Hey guys! So, as you know, I don't usually do these starting author's notes so… yeah. I'm just going to give everyone a warning right now that there is a suicide in this chapter, who it concerns is for you to figure out. I just want you guys to know in case this is triggering to any of you. So, here's your warning. I'll also display a warning that a part of the chapter is quite sadistic and dark, I suppose. Other than that, enjoy.
x.x
Sakura sat quietly watching Mokuba play video games in the game room. After playing with him for a while, she decided that she'd take some time just watching. She let out a sigh as she repositioned herself on the couch. Her attention was then brought to a loud ringing around her. Mokuba noticed the sound also and paused his game before looking at her. "Isn't that your phone?" he asked.
"Oh, right." Sakura looked around before grabbing her phone from the table beside her. She glanced at the Caller ID and her brows furrowed in confusion at it.
"What is it?" Mokuba questioned.
"Seto's calling. It's not like him to call while he's working."
"Answer it. Maybe he needs something."
Sakura nodded and took the call. "Hello?" she spoke. There was no response on the other line. "Seto? Can you hear me?"
"Yes."
Sakura immediately froze. She knew that this person was definitely not Seto, but she had a familiar idea of who. A chill ran up her spine as her fear began to take over her thoughts. N-no. H-he can't have Seto's phone. This can't be real. Her body began to violently tremble as her breathing turned rapid. The person on the other line laughed at her sudden panic. Mokuba looked up again to see Sakura's look of terror and stood up from the floor.
"Sakura?" he asked. She didn't respond. She almost seemed to be in a trance. "Sakura, what's wrong?" The young teen and grasped her shoulders and shook her. "Sakura!"
She let out a light scream as she came back to reality. Her eyes darted around the room looking for any sense of danger. In the current room, there was none. Her eyes then went back to her phone, which was now lying on the floor. She picked it up only to still hear laughter on the other end. The man calmed himself before speaking again. "Ah, I never get tired of a good victim's scream." He said.
Sakura tried to control her breathing. "W-where's Seto?"
"Oh, he's here with me. He doesn't look pleased though."
"Please, Hirotani, don't hurt him! He has nothing to-"
"Shut up. I normally don't do invitations, but I want you at the Kaiba Corporation building. We'll settle things there. If you bring the police, I shoot the brunet. And don't keep me waiting."
"Wait, I-!"
She didn't get the chance to finish before she noticed that he hung up on her. Sakura tossed her phone to the side and buried her face in her hands. She was trying to hold back tears.
X.X.X
Hirotani set the phone down on the desk and smirked. "She'll be along any time now." He said. "This will be fun, won't it, Kaiba?" Seto growled as he continued to struggle against his bindings. There was still duck tape covering his mouth. Hirotani frowned and ripped the tape from his mouth. He hated talking to blank slates.
"You better not lay a hand on her, you snake!" Seto spat.
"Oh, what's the joy in that? I love savoring a good moment of torture."
"Go screw yourself."
"You are a sassy one, aren't you? Besides, that girl is such a coward; it'll be easy to take her down."
"Shut up!"
Hirotani smirked. "No."
Seto growled towards the man. "What are you even trying to accomplish with this? Is this just some childish fantasy of yours to command a hostage situation?"
"No, actually. I'm just here to ruin the people who ruined me. If that girl didn't just die like she was supposed to, then I would've been caught. So of course, you had to be the one to get me arrested."
"Well, it was your foolish decision to go on a shooting rampage."
"Shut up!" Hirotani glared at the young brunet before smirking again. "Anyways, once I kill the girl finally, I'll enjoy blowing up this building. But don't worry, once you see her die, you and your company will be blown to bits."
"You're insane!"
"Even if I am, I don't care." The vibrant-haired male then reached into his pocket and dug out a white cloth. "Somebody hold his head." The two other men in the room then grabbed the brunet's face. They held his mouth open wide enough for Hirotani to stuff the cloth into his mouth. Before the young CEO could spit it out, his mouth was already recovered in duck tape. Hirotani turned back towards the two men by him. "You head down to the lobby. I'll take care of this."
X.X.X
"Sakura?" Mokuba looked at her. "What's happened to my brother?"
She didn't look up at him to speak. "H-Hirotani has Seto."
"What? Why? What else did he say?"
"He wants me at the Kaiba Corp. building."
"He's being held hostage? We've got to go call the police!"
The young teen went to rush to grab the phone, but Sakura quickly grasped his arm to stop him. "No! You can't! They'll kill him if the police show up."
"Then we've got to go there ourselves."
"I-I can't!" Sakura sobbed. "I can't face him again!"
Mokuba remained silent. He didn't want to force her, even if their situation was desperate.
"I'm sorry, Mokuba. I am. But, I just don't think I'll be able to!"
"I know. What will happen if you don't show up?"
Her shaking hands went to wipe her eyes. "I don't want to think about it."
"Then I'll go." Sakura immediately looked up at him. "I can't just let Seto die. We're a team!"
"N-no! You can't go!" Tears continued to flow from her eyes as her thoughts shifted to what might happen. She hated and feared the thought of having to go herself, but there seemed to be no other way. Seto was in danger and there was no other way he could be saved. She couldn't let someone else take the blame for what she had indirectly caused. "I'll go."
"But, Sakura, you said-"
"I know. But I can't stand the thought of…" she couldn't finish her sentence. It was too painful to think about. She slowly stood up, although her legs were shaking nervously. She felt like she couldn't keep he balance.
"What if something happens to you or him though?"
"If you really get that concerned then… call the police."
"But, I'm not going to just sit here! You can't go alone!"
"I don't want you to get hurt. Just stay here, please."
"But, I-!"
Sakura then pulled him in for a tight hug. "Please."
Mokuba pouted at her. He merely nodded as he looked down to the carpet. Sakura soon stepped away from him and rushed downstairs. She put on her shoes and left the mansion. From there, she ran as fast as she possibly could. There was no time to call the limo driver around or to try and find a car to drive herself. Even though she was severely afraid, that's what made her keep running. Please, let Seto be alright! It can't be too late! Her eyes threatened to produce more tears when she thought about it. Through the sidewalks, she ended up shoving past quite a few people, but she didn't have the time to apologize. Once finally making it downtown and in front of the Kaiba Corp. building, she began to slow down. She didn't want to risk barging in there and risk anything reckless. She came to the tinted glass doors and slowly opened one of them.
As soon as she stepped inside, she noticed nearly ten men standing around the lobby. They quickly noticed her and pointed the guns in their hands towards her. Sakura nervously took a couple of steps back with her eyes darting between each of the men. One of them soon held up his hand to the rest of them. "Wait. That's the girl." He spoke.
All of the guns trained on her suddenly dropped. "He's upstairs in the office." One of the men yelled to her.
Sakura slowly nodded as she walked past them. She couldn't help but notice all of them watching and smirking at her. From the mere ten men they had in the lobby, she could still tell they had the place tightly secured. It would be difficult to overwhelm them. She quietly, but quickly made her way to the elevator and waited for it to reach the ground floor. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw all the employees sitting around each other, cowering in fear. Most of the employees were watching her and even at a distance, Sakura could still see a cry for help in their eyes. The elevator finally dinged and Sakura stepped inside. She pushed the button for the floor that the CEO's office was at and waited.
This is the worst few seconds of my life, she thought. There was a pit of anxiety settled in her stomach. Before long, the elevator doors opened and the brunette walked to the office. She cautiously looked around as she walked. The lights were slightly dimmed, giving the area a haunted aura. Sakura then looked over and noticed the secretary's desk. The woman was hunched over onto it like she hadn't slept in days. Sakura rushed over to the woman, but stopped once she got closer. The woman's eyes were wide open and unmoving. There was blood coming from a wound to her head. The brunette suddenly put a hand to her mouth as she backed away until she hit another desk.
I'm going to be sick. I can't. I can't go on. She slowly began to slide down to the floor with her breathing rapid. I'm sorry. I just can't. I don't want to see more of this. The thought of seeing Seto dead then flashed in her mind. She had no other choice. She had to get to him if she wanted to stop seeing the hell around her. Sakura slowly began to calm down and stood up again. She continued to make her way to the brunet's office until she stood before the doorway. She inhaled deeply and slowly opened it. The room was dark and nearly looked deserted. She then noticed Seto bound tightly to a chair with duck tape over his mouth. He was shaking his head and struggled against the ropes furiously.
"Seto!" she yelled.
Sakura ran forward to him, but suddenly stopped when she felt something collide with the back of her head. Her mind increasingly grew dizzy as she collapsed to the ground. After attempting to gather her surroundings again, she glanced up to see Hirotani smirking at her. She could tell from the taser in his grasp that she was hit with the end of it. He pocketed the item before glancing to the glaring CEO and then back to Sakura.
"Hm, what would be the best way to end this scenario?" he pondered. "Killing you now would be good, but I think there's a better way." He began to stride over to the other side of the office. "A mix of emotional and physical torture will be good to start things off."
Hirotani turned towards the brunet and swung a hard punch to his face. Seto released a groan through the cloth in his mouth as he proceeded to glare at the man in front of him. The vibrant-haired male continued to punch and kick at different parts of his victim's body. Seto endured each hit, but could still feel his form beginning to bruise. A hard punch was then hurled into his gut, causing him to gag and cough into the cloth. The brunet felt his consciousness start to slip, but he held himself together to stay awake. He glanced up once he had realized he was no longer being punched or kicked. Instead, he saw Hirotani with a maniacal grin at his lips and a knife in his grasp.
Seto winced when he felt the sharp blade cut across his arms and chest, tearing his clothing along with it. Most others would not be able to tolerate such pain, but Seto was used to it from his years of living with his stepfather and the abuse brought with it. Just like back then, he had someone he needed to protect. The best he could do was withstand it like he did before.
Seto suddenly opened his eyes when he realized that the knife was no longer cutting him, but rather something else. His gaze traveled to the ropes binding him, which was currently being sawed off by the knife. What is that moron doing? Once the ropes were nearly completely sawed off, Hirotani looked back to the brunet. He smirked at him before ripping the duck tape from his mouth, causing Seto to spit out the cloth. "What? Did you just realize that your feeble plan will no longer work, so you're just letting us escape?" Seto glared to him. "It's about time you got knocked into your senses."
The brunet was then grabbed by his collar and thrown to the ground. Unfortunately for him, his hands were still bound together, so he still couldn't defend himself. "Ah, this is much better." Hirotani said. "Now I can hit every angle of your body." He proceeded to harshly kick the brunet in the side. "Now, come on, I want to hear you scream."
"Never." Seto hissed. Hirotani growled as he continued to kick at him, followed by grabbing his knife again.
Sakura blinked rapidly as she returned to reality. She had heard talking and grunts, but was not fully aware of the things around her. She glanced around the room as she started to pick herself up before her gaze stopped. She watched Hirotani pick Seto up by the hair and punch his cheek. She let out a loud scream at the sight. Her chest began to constrict and felt as though she couldn't breathe. She could barely move from her current position as the trembling set in. She couldn't tell if her current agony was from her overwhelming fear or if somebody was inflicting it. Either way, it felt like she would collapse again.
Hirotani watched her carefully. He gave a light chuckle towards her sudden panic. He glanced back towards the brunet by his feet to see that he seemed immobilized. He saw this as a perfect opportunity to land in some torment to her. He walked away from the young CEO and approached the panicked brunette on the other end of the office. She didn't even seem to notice that he was heading towards her; she was just staring off into space somewhere. Hirotani looked down at the girl and smirked. He lifted his foot and kicked her roughly in the side. She yelped as she hunched over again.
"Hmph, you're so pitiful." He said. "I still don't understand why you survived back then when you're this weak."
The vibrant-haired male pocketed his knife again. He wanted to wait to resume using it. Instead, he pulled out his taser again. He pointed it firmly to her unmoving form. He smirked as the wire popped out of the weapon and connected with her back. Sakura shook aggressively as the electricity surged through her body. She then fell to the ground in a paralyzed heap. Her entire body felt numb, except for a burning sensation within the skin on her back. Hirotani laughed at her feeble form as he circled her.
Seto looked up and blinked through his fuzzy vision. He realized that he was no longer being attacked, but Sakura was. He pulled at the ropes that bound his wrists together until his skin was raw and nearly bleeding. He needed something sharp to cut himself loose. He slowly pulled himself into a sitting position, although he felt that his head was swimming. He moved his body closer to his desk and reached for one of the drawers on it. His fingers grasped the handle and quickly pulled the drawer open. His hands swiftly searched through the drawer in an attempt to find something he could use. He stopped when he felt something pointed touch his fingertip. He recognized it as his letter opener just by its touch.
The brunet quickly removed it from the drawer and sawed at the ropes that bound him. He growled feeling that it was too time consuming. He peered around the desk to see Hirotani gave another kick to Sakura's side. That bastard, he thought. His eyes widened as soon as the ropes fell from his wrists to the floor. He picked himself up, but felt his balance try to give way from under him. He yanked the handle to the top drawer to his desk and pulled out the loaded handgun he kept in there.
Hirotani noticed the noise the brunet was making and gazed towards the desk. His eyes widened when he noticed the handgun pointed straight at him. He instinctively went to point his taser gun towards the brunet, but by then, it was too late. A shot rang through the office followed by a loud yell of pain. Hirotani quickly collapsed to the ground with blood dripping from the wound on his left knee. Seto glared at the man with the handgun still tightly in his grip. Hmph, that pathetic moron deserves so much more.
Sakura began to feel that her muscles weren't numb anymore, but still didn't have the strength to pick herself up. She watched Hirotani carefully out of the corner of her eye. He didn't seem capable of moving, but she thought that it would be best not to assume anything. The trio soon heard sirens off in the distance as they grew closer. It wasn't hard to tell that their destination was the Kaiba Corp. building. The corner of Sakura's mouth twitched into a smile. Thank you, Mokuba, she thought.
"No." Hirotani hissed. He couldn't escape now. He could hardly move, nor would he have a chance of evading the police. He was finished. "No! If they want me, then they can have my corpse! I am not going back to prison!"
The turquoise-haired male fumbled onto his side and gripped the seat of the couch beside him. Seto watched him closely and raised his gun again. Hirotani hastily got himself to his feet. He hissed in pain as the pressure of his body weight was applied to his leg, causing blood to drip down to the floor. He only had one shot at this. Albeit his pain and weakness, he ran forwards to the back of the office. Seto saw him charging and fired a few shots in his direction. He didn't have time to see if he had hit the man or not.
Suddenly, one of the window panels shattered open, leading shards of glass to scatter to the floor and to the pavement down below. The vibrant-haired male shielded his face from the glass before feeling gravity pull him down. His end was inevitable now. When Seto blinked, there was nothing but a broken window panel in that direction. He could hear screams of terrified civilians from the earth after a faint smacking sound. He let out a sigh upon seeing that it was over. The handgun dropped from his grip as he began to lose his balance. Only now did he notice how lightheaded and unsteady he was. The brunet fell beside his desk as he went into unconsciousness.
Sakura watched him as he lie there. She was still in shock over the scene she had just witnessed. She slowly went to stand up, but lightheadedness and pain overcame her. She weakly dragged herself to the unconscious CEO and lightly touched his arm. "Seto?" she questioned. Her vision began to turn spotted and before long all she saw was black.
x.x
And I'm going to end it here. This may even be my longest chapter for this story so far, I'm not sure though. Hopefully this chapter was still good despite my sadism. Ah, character torturing is neat. Oh, and also, for whatever reason, I've been thinking about just dropping the titles I have for the chapters and end up just changing it to "Chapter –Blank-". I don't know, maybe its just a phase, but what do you guys think? Well, anyways, I hope that this action-y chapter was enjoyable and I'll talk to you all next time!
