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.

8. Chess & 5 Star Guest

Like a Cloud in the Wind

By Meganes Ultimate Fangirl

Chapter 8 – Chess/5-Star Guest

– Kyoya –

"Dammit!" I swore as I watched the tail-lights travel farther and farther away at top speed. "Someone get after them!" No one moved. "What the– Follow them!" I yelled, pointing down the road after the car that was slowly disappearing. One officer ran for his car, which triggered the rest of them to get their asses moving. Koharu was still staring off in the distance where the car had now disappeared from sight after turning a corner. It had been the van. Kaydence was slipping straight through my fingers again and I'd be damned if I was going to let her if it were possible to catch them.

I was going to bludgeon someone who was responsible tonight.

– Kaydence –

"Get up, you bloody girl!" Arthur grunted, waking me with kicks to the stomach again. I couldn't move though. I stared up at him, but I couldn't move. It wasn't possible. I couldn't even find the strength to talk and tell him that I couldn't move. "Get up," he bellowed.

"I can't," I managed to mumble weakly after a moment.

"Why not?" he growled, leaning down to hear me better.

"I'm sick!" I spat tiredly, "Or have you not noticed?"

"Is that a request to die?" he retorted, pulling the pistol out of his belt. I stared at it apprehensively, feeling like I was about to barf again. I pulled myself up to put my chin over the bucket, my arms wobbling beneath me. I was amazed that there was anything left in my stomach to throw up. He was staring at me when I glared up at him. "Come on," he muttered, grabbing my arms tenderly and hoisting me up. Since when did he treat me with any sense of respect or caring?

I wasn't expecting to be moved. But I came to the same conclusion as I had before. Kyoya was close to finding me. And judging by Arthur's rushed state, he was closer than he had been last time. I climbed the ladder with a lot of trouble and a lot of being pushed up until I was far enough up for Alrod to pull me out.

They didn't bother letting me try to walk by myself. They just carried me over the rocks and then half-carried, half-dragged me across a bike path, through some woods, and finally to the white van that was waiting for me. Somewhere along the way I realized that my bloody arms were exposed to the cold due to Kyoya's jacket having slipped off my shoulders.

They were pulling me towards the van when I heard the yells. It was just like my dream had been, with Pierce calling for me but unable to actually locate me. "Kaydence!" Was that a girl's voice that I heard? Or was it a boy? Another call came a moment later. It was a girl. Which meant that Kyoya wasn't alone in his searching for me. I couldn't place who it was though.

"Shit," Arthur muttered, "Damn Ohtori kid's caught up to us too fast. You'll have to take the decoy car, Alrod." His brother smirked and nodded, tying me up quickly and slipping away.

"KAYDENCE!" the yell came again. This time it was male. I knew that voice. It wasn't any of my family members but it was just as familiar. Kyoya's. I felt some sort of hopeful energy surge through me. If they knew where I was currently they might just be able to free me. Suddenly, I felt the energy to do anything. I glanced at Arthur's gun, hidden under his shirt, quickly before opening my mouth and letting out a huge scream.

"KYOYA!"

Arthur was startled but still managed to cover my mouth before I could scream again. "Damn girl," he growled as I struggled against his grasp. My arms were tied but my legs weren't. If I could get free I could run. Not matter how sick I was, at this moment I could run. I broke free briefly, scrambling across the ground, unbalanced

"KY-," I started, getting cut off by Arthur tackling me and smothering a cloth over my mouth. I struggled more underneath him, wanting so desperately to be free. This was unbelievable. I was so close. So very close to freedom. And this fucking bastard was about to take it away from me. He stood, hauling my struggling body with him back up and toward the van.

"Shut your bloody trap!" he grunted, unable to draw his gun while holding me with one arm and covering my mouth with the other. Alrod's Oldsmobile pulled out in front of us. "I got her!" Arthur called to him. He threw me into the back of the Oldsmobile, uncovering my mouth in the process. He apparently had changed his mind about using the Oldsmobile as the decoy. The van would draw more attention. "I'll take the Oldsmobile! You take the van! It'll draw more attention!" he was calling out to his brother as he worked.

He didn't give me the chance to scream before pulling out his pistol and conking me on the back of the head with its butt. My head spun as I fell sideways to the floor of the van. "Go!" Arthur's voice cut into my fading thoughts as he slid into the drivers seat in replacement of Alrod.

Soon everything was completely black.

– Kyoya –

Koharu and I ran down the road, stumbling over pebbles and sticks. I was determined not to let those bastards get away again. I'd been so close that I could hear her screams this time. There was just no way that they were getting away.

After about two minutes of hard running Koharu and I collapsed in the back of the limo that had brought us here, breathing heavily. "Drive! Chase that stupid van!" I commanded while gasping for breath, knowing full well that was putting me in more danger than was necessary.

"Kyoya," Koharu murmured reasonably, "If the police cars can't catch them do you really think that this limo can?"

I sighed with frustration, wanting to tear my hair out. "We're so close," I muttered.

"I know," she replied, sounding like she was on the verge of tears. I wrapped an arm around her, squeezing her slender form against my lean one. She pushed her face into my shoulder. "So... close."

Now they weren't just going to pay for kidnapping Kaydence and making her suffer. They were going to pay double the original amount for making Koharu cry. I was going to kill those bastards for doing this to these girls. And I'd get away with the murder.

–

I had to find out where Kaydence had been held. It could give us a clue as to what condition she was in. That might at least put her family at ease a little. To know that she was alive, even if she was horribly sick.

Tachibana had disobeyed my command to drive so we were still sitting there. By the shoreline, waiting to get over our recent failure. I didn't want to take Koharu with me this time. She had the right to know what was happening to her cousin, but it just hurt her too much to see it first-hand. "I'm going to go look for her holding," I murmured into her hair.

"Alright. I'm right behind you," she replied, pulling away slightly to wipe her eyes.

I shook my head. "I want you to stay here."

"Why?" she demanded, sounding slightly angry. I sighed and pressed my lips to her forehead.

"I can't stand seeing you hurt when you see how she's been treated," I muttered, closing my eyes. "I know you're strong but I just can't stand seeing you like that." She was silent for moment but eventually nodded begrudgingly. "I'll be back soon."

I climbed out of the car. Tachibana handed me a flashlight through his window. I nodded my thanks and flicked it on, heading for the bike trail. Someone could easily jump me here, but I doubted they would when police cars were surrounding the area. I returned to the spot where my jacket had been found and started looking for a cave. I climbed over the rocks by the cliff. There wasn't a hidden cave in the rocks.

In fact there was no cave anywhere near here.

Where the hell had they held her?

Then I stumbled upon a wooden door, hidden among the rocks. A heavy steel lock was abandoned not far from it. So this was it. I pulled at the door. It was rather heavy so it took me a few moments to throw it open. When I did, I shined the light down there. Flies were everywhere. The walls and floor were stone, a light layer of dust coating them. A ladder was set into one side of the hole. There was probably more room down below. I swallowed and made sure the door wasn't about to slam shut on me while I was down there. Then I descended down the metal rungs set in the stone, slightly fearful of what I would find down there.

My feet hit the bottom after about 15 steps downward. The tunnel widened into a small room, the ceiling just high enough for me to stand up straight and look around. The first thing I noted was the smell. It was rank and disgusting. Like a bathroom that hadn't been cleaned in forever.

A pile of filthy straw was against the wall, probably where she had slept. Bread bags with little bread left in them were piled up against the opposite wall. A bucket was placed close to the straw. I was afraid to look inside it but did anyway. I put a hand over my nose and mouth as I knelt down.

It was filled with vomit and excrement. That was probably what had drawn all the flies and made it smell so damn rank down there.

But, hell. There was a lot of vomit in that bucket. It was a pretty hefty bucket but it was still filled nearly to the brim. My own stomach rolled just thinking about how long she may have been this sick. I crawled out of the hole, pulling out my cellphone on the way up. I called Chief Takamura, telling him to clean out the hole that I'd found. "Have you caught the van?"

"We're still chasing it, sir. But we're closing in."

I smirked with satisfaction. Finally. Something was going my way. "Good. I want those bastards taken into custody and Kaydence taken straight to a hospital." I started walking back toward the car where Koharu was waiting for me to return.

–

"Well?" she called once she could see me. I kept silent, knowing the grim look on my face was all the explanation she would need. She faltered when she saw it. "It's not very good is it?" I shook my head solemnly as her shoulders sagged. She didn't break down and cry this time, for that I was thankful. But she did look incredibly sad.

"They'll catch the van," I muttered, having that same gut feeling I'd been getting frequently. No sooner had I said it than my phone started ringing furiously in my pocket. I scooped it out and flipped it open without even looking at the caller ID.

"Caught the suspicious vehicle and taking the suspect into custody." My heart dropped when I heard the singular suspect. Shit. Now we had to figure out what the new car they were using was.

"I'll be at the station in 10," I grumbled, shutting the phone with a snap.

– Kaydence –

I thought I was home for a moment. I was in a bed. A nice, warm, bed. I thought I was home and it had all just been a horrible dream. That it was the day of the ball and Annabeth was about to wake me up so I could go to school. I even thought that I was wearing my nice silk nightgown and that I was hugging my ginormous teddy bear while I slept.

If only, if only.

I opened my eye a tiny little crack and knew instantly that the entire kidnapping charade had, in fact, been real.

And that I was still living it.

I was in a small room. It was clean though, unlike my last two holding places. There was a small table by the bed that I was currently residing in that held a glass of clean, clear water and two little red pills on a tray with some applesauce and oatmeal. The walls were green and there were two doors. I slid out of bed and stumbled unstably over to the first of the two doors. I tried to turn the handle and found that it was locked.

Dammit. Just when I thought that things were finally looking up. I leaned against the wall as I made my way to the second one.

This one was open when I tried it, much to my surprise. It was a little bathroom. A stand-up shower in the corner that had shampoo stocked in it, a toilet, a sink, and a counter with a towel, a change of clothes that looked like they'd actually fit me decently, and a hairbrush stacked on it.

Why was I suddenly being treated like a 5-star guest? It made absolutely no sense. I'd been treated like a piece of shit up until this point. Why change it now?

Why did I even need to question it? I could easily nurse myself back to health this way. Even if it was ripped away from me later I would still be healthy once again. My legs were still weak so I half-dragged myself back to the bed and sat down. My head ached horribly and I still felt like I was about to barf.

That must be what the pills were for. I took them without even thinking that they might be poisonous, chugging the entire glass of water. I just about gagged them back up but somehow managed not to. I laid back down, pulling the applesauce off the tray and spooning it in my mouth carefully. It didn't upset my stomach quite as much as the bread back in the hole had. Of course it also was mostly a liquid-like substance so it went down easier.

I pulled the covers back over my body, all the way up to my chin, shivering slightly from being outside of them. I easily drifted back to sleep, feeling much more at ease than I had the entire time that I'd been trapped.

– Kyoya –

"Where. Is. She?" I asked again, drawing out each word carefully. This ignorant stupid bastard was getting on my nerves. I hadn't even bothered having an officer interrogate him. I preferred to torture the information I needed out of him myself.

He stayed stubbornly quiet as he had been doing. "I want a lawyer," he muttered yet again. I pounded my fist on the table.

"Not until I know where the hell Kaydence is!" I all but shouted in his face. I was denying him his rights. And I knew that. But, this man was just being ignorant. He knew that he was guilty. I knew that he was guilty. Any lawyer that he would choose would know he was guilty. Again, he stayed quiet. "Fine. Let's try a different question. What vehicle was she transported in tonight?" I had either of my arms braced against the table that was between us, my eyes staring him down.

"I told you. I want a bloody lawyer!"

I was about to yell again when the door opened and Koharu's face poked around the corner. I stared at her. We had agreed that she wouldn't show her face in the interrogation room so it wouldn't put her in any danger. I quickly strode over and slid outside with her. "Yes, Koharu?" I murmured.

"Don't deny him his rights. He could sue you for it," she muttered in a low voice. My eyes pierced hers. His brother had one of her best friends and she could stand to say that? She sighed in reply to my look. "I just don't want you getting sued for all that you're worth just because you got impatient, alright?"

I nodded with understanding and took her hand, squeezing it lightly, before turning on my heel and heading back into the room. "Alright. You want a lawyer?" I had the guards haul him up by the cuffs and take him downstairs again. "You'll get a lawyer."

–

An hour later I was getting very tired while sitting across the table from Alrod Smires and his lawyer. Said lawyer had a ton of credit to his name but not a lot of won cases. The idiot should have done his research better if he wanted to win against an Ohtori.

"Who hired you?" I asked, surprisingly for the first time.

"I don't know," he replied shortly, his arms crossed over his chest.

"He's your boss! How the hell could you not know who he is?" I glanced over at the one-way window where I knew Koharu was watching. I probably looked frustrated and tired to her, which was worrisome in her eyes.

"Arthur's the one that keeps track of everything!" he burst. He had long past the point of being incredibly irritated with me. Now he was just pissed. The feeling was mutual as far as I was concerned. But this was actually a rather valuable piece of information. It proved that Alrod was completely useless, but it told us that Alrod was more of pawn in this stupid game than the king or queen.

"Is that so?" I said softly. "I know that you know where he was headed, though. And I know that you know which vehicle he used to transport her." He looked away, staying stubbornly silent. "Look. I can keep this up all night. You may as well just tell me." He glanced at his lawyer this time.

"I'd appreciate if you'd stop threatening my client," he said, speaking for one of the first times since he had set foot in the room. I shifted my gaze to him.

"I'm not threatening him. He knows that he kidnapped my friend. I know that he did. I'm merely stated that I can keep doing this until he talks. I'm not threatening to cause him physical harm or anything of the sort," I stated calmly. I turned my eyes back to Alrod. He seemed to be sweating a lot. "Wouldn't you love to get all that off your chest? I can assure that whatever sentence the judge has in store for you will be halved if you just tell me where she is, what vehicle she was transported in, and who your boss is."

I knew it wouldn't be that easy. It never was. But I had to give it a shot. I did have the power to halve his sentence, if that could bribe the information out of him.

Unfortunately, he was silent. I'd had enough of this. I nodded to the guards. "Take him to the prison. I'll talk to him again tomorrow." They grabbed Alrod by either arm and escorted him out of the room. "Think about my offer," I called after him, snickering to myself. The lawyer soon scurried out of the room and down the hall, probably off to find some dirt on me in false hope.

Koharu was still staring hard through the glass into the interrogation room when I entered the room next door. I stood next to her for a moment, watching her and wondering when she was going to notice my presence. "He's lying," she said after awhile.

"Hmm?"

"He's lying about not knowing anything. He knows where she is. He knows who their boss is. He knows everything." She had this hard look on her face. And it was filled with this hateful rage. I'd never seen it on her face before. Her hands curled into fists at her sides. "That stupid bastard is lying."

I put my hands on her shoulders, attempting to calm her down. "How do you know?" I asked gently.

"I just know!" she burst. "He's sweating like a pig and his eyes are all shifty! How can you not see it?!"

I gripped her shoulder tighter, feeling her shake with anger and sadness. "Koharu," I whispered. She shook her head and buried her face in my chest, arms wrapping around me while mine snaked around her. "I know that he's lying," I murmured, "I know. And I know it makes you angry and sad and... hurt. But it's alright. I'll get the truth out of him. It might take me a bit but I'll do it. I promise you."

She moaned softly against my jacket and, if possible, pushed her head farther into my chest. "Why're you such a great boyfriend?" she mumbled. I chuckled lightly under my breath.

– Kaydence –

I woke to a soft hand on my forehead. I opened my eyes, blinking blearily against the fluorescent light that was filling the room. Once again, I thought that I was home as I stared at the person sitting next to my bed.

It wasn't Arthur.

Or Alrod.

Or even some unknown nurse.

A boy with startling blue eyes that I knew so well. His shiny dark hair was longer than I remembered it. His skin was tanned rather dark. The part that got me was that I knew him. I'd known him for 6 years now. I didn't know how or why he was here. But he was here and it filled me with relief. "What're you doing here?" I croaked, feeling my lips curve into a smile.

He ignored my question. "How do you feel?" he asked.

I was dizzy. My head hurt. I was having my own gymnastics competition in my stomach. "Pretty shitty," I admitted with a laugh. Please, dear God, don't let this be a dream that I was about to be shaken awake from. "But what on earth are you doing here? Did they get you too?"

"You could say that," he murmured, stroking my hair. This made me frown. They had captured him and allowed him to see me? That didn't make any sense. It didn't make any sense at all. And I could tell he was hiding something from me. His eyes were guarded. He never hid anything from me.

"I missed you. And my parents. And Pierce. And Annabeth," I whispered, squeezing his hand lightly.

He nodded. "You're safe now, Kay," he breathed, pressing his lips against my forehead as the door burst open. He turned around, looking absolutely furious at the person standing in the doorway. I craned my neck to see who it was. Arthur. Arthur Smires. "I thought I told you that she was to be taken care of!" he snapped irritably, his hand still grasping mine.

That didn't fit either. He shouldn't be the one giving orders to either of those bastards. And it didn't end there. "I told you, no. I ordered you to keep her safe and healthy. Does this look healthy?" he gestured to my pale face and sickly demeanor.

"No," Arthur grumbled, looking slightly frightened of the teenager standing in front of him.

None of this made any sense. My mind was racing, trying to come up with explanations to the vast amount of information my brain was receiving.

"I should have you killed," he continued in a growl, "And Alrod," he gave a sarcastic, bitter snort, "Alrod, getting captured. I should have you both killed."

Now I was starting to see it. But it still didn't make any sense to me. And he never acted like this. He never threatened other people. Who was this? What had he done with the boy that I knew?

"Sorry, Boss," Arthur mumbled, his voice actually sounding apologetic for once.

Everything in my mind clicked. I stared up at the dark haired 17-year-old with horror. He was their boss? Why the bloody hell would he kidnap me? He didn't need money. He had his own business waiting for him when he turned 18. I felt my open mouth start to tremble as I looked for words.

He glanced back at me. I felt like I was about to cry again. I'd trusted him. I would have given my fucking life for him. And he had betrayed me. Betrayed me in the worst possible way he could. There was no explanation that he could possibly give now that would make me forgive him. "Get out of my sight," he spat, "I'll deal with you later." Arthur nodded and bowed his way out of the room.

I continued to stare at him, feeling bitter, hate-filled words on my tongue. "I need to leave," he said softly, like Arthur had never been in the room. "I'll be back later."

"Don't bother," I bit out through my shock. It was horribly bitter. He winced visibly at my words.

"Kaydence," he started.

I cut him off before he could continue, "Don't talk to me. Ever again. You bloody backstabber." I wanted to scream at him. Make him feel my pain for what he had put me through. But I held it back. Harsh, calm words always hurt more than loud, hysterical ones. He nodded numbly and turned his back on me. I glared after him.

When he reached the door I couldn't take it anymore. I screamed. I screamed and screamed for all that I was worth. I hoped that my words stung him. I hoped that they ripped his entire being to shreds like his betrayal had torn mine. And as I screamed I felt tears run down my face. It hurt. Everything hurt suddenly. Like he had just set off miniature dynamite sticks all over my body. But most of all my chest hurt. My chest ached when I breathed. It hurt to feel anything at all. He was the one person I had been able to count on for 6 years and now I'd just lost him.

"HOW COULD YOU? I TRUSTED YOU! I FUCKING TRUSTED YOU AND YOU BLOODY BETRAYED ME! HOW COULD YOU, TATE? HOW COULD YOU?"

–

A/N: I just about had a heart attack after writing 4 pages of this chapter. My sister momentarily stole my computer and her evil fingers made it blue screen. Damn. I thought I had lost all four of those beautifully written pages. Thank you OpenOffice document recovery!

Anyway... Kudos to~: KageNoNeko, thearistocrat, JiaKiyokiAi, Moonstarr394, Kiriyu-chan, and Koharu Veddette! Double to thearistocrat for guessing who the boss was correctly! This was another one of those times that I checked my email and I just about cried with happiness. Only this time I was logged on and reading them as they came in.

I'd hate to be in Alrod's position. Somehow the idea of a pissed-off Kyoya interrogating me isn't a very pretty picture.