Like a Cloud in the Wind
By Meganes Ultimate Fangirl
Chapter 9 – Alrod/Monster
– Kyoya –
I let the stupid bastard rot in prison for awhile instead of immediately interrogating him. Let him think about my offer for awhile. "You can't hold him if he isn't being convicted of anything!" his lawyer tried to convince me a few days after the first interrogation attempt. Obviously, this man was a rookie. I was walking down a hall in the police station at that moment, but stopped and spun around at these words.
"You think I don't have enough reason to hold him? He was caught driving a suspected van. Said van holds evidence that a kidnapped 16-year-old girl was held and transported in it. He's automatically a suspect in this crime due to this fact. I have every reason to hold him," I stated sharply.
The lawyer blinked in shock. If he were smart he'd have a witty comeback about me being an underage rich kid trying to play detective. But, alas, he wasn't. Too bad. I could use a bit of debate practice. Instead he grumbled and turned around, striding angrily in the opposite direction.
I smirked as the idiot left and turned back around. If there were more lawyers like that, Haruhi would have no problems being one of the most excellent lawyers around.
–
Nearly a week after that little encounter with Alrod's lawyer I got a message from the guards that were present at his cell. The brute was requesting my presence. I had him taken to the interrogation room after I got out of school.
I made a note at the top of my notebook that it was October 21st. I knew I was going to get something out of this bastard this time. Koharu was, once again, hidden behind the one-way glass when I strode into the room confidently. She'd be able to confirm if he was lying or not. "Think about my offer?" I asked pleasantly. He nodded, staring at the table in front of him and refusing to look at me.
He probably thought that he was betraying his brother. Betrayal was the only way to get anything out of him though. His betrayal would be Kaydence's benefit. "Let's start at the beginning then shall we?" I said softly, "What is your name?"
"Alrod Smires," he replied stiffly.
"And your brother is Arthur Smires, escaped convict, correct?" He nodded numbly. "Did you assist him in kidnapping Kaydence Malronda?"
"Is that her name?" he retorted. "I just know her as the girl that frequently pisses off Arthur." I smirked inwardly at that, making sure to keep my outer face completely neutral. That sounded like Kaydence.
"Did you harm her in any way while she was in your care?" Again, I had to force myself to keep my face as straight as I possibly could. If he had taken any part in the physical harm that would give me all the more reason to throw him in jail for the rest of his life. Even if it meant violating my promise to him.
"I... might've," he mumbled.
I felt my jaw tighten. "Yes or no?"
"I might've sliced her hands a bit when I cut her bindings loose," he admitted sourly. He just hated having to tell the truth. My jaw tightened more. Bastard had probably taken pleasure in hurting her too. I scribbled on my notebook, making sure to keep the words out of his sight.
"The last time you saw her how was her health?"
He swallowed. "Not well. But she was trying to kick Arthur in his nether regions so she must have been slightly better than she looked. She'd been chucking up her food since we moved her to the hole, though." I glanced briefly at the window, knowing Koharu was listening to this. I could just imagine her with her hand over her mouth in horror.
"Do you know what kind of vehicle was used to transport her from the hole?" I asked stiffly. This was what I expected him to lie about.
Sure enough, he hesitated. "You guarantee that you'll halve my sentence if I tell you the truth?" he asked apprehensively.
"On my word," I replied solemnly.
Still, he hesitated. "Yes," he finally murmured.
"What kind of vehicle was it?"
"A 1987 Oldsmobile 88," he grumbled reluctantly. My offer must have been pretty damn enticing. He was just spilling everything. It was good for me. If he was lying the slightest bit though it would be very bad for him.
"Color?"
"Midnight blue." I knew Koharu was on my computer at that very moment searching for the registrars on any car like that in Japan. We were going to nab these bastards this time. Midnight blue Oldsmobile's were more common in America. Here they were almost as rare as you could get.
"And where did you acquire this car?"
"Our boss supplied it for us. I think he went to a used car dealership somewhere in Sendai and picked it up for us." He seemed unsure of this fact. "Like I said before, Arthur knows more details than I do." Arthur may know the nitty-gritty details but he knew the basics.
"Do you know where Kaydence was taken in this car?"
"No," he said, sounding very convincing. I glanced at the glass again. I couldn't read Koharu's mind to tell me whether I should press him more or not, unfortunately. I pressed him anyway.
"You don't even know a general area?"
He was hesitating again. I knew it. He knew where she was. "I know... that there was it's a warehouse. I'm not exactly sure though."
"Where were you supposed to meet up with Arthur when you lost the police that caught you?"
"A secluded bar in Ishinomaki."
"Is it possible that she could be there somewhere then?"
"Perhaps. I doubt it though. Arthur was going to lead me to the real place while the girl was still passed out in the back." This was getting tedious.
"You're absolutely sure that you don't know where she was being taken?" He shook his head, no. He sure was talking a lot now. "Alright. Next question. Who hired you?"
He groaned loudly. "I don't know his real name," he muttered, avoiding my eyes again. "I could tell you what he looks like and his fake name but I wouldn't be able to tell you his real name."
"That would suffice," I said quietly.
"I'm not even that sure of what he looks like. I've only met him once. And that was in the dark," he pointed out. I shrugged nonchalantly and prompted him onward. "Male Caucasian with dark hair. British or American accent, he switched between the two often during our short conversation. Alias of Matte Hirostens. And I swear on my parents' graves that's all I know." It was a start. Now we knew who the bank account belonged to. It was irksome that we didn't know the bastard's real name but we had a vague outline of what he looked like. And the fact that he was Caucasian would narrow down the line of suspects.
"Anything else you'd like to share?" Leave the ending open for him. Give him a last chance to tell some inkling of information that we needed.
"I'd search warehouses north of Ishinomaki if I were you," he said. That was exactly the kind of vague clue I needed to get started. "Can I ask a question?" I mulled it over in my head for a moment before nodding. "Why are you the ones looking for her instead of her parents?"
I stayed quiet. "Wouldn't you like to know?" I retorted. Her parents were looking for her too. They were just being vastly unsuccessful in doing it. This was going to be a big break though. As soon as I reported this to Layne, we'd easily be able to narrow down the suspects and locations. Or so I thought.
– Kaydence –
Tate didn't come back. He was smart and stayed away from me. Arthur was the one that helped nurse me back to health. It was only out of fear of his boss though. Still, I hated his guts a bit less because of it.
I slept a ton and hardly ate anything, despite Arthur's attempts to force food down my throat. It wasn't even that the food made me sick anymore that made me not eat. I was completely thrown by Tate's betrayal. I hadn't expected it at all. And it still made no sense as to why he would do such a thing. I was depressed, you could say.
When the day finally came that I could eat without chucking it back up, I was relieved. So was Arthur. We spent most of the time in silence or arguing about whether I was going to eat today or not. But today... today I asked him a question. "What's the date?"
Arthur was completely silent. "I can't tell you that," he growled after a few moments.
"You sent a ransom note to my father on September 26th. It has to be at least October 11th now. And I know I was in that bloody hole for around four weeks." He left the room to avoid answering me. I ran a hand through my hair. Dammit, was I going to get any answers? I tried to do the math in my head but I had no clue how many days I'd been in the 5-star room, as I now liked to call it. There were no windows, like the storage room.
I sighed and laid back down on my bed. This was absolutely ridiculous. I was bored as hell now too. I stared up at the ceiling, contemplating what Tate's plan for me could possibly be. Why would he have done this? What was he going to do with me?
He had sounded like he still cared about me when he spoke to me. But I couldn't believe that anyone who cared about their best friend in the slightest would kidnap and hold them for ransom.
For Pete's sake he was like a brother to me! My family had taken him into our fucking home when his parents had died in that stupid plane crash after the plane had been hijacked and the engine failed.
I failed to notice the door open and close while I was ranting in my head. That is until a voice spoke. "Do you hate me, Kay?" I sat bolt-upright, glaring at Tate apprehensively. Yes, I hated him. There was once I time when I had loved him like a brother, but now he had gone too far.
"Yes," I hissed, "And you aren't allowed to call me by that nickname anymore. Only my true friends and family are." He stared at me hard. This look was on his face that I'd never seen before. Like he completely loathed me yet regretted what he had done at the same time. But most of all, I noticed that his blue eyes were cold like ice. He had never looked at me with those ice eyes. They had been directed at others, but never me. His eyes had always held warmth when looking at me.
"If you would let me explain..."
I cut him off before he could finish his sentence, "There isn't a fucking explanation in the entire universe that could make me forgive you for what you've done to me, Tate." I kept my voice level and cold, but also let a tiny glimpse of my hurt show. There really wasn't anything that he could say that would convince me that he wasn't a backstabbing bastard.
The cold look in his eyes took on a bit of fiery rage. "Why?" he spat.
"You kidnapped me. I trusted you more than anyone on the bloody planet and you kidnapped me," I growled in reply.
He shook his head. "I have my reasons," he muttered. I let out a doubtful snort.
"Right. And what would that be? You have everything you need, Tate. It's either provided by my family, whom you've also betrayed, or it's waiting for you when you turn 18. Now, you've just screwed over your chances of ever redeeming yourself."
"He killed my parents," he said in a low voice.
"Who?"
"Your father!" he said, his voice slowly rising, "Your father, Kay! He killed my parents so he could 'adopt' me and take what was rightfully mine! He's a greedy bastard, your father."
I scoffed. Like my father would ever do that. He was a manipulator, sure. But there was no way that he would kill anyone for wealth. There was no way he would kill another person for anything. "They died in a plane crash!" I yelled, "Get over it! Besides! You won't bring them back by taking my father's money!"
He stared at me again, his entire frame shaking with anger. "Shut up! Shut up, Kaydence! You don't understand!" he shouted.
"I understand perfectly fine! Understand that you're a bloody lunatic!" I screamed back. His angered face grew completely blank.
"I made sure that you were safe," he stated, voice deathly calm.
I snorted. "Safe, my ass! Do you have any clue how many times I've had a gun trained on me in that last month?" I shrieked. He'd made me lose my temper. Now there was no way in hell that I was going to calm down while he was still in the bloody room.
"At least you're alive!" he yelled, turning around and heading straight back out the door. He slammed it behind him, making the entire room shake. I glared after him. He'd ruined our friendship. He'd ruined our entire relationship. The fucking bastard. I wished he would die. I wanted him dead and forgotten. I slammed my fist down on the bedside table.
I wanted to scream and tear my hair out like a child, but I held back. I was not a child. Nor, would I act like one.
–
I seemed to have angered Tate more than I thought I had. Food stopped coming. As did the changes of clothes. I still had my black shawl and green dress from the night of the ball but those were in filthy rags by now. Not even Arthur came to visit me anymore.
My stomach hurt horribly. I was starting to regret making Tate angry. But there was no way in hell that I was going to apologize. Everything I had screamed at him had been perfectly true. Everything I had said I'd meant. I wasn't going to take it back, even if he pointed a gun at my head an threatened to kill me.
My throat was parched and my stomach empty every time that I curled up and went to sleep now. I let my mind shut down though. Made it not admit the stabbing pain emitting from my stomach from the hunger that I now felt. I curled up and slept, praying to be home the next time that I woke up, yet somehow knowing that it would never be true.
– Kyoya –
We found the car before anything else. The blue Oldsmobile was, as Alrod had said, registered to Matte Hirostens. It had been purchased in a used car lot in Sendai with the little money that had been in the bank account already. So far, all of Alrod's information was coming through.
The problem was finding which damned warehouse it was that was holding Kaydence. There had to be hundreds of them north of Ishinomaki. Ones used for storage. Ones used by businesses. Ones used for shipping. There were simply too many of them.
It was frustrating. And we couldn't just storm every single one of them. It would take too long, over a year, I estimated. We had a little over a month. A month until Layne would be forced to pay the ransom or find his daughter dead.
The other problem was finding the boss. He was a sneaky little rat. Less than 100,000 Caucasians were currently legal citizens of Japan. Half of those were American or British. Approximately half of those were male. 25,000 possibilities. If you took away Kaydence's relatives that number dropped by 3. I knew for a fact that Koharu was half-Italian, half-Japanese and Kaydence was half-British, half-Italian with a more pronounced British heritage. Koharu's family, whoever they were, weren't going to be a factor in this. And I automatically assumed that Kaydence's wouldn't do anything like this.
24,997 possibilities. Was it even worth trying?
I cut out the males of rich lineage from the list that also weren't enemies of the Malrondas. That took care of a good 1,000.
23,997 possibilities.
I let out a loud groan of frustration. I'd been at this for over two hours. Koharu was watching me, a frown tugging at the corners of her lips. I closed my eyes and rested my head against my bed's headboard. I yawned and opened one eye to glance at the clock.
12:48 AM.
"Hell. I was supposed to have you home 3 hours ago wasn't I?" I asked Koharu. She nodded, shrugging.
"Yuigo knows that we're working. He won't tell Dad. Though, I'm slightly worried about what he ate for dinner." She frowned again. I chuckled lightly and stretched my arms over my head.
"Alright," I muttered, yawning. "I give up for the night." I saved my files and notes on my computer and then a backup copy on the flash-drive that was jutting out of one of my computer's USB drives. "Come on. I should get you home. Your Uncle would be furious if he knew you were still here. Dunno about your Dad though." I'd never met her parents. I didn't even know any of her other family members besides her twin brother. And she refused to tell me anything, still.
She shrugged, biting her lip. "Does it bug you that I won't tell you anything?" she asked softly.
I nodded. "A bit. It's your choice though," I murmured, sliding my computer onto the mattress next to me and pushing myself off the bed. In all truth it actually bugged me more than 'a bit' that she wouldn't tell me anything about her family or her past. But I didn't want to press her for anything she didn't want to willingly give up anyway.
She sighed and stood up, waiting for me by the door as I got my shoes back on. I wondered if Tachibana or Hotta were even awake right now. I knew one of my three bodyguards were up at all times, the problem was figuring out which one was at the time that I needed them.
Koharu looked worn out, as I probably did. And we still had to go to school at 7:30. I walked towards her sluggishly, pulling out my cellphone to call the guards office. "Yes. Car out front please," I muttered, taking Koharu's hand and leaving my bedroom.
–
Progress on the case was slow for the next week. I picked Koharu up for school, acting pleasant as to not worry her when in all reality I wanted to go back to bed. I'd once again stayed up into the early morning hours, working. She looked tired and more stressed everyday that we found nothing to help her cousin's situation.
She seemed perfectly fine until Club hours came around.
It was really all Renge's fault. I was working on club profits and brainstorming madly for ideas for the case when Renge came in, hiding behind a pillar. Of course, the room full of idiots directed their attention solely on her for awhile. I had an inkling of information on who she was before she introduced herself. I knew the daughters of one of Father's business partners was going to start at Ouran today, I just wasn't completely sure what she looked like.
I ignored her while the rest of the members seemed to fawn over her. I glanced at Koharu with a small smile on my face. Her lips twitched upwards. "Anything?" she mouthed. I shook my head. She sighed and looked back out the window.
It was when Renge unexpectedly tackled me that Koharu started to lose it. "I always wanted to meet you!" she exclaimed. I blinked hard. What the hell? I looked at my girlfriend again. She looked like she wanted to rip Renge to shreds. I sighed. I'd probably have a lot of explaining to do.
–
"Fiancée?" Hikaru and Koaru asked at the same time. I felt a vein in my temple bulge a little, but kept my temper down. This woman. She'd barely known me for 5 seconds and now she was claiming me to be her fiancé and was angering Koharu, whom Mori was currently holding back.
It took Koharu moments to break away from Mori. "What?!" she shrieked. "Your fiancé? What the hell?! Since when?!" I winced inwardly as her gaze turned to me. Should've seen that coming. She stared at me like she didn't know me for a moment.
"Since the moment we fell in love!" Renge proclaimed, her eyes practically turning into hearts as she went off on a rant about our 'love story.' Now this was just getting out of hand.
I coughed and excused myself, taking Koharu by the arm to lead her to the kitchen before she could rage at Renge more. "Kyoya! What...?" she trailed off, completely flabbergasted. "How can she be your fiancée?" Her eyes looked lost. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?" Now she just looked pathetic.
I sighed and pushed her hair behind her ears. "I don't believe I ever acknowledged that flimsy rumor," I murmured, tilting her head up to look into her eyes.
She didn't seem to take in what I said, looking down at her shoes. "She's just the kind of person your father would set you up with though," she mumbled to herself, "Rich foreigner of a business partner. But why wouldn't you t—?"
"Koharu," I cut into her thoughts gently, "I never acknowledged it did I?"
She looked up into my eyes and muttered a simple, "No."
"Then why on earth are you freaking out?" I asked softly, pulling her head to my chest. "You're my girlfriend, Koharu. She's an otaku." This was probably all brought on by stress. She normally kept a cap on her temper, one side of her that wasn't like Kaydence. "Are you that stressed out?" I added quietly. She pulled away and looked up at me.
"What?"
"You're stressed out about Kaydence. You wouldn't have exploded like that if it were merely jealousy," I explained, gazing down at her with a smirk on my face. "But the fact that you were jealous is pretty cute." A light blush painted her cheeks at this comment, making my smirk widen into a grin.
That disaster was now averted, for the most part.
– Kaydence –
I was starving. Honestly, how long had it been since I had eaten? I moaned softly into the pillow my head was rested on, holding my stomach. I was so hungry I was nauseous again. Just when my health had gotten better and now it was declining again. Just what I needed.
"I'll feed you if you take it back," his voice came from the doorway.
"Never," I spat before I could stop myself. My brain was on autopilot for sharp comebacks, dammit.
"I guess you'll starve yourself to death then," he said pleasantly with a cold edge to his voice and he was gone, locking the bloody door behind him.
What was wrong with him? He acted like he cared one moment, like he was still my best friend/brother. The next he was screaming at me. Bipolar, much? And even after that he was now acting all cold and distant, which he rarely did unless he was really upset with me. That hadn't happened in over 3 years.
I knew the answer. He wasn't the boy I'd met 6 years ago in grade school anymore. He was a monster.
–
A/N: A few side notes:
1987 Oldsmobile 88s are real cars. My grandparents owned one and my dad inherited it from them when my grandpa died 5 years ago. Whether or not they made them in midnight blue I'm not real sure. I sure as hell haven't ever seen them in another color other than red or silver. But I wanted to make sure it was a rare car to narrow down the possibilities.
The estimate on Caucasian population in Japan isn't very accurate. I tried looking it up but I didn't get any set numbers or percentages, unfortunately. So I guessed based on what I had found.
Tate's full British but converted between American accents and British ones to better hide his identity when talking to the Smires brothers.
Tate M. Shireston scrambled is Matte Hirostens. I came up with that by myself. Nifty, huh?
The entire Renge-side-story thing is mainly filler. Trying to prolong time so the plot doesn't move too fast. It was completely Koharu's idea to add it in there. Which leads me to once again thank my wonderful beta reader and to smother her with many many Kudos.
There. Got that out of the way. Now. Time to hand out those MUF-Kudos~
thearistocrat, KageNoNeko, Rixiroo, Moonstarr394, and Koharu Veddette! Step on up! (List's still pretty big despite the fact that this was a really fast update.)
I had a heart attack again while writing this one. I went babysitting and forgot to plug my computer in before I left and came back to find it dead. I thought I'd lost everything!