Disclaimer: Ya'll know I don't own a damn thing...right?
☺☻
Chapter 9
Broken
I wanted you to know
Yamato sighed angrily. He held the phone close to his ear. This was the fifteenth time in the past ten minutes that he had dialed the all-too-familiar number. Finally this time, however, someone answered.
"Hello?" the voice said on the other end.
"God DAMMIT, Kamiya, where the fuck have you been?" he spat, angrier than he had meant to make it sound.
"Geez, Yama. I was out, okay? Don't get all pissy on me!" she said with a giggle. "So...what's up?" she asked.
"Takuya's been kidnapped! He's been gone for the past two hours!" he said. He could hear her giggling slightly and he heard a quiet hiccup escape from her lips.
"And...are you drunk?" he asked. Okay. Now he was OFFICIALLY pissed off.
"Well...maybe just a little tip-sy." She said. "But what the fuck...Taku-chan's gone?" she spat.
"Yeah, and I've been sitting here for the past hour and a half dialing every number I could think of for help, and Kouji has been in his room, holed up, not talking, not even MOVING, and what the fuck have you been doing? Partying!" he yelled at her.
"God, I'm sorry, okay? I should have been sitting here, twiddling my thumbs, not having a fucking life, and waiting for something to go wrong right? Since it was destined to happen and I'm suddenly a fucking fortune-teller." She growled back. "God damn, you make it sound like it's my fault it happened! I didn't know it was going to happen anymore than you did, so quit blaming me!"
Yamato finally realized how harsh he had sounded. He automatically felt bad.
"God...I'm sorry...it's just...this has me all stressed out. And I need you here taking control of the situation and telling me what to do. Right now...I'm just lost." He said.
"I know you are, baby. You're confused, and you can't handle massive amounts of stress like this. I'll get ahold of my list of people and get back with you, okay?" she said, helping him out.
"That'd be great." He said. "Thanks."
"Did you call Kouichi? He may be the only one who can help Kouji right now." She said.
Yamato nodded, then remembered she couldn't see him, so she managed a feeble yes.
"Good. But hey, I gotta go if I want to catch my friends partially sober, and we'll see what we can do, okay?" she asked.
"Alright." He said.
"Kouichi should be there soon anyway, knowing him." Kamiya said with a light smile. "Talk to you later, baby."
"Okay. I love you...and thanks." He said.
"Love you too, and you're welcome. Bye." She said.
And with a click, her voice, his support, his lifeline, was gone. Yamato knew he would have time to himself for a bit. He sat the phone down and buried his face in his hands, sobbing deeply. Not ten minutes later, however, the doorbell rang. Yamato sat straight up and wiped his eyes and face off. Then, he got up and walked to the door. When he opened it up, there stood an out of breath and heavily panting Kouichi.
"Where's...Kouji?" he gasped.
"He's back in his r..." Yama didn't even get to finish his sentence as Kouichi fell forward.
Yamato caught the boy as he was about to hit the ground. He stood the tired boy back up.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah...I'm...fine." Kouichi gasped out. "I just...ran...all the...way here."
Yamato's eyes grew wide.
"What the hell, man!" he said. "Kouji was still gonna be here when you got here, so why run? And why not get a ride here from your mom?"
"Because...I need...to be here...for him. I...love him...and...Mom doesn't...know I'm...here." he panted.
"What in the...Look, you go on back to Kouji's room, and I'm gonna call your mom and let her know where her son is." Yamato said. He began walking back toward the kitchen to get the phone.
"And here I thought this night couldn't get anymore stressful..." he muttered, grabbing the phone.
That I love the way you laugh
Kouichi rapped lightly on the doorframe to his twin's room.
"Kouji?" he called in lightly.
When there was no answer, the shorter haired boy walked into Kouji's room. He gasped when he saw his brother's condition. Kouji was sitting with his back against the headboard, his knees pulled up to his chest, and his arms wrapped around his legs. But what got Kouichi the most, what sent fear plummeting to the depths of his soul, his very being, were Kouji's eyes. They didn't carry the normal anger they used to. They didn't carry the happiness he had whenever he was with Takuya. They didn't hold the fear he had when he was about to die in the digital world. In fact, they didn't hold any emotion at all...they were just...empty. His eyes looked hollow. And it truly scared Kouichi.
The shorter twin rushed over to Kouji's bed.
"Kouji!" he cried out, throwing his arms around his brother. "Are you okay?"
There was no answer from the other teen. No grunt, no sigh, no words...nothing but shallow breathing. Kouji wasn't even crying.
No, I'm not okay Kouichi...Takuya's gone...My life, my love, my heart, my light...is gone! There's no way I'm okay...I just wish I could cry...Kouji thought to himself.
Kouichi looked up at his twin now with tear filled eyes. His arms were still wrapped tightly around his brother.
"Kouji? Say something to me, please...I need you to talk, or move or...something!" Kouichi said, beginning to sob lightly.
Kouji wanted to move, to wrap his arms around his brother and just tell him that he would be fine after a drink or something, but he couldn't. Kouji was completely unable to move. He hadn't moved since the police had come. He told them all he knew, and when they had not called after ten minutes with any information, Kouji had holed himself up in his room. Ten minutes may not have seemed like it was too long for the police, and he may have seemed to be too drastic to expect something in ten minutes, but it had seemed an eternity to the teenager. Nothing had been done, seemingly, to try and save the boy he loved. And now here sat his brother, sobbing all over him, going crazy with worry because he was unable to move.
"Kouji...Nii-chan...please, say something to me! You're scaring me, really bad...Push me away, cry a little! You know you can! You know I've seen you cry! Please, Kouji...cry! Or at least say something to me...get mad at me! Get worried...something, anything! Laugh, Kouji. As crazy as that may sound...just please, laugh!" Kouichi sobbed loudly.
I want to...I really do, Kouichi! I want to lie through my teeth to you and tell you that I'll be fine! And I would if I could, I swear it. But I can't...I can't move...I can't talk...not until he's back here. Not until Takuya's back...and he's safe. Kouji thought.
"Please laugh, Kouji...please. I love your laugh, your smile, the way your eyes light up whenever you're with Takuya. He'll be back, you know it! He'll be fine! He's safe...I'm sure of it." Kouichi said.
As much of a lie as it may have been to say that Takuya was safe, he wanted to reassure his brother enough to get a response. He wouldn't have minded if, at that moment, Kouji had thrown him off the bed and yelled endlessly that there was no way that Takuya could be safe. But there was still no response. Kouji just sat there, staring off into space with those hollow eyes, unmoving, unblinking, unseeing...broken.
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away
"Yes ma'am. Kouichi's fine. He's here...Yes ma'am...I'm truly sorry that he just ran out like that...Yes, I can understand why he did it too. He really loves Kouji...Yeah, we're all worried about Takuya...Yes ma'am...I'll call you the second we find something out...Yes, I'll have Kouichi call you later...Okay...It was no trouble at all, ma'am...Okay...You too...bye."
Yamato hung up the phone. He had just finished talking with Kouichi and Kouji's mother about where Kouichi was. Now, he sat back down in the chair and let out a deep sigh. He had no clue what to do. He desperately wished that Kamiya would call back and give him the reassurance that they were making progress. Even if he hadn't been worried about the brunette boy, Kouji's current condition scared and worried him more than anything. The boy was shaken, utterly and literally, to the core. Yamato didn't know which had scared the raven haired one more, Takuya being taken, or falling off the roof. Either way, one of the two had given him one of the biggest scares of his life.
The blonde now rose from the chair and walked back to Kouji's room. Instead of entering, however, he leaned with his back against the wall just out of sight of the two teens.
He could hear Kouichi sobbing and begging Kouji to respond.
It's a lost cause, Kouichi...I would give up now...not to mention there's no telling what Kouji would do if he could move right now...it may be better to just leave him like that until things die down a little bit. Just to make sure he doesn't do something too drastic... Yama thought.
He pushed himself off the wall and walked toward his own bedroom. He walked in and peeled off his sweat-soaked shirt, throwing it to the side. He lay back on his bed and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before leaning over and grabbing his guitar. He set it on his lap and began to strum a chord or two, making sure it was in tune before he started playing an American song that Kamiya had introduced him to a few months before. The name of the song was Broken, and it was sung by some American group called Seether, as well as some girl that Kamiya idolized, Amy Lee from a band called Evanescence. Kamiya had told Yama that he should start playing some American music, and had played the song for him. After mentioning that he liked it a lot and wished he could play it, Kami had gotten the sheet music for him for his birthday. He had learned to play it, even memorized it, and now seemed like the perfect time for practice.
After making sure it was all tuned up, He began to strum the all-too-familiar chords that made up the song. He began singing along with it, and it wasn't long until Kouichi wandered into his room, looking utterly dejected. Yamato finished up the song as Kouichi watched, then put down the guitar.
"Hey...what's up?" he asked, offering the boy a place to sit down on the end of the bed.
Kouichi sat, then looked at Yama with slightly tear-filled eyes.
"I can't do anything for him...I don't even know why I came." Kouichi said, looking back down.
Yamato put a hand on the boy's back and rubbed it lightly.
"Kouichi, I think you helped plenty just by being here." He said.
"But he won't talk! He won't even move! All he does is sit there!" Kouichi said, almost desperately.
"That may be for the best right now." Yamato said.
"What! What in the hell are you talking about?" Kouichi said angrily.
"I mean, Kouichi, that as long as he's like this, he's not going to go out looking for Takuya himself and get hurt, and he's not going to try anything drastic or stupid that could get him hurt or killed." Yamato said. "Understand?"
Kouichi nodded. "I just wish...I just wish he wasn't in so much pain."
I keep your photograph
Kamiya sighed. She couldn't believe that they had actually gone through with it. She leaned back against the railing behind her as she stood on the roof. She was wearing her red and white striped halter top with a blue jean miniskirt and her red converse.
"Kaoru." She said quietly.
The boy who was sitting down on the railing not ten feet away looked up. He had dark brown hair that was cut into a near bowl cut. His off-white short-sleeved button up shirt was unbuttoned halfway up to the top. His khakis were blowing slightly in the wind, as was the smoke from his cigarette.
"Yes, fair Kamiya." He said with a smirk.
"You know smoking's bad for you, right?" she said with the same light smile.
Her eyes had lost their sheen that they normally held. She looked up at the sky and sighed lightly again.
"That I do, my dear." He said. He began to lean down to put out the cigarette when Kamiya reached over and snatched it out of his hand.
She brought it to her lips and took a long drag off it.
"That's why you should give it to me." She said, blowing her smoke to the wind.
He laughed and looked back at the laptop sitting in his lap, then typed something quickly. There was a rather loud "brrring" noise. Kamiya looked over at him.
"Find something?" she asked.
"Not much. Just that his dad wasn't involved." Kaoru said.
"I could have told you that much. Of course he wasn't involved." She said. "There's no way he would have been smart enough to hire people...and even if he was, they wouldn't have been smart enough to accomplish anything."
She took another drag from the cigarette and reached into her pocket, pulling out an old picture. It was of Kouji and Takuya, Kouji bending over slightly at the waist, and Takuya had his arms wrapped around Kouji's neck as he lay with his stomach on Kouji's back.
She smirked slightly as she looked at it now. Dropping the cigarette to the ground, she stepped on it, putting it out. Then, she ran her finger over Takuya's face. A tear fell slowly out of her eye and, after caressing her cheek, landed gracefully on the picture.
"Takuya..." she muttered. "Why you?"
In an instant, Kaoru was in front of her. He reached over and wiped the tear off of her face. She looked up at him.
"Beautiful people shouldn't cry." He said. (1)
Kamiya smiled slightly.
"I know..." she said.
"You wanna get going? I found the warehouse district...we can always hit every fucking warehouse between here and there until we find something." He said with a smirk.
Kamiya laughed a little.
"Now that's what I like to see. Your pretty laugh." He said.
Kamiya smiled. "Just keep searching...I'm sure you can do it."
Kaoru nodded and sat back down, getting straight back to work. Kamiya looked up at the stars and closed her eyes.
"Takuya...please be okay." She whispered.
And I know it serves me well
"Hey. Get me some more whiskey." A deep male voice said.
"No." Takuya whispered.
The man rose and walked toward him, lifting him up by the collar of his shirt.
"What the hell did you just say to me?" he spat.
"I said, 'yes sir. Right away.'" Takuya muttered.
"Good. That's exactly where you belong, you little slave." He said, throwing Takuya to the ground with a sharp thud.
Takuya winced, but pulled himself up, walking toward the fridge. The sorry excuses for shackles that were linked around his feet clinked against the ground. He grabbed a whiskey bottle out of the fridge and walked over to the table where the 6 men sat and handed it to the one who had demanded it. The man smiled a sick smile and laughed a little bit, pulling Takuya onto his lap.
"See what I mean? I told you he'd be great for this job." The man said.
He kissed Takuya's cheek roughly, causing Takuya to wince and shut one eye. He hated that smell, the smell of whiskey and liquor on someone's breath. It reminded him too much of his father. But he had to take it. The sooner he had them satisfied, the sooner they would trust him, and the sooner he could leave.
"Hey, ya know, I wonder if what the old man said was right." One of the other men said.
"Which part?" the one who was holding Takuya asked.
"About him bein kinda like a redhead, if you catch my drift." The other said with a wink. (2)
"Ooooh...I get it. Heheh. Yeah, I wonder too. Maybe I should...try him out." The man holding Takuya said.
Takuya's eyes got wide. He knew what they meant and it scared him. He was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but now, the one who had been holding him the whole time stood.
"Oh come on, Tatchi. You don't get him first, do you?" one of the other men asked.
Tatchi just nodded.
"Of course I do. I brought the little shit here in the first place. Therefore, I call first dibs. Get it? Good." He said.
"Come on, my little prize. It's time to use you to your fullest potential." Tatchi said, as he drug Takuya back toward the bedroom.
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain
"Found it!" Kaoru yelled excitedly.
Kamiya rushed over to him. Kaoru was now sitting down on the ground, his legs crossed, and his laptop sitting on his lap.
"What is it? What did you find? The warehouse?" she asked quickly.
"Not the warehouse, sorry. But I did find out who did it." He said.
Kamiya leaned over his shoulder and looked at the page in front on him on the screen. It was an e-mail. Kamiya read it quickly.
Kaoru-sama,
Thanks for the lovely 3 AM wakeup call. I really appreciate it...--;;... but anyway, I did get your information. You wanted to know about Takuya Kanbara, age 14, number 8021098765603, correct? Well, if that's the kid, then I know who he is with at the moment. You may want to make sure he is on the right track...because if he's truly hanging out with these jackasses, then you need to steer him back onto the right of way. Anyway, right now he's with this gang called the "Yami Sesshomaru." Yes, it does mean "The dark end of the circle of life." (3) Not a good group to be around. Anyway, there's your info. You owe me a major round now. I must be going now because I need sleep. Tell Icefire-san I said hello if you see her, K:P Peace out!
Takari Oyana
Chibi Hotaru (4)
"She says Hi." Kaoru said with a smirk.
"Gee thanks." Kami said, rolling her eyes. "But I know that gang, the Yami Sesshomaru. His dad used to be in it until they kicked him out when he ratted them out."
"So why would they kidnap his son?" Kaoru asked.
"Because, idiot. Now they have something he wants. He'll come to get it...either that, or they have to pay him for something. Maybe he has something on them again. Either way, maybe his dad was involved after all." She explained.
"And now you owe me..." he said.
"I know, I know." She said, pulling a bill out of her pocket and slipping it into his hand. "$20, as promised."
Kamiya stood up straight and pulled something else out of her pocket. There was a key dangling from a keychain.
"Now, I've got to get some things. Stay here and I'll report back to you later, alright?" she said.
"Gotcha." He said, pocketing the $20.
Kamiya pulled out her cell phone and dialed a familiar number. It rang a few times before someone on the other end finally picked up.
"Hello? Yeah, I got info...I'll get it to you before you know what happened." She said, the closed her phone.
Because I'm broken
When I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right
When you're gone away
Kouji sat in his room, still unmoving. His head was filled with all the thoughts he had from the past three hours.
Why haven't the police called yet? Does no one care? Why is no one out looking for Takuya? He could be dead, does anyone give a damn? If he never comes back...I'll die, I know I will. God, look at me! He disappears, and I suddenly can't do anything! I'm useless...Kouji thought to himself.
Yamato and Kouichi stood at the door. It was evident that he didn't see them at all. They simply stood there and watched him.
"What...what's wrong with him?" Kouichi asked.
"He broke" Yamato said simply.
"Broke? What does that mean?" Kouichi asked.
"It means exactly what it sounds like...he's broken...he can't do anything. Not until Takuya's back anyway." Yama explained.
"That...that's not fair...It's not fair! Why can't Kouji just understand? I love him more than Takuya ever could! I do everything for him! I would give him everything if he asked it! And now, Takuya's gone and I'm here, and he can't...WON'T even talk to me! He won't even move! I hate Takuya! I really, really hate him! He stole the one thing from me that really matters...The guy I love." Kouichi said.
With that, he stormed off down the stairs, leaving the building.
Yamato stood wide-eyed watching him as he left. He had always thought that when Kouichi said he loved Kouji, he meant as a brother...
"Apparently not..." he said to no one in particular.
You've gotta win
You don't feel me here anymore
Takuya gasped for breath. He was in pain. Not any normal pain, this pain burned...badly. He doubted he'd be able to walk for a week. He sighed, panting. He wished he could even sit up long enough to pull a blanket over his naked body, but he couldn't even do that much. It hurt to move. It almost hurt to breathe. Tears flowed freely from his eyes. This wasn't fair. He finally had the perfect life...the perfect boyfriend, the perfect family, the perfect friends, the perfect home...and now it was all gone, nothing more than a distant memory. He sobbed freely now. He had been locked in the bedroom, lying on the filthy bed where he had been violated, repeatedly, just half an hour before.
"9 times in one night...God...never again..." he muttered before finally drifting off into a painful sleep.
The worst is over now
And we can breathe again
I wanna you hold you high and steal my pain away
There's so much left to learn
And no one left to fight
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain
Cuz I'm broken
when I'm open
And I don't feel like
I am strong enough
Cuz I'm broken
when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right
when you're gone away
Cuz I'm broken
When I'm open
And I don't feel like
I am strong enough
Cuz I'm broken
When I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right
When you're gone away
Cuz I'm broken
when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right
when you're gone
You've gotta win
You don't feel me here
Anymore...
☻
Kami here. As the authoress, not as Kami Kami...but either way...sorry it took so long to update... I was in a nuthouse for 10 days (don't ask) and then my house flooded, my pregnant dog and all her puppies died...yeah, it's been a mess. Anyway, I'm sorry the chap is so short too. I would have written more, but I wanted to save all the next stuff for the next chapter. It'll be one of the most exciting yet. But I have to warn u...if u don't like the idea of a suicide attempt...too bad. Sorry, but it's necessary. Hope u liked this chap! Don't forget to review, K? Reviews are greatly needed and appreciated! Tankiez!
(1): I have read this in so many stories and loved it every time...HAD to use it!
(2):One of my friends is a redhead and she hates what "they say about redheads". It is said that redheads and freaks in bed...so yeah, it sounded great.
(3):This name can also be translated to "The dark destruction of the circle of life." Either way, still not good.
(4):For those of u not fluent in Japanese, this code name translates to Small or Little Firefly.
And for those of u wondering about why Chibi Hotaru called Kami Iguno-san...it's her Japanese last name, the last name that belongs to her real mother. FYI.
Thanks for reading! I'll try and have the next update up sooner! Kami out!