Disclaimer: I don't own Angelic Layer.
Misaki waited until Kisho and Alavda were asleep. She had to be very quiet. She knew there was no going out her bedroom door. It was locked tight.
She reached under her bed and took out all the bed sheets she had been hiding she tied them tightly together. She had a few clothes and money she had been slowly and carefully stealing. When and if her father noticed missing money, she would always point out that he did buy too much food.
Hikaru was tucked safely into the bag with her photo album. She got dressed and threw the sheet rope out the window, securing one end tightly to her bed.
She climbed down slowly and quietly, trying not to wake her father and step-mother.
"Climbing down Rapunzel's extensions?" Misaki heard a voice say; she screamed and fell a small distance, hitting the ground beneath her.
Misaki looked up and into the eyes of her stepmother. "How did you find out?" she sighed.
"Well," Alavda said helping her up and dusting her off. "You're not a very good thief cheri." She led Misaki into the house, but she started to scream and try to pull away. "Hush!" she scolded, placing a hand over Misaki's mouth. "Do you want to wake your father?"
That quieted her. She stopped her fighting and went dead silent. Of course she didn't want to wake him up, no telling what he'd do if he caught her trying to run. In fact, she was happy Alavda found her instead of her father.
"I see I'll have to bolt your window now." Alavda sighed. "I was trying to trust you."
"I was trying to trust you too." Misaki said, "You don't look like a kidnapper, but looks can be deceiving."
Alavda knew that more than anyone, she didn't need to hear it from Misaki. But she's right. She thought and glanced at her wedding ring. Looks are very deceiving.
In Japan:
Shuko knew there was no use looking for her child in Japan, as she sat on her couch, she made a list of all the places Kisho would take her.
America
Korea
England
France
Australia
These were just a few places, she had to be more specific…would he really be so obvious as to take her to England or Korea or? The places she knew he had houses. She scratched those off the list and made a more specific one.
America- Ohio, Tennessee, New York
France- Paris
Australia-
She couldn't really think of anywhere in Australia he would take her. But her eyes wandered to Paris on her list…maybe that's where Misaki was.
Time to tear Paris apart. She thought and was also prepared to personally castrate her ex-husband. If he had put one make on Misaki, if one hair was out of place, even if she was perfectly fine, he was gonna get it, him and whoever helped him.
She took her list to the police the next day and promised them that if they didn't help her, they'd read about it in the newspaper. She wanted her and she wanted her right now and she made sure they understood that, they contacted the precinct in Paris and faxed a picture of Misaki there quickly.
The cop she talked to was a mother also, whose 7-year-old had gone missinf and turned up a year later, dead. She understood Shuko's worry and gave her no trouble. She understood the motherly instinct that made her know where Misaki would be. Where was my instinct when my little girl was being kidnapped? She thought, hating herself.
"They'll have it up in within the week Ms. Suzuhara." That wasn't good enough for her, a lot could happen in a week, they could leave Paris in a week…Misaki could be dead in a week, she tried not to think about that and prayed that her daughter was safe, alive and un-bruised.
A week was too long. Misaki might not last until then. She called her sister and told her she was going on a trip; she would have to find her on her own.
In France:
Misaki watched as Alavda sealed her window shut and put a curtain over it. "I'm sorry." She whispered.
"No you're not," Misaki told her. "You're a wimp." She stormed out of the house and slammed the door.
Alavada watched her and shook her head; she tugged the sleeves of her dress down to hide the bruises on her arms. You don't understand. She thought. The truth is…I don't have a choice either.
Misaki left the house and walked down the street alone, her now jet black hair blowing in the wind. How was she going to get home? Would she even be able to survive until then? What would she do to escape this time and who could she even go to? She didn't speak a word of French. English, yes. French, no.
Misaki looked around; nothing was in English or Japanese. She was utterly and totally hopeless. She fought back tears as she walked.
She wanted to go home; she wanted to be with her mother, she wanted to make lunch for her friends, she even wanted to be nearly squeezed to death my Miss Shoko or put in a head lock by Tamayo. Damn…she was homesick. She wandered to the nearest park and sat down on the swings, she didn't move just sat there.
"Hello." She heard a girl say in Japanese. She looked up at the girl smiled at her. "Visiting?"
Misaki nodded. She hoped she was just visiting…she didn't want to stay much longer.
"Then why do you look so sad?" the girl asked. She reminded Misaki of Hatoko. "Paris is supposed to be a happy place, so why are you sad."
"I got into a fight with my step-mother." Which wasn't a total lie; she called Alavda a wimp then stormed out like a mad woman.
"Ugh," the girl said. "That's always messy, I fight with my step-mother too…can you make up with yours?"
"No," Misaki told her. "I'll never forgive her."
"It can't be that bad, can it?"
Misaki looked at the girl, who was far too nosey. "Why did you come over here?"
She watched as the girl reached for her and touched her face. She turned red as the nosey girl bushed her fingers against her cheek then pulled them away. "When someone cries, it usually means they need someone to talk to." She said pushing her brown hair over her shoulder.
Misaki looked at the hand that was touching her face, it was wet, was she crying? She looked at the girl and asked another question. "How'd you know I spoke Japanese?"
"I didn't," the girl said. "It's the only language I speak, so I just took a chance."
"What would you have done if I didn't understand you?"
"Apologize and go back to my hotel I guess." She giggled. "So…what did your step-mother do that was so bad you can't forgive her?"
Misaki looked down; she hated her father and Alavda at the moment but wouldn't get them in trouble. "You wouldn't understand."
"I see…" the girl whispered, she looked sad for a moment before she grabbed Misaki's hand and started to run with her, she was surprisingly strong.
"Where are you taking me?!" Misaki demanded. After the trick her father played, she'd never trust anyone to take her anywhere.
"To get lunch." The girl answered. "I could hear your stomach growling before I sat on the swing."
Misaki turned red. She was hungry, and she didn't see any reason she couldn't eat with this nosey girl, she seemed friendly…a little too friendly, but her stomach wouldn't allow her to think of anything else but food. She smiled and ran alongside the nosey girl with the brown hair.
A/N: Go on, yell at me, I know it took forever, but better late than never. R&R please