CHAPTER 21:

Yoru, disguised as a nurse, entered the room not long after I recalled Ami's kidnapping. Automatically, he knew what to do and immediately ushered the three girls out.

When he got back I had already taken the IV off my hand. I snapped to his direction, half-heartedly waiting for another person to come with him.

"What the fuck took you so long to get me?!"

Yoru raised his eyebrow at me. "Gee, you're welcome, princess,"

"I don't have time for your wit, Yoru. Where's Ik–Utau?" I spat, glaring deadly spears his way.

He took the mask off the half of his face and sat on the hospital bed I was lying on not too long ago. Yoru stared at me for a while, as if trying to gauge whether I'd snap before he spoke or not. He sighed.

"We don't know where she is. We can't reach her either," he said.

Was it possible she was taken, as well?

Was that how they managed to get to Ami?

Damn it. Then, what the fuck was my father's security doing there in the first place? The kidnappers had to go through them first and then, through Utau, before they could get to my sister.

"I need to talk to the bodyguards my father hired," I hissed, to no one in particular.

I spun around, my heart hammering to loud Yoru probably could hear it, too. But then, he caught my wrist before I even had to chance to take one step.

"About that...we found all your men tied up behind the gymnasium after the bombing. Their throats were slit,"

More of our men were killed. I had to make them pay. Whoever was responsible for this had to pay.

"Then, we saw a note that whoever took your sister also had your parents,"

"What did you say?"

"Your parents were also taken, Amu,"

My blood chilled the instant he opened his mouth. Dad knew nothing about anything that happened since he gave me Ami. The security he hired didn't report to him anymore because he ordered them to answer directly to me and I ordered those people to keep their mouths shut about anything that happened or would happen. He would think we were perfectly safe even when they were captured.

Those people who took Ami probably were with that yakuza, too. And I had the feeling they were coming after me now.

"You have to help me get out of here, Yoru," I said, my voice cracking at the last syllable.

As much as I hated asking for help, this time, I couldn't let my pride best me. My father would kill me for withholding information from him. And that I let my sister be taken on top of that. I know he wouldn't hate me for failing to rescue him and Mom. But by letting Ami be captured, too, I probably had his disappointment now.

He avoided my eyes. There was something he wasn't telling me. I could feel it. Damn it. I needed someone to help me out. My family was counting on me. I grabbed Yoru's hand, willing him to face me.

"Yoru, I can't just stay here and wait," I said.

I never imagined I would plead anyone to help me. This wasn't my comfort zone at all.

"Yoru-"

My voice broke when the door suddenly clicked. I didn't even notice someone opened it. Damn. I was completely losing my senses.

I stiffened, not daring to look at the person near the door. I was too afraid my captor was already here.

"I'm sorry, Amu," the person at the door said, his voice a bit strained and eerily familiar.

I risked a glance his way and saw the same midnight hair I was looking for a moment ago, the same dark, thick-lashed eyes. My hand dropped Yoru's as if I was singed.

Gracefully, he took one giant step to close the distance between us. His hands trailed down my wrists. I almost shivered.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, "but there has been a change of plans,"

Then, as quick as he closed in, he stepped away. And my wrists were suddenly cuffed. My blood ran cold, my face paled.

I forced myself to speak. "What's this, Ikuto?"

"I was ordered not to let you out until further notice," he said, emotion-void.

I looked at him. His eyes were hard and cold, not the smoldering look I was used to. His lips were pressed into a thin line, making him look older than he was. There was something really wrong about this whole situation. An indefinite wave of wrongness was palpable in the air.

"You and I both know you can't keep me here," I warned, trying my best not to tremble beneath his nonchalant stare. He looked almost like he could kill me–like he would kill me.

But he remained silent, his back against the door.

I turned to Yoru, hoping for the love to God that he was against keeping me here and that he also felt something was really, really, really wrong. But as soon as I thought that I knew he wouldn't help me.

"Yoru, what's going on?" I demanded.

He looked up and I saw his eyes full of indifference and...pity. He took a deep breath and I resisted the urge to strangle the answer out of him. Just as I was about to lose my patience, he spoke.

"I lied, Amu. I said I wasn't paid by the people Ikuto works for. That was a lie. We're both working for them. I did that as a back-up plan so that in case you didn't trust Ikuto completely, I can gain your trust by being your friend," he smiled sinisterly and added, "But I guess it wasn't needed after all,"

"That's not the only thing I lied about, though," he whispered, "I also lied about your guards' deaths. I was the one who eliminated them and it wasn't there we found the note. I just said that to buy time for Ikuto to arrive,"

I couldn't believe my ears. The word TRAITOR flashed in my mind like lights in Vegas. I got conned. But why? He said he was also working for the people Ikuto worked for. Then why did he kill my men who were supposed to make their job easier? It made no sense.

No, wait. Our bodyguards were all concentrated on Ami. I had no one watching my back other than Ikuto's occasional drop-bys.

They failed their mission when Ami got captured.

Unless...unless I was the only one they were assigned to protect in the first place.

And as if to confirm my thoughts, it was Ikuto who spoke this time. "Your sister, well, people also offered to pay to let her be captured–to let the both of you be captured, actually. But since we were already tasked to keep you safe, we just let your sister be taken,"

Anger bubbled up in my chest. Never in my life was I so played like this. I was led to believe they also protected my sister. Ikuto, the bastard, even proposed to let his sister help.

"You're both crazy thinking you can do this to me and get away with it unscathed. I can kill you both right now," I growled.

Ikuto chuckled. But compared to his usual amused, musical laugh, this time it was darker, crueler. I couldn't help but cringe. This was all so surreal. It was as if I was hallucinating again. I mentally shook myself. This was all true. Twistedly, fucking true.

"Go on, Amu," Ikuto taunted.

I felt my hands curl into fists. My sharp nails were digging on my flesh, threatening to tear the skin. I stared at the handcuffs around my wrists. I yanked my hand out of it but it was no use. The cuffs were too tight.

Yoru laid a hand on top of mine, surprisingly gentle. "It won't work, Amu,"

I slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me," I spat.

I felt anger course through my veins. My heart pounded against my ribcage wildly. I was so mad I saw dark spots in my eyes. I didn't know what happened but I suddenly charged at Ikuto's way. My eyebrows shot up when he stumbled down. Ikuto was way tougher than that. But I thanked anyone out there who made this possible. My hands desperately grabbed at the knob, my mind hungry with freedom.

But then I knew it was also too good to be true when I felt arms wrap around me, milliseconds before I could twist the knob. He wrapped them around me so tight I started to feel lightheaded.

"Let me go, Ikuto! Let! Me! Go!"

With all my strength I did what I didn't even know I was capable of doing. I screamed.

My legs kicked and thrashed, trying to get away from Ikuto. I caught a whiff of his scent and suddenly I felt weaker. He lifted me off the floor and dropped me on the bed.

I tried to lift myself but it was so hard to sit up when both my hands were cuffed.

"Goddammit, Ikuto!"

He laughed again. The sound was so evil, I had to shut it out.

"You know, you can scream all you want. No one will hear you, anyway. We had everyone vacate the rooms around us," Yoru said.

Bastards!

I thrashed around the bed, refusing to go down without a fight. My mind focused on rescuing my family. I had to go after them. I will make the people who took them pay just as I was going to make these two bastards pay for betraying me.

Yoru grabbed my cuffed hands and tied them to the window frame above my head. Ikuto came to view, his eyes still eerily devoid of emotion. In his left hand, I spotted a syringe with clear liquid inside.

"Don't you dare drug me, you monster!"

Ikuto leaned back, staring at me with nothingness. "Okay, then would you agree to let us take you away without fighting back?"

I resisted the urge to spit on his devilishly handsome face. The pull to be suddenly barbaric almost bested me. Luckily for him, I held back.

"Fat chance," I hissed.

He grinned and leaned down, his lips millimeters apart from mine. I sucked in a breath.

"I thought so,"

I felt a needle puncture my skin. And then...darkness.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Yeah, hello beloved readers.

Sooooooo...Ikuto's gone all bad now, huh? What do you think happened? Amu has no one to turn to now. No bodyguards, no parents, and no Ikuto. What do you think our heroine will do next? Tell me your thoughts :) And don't forget to review! Thanks :)

With all the love for writing,

Lace Ashdown