he might collapse.

"What...the...hell." He whispered, and seemed to tense as a faint shrilling was heard from beyond the door. Whatever it was, it seemed to calm him down enough and he slowly started into the room, and towards the bed. She swallowed, and moved back some when he started to reach for her. It was only her guess that he wasn't there to hurt her, and sometimes, guesses could be wrong. She knew that she had made a lot of mistakes with trusting people. It was the reason her body bore the scars that it did.

"Easy now, Princess. I'm not going to hurt you, alright? I'm just going to remove that shackle from around your ankle, okay?" He asked, in a hushed tone, and she stilled. Mostly because if she moved away anymore the shackle would start to cut into her thin ankle, and she didn't want to be a cause of her own pain. Swallowing again, she watched as he pulled a survival knife out of his back pocket, placed one knee on the bed for balance, and then leaned over her ankle as he pulled a small flat head screwdriver up. As he inserted the flat head into the lock he glanced up at her, his golden eyes shining kindly, and gave a small smile.

"My name's Kaoru. Can you tell me yours?" He asked, and she shook her head. Motioning toward her throat. She couldn't remember when, but she knew that at some point in the last two years, she had lost her voice because it seemed like no one could hear it. Not her aunt and uncle, who had ignored her and put her in this hell hole of a life, and not the men who harmed her. She just remembered that one day she awoke, with no words on her mind, and no sound in her voice.

"Well then, until I find out, I'm gonna call you Princess. Is that alright?" He asked, his hand sliding around her ankle as he removed the restraining metal piece, gently rubbing the raw spot it had left to help return the blood circulation to it. She shrugged and glanced away, really not caring, but had to admit to herself that it was better than some names she had been called.

"Alright then, Princess. I should let you know, I'm in the Mafia. The Host Mafia to be exact, but I still wont hurt you. It seems your...uh...relatives upstairs are worser people than we thought. So, my boss, my brother, and I, will be getting you out of here. Alright?" He asked, and she blinked, hardly believeing what the man was telling her. In the two years that she had been here, she had never once thought that she would be saved from the abuse forced onto her, much less a person from the Mafia doing it. Especially the Host Mafia, the strongest and most powerful around. She flinched slightly when he raised his hand, but blinked as he gave a small understanding smile and just kept it outstretched toward her. Blushing as she realized that he was just offering her help off the bed, she slowly placed her smaller hand in his larger one. Once she was standing, she saw him give her a glance over, and then look around the room.

"There has to be something better here for you to wear. It may not be all that cold out, but it still is damp with the seasons rain." He mumbled, and she just shook her head. There were no other clothes down here, other than the ones that she had on, and certainly nothing warmer either. She watched as he 'tsked', and took a step back as he started to shrug out of his jacket. Thinking that he was going to go back on his word, and hurt her just as the others had, she backed away and quickly wrapped her arms around herself.

"Easy, now. I'm just wanting you to put this on. That gown is too short, and too thin to be wearing it by itself. This will help keep you warm, and more covered, until we can get you some more clothes." He whispered, handing the jacket to her, she blinked and took hold of the soft, warm material. When she glanced up at him with confused eyes, he laughed and moved easily until he was beside her.

"Put one arm through here, and the other through here. Alright, now I'm going to zip you up." He whispered as he moved to stand in front of her. She huffed up at him, giving him a slightly annoyed look, which he laughed at. She knew how to put on jacket, she just didn't understand why he was being nice enough to giver her, his. She sighed once he was done and took a step back, and she knew that he was watching her as she cuddled into the warm material that was now around her. When she glanced back up at him, he was by her side and waiting for her to take his arm.

"Come on. It's time to get you out of here." He stated, she glanced at the hand he was offering her, and easily slid her's back into it. Only to blink in surprise as he lifted his arm, placed her hand in the crook of his elbow, and then placed his hand over hers. Then lead her toward the door in easily measured steps, and was thankful for that because it had been awhile since she had used her legs, and they didn't seem to keen on moving. She blinked as they reached the small dark hallway, and clutched tighter to his arm, as he lead the way toward the stairs where it seemed to quiet. They had reached the first step when a sharp gasp was heard, and she glanced toward Kaoru when he sighed.

"Guess Kyoya found out about you as well, and is telling my brother and the boss what's going on. I'll warn you, things are about to get hectic, and very loud." He stated, and she swallowed, as she glanced up the stairs. She knew, or at least hoped, that whoever this man and his friends were, that they wouldn't hurt her. So, she started up the steps again, wincing every time she heard a loud bang, or a shout that she couldn't quit understand. Then, once they reached the top, everything being said became clear.

"How dare you use an innocent young woman to pay off your debt!" The shout sounded, and she flinched at the coldness in the tone.

"What else was we going to use her for?" The voice was her uncle's, and she automatically felt her body tense in fear. Dear Lord, if he caught her now, she would regret it. He'd beat her until she couldn't move an inch without pain. She whimpered, and blinked as Kaoru tightened his hold on her hand.

"You've no reason to be frightened of them anymore. None of us will let them harm you, you're safe." He whispered, she blinked and gave a slight nod, but knew that she wouldn't get out of this house without something happening. Her uncle was a man of any means necessary, and would easily resort to violence if needed. She swallowed as he got them walking again, and blinked when she stepped into the living room to see a look-alike of Kaoru, and a blond man staring her aunt and uncle down.

"Boss. Brother. I think we can leave now." Kaoru whispered, and she tensed as they both glanced toward them. Their eyes widening when they saw her.

"Is that her, Kaoru? Is that Haruhi Fujiaki?" The blonde asked, and she blinked. How did he know her name, when Kaoru hadn't?

"Is that your name, Princess?" Kaoru asked, and she gave a small nod, still unsure as to how the blonde knew.

"You damn bitch! How dare you leave that room!" Her uncle growled, causing her to try and take a step back, but was stopped as Kaoru held firm on his hold. She looked up at him in desperation, trying to make him understand that she couldn't face her uncle, and that they shouldn't either.

"If you were smart, you wouldn't even look her way." Kaoru whispered, and even Haruhi stilled at the tone of his voice. Glancing back up, she saw that his eyes were now cold looking, like he wouldn't hesitate to harm anyone who got near him.

"She is our responsibility! So, if you take her, you're kidnapping." Her aunt stated, and Haruhi watched as Kaoru and the others just glared at her until she was studying the floor. Blinking at the feat that they had done, it wasn't easy to make her aunt look away, and they had done so just by glares alone.

"That's right. Now, why don't you just hand her over..." Her uncle growled, reaching for her. She gave a small gasp as Kaoru tugged her behind him, moved his right hand to his hip, and then brought it up with a gun pointed right at her uncle.

"She's coming with us, and that's that. If you don't want that to happen, go ahead and call the cops. I'm sure they'll understand your use for her." The blonde growled, stepping closer and rested a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up into kind blue eyes, but still tensed when he stepped closer.

"No worries, Princess. Boss wont hurt you." Kaoru stated, his voice kind again, but his hold on the gun never wavered from her uncle.

"That's right. Not I, or either of these two will hurt you, Haruhi. Now, it's your choice, do you want to come with us, or have us drop you off some place where you feel safe?" The blonde stated, and she bit her bottom lip. How could she tell him where she wanted to go when she didn't know the area? Not to mention she couldn't even speak to tell him that much.

"Tamaki, she lost her voice." Kaoru stated, and she watched as the boss' eyes widened briefly, before he nodded.

"Ha! She doesn't know this area, so she has no place but here." Her uncle growled, and she saw Tamaki's eyes dart his way in a cold way then back to her looking calm and kind again.

"You can still come with us. If you don't like it, then I'm sure we can find you a very nice home to live in." He whispered, she glanced at her aunt and uncle, who were glaring at her. It was her choice this time, and she knew that if she left with them, some form of retaliation was going to happen. It seemed like she was the only way that they could pay back the debt they owed, and she really didn't give a damn. Knowing that she she was playing with fire she swallowed, faced the blonde again and gave a small nod. Blinking when he smiled brightly, and patted her shoulder.

"Then it's settled, you'll be staying with us. Kaoru, why don't you go ahead and take Haruhi out to the limo. Me and Hikaru will finish things here." Tamaki stated, and she watched as Kaoru finally lowered his gun, slipped it back into its holster, and placed his hand back on top of hers.

"Let's go, Princess. Do you have any shoes?" He asked, his eyes going to the rug beside the door. She shook her head, and gasped when she suddenly found herself in his arms. She looked up at him to see him smiling down at her, causing her heart to beat slightly faster.

"I also suspect that you don't have anything that you want to take with you?" He asked, and once again she shook her head, causing him to nod and start out the door.

"You can't do this! How are we suppose to pay back our debt without her?" She heard her uncle shout, whatever happened next she didn't know, because Kaoru walked out with her.