Chapter 2: Rescue
Michiru looked at the approaching cars for a second before she decided that she needed to know if they wanted to Haruka and quickly hid behind the bushes that were growing next to the road. The two cars came to a stop, and their doors opened. All in all, six men got out of them, two carrying black briefcases, all of them wearing black suits and dark sunglasses. The tallest of them walked up to the door and knocked, then he pulled out some brass knuckles and put them on – much to Michirus horror. The aqua haired girl had to watch how Haruka opened the door, only to receive a punch into the stomach the very next second. The blonde doubled over, and two of the men stepped forward, grabbing her arms and dragged her back into the house. The remaining four guys followed them inside, slamming the door close behind them. Michiru quickly left her hiding place and hurried over to the door, pressing her ear against it in hope of hearing something. After a few moments of silence, another door slammed, and Michiru hoped that she had guessed the room right when she hurried over to the bedroom window and spied inside. At first she couldn't see Haruka; then she saw that two of the men were tying the blonde to a metal pipe that ran from the ground up the wall and vanished in the ceiling. The guy who had punched Haruka before stood in front of the bed, counting the money that still laid there, then ordered one of his men to pack the cash into the briefcases. He walked over to where Haruka sat tied to the pipe and knelt down in front of her. "Thanks for the cash, Haruka." He spoke, loud enough for Michiru to hear. "You're debt free now…well, almost." He lashed out with his fist, and Michiru closed her eyes and winced when she heard how the brass knuckled connected with Harukas face and body several times. When the man finally stopped beating the blonde, she was near unconsciousness, with blood running down her face and staining her clothes. Michiru dared to open her eyes again, and she watched how the guy who had beaten Haruka first pulled out a white cloth. He first wiped the blood from his brass knuckles, then knelt down again and tied the cloth between Harukas teeth. "The only thing you own us now is your life." The man spoke, smiling, before he gestured towards the men he had brought with him. Two of them followed him out, carrying the briefcases that contained the money Haruka had stolen from the bank. The remaining three men left the room for a second, then returned with odd silver canisters in their hands. Michiru realized with horror what they intended to do when they started to empty them on the floor, and the sharp stench of gas filled the air. "They'll burn the house down." Michiru whispered to herself, her eyes widening in shock. "They'll burn the house down…and they'll leave Haruka inside there to die!" Inside, the blonde groaned behind the gag, weakly struggling against the rope that held her. The last guy moved out of the room, creating a trail of gas on his way out, ending it at the front door. Michiru sneaked around the house until she could see the men, but was sure that they couldn't see her. The leader guy pulled out an expensive Zippo lighter and knelt down next to the trail of gas that ended at the front door. The Zippo clicked, and seconds later, the man held it close to the gas until it caught fire. "Mission done. Let's get moving." He then ordered. The six men got into their cars and drove off, while the fire burned towards the closed bedroom door. Michiru waited until the men were out of sight, then she stormed into the house without caring about the heat of the flames that surrounded her. She pushed the bedroom door open and burst in, desperate to reach Haruka before the fire did. "Haruka!" she called out. The blonde looked up, her eyes clearly showing the pain she was in, and groaned behind the cloth between her teeth. Michiru started to work on the rope that held the blondes wrists behind the pipe, and soon Haruka was free from her ties. "Come on, we have to get out of here." Michiru spoke into her ear while putting one arm around the blondes waist. Haruka pulled the gag from her mouth, and the two of them made their way through the flaming rooms, out of the house. As soon as they were save, Haruka sank into the grass, where she laid, coughing and shaking. "Are you okay?" Michiru asked, worried. "Haruka, can you stand up?" Haruka nodded and sat up, holding her head in the process. "Thanks for getting me out of there." She then spoke, looking at the aqua haired girl. "Don't mention it." Michiru replied, smiling. The two women looked at the burning house for a while, then Haruka came to her feet. "I have to get away from here. If they find out that I still live, they'll come back." "Who are they?" Michiru asked, looking at Harukas bloodied face in worry. "Better if you don't know it." The blonde replied, already walking over to her car. "Like I said, if you follow that road, you'll…" "Now don't tell me that you want to go alone." Michiru interrupted her, anger in her voice. "You think that at first I let you take me hostage, then save your butt in there, and then I'll let you go alone?" Haruka gaped at her, shocked. "You want to come with me?" she then asked. Michiru just nodded, not giving any explanation, though Haruka felt that there was a reason for the aqua haired girls need to leave with her. "No way." The blonde finally said. "Do you think I want the police to chase me for kidnapping?" "They are chasing you already anyway." Michiru replied, shrugging. "So it doesn't matter much." Haruka just opened her mouth to say something when all of a sudden the howling of sirens could be heard in the far distance. The blonde shut her mouth again and stared at Michiru in shock, both of them recognizing the noise: police cars. With one motion, both women started towards the car, Michiru taking a seat in the passenger's seat while Haruka positioned herself behind the steering wheel. She turned the ignition key and sped off, away from her burning house and the sirens.