So sorry for the long wait (cliché much?) but life…and school….and people….and music….and tiredness….and exams….PLEASE FORGIVE ME!

Thanks to uyay, my amazing beta….seriously. Freaking amazing. Have I mentioned we write stories together? No? Well, I did now.

Enjoy.

...~...

Mori woke up to a cold liquid on his face. He gasped at the sudden shock and spit out the water that trickled into his mouth. He shook his head out of instinct to shake the water out of his face and focused on a man standing in front of him with a crazy grin on his face and a bucket in his hand. He turned around and placed the bucket in the corner of the room and immediately turned back to Mori.

The man was tall and muscularly built, clearly foreign. From Europe, Mori thought, his mind slower than usual. Did they drug me? The man was wearing an expensive suit obviously tailored to him. The man was fairly handsome. His medium length black hair hung over his forehead and his startlingly blue eyes were fixed on Mori's. The man seemed no older than thirty. He stood in front of Mori with his hands behind his back, an expectant expression on his face.

"Ah good," the man cooed. "The little birdie woke up. Good, good."

Mori instinctively tried to move but none of his limbs responded. He glanced down and found himself tied to a chair, his hands tied behind his back and his ankles tied to the legs of the chair. On cue, his shoulders screamed in pain from being behind his back in the awkward position for so long. His head pounded, the pain originating from a spot on the back of his head. "How long have I been here?" Mori asked trying to keep any emotion out of his voice.

The man smiled, showing black teeth and rancid breath. "What does it matter, my little birdie? You'll fetch a handsome price. At least, that's what the boss says. A very handsome price."

"The boss?" Mori asked confused.

The man nodded furiously, as if he was mentally unstable. He pulled his hands out from behind his back and wrung them together. "The boss says you'll make us some money. The girl will come for you. And she'll bring an even better price." The man continued nodding. "Oh yes, Dariath will be paid good. Dariath will be able to get himself a new tie." The man pulled at the tie on his current suit. It was checkered red and black. "Yes, yes. A new tie. Good, very good. Boy and girl will bring a handsome price. New tie. Yes, very good."

Mori adjusted his bonds and grimaced as his entire body burned. "Can you loosen these bonds?" he asked trying to keep a non-threatening tone.

Dariath, Mori presumed that was his name, shook his head frantically. "No, no. Dariath was instructed to get the boss once he woke the boy. Oh, yes. Dariath must not dawdle anymore. Dariath wants a new tie. Dariath must listen." Dariath turned away from Mori and opened a thick door. "Oh yes," he muttered. "Dariath must get the boss. Maybe the boss will get the jumper cables. Dariath does enjoy the screams from the jumper cables. And the way they jump and dance. Oh yes, Dariath likes jumper cables."

The door shut with a final slam and Mori tried to calm the rising panic within him. He said the girl will come for me. He must mean Haruhi….which means she got away. Mori let go of a breath he had been holding and felt a bit of stress relieved. Now he just had to get himself out of the room.

Mori glanced around the room and felt a hopeless feeling settle over him. The room had concrete walls and a concrete floor. The chair Mori was sitting on was in the middle of the room. It was the sole item in the room except for the bucket in the corner. In front of Mori was a metal door that seemed several layers thick with two locks. Mori turned his attention to the chair next. It was sturdy and wouldn't break apart with struggling. His bonds were equally durable. There was no way for him to loosen them enough to slip his hand through.

Resigning for the moment just to wait and see what would happen, Mori settled himself in the chair trying to relax his aching muscles. After what felt like hours but was, in reality, only minutes, Mori could hear footsteps echoing down the hallway outside of his cell. As they reached his door, they stopped and everything became silent for a moment before a key clicked in the lock. The door opened and a young man stepped through the door. He was tall, seemed to be around Mori's age. He had dark brown hair that spiked around his head. His dark blue eyes were narrowed, evaluating Mori. He was wearing a dark black jacket over a simple white shirt and black cargo pants.

"Hello, Takashi Morinozuka," the boy greeted smugly. He closed the door and leaned against it. "Are you comfortable?"

Mori nearly rolled his eyes. "No. Now, who are you?"

"Now, now, now," the boy said. "That's being a bit forward, don't you think?"

"You know my name," Mori countered.

The boy chuckled. "Fair enough. My name is Kurai."

"Are you Haruhi's stalker?" Mori asked.

Kurai shook his head. "Stalker is a strong word. I'm more of her…" he trailed off, thinking of a word. His face lit up and finished, "Protector."

Mori ground his teeth together in an effort to keep from snapping at the man. "What do you want?"

Kurai grinned maniacally. "You sure are asking a lot of questions." He tsked. "I think that's all you need to know now." Kurai opened the door. "We'll talk soon."

Mori struggled against his bonds. "Wait!" he shouted.

Kurai gave Mori one last mocking smile. "So anxious. Don't worry. I'll let you out soon. I just need Haruhi first. Then you can go." Kurai closed the door on the last word. Mori slumped in the chair, the image of Kurai's smug grin stuck in his mind.

…..~…

Haruhi clutched the phone in her shaking hand. This can't be happening…this can't be happening. "Takashi," she murmured quietly. Losing all strength to stand, she backed up into the bathroom door and slid down it. "No," she murmured, as she let the phone slip from her hand and drop to the floor.

"Surrender yourself, and the boy will live," the man's voice echoed through her head. "No harm will come to him if you submit yourself, fully and without struggle."

Mori's face came to Haruhi's mind, the usually stoic face that she couldn't picture hurt…or worse. She grabbed a notebook from her pocket and a pen that she had been carrying in case someone grabbed her; she would have left a note if she had been kidnapped with no one around.

A tear slipped down Haruhi's face without her noticing, and she said out loud to the empty bathroom, "I'm doing this for you, Takashi…"

…~…

Kurai stood leaning on the car, his arms crossed and occasionally sending a glance back to see if his guards were still in position and paying attention. A sneer overcame his features when he saw a car pull into the abandoned warehouse's parking lot. It pulled up in front of Kurai, stopped, and turned off. The car's headlights remained on and blinded him from seeing the driver for a moment before they switched off. Kurai could see Haruhi, his adored Haruhi, in the driver's seat. He waved to her. "Come on out. We don't bite."

Haruhi got out of the car and shut the door hard. "Where's Takashi," she asked forcefully, trying (and failing) to not show fear.

Kurai laughed. He loved that about her. Always so strong, even when she wasn't. "So forward," he commented amusedly. "No introductions at all."

Haruhi glanced at Kurai and at his men behind him. "Where is Takashi?" she repeated. "I don't see him."

Kurai sighed and motioned for his men to walk behind Haruhi. They did and Kurai answered, "That's because he's not here; he's back at the base. I couldn't bring him before you showed up…I didn't know if I could trust you."

"Well, you can and I'm here. So let him go." Haruhi went to move away from the men behind her but they put their hands on her shoulders, holding her in place.

Kurai pushed off the car and stalked towards Haruhi, eyeing her as if she were his prey. "Now, now. I don't believe that you're in the place to be giving orders…" Haruhi glared at Kurai and Kurai suddenly knew what he wanted. "Beg me."

"Excuse me?" Haruhi asked, her eyes wide.

"Beg me to let the boy go," Kurai repeated, coming face to face with Haruhi. He leaned down, his face just inches from hers. "Plead with me."

Haruhi pushed Kurai away. "You're sick!" Kurai stumbled back a couple steps, shocked and the men grabbed Haruhi and held her arms behind her back. She cried out in pain and Kurai smiled.

"Let her go," he said quietly.

With hesitance, the men let Haruhi go and she stumbled forward. She caught herself and looked up at Kurai with hate and menace in her eyes. "I hate you."

Kurai tilted his head at Haruhi and took two strides forward, grabbed Haruhi's arm, and pulled her to the car. He forced her up against the side and twisted her arm up her back. She yelped in pain but quickly stifled it. "You need to learn your place, my pet," Kurai growled in her ear. "You are no longer going to be Haruhi Fujioka, only my pet." Kurai forced her arm farther up her back and Haruhi grit her teeth struggling to keep her cries down. "And you're going to like it."

"Never," she gasped.

Kurai felt anger come over him and he forced Haruhi's arm higher. This time she screamed in pain. Kurai could tell that the arm was close to breaking and her shoulder would dislocate if he moved it up any farther. "Do you want your friend to live?" he said in her ear. "Do you wish to remain alive?"

"We called a trade," Haruhi gasped out. "Me for Takashi."

"Things can be rearranged," Kurai countered. "Now, beg."

"Please," she said.

Kurai smirked in her ear. "Going to have to do better than that, my pet."

"Please!" Haruhi said, struggling to free her arm.

"Now why should I give you any mercy after how you've treated me?" he asked mockingly. "Then you go and make fun of me by not even attempting to beg with any earnest. Do you know what that means?" Kurai leaned back from Haruhi.

Haruhi shook her head. "No," she answered in a whisper.

Kurai forced her arm further up her back, feeling a pop and a snap. Haruhi screamed, and it echoed throughout the abandoned area. Kurai let her go and Haruhi slumped to the ground cradling her injured arm.

He looked down at her and smirked. "It means you lose."