My Precious Child 16- The Climax!
2 REVIEWS OFF ONE HUNDRED! I'm so proud of my little story. *sob*
Thanks go out to…
That-crafty-otaku: The horror, the tragedy, the sadness the ooooo a mouse (inside joke with my bro)
ZakuroU: I fixed it, I fixed it! And love the dramatic music. And yes, totally not air-saxophoning
The Little Chibi: I love Fretka curses! Dying laughing as always!
Enigma-Hare: hehe sorry…It'll finish soon I swear…maybe…hopefully
OnyxBunneraffe: I've kept you crying so long. *sobs* I'm sorry!
KeikoMiyano: NOOOOO DON'T DIE! SORRY!
furrfurr2001: Aww shucks thankyou! *blushes*
Disclaimer: Thou shoult not claim to own Hetalia…which I don't and have never done
Toris's heart leapt into his throat before jumping out his body altogether and cartwheeling around the room before launching into a cheer routine whilst Brittney Spear's Circus played in the background.
Ok not really but it felt like it to the man. This couldn't be true could it? It was a joke, some silly game the kids were playing and had dragged Vash and Roderich into. They were being spies, pirates…evil kidnapping fairies from the stories his mum used to read him.
But the proof was right in front of him. And Vash and Roderich didn't seem like the people to let the kids play such a cruel game…were they? Especially in this current situation. Sure Toris hadn't known them for very long but they both radiated an air of nobility and sensibility.
He sat there for a while, letting the words sink in, re-reading the note at least a hundred times until the words were memorized, etched into his head for the time being. The kids who had been awake when Alfred and the others had visited had all fallen asleep again, their sickness preventing them from staying awake for extended periods of time.
"T-Toris," A weak voice coughed. "You're still here?"
Toris dragged his eyes away from the now slightly crumpled note and stared at Elizabeta who looked better than before. Some colour had returned to her cheeks and she was pulling herself up into a sitting position without much of a visible struggle.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Toris shrugged, moving to hover near the bed, unsure if he should make a conversation or let Elizabeta start one.
"That note," Elizabeta began, her eyes narrowing as she glanced at Toris's clenched fist with the paper sticking out from it, slowly dampening from sweat. She'd always been a smart one.
"It's nothing." Toris broke in. "Alfred brought it in, just a…" Toris had always been a horrible liar and now was no exception to this. "Just a something," Toris finished lamely, knowing the game was up.
"Is it a something I can know about?" Elizabeta's voice was gaining strength as she used it more.
"Listen Lizzy," Toris began, knowing he had only one shot to convince her to let it go. "It's something only I can handle. I know you're a very capable woman, high school taught me that but right now you're sick and so are five of the kids. They need you and so does everyone at the orphanage. They need you to get better as soon as possible. So please, just let me handle this. When the time is right, I'll tell you. I promise."
Elizabeta raised an eyebrow before falling silent, obviously deciding whether to press the matter further or let Toris handle it.
"Fine," She said eventually. "I'll accept that but I won't be happy about it." And she proceeded to sulk, giving Toris the silent treatment much like the one she'd given the Lithuanian when he'd lost her frying pan back in year two.
Toris let out a breath, glad she'd given him the chance to sort things out. Now all he had to do was step out the room, call the police and everything would go back to normal. Fretka would go to court, Felicks would be returned to Toris and life could be how Toris had imagined it.
"Elizabeta," Toris said hesitantly, knowing she wouldn't reply. "I need to make a call, I'll be back in a second."
The Hungarian nodded sullenly and turned to look over at the sleeping Mei. Toris pulled his phone out of his pocket as he left the room, his finger hovering over the first number he needed to dial. He paused for a second however, wandering if he was going to be calling over a hoax. Just as Toris was about to press down, he was distracted by a spattering of footsteps and the sound of a door opening but no sound of it closing.
He spun and saw the door to the ward he'd shut behind him hanging wide open, the lights suddenly out. Toris wasn't sure what was going on but he didn't like it. His hand firmly pressed down on the first number that would have the police running.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," A voice purred and the lights came on again as if some hidden force was aiding in creeping Toris out.
The sight that Toris was greeted with was not one he'd ever thought he'd see, not one he liked seeing and certainly not one he ever wanted to see again.
Elizabeta was slumped against her pillow, obviously unconscious since no one ever fell asleep that fast and Lizzy was so stubborn that she seemed to ward sleep off when she wanted to. A figure leant casually against Benjamin's bed, slender fingers fiddling with his drip. The other hand held a black gun, the barrel calmly pressed against the sleeping boy's head.
"One twitch of my finger," The voice laughed. "Twitch, twitch, twitch and bye, bye Benjamin."
"Don't," Toris croaked, his throat suddenly dry and his voice hoarse. "Please don't."
"Naughty Toris, couldn't stop playing a game he should be sitting out for. Neither could those damn kids." The owner of the voice stood up to reveal Rachel. She twirled the finger that was neatly curled around the gun's trigger causing said gun to spin rapidly, turning into a black blur.
"What did you do to them?" Toris growled though his eyes never left the now stationary gun.
"I didn't do anything." Rachel's eyes widened at the accusation. "I prefer not to get my hands dirty. It's my colleagues who did the…doing."
"Why?" Toris was stalling, his hands working furiously behind his back as he prayed he was pressing the right buttons. "I stopped, I wasn't interfering."
"Oh don't be stupid," Rachel snapped, her smooth and steady voice gone as she bore down on the Lithuanian. "You never intended to back off. Making plans with that stupid Swedish man, hanging around with that ugly fag family. You were going to find a way to get the brat back."
"Ok yes!" Toris snapped back angrily. "Did you really think I was going to just step back and let Fretka take Felicks?!"
"We'd hoped so," The smooth voice was back. "But the boss had doubts. He saw hidden strength in you. My, was he right."
"Shut up!" Toris's thumb pressed down firmly and he couldn't help but let his eyes narrow happily. That was a mistake though. The gun swung round so that he was starring right down the barrel.
"What did you do?" Rachel shrieked. "Drop the phone now!" There was a clatter as it hit the floor before the room fell into silence. Rachel was obviously debating what to do.
"Did you text someone?" She asked finally.
"I couldn't see the key pad." Toris answered defiantly. He was scared that the blonde lady would just bend down and check the sent file but she made no move to pick up his phone.
"Did you text someone?!" Rachel shouted this time, the gun swooping back to Benjamin. "Tell me or I…will…shoot!"
Felicks jolted awake, heart beating fast and breaths coming out hard and fast. He sat up, blinking rapidly as he tried to make sense of the unfamiliar surroundings. The room was dark spare the glow of Lad's laptop. The depressed teen's face glowed in the dim light, his face illuminated. Felicks let his eyes flicker over to Berwald. The man was asleep.
"What's wrong?" Lad's stone cold voice asked. Felicks giggled nervously. To hear a question usually asked when one is concerned said in such a fierce voice was actually kind of funny. Too bad the circumstances the Polish boy had been thrown into were anything but funny.
"I had a nightmare," Felicks finally answered. "But now…it's slipping away. All I can remember is…" he trailed off, reluctant to share the one memory he had of the terrible dream.
"Remember," Lad prompted in an impatient tone, cementing the fact that he was typically not a sentimental kind of person.
"Nothing," Felicks decided he really didn't want to share the nightmare. "It's…gone now too."
"Really," Felicks could just make out an arched eyebrow but the subject was dropped, Lad returning to his laptop, tapping away vigorously.
Felicks slumped back down against the squishy pillows, sinking into their softness. He closed his eyes but opened them soon after because all he could see was the unwanted memory. It was soaking into him soaking into everything.
Blood…
Toris's brain raced to think of what to do and he came up with one conclusion.
Lie and then smash the phone.
He couldn't risk Rachel remembering that she could check the sent file and there was no way one phone was worth dozens of kid's lives.
"I didn't send anything." Toris said firmly. He held up his hands and calmly yet absently stepped forward as if making a peace offering or surrendering.
'Crunch'
The sound sent shivers running up Toris's spine and as he feigned horror and heard Rachel laugh at him, all he could think of was how he'd probably just saved so many lives.
"Oops," Rachel simpered, waving the gun around as if wondering where to aim it next. "Well I'll take your word you clumsy oaf."
"Hehe," Toris laughed nervously. "Listen, what are you going to do with me?"
"Hmm," Rachel finally let the gun rest on Romano who was tossing and turning slightly in feverish slumber. "Well I'll let the boss handle that. Fretka seemed adamant that he was to deal with you himself."
"Right," Toris shuddered. He hated Fretka…no…he loathed Fretka with every ounce of his being. Every bone, every fibre, every teensy tiny atom in his body loathed Fretka.
"Ugh," A groan suddenly startled Rachel and Toris and the blonde woman spun to see the current focus of her gun, Romano stirring, his eyes blinking slowly as he struggled out of his sleep and into the world of the living. "What's going o-holy s***!"
"Romano calm down please!" Toris sprung into action. "Don't say anything please!"
"B-bastard," Romano stammered. "W-what's going on?"
"Damn," Rachel sighed carelessly as if Romano was a spelling mistake she'd made on a semi-important file. "I was so hoping no one would wake up. I've already knocked one person over the head with a gun. It was so messy. The force probably bruised my wrist."
"Rachel, don't bring him into this please." Toris begged.
"Toris, Toris, Toris," Rachel shook her head and the gun moved with her. "The entire orphanage is involved. These kids were involved the moment that Swiss idiot called the boss's hospital. It's too late. He's involved."
"But…" Toris crossed his fingers, hoping his text had gotten through. He hated having to text that man for help but it was necessary. All he could do know was stall for time. "The gun. Please point it away from him."
Rachel seemed surprised and she almost appeared to be considering this, tilting her head before looking up at Romano's wide eyes and panicked breathing.
"No," She decided with obvious smugness. "It's his fault for waking up."
"B-bastard," Romano said again. "I can't just decide whether to stay asleep or wake up."
"Romano," Toris said warningly, taking another step forward, hands help up. "Please let me handle this. Think of your brother."
Romano stuck his bottom lip out and his eyes swam with angry and fearful tears but he thankfully remained silent. Toris breathed a sigh of relief and stepped back, hoping no one else would wake up and praying that no nurses or doctors would suddenly pop in. The situation he was in was so crazy, so mad. He was a currently unemployed Lithuanian runaway who was being held hostage along with an entire orphanage, some ethnic adults and a ward of sick children and their caretaker.
And just when Toris thought the situation could get even more bizarre, the door burst open and police officers swarmed into the room.
"You texted me and I answered. The awesome Gilbert is in the house!"
We're wrapping up. Expect ponies and hugs soon.