DISCLAIMER; I do not own Kaichou wa Maid-Sama! I only own my own original characters and the writing in this story.

Chapter 25; Predicament

Having heard his rushing around, Mineko and Suezo run up the stairs towards where Tora stands in front of the open door. Upon reaching his side, Mineko gasps and her hands fly up to her mouth in shock. Suezo stands, a furious expression on his face. The room was in disarray, and on the wall above the bed there was something meticulously written in blood. Tora seethed in rage, as he stared up at the words. The line was short and to the point.

"Do you know where your Princess is?"

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The world around her was dark and cold, and the golden-haired young woman was afraid. She had woken up a few minutes ago, and her mind was full of terror. 'No. Not again. This can't be happening again!' Flashes of her past flooded her mind. Images of what had happened the last time Gabriel had abducted her. The things he did to her, her months in the hospital when he finally let her go. Her father's lack of emotion or care for her suffering. His refusal to believe her. Her mother had been the only reason Kailey had made it through that dark place. Should she make it out alive this time, who would save her? Her mother was gone, ripped away from her by an uncaring world. The media had always claimed that the poisoning came from someone outside the household, having somehow gotten access to their home. Kailey had always believed that something else had happened. She knew how her parents were. They had often fought over their differing ideals, and Dremore was a violent man. Kailey believed her father was the one who killed the person who had been her life-line. She was alone now. So utterly, hopelessly alone. She blinks her eyes, chasing the memories away and focusing on her surroundings again. Now that her eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the room she was locked in, she could see that Gabriel was nowhere to be seen, but who knew how long that would last? She needed to find a way out-and fast. Taking a deep breath, she calms her breath. 'Alright. This is not the same as before. I am not the same as I was before. I am not weak. I am not defenseless. I can get out of this.' She repeated her mantra in her mind, twisting her wrists around in their bondings, loosening them bit by bit. It was a slow-going process, and her worry grew as the time ticked on, but she knew that she had to keep herself calm. If she gave in to her panic, there would be no chance of escape. How long would Gabriel stay away? Was he watching her now, just waiting for the perfect moment to come in and suck her hope away like a leech drawing blood? She shook her head, sighing softly. She couldn't focus on such thoughts, or should would ruin her own chances, without his interference.

She takes a few deep breaths, centering herself and calming down slightly. 'He didn't disrobe me. Can I use that to my advantage? I don't know.' She scrutinized the room she was in, looking at the contents that she could make out. It seemed like it was a mostly barren room. The walls were stone, from what she could tell, and it was set up much like a prison cell-sans bars. There were no windows in the room, and the only exit was a door at the far end. She continued to work at her bound wrists as she slowly looked around the room, searching for a red blinking light that would be an obvious sign of a camera. Granted, not all cameras blinked, but at least she could ease her mind a bit by believing she was not currently being observed like some animal. Her wrists soon became slick with blood, and she manages to slip them from the rope that was binding them, wincing from the pain and biting her lip to keep from crying out. After freeing her wrists, the rest became much easier. She quickly untied her ankles and pulled herself up from the ground, slowly, so she didn't pass out from the sudden elevation difference. Now that she was one step closer to freedom-and hadn't seen or heard her captor-she began to calm down more. 'Okay, this is good. I just need to figure out how to get out of this room, come up with a plan...' She heads towards the door cautiously, halfly expecting Gabriel to burst through the door at any moment. She looks at the door, sliding her hands around it to see if there is a way for her to pry it open. Unfortunately, the door is recessed into the wall, and there is no way for her to pull it open. Upon further inspection, she notices that there is no door handle, either. 'Huh...That means he'll have to leave the door at least slightly ajar when he comes in, otherwise he'll be as stuck as I am. ...Unless he has outside help.' She shudders at the thought, imagining the scenarios that could bring down on her, none of them good. 'If I just wait until he comes in, I could knock him out and lock him in here. Think, damnit! I need a plan! I need a plan...'

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Tora paces the main sitting room in his home, as his father speaks into a phone. His mother watches him, worry clear on her face. Tora stops suddenly, letting out a snarl as he slams his fist into the wall beside him with a resounding 'CRACK', the wall vibrating from his outburst. Mineko hurries over to him, as he leans his head against the wall, his fist clenched tightly. Suezo stares at his son, his expression unreadable, as he continues to speak into the phone.

Glancing at her husband, Mineko turns to Tora and begins to gently guide him from the room. "Come with me, now, dear..." Tora lets his mother guide him without fighting, his face a mask of rage and fear. Moving them into the kitchen, his mother moves to brew tea. "We will find her, Tora." She studies her son, trying t disguise her own worry over the current predicament.

Tora sits down at one of the stools in the kitchen, pulling Kailey's phone from his pocket and clutching it tightly. The phone suddenly starts to ring, and a stone-faced picture of Altea pops up on the screen. Grimacing, Tora answers the phone, and is shocked when he hears the emotion dripping from the usually emotionless girl. "Kailey, are you alright?" The voice pauses, and continues in a voice filled with worry before Tora can say anything. "She's not okay, is she, Igarashi-san?"

Tora jolts, his eyes widening slightly at being addressed directly. He sighs, pushing the questions out of his mind. "No. She has been abducted. We are not sure where she is." He clenches his free fist again, anger welling up inside.

"..." The other line remains silent for a moment, before Altea continues in a quiet voice. "...I see. It was as I feared. It was that Fortin man, wasn't it?"

Tora raises his hand to roughly run it through his hair, frustration and fear making his tone harsher than he intended. "Yes, how did you know that? Do you know where she is?" Accusation almost sounded in his voice, but he didn't really suspect Altea of working with the ginger bastard.

Altea pauses on the other line, and he can almost feel her cold stare over the phone. "I am not helping that gǒuzázhǒng." She spits the word, distaste clear in her tone. "I want to help find her. The more people searching, the more likely for success."

Tora sighs, the tension in his body suddenly releasing, as he comes towards an actual plan for rescuing Kailey. "Alright, how soon can you be at the Igarashi Manor? I...will also call Usui-san, he should know what is going on."

"I'll be there within thirty minutes." The line goes dead, and Tora sits there in silence for a moment. Looking up, he sees that his mother has left the kitchen, leaving a cup of green tea on the table beside him, presumably having returned to his father. Taking a deep breath, he brings up the contacts on Kailey's phone, searching for Usui's name. He scrolls through all the names, and frowns when he doesn't locate the one he seeks. With a growl of frustration, he instead calls Misaki, knowing she would be able to get in contact with Usui.

After the phone has rung a few times, the groggy phone of a young woman finally answers. "Kailey-san? What time is it?"

"Misaki-san, it's Tora. I need your and Usui-san's assistance. Can you get in contact with him and meet at my home?"

There is a pause on the other line, as Misaki's half-asleep brain tries to figure out why a man's voice is coming from Kailey's number. "Igarashi-san? Why do you have Kailey-san's phone?"

He lets out a growl of frustration, his worry making him short-tempered. "I don't have time to explain! Kailey is in danger, and i need your help! Just hurry up and get your asses over here." He hangs up the phone with a snarl, clenching his fists as he is overwhelmed by emotion. They would come, he knew that. Takumi and Misaki both cared about Kailey, he knew that, too. After taking a few deep breaths, he pulls out his own phone and shoots a text to Maki. 'Get to the house now. -T' After only a few moments, he gets a response back. 'On my way.' Tora stayed seated at the counter, both phones placed beside him as he waits for the search party he had formed to gather.

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A/N Hey all! Super short chapter, just to let y'all know that I am still alive. College is a bit stressful, so I haven't had motivation to write in awhile. I will hopefully write more, now, as my motivation is beginning to return. Anyway, stay tuned for what happens next. Feel free to leave thoughts and ideas for the story in the comments. :p