Greetings everyone! Sorry I've been away so long... My friend got me hooked on Black Butler, and I had to watch the whole thing... And then I needed to draw a picture of Sebastian in his hooker boots ;P If you've seen it, you'll know what I mean... If not, go watch it. Now.

Ahem. Anyways, this is the latest chapter of Never Leave You, which includes the torture mentionned in the summary. It would be really nice if someone could tell me if this needs to be bumped up to an M rating of not, because I'm not quite sure.

Oh, and congratulations to seqka711, the first person to sucessfully complete my challange. It will be open until next chapter, in case anyone cares.

This was the chapter from HELL. Honest to God, I rewrote it about four times, and I'm still not really happy with it. But, it's better than it was, so here you go!

Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club. The song You'll Be In My Heart belongs to Phil Collins/Genesis and Disney.

Chapter Five

It was about a week later when Kaoru first realized the gravity of the situation they were in.

o0O0o

Things had been rather monotonous up to that point; meals were inserted through a flap in the door, showers every other day, under heavy supervision by armed henchmen. Other than those brief excursions, he was confined to the room with Julie.

Sometimes, she would head out through the hole in the ceiling but for the most part she stayed with him. She was a very secretive person, Kaoru realized, the longer he spent in her company. She answered almost none of the questions he asked he, and the few she did, not to his satisfaction. Her jewellery was the one thing he had never brought up, and that was because of her reaction last time it had come up in conversation. Sure, she may have said it didn't really matter and she wasn't that mad at him anyways, but Kaoru wasn't risking it- she had looked so scary last time, and now that he thought back on it, Kaoru thought that he may have seen a hint of sadness and betrayal on her face as well. To know that he had caused these emotions… It haunted him, that look, and he had vowed never to cause it to appear again.

'I'm going soft…' Kaoru chuckled to himself on the occasions when he thought of this. There was a time when not even the look of total heartbreak on a girl's face would have fazed him, and now… The tiniest hint of sadness and he was on the worst guilt trip of his entire life! Maybe it was the fact that he had always had Hikaru by his side before, or maybe it was because she was the only person he really had now… Or maybe it was that strange attraction he felt towards her that he kept meaning to thin about, but conveniently forgot about when a chance came up. Whatever the reason, Kaoru knew for certain that he would never again deliberately cause her pain.

o0O0o

On this particular day, Kaoru was laying on the bed, bored out of his brain while Julie sat in her usual spot in the corner, meditating. He had attempted to join her on a couple of occasions, but that hadn't ended well so… Kaoru was stuck counting the blots in the ceiling.

He had gotten to 147 when he heard the distinct sound of the lock on their door being opened. He snuck a glace at Julie just in time to see her eyes snap open. She moved quickly and fluidly, rolling up from the ground where she had been sitting cross legged into a standing position, just as the door swung open silently.

There were two of the armed henchmen standing in the doorway, one brandishing a machine gun, and the other too bulked up to bother with weapons. Machine-gun started to speak, in English. Despite the fact that Kaoru knew the language, (it was the one subject his mother insisted that they take) he made no effort to listen to what the man was saying, and instead turned his attention to Julie.

She was standing in a relaxed but cautious, no, guarded manner. Kaoru realized that it was very similar the way in which Mori-sempai stood at the start of a Kendo match- calm, confident, yet wary of the opponent all the same. It was rather unnerving, the resemblance between her and the Kendo master.

Kaorus' musings were, once again, interrupted as Machine-gun directed his words towards him.

"Hey kid! Get up, it's time to go. Weren't you listening?"

Kaoru blinked. Julie rolled her eyes and sighed.

Machine-gun whirled around to face her. "What're you sighin' for?"

"He's Japanese." she replied.

"What's your point? I know he's Japanese, I read the file!"

"Oh, marvellous. So, did it ever occur to you that he may not speak English?"

Both men were silent at that.

Kaoru decided that he really ought to tell Julie, at least, that he did, in fact, speak English. So, in Japanese he said, "Actually I do speak English… I just wasn't paying attention…"

She raised her eyebrows. "Let's just keep that our little secret, kay?" He nodded.

"Anyways, we're supposed to go with them."

"Why? Shower day is tomorrow…"

"I dunno, but I don't think it's going to be pleasant."

Kaoru looked at the two men's faces and decided that Julie was probably right; this would most certainly not be pleasant.

o0O0o

They walked for a few minutes, silently, through areas of the compound that Kaoru had never seen before. The sheer size and complexity of the operation made him feel small, vulnerable and insignificant. It wasn't a feeling he enjoyed, and his hand instinctively sought Hikaru's.

The hand that he grasped was nothing like his brothers. It was small, dainty, with slender fingers and soft, yet slightly calloused skin.

He went to pull away, horrified with himself for having taken her hand, but she squeezed his hand softly, and Kaoru thought that maybe she was just as scared as he was.

She didn't look it, though; her face was a mask of calm. She caught him looking at her and gave a reassuring smile, but Kaoru saw the nervousness in her eyes all the same. He actually felt better for it; whatever was in store for them, they would face it… Together.

o0O0o

They wandered through the compound for about 15 minutes, twisting and turning, seemingly at random, and by the time they arrived at the nondescript metal door, Kaoru had absolutely no idea where in the world he was.

The door slid open to reveal… blackness. Muscles pushed the two of them forward and the door slid shut.

He couldn't see anything but black. He couldn't hear anything but his own laboured breathing, and the beating of his pounding heart inside of his chest. The only comfort he had was the feel of Julie's small hand within his own. He clung to it, the only thing keeping him grounded, the slender fingers, the scar on the outside of her thumb, the bump on her middle fingernail… And she clung to him just as much as he did to her.

A voice spoke, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once. It said, in clipped English, "Hello, patients 1104 and 1107."

Julie whispered to him softly, "Pretend you don't understand him, and I'll pretend to translate for you." Kaoru nodded, then realised she couldn't see him, so he sheepishly said, "Okay."

Suddenly, there was a faint light trickling into the room, in a small, rectangular crack, that Kaoru realized must be the outline of a door.

The voice spoke again, in the same mechanical, clipped tone, "Please proceed through the doorway."

Julie said, in Japanese, "Must be some sort of automated voice system."

"So… do we go through the door then?"

"Doesn't really look like we have much of a choice, now, does it?"

She started walking towards the door, and Kaoru was forced to trail behind her due to their still joined hands. She didn't hesitate in reaching for where the door handle should have been, but, in the dim light, Kaoru could see her shaking slightly. He squeezed her hand in what he hoped was a reassuring manner, and she gave him a small, tense smile. The door swung open.

o0O0o

The room they entered reminded Kaoru of a hospital; white, clinically clean, sterile, cold… It made him nervous just looking at it. There were lines of chairs alone the walls, but they didn't go to sit down, and Kaoru felt Julie tense beside him. She pushed on his arm, forcing him behind her slightly. He was about to ask her why, when a man walked through another door that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere from the far wall.

"Hello there," he said pleasantly. "I'm doctor James Peterson and I'm in charge of this operation."

"This is the part where you pretend I'm translating for you, okay?" Julie murmured in Kaoru's general direction.

"There's no need to translate, Miss Rutherford-Hopkins. I am well aware that Mr Hitachiin here has taken English classes in school."

"With all due respect, sir," Julie had made the language switch effortlessly, "taking an English course in school and being capable of conversational English are two very different things."

The doctor's eyebrows rose a fraction of an inch. "Very well worded, Miss Rutherford-Hopkins, and a valid point, too. You may continue to translate for Mr Hitachiin."

Julie said nothing in return, simply inclining her head slightly, but Kaoru swore he saw a hint of a smile playing at the edges of her lips.

"But," doctor Peterson continued, "It is time for us to continue on to your appointment."

"What appointment?" Kaoru wanted to ask, but at a sharp glance from Julie, he contained himself.

"Please, follow me." the doctor said, smiling in what seemed to be an attempt at friendly and reassuring, but only served to make Kaoru feel even more nervous about what awaited them beyond the new door-wall that had just swung open, directly next to the one that Dr. Peterson had entered the room through.

They walked forward cautiously, into another clinically white room, this one with a table in the centre and some chains near the walls. There were also a couple stainless steel tables who's tops were covered. The door they had entered through swung shut, then abruptly opened again to reveal two men of moderate size, holding a girl aged about five between them.

"José, Antonio," James said, "I thought I told you to be done with punishments by 2:30- you knew we had an appointment." His voice was no longer friendly; in fact it had become rather cold and threatening, and Kaoru felt a shiver wrack his body.

"We're sorry, boss, but this one's roommate's quite protective, so we to make to teach him not to mess with us before we could start on her." The called Antonio said in a heavily Spanish accent. Julie shot Kaoru an I-told-you-so sort of look, and Kaoru's face twisted in confusion. She sighed and mouthed "South America…" just as the doctor began to speak again.

"Very well. I don't have anything scheduled for today. How long will this take?"

"Not too long, boss." the other man, José replied, "She's scared stiff already; we're only really doing it because that's protocol."

Dr. Peterson jerked his head in what Kaoru assumed was supposed to be a nod. "Perfect. Ms. Rutherford-Hopkins, Mr. Hitachiin and I will wait."

"What are they going to do to her?" Kaoru whispered to Julie, who turned troubled blue eyes towards him.

"I don't know." she said, her face unreadable.

Kaoru turned his face to the two men, who had now strapped the small girl to the table in the centre of the room, and had hit an unseen control to stand it up. The girl was sobbing, with a look of abject terror on her face. Antonio busied himself with removing the girl's clothing, a perverse smile on his face, leaving her in only her underwear, while José pulled the cloths off the surfaces of the tables. They were covered in weapons, and Kaoru had a sinking feeling in his stomach when he realized what was going to come nest. He heard Julie curse softly nest to him as her body tensed up, and he figured that she had come to the same conclusion as him.

The doctor walked up to the girl and spoke so softly that Kaoru had to strain his ears to hear.

"Now Kiera. Do you know why you're here?"

The small girl, Kiera, nodded her head slightly, whimpering quietly.

"Please, tell me."

Kiera's voice was broken because of her tears, and she sounded absolutely terrified.

"Be-because I y-y-yelled at th-the guard-d who was-was t-taking me to the sho-shower and I-I said I want-wanted my si-sister."

"That's right. And why was it wrong to do this?"

"Be-because it was di-dis-disrespectful."

"Good girl, Kiera! One last question: what happens to people who break the rules in this facility?"

"They get pu-pun-puni-punished."

"Correct. José, Antonio, you may begin."

o0O0o

It was horrible to watch. The two men worked diligently and never broke concentration as they slowly mutilated the small body in front of them. They used only the smallest of knives, and seemed focused on her collarbone and the area surrounding it. Their bodies blocked exactly what they were doing, but Kaoru could see Kiera's arms twitching as the blades pierced her skin, could see the blood dripping on to the floor in growing red pools.

Kaoru felt sick watching this, but he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the gruesome spectacle. He felt Julie's grip on his hand tighten more and more as the time passed, until it was an almost painful pressure. He didn't dare say anything though.

Kiera never stopped screaming.

o0O0o

After an agonizingly long amount of time, José and Antonio unfastened little Kiera from her bonds and left her on the floor to clean up.

Julie started towards the fallen girl, and Kaoru, not wanting to let go of her hand, followed behind.

"Hello, Kiera. Are you alright?" Julie spoke in the soft, soothing tone she had used when he had awoken from his dream of Hikaru a week ago.

Kiera shook her head no, and began to sob again in earnest. Kaoru saw one of the henchmen start towards them, but at a nod from James, he stopped and continued on with his work.

Julie dropped Kaoru's hand and knelt nest to the little girl.

"May I see your wounds?" she asked hesitantly. Kiera lifted her head, and Kaoru felt another wave of nausea come over him at what he saw.

On her small chest, they had carved in words, which stood out dark red in contrast to her pale skin. They read: Do not disrespect authority figures- Rule #12.

"Those bastards." Julie muttered, "However, you will heal with time, at least physically. There will be major scarring though." She looked at Kiera for a moment before asking, "Would you like a hug, sweetheart?"

Kiera's eyes filled with tears again, and she buried her face in Julie's shoulder. Julie wrapped an arm around her, careful not to touch her chest, and stroked her hair, rocking slightly on the balls of her feet. She put her mouth down near Kiera's ear, and softly began to sing.

"Come stop your crying

It'll be alright

Just take my hand

Hold it tight

I will protect you

From all around you

I will be here, don't you cry."

Kiera's sobs had diminished slightly as Julie's voice continued to weave the soft melody around her.

"For one so small

You seem so strong

My arms will hold you

Keep you safe and warm

This bond between us

Can't be broken

I will be here, don't you cry."

José came over at that moment, just as Julie began the next line. "It's time to go, Kiera." he said rather harshly. "Move it. NOW!"

Kiera got to her feet with a bit of help from Julie and headed towards the door, stumbling slightly as she tried to keep up with José's long strides.

Julie stood up and wiped the blood off of her hands on her shirt. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.

Kaoru wanted to ask her why she had done that, but the doctor spoke to them before he got the chance.

"Mr. Hitachiin, Ms. Rutherford-Hopkins, your appointment will begin very shortly. While we wait for the cameras to load," he gestured to a pair of screens that had been revealed by yet another sliding wall, "Antonio here will set one of you up for the experiment."

"What does me mean, experiment?" Kaoru asked Julie, alarmed.

"Isn't it obvious?" she replied, a layer of bitterness coating her voice, "They're going to torture us, too."

"Why?"

"To test the bond between twins, of course. I told you this already."

Yes, but you never mentioned that it included torture, now did you?"

"Well, I never knew about that until we entered this room, but it makes sense, in a way."

Before Kaoru could retort again, the doctor asked, "Have you worked out who will be going first?"

Kaoru was about to shake his head no when Julie stepped forwards.

"Yes, we have. I will be going first."

Dr. Peterson nodded his head slowly. "Very well then. Antonio!"

And before Kaoru could object and say that they had not, in fact, agreed on upon this, Antonio had grabbed Julie's arm roughly, and begun to lead her towards the table.

She jerked her arm out of his grasp with a bone chilling glare.

"I am capable of walking by myself." she stated.

She walked over to stand by the table. "Is there a need for me to remove my clothing?" She directed the question at Antonio, but it was James who answered the query.

"Yes, there will be. Why do you ask?"

"Because I'm certainly not letting him," she pointed at Antonio, "do it. No, I would much rather take care of it myself." And with that, she pulled her shirt over her head.

Kaoru almost wanted to laugh, though the situation wasn't funny in the slightest. She was wearing a pale pink bra with moose on it, and it was just so Julie that it made him want to burst into hysterics.

She pulled off her pants, which left her standing there in only her undergarments. She stepped away from her clothing and lay down on the table. Antonio had just finished pinning her limbs when José walked back in.

Her looked her over appreciatively, and Kaoru felt boiling rage suddenly form in the pit of his stomach. How dare he look at her like she was just a toy, to be used and then discarded?

Antonio hit the button to stand the table up, and the reality of the situation sunk in. Julie was about to be tortured. The beautiful, pale skin that lay before him would be mutilated and mangled beyond recognition, that elegant visage would be twisted in pain, those slender limbs would jerk uncontrollably as the blades pierced her body.

Kaoru tried to look away, but found that he couldn't break his eyes away her body as she waited, eyes closed, for the first blow to land.

o0O0o

It was Antonio who lowered his knife first, careful to avoid the fabric of her bra as he sliced a long line from her left shoulder to her right hip. She inhaled sharply, but didn't make a sound.

The entire time, she didn't make a sound.

o0O0o

Kaoru managed to tear his eyes away from her with much difficulty, for naught but a moment, and only because he was so curious as to what was on the screens.

There were two video feeds, of two people in two different location, doing completely different things, unaware of the existence of one another, yet linked together in grief and worry for the person they held closest to their heart.

Hikaru and Joshua.

o0O0o

Kaoru was seriously beginning to regret having followed Julie when she moved to comfort Kiera what seemed like years ago, because he now had a perfect view of her torso. It was nearly making him sick to watch, but his traitorous eyes refused to close of let him look away for more than a moment at a time.

It was horrendously captivating, beautifully sickening and so perfectly disturbing. Kaoru wanted it to end, yet he didn't in some sort of sick way, all at the same time.

It was hypnotic.

o0O0o

A flash of silver, a gasp of pain, a river of red drip-drip-dripping onto the concrete floor, joining its brethren in an ever expanding pool.

o0O0o

Kaoru wondered how much blood a person could lose and still survive.

o0O0o

He wanted to yell at them to stop hurting her, to say that they had done enough for one day, to take him instead.

But something within himself held him back.

o0O0o

After an eternity of more spent watching her bleed, they relented. Her body was released from its bonds and she collapsed to the floor.

The two men started to clean up, meticulously. One pulled her body up and began to drag her towards the door. She jerked her arm away in a move reminiscent of her earlier bravado.

"I can walk by myself." she said.

And she did, back straight, head up, tall and proud and dignified, despite the fact that she was swaying on her feet and stumbling every couple of steps.

It was awe inspiring to watch.

o0O0o

They had stripped him down to his underwear and strapped him to the table. He felt vulnerable and scared and weak and powerless and it wasn't a pleasant feeling in the slightest.

o0O0o

When the blade pierced his skin for the first time, he let out an involuntary cry of pain. How had she done it? She hadn't screamed not once.

As the pain continued to build, his screams rose and grew less human and more animalistic, and he was sickened with himself for crying out.

Because she hadn't screamed, not once.

o0O0o

He didn't know where he was. He didn't know how long he had been there. He didn't even know his own name. All he knew was the pain.

The pain defined him, the pain was the only thing that existed in his entire world.

And the pain was the last thing he knew as he finally slipped into the welcome blackness that washed over him in warm, gentle waves and numbed all things.

o0O0o

The entire time, Doctor James Peterson watched, emotionless, expressionless, as the two teenagers went through what many would consider to be Hell on earth.