"Dang it, I really can't find her!" Xieaniel slammed his hand on the wooden table angrily and slammed his laptop close. What he hates the most is failing, especially when it is about his family.
" Where the hell are you?" Leon seethed, biting his thumb nail. He tried to calm down, breathing in and out, but failed. " Crap it!" He picked the nearest glass and slammed it on the wall, shattering it to pieces. What if she was tortured? What if she was raped? No, what if she was killed?
"Arrgh! Should we ask for backup forces and turn this freaking city upside down, Sir? I can contact my twin now." He added, full of fury. He knows how strong Oriana is, but he does not know her situation by now and he does not trust the Cadre. Leon will surely go berserk if ever something undesirable happens to her. “You can’t die.” He whispered as hot tears started to form on the corner of his eyes.
" I know it's hard, but calm down you two. Deciding by emotion is a loss. " Nathan bumped in calmy. Little did the two know how heavy his heart is.
"Don't give up. We can find her."Kaila Natsuki uttered, but deep inside, his heart pounded so much. Kaila is filled with Quislings in disguise, and removing Oriana's ring only meant that those who kidnapped her knew that she belonged to the First Rank Nobles.
Leon grinned his teeth as he nodded slowly. He hated this. He hated the fact that he cannot do something for the person he loved. Is this what Nathan felt too?
Nathan studied Leon's face. His dark circles darkened, his lips chapped, and he looked as if he was going to cause debauchery any moment. Nathan shook his head and looked up. He knew how he felt. That's exactly, or probably, more than what he felt as soon as he heard Ashriel’s demise. Suddenly, he felt his chest tightened. He missed her so much.
Xieaniel sighed deeply before opening his laptop and tried searching again. The mission that they were supposed to do was postponed, but none of them cared. Oriana is her family now, and that’s what's important.
Tap, tap, tap.
“Show yourself, will you?” Xieaniel murmured and they focused on his screen as he navigated the whole place. North, east, south we-
“Woah!”
They flinched when Leon’s phone suddenly rang loudly. He quickly ran to the edge and grabbed his phone. “It’s her.” He spat and the three ran towards him.
“What did she say? Where is she?” Natsukj asked but stopped upon seeing the message. It was a video and based on the thumbnail, it was an unpleasant one. Suddenly, the three feelt the room become colder as nervousness crept from the toes up to their heads. Leon took a deep breath before clicking the video, and as soon as he did, an ear-shattering shout gave them goosebumps. It was Oriana being tortured.
“Arghh!”
The blood spilled from Oriana’s stomach as the man slid the knife. Leon’s grip on his phone tightened as his blood started to boil. “Asshole.” He seethed and his eyes burned. Oriana shouted again but this time, Nathan grabbed the phone from Leon’s hand.
“I would urge you not to watch this.” He uttered and gave Xieaniel the phone. “Can you trace her using this, MG?” Xieaniel nodded and quickly connected the phone to his laptop via wire.
“I’ll kill them. I’ll kill every one of them!” Leon shouted in fury and threw his mug on the wall, then another one. His eyes hardened and Nathan could see the burning fire in it.
“Let him be, General. That’s his way to calm himself.” Xieaniel whispered and Nathan nodded reluctantly and focused on Xieaniel’s laptop, but stopped when they heard a loud bang on the wall. Leon punched the wall until his knuckles bled and only then did Nathan swiftly walk towards him, and hold his hand.
“She will be sad to see that, Leon. Compose yourself. We are going to find her-”
“Found her!”
***
The room was cold with only a faint warmth from the heater outside warming it. Because of autumn, the temperature started to be negative. Oriana felt her body shiver both in pain and in cold. Her shoulder was injured and her stomach was swollen. Her back aches and her feet were trembling. She tried to open her heavy eyelids as she felt her breathing falter. In her disappointment, everything was not a nightmare. Her gaze weakly went from her feet to the door that banged open, and instead of the warmth from the heater, she felt the cold crept from her toes up to her head.
"Ya still alive, eh?" The man who has a swollen ass asked her with an eerie grin then slowly closed the door behind him. The two men behind the door have an ear to ear smile, creeping Oriana out.
"Stop looking at them, sweety. You'll taste them after I taste you." The man said and swiftly walked towards Oriana then pulled her to the room on the edge. "Do you want some water?"
"Sto-" Oriana stopped when the man pulled her hair and pushed it inside the dirty bucket with spoiled water. It smelled terrible she wanted to puke. "You like it, sweety? Ha!" Oriana groaned when the man pushed her down the floor, making her shoulder sting badly. Her tears started to form from the corner of her eyes.
"S-Stop," She pleaded as her strength left her body. She ate nor drank nothing and she was gravely injured so her strength was not enough to push the heavy man aside. She felt her hairs standing when the man licked her neck, and his hands started to travel inside her clothes. "Asshole!" Oriana shouted angrily, but that made the man hype. "Ahh!" Oriana shouted painfully when the man crumpled her shoulder and poked her stomach cut that started to bleed again.
"Stop restraining yourself, sweety. I know you like this."He spat and started to loosen his belt. Oriana huff because of the pain. Her lips were chapped and she looked so pale. Her eyelids started to be heavy again as her tears endlessly flowed.
"Please… stop..." She whispered, but the man was not moving. He reached for her pants and started to open the button, unzipping her zipper. The man felt his insides jump in excitement and his saliva started to form inside his mouth as if he was looking at various delicacies. While his one hand slowly loosened Oriana'a pants, his other hand slowly moved inside her shirt, feeling her soft skin, traveling inside her bra.
Oriana wanted to kill the man in front of him but it was no use. Her strength completely left her. "God… help me." She silently prayed as the man casually touched her body.
"Ahhh, don't make that face. You're making me turn- argh!"
Oriana flinched when blood suddenly splashed on her face and the man fell on the ground. She reached for her zipper and zip it, then slowly covered her ears with her hands as she heard countless bangs from the outside. Her body trembled so much. The man swoops down and she flinches when she feels something cold hold her.
"NO!" She shouted fearfully.
"Hey-"
"NO! STOP IT, PLEASE!" She cried out and buried her face on her knees.
"Shh, shh... it's okay now, it's okay. I'm here now, Oriana"
Oriana's eyes widened upon hearing the man's voice. She quickly looked up and her tears streamed down faster as she met his dark brown orbs.
"C-Colo-"
Leon quickly pulled her into a tight hug as tears started to fall from his eyes. "Thank God you're safe..." He whispered and hugged her tightly. Throughout their whole ride going here, he was trembling. What if they were too late? What if she is already cold?
"I-I though I lost you too" He whispered again and tightened their hug but stopped when he felt Oriana flinched. Remembering the video, Leon quickly pulled away and checked her. Her jacket was torn and she smelled like sewage, but he doesn't care. She looked so pitiful.
"Colonel? Is it really you?" Oriana asked with a hoarse voice, bewildered. Her right hand tried to reach his face but Leon quickly snatched it and rubbed his cheeks to it with a faint smile.
"Shh… Yes, it is me. You're safe now." He soothes her, rubbing his thumb to her hand.
“Y-You should have relented me and did the miss-“
“How can you say that?! Seriously? You’re insufferable.” He cut him with his tone suddenly rising. “Where on earth do you think you’re going without me?!” Leon burst out, kneeling in front of her. No answer. Oriana continued to tear up as she could feel her shoulder throbbing horribly.
Though they can hear the exchanged fires outside, Leon was at ease for he knew Natsuki, Nathan, and Xieaniel were covering them, and clearing the area.
Leon cupped Oriana's cheeks with his palms and pressed his head to hers. Oriana weakly dropped her gaze. Leon suddenly felt the desire of killing an unspecified number of people before he quickly dampened his rage. He knew Oriana does not want that.
“Shh.. stop crying.” He breathed out and wiped Oriana’s tears that fell endlessly. She tried to stop her tears but failed when she felt as if her injuries were killing her.
“Let me see it for a moment.” Leon said with a pleading, worried voice. Oriana bit her lower lip in hesitation, but then she slowly nodded her head. She trust him.
Leon carefully unbuttoned her collar, revealing her grace injury. Leon felt his anger rise higher again as he clenched his jaw angrily. Oriana’s left shoulder was deformedly positioned under her neck that looked as pale as a dead body. The blood flow was blocked, accompanied by progressing necrosis. Her back was also covered with bruises from falling from the chair.
“Huff… huff…Is it okay?” Oriana whispered as her voice faltered. She looked up and another tear escaped her eyes when she saw Leon’s eye blazing.
“We need to fix this right away.” Leon answered firmly and looked at Oriana’s swollen eyes. “T-This… It’s going to hurt a little…” He hesitated but Oriana shook her head.
“I can handle it.” Oriana smiled. She remembered the torture she received before she was adopted to the First Rank Nobles, so she was used to pain.
Leon nodded and touched her shoulder gently, but she trembled painfully under Leon’s touch. Leon quickly pulled away.
“S-Sorry, Colonel… Give me a second.” She stuttered and pressed her head against Leon’s chest as soothing warmness enveloped her, opposing the cold she felt. Leon looked up at the ceiling and blinked his tears away. He cannot imagine how painful she must have felt throughout the whole night. He reached for her uncomb hair, smoothening it with his fingers.
After some time, Oriana removed her head from Leon's chest, straightening herself. “Do it.”
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Leon slowly nodded and held her back with his one hand and his other hand working on her shoulder. “Don’t bite your tongue.” He said and took a few deep breaths.
Oriana winced when Leon twitched her shoulder and her bones sounded loudly, making the dislocated shoulder returned to its place.
Gasp!
Mixed in blood and sweat, and feeling the pain, Oriana breathed unconsciously and then she suddenly fainted in front of Leon. He knew it was a simple knock out due to shock, but Leon will always be Leon. He leaned closer to feel her breathing before sighing in relief.
"You're brave." He whispered and kissed her forehead then her lips gently.

~ Deciding by emotion is a loss. ~