Hey, everyone. I guess you liked my story. Why else would you leave reviews? We'll you've inspired me to write another chapter. Aren't you lucky? Yeah, I bet you're just so excited. Why don't I write another chapter before I kill you with sarcasm? (You'll find out I love sarcasm. Don't we all?) Here's the next chapter

Captured

Kanami woke up the next morning feeling stiff and cold. She figured it was from sleeping on hard rock. The fire also had burnt out in the middle of the night. The wind had blown through the cave entrance and then cut through her dirty clothes. She was so used to her soft, well, softer bedding with her comforter at home. Because of this, she barely got any sleep. She sat up and yawned as she stretched her arms to the ceiling.

She then realized something. She had slept through the night without having one single dream. Usually, her dreams were flooded with images of a person that struggled through life, but last night there was nothing. She tried to think why. Maybe it was because I didn't sleep that well. It's still strange.

She looked over her shoulder at the sound of dripping. There was a puddle of water next to Kanami, and in it was the reflection of a dirty-faced girl with a look of exhaustion in her eyes.

She sighed and started cleaning herself up. She really couldn't help the state of her clothes, which wasn't so bad. After she finished washing her face, she decided to go look for Kazuma again. She still had hope that he was out there somewhere. She wouldn't give up no matter what. Kazuma would do the same for her. That's when she had the most pleasant thought. Maybe he's out there somewhere looking for me, and then we'll find each other.

On the other side of the hill a van was parked. A man in a red jacket and brown pants on top of that hill was looking through his binoculars. He smiled as the frames followed a small girl in orange across the valley of rocks. He then quickly ran down the slope and jumped in the van.

"What did you find?" the driver asked.

"A little girl," he answered with a smirk. "She should be an easy catch. We could use more kids to carry rocks out of the pits." He laughed as the van started up and drove away.

Kanami managed to find an apple tree that was short enough for her reach. This was the first food she had in two days, and she gobbled it up greedily with a smile. Her smile turned into a frown as her thoughts were flooded with Kazuma. She remembered eating apples with him under the apple tree on the farm they worked at. "Kazuma," she whispered to herself. "Where are you?"

Suddenly, she heard a van driving towards her. It stopped right in front of her and two men with sticks jumped out with sneers on their faces. "Hello there," one said. "I bet you're pretty hungry. You could probably use some housing too."

"If you come with us, we'll give you food and shelter," the other said. "And in exchange, you can do some work for us." Kanami immediately dropped her apples and ran. She knew who they were. They were workers for labor camps. She remembered Kazuma telling her about these men, and she didn't want to end up in a place like that.

It seemed the faster she ran, the closer they got to her. She could almost feel their breath on the back of her neck. She finally turned into a gorge but was blocked by a dead end. She turned around to face the two men in red jackets. As they closed in on her, they made shrewd remarks.

"Don't worry. We'll take care of you. Just come quietly and we won't have to get rough with you."

"Yeah, you're lucky you're a kid. Otherwise, we might do something worse than beatings if you resisted."

"No, stay away. Stay away!" Kanami tried to fight them off, but they were too strong for her. One held her down while the other tied her hands behind her back. He then lifted her over his shoulder and headed back to the van. "Kazu-kun. Kazu-kun! Help me! Anybody, help me!" But there was no one to help her. No one would save her. She would be taken to a slave camp and be worked to the breaking point. The harsh reality hit her when they threw her in the van and slid the door shut. As they drove towards the camp, she cried silently to herself. Kazu-kun, where are you? Please help me.

Poor Kanami. This could be a depressing story. It should end well though, I hope. I hope that was long enough for you guys. Actually, it's pretty short and sad. Don't worry. The chapters will get longer after awhile. I should be able to get in a chapter each week at least. I won't keep you guys waiting too long.

I'm trying to decide if this should be a Kazuma/Kanami story or a Ryuho/Kanami story. I don't think Ryuho and Kanami go well together. They get along well, but I would rather have Ryuho and Mimori end up together. Maybe you guys can help me. By the way, thanks for all the reviews. Remember, reviews more chapters. Thanks again. Cya.