Like a Cloud in the Wind

by E.M. Megs

From the moment my hand shook his and I saw his fake smile, I knew I hated his bastard guts. And that would never change. He would put himself before me. What I didn't know, was that he would be the one who searched the hardest for me when I disappeared.

4. The Ass Duo & Searching for Nothing

Like a Cloud in the Wind

By Meganes Ultimate Fangirl

Chapter 4 – The Ass Duo/Searching for Nothing

– Kaydence –

I had absolutely no idea how long I was asleep or where I was when I woke up. I just knew that my arm and ankle were throbbing and it was really dark. My hands were still tied together, restricting my movement greatly. My legs were folded underneath me, making my ankle hurt even more. Painfully and with much difficulty, I managed to pull the injured one out from under me. I winced as I lifted it tenderly off the ground. It was flopping to the side in a way that I didn't think was very good.

Suddenly, lights were on. I blinked and attempted to hide my eyes in my shoulder as they watered. Whoever the bastard was that had just blinded me, I was going to kick his ass. When I looked up though, it was Alrod, the brute. I was about to open my mouth to talk before I realized that I was still gagged. "Sleeping beauty's finally awake," he sneered softly. I glared at him apprehensively. He lifted his coat, revealing the gun hooked on his belt. "I'd be careful where you're aiming those eyes of yours."

I averted my eyes, heart beating wildly. I got the feeling in my stomach that if these guys didn't get what they wanted then I'd be killed. And God only knew how much of a ransom they would ask Layne for.

Alrod strode forward and I flinched involuntarily as he knelt down and let my gag loose. "When my father finds me you'll be sorry you ever did this," I spat angrily. Kidnap me, would they?

"Arthur!" Alrod called, "I think she needs a wee bit more of that anesthetic!" I groaned.

"What do you want from me?" I asked wearily.

"Not much," he admitted, "Just over half of your family's fortune." He was smirking in a way that reminded me of Kyoya. I winced, remembering how I had kissed him at the ball without thinking. I hoped that he put aside his frustration with my lack of explanation long enough to find out where I was. "Won't matter if they give it to us or not though. Boss will probably just have you killed anyway."

A chill ran down my spine. So these weren't my main captors. They were cronies to whoever this 'Boss' guy was. "Who do you work for?" I demanded, "The Jasonates? Palens?" My mind flew with a list of names of family enemies. It could be any of them.

Alrod frowned as Arthur came into view. "That is none of your business, little lady," he said coolly. He was carrying a syringe. I tried to kick out at it. I hated needles with a burning passion. Alrod immediately had his gun trained on me. "Just stay still and I promise this won't hurt a bit," Arthur murmured in what I guessed was supposed to be a soothing voice. It sounded more demented than soothing to me though. I shook my head and struggled more. Alrod removed the safety. "Or we could, y'know, kill you now." He grinned wickedly.

"What the hell is that stuff?" I asked, eying the syringe.

"Just a bit of anesthetic to sooth your muscles. You need to be relaxed when Boss comes to see you," he replied softly. I didn't like the way he looked at me. Nor the way Alrod did. He stuck the needle in my arm and I once again felt the flow of a liquid drug flow through me.

It worked faster this time. "Muscle soother... my ass. What bullshit," I mumbled, head and eyes both drooping quickly.

– Kyoya –

As soon as I made it home I pulled out my computer and started hacking into various systems to find where on earth Kaydence's phone had called from. Soon I found it. An alleyway between 7th and 9th, just off the route she would have taken to get home. I called up the chief of secret police and told him to head there straight away and search for clues. I would go over there after I woke up tomorrow when it wasn't dark.

Whoever captured Kaydence had to have known she was from an influential family. They would probably be sending a ransom note to the Malrondas soon. The same thing could have easily happened to me if I tried to walk home alone.

I searched for people named Alrod in Japan and came up with about 50 results. This was going to be a very long night. Any of these men could be the Alrod that had kidnapped Kay. I frowned. These people were probably professionals hired by someone. Professionals normally had a criminal record.

I added this to the search. Instantly my search narrowed to 27.

So my night was going to be slightly less long. Any of them could still be the one. I clicked the first one.

Entry 1

Name: Alrod Mayura

Age: 57

DOB: October 22nd, 1953

Marital Status: Married with 2 daughters

Charged with: 1st degree murder of his brother, Masu, on April 6th, 2001

Sentence: 20 years in prison

Currently: In prison

So he was out. He was still in prison. I kept going through the list. When I had gone through them all it was nearly 4 in the morning and only three of them seemed logical. The rest were either in prison or dead.

Entry 9

Name: Alrod Suka

Age: 43

DOB: September 10th, 1967

Marital Status: Divorced, no children

Charged with: Minor kidnapping on November 10th, 2002

Sentence: 6 years in prison

Currently: Free

Entry 17

Name: Alrod Takari

Age: 61

DOB: May 4th, 1949

Marital Status: Unmarried

Charged with: Grand-Theft Auto on August 29th, 1994

Sentence: 15 years in prison, 8 with good behavior

Currently: On parole

Entry 24

Name: Alrod Smires

Age: 34

DOB: January 29th, 1976

Marital Status: Unmarried

Charged with: Minor theft on January 11th 1996; Kidnapping on December 21st 1998 along with his brother Arthur Smires; Carrying a concealed weapon on March 17th, 2006

Sentence: Theft – 6 months community service; Kidnapping – 7 years in prison; Weapon – 3 years in prison

Currently: Free

Something in my gut just told me that the Smires guy was my man. The guy on the phone hadn't sounded that old. Plus he had quite the record. It also seemed unlikely that anyone on parole would kidnap someone. I took my glasses off and pinched the bridge of my nose before pushing the heels of my palms against my eyes.

I wouldn't find Kaydence being sleep-deprived. Definitely time to sleep. Reluctantly I closed my computer and set it on my bedside table. I was pleased with my progress so far, though I was still worried that I wouldn't find her before her perpetrators killed her. And it was likely that they might do it out of anger or annoyance, knowing her mouth.

I rubbed my temples with two fingers. The blonde idiot king would probably try to wake me up at some early hour. Meaning, I really needed to go to sleep. I laid my glasses on top of my laptop and turned off the light, sliding down between the sheets.

Sleep came quickly. Thank Kami.

– Kaydence –

I stared around at my surroundings. I seemed to be in a storage room of some sort. There were no windows, just a door on the opposite side of the room and a whole ton of florescent lighting. Shelves lined the walls. Too bad they were empty. The lights flickered occasionally, making it a very eery place.

My head was spinning. I wasn't sure if it was the aftereffects of the goddamned anesthetic they'd given me or if it was something else but it hurt. Next time I was visited, I promised myself I would keep my bloody mouth shut. I didn't want or need to go back asleep again. Those two were such pains in the ass.

Who the hell could their boss be, though?

Again my mind was running through a list of families that were enemies of my own. Jasonates, Palens, Usaris, Marcals. None of them seemed to fit. They all hated my father, but none of them would go so far as to kidnap his daughter. It was beneath them. They weren't short on money. And they most certainly didn't ask for my father to give up his business. They had absolutely no motive for capturing me in this fashion.

I sighed as my stomach started grumbling. I wondered if they were ever going to feed me. Maybe they would just starve me to death.

That would prove to be an interesting addition to the lawsuit my father was sure to reap on those that had done this. Layne knew all the best lawyers personally. Not because he needed them often, but because then he could use them if he ever required their service.

They both must be worried sick. Pierce too. And Tate. I was worried I wouldn't see them ever again. I trusted Kyoya to find me, but that trusting hope turned to pure doubt at a certain point. There was going to be a limit. I'd remain hopeful until there was only a small chance that he'd find me. As soon as my hope was extinguished I could give up. Surrender to whatever fate had in store for me. I honestly didn't want it to reach that point though.

I wanted to be free and I wanted to live. Those were my goals right now. Stay alive and try to free myself. I'd be happy if I could accomplish the first one, but both would be nice.

The Ass Duo showed up while I was sitting there contemplating how the hell I was going to get myself out of this mess. If I could somehow free my hands I was sure that I could sneak out of the door to get my bearings at least if not to escape. I could be anywhere from an old house in the middle of nowhere to the basement of a busy warehouse in plain sight and, if these guys were as professional as I thought they were, no one would know that I was there.

"Well, isn't someone uncharacteristically quiet?" Arthur smirked, standing in the doorway. Alrod nodded in agreement next to him.

"Think she's ready to see Boss?"

"I dunno. I think she could use a little bit more sleep. Look at those horrid bags under her eyes. Poor thing's sleep deprived." I glared purposely at his shoes, keeping my lips pursed so I wouldn't speak out. I was so hungry that I was actually borderline to being nauseous. I did not need more sleep. I needed food. As if to make it's point my stomach decided to make a loud grumbling noise, then. "Or... We could get her some food, but I think she needs sleep more."

I groaned audibly as he advanced on me with a syringe again. "No more sleep," I moaned softly. Honestly, I didn't care if they starved me. I just didn't want to go to sleep again. That goddamned drug seriously messed with my brain.

"She speaks," Arthur mused. He was so disgustingly twisted. Alrod too. I hated them. I hated the entire situation. And I hated the fact that I couldn't figure out who the hell had hired them. He backed off while his comrade slid a tray of food towards me. I frowned at it, obviously unable to eat it with my hands tied behind my back. "Have fun trying to eat." They left in a flurry of Arthur's cackling.

I was so pissed now. The bastards didn't even have the decency to untie me so I could eat. I stared down at the plate. Bread – probably stale, cheese – that actually had quite a bit of mold on it, grapes – mostly smashed and probably sour, and a plastic jug of water. The standard prisoner meal with the added bonus of sour grapes. Joy.

I was very frustrated. Now not only was I hungry and sore. But I couldn't cure my hunger due to my hands being tied. And I meant that very literally. Not just in the metaphorical sense. I would lean over and just bite the stuff directly if it weren't for the fact that I wasn't that flexible. I wished I had Tate's flexibility at that moment. It would have been insanely nice.

Instead I tried to lay down on my stomach, cringing in pain as my ankle rolled around uncomfortably. When I had finally maneuvered it I couldn't reach the bread. I sighed with frustration. This just wasn't funny. Bloody bastards.

I pulled myself back up, causing myself more pain in the process. So I could just sit here and pretend I was eating. That was alright with me. As long as they stayed away from me with that damn syringe. The anesthetic scared the crap out of me almost as much as their damn guns. I had no clue what it was. It could be heroin they were shooting me up with for all I knew. Or cocaine. Though I would probably get high off of those, not pass out.

The Ass Duo returned, both of them snickering. "Having troubles?" I glared up at them in reply. Arthur sighed. "Untie her so she can eat, Alrod." The larger man nodded and pulled a pocket knife out of his pocket, kneeling down next to me.

He cut the rope. But he also sliced my fingers a good one. And the knife was slightly rusty to add to the pain. "Jesus fucking Christ," I swore, holding my cut thumb, forefinger, and middle finger. It was deep. Deep and had flecks of rust in it that would probably get them majorly infected. Bloody fucking hell. Not to mention it hurt like a bitch. And it was bleeding pretty damn badly.

Alrod was smirking at his work. Arthur was being a masochist and just drinking in my pain. I hated them both so much. Blood dripped onto the green dress I was still wearing. Felicity wouldn't be happy about that. Though, I hoped she'd be more concerned with the fact that it was my blood than the stupid dress. I squeezed it and winced, biting my lip to keep from making any noise.

"We'll be back in 10 minutes so eat quickly," Arthur said, turning on his heel and leaving with his partner following behind him. I could use this time to eat. Or I could use it to try and get out of here. I could hear their voices outside the door though, so I figured it would be a bad idea to try to escape.

My hand was still bleeding. Felicity would hate me for this later. But it was necessary. I took the hem of my dress in my hands and carefully tore off the bottom. I ripped the piece I had into thirds and wrapped them around each finger, wincing as I tied them off with quite a bit of difficulty. The smooth silky fabric of the dress probably wasn't the best thing to use for a bandage but it would have to do this time.

I picked up the bread gingerly and took a small bite. I was right. It was staler than anything I'd ever had in my life. So stale I was surprised that there wasn't a single bit of mold on it. I ignored the cheese completely since it was basically just a block of disgusting green fuzz. Most people would say that cheese was just mold anyway but honestly. Milk mold doesn't hurt you. The mold that then proceeded to grow on that milk mold could. Not to mention I wasn't too keen on the idea of sticking a fuzzy wad of crap in my mouth that the taste of would probably linger in my mouth for days to come.

The grapes weren't that bad. They were smashed but they weren't as sour as I thought they would be. At least they were edible. And they weren't so horribly spoiled that I would get tipsy off of them. Still, I was careful with how much of it that I consumed, just in case. The water was murky and didn't look particularly clean or healthy. I drank as little of that as well. Just enough to sate my thirst and then the rest I left in the jug.

I finished off the bread as the Ass Duo came back in to check on me, carrying more rope. I groaned as they approached me and yanked my hands behind my back again. My wrists twisted painfully, causing me to squeak. Once I was tightly bound they snickered and left me be. I glared after them.

Layne and Felicity would have their heads on platters when (or if) I ever got out of here.

– Kyoya –

As promised, I woke up the next morning (or afternoon rather) after actually being able to sleep in for once and headed straight to where Kaydence's phone had last sent a signal. The secret police chief had failed to find anything, which probably meant he was slacking. It was a dirty alleyway. Trash strewn everywhere, rats running around. Even a little bit a blood was splattered on the walls from past muggings. The area had been corded off so it was relatively undisturbed when I got there.

I started looking around. Any clue that could tell me what happened or who took Kaydence would be useful. There was a large oil stain at the end of the alley which could be from a leaky car or van, most likely the one that carried her away.

As hard as I looked I couldn't find her phone, or even a part of it. Which meant they either took it with them or disposed of it elsewhere. There was no proof that she had actually been here except for her cell's last signal.

Just as I was stepping back over the tape to head back to the inconspicuous car I had had drop me, I stepped on something that cracked loudly and looked down. I expected a plastic container or something a long the lines of that. But it wasn't. It was a hair clip. A simple large black hair clip. The very same accessory that Kaydence had used to keep her hair out of her eyes the night before. I picked up the cracked and broken pieces of it as best as I could and slid them into a plastic bag that I had brought along.

She had often used this clip for her hair. It was her favorite one. She was probably going to be quite mad when she found out what had happened to it.

So, she had been here. That was reassuring, but it got me nowhere closer to finding where she was now.

– Kaydence –

I realized after countless minutes of being annoyed with the hair hanging in my face that I had lost my favorite hair clip somehow. Most likely it was when I had been captured. I had been so distracted by the gun in Alrod and Arthur's hands that I hadn't noticed it fall out of my hair. Now I got to put up with the annoyance of my hair in my face. Bloody hell. As if the situation wasn't bothersome enough as it was.

And I was bored as hell, too. Did they give nothing to prisoners for entertainment? Not even a book? I could think of no way that I could possibly use a book to escape from them, save for smacking them unconscious with it when they checked on me, but I doubted I'd be able to do that even.

I groaned softly to myself and bumped my head against the wall I was propped up against with my legs out in front of me. I wondered how long I had been sleeping. Surely it couldn't have been that long. But that drug was pretty damn strong, too.

The next time the Ass Duo came by seemed like eons later. I glared at them as they opened the door. "When are you just going to call Father demanding my ransom?" I asked hotly, fed up with being kept in the dark and bored out of my mind.

Arthur's eyebrows shot up. "What makes you think we want a ransom?" he retorted.

"No one ever kidnaps a rich kid unless they want money." 'Or their head taken off and their ass plopped in jail for the rest of their life.' "You two don't seem any different." I hadn't ever been kidnapped before. But I'd seen CSI and Law and Order. Not to mention there were times back in England that some of my classmates had been snagged and held for ransom. Some of them made it out alive when their parents paid it, others were killed even though they were paid. It all depended on the captors. I couldn't tell what kind of captors mine were. They were tricky ones. But at least they fed me.

Arthur smirked. "Oh, but my dear Kaydence, what would you do if we told you that you were never going home? That you were doomed to live here for the rest of your life just because we see that you deserve it for all you've done?"

I stared at them. I had always kept to myself. What the hell had I done that they saw fit that I basically live a prison for the rest of my life? But, it wouldn't be them that saw it fit. It had to be their boss. Which meant it was definitely someone I knew. "What did I do to deserve this?" I asked. I kept my voice controlled and quiet. I didn't want to anger them.

"I think we'll let Boss tell you that when you see him," he responded with a twinkle in his eye. "Come along, brother." He turned on his heel before I could react to him calling Alrod his brother. Brothers? They were brothers? They sure as hell didn't look like it. Well then, it seemed Arthur was the older, more devious one. Alrod rarely even talked. Maybe he was shy. Or maybe he was afraid of the older. If it was fear keeping him quiet I might be able to use that to my advantage to get out of here.

But, for now. I was alone.

I curled up in a ball and prayed for the millionth time in as many hours that Kyoya – or anyone for that matter – would find me. And although I was sick of sleeping, I drifted off into a world of dreams and nightmares where I was free.

– Kyoya –

I started taking notes on a little notepad. I felt like a child playing detective. I was obviously an amateur, but I was certainly intelligent enough to put clues together. Besides, do many children have their own police force to cord off areas and bring in suspects? I think not.

After school on Monday, I went about my daily schedule like normal. I didn't want to tip off the other hosts that there was anything wrong. However, they noticed when Kaydence didn't show up at school or at club. "Ne, Kyoya-sempai? D'you know where Kaydence is?" Haruhi asked innocently. I pretended like I didn't know anything.

"Not at all. Why would I?" I replied, minimizing my research screen just in case she wandered behind me and happened to see it.

The girl frowned. "I don't know. Are you sure nothing happened on Saturday?" Of course something had happened. She had been kidnapped. "Between the two of you, I mean," she added in clarification. I felt my face darken. Yes, something had. She had kissed me if I remembered correctly. However, to my knowledge, no one knew about that except for Kaydence and I. Her excuse had been flimsy. Hormones. Hormones. That was absolute bull. She was clearly attracted to me in one way or another. The feeling wasn't mutual. She was a friend. Nothing more.

"Nothing happened, Haruhi. She was merely tired and needed some air. So, she walked home," I stated firmly. She didn't look particularly convinced.

"Then where on earth is she?" she murmured softly. I shrugged and shook my head as Tamaki started wooing some poor guy that had wandered in. Haruhi turned around. "Koharu?"

"Ahh! Scholarship student Yoshiiva, Koharu!" Tamaki exclaimed. "I didn't know you were gay!" I resisted the urge to smack myself on the forehead. That idiot. Koharu was obviously a girl. Of course, he thought that every person who walked in the door that wore boys clothes was in fact a boy. I rolled my eyes at him. Of course she came right up to me and ignored Tamaki completely.

"Any way that I can help Haruhi work off his debt?" she asked bluntly. I was slightly surprised. This was an interesting development on the issue of Haruhi's debt. I forced myself to keep my surprise hidden.

"Perhaps..." I trailed off as my computer made a beeping noise. The search it had been conducting was finished. I pretended that it wasn't important while on the inside my stomach was churning. "You could be a host with him. But we'd need to test you to make sure that you're Host standard." I pushed my glasses up my nose. Koharu nodded.

"Done," she said easily. I smirked. Very interesting indeed.

–

Koharu caught up with me after club. She didn't speak though, just walked silently next to me. "Are you going to say something?" I asked, glancing at her but still facing forward. I still hadn't gotten the chance to check my computer and I was eager to get home so I could.

She shrugged. "Nope. Seems you and Haruhi are the only ones that have figured out I'm a girl though. I suppose that means you aren't a complete idiot. Therefore I think it's safe to hang around you." Her blue eyes were twinkling with amusement.

I smirked and nodded. "That would be a good conclusion," I said. She reminded me a bit of Kaydence. We had reached my car by now. "Do you need a ride home?"

"Oh, no. I walk home everyday," she said with a smile. Something in my stomach lurched at the mention of her walking. Reminded me that if I had insisted Kaydence taking the limo home she wouldn't have been kidnapped. Though, there was little chance that this girl would also be kidnapped. She had no rich lineage. I cast a glance at the sky. Dark clouds were rolling in.

"You're sure? Looks as if it's about to rain."

She bit her lip and also looked at the sky. She hesitated before nodding. "Alright." I opened the door and allowed her to slide in the back seat before I followed her. I looked at her expectantly. "Ahh. Straight," she murmured. I gestured to Tachibana to follow her directions.

We came to a stop in front of her apartment complex. Sure enough, it had started raining by the time we got there too. "Thanks Kyoya!" she said cheerfully, pushing the door open. I nodded. "See you tomorrow!"

My phone went off as I watched her run up the stairs and disappear through a door. I checked the caller ID and my blood ran cold. I flipped it open as the car started moving once more. "Hello?"

"Have you located my daughter?" Layne Malronda's voice spoke clearly.

I sighed inwardly. "You can't expect me to find her that quickly. It's been less than 24 hours. I'm working on it. Trust me."

His voice held an edge of worry. "There hasn't been a ransom note or a call of any sort," he said softly.

"Her kidnappers might be holding her for a while to make you more desperate to get her back," I suggested logically. "Desperation would make you more willing to pay an outrageous amount of money to have her returned home."

Layne seemed to consider this for a moment before sighing. "I would like it if you would come over for dinner tonight so we can discuss your findings."

I swallowed, thinking. He was her father. I had to share it with him. Besides, he may be an important asset in the investigation. "I'll be over at seven," I murmured, promptly snapping my phone shut. I opened my bag and slid my laptop out of it. It was still whirring softly. I popped the top open and reopened the window I had previously minimized back in the music room. It popped open with the pictures of two men and a map.

The first photo was of Alrod Smires and the caption was the police report I had found early on Sunday morning. The map, of all the places he had been arrested along with where he had last been seen.

The second photo was the mug shots of a slender man in his late 30s or early 40s. Under it was a caption in the form of a police report:

Name: Arthur Smires

Age: 39

DOB: December 26th, 1971

Marital Status: Widower

Charged with: Kidnapping on December 21st 1998; The first degree murder of his wife, Angela Smires, on January 1st 1999 after evidence from the kidnapping led officials to believe he killed Angela out of rage.

Sentence: 2 years in prison with a plea bargain for kidnapping; 30 years in prison for murder – no parole

The part that caught my attention was what his current status was. It almost made my heart stop but it was also made me sure that Arthur and Alrod Smires were the men who had taken Kaydence in that alleyway.

Currently: Escaped convict. Considered armed and dangerous. Approach with caution.

A single huge dot on the map marked a place where the two of them had been seen together. That place was only three blocks from where Kaydence had been taken.

I definitely needed to find her quickly.

–

My meeting with Layne Malronda wasn't going quite the way I had hoped it would. The moment I had sat down in the living room he had started grilling me for answers. I answered his questions the best I could.

"Suspects?"

"Alrod and Arthur Smires, I'm 99 percent sure of it," I replied quietly. He didn't show any recognition of the names. "They may have been hired to kidnap and/or kill Kaydence." His face paled considerably at the mention of his daughter potentially being murdered.

"Criminal records?" he asked dryly after clearing his throat. I turned my computer and showed him what I had found once I had gotten home earlier that day. If it was possible, his face probably would have gotten paler. He swallowed. "Es-Escaped convict. Wonderful." I nodded gravely and pulled a small plastic bag out.

"I found this at the site where her cellphone's last signal came from," I murmured. The bag was the one that held the cracked, broken hair clip. His face dropped into his hands.

"Jesus. Kaydence," he breathed. I heard yelling from the front and turned.

"What do you mean she's missing,Pierce?!" a female voice demanded. "I just found out today that she's going to Ouran! How can she be missing?!" She and Kaydence's older brother soon came into view. I stared at the girl. "Kyoya?" she started in surprise.

"Koharu?" I echoed.

Pierce and Layne glanced between us. "You two know each other?" Layne asked softly. We nodded simultaneously.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her.

"I could ask you that same thing," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Uncle Layne, where's Kaydence? I'm convinced that Pierce is screwing with me. She can't have gotten kidnapped. It's so unlike her." My eyes widened.

"Uncle?" I asked incredulously. "Kaydence is your cousin?" That certainly explained why Koharu reminded me of her. I could also see the resemblance in their body structure as well. If she had long brown hair and bright green eyes instead of black hair and blue eyes I could have easily taken her for Kaydence.

"Yes. Though I still don't quite understand why you're here," she muttered. I shook my head while Kaydence's father explained.

"Koharu, Kaydence was... Kidnapped. Kyoya is searching for her. Though it's mostly his fault that she's missing in the first place," he added with a glare in my direction. I sighed. Had I not already blamed myself a million times over and promised that I would find her. Koharu stared at me.

"This has got to be a joke," she murmured.

"'Fraid not," Pierce interjected bitterly. He seemed to be the only calm one of his entire family. And the only one that didn't blame me for what had happened. "She's been missing since Saturday night when she walked home. Her cell called Kyoya, giving him the means to overhear the kidnappers as well as track her phone to the place of her last signal."

Koharu look like she had been hit by a freight truck. "Then... How is it his fault?"

Layne interrupted me before I could speak. "He was her date to the ball that took place on Saturday. He was supposed to return her home safely. Instead, he allowed her to walk home." He glowered in my direction. I glared back at him.

She seemed to take in this information while staring at me, her expression blank. Then she said something that surprised me.

"I want to help."

–

A/N: And here I thought this was going to be a relatively short chapter when I started. Boy, was I wrong. 11 pages and almost 5700 words. Yay length.

Koharu Yoshiiva/Veddette used with the permission of her creator, Koharu Veddette.

Kudos go to: thearistocrat, KageNoNeko, Illogical Human, and Koharu Veddette. And many thanks to you!