I'll HOLD her down, reversed in my CAR
And cut the BODY into half!!!
 

“Doesn’t anyone feel anything weird about this message? Why would the kidnapper state how he would kill Sei?  The key word here is ‘reversed’,” said Bento as she pointed to the note.

“That’s right, the person whom the kidnapper wants to meet, it’s you, Kaho-san!”

Kaho’s eyes widened upon hearing that.

“ Hints are these words, ‘Hold’ and ‘Car’. It would be too obvious to know who the kidnapper is if he had stated Kaho-san’s name. If we read the words backwards, it read ‘Car’ and ‘Hold’.

“Yes. Those words read in a reversed way, sounds like ‘Kaho’.

“It could be conincidence, but then I was very sure that the kidnapper wanted to meet Kaho-san because he stressed on the word ‘body’.  Obviously, that kidnapper knows Kaho-san. He knows that Kaho-san is Sei’s bodyguard,” said Bento, looking at Kaho.

“But, it could be another coincident as well,” said Amari.

“Amari-chan may not have been aware, but know Sei since childhood, i learnt that Kaho-san graduated from Teria High School. In other words, the kidnapper wants to meet, that Kaho who was graduated from Teria High School and is now working as Sei’s bodyguard!”

Everyone was in a mixture of feelings after the truth behind the message was told.

“I’ll go,” said Kaho calmly, breaking the silence, “Since the kidnapper aim is not the money, that kidnapper should be startled to see me at the meeting place.”

“Kaho,” said Ivy, my grandmother, “just in case, take this with you.”

Ivy handed Kaho a black briefcase.

“Even one million takes time to count. Be careful,”

“Thank you, Obaa-chama,” smiled Kaho, “Oh, and Bento-san, the kidnapper could be a ‘she’. ” added Kaho, as she left the house with the briefcase.

“What should we do now?” asked Annie.

“Loads,” said Bento.

*****

“12.55pm,” said a deep female voice, “This brat here sure is weak. She has been unconscious since I knocked her out about 45 minutes ago.”

“Oi, are you sure she’s not dead,” replied another, seemingly to be a male.

Who’s weak here? Wait till somebody comes and get me! I faked to be unconscious so that I could hear what these people were discussing. However, I feel that the blindfold around my eyes was gone.

“Huh? Look at the dust around her nose, they’re moving. It means this lass is still breathing,” answered the female.

Ouch, that kick on my leg sure hurt! You watch it, bitch! I thought angrily while still pretending to be unconscious.

“5 more minutes or lesser before she breathes her breath anyway,” continued the female. “If Kaho fails to turn up, that is.”

Kaho? Why is she so sure that Kaho would come? Although Kaho is kind and sweet and she would protect me from all baddies, the person who would be coming for me may be baa-chan, Takashi or even Bento! If this bitch dares lays a finger on Kaho…

“Someone’s here,” said the male. “I’ll go check.”

The male returned with a company.

“Sei-sama!”

I opened my eyes and sat up upon hearing the familiar voice. A warm feeling touched my heart when my eyes met Kaho’s face at the door.

I see that I was captured in the storeroom of a deserted school hall.

“Are you ok?” said Kaho as she ran towards me.

“So you’ve been faking!” yelled the woman as she kicked me conveniently with her heels, in the stomach.

I hunched in pain.

“Stop it! Here’s the ransom, just as you wanted, two million! ” Said Kaho sternly, “Now let her go!”

“Oh my oh my~ I must say that I am impressed, Miss Kaho,” said the woman, as she sauntered towards Kaho, “Not only have you come all the way here, you have also prepared the correct amount of ransom, I hope.”

The man snatched the briefcase from Kaho after the receiving signal from the woman.

“I said let her go,” said Kaho calmly.

“Oh no! Oh no!” said the woman as she ran back to me. “What do you think I took all the trouble to catch this girl for? For that pitiful amount of money?”

“So what do you want?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I want your life,”

What is going on in here? I thought this lady looked very familiar but I could not recall where I had seen her before. She’s plump and even though the weather is not cold, she was in a black dress with big red flower patterns lacings.

And the man, he looked younger than the woman and he is greedily counting the money away on the school stage of the hall.

“ How many times do I have to repeat? Chris’ death was an accident!” said Kaho, beginning to lose her patience.

“SHUT UP!” yelled the woman. “I want hear no accidents! It’s all YOUR fault that he fell off the cliff! YOU MURDERER!”

“Kaho is no murderer, you hippo!” I blurted and threw myself onto the woman upon hearing the word the ‘muderer’ used on Kaho.

Almost immediately, the knife, which the woman was holding, slashed my left arm. Blood gushed out at the instant as I cried in agony. The woman was stricken with fear at the sight of my wound and the blood that flowed uncontrollably out of the wound.

“Sei-sama!”

The man outside ran to see what was happening in the storeroom at the instant when Kaho shouted my name; he was shocked to see that the woman had attacked me and that she was still holding onto the knife covered with blood.

Kaho managed to take him down before he escaped.

“No… no…” chanted the woman, “Don’t stare at me that way! Stop staring!!” The woman pulled out a gun from a bag behind and began to take fire at me.

“Sei-sama! Look out!” cried Kaho as she ran and blocked a bullet.

At that instant, I almost forgot how to breathe, as Kaho’s body fell onto me.
I felt as though my heart had stopped pumping.

I did not know how I had untied my hands but after I regained consciousness, I was sitting above the woman, gasping for air.

“S…Sei…-sa…ma” said Kaho weakly, on the floor “It’s… over… stop…”

I turned and looked at Kaho who had bloodstains on her lips.

“Ka…kaho…” I cried, moving towards her and hugging onto her body.

“I… I am…glad… that you’re… alright,” said Kaho as she tried reaching for my cheek.

“Hush… you know you’re not allowed to talk. You’ll be fine,” I said shakingly as I hold her hand at a loss.

“I… am…glad… that… I… met… you,” continued Kaho.

“What RUBBISH are you talking about? It’s not as if we’re not going to meet again after this! You know it! ” Tears streamed down my eyes uncontrollably as I hold Kaho’s body closer to me.

Please, someone come save us!

“There they are!”

I was relieved to see my family and the related authorities coming!

“QUICK! HURRY!! DON’T BOTHER ABOUT ME! SAVE KAHO! SHE’S SHOT!” I cried.

“SEI!” cried Bento running towards me, “Your left arm!”

“I SAID DON’T BOTHER ABOUT ME! KAHO FIRST!”

As the police officiers were putting handcuffs on the pair of male and female kidnappers, Kaho was put on a stretcher and I followed her to the hospital in an ambulance.

******

“Alright, it’s done. Looks like you’ve lost quite an amount of blood. It’s best that you stay… ah! Wait! Where are you going?”

I am going to see Kaho of course! Kaho was shot because of me! I have to make sure that she is all right!

“ Sensei!!” said Amari the moment she saw me outside of the operation room.

“How’s Kaho?” I asked grabbing Amari’s right shoulder with my right arm.

“You look pale, and you're perspiring...” continued Amari, ignoring my question.

“I ASKED, HOW’S KAHO!”

“Calm down! This is an hospital!” said my grandmother angrily.

“The doctor said that the bullet hit her near the kidneys. It would be dangerous if the bullet hit a little deeper. The doctors are still working on removing the bullet in Kaho-san’s body,” said Bento as she stood up from her chair so that she could talk face to face with me. “You should rest in your ward. You don’t want Kaho to worry for you when she wakes up right?”

“Bento… are you kidding me?” I said, looking down at the floor, “Kaho was shot because of ME! How do you expect me to just sit and wait for news?

Just then, a nurse came out of the operation room. All of us ran towards her.

“The paitent is out of danger. We’ll be moving her to ward 3 on the fourth floor,”

All of us heaved a heavy sigh of relief.

“Where are you going?” asked Yamu.

“TO SEE KAHO OF COURSE! GET OUT OF MY WAY!”

Just then, I got a slap on my face by Yamu.

“In case you did not hear the nurse correctly, Kaho is out of danger. Go back and rest,”

“Takashi, I said move,” I stood on my ground, looking at Takashi I continued with tears overflowing my eyes, “I thought you understand…”

At that moment, I felt a bit of giddiness, the vision of Takashi was blurred. I thought I heard Takashi shouting my name before a blackout.

******

“Sei-sama,”

I opened my eyes and sprang up as light fell on Kaho who was seated on wheelchair.

“Kaho!”

“Please lie down,” said Kaho as she pushed me back into bed.

“Are you allowed to be out of bed already? Why are you here?”

“If Sei-sama is not abiding to what the doctors said, I suppose I could do the same?” said Kaho teasingly, “ Sei-sama too, aren’t you suppose to be resting on your bed? What were you doing outside the operation room corridor and getting yourself fainted?” continued Kaho with the usual warm smile she always wore.

“I…I was worried for you!” I felt a sting in my eyes. “I am glad that you’re fine!”

“Sei-sama, that’s my line,” said Kaho.

“Kaho, there’s only two of us here. I am sure I had said it before; when there are only 2 of us, don’t call me ‘-sama’.

“Yes, yes, Sei,”

I threw myself towards Kaho. Tears fell off my eyes again as I hugged this dearest person in my arms.