AN: Alright, this is it. Almost TEN YEARS later and I've decided to wrap things up. I've thought about finishing this a lot, but hadn't been able to bring myself to do it. I had too many ideas and not enough time. Some day I'd like to go back and rewrite this and actually write it well, but who knows. I hope you can all forgive me for taking so long, and I hope you enjoy the shocking conclusion!

"You so much as breathe heavy and I swear to God I'll slit her throat," Theo snarled quietly at Yumi, his knife point dangerously close to Ari's exposed neck. Both girls had been bound on the platform high in the trees. Already, Yumi had lost a good deal of feeling in her feet. Through the leaves, she could see the heads of two teachers as they passed beneath her, calling her name. A few steps later, they called out for Ari.

At the sound of her name, the brunette started to come around. Theo clicked his knife shut and, before Ari came fully back to consciousness, shoved her back up against one of the tree's limbs. Grabbing her by the hair, he pulled her head back and lashed her throat to the branch.

By this time, Ari's eyes were open and filled with fear. Impulsively, she struggled and tried to break free. Theo had already anticipated this and grabbed the loose end of the rope and gave it a quick tug, cutting off her air supply. After a few agonizingly long seconds, she gave up and Theo gave the rope some slack, allowing her to breathe.

Now that he was sure Ari wouldn't try to escape, Theo turned his attention to his other captive. She had been slightly harder to bring in, but oh would she be worth it. His eyes narrowed in pleasure as he went over what he had planned for the girls and for the boys he had hidden away in the forest.

Crouching by Yumi, he leaned in towards her ear and whispered, "I'm coming back with some company for you. Be a good girl. Remember, any noises from either of you, and I won't hesitate to quiet you forever." Theo knelt down by Yumi's feet and untied her ankle ropes. "I'll be needing these."

The longer Yumi sat on the platform, the more uncomfortable she became. She wasn't sure how long it had been since Theo had left, but her backside was becoming numb, and her fingers alternated between tingly and painful from the tight ropes that bound them. The girls had talked in hushed voices, debating their possible escape scenarios. Unfortunately, they were both tied tightly and were afraid of calling for help. The teachers had already passed, and the forest was relatively quiet. Yumi spent part of the time flexing her feet, trying to work the blood back into her toes after Theo left. Her mind raced, wondering how to get away and how to save the boys. She knew Ulrich had been tied up and hoped that Jeremie and Odd could find a way to stay safe. At this point, she knew Theo was unhinged and did not know what he would be capable of, though she had her suspicions. It seemed the further he went with whatever his plan was, the more erratic he became. As she was deep in thought, she hear a few grunts and curses and the platform began to shake a little. She hoped that her rescue was at hand.

"He's heavy for such a nerd," Theo grunted as he heaved Jeremie off of his shoulder and onto the platform. Jeremie's glasses were hanging off of one ear and his hands were bound behind his back. His eyes were wild with fright and a gag stretched across his mouth. Theo pushed him beside Ari and slipped a short rope around her branch and lashed his wrists to it.

"Quiet now. I'll be right back." Theo climbed back down the rope ladder and more rustling could be heard, along with a few low curses. A few minutes later, Odd's head popped over the edge of the platform and Yumi's eyes turned hopeful until she realized he was unconscious. Theo dumped him on Ari's other side and tied him there as well. His head lolled over onto Ari's shoulder and a small trickle of dried blood was visible on his temple. Yumi bit back a sob and looked at the boys in horror. Where was Ulrich? Had he killed him? Had he escaped? Did she want to know? She shook her head and a few tears leaked from her eyes and cut a path down her cheeks.

"Lover boy is next," Theo sneered. "I'd hate to separate you from your friends during such an important time in your life."

The little platform was becoming crowded. After Theo had left again, Ari tried to nudge Jeremie's glasses back onto his face. Between both of their efforts, they were able to get them mostly in place and the trio listened for their abductor and waited for Odd to come around. When twenty minutes had passed and he had still not become conscious, Yumi began to really worry. Ari was able to touch his fingers with her bound hands, and she tried to squeeze them. They were clammy. His breathing was fast and shallow, and Yumi worried that he would not come to. She tried to reach her legs out to tap him with her foot, afraid to speak loudly for fear that Theo was nearby. Yumi was able to wiggle his foot with hers and whispered urgently, "Odd? Can you hear me? Please, wake up!" His head started to move a little on its own when she heard some sticks breaking below them and the sounds of a fight.

"Yumi!" Her heart jumped in her chest. That was Ulrich. She had no doubts about it, and he sounded like he was fighting. Their tree shook and then all of the sounds stopped.

"Up, now," Theo snarled. "I swear to you I'll kill her now and make you watch while she bleeds to death."

There was a little more scuffling below them before Yumi saw Ulrich's hair pop over the edge of the platform. Her heart sank as his eyes came into view. His eyes widened and looked at them all in horror. As he came up the last rung of the ladder, he threw himself towards Yumi and knelt in front of her, his hands coming immediately to her face. With her face cupped between his hands, he looked wildly back at the rest of his friends, tied behind him.

"That's enough of that," Theo said, annoyed. "Sit."

Ulrich stood shakily in front of Yumi on the platform, which groaned from all of the weight. Some of the smaller branches cracked and started to break. "Let them go."

"I can't. Can't you see? It's too late now. Too late for you, too late for them, too late for me. I love her!" Theo gestured wildly towards Yumi, knife in his outstretched arm. "She won't love me. She only wants all of you. I'm going to show her. Show her that she loves me, show her that she doesn't love you all. That I'm her only choice. I'll make all of you see that she'll choose me!" He stepped towards Ulrich and Yumi, his eyes darting between the two. "Sit, sit now or I'll have to hurt her. I'll have to hurt them! I will do it! I'll kill you if I have to."

Ulrich looked over his shoulder toward Yumi, trying to decide what to do. He wanted to save them all, but Theo was clearly unhinged. He wasn't sure if he could fight him up here without someone getting hurt, but he didn't want to give up, either. He was not given a chance to decide because Theo flew towards him, swinging his free hand at his head. Ulrich saw the movement and blocked his swing, but missed Theo's right fist. It was clenched around the knife, and the fist connected with Ulrich's gut. The knife was out to the side and glanced off of his stomach, slicing but not cutting deeply. The force of the punch knocked the wind out of Ulrich and he fell to his knees. Blood started to stain his shirt from the slice and dripped onto the wood.

"I said sit." Theo kneed him in the head, dazing Ulrich. While the boy was dazed, he took the opportunity to push him back towards the rest of the group and tied him directly across from Yumi, who looked on in horror. He gagged the boy as the platform started to lean downward at that end, the ropes holding all the platform straining from the weight of the four kids. Odd had started to come around and thrashed against his bonds, causing the whole end to shift down a few inches.

"Stop or we'll all crash down," Theo snapped, smacking Odd on the side of his head that he'd hit him before. Odd's head smacked into Ari's, causing her to wince.

"Now, the teachers have all gone and we're all alone here. They're busy searching the rest of the camp, particularly the lake. A few well-placed pieces of the girls' clothes on the lake shore and they think they've both drowned. We'll have plenty of time together."

Theo crouched down in front of Yumi, who had moved from horror to anger. She was seething and he could see the fury on her face.

"Oh, lovely, I think it's time you realize you love me. I'm the only one that cares about you. You're all that I have." He bent his head down to hers and brushed his lips on hers. Yumi recoiled back, pushing her head against the branch behind her. Theo's face screwed itself up in anger. He held her face roughly in his hands and pressed his mouth firmly on hers, trapping her. She sat stock still and tried not to move, determined not to give him what he wanted. Thinking she was being agreeable, he slid his hands down her neck and shoulders. They continued their path until they reached the bottom of her shirt. Theo slid his cold hands under the hem, his palms resting on her stomach and his fingers grazing her skin as he slid them upward. Ulrich strained against his bonds, trying to fling himself forward. Jeremie and Ari squirmed, trying to free their hands. Odd squinted, trying to see through the haze that still clouded his vision. Hearing all the movement, Theo's touch became angry instead of insistent and he moved his hands up to roughly fondle Yumi. She bit his lip, causing him to cry out and reel back. His hands came out from under her shirt and he slapped Yumi hard enough that her head whipped to the side, stunning her.

"Bitch!" Theo wiped a bead of blood off of his bottom lip and smeared it on her cheek. "You'll pay for that."

Theo wrapped his hand around her throat, tightening it so she could barely breathe. "Say. You. Love. Me." Yumi shook her head the little bit that she could, and Theo's face turned red. He clenched his hand more, cutting off her air momentarily before letting go. While she was coughing and catching her breath, he straddled her and reached behind Yumi to untie her hands from the tree and untie her neck. He left her hands bound together and stood up. Theo pushed her down onto the platform on her stomach and stood over her.

"Say it now or I swear I'll make you mine right here, and I'll make them all watch me do it."

Yumi looked up at him from the platform and scowled. "I love...Ulrich."

Theo roared out and his hands came down on Yumi, flipping her on her back.

"I warned you! You little bitch. You will be mine!" He hovered over her, hands on her shirt, trying to rip it off. Ulrich pulled against his ropes and heard a small crack. The branch he was tied to was starting to give way. Flinging himself forward again and again, he started to feel some slack as Theo used his knife to cut away Yumi's shirt, frustrated at his lack of progress. The cut on Ulrich's stomach burned, but he continued struggling, his anger outweighing the pain. Theo had a hand on Yumi's mouth, silencing her screams as he roughly fondled her with his free hand. Yumi's exposed torso was littered with small bruises in various shades of healing. Her arms were still roughly bound behind her back and she tried to squirm and get away from her attacker.

As Theo's free hand started roaming down towards Yumi's waist, Ulrich's branch let out a loud crack, and he fell forward, the branch's top coming with him. The ropes that had tied his hands to the branch came loose and Ulrich lunged at Theo, catching him in the waist with his shoulder. He knocked the boy off of Yumi, who let out a loud sob and tried to scramble away, only to reach the edge of the platform unexpectedly. Ulrich had been going after Theo but changed course when he saw Yumi waver at the edge of the platform, trying not to fall off. He darted forward, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her back away from the edge. She leaned towards him and buried her face in his chest, sobbing.

Ulrich gave her a small squeeze and slid her to the side before standing up and charging Theo. The other boy had been flung against a branch when Ulrich had shoulder checked him and he was shaking his head, slightly dazed. Ulrich gave him no time to recover and threw himself on Theo. He began blindly swinging his fists at Theo's head and body, his rage consuming him. Theo came to his senses and fought back, the boys wrestling on the floor, moving closer and closer to the edge. They separated briefly and Theo charged Ulrich, attempting to knock him off the side.

Before Ulrich could react, Theo was suddenly knocked to the side and a look of shock came over his face as his feet no longer touched the platform. His face was still bewildered as he went over the edge of the platform and the group heard the cracking of branches followed by a loud thud as the boy hit the forest floor. Yumi looked up from where she was kneeling in front of Ulrich. She had lunged forward and headbutted Theo in the side, sending the boy off of the edge. She looked up at Ulrich, relieved, and then crumpled in front of him.

Ulrich fell to his knees and untied her hands, careful to not cause any more damage to the girl. Her torso was exposed and she was covered only by her small black bra. He pulled off his olive green over-shirt and wrapped it around her shoulders, closing up the top two buttons. She gasped and shuddered while trying to rub some life back into her hands.

"Help the others, please." She nodded towards Odd, Jeremie, and Ari, not trusting her own fingers to work quite yet. Ulrich hesitated but went over to his friends and untied each one, easing Odd back to the branch when he was done. The blonde seemed to have a worse time than the rest. His head still lolled and he still squinted. Ulrich was guessing he had a concussion.

Once untied, Ari crawled over to Yumi. Ari's hands were still numb as well, but she kneeled next to Yumi.

"Are you ok?" she said, her eyebrows scrunched up. "How can I help you?"

"I'm... I'm not ok. I just want to go home." Yumi pulled her arms in toward herself and tried to cover the rest of her the best she could.

Ari nodded and lightly laid a hand on her shoulder. "I'll get help."

As it turned out, there was no need. Hearing the commotion in the forest, Jim had come running, sure he was going to find the missing kids. What he found was Theo on the ground, broken and unconscious. His left leg bent at an awkward angle, and there was a small pool of blood behind his head. Jim panicked and felt for a pulse. He found one and sighed in relief, but his heart almost stopped when he looked up and saw a group of battered faces peering over a crude wooden platform high in the trees.

A few hours later, all of the children were installed at the nearest hospital. Odd had a broken arm and a slight concussion. By the time they had all been admitted, the room had stopped spinning, and he had been able to stand on his own. Ari had bruises and a few small cuts. Jeremie was banged up, but able to move under his own power. Theo had a broken leg, a fractured arm, and a concussion. The doctors said he was lucky to have survived the fall. Ulrich had required a few stitches for his stomach wound and had been otherwise patched up. Once he was free from his doctor, he sought out Yumi.

She had been given a cubicle in the emergency room next to his. He had listened uncomfortably while the doctors asked her a series of questions, including if she had been raped. She had shakily answered no, which relieved Ulrich. He hadn't known what Theo had done before he'd gotten there. When the doctor and nurses finally left her, he slowly pushed back the curtain dividing them. She had bandages covering various parts of her body and was still in his over-shirt. Despite the nurse's protests, she refused to remove it. Refused to be looked at. When she saw Ulrich, she hung her head and tried not to look at him. He walked slowly to her bed and sat on the edge.

"Are you ok?" He asked softly.

"Not really," she whispered to the bed sheet, still not looking at him.

"Yumi. Hey. Look at me."

She raised her head a little and peered at him sideways.

"Yumi, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry he took you and I'm so sorry for the things he did. I know you're hurting and scared. I know it's all my fault. Can you ever forgive me?"

Yumi looked at him, surprised.

"Your fault? Ulrich, he did all of this because of me. Because I wouldn't cooperate and because I wasn't the person he wanted me to be. I couldn't love him. I can never love him."

Ulrich moved his hand slowly to cover hers and squeezed it. A small smile came to his face and he said, "Good, I'm glad you didn't love him because I love you. I love you, Yumi, and I can't believe how close I came to losing you to him."

A shy smile broke over Yumi's face and she turned her hand upward and squeezed his. Her other hand came up to lightly brush her fingers on his cheek.

"I love you, Ulrich Stern, and I always have." She leaned forward and buried her face into his chest, wrapping her arm around him. Ulrich released her hand and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly to him and resting his cheek on her head. The nurse found them like that a little later when she came by to let them know they were released to their parents, but she smiled and closed the curtain, giving them a few moments of privacy.

Odd, however, did not believe in letting sappy moments go by quietly. Having not found Ulrich in his cubicle, he flung the curtain open to Yumi's, suspecting he'd find the brown haired boy there. Yumi went to pull back, embarrassed, but Ulrich squeezed her again, reassuringly. Ari peeked over Odd's shoulder and Jeremy looked around Odd's arm cast. A smirk grew on Odd's face and he let out an exasperated sigh.

"About time!"

AN: Aaaaand, that's all folks! I hope you enjoyed it and don't hate me too much for making you wait so long. I hope it tied up some loose ends and gave you the happy ending you wanted. No, I didn't kill Theo. I didn't really want anyone to actually die, but he did get his. I highly doubt he'll walk away a free man after all of this. At least, not any time soon. Ari was an OC who didn't get the full backstory that I'd wanted to give. If you care to know, she was the victim of abuse herself and had escaped and recovered, which is how she saw the signs in Yumi and knew to try to help her. She was lightly based on myself (as most OCs typically are). Now, as always, read and review. Goodnight and goodbye!