Falling Away

~x~

Author's Note: OK, I'd like to let you all know that updates are gonna remain as they usually are – once a day, or once every other day. This weekend rocked my socks, (ish) so it's all good! Sorry to anyone who was expecting updates to come three at a time. Haha. Oh, by the way, this chapter is going to be split up into Let/Julia, then Musica, then Elie, then Haru as the person as the main. Oh, and be warned, this chapter is a tad…sad. ;P

Disclaimer: I still don't own any one. I may take their lives and make them my own, but I don't own them.

Mmm…no one went and posted in my forum. xD You guys suck. Just kidding. I love my readers!

~x~

Chapter Five: Elie Omitted

Silently, Julia watched the computer screen, waiting for the final question of the day to pop up. Besides her, Let was doing the same thing, only quite a bit more patiently. "Damn it, hurry up! I told Elie I'd meet her to go shopping!" she snarled, tempted to hit the computer with her fist. Let chuckled, not even looking away from the screen.

"Patience, Julia," he muttered, a small smile on his face. Before he could realize what had happened, his fiancé's fist had hit the back of his head, losing his concentration. In the second he closed his eyes, the question appeared and Julia triumphantly answered it. With a chuckle, Let answered the question as well, closing the laptop.

Julia was already up and grabbing a light jacket, yawning. "When are our classes even finished?" she asked, leaning to grab her shoes. Let shrugged, stretching his arms. "Right. I'm off," she called, waving and rushing off. Let waved at her as she left, smiling softly.

As planned, Elie was waiting for Julia outside of Café Tsubomi, watching the clouds cheerfully. "Hey, Elie," Julia called, waving. Elie smiled and waved, rushing over to meet her. "Ready to go get some hot clothes?"

"Definitely!" Elie laughed, heading towards the market. It had become a tradition of theirs to go shopping for the best clothes just before school started, and this year was a very special year for Elie, being her senior year. "I wish it was still winter time, though…"

Julia snorted. "I hate winter. The only good part about it is New Year's, when you can drink all day long and not get yelled at!" she cried, punching the air. Elie laughed, shrugging. "Of course, you like winter for some other reasons, of course." She had taken upon herself to get Elie to admit her feelings for Haru – something she was positive was true but had no proof.

"My birthday!" she cried, laughing. Julia rolled her arms, draping an arm over her shoulder. Elie smirked knowingly, shrugging. "Next winter, I'll be eighteen! Just like Haru!"

An evil smile fell over Julia's face at that. "Then it'll be legal again," she muttered. Elie's face flooded with color, and Julia's grin widened. "That's what you want, right? To make it so you and Haru can legally date?" Elie remained silent, which was as good as a confession in her older friends' eyes. "Just admit it. I can see it in your eyes."

Elie took a deep breath, her face redder than a cherry. "Fine. Because it's the eve of my senior year in high school…I…like Haru," she muttered, not meeting Julia's gaze. Julia 'awwwwed' and pulled her in closer. "But, please don't tell anyone! I've been working since before last Christmas to make sure Haru doesn't figure it out!"

"Now why would you think I'd do something like that? Nope, I want you to tell him!" she hissed in her ear, laughing. Elie turned to stare at her with her brown eyes wide. Julia stared back into her eyes, showing no signs of relenting. "It's your senior year, Elie. Make something special happen while you can!"

The younger girl considered for a little bit. Julia could see her finally giving in, finally starting to do something about her little crush. "Haru doesn't like me back, though," she said softly, waving at someone as they entered the store. Julia's eyes softened in understanding. That's what had held her back all this time from telling him; she had been through too much to not want security.

"Trust me, Elie, he does. I can see it in the way he looks at you sometimes…it's the way Let used to look at me. Right before we got together," she said comfortingly, leading her friend to the clothing part of the store. It wasn't much, but they always got the sort of clothing that Elie liked to wear, so it's where they went.

Elie shrugged, going through a couple of racks. "He probably likes Celia," she muttered, pushing a hanger a little too forcefully and watching as it fell. It felt like Julia was hearing Elie for the first time on the beach; the innocence in her tone over shadowed an emotion so large, she couldn't help but admire Elie's ability to hide it. It wasn't as though she was afraid Haru didn't like her, she just thought that the prick liked Celia!

With a sigh, Julia picked up the shirt and put it on the rack. "There's no way in hell that Haru likes a…a whore like Celia. Trust me, Elie. He'd never fall for someone like that," she said, grinning. Elie looked at her in a expression that clearly said 'yeah-right' and not so clearly said 'really…?'. Julia's grin broadened.

Elie didn't reply, but her mood greatly improved. As they shopped, Julia felt a form of accomplishment settle over her – Elie had given her a friend when she needed it most that day on the beach, and now Julia had finally repaid the favor. She smiled widely at that thought. Without warning, she threw an arm around her friend and halfway hugged her. Elie laughed slightly, awkwardly holding the bag of clothes she had just bought. "Yeah, Julia?"

"I never…thanked you. That day Let and I first got here," she said seriously, unable to keep her grin off her face. Elie looked up at her in confusion, so she continued. "We had been on that ship for nearly three days, and the first thing that happens when we get off is you bouncing towards her and buying us our first meal."

As they walked, Julia could feel herself getting more sentimental than she would have liked. "I really owe you, kid," she muttered, releasing her. Looking down at Elie, she noticed that the girl had an expression that only someone who had gone through as much as she had could even fathom having – true empathy.

"You don't owe me anything, Julia. I'm just glad that you decided to meet us on the beach after that, even though there's an obvious age difference," she said, heading towards her street. Julia watched her go, half waving. "I'll see you tomorrow after class, right?" Elie called, half turned. The older woman nodded, turning away and entering the café, feeling as though she'd like to have Elie as her Maid of Honor at her wedding in years to come.

* * *

"We got it, man," a hushed whisper came, holding up a small scarf. Musica grinned widely, glancing over his shoulder before taking it. The scarf was warm, but he could almost feel the cool metal beneath it. "Congratulations, you're now officially a member."

Musica grinned, adjusting his cigarette with his teeth. Perfect. "Great," he said, pulling the scarf into his bag. The others nodded, slipping a small piece of paper into his hand. "What's this?" Musica asked, starting to unfold it. The one that gave it to him slapped his hand, stopping him. The ones around him shook their head, and he understood – it was for his eyes only, from the leader.

Without a word, he turned and walked off, one hand clutching the piece of paper in one hand, and the scarf in the other. "Hey, Musica!" someone called. Smirking casually, he turned and waved as one of his best friends came running towards him, clutching a large shopping bag. "Where have you been the last couple days?"

"I've been busy with Hebi," he lied smoothly, shrugging. Elie nodded in understand, glancing at his balled fist. "You and Julia just get done shopping or something?" he asked, changing the subject carefully. The younger girl nodded happily, and Musica lightly tapped the bag. "Jesus, you guys get way too much clothes."

Elie rolled her eyes, crossing her arms against her chest. Musica grinned, shrugging and leading the way back to his apartment. "What's in the bag?" Elie asked innocently, poking it. In a single movement, he pulled the bag free of her fingers, shaking his head. Understanding dawned over Elie, and she nodded. "They let you join?"

"Yeah. Even got myself a mission," he said under his breath. Elie was the only person he had confided in about his plans to join a gang – it was just the start, as soon he'd rise through the ranks and start his own gang. "You didn't tell anyone – Let, Julia, Haru – right?" Elie shook her head slightly, rubbing her eyes. "You OK?"

Elie nodded. "Just a bit tired. I've been like this all week," she admitted, yawning. Musica stared at her curiously, and she laughed. "Don't worry about it, Musica." Musica stared at her, doing just that. Noticing this, she sighed and rolled her eyes. "I've been having headaches lately, and sometimes they go really late into the night, making sleep impossible."

Now he was really worried. Headaches, as he knew all too well, were a very serious matter. Rize's illness had started with constant headaches, and he did nothing about it until Musica saw him coughing up blood. "Elie, how bad do these headaches of yours start off?" he asked, stopping. She stopped as well, blinking. "Like, do they start off bad, or weak and get bad?"

"Usually, they start off as sort of a…prick, in my temple. Then, it just kinda…spreads, to all over my head. Why?" she replied after a second of thinking. Musica relaxed slightly – Rize's headaches had just appeared out of the blue, throbbing painfully throughout his entire body. At least this wasn't that serious. Not yet, anyways.

The two walked in silence for a little bit before Elie finally sighed. "Sometimes they start out really bad, and get even worse. But not often." Musica stared at her, his cigarette dropping from his mouth. "Listen," Elie said seriously, staring up at him, "don't tell anyone. Especially not Haru."

"Elie, this is serious! You need to tell Sieg or something!" he said, grabbing her shoulders. "You're like the baby sister I never had a chance to have, you know. My foster dad died because he ignored a headache!" he said, shaking her slightly. Elie glanced down at her hands for a second before looking back at him, smiling.

Slowly, she pulled herself free, waving. "And that's good enough for me, Musica, honestly," she said, turning to leave. Just as she was about to run off, she was stopped by a man about the same size as Haru, but this kid couldn't have been more different.

He had long hair the color of gold and narrow eyes to match. He was muscled, that was obvious, but chose to hide it behind a long sleeved shirt with long pants. He had a scar under his right eye, and a black cloth wrapped right on his hairline. "Ah! S-sorry!" Elie said automatically, staring up at the boy. He was the same height as Haru, but Musica immediately didn't trust him. He was a bad guy, so he knew what he was talking about when he said this guy was nothing good.

"Don't even worry about it," he said. His voice was smoother than silk, and yet raspy. It made the hairs on the back of Musica's neck stand out, though Elie seemed fine. "I'm sorry for not paying attention to where I was going in the first place. I'm new, so I don't really have an idea of the island yet." Musica's eyes narrowed; he talked formally, and it just made him not like the guy all the more.

Elie smiled cheerfully, and Musica inwardly groaned – he could already see her inviting him to 'meet them at the beach at noon'. For the first time since he had met her, Musica wished that she would suddenly become shy and afraid of strangers. "Really? Where did you live before this?"

Part of him wanted to snatch up Elie and drag her to Haru's house when he saw how that guy was looking at her – he was watching her as if she was a piece of sirloin steak that he couldn't wait to devour. "A rather large island off the coast of Song Continent. From what I can see, it was several times larger than this one," he said, glancing at Musica and then back to Elie.

"What did you say you're name was?" Musica said before Elie could ask any more questions. The guy raised one gold eyebrow, catching on rather quickly. All the more reason to take Elie and drag her away.

"I didn't, but my name is Lucia. Lucia Raregroove," he said, smiling down at Elie. She glanced back to Musica for a second before turning back to Lucia and smiling happily. After introducing herself and Musica, she looked down at her cell phone. "Elie? That rings a bell," he said without even glancing up at Musica.

Something about his tone made Musica tense. Something, he thought worriedly, was about to happen.

* * *

Elie stared up at Lucia carefully, trying to see if she could remember him. "You look a little familiar too," she said uncertainly, titling her head. He definitely did look familiar, but she was drawing a complete blank about who it might be.

"Hey, Elie! Musica!" Haru called from behind them. Elie felt her heart rate increase automatically, and turned to wave. He was running towards them, his black jacket and no shirt combination showing off his muscles. Quickly, she averted her eyes back to his face, hoping that she wasn't blushing too noticeably. When he reached them, he smiled down at Elie and glanced at Lucia. "Who's the new dude?"

Lucia frowned, but Elie chose to ignore it. She's probably frown if someone said 'who's the new chick?' when she had first moved her. Just as she was about to speak, Lucia cut her off, "My name is Lucia Raregroove. Who're you?"

For a few seconds, Haru and Lucia had a stare down that made Elie rather uncomfortable. She looked between the two, wondering what was going through Haru's head – it was rare, but she couldn't seem to guess. "Oh, this is Haru Glory. He's my very best friend, along with Musica!" Elie finally said, grinning. The stare down was broken as both eyes turned to stare at her. Elie looked between the gold and the purple, wondering which one was more abnormal.

"How long have you lived here, Lucia?" Haru asked, grabbing Elie's arm and slightly pulling her back. This action was not missed by Lucia, whose grin broadened considerably. He shrugged, mentally calculating. Elie glanced up at Haru, seeing a form of anger she hadn't seen in a very long time – since he beat the crap out Branch, actually.

Elie wondered if Haru and Lucia knew each other. Though, it couldn't be possible, as Lucia had just moved here, and the only time Haru had left the island was to make that giant snowman outside of Hip Hop Town. The memory from that trip made Elie smile widely, thinking back to her seventeenth birthday and she suddenly grew impatient for her eighteenth. "About a week now. I was helping my Father unpack, so today is my first time exploring the island."

"Do you want a tour guide?" Elie asked before she could stop herself. Musica and Haru seemed to have some weird reluctance to talk to this guy, but Elie thought he was probably just lonely. As she stared at him, she suddenly realized where the familiarity came from, "I knew you! Back when I lived on the mainland!" she exclaimed, pointing at him.

Musica muttered a soft 'what the hell?' behind them, and Elie could feel his gaze on the side of her head. Haru narrowed his eyes, looking between Lucia and Elie. "No way. This guy is way too creepy to be the guy you described to me," he said flatly, rolling his eyes. Musica snorted back a laugh behind them, but Elie wasn't amused.

"I'm serious! Did you ever live in Experiment, Lucia?" she asked kindly, pulling her arm free from Haru's. The new guys' eyes widened in surprise, and he nodded. "See? I told you."

Both Musica and Haru rolled their eyes. "That doesn't prove anything, Elie. Experiment is the largest city in Song, so the dude you're thinking about probably still lives there," Musica said, stepping forward. Elie crossed her arms, shaking her head firmly – she was positive that this guy was the same one she had known in elementary school.

Lucia seemed to agree with her, to her amusement. "No, I do believe that I know what she's talking about. The two of us were rather…close in Experiment," he said, staring at Haru in expectation. Elie felt her heart jump to the throat – this might be the same guy as the one she had known, but he was most certainly not the same person. He made Elie want to crawl into bed, just at the way he was looking at Haru.

"Wow, cool for you. I've been Elie's best friend since she moved, and since she's lived here for a little over ten years, I guess I win," Haru replied coldly, pushing Elie behind him fully now. This time, she didn't argue, glancing at Musica fearfully. He wasn't looking at her though, but instead glaring at Lucia dangerously.

An awkward silence settled over them, broken only by the sound of Elie's bag moving in the wind. "Uh, well, I have to go and wash these clothes before school starts tomorrow," she said, turning to leave. Haru nodded, following her. Musica lagged behind for a little bit, and then followed behind closely.

"That kid gives me the creeps," he muttered, glancing behind him. "Shit, he's following us!" The three of them stopped, Haru standing in front of Elie protectively. Though she knew it was not the best moment – who knew what Lucia could do? – she felt her heart flutter. Haru really did care about her, if only as friends. That was good enough for her.

"Elie, wait," Lucia said in his raspy-silk voice. Elie felt Musica tense behind her, but didn't look away. When Lucia was about ten feet away, Haru lunged forward, his fist balled up. Just as Elie was about to scream, she watched as Haru missed entirely, and hit the ground. Rather, Lucia had done nothing to attack, so Haru just went flying past him.

Lucia stepped right in front of her, grabbing her chin. "Wha-what?" she asked, automatically leaning away. In the second before it happen, Elie felt her heart increase to new levels, and heard her head scream 'NO!' but at the same time, her body had no idea what was going to happen.

Before she could ask any more questions, Lucia leaned in and pressed his lips against her own. Her whole body shut down, and she felt her face go pale. She could feel his lips against her with an acuteness she didn't even know she had had; his warm breath made trails of ice across her mouth, but she still did nothing to move away. Her mind was screaming at her to start moving, but her body was too surprised. Finally, she felt his lips part against her, and she pushed himself away, only resulting in falling to her knees.

"What…what was that?!" she demanded, tears spilling over her eyes automatically. She wrapped one arm around her stomach and began wiping her mouth, trying to erase the taste of him out of her mouth. Before she could stop them, more tears spilled over, making tracks down her red cheeks. "How…how h-horrible. Th-that was my…my f-first…"

Lucia, who had remained quiet, only watching her, suddenly burst out laughing. "Your first kiss?" he asked. Elie turned to glare at him through her tears and watched as he covered his eyes as he laughed. He peeked out at her, and licked his lip. "I know you quite well, child of –"

"You bastard!!" Haru screamed, lunging at her. Elie covered her eyes again, trying to regain control of herself. She had been…saving that first kiss. For someone special. For Haru…

* * *

Haru had never felt a rage like this before. It felt fire was coursing through his veins instead of blood. He wanted to kill Lucia. He wanted to hurt him so bad, he'd regret ever looking at Elie. Not even when he realized that Cattleya was coming from bruises caused by Branch had he felt this angry. Musica shouted something at him, but Haru could only hear his blood pounding in his ears.

Just as he reached Lucia, something hit his head and pushed him back, sliding on the ground several feet before falling on his ass. Musica was flying in a direction two feet away, but Haru still didn't care; Elie was alone with Lucia again. "Elie!" he screamed, standing up.

Lucia laughed, and started walking away, half turned to look at Elie. "Elie," he said, making more fire flood through Haru – how dare he even speak her name?! "You and I shall meet again, very soon." He continued to leave, but Haru wanted him back. He wanted to wring his neck and kill him.

"You bastard, get back here!" he screamed, standing up and heading to attack him. Musica caught him around the middle, stopping. "Get off me! I need to kill him!" he screamed, struggling still.

"You're in no shape to fight anyone, Haru! Besides," he said, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look at Elie, who was still sitting on the ground crying, "we have something else to deal with." Haru nodded, and Musica released him so he could run over to her.

Immediately, Haru wrapped his arms around her, and she cried against his chest. "H-Haru…that m-monster…he…he…" she sobbed, unable to form the sentence. Haru felt his heart drop, and he stroked her hair softly, holding her closely to his chest, which he was suddenly very aware of the fact that it was bare.

"Elie," he muttered, rubbing her back in what he hoped was comforting. Before he could say anything else, Musica knelt down next to them, staring at her in true concern. Several shouts of her name broke through the haze Haru was feeling, and three pairs of footsteps thundered next to them as Sieg, Let, and Julia all knelt around her.

"What happened?" Sieg demanded, pushing past Musica, who happily moved out of the way. Elie sobbed, shaking her head and grabbing onto Haru's jacket for dear life. Seeing he would get no answer out of her, he turned to Musica who explained in short what happened. Anger flashed before Sieg's eyes, but he managed to stay calm and rub her back. "Elie…"

Julia, however, seemed liable to find Lucia and kill him. Haru was tempted to tell her to wait until Elie was done; he'd join her. He stayed quiet, simply holding his best friend. "If I ever see that kid again, I'll kill him!" Musica vowed, making a fist.

Elie, who finally seemed to be getting a hold of herself, shook her head, pushing away from Haru slightly to stare at them all. "N-no, guys…it's…its f-fine," she muttered, wiping her eyes. In that second, Haru couldn't help but admire her; she still, after everything, detested being worried over. Even after a bastard straight from hell appeared and kissed her.

"Like Hell it is," Sieg replied, speaking everyone's thoughts. "Haru, I can take her from here," he muttered, grabbing her elbows and hoisting her up. She went willing, though she stared down at Haru longingly. It made Haru's heart flutter; she'd rather sit on the dirty ground and cry in his bare chest than go home with her foster parent of – finally – one year. "I'll keep her safe."

Haru nodded – Sieg had a right to take her home. With an arm draped over her shoulders to help support her, Sieg led Elie away, carrying her bag carefully. Once they were out of earshot, Julia stood up and cracked her knuckles. "Who's coming with me to go find that bastard?" she asked, glancing around at the others.

"Leave it, Julia," Haru muttered, standing up and glancing down at his chest – Elie's tears and clung to his jacket and chest, but he made no move to ruin it. "Just…leave it." Julia started at him like he was crazy, and he shrugged. "Julia, she said not to worry about it. If it happens again," he said under his breath, "then he kill him."

Without another word, Haru turned and left, wanting desperately to go find Lucia with Julia and kill him. He knew it would only upset her even more; she had watched too many die for her sake to be comfortable with even talking about the topic. Haru stopped at the beach, leaning against the wall that was the entrance to the sand, sighing heavily.

He had known about his feelings for Elie since before last Christmas, but never had he ever seriously wanted to do anything about them. He knew that she didn't feel the same way, so he ultimately kept his mouth shut, but now…now he wanted to hurt every guy that came in contact with her. Starting with Lucia.

~**~ (author's note: this will be my new little break for something new, like a new day/month/week/whatever. The three stars will be a shift in main character. Ok?)

The next morning, Haru still felt just as crappy, if not worse. As he lay in bed staring at the ceiling, a feeling in his gut told him that something bad had happened…something so horrible, he wasn't sure if he'd survive it. Remembering the kiss from yesterday, he swung out of bed and went to the bathroom thinking it was because Lucia looked like he'd be at school with them.

Once he was done with his morning routine – shower, brush teeth, dress, style hair – he grabbed his bag and grinned as he imagined Elie's expression; he had, after all, refused to use any form of bag since he got to Middle School. His sister was still asleep, so he quietly sneaked down to the kitchen and grabbed some food, and headed for the door.

Just as he reached the back door, he froze; there were people standing out in his yard, talking loud enough to be heard through the screen. "Go in and tell him, Cattleya!" Gemma was saying. Haru pressed his back against the wall to not be seen, curiosity taking over.

"Gemma, I'm not going to be the one to tell him. You know about it more than I do, so you tell him!" his older sister hissed back, stamping her foot against the door. Haru felt his head spin – tell him what?

Before he could eavesdrop any more – if Cattleya caught him, all Hell'd break lose – he threw his apple in the air and exited the house, silencing the conversation. "Mornin' sis, Gemma. What are you guys doin' up?" he asked casually, taking a large bite of his apple. The two exchanged a dark look, and the teenager noticed that Cattleya's eyes were rimmed red – she had been crying.

"Er, Haru…Sieg Hart is looking for you. He said that you can stop by after class if you want, but he needs to talk to you…he said," Gemma stammered out, glaring at Cattleya. Haru faked a grin, nodding and turning to leave. With one hand waved, he waited until he was out of sight and earshot to throw the apple and start sprinting – Sieg needing to see him meant something was wrong with Elie.

Since Sieg and Elie lived across town, it took Haru several minutes before he finally appeared at the edge of their house, panting and trying to see through his mess of hair that had fallen in his eyes. Pushing it back, he stared at Sieg, who was sitting on the steps with his head in his hands, shaking slightly. "Sieg…?" Haru gasped out, stepping forward carefully.

The foster parent looked up slowly, tears clinging to his tattoo and cheeks. Haru nearly stepped away – Sieg had never cried, Elie said. His eyes were rimmed with a red that did not make Haru think of love, as some shades did, but pain. Pain, and fear. "Haru…"

Worry coursed through his body. "Sieg, is everything…alright?" he asked, knowing it was the dumbest question he could have asked. Apparently, Sieg thought so as well, as he did not reply, but stared into his eyes, trying to tell him something without words. Haru rejected the silent message in fear of what it may be, shaking his head, "Elie…where is she?"

This time, Sieg made a strangled noise like that of a wounded animal, burying his head in his hands again. Haru felt his legs start to shake, and his bag slipped from his fingers numbly. "I…I c-couldn't stop…couldn't stop h-him…Noth-nothing I did made him stop…and n-now…Elie…she's…she's…" he manged to sob out, looking up at Haru and shaking his head. Without feeling it, Haru sunk to his knees, his breath coming in jagged sounds. "He…he t-took her, Haru. He took her, and I…I don't know w-who he is, or…or wh-what he wants…"

"Is she…is s-she…?" Haru tried to ask, feeling his heart slowly begin to crack in two. Sieg, guessing at what he was about to ask, shook his head. The crack that had appeared in Haru's heart suddenly mended itself, and a tiny ray of hope shot through him, giving him the energy to stand again. "She's…alive?"

This time, Sieg nodded, and Haru nodded with him. If she was alive, then he'd find her. He'd find her, and save her from the bastard that took her, regardless. "He…he left a n-note. It was…addressed to you," the man said, shakily pulling out a small piece of paper and handing it to Haru. With hands shaking just as bad as Sieg's, he opened it, horror filling his head.

Haru Glory,

If you're reading this, then that idiot who's been fostering my beloved Elie has told you that she's no longer with…you. Do not fear – I would never kill her. She is far too invaluable to my plans to be dead.

I greatly considered taking my beloved and leaving, but then I thought, 'why should I have all the fun?' Instead, I will give you exactly one year from the day she is kidnapped – today – to find her. If you do, she is yours again. If not, I take her and you will never see her again.

Have fun searching for her, Glory. I will most definitely enjoy watching as you squirm, and having my lovel Elie all to myself.

Haru felt a mixture of sadness, fear, anxiety, hope, and rage course through his body when his eyes reached the last word. Unfortunately, the person had not written this, but typed it – much to his despair. "Sieg…" he muttered, balling the piece of paper up carefully, "I promise you right now…no, I vow to you, that I will find her. I will find her, and save her from the bastard that stole her away."

"I'll hold you to that, Haru Glory," Sieg muttered, half smiling at him. Haru grinned back despite the situation and started bounding off to school – he'd rally together a search party during lunch and go after classes.

As he ran, he sighed, shaking his head. "Don't you worry, Elie," he muttered under his breath as the bell rang, "I will find you. I'll find you and save you the same way you saved me almost eleven years ago."

* * *

Slowly, Elie opened her eyes and looked around, though all she could see was inky darkness that her eyes simply would not grow accustomed to. Quietly, she tried to move her hands, only to discover shackles around her wrists, holding her hands above her head and pinning her to a hard rock wall. Her ankles, she discovered then, were in the same predicament.

Fear filled through her body, and she immediately started squirming. "Where the hell am I?!" she screamed, keeping the absolute terror out of her voice. Nothing replied, so she tried again, "Who are you?! Show yourself!"

This time, a laugh answered her. It didn't sound like the person was nearby, but rather talking to her through a small radio. "Now, now, Elie, do you really believe that I'll be answering that second question?" it asked, sending shivers through her body. The person – thing, maybe – obviously saw this, and laughed again. "My apologies, but I cannot stay and talk long – I have class that I must run off to. We will talk again soon, my beloved."

Silence again, sending even more fear go through Elie's body. Vague memories of seeing a person loom over in the dark, not one part of his skin or hair visible. Sieg had tried to protect her, she recalled, using some magic. Fire, water, air, earth, and even once thunder, but only once. He must have remembered her fear of it and chose to use others. Though she could not see, her eyes blurred, and tears went dripping down her cheeks and onto the cold floor, echoing across the area loudly.

"Haru…Musica…Let…Julia…Sieg…help me."

~x~

Author's Note: Finally! The first climax! And, I know what you're all thinking; 'ZOMG IT WAS LUCIA, THAT BASTARD!!!' but, don't guess yet! Maybe it won't be! Maybe it will! You won't know until later chapters. Since all Elie will be doing for the most part is hanging against a wall, the only times you'll see her are at the end of chapters, when something like a bath/conversation with her captor happens.
I hope you guys enjoy this – a very large portion of this was written with me dying of a headache. Haha.