Lost in the Dark

By E.M. Megs

Chapter 21 - Let Me In

Haruhi stared, unable to make herself turn away. "Give up what?" she muttered, an inkling of an idea sinking into her mind the moment she asked the question.

"The war," Kyoya replied, pushing up his glasses. He seemed a bit calmer, but still had an air of angry ferocity about him. She understood of course. His niece had been kidnapped by her own colleagues. She'd be pissed too. "I don't think they realize that I'm only temporarily King. Ransoming Yuki for an end to the war won't work. If I signed a treaty it would be invalid." He sighed in frustration, running a hand through his hair again. "Don't suppose you'll let me hang him..."

She snorted. "He's probably dead from blood loss already considering how long you've left him laying there with no leg." He almost snickered, almost. She silently made a mental note to never ever piss him off again. That could have been herif she hadn't been careful. She sighed at him exasperatedly and pushed him back toward the cell that Minas was still in, completely quiet now. "Go take care of the damn body while I send a messenger to Kira on your behalf to arrange negotiations."

Haruhi rubbed her forehead after he'd left. Who was going to tell Minas's wife he was dead?

"Goddammit," she mumbled.

~o~

Kyoya made it a point to keep an eye on Yuiichi and not tell him that he knew where Yuki was while he and Haruhi brainstormed ways to get the girl out of there. She didn't want to know what Fusawa might be doing to her, even though her anger flared every time she started to think about. "I could send a team in," Kyoya murmured thoughtfully.

"It'd be a suicide mission. Not to mention it would only show Fusawa that she really is your weak spot." She sat down on the bed where he was lounging and just thought for a moment, going through every conversation she'd had with any of the Kiran higher-ups in the last three weeks. "He probably would have gone after me if I'd been here without knowing that it was his soldier." Kyoya froze up, back stiff as he turned his head to look at her. She didn't look back. "He thinks you're in love with me. Not surprising, really, considering how protective you seemed to be at the ball. Everyone seems to think you're in love with me and I with you." Her heart clenched. She winced slightly, and finally turned around to face him. "I bet if you offered a trade then Fusawa would take it. That way you'd be able to barter for freedom without worrying about getting Yuki hurt."

He looked at her, confused for a moment as to what she was talking about. "Trade who...?" She looked away and he grunted in partial disbelief. "You? Trade you?"

She shrugged her shoulders lightly, still avoiding eye contact. "It'll be easier for you to negotiate if Yuki's out of harm's way... I know it will."

"So you're volunteering yourself instead?"

He wasn't going to let her do it. She could tell. There was no way that he would let her get involved with his family problems. She may have been staying on and off with him for nearly 4 months but that didn't mean anything. The Ohtoris were to private of a family to let anyone else get involved. More specifically Kyoya was too private and Yuiichi and Akito didn't trust her enough to allow her. He gave her a hard look and shook his head, indicating with the same gesture that the conversation would go no further than that.

She sighed. "It doesn't haveto be me. It could be someone else, you just have to make it seem like you care about them just as much or more than Yuki." She shrugged her shoulders again, not particularly caring if he allowed her to or not. "The messenger should be back by tomorrow night. Until then, we'll just have to wait. And sleep." He nodded, reaching over to blow out the candle on the bedside table while she climbed into bed.

The only thing about Kyoya that was different from the rest of his family was that he didn't let people in not only to protect himself, but to protect other people. She was starting to realize that about him. Where Yuiichi or Akito did it just to keep their weaknesses from showing, Kyoya tended to do it partially for the safety of others. His family was dangerous to be enemies with, but nearly as deadly to be friendly with.

He fell asleep quickly while she gazed at him. "Will you ever let me in?" she breathed, brushing hair out of his face as she settled down.

~o~

The nightmare she had that night was one she had had many times in her childhood. It was one that she swore was an actual memory but her father said she'd been to young to actually remember it. Besides, she hadn't been there for that portion of the take over.

"Mother? What're you doing here?" She oddly enough recognized her mother's voice. Something that she hadn't heard since she was a baby.

"To see my granddaughter." Her parents looked at each other, worry filled both of their eyes. Ryoji didn't trust The Witch farther than he could throw her and since marrying him, Kotoko didn't either. To let her see their daughter...?

"I don't... think that's proper at the moment, Mother... She's only just fallen asleep."

"I'll see her regardless." Kotoko then became distracted by the sounds coming from the open window. She scurried over, staring, appalled at the scene below.

"No," Ryoji stated firmly, "I won't have you harming her, Witch!" Kotoko looked at her husband firmly, angered slightly at his name for her mother.

"Who said I was going to harm her, scum?"

Kotoko's gaze shot to The Witch, an cry of disbelief falling from her lips. "Mother!"

When her eyes turned to ice, a feeling of dread curled over both parents. "He isn't worthy of marrying someone of the Witch line. Though I suppose he's already tainted you. You really aren't worthy keeping around any longer..." Kotoko vanished in a cloud of smoke, her last cry of objection floating uselessly in the air while Ryoji stared at the spot she'd been. "I'll leave you to the Narian army." Ryoji reacted when she passed him, grabbing at her cloak as it dispersed in smoke like his wife had. The Witch reappeared at the top of the stairs. "Your daughter, however, will be cursed!"

"No!" Ryoji yelled, fearing more a Witch's curse being put on his daughter than the Witch herself. He raced up the stairs, too slow to do anything about the Witch's form disappearing into baby Haruhi's bedroom.

She was staring up at her grandmother's face, tilting her head sleepily. When she started speaking, Haruhi started crying. "You, little one, will be cursed to kill any man who falls in love with you. And if you dare love him back, you will perish as well." The baby's light whimpers and sobs became full blown wailing as a finger came down on her forehead. Ryoji barged in just as she vanished in yet another cloud of smoke. Smoke from outside floated past the windows and Ryoji, cradling his daughter to his chest, gazed out it at the Narian soldiers burning everything in sight.

His kingdom was falling faster than he knew how to act to protect it. "Sir! The castle's defenses are falling! The Narian army is invading!"

"Gather Daiichi and his family, we're going to Kira," Ryoji replied softly, with a sad smile. His only thoughts were on keeping his Haruhi safe. "I'll make this up to you, my little girl."

Fire engulfed the Moradian flags, sending the country into a sense of destruction it would never recover from.

She stood in front of two mirrors, gazing at her reflection. In one she saw herself with Kyoya, both of them happy and carefree. In the other, The Witch's graying brown hair and red-brown eyes became a reflection of herself with fire burning in the background...

Haruhi gasped awake, very nearly screaming but not quite. After realizing there were no mirrors anywhere in the vicinity she calmed enough to notice Kyoya observing her from next to her. She turned to him silently, still feeling the panic from her nightmare filling her. It was a natural occurrence by now, but it still surprised her when his hand slipped into hers in a simple form of comfort. A soft squeeze told her all she needed to know on his part. He'd been woken up by nightmares too, and although she didn't know what his were about, she still felt at ease knowing he was going through the same subconscious torture.

~o~

Kyoya's nightmares followed something of the same path. It was a memory from his childhood that he couldn't help but relive in his dreams. He understood Haruhi's occasional nightmares completely. She'd been through a lot. He'd been through a lot as well, although most people thought that he was too much of a pampered royal boy to be kept up by nightmares in his 20s.

It always began the same way. A squirmy nine-year-old boy sitting in a carriage with his parents and 14, 16, and 20-year-old siblings. He'd been in there for at least two hours and needed to burn off some energy. His father glanced at him sternly when he wiggled too much but his mother just put her arm around him and fingered his hair lightly. He looked up at her and grinned. She looked back down at him with a small smile.

A yell from one of the guards outside the carriage sounded, signaling the procession to a complete stop. Kyoya, excited for his first trip into this territory, practically skipped out of the carriage after his father. Fuyumi grabbed hold of his hand and held it tightly, her jaw seemingly on edge. The 9-year-old frowned, not quite understanding exactly why most of his family seemed to be alert and on edge. Even his mother, who held onto his other hand was tense.

He didn't know why they weren't excited. It was his first time in the Moradian territory. When he opened his mouth to ask his mother, Yoshio shot a quick glare at him that silenced the words before they left his throat. He looked around, for the first time noticing how quiet it was in the streets of the town and the angry faces turned in their direction.

He tugged on Fuyumi's hand, pulling her down to his level so he could whisper in her ear, "Why are they so angry?"

She looked at him sympathetically. "Kyoya... They're Moradians." Kyoya wasn't young enough to not know who Moradians were and what his father and The Witch had done to them. He grew silent, feeling both his mother and sister pull him forward to catch up with the rest of their family. He'd forgotten his excitement along with their reason for being here. They were approaching a building, a castle, except it was smaller than his family's palace, much smaller.

Now he remembered. His father was here to try and calm the rebel activity in the area. So, in a show of good faith, he'd brought his entire family to stay in a wing of the Moradian castle that still stood. Mayumi squeezed his hand as they entered the building, away from the angry Moradian faces. As customary, an hour later - which felt a lot more like a minute in the dream as it sped through the last moments he spent with his family as a whole - his father gave a speech to the people gathered below the balcony.

9-year-old Kyoya stood, trying not to fidget, next to Akito, who shot a glare, that threatened abuse if he dared move, at him every few minutes. The four Ohtori siblings were in a line from oldest to youngest slightly behind their parents as Yoshio spoke to the crowd, in Narian with a Moradian translator calling out after each line.

"I'm sure that the reason for this visit is obvious. I've gotten many complaints from soldiers and residents alike about attacks on Narian citizens. Most of them trying to help those in need here."

"We aren't in need, you arse!" someone from the crowd yelled in Moradian, "We live different lives in different cultures!"

Another voice, spurred by the others, called, "We don't need help! We need youout!"

Yet another screamed, "You killed our King!"

A roaring sea of Moradian yells started. Kyoya stared at them, trying to pinpoint the people attached to the voices, glancing at his father's calm face, noticing the barely concealed irritation there. He continued as if there were never an interruption. "I extend a request now to the rebel groups attacking these people. Please quit these actions of hate or I will be forced to crush them with force."

"You never listen to us! Only them!"

"Give us back our country!"

And still, Yoshio rolled through the rest of his speech above the noises of protest, "I wish for there to be unity between Moradians and Narians, a unity that isn't there because of the attacks on Narian people in Mora."

"They tried to take away our culture and replace it with their own!"

Everything started happening in a blur. An arrow shot out of nowhere and hit 20-year-old Yuiichi in the shoulder. He fell to his knees, his hand shooting to the place where he'd been shot. More arrows shot out around them. Yoshio knelt next to his wounded eldest son, worry now plastered on her face just as clearly as his mother's. Fuyumi and Akito both yanked Kyoya out of the path of an arrow that had been heading straight for his chest. Fuyumi started to drag both of her younger brothers back into the safety of the house they were staying in.

Kyoya turned back, wondering how his parents and Yuiichi were going to make it back inside. He saw a guard helping Yuiichi stumble back inside to a couch. Then he looked past him to his parents, seeing the worst thing possible happen right before his eyes. An arrow was heading towards his father's still-turned back. His mother, also seeing it, pushed Yoshio out of the way and took the full force of the shot in the chest.

He'd never heard his father yell in anguish before.

He always gasped awake when Yoshio's yells started. He knew what would come next. Mayumi would ignore her own pain and instead fret over her injured son. Yoshio would repeatedly tell her to stop and rest, he'd take care of Yuiichi. The arrow that hit his mother hadn't hit anything incredibly vital, but the blood loss weakened her enough that it seemed like she wouldn't make it for a while. Then she started recovering slowly a day or two later. Enough to travel home again anyway.

And then, without warning, she was plunged back into her injury, becoming so sick and being in so much pain that it nearly made his stoic father cry.

And with her family crowded around her bed - her youngest son lying next to her with his head buried in her stomach, begging her silently to hold on while she stroked his hair - Mayumi would pass away. A doctor would then tell them that the arrow that hit her had been tipped with a poison that they hadn't caught before it was too late. Yoshio would lock himself in his office and mourn for his wife away from the prying eyes of his children while Yuiichi held down the fort, Fuyumi held Kyoya close, and Akito stared hatefully out the window.

That day had been the day that his father had started to hate the Moradian people as a whole. When he'd started persecuting and hanging them mercilessly, trying in vain to find the one that had shot the arrow that had killed his wife. That day was the reason that the last remaining Moradians lived in hiding or had moved to Kira. That day was the reason his father had stopped caring for his family openly.

That day was the sole reason that Kyoya just wanted what his mother had always wanted - a peaceful continent with no war.

~o~

Haruhi and Kyoya had just finished eating dinner the next day when Yuiichi came barging into their bedroom shaking a paper in her face. "If you have anythingto do with my daughter's kidnapping, I'll have you killed. Personally," he hissed, becoming someone that nearly scared Kyoya. The eldest Ohtori was never this vicious. Most of the time he never expressed his anger to the person's face.

Haruhi merely stared at him blankly. "I assure you, I had nothing to do with it, Your Highness." Kyoya snatched the paper from his brother with slight irritation, reading through the text.

"It says we should meet them on the border city Lingmar.And they aren't willing to negotiate." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "'Sign the surrender or watch her die.'" Haruhi sighed under her breath, thinking at a mile a minute.

"I'm going," Yuiichi said, gritting his teeth.

"No you aren't," Kyoya shot back, "You're way too emotional about this entire thing. You aren't going because you might do something rash."

"She's my daughter, Kyoya!" the elder's voice rose till he was close to yelling, "She's the only thing I have left!"

Kyoya hated seeing his eldest, strongest, brother like this. Like he was barely holding on to life. He had a feeling that if Yuki died, he'd die of a broken heart. "This is why you're staying. I have a plan. And I will get her back. Safely. Haruhi and I will go and meet the Kiran General-"

"She's not going anywhere nearYuki."

"She has knowledge of how the Kiran army works, specifically how Fusawa's mind works. She can help me make a decision and compromise with them. Obviously any treaties that I make with them will be invalid because I'm only a temporary King. So, I will assure them of this fact, make some other kind of deal, and bring Yuki home. Worst case scenario, they kill all three of us, but I doubt that will happen." Yuiichi looked broken. Haruhi felt her heart crack looking between them. "If I have to... I'll trade myself for her and Haruhi will bring her home."

Haruhi's shot to his face. "Like hellyou will!" she exclaimed, eyebrows furrowing.

Kyoya turned his gaze to her. "If I have to," he repeated in a strained voice. "It may not be necessary if the damn Kiran General is being reasonable."

She shook her head, turning away from him to go give the order to get their horses ready. Fusawa was never reasonable with Narians. And he was rarely civil. More so after she'd delivered the news that his son had died. Someone was going to end up hurt during this entire ordeal.

~o~

She wore a wig, as she had to the ball, just to disguise her when they met with the Kiran authorities. Haruhi rode close to Kyoya. Kasanoda and Nekozawa rode in front of them while two other guards by the names of Tachibana and Hotta rode behind them. She glanced at Kyoya's set jaw. And reached over precariously to take and squeeze his hand. He looked over at her. "Everything will be fine," she said, just barely loud enough to be heard over the clapping of horse hooves.

He grimaced and pulled his hand out of hers as they approached Lingmar. "I hope so," he murmured.

A team of Kiran soldiers was already there, waiting for them. Haruhi caught a glimpse of brown hair somewhere within a circle of five soldiers. She also noticed that Fusawa was nowhere to be seen. Kyoya dismounted, quickly followed by her and the four guards.

Cocky Major-General Larsen left the group of five and approached them. "Well, well, didn't think you'd actually show your face here Ohtori." He turned his gaze toward Haruhi at that moment. "And I didn't expect you to bring your gorgeous woman either." He stroked a finger along Haruhi's cheek in a manner that made her flinch. Kyoya took her by the hand and pulled her behind him quickly, narrowing his eyes at the opposing soldier.

"I don't believe we've met," Kyoya hissed.

"Oh. Protective little bastard, aren't you?" Larsen taunted with a slight sneer. Haruhi felt Kyoya discreetly take a deep breath to calm himself. "Major-General Andres Larsen." He didn't hold his hand out for a shake. Kyoya didn't offer to either.

"Hand over my niece," Kyoya growled, barely containing his urge to pull out a sword and fight someone for her.

"So you agree to surrender?"

Kyoya's upper lip tilted in a sneer. If this man was going to be impolite, he may as well give him the same treatment. "You stupid Kirans don't get it. Any surrender or treaty signed by me would be invalid. I'm not proper King, only temporary until my father is able to regain control of his kingdom. I can, however, make an alternate deal in exchange for Yuki's freedom."

"Yuki, eh? That's that little brat's name." He made some sort of motion with his hand that signaled his men to move aside and show Yuki's disheveled appearance. She looked like she was about to burst into tears but held strong. Haruhi looked away from the sight while Kyoya's face went blank. "Unfortunately, I'm under strict orders not to release her under anything less than full surrender."

"Unfortunately, as I've stated before, surrender is not exactly an option that I'm able to carry out."

"Then you can watch her die."

Images from her most recent witching dream flashed quickly through her head as a knife raised to slice the five-year-olds throat. Yuki let out a cry. Kyoya jerked forward a step, preparing to draw his sword and drive it into Larsen's gut as well as every other soldier there.

"Stop!" Haruhi gasped, pushing her way past Kyoya before he could stop her. "She's five. Just... take me. Let her go and take me." Larsen held up a hand, signaling the stop to Yuki's murder. She felt Kyoya's eyes burning into the back of her head.

"Haruhi, get back here."

"No."

Larsen rose an eyebrow at her defiance.

"Haruhi!"

"I'm not going to watch her die and I'm not going to let you sacrifice yourself!" she snapped back at him, staring him hard in the eye. Kyoya was slightly shocked, but wouldn't let it show as he watched the two soldiers holding Yuki shove her forward and yank Haruhi's arms behind her instead.

"It's the same terms, Ohtori. Surrender or watch the woman you love die." She could tell by his silence that he was angry with her as he picked up a sobbing Yuki and held her close. Then he handed her gently to Tachibana and ordered him to go back to the palace with her. He also sent a message to her father with Tachibana. Kyoya turned back toward them. She could practically see the gears in his head turning as he tried to work out how he was going to get her out of this. "Perhaps you need some incentive to decided quickly?"

Larsen nodded his head and she instantly felt a knife slicing deep into her arm before she could even prepare herself. She cried out in surprised pain. The knife left. She stared down at her bleeding arm with a look of shock, feeling tears pooling at the back of her eyes as it started to burn. She shot a quick look at the knife that had cut her, her face paling incredibly.

It was magically enhanced to bring torturous pain to the person cut with it. She could tell by the golden edge. She took a deep breath and waited for it to start.

Her cut flesh literally started to burn. Her arm shook as pain from the burns shot up her arm. Any minute the fire that was being contained into the cut would overflow and start attacking the rest of her arm. Unwillingly, tears started to race down her face while she tried not to scream. Kyoya stared, somehow unable to tear his eyes away as flames started to lick out of the cut and spread onto the surrounding skin.

"I can give you the Eastern Tip back," Kyoya said quickly.

"It's a start," Larsen stated, "But not quite enough." Fire spread to the palm of her hand, sinking in quickly and grabbing hold of a sensitive tendon. She screamed. Kyoya nearly winced himself, the harsh sound cutting into his eardrums. "If you don't act soon, her entire body will be inflamed."

The Ohtori looked torn as he thought a mile per minute. "I can give you back the Eastern Tip and give you the names of Narian spies."

Larsen paused, looking thoughtful then he nodded. "Names now while we draw up a land surrender." He didn't mention or signal anything to make the fire in Haruhi's arm stop. At this rate, her entire arm would burn up before he could get a chance to sign anything.

"No. Stop the fire right now or no names," he said with a slight growl. Larsen rose an eyebrow and muttered a spell under his breath, pointing a finger at Haruhi. Instantly, the fire dispersed, leaving brown, dead patches of skin along her arm. Kyoya bit off a list of names quickly before he had the chance to speak again. "Wari, Mimimoto, Choi, Kawaso. You'll get the rest when I actually have her on a horse."

Larsen grabbed Haruhi and shoved her toward him. He caught her, being careful of her hurt arm, keeping her close. She gripped at the front of his shirt, willing herself to stop the tears still trailing down her cheeks. A paper and quill were shoved at Kyoya. He took the quill, read over the paper quickly and signed, glowering at the Major-General the entire time. The Narian pushed her gently toward a horse and let Nekozawa help her up. He spat out another three names and turned toward his own horse. "Hasar, Childs, Wayter." He mounted while Larsen stared at him.

"That's it?"

"I never said I'd give you all of them." He nodded at Nekozawa and Kasanoda. They spurred their horses forward, herding Haruhi's horse with them. Hotta stayed behind with Kyoya for a few moments. "Besides, those are all the spies that I'm aware of." He took off on his horse without another word, Tachibana hot on his heels.

~o~

A/N: Surprise ya? Not me. Of course... I also knew what was going to happen. And I had it written mostly out on my netbook... Before it went KERSPLAT. Sob. Anywho~ Success is mine! Muwhahaha! I got this finished before I left for another week long vacation! Hah! And it's almost 10 pages long~ And I need to go do my summer homework now...

Kudos to: NoGoodDeed14, Nessie-san, The Phantom Devil, and Koharu Veddette!