Disclaimer: I own nothing. Bisco Hatori and all the people that will sue me if I claim otherwise do.
A/N: 6/29, Thank you so much everybody! I'm so flattered for everything. I hope you enjoy :)
Chapter Six
Hikaru and Kaoru looked back and forth between Tamaki and the blonde woman. The woman that he had just called "Mother". They were still just staring at each other. Tamaki's stare was more from shock than anything. It was almost as though he had seen a ghost, and his mouth was hanging open, and his hands were shaking. Hikaru knew that the Boss had never expected to see his mother again, but she was there in the flesh. He felt a huge, wide smile spread across his face, and behind him, the rest of the club looked the same. They all knew that this had been one of their King's most desperate desires, and she was right there. Her eyes were fixed hungrily upon her son, and she focused on him as though looking at him for forever would be all that she could ever need or want.
She stepped forward and opened her arms. "Rene," she breathed, but the whole room could hear her. Her voice sounded like tinkling bells. "mon files cheri."
Tamaki's eyes widened. "Mere," was all he whispered, and tears began to swim in his violet eyes, and all of a sudden, he was bounding down the staircase. Hikaru saw Mesu Suoh turn away in disgust, but he ignored her as he and Kaoru grasped hands each other's hands and pulled each other close until their clasped hands were between their bodies. The rest of their friends were smiling in happiness, even Mori, who's face was generally blank and masked. Hikaru felt the sting of tears in his own eyes as he watched his friend sprint down the red carpet and throw himself into his mother's arms.
He was much taller than she was, so he had to hunch over to bury his face in her shoulder. Anne-Sophie's pale, delicate fingers gently combed through his hair for a second before they changed actions and just gripped it, holding her son's head against her shoulder. Her other hand wrapped around his body and gripped his shirt, holding on to it like a lifeline, like if she let go than she would surely die. Then slowly, the two bodies began to sink onto the ground as though all the emotion had sucked out their energy, and they were on their knees, their quiet sobs filling the room. "I thought I'd never see you again," the woman said in French, her voice filled with tears. It took Hikaru a few seconds to translate it, but thanks to the French class that Haruhi had forced him into, he was able to understand.
Tamaki laughed a little. "Moi aussi. Me too." He took hold over her cheeks and used the pads of his thumbs to wipe away her tears. "But here we are." He smiled his dazzling smile. "How is it that you're here?" he asked, as the tears continued to run down his face.
Anne-Sophie gave him a peck on the forehead and smoothed his hair. "Éclair. I've been working there as a maid for the last few years. When we heard about the invasion, she told me about your friend Renge and formally released me. I've been here since," she said with a smile just as beautiful as her son's.
Hikaru saw Kyouya move forward, and he and his twin followed. He heard Mori and Hunny fall into step behind them, and together, the club descended the staircase. Tamaki and Anne-Sophie looked up as they approached. Kyouya bowed. "It's such a pleasure to finally meet you, Madame Grataine. If I could please introduce myself-"
Hikaru and Kaoru looked at each other with Cheshire grins before stepping forward and pushing Kyouya aside. The Shadow King stumbled a bit before finding his balance and glaring at them, but Hikaru winked. Touching scenes could only be entertaining for so long. They threw their hands in the air. "Grandmother!" they cried before falling to their knees on either side of Tamaki's mother and wrapping an arm around each of her shoulders. They both pecked the flustered woman's cheeks.
"I've never had a grandmother before!" Hikaru cried. This was so much fun.
Kaoru leaned in and excitedly said, "Now we've got somebody to spoil us! Mummy and Daddy are so cruel. They never let us do anything fun." He pouted, turning his face into his shoulder. The woman watched them with wide eyes and a very confused expression.
Tamaki stood up. His eyes were popping out of his head. "Evil twins! Get off my mother! So rude, so rude, so rude!" He shoved them off and took hold of his mother's hand, gently pulling her up.
"That's right!" the twins cried simultaneously. They both bowed with a flourish. "Allow us to introduce ourselves, madame."
Hikaru stepped forward and took her hand, kissing it. "Hikaru Hitachiin."
Kaoru stepped forward and did the same. "Kaoru Hitachiin."
"We're the favorite sons!" They released her and bowed again, facing her as Hikaru walked to the left and Kaoru walked to the right, which made room for Hunny to skip forward.
He took both of her hands, and Anne-Sophie had to bend forward a bit to accommodate for the boy's height. "I'm Mitsukini Haninozuka, but my friends call me Hunny!" he cried exuberantly. "So you're Tama-chan's mother! Now I see where he gets the eyes." He let go and gestured towards his cousin. "And this is Takashi Morinozuka! But we all call him Mori. You can too!"
Mori offered her a small smile, which the woman warmly returned. "It's nice to meet you," she said brightly in accented Japanese, taking their strangeness in stride. Hikaru grinned. He was liking her already.
Lastly, Kyouya stepped forward and respectfully bowed. "My name is Kyouya Ootori, the Vice President of the Host Club. It is wonderful to meet you at last," he smiled politely. "Tamaki has told us so much about you."
The woman smiled back at him and took Tamaki's hand. Tono looked elated. "I'm sure he has." Her warm gaze found each of them in turn. "It is so exciting to meet all of Tamaki's friends."
"That's enough," a sharp voice said, cutting through the happiness. Hikaru's face fell as though a bubble had popped. He and Kaoru spun around, as did the rest of the club to face the small woman still standing in front of the large doors. Mesu Suoh regarded each of them coldly until her gaze landed on her grandson and his mother. Anne-Sophie suddenly looked fearful, and Tamaki placed himself protectively in front of his mother. Kyouya silently placed himself on Tamaki's right in a show of loyalty, his eyes never leaving the Suoh matriarch. Renge joined him, while Hikaru and Kaoru stood on the King's left, and Hikaru glared fiercely at her. She always wanted to ruin things for Tono, but he wouldn't let her destroy this. She had separated Tamaki from his mother for far too long, and it would not happen again. Hunny stood directly in front of Kyouya, while Mori placed himself right behind Hikaru and next to Anne-Sophie, his shadow falling on both the woman and her son. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at him in surprise before turning her gaze back to her rival. Yoshio Ootori stood off to the side, simply watching the proceedings, while Yuzuru Suoh stood awkwardly by his mother, his body language clearly showing that he wanted to be standing by his child, yet he didn't really have a choice. There were a few seconds of intense silence as they stared each other down.
Suddenly a door opened, and a middle aged man of medium height jauntily bounced into the room. "Oh, look, our guests are all here!" he cried joyfully until he noticed the defensive groupings. "Eh? Did I miss something?" he asked, frowning in confusion. "Renge?"
"This is unacceptable," the old woman stated, walking forward. Hikaru barred his teeth and leaned forward before Kyouya caught his eye. The young man shook his head almost imperceptibly and gave him the "this is only going to cause a bunch of trouble" look, and he settled for simply glaring at the woman. She stopped before the group, clearly not intimidated. "There was a deal, Miss Grataine, and certain ends of it must be upheld. You are clearly in violation right now."
Anne-Sophie made a noise of indignation. She gently pushed her son aside and stepped to the front of the group. "How can you be so coldhearted? My son could have died back there, and you expect me to not try to find him? To make sure he was even alive?"
"You gave up that right," Mesu Suoh drawled, "when you placed him in my care for money. When you sold him to me."
Yuzuru looked at his grandmother, surprised that she would say such a thing. "Mother," he said quietly
The blonde woman took a step back and put a hand over her heart as though the words had physically wounded her. There was a look of utter horror and guilt on her face, and Tamaki stepped forward, wrapping an arm around his mother's shoulders. "Grandmother, that was my choice! She had nothing to do with it," he cried.
"I offered the money, and she took it," the old woman said, raising her voice, and Hikaru wished for just one moment that he could take that old, surgically lifted face and bash it into the wall. "And you still need that money," Mesu added. "You're still sick."
Another hand found its way to Anne-Sophie's mouth, and silent tears were running down her face. It touched Hikaru's heart.
"If you leave now," the witch continued, "I will forgive this mishap. You may return to your home in peace and continue to receive the medical care that has been promised to you. If you stay, then I will remove all funding. Those are your choices."
"No, you can't!" Tamaki cried out in anguish. His voice took on a pitiful pleading tone that Hikaru wished he could block from his ears. He didn't want to hear his friend so desperate. "Please," he begged, "not now! Not after everything that's happened these past few days! Let her stay, please." He whispered the last word, bowing his head. Hikaru saw tears leak out of his eyes, wide and fearful.
That was the last straw for him. Before she could answer, Hikaru yelled, "You scheming witch!" The club looked at him in surprise, and Kaoru grabbed his upper arm to restrain him. His twin had to dig his heels into the tile as he pulled, trying to get closer to the woman. "How can you torture them like this?" he continued. "Giving them the choice between misery and death? You disgust me!"
The witch raised her neatly plucked eyebrows at him. "Unfortunately for you," she sneered, "your opinion doesn't matter." She turned back to the blondes. "You have five minutes to say your goodbyes. After that, security will escort you off the premises, Miss Grataine." She turned around and started walking again.
"Actually, I believe that there is some room for negotiation here." Kyouya stepped forward, and Hikaru saw the devious, clever smirk on his senpai's face. Everybody turned towards the Shadow King wondering what he was talking about. Ootori raised hi eyebrows, but otherwise did nothing to stop his son. He did give him a warning look though. Hikaru silently laughed. Senpai doesn't need any warnings, he thought. What ever the black-haired teenager was planning had already been plotted and analyzed to the nth degree.
Tamaki's grandmother turned around again, eyeing Kyouya like something silly and not worth her time. "Hm," she mused. "Kyouya Ootori. Your third son, isn't that right, Yoshio-san?" she asked, addressing the tall, clean business man to the side of the room.
"That's right, Mesu-san," Ootori answered, looking at his song. "Don't make a fool of yourself," the look said, and Kyouya's glasses flashed with the light.
The woman nodded. "Please inform your son then to not get involved in business that doesn't pertain to him," she said coldly.
"Ah, but you see, this is where you are incorrect, Suoh-san," Kyouya called lightly as though he were lecturing another fan girl about cherry blossoms. He raised a finger. "Your grandson is my best friend, which in turn, makes his business my business." A sly smile spread across Kyouya's face. "He is also your only heir, which under recent circumstances, is quite important, is it not?"
The woman sighed in exasperation. "Do get to the point, boy. I've got a meeting with your father and Housakuji-san, and you have only delayed us further."
Kyouya's smirk widened and became even more menacing. "I'll make this quick then," he said crossing his arms
"Kyouya," Tamaki hissed. He looked worried for his friend. "What are you doing?"
Kyouya just winked at him before continuing on. "While in the past, you have had some leverage due to the fact that Mademoiselle Grataine was ill, you have neglected to consider the consequences of Tojiwara's occupation of Japan. You see, you have been forced into a position where Tamaki is the only possible heir. It seems to me like you need him far more than he needs you." Hikaru nearly laughed. He's enjoying this.
Mesu Suoh regared him coldly. "That may be the case, Ootori-san," she said through gritted teeth, "but there is still the small matter of his mother." The small blonde woman blushed, but Hikaru caught her eye and grinned. Her brow furrowed in puzzlement as he refocused his attention on Kyouya. She didn't know their senpai like he did.
Kyouya shook his head almost mockingly. "Oh, don't think that I've forgotten about her. From now on, you will no longer need to fund Mademoiselle Grataine's medical needs."
Anne-Sophie's eyes widened even further, and Tamaki took an urgent step forward. "Kyouya, are you insane? She'll die!" he cried, waving his arms around.
Kyouya held up a hand to stop him. "You didn't allow me to finish." he said, his eye twitching in annoyance. Hikaru and Kaoru rolled their eyes simultaneously. Moron. "From this moment forth, Tamaki's mother will be receiving financial aid from a new source."
"And just who will that source be?" the grandmother demanded.
Kyouya pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "A recent investor. Perhaps you know of him? He goes by the name of KO." His eyes came into view, and he gazed triumphantly at the old woman.
Hikaru could feel the pressure of the laugh pushing against his chest at the sight of her face. It was so perfect! Everybody in the Host Club was well aware of who the actual KO was. It seemed like the Suoh matriarch didn't though, for her face was turning bright red, and she was starting to lose her impenetrable control.
"How in the world are you, the useless third son with no worth and no connections, going to get the newest, most successful business group on the market to help this French wench," she shrieked.
The AB Blood Evil Overlord chuckled. "Let's just say that I have my sources."
Mesu Suoh opened her mouth and closed it. Her eyes were popping out of her head, and she looked too furious to even speak. Monsieur Housakuji, sensing the danger, stepped forward. "Why don't we go ahead and proceed with our meeting," he said in a rather pathetic attempt to cheerfully ease the situation. He led the way to a pair of elegant double doors at the side of the foyer. Two servants eagerly rushed forward to open them for him, and he entered. Kyouya's father followed him, and before he entered, he looked back at his son with a cold look. Kyouya simply met his eyes and raised his head the slightest degree. The old man turned away and entered.
Tamaki's father gently laid a hand on his mother's shoulder. "Come on, Mother, or they will begin without us," he said quietly, and as he guided her, he looked back longingly at his son and former lover. His eyes were regretful and sad, but Hikaru rolled his eyes. The traitorous man had said nothing as his mother attempted to hurt his family. He didn't deserve his respect. Tamaki, though, gave him a nod and a slight smile, which the father gratefully took as he entered the room.
The she-witch, on the other hand, turned back around one last time. Her gaze found Kyouya, and she gave him one of the ugliest faces Hikaru had ever seen on a woman of her position. It was nasty and demeaning and full of hate. It surprised him because aristocratic women were usually all about upholding appearances, but Mesu Suoh had shed all of that. Her upper lip curled as she hissed in a snakelike manner, "You will regret this, Ootori."
Kyouya simply looked at her unaffected, and he nodded at her in a silent "Bring it on." The woman spun on her heel and left the room with her head held high. The doors closed with an ominous boom. There was a few seconds of silence.
Suddenly, Renge said. "Host Club 2, Conniving Villain zip."
Immediately, Hikaru and Kaoru started laughing. They gripped their stomachs, bending over double. Hikaru even had tears forming in his eyes. "Way to go Kyouya-senpai!" he cried out, wiping away the tears.
Next to him, Kaoru extended a fist. "That was brilliant!"
Kyouya rolled his eyes at the childish action, but he good naturedly bumped the twin's fist as Hunny said the a large smile, "That was impressive, Kyou-chan!" Mori nodded
"It wasn't much," Kyouya protested, but there was a certain glint in his eye that showed that he was actually very proud of what he had just done.
"Kyouya." The club faced Tamaki who was holding his mother's hand. He had a dumbfounded expression on his face, as though he couldn't believe what had just happened. He looked at Kyouya in awe, his eyes wide and his mouth wide open, but there was a bit of love in there too. The platonic kind, of course. Hikaru could understand that. Kyouya had just risked everything for the Boss. Tamaki made a noise like he was going to speak, but Kyouya raised a hand.
"Stop."
"No, but I-"
"Stop," Kyouya repeated again, a bit firmer this time. A small, genuine smile was on the Shadow King's face.
Tamaki opened his mouth again to speak, but Kaoru cut across him. "Jeez, milord, he said that it's fine. Take it already."
Tamaki closed his mouth again and smiled. "All right, all right." He slung an arm around his best friend's shoulders. "Let's go get something to eat, I'm starving."
Renge laughed and showed them to the dining room. "Oh, I could have eaten three whole bowls of rice with all of that! Except for the starving comment…"
….
Thousands of miles away, a man was on his knees. He had tears running down his face, which was twisted into an expression of anguish. "Please," he beseeched in a mangled voice. "We've done everything that we were supposed to do. We took the school, we killed the kids."
"Yes," a voice said from the shadows, "but you didn't kill the right kids. Because of your idiocy," he shouted at the last word, "they escaped." The hooded man stepped out of the shadows and looked down at the man cowering on the ground.
"Please, sir," he said. "It will never happen again."
There was a pause
"No," the standing man said gently. The other man raised his head in disbelief, but there was pure happiness on his face. He looked relieved. "It will not happen again."
There was a sudden movement, and a gurgling scream filled the air. The man collapsed on his back, a glinting knife protruding from his chest. The ex-soldier twitched for a few seconds and fell still, his eyes rolling into the back of his head.
"Now, now," another much lighter voice said, "was that really necessary?" Rasputin stepped out of the shadows. His long hair had been chopped into a much more professional style, and he was wearing an elegant black Italian suit. He stuck out a leather clad boot and prodded the dead man's head. He tutted. "You can't just murder military personnel when it suits your whims, you know."
The hooded man threw off his hood to reveal Gomon Shi. He walked to a table that had a bottle of wine and a few glasses. He filled two of those glasses to the brim, and he handed one of them to Rasputin, who gladly accepted. "He had a single order, and he failed. If I am going to be running the military operations in Japan during this occupation, than I should have the most able men working of me. Mediocrity or failure to carry out orders is unacceptable."
Rasputin took a calm sip of his drink. "It seems to me," he drawled, "that you're more irate about losing the teenagers than the man's inadequacies."
Gomon clenched his jaw and set his drink back on the table. "They've left the country," he growled. "They've won." He banged his fist on the table and then swept the bottle of wine and his glass clear off of it. They toppled to the ground, shattering on impact. The red wine splattered like blood, staining the white table cloth and the wall. It slowly began to expand outward on the floor.
Rasputin shook his head and groaned. "That was good wine," he complained, taking another sip of his.
"It doesn't matter," Gomon said, turning around. "You have plenty more of it." He started pacing, his shoes crushing the shattered glass into even smaller pieces. "I can't touch them in France," he muttered.
Rasputin put a finger to his chin. "And you're fairly positive that they are all in France?" he inquired.
"Very."
Rasputin sighed and snapped his fingers. A servant came forward with a mop and broom and began to clear up the mess. "Well, you're just going to have to keep your eyes peeled then," he said. "They didn't seem like the most intelligent group of kids. You might get to prove your victory yet." With that, they both left the room.
….
I have to admit, Hikaru thought, Paris is kind of beautiful. He drew his knees against his chest and looked down from the roof top. The Seine River wound around the busy town. He could see the Eiffel Tower from where he sat, pointing to the cloudy grey sky. A gentle snow was falling from that sky, covering everything in sight. A few flakes landed on his nose and melted there. He shivered, and suddenly, bells rang out around the city. He turned in the direction of the Notre Dame Cathedral, which he could just see to his left if he craned his neck. The deep tolling sounded a lot like the clock tower at Ouran, and for a moment he felt homesick.
"Any room?" a voice called from a little bit below him, and Hikaru looked down from his perch. Kaoru was leaning out of a window, looking up at him. Hikaru grinned.
"If you can get yourself up here!" he called, waving him on up. He watched Kaoru lithely stand on the window sill and grab hold of the wrought iron ladder that scaled the length of the building. Hikaru thought it might be there to make things easier for the Housakuji chimney sweep. Their mansion was rather high.
Kaoru reached the top of the ladder and crawled onto the roof and towards his brother, careful not to harm any of the ceiling tiles. When he had reached him, he sat down, pulling his knees into his chest, much like his brother. The bells were still ringing, echoing all around the city. Hikaru was surprised at how loud they were.
"You know, everybody was pretty worried about you. We couldn't find you," Kaoru said, not looking at him.
Hikaru rolled his eyes, but he felt a little bit guilty. "Sorry," he said grudgingly, and Kaoru nodded.
"You need to be more careful," he said gently. "People are going to get more worked up and scared for awhile. Running off is only going to make things worse."
Hikaru sighed. "I know, I know."
The brothers sat in silence, and Hikaru knew that his twin was thinking about the same thing he was. Haruhi would have liked the view. Hikaru closed his eyes, remembering the previous meeting. Kyouya had been unable to find anything about Haruhi or her father. Nearly everybody else was accounted for. The twins mother had been forced into serving the new regime, running the cloth work factory, and his father had been able to evade the Tojiwarans and join the resistance, which surprised Hikaru. His father had always seemed so spineless. Joining Mr. Hitachiin were the entire Haninozuka and Morinozuka families. Yasuchika had been heavily injured during the Ouran invasion, but he would live. Everybody in Tamaki's family had been able to escape, and they were in France, but Hikaru knew that the Boss was worried about his servants, which had been forced along with his mother into servitude under the new regime. All of Kyouya's body guards had been forced down the same path. Kyouya's father had, of course, escaped, and luckily, his sister had been in London with her husband at the time of the invasion. The only other people missing were Kyouya's older brothers, who had disappeared without a trace. Kyouya hadn't seemed very worried about them. Hikaru knew that he didn't want either of his brothers to die, but they could hardly be called close. The only reason they were even on a first name basis was the fact that they were related. They were practically strangers, so the main concern to him and the rest of the club was Haruhi.
Hikaru blew out a breath of air, watching it as it came out clouded and foggy.
"Kyouya-senpai's father tried to make him come to their French mansion with him," Kaoru said absentmindedly.
Hikaru snorted. That had been rather pointless. "And what did he say when he refused?"
Kaoru laid back on the roof tiles, crossing his arms behind his head. His green eyes looked up at the grey sky. "Oh, the usual. Disownment, never getting control of the company, the shame, blah, blah, blah."
Hikaru chuckled. "Still thinks he can threaten senpai, eh?" He copied his brother, laying down on the roof. He slid his eyes sideways to look at him. "Kyouya-senpai could probably take over the whole company by now. I don't know why he doesn't just get it over with. It'd shut his dad up."
Kaoru shook his head. "I don't think he wants it anymore."
"Since when?" Hikaru raised himself up with his elbows. "He's been trying to get a hold of that for years. I wouldn't be surprised if he was studying how to conduct a hostile takeover in preschool."
Kaoru giggled at the image, and then he sobered up. Hikaru looked at his brother with concern as his eyes found the snow covered city. "Well, he's got a lot on his mind now, hasn't he?" he murmered, and Hikaru felt his heart tug. That's right. They had to find Haruhi before they could think of anything.
Hikaru thought of the Boss's grandmother, glaring at him as she left the mansion. "What about Tono?" he asked.
"What about him?"
"Well, he is the heir now," Hikaru said. He started picking at a stray string on cuff of his large winter overcoat. "What do you think his story is?"
Kaoru gave a small smile. "I don't think we have to worry about him leaving. He was the one that drew us all together, after all."
"Didn't stop him before," he muttered bitterly. He could feel Kaoru looking at him in concern, and he turned his head away, but he knew it was useless. Kaoru was always able to tell what he was thinking.
"I don't think he would ever do that again. Not after last time," Kaoru said gently. Hikaru didn't look at him and turned his attention to the city before him. He felt a hand grip his. "And you don't have to worry about Hunny-senpai or Mori-senpai either. Nobody's going anywhere."
Hikaru bit his lip. Spot on as usual. "But how do you know?" he asked his brother.
He heard a smile in Kaoru's face. "Because it's already turned into a pumpkin, but we're all still here."
Hikaru looked at him sharply. Kaoru did look pale. He yanked off his glove and pressed his hand to his brother's forehead. Kaoru flinched at his cold touch. "You're warm."
"You're hands are freezing! Of course my head is warm."
Hikaru frowned and stood up, offering a hand to his twin. Kaoru took it, and he pulled him up. He looked him up and down. "Stop talking crazy then," was all he said as he turned around and carefully walked to the iron ladder, his brother right behind him.
….
Rene dreamed. She shivered violently, pulling the fabric of the thin jacket tighter around her cold body. She looked around and groaned. She was back in that strange castle without the light. It's Neo-Gothic architecture encircled her, making the place all the more scary with the darkness. The shadows seemed so much darker and so much bigger here, and Rene hated it. And she was so cold. So cold, so cold. And it always felt like somebody was watching her. Wherever she walked in this building, she had the feeling that somebody in the shadows was spying on her, waiting. It made the hair stand up in the back of her neck, but whenever she looked around, nobody was there.
Her footsteps echoed as her feet hit the marble tile. The sound was ominous, filling her with even more fear. There had to be a way out of here. She didn't care if she had to go outside into the storm clouds. She was just didn't want to be on her own in this strange, haunting building anymore. She wanted to be home. But where was home anymore? Did she even have one?
Suddenly, she heard another pair of quick footsteps. They were quick and heavy, smacking against the ground as they ran in her direction. She felt her blood run cold, and her stomach flopped. It had to be the thing that was watching her! And suddenly, she was more scared than she had been in the building. She began to run too, pumping her arms and moving her legs. Icy fear took hold of her. Her dress and jacket billowed behind her as she ran, and her breaths came in deep, desperate gasps. NonononoNO!
The footsteps behind her were becoming louder, and Rene sped up. She couldn't let that thing catch her! The adrenaline was coursing through her veins now, and she used it to power her full out sprint down the hallways. She rounded a corner, looking for an escape, something, anything! She didn't want to die, she didn't!
She burst through a pair of wooden doors, and suddenly she was at the top of a magnificent staircase covered with a red carpet. She heard the footsteps behind her, and without hesitation, she bounded down the staircase, taking several steps at time. Her hand gripped the railing, and if she hadn't been holding on to it, she would have fallen and tumbled down the stairs several times over. Her long hair was blowing from under her cap. She went down one flight and another, and the footsteps were still behind her.
She reached the bottom of the staircase and stood at the bottom of a large hall. Little grotesque statues were glaring at her as she ran past them, but she paid the marble pieces no heed. There was a pair of large double doors in front of her, and she knew that this was her chance. She shoved them open, not stopping, and she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder as it slammed into the wood. She clutched as she ran over the threshold and into a large, elegant garden. The clouds still hung over the sky, but her fear for them were miniscule to her terror for the thing chasing her. Topiaries and flowers of the most elegant kind were artfully placed all across the ground to complement each other. She ignored them, but she felt a sense of relief at the sight a few meters before her.
Labyrinth, a voice in her head said, and although she didn't know how she knew that, she put on an extra burst of speed and ran into the safety of the rose hedges. She took a few turns, trying to lose the thing behind her until she could no longer hear the footsteps. She paused, looking around. Pressing her back against the green shrubs, she held her breath, listening with all her might. There wasn't a sound, and she exhaled in relief.
Thank, God, she thought, and she took the time to look around. Everywhere she looked, she was surrounded by hedges nearly twice as tall as she was. She tilted her head back to see the top of them. They were so high. She probably wouldn't be able to climb to see where she was. A newer kind of dread filled her, and her eyes widened. She had no idea where she was.
A clock chimed in the distance, and it's loud gongs seemed to harmonize with her fear, increasing her anxiety. How could she have been so stupid? She looked right and left, trying to decide where to go. She took a deep breath and chose right simply because it was the closest path to her from where she was standing. She started walking calmly in that direction.
She didn't know how long she followed it. It felt like hours though. Soon her legs were beginning to get heavier, and her head was slightly dizzy. Her never ending exhaustion didn't help matters either, and she was worried that if she didn't find her way out soon, she would collapse. It was still freezing. She closed her eyes for a little bit, following the path by dragging her hand along the hedge. Just a little bit to rest her tired eyes…not long…
Suddenly she felt her stomach swooping, and she opened her eyes to see the ground quickly coming closer. Surprised, she threw out her hands, breaking her fall. Mud and grass squished between her fingers, and she felt a few new scratches on her palms. She slowly rose to her feet and gasped at what she saw.
Right in front of her was a small, but lovely little stone gazebo. It was tucked inside the large hedge, and it was covered with rose vines that even reached to the top of the circular dome. It had to be the prettiest thing she had seen while in this place.
"You know, looking's no fun," a deep voice said behind her. Rene felt her heart skip a beat at the sound of it, and she spun around.
The owner of the voice was a boy, not yet a man. He was tall, much taller than her, and he had bright blonde hair that looked so familiar and fell into his face with gentle waves. He was dressed in really old fashioned attire like a Western gentleman plucked from an 18th century text book. He wore a black overcoat and pants, and his vest was a bright white that stood out nicely against his dark purple undershirt. Rene looked in puzzlement at the mask that hid his face from her. It was one of those that rich people wore to magnificent masquerade balls with sparkles and feathers and a few beads. It was white too, but what disarmed and surprised Rene the most was the smile. It was a dazzling, bright white smile that showed all his teeth. She could feel its warmth hit her almost like a ray of sunshine. And he seemed so familiar. She could have sworn that she'd seen him before, but she couldn't put her finger on it…
"Who are you?" she asked, her brow furrowing.
The teenage boy chuckled. "Well, who are you?" he asked, and his smile grew wider, if that was even possible.
Rene was taken back by the question. She opened her mouth about to reply "Rene," but something stopped her. It didn't feel right on her tongue, and it felt like she was about to tell an awful lie. Instead she looked the boy right where she thought his eyes are. "Would you believe me if I told you that I wasn't quite sure?" she asked. She felt like an idiot.
The blonde boy held out a hand with a flourish. She gently took it. "What if I told you that I did?"
Rene felt herself smile too. She was all of a sudden feeling much less cold. She still had goose-bumps, but she was no longer having violent shivers, and her teeth were no longer chattering like mad. "I'd be very happy."
The boy laughed, and it sounded like tinkling bells. "Come on, sit down!" he said, eagerly leading her to the small rose gazebo. He let her enter first, and she slid onto the seat, scooting to make room. The boy slid in too, and he turned his face to her, his mouth still stretched in that goofy grin. He frowned though as he looked at her, and Rene's smile fell too. What was wrong. The boy cautiously reached out his hand and touched her face. She closed her eyes at the touch, but then she winced in pain. She opened her eyes to see the boy quickly withdraw his hand. "I'm sorry," he said earnestly. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
Rene carefully touched her cheek. It was still tender and hurt a bit. She realized that it was probably bruised, and now that the boy was a bit closer, he could see it. "It's okay. You didn't hurt me," she whispered.
The boy bit his lip. "Who did that to you?"
Rene turned her head to the side, trying to hide it from him. She was ashamed about the bruise. "It doesn't matter," she muttered into her shoulder.
His fingers gently took hold of her chin and turned it to face him. Rene looked into the mask. "It matters to me," he breathed, his voice floating over her, pleading.
She sighed. "A pig named Biru," she said, and the fingers on her chin squeezed a little bit before releasing her. She looked at him confused as he laid his hand back onto the table.
"He should be punished for doing that to you,' he growled angrily, and Rene was touched that he felt anger on her behalf.
She laid her hand on top of his and smiled. He looked at their hands and back at her face. "You don't need to worry about it," she said. "It's fine."
It took a few seconds, but the boy's smile came back. He turned to her, his grin reaching his ears. "Okay."
Suddenly, the clock tower began to chime again. It rang out across the castle grounds, and it was really loud to Rene's ears. The boy pulled a gold pocket watch from his waist coat. "Midnight," he said, standing up.
Rene's eyes went wide, and she watched the boy exit the gazebo in shock. She snapped out of it though and slid from her seat, tumbling out of the gazebo. "Wait!" she yelled, even though he was only a few feet away. Her breath came in pants, and her heart was beating erratically in her chest. He turned back to face her. "Where are you going?" she cried, tears beginning to form in her eyes. She didn't realize how much she liked sitting next to him until he'd started to leave. He made this world less scary and a tiny bit warmer. When he'd walked away though, she had felt all the freezing air come rushing back, and now she was chilled to the bone again, her toes going numb in her shoes. When he didn't answer, she resorted to begging. "Don't leave me. Please."
The boy smiled sadly at her. "Oh, you don't need to worry about that." He pulled the white rose from his button and held it out to her as he bowed. She took it and looked at him sadly. The boy straightened up. "I'll be with you," he said quietly. He took his hat off and bowed again before turning around and exiting the maze, leaving her standing there.
And Rene woke up.
...
Well, that's it for now guys. Let me tell you, I am sooo happy that these last 2 chapters have finally finished. I hate it when it feels like I'm not writing anything exciting, but unfortunately, it needs to be done for everybody to understand the story. I'm so excited for the next chapter. Let's just say that things get even more exciting, heehee. Stay tuned! And just PM me if you have any questions or got confused. I may or may not answer them depending on the question :)
The French:
"Rene, mon file cheri" Rene, my darling son.
"Mere" Mother.