"To suffering there is a limit; to fearing, none."—Sir Francis Bacon.
"Please! You have to help me!"
"You said she was on her way home from college?" The officer's tone was bored and unfeeling.
"Yes, but she said she'd be back by now. But, she's not back and she didn't call!" Ryoja Fujjioka was shaking, his voice high and wavering.
"You're going to have to calm down sir. It's winter. She probably got caught in a storm and stopped to rest somewhere for the night. As for her not calling, I know that my own children use their phones until the battery dies before they'll get the sense to charge them."
"Haruhi's not like that! She always remembers everything."
"Sir, please," the officer pried Ryoja's pale hands from the edge of his desk, "even if something was wrong, I cannot put out a missing persons alert for at least another 18 hours or so."
~~Stolen~~
Kyouya slammed his phone down on the desk, putting a thin crack in the screen. He'd been bombarded with calls from the other hosts since he'd called each one of them, delivering Haruhi's pre-recorded message. He had not counted on the tenacity of each host. Kyouya knew he'd have to eventually call each one of them and feign innocence but now was not the time. He was having a hard enough time as it was getting his work to himself without giving away his location. Very few of his most trusted employees knew of his whereabouts and even fewer knew his true intentions for moving there.
Kyouya knew what he had to do; it was the only way to throw the others off his scent trail. He'd have to call each of them personally and act worried. He felt it beneath him to explain his action and even farther beneath his to lie about what he'd done. He believed he was justified. He'd supported her, not destroyed her for all the mistakes she'd made costing him a fortune. He'd offered himself as a husband. He would have supported her and made sure she was well taken care of. That's all a woman these days could ask for. But the ungrateful snob didn't want anything to do with him. He felt is almost his responsibility to fix that high and mighty attitude of hers. So, he'd kidnapped her. But that wasn't what he was going to tell the other hosts.
"Kyouya, where have you been!" The twins, the most gullible of the group next to Tamaki, whom he couldn't reach for some reason, sounded very frazzled on the other end of the line.
"I caught a chest cold from this horrid winter weather and have been resting. Although, I got an interesting message from Haruhi and wanted to ask if you knew any more than I do…."
"NO! That's what we've calling you about! We're worried sick and all you can say is 'I wasn't feeling well'?" Kyouya's hands tensed as he tried to calm himself.
"I assure you, it was not my choice to fall ill. I have missed out on a lot of work and must get caught up on it. So, if you don't have any further information on Haruhi I need to be going."
"How dare you-" the line went dead.
~~Stolen~~
"That's the problem, no one knows anything. She didn't say anything to anyone. Her father has already tried going to the police but they won't help him." Kyouya's heart skipped a beat. He'd just talked to Ryoji last night. Kyouya had assured him the Haruhi would be back soon. Apparently Ryoji was a litte too intuitive for his own good. He had to think quick.
"I didn't think this very important before but I think I might be able to shed a little light on the situation. Haruhi has been voicing some rather strange desires lately. That's what I was talking to her about that night at the restaurant when I pulled her aside. She'd mentioned to me earlier about feeling trapped, needing space and I asked her to reconsider. I told her she was just stressed from finals and should go home and simply relax. It was my understanding that she'd agreed to stay so I didn't push the matter too far. I never actually thought she would leave. However, now that she's gone, the only thing we can do is hope she is safe and let her come back on her own terms, lest she feel even more smothered." The other end of the line was silent for so long that Kyouya thought Hunny might have hung up.
"I don't know Kyouya. Something about this is bothering me. It just doesn't feel right, it doesn't feel like something Haruhi would do."
"And how would you know what Haruhi would do!" Kyouya was rapidly getting more frustrated. Why wouldn't anyone of them just listen to him. He was telling them she was safe and they shouldn't worry. Why did they continue to question him! "I," Kyouya cleared his throat, "I apologize. The medication I am taking has not been good for my normal sleeping patterns and has left me a little on edge. If you will excuse me I have some business to attend to." Hunny pressed the end call button on the phone when he heard the dial tone from Kyouya's end. Though he didn't say anything, Hunny could tell by simply looking that Mori was just as worried and confused as Hunny was. They both knew Haruhi would not pull a stunt like this. It just wasn't like her. She was a rational, practical, considerate woman and would never simply leave. Whimsy was not an area any of the hosts could ever see Haruhi exploring, which is why none of this made any sense. The worst part about it was that the only person unconcerned with Haruhi's disappearance was the one who had the most connections that could lead to finding Haruhi. Something just wasn't right.
~~Stolen~~
Kyouya had woken absurdly early in the morning, not his normal style, and left the house. Haruhi had been awake but tried her best to appear as if she were sleeping. She hadn't actually gotten any sleep last night. Her mind would not stop running.
Countless times Haruhi had heard of girls and women in similar situations. Always, always Haruhi had wondered why the girls hadn't just called the police. Why had the threatening word of a man who wasn't there at a moment when a phone was accessible prevented those women from calling for help, saving themselves from some unknown fate? But she knew now. That fear, the gripping overwhelming fear struck deep, choking her. She was barely able to think clearly enough to stand let alone formulate how she would avoid getting caught. And that was the real problem. Kyouya had eyes everywhere. Getting caught would be the easiest thing she ever did. The intelligence Kyouya employed would no doubt have all her sources of contact to the outside world bugged. And Haruhi knew she could not rely on the hope that someone could help her. For all she knew, the officer she reached if she actually had the courage to call for help would be owned by Kyouya. Those men would always be loyal to Kyouya first, the law second, and what is moral third.
Dizzy and breathless Haruhi sat up in bed. Kyouya had taped a 'to-do' list to her bed-side table. On impulse Haruhi bristled. She would never do this monster's menial labor! But almost as immediately as her temper had flared, it froze. She'd made a deal. She would do anything he asked and in return he would not, Haruhi swallowed the bile in her throat, take her for a month. Besides, she needed some kind of distraction so she would not break down again.
~~Stolen~~
Tamaki had only been in Rangitikei for a week, but already he was homesick. Sure, Rangitikei was beautiful but it just wasn't home. Home had tall buildings and busy travelers. Home had friends and family. Home had Haruhi. Tamaki let out an unconscious sigh. He loved Haruhi but he didn't know if he could make things work with her. He wanted to spend all the time he could with her, lavishing her with love and all the things she never had growing up. But she was so dedicated to school. He didn't mind, of course, but he didn't want Haruhi to feel pressured into putting her dreams on hold. Determined as she was beautiful, though, Tamaki feared she might not even feel bad about turning him down so that she could follow her dreams. Hanging his head in his hands Tamaki tried to squeeze all the ways she could reject him out of his head. It wasn't working. In an effort to stave off the pain he was currently feeling Tamaki picked up his cell to call Haruhi. Sure, he promised himself he wouldn't bother her, unless, of course, she'd called him. But he couldn't hold off any longer. He simply needed to hear her voice.
~~Stolen~~
Kyouya glanced up from his work. Haruhi's cell phone, which he'd kept locked in his office, buzzed on his desk. Curious, Kyouya picked up the phone and smiled. So, the fool was calling to find out about his sweet. Kyouya hadn't left a message on Tamaki's phone because he knew not receiving word from Haruhi until after she left would immediately cause suspicion to fester in the blonde idiot. He'd already had to think of a solid plan B when Tamaki hadn't answered his calls, but was still confident he could control the situation with ease. Kyouya pushed a button on the side of Haruhi's phone, sending Tamaki straight to voicemail.
The benefit of having friends in high places is that you could easily mess with others minds. A very close family friend owed Kyouya a very large favor and Kyouya had finally called it in. None of the other four hosts' phones would be able to receive calls from any phone Tamaki was likely to use. The call would go straight to voicemail everytime. Tamaki would simply assume the hosts were busy with their family. But, incase Tamaki got intelligent enough to go and visit any of the other hosts, the staff he'd snuck into the employ of each of those families would create diversions, telling Tamaki that the hosts were busy or unable to see him at the moment. It was quite a bit of work but Kyouya was confident he had everything under control. All the stress was making him tense, though. Luckily, he knew the perfect person to help him work out the knots.
A/N: SORRY if it seems boring and slow now but I have to set everything up just right to make the story work out the way it's supposed to. Please continue reading and reviewing!
A/N/Public service announcement: Before continuing this story I would like you all to know that I am IN NO WAY romanticizing rape. It is a terrible, horrid crime. Also, I would like to offer up some pointers on keeping yourself SAFE.
1. STAY ALERT: Walking out to your car alone, especially at night, is a bad idea to begin with but is quite often unavoidable. However, if you find yourself doing so, DO NOT allow yourself to be distracted (i.e. Texting, talking on the phone) that lack of knowledge of you immediate surroundings is exactly the in an attacker needs.
2. Carry protection: I carry pepper spray with me (it's pink! )
3. Prepare yourself: Take some self defense classes! Many colleges offer FREE rape defense classes. If that is not available, the extra money you spend on the knowledge of how to defend yourself can save you something much more precious in the future.
4. Never stop fighting: Even if you aren't a master martial artist, you can still cause some damage. Bite, pull, pinch, punch, kick your attackers knee from the front to incapacitate them, punch them in the esophagus, shove your fingers in their eyes, knee them in the groin, box their ears, (also, scratch them. If all else fails and you do end up getting raped, epithelials under your nails can help identify you attacker)ANYTHING that can incapacitate them long enough that you can run for help!
5. The buddy system wasn't just for day camp: Do what you can to go nowhere alone. Attackers single out those who are…single.
Now….if you find yourself kidnapped here are a few suggestions
1. DO NOT plead: Many rapes are based on an aggressive need for power. By pleading with them, you are letting them know they have that much more power over you, it's what they want.
2. Yell "FIRE!" : It's a sad fact but many people are much more likely to help someone put out a fire than to try and save them from someone that might have a gun or other dangerous weapon. Self-preservation is a little too ingrained in the humans of today.
Finally if none of this worked and you were fully attacked, DO NOT STAY SILENT! I know very well that the threat of retribution is strong. You may fear that the attacker may come back for you or your family, but think of it this way, if they are IN JAIL they cannot hurt you, your family, OR any others they WOULD HAVE ATTACKED had you not spoken up. And, Go STRAIGHT to the police. Rape kits help the law gather evidence (from semen or saliva) that will GREATLY help incriminate your attacker. Showering first destroys any of that evidence!
I hope some of this helped any of you!