Sorry again for the long delay. I've been busy with travel and exams (and my 21st birthday!).
Now, to find out what happens with Shizuko's mother's murderer. Will he find Shizuko hiding? Guess you'll just have to read and find out!
How…how is this possible? After all these years why does he have to reappear now? I thought, though it was difficult to even hear my own thoughts over the loud thudding of my heart. I wasn't able to see out – there were no slits, keyholes, or cracks in the door. Then again, I was not sure if I really wanted to see the face of the man who killed my mother. But if I see his face, I might be able to turn him in to the police!
My brain was waging war against itself – should I open the door enough to see his face so I could turn him in later, or should I play it safe and stay in my corner of the closet? Why did I put my phone away? I could have called for the police! Who knows what will happen now? I jumped when I heard the front door slam shut, followed by a small yelp, which must have come from Roísín. The next thing I heard was the loud slap of a palm hitting skin, and a body hitting a wall.
"Why didn't you invite me in right away? That's not how a good daughter is supposed to treat her loving father, is it?"
Roísín's whimpering voice answered. "No father, I'm sorry father."
I grit my teeth, angered.
"Well, now that I'm inside at least have the decency to make me some food!" he hissed.
I could hear Roísín scamper up the wall behind her and hurry into her kitchen. Cupboards where thrown open, pots and pans banging around, as she scrambled for something to make. Something tugged at the back of my mind – a few weeks ago I had come in to one of my meetings with Roísín and her arm had been in a sling. She had assured me it was fine, that she had simply fallen off of her bike. Now, I was sure it must have been her father's doing.
Heavy footsteps moved from the entry into the living area. I pressed myself further back into the closet; my heart was pounding so loudly I was amazed he could not hear it. The footsteps stopped. He was breathing heavily. He was just outside the door. I willed him with every fiber of my being to not open the door.
A teakettle whistling jarred me from my thoughts.
"The tea better be well made. And get me that food too! I'm starving!" Tatsuo's gruff voice bellowed.
"Yes father, right away father."
A tray was set down on a table just on the other side of the door. Liquid poured from it into a cup. I was beginning to sweat. The air was heavy and I couldn't breathe.
Small quick footsteps retreated from the room. More sounds could be heard from the kitchen. An annoyed sigh was released. "Work fast…I haven't got all…" Tatsuo's voice faded away mid-sentence. The distinct sound of a bag being unbuckled filled the void. I could only begin to guess what was happening…and then:
"Who is Shizuko Koi?"
My hands flew to my mouth to suppress an audible gasp. My bag…it was my bag he was unbuckling! How could I have left it so obviously out in the open?
A glass shattered against the floor.
"Be careful bitch! And answer me! Who is Shizuko Koi?!"
"Sh-she's one of my students. She was h-here earlier, pr-practicing with me. She m-must have l-left her bag," came Roísín's stuttered reply. "I'll go put it in my room, I'll bring it to her tomorrow." Her voice shifted from stammering to too fast.
The bag must have exchanged hands because I heard Roísín leave the room once more. I let out a quiet sigh of relief. Then my nightmares became real life.
The door to the closet swung open.
"My my, what do we have here?" Tatsuo leered down at me.
My eyes were wide with fear as he leaned forward, balling his fist into the soft fabric of my sweater and roughly pulling me to my feet, now out of the closet completely. "You must be Shizuko."
"Get away from her!"
We both turned to see Roísín standing at the entrance to the living room, a broom hoisted above her head defensively.
"Oh there's the broom! I was going to be the nice, helpful father I am and sweep up the glass in the kitchen, so I went to look for a broom in the closet. To my surprise there was no broom, but there was a girl!"
I pushed and shoved against his chest, trying desperately to free myself from his grasp, but it was to no avail.
"I'm warning you, if you don't let her go I will call the police!" Roísín yelled again.
"You want me to let her go? Alright, whatever you say," he released my shirt, but his now open palm connected with my chest, shoving me backwards. I tripped over a chair behind me, falling over it and hitting the back of my head against the edge of the table. My vision went white with pain as I lay on the ground. I felt a warm sticky substance begin to drip through my hair, down onto my neck.
"Shizuko!" Roísín's panicked voice called out to me, but I could no longer focus on where she was.
"Now, do you really think you can harm me with a broom?" Tastuo let out a laugh. "If you do, you must be seriously del…" A ringing phone cut him off. "Oh excuse me, that's mine! Just wait a moment." My vision began to clear and I saw him pull a phone from his pocket and answer it. "Tatsuo speaking. Ah yes, boss, I was just about to head over. I apologize for running late, I got held up at my daughter's." He paused, allowing the voice on the other end to answer.
In the meantime, Roísín grabbed a cloth from the kitchen and rushed to my side. She pulled me into her lap and pressed the cloth to my head, trying to stop the bleeding. "Don't worry Shizuko, I'm going to call an ambulance!"
"Don't you dare call anyone!" we looked up to see Tatsuo glaring at us, a knife now in his hand and aimed directly at us.
"Sorry boss. Yeah there's someone else here with the bitch. One of her students she says, name's Shizuko Koi." Another pause. "You're kidding me? It is? Damn, you're right, it is! Well, then I'll be over soon with them both." He hung up.
I could feel Roísín's heart rate pick up speed as Tatsuo slowly, menacingly walked towards us.
"Well, it looks like today just isn't your lucky day. There's someone who's wanted to meet you for a very long time Miss Koi. But I can't leave you here Roísín knowing I've technically just kidnapped one of your students, so you'll be coming with us too." The knife glinted in the light as he knelt down in front of us and placed it under Roísín's chin. "And unless you want to be bleeding too, I suggest you come quickly and quietly."
Mori was sitting in his room reading when his cell phone rang. He picked it up, quickly looking at the name flashing across the screen. It was Tamaki. He pressed the answer button and lifted it to his face, but before he could utter any greeting, Tamaki's loud voice was ringing in his ear.
"Mori-senpai, is Shizuko with you?" He sounded worried.
"No," Mori answered curtly.
Tamaki sighed on the other end of the line. "I just received a call from Chizu-san. Shizuko apparently had a meeting with Roísín earlier today, but she has not returned home. She was supposed to be back almost an hour ago, and Roísín was not answering her phone. Chizu-san did not have your number, but her only other assumption was that she was with you…" he trailed off. "I have Roísín's address…I'm on my way now to pick you and Hunny-senpai up. Kyouya is here with me, and Haruhi and the twins are meeting us there. We're all getting worried."
Mori furrowed his brows as he ended the call. He pulled on some shoes and a coat, then hurried down the stairs to grab Hunny from the kitchen where he was – of course – eating cake.
"Takashi! Do you want to have some cake too?"
"We don't have time."
Hunny lowered the fork to his plate. "What's wrong Takashi?"
"I'm not sure," he answered as the dining room door was pushed open. A maid walked in and bowed. "Young Masters, Masters Tamaki and Kyouya are here."
Mori grabbed Hunny's hand and pulled him out the door past the maid. "Where are we going? What are Tama-chan and Kyo-chan doing here?"
"We'll tell you in the car."
A few minutes later everyone was situated in Tamaki's limousine and it was pulling out of the circular driveway. Hunny sat with his arms crossed, Usa-chan in his lap.
"Will someone please tell me what is going on?"
Kyouya sighed and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "It seems Shizuko might be missing."
Hunny gasped, hugging Usa-chan to his chest. "No!"
Kyouya continued. "We are not yet certain. It might well just be that Shizuko and Miss Bevin left her apartment and Shizuko forgot her phone."
Everyone fell silent. They each knew that was highly unlikely. It would have been very unlike Shizuko to inform no one she would be late, and then leave her phone. They remained silent for the remainder of the ride.
Nearly thirty minutes passed before the apartment complex came into view. A second limousine was already parked outside, Kaoru and Hikaru each casually leaning up against its side. Haruhi was sitting inside, her legs dangling out of the open door, a few bags of food sitting forgotten on the seat next to her. They all looked up and walked towards the other vehicle as it pulled to a stop.
"We just got here a few minutes ago, boss," Hikaru said as the four filed out of the limo.
"Thanks for coming…I hope we have nothing to worry about though," Tamaki replied, looking down at his phone. "It is Block B, Floor 3, Apartment #12. Let's go."
The hosts quickly located the right building and apartment. Tamaki was about to knock when the next-door over opened up. An older woman walked out. She stepped back, startled to see a group of attractive guys (and one girl) standing outside her neighbor's door.
"Are you here for Roísín? If you are, I'm sorry to say you've missed her. I saw her leaving with her father about," she looked down at her watch, "about 2 and a half hours ago."
The hosts all looked at each other apprehensively. If she had left with her father, then where was Shizuko? Kyouya spoke up.
"Was there by any chance another girl with her? She would have been tall, skinny, with long blonde hair?"
The woman stopped and thought for a moment then her eyes flew open wide. "Yes! Yes there was! I think she was one of Roísín's students! Such a lovely looking girl…are you her friends? Is one of you her boyfriend?" She wiggled her eyes suggestively at the group.
"Ma'am, do you know where they went?" Tamaki asked.
"I'm afraid I don't, I'm sorry."
The hosts all sighed in defeat. "Well, thank you for your time."
The woman walked past them and down the stairs, leaving the hosts alone once more.
"What do we do now?" Hunny asked nervously.
"Well, how about we go in?"
The boys all turned around in time to see Haruhi push the door open.
"How did you get in?" Kaoru probed.
Haruhi rolled her eyes. "Most people in apartments keep a spare key somewhere…but you guys wouldn't know that." She lifted the mat in front of the door up with her foot. A key was tucked underneath. "Well? Are we going to go in or not?"
The twins shrugged and then entered the apartment, followed closely by Mori, Hunny, and Kyouya. Tamaki looked uncertainly around. "Should we be doing this? Breaking in?"
"We didn't really break in, boss," Hikaru turned around to say from the entryway.
"Yeah, the key was there, we needed to get in, so we used it. That's all," Karou finished.
Tamaki sighed and finally gave in, crossing through the doorway into the small residence.
"Tama-chan! There's broken glass in the kitchen!" Hunny cried out first.
"Yeah, and Shizuko's bag is still here in what appears to be Roísín's room!" Haruhi ducked out of a nearby room.
But none of this was what was worrying Mori. He was knelt down next to the table in the main living area. It was pushed slightly out of place and next to it was a discarded rag with blood on it. He picked it up and turned around with it in his hands.
"What is tha…oh no," Tamaki's hand flew to cover his mouth in fright.
"What is it boss?" Hikaru and Kaoru crowded around. When they saw the blood covered rag, they reacted in much the same way.
Kyouya, who had already seen it, pulled out his cell phone and began dialing a number. "I'm calling all nearby hospitals to see if anyone fitting their descriptions was checked in in the last few hours."
Again a silence fell as Kyouya worked his way through the list of hospitals. Eventually he reached the last one. They all waited with baited breath as it rang.
"Hello, yes, this is Kyouya Ootori speaking. I was wondering if a group of three, two females and an older man came in anytime in the past few hours? One of them would have been bleeding, I am not sure from where or what caused the injury however. One of the females would have been tall with blonde hair, the other shorter with red hair. I am unsure of the looks of the male." There was a pause as the receptionist went to look, then she came back with the results. "No? Alright then, thank you for checking." Kyouya hung up. "That was the last of the hospitals."
Mori sank down into a nearby chair, the rag still in his hands. Tamaki perched himself on the arm and hung his head. "What do we do now?"
Kyouya had his tablet out and was typing away at it. "I'm looking up the identity of Miss Bevin's father. Our next best bet is to check where he lives."
Mori looked down at the blood and thought to himself: Please Shizuko, just be safe.
Where has Tatsuo taken Roísín and Shizuko? What is going to happen to them? Who has been waiting a long time to meet Shizuko? Find out next time!