Shadow of Doubt
by akiyume kye
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Chapter 1: Trail by Fire
The blaring fire alarm jerked him out from a restless sleep. He glanced sleepily at the clock.
It was 3 a.m.
Swimming through his groggy stupor and sitting up abruptly, he stumbled into his gear and raced out of the room.
Adrenaline snapped him into attention as he grabbed for the radio for instructions.
"The house by the river is on fire! You got to come quickly!" A frantic voice was heard over a loud commotion.
Hurriedly jotting down the address, the firemen set off for the disaster area.
He turned on the siren, chasing away any remnants of sleep that may have dulled their senses, and drove into the cold morning hour as fast as they could.
A faint yellow glow lit up the dark morning sky in the distance, and he could see smoke billowing out through the air as the fire truck approached the site.
Gapping in horror at the damage that already had been done, Momo immediately rushed his men into action, grabbing a hose here, turning on the water supply there.
The scene was that of chaos and destruction.
Every wall and every corner of the modest house was in flames, the fire doing its wicked dance throughout the area.
Putting on his mask and protective gear, he charged in without hesitation to find any other victim that may have been trapped in the merciless fire.
"Sensei! There's a fire down the street by the river! We've got to be there!"
He looked up, a frown
forming on his face.
Snapping himself up
from his rest, he hurriedly reached for any useful supplies he would
need to treat a person in a fire.
He ran off with the rest of his team for the ambulance and sped off in the distance.
"NOOOO!" A gut-wrenching cry was heard.
A soot covered figure lay by the pavement as he watched his house burn, consuming his sanctuary for the past few years.
He struggled to get
free from the medics that were holding him down.
"LET ME GO! HE'S
STILL INSIDE! I'VE GOT TO GET HIM OUT!"
Holding Oishi down by force, the medics assured him that the firefighters would find his companion, and quickly injected him to sedate him before his injuries got any worse.
His cries faded off into a quiet sob, as they worked hard to treat his wounds that were melting his skin and destroying his legs.
Letting his tears trickle down his dirty cheeks, Oishi could only look numbly from a distance and hoped that somebody would find him before it was too late.
Eiji…
The smoke was thick and Momo was trying hard to hold his breath. He quickly checked his oxygen tank and realized that it was almost half empty. Letting out a curse under his breath, he grimaced as he ran through scorching flames and reached the stairs.
"MOMO! GET OUT OF THERE! THE ROOF'S CAVING IN!" His teammate yelled after him.
Before he could answer, a flaming wall collapsed and pinned him onto the ground. Panic ate into him as he tried unsuccessfully to free himself.
Taking in a deep breath, he gave the crushing wall an adrenaline-filled kick and got it off his leg. Limping in pain, he hurried up the stairs in search of the victim that was still caught in the blazing fire storm.
A small voice in his head prompted him to turn left.
Ignoring the nauseating feeling that would soon overcome, he continued to make his way through the burning hall. Knocking down the door, he stepped in and jumped aside when parts of the roof collapsed, missing him by inches.
Trying to find his way around in the thick smoke, he almost tripped over something under his feet. He bent down and tried to see through the smoke.
Choking in a small gasp, he found a body lying facedown on the floor.
He cleared his throat and hollered for his men. "OVER HERE! I'VE GOT A VICTIM!"
Seeing that his men were coming, he quickly bent over the body to check for a pulse.
Another part of the burning roof had collapsed and fallen onto the floor Momo was on.
The roof was going to crumble onto them soon, and he grabbed the victim, heaved him over his shoulder and made a mad dash out of the blazing fire before it would bury them all.
The victim was covered
in soot, his hair burnt and hot.
Momo adjusted the person on his
shoulder and turned him over.
He froze. "Aww.. Nooo…"
Another wall fell and
just missed their heads.
Pulling himself out of his shock, he tried
to keep up with his men as all struggled to make their way out of the
fiery rumble.
He let out a scream as another wall collapsed and the roof caved in. Pain shot through his chest as a large piece of concrete wall smashed onto him. Using his body to shield the victim from any more damage, he moved aside part of the wall, but his left arm was trapped. The wall was aflame and it burned through his fireproof attire, melting his skin.
Collapsing into a coughing fit, he tried to get up again, but was pulled down by the weight of the fallen wall.
The ambulance arrived and screeched to a stop as the doctors and professional medics rushed out to tend to those who were wounded.
Ordering his team around to treat the injured, the head of the rescue squad made his way to the front lines and helped a fireman to pull his teammate out from the danger zone.
Brushing aside his smooth brown hair, blue eyes scanned the wounds on the man and set off to get his supplies.
"Calm down, calm down, you'll be fine. Hang in there…" Fuji's soothing voice came.
Opening his medical box, he searched for bandages and injection which would ease the wounded man's pain. He winced when he saw the deep burn in the fireman's leg and called a medic over to help treat his wound.
He looked up and gazed
in silent horror as he watched the fire spread throughout the house.
No one can survive
in that thick smoke and blazing heat, he thought sadly to
himself.
Getting up and running over to tend to the next wounded person he saw, his eyes fell upon a familiar looking figure being held down by several medics.
"Move away! Let me…" Fuji pushed his way through.
He abruptly stopped in his tracks. "Oishi…"
The distraught man looked up and recognition flooded his eyes. He clung on to Fuji tightly as he sobbed and wept his heart out.
He feared the worst.
He feared that Eiji would be dead.
"OVER HERE!" He shouted as loudly as he could, before falling back into a coughing fit.
His mask had fallen off and his oxygen tank was empty.
Yelling incoherently at
the body that lay on the ground, his teammates dragged him out of the
fire.
He screamed and pointed frantically at the limp body.
Seeing that his men got to the victim, he ran out for air.
As he burst into clear
air, Momo waited for his men to carry out the body.
It can't be… It
can't be who I think he is…
He hurried to the victim and checked for a pulse.
There was none.
Oishi rushed to the soot covered person and turned him over hysterically, hoping that it wasn't his lover.
Pleading the ex-fukubuchou of the Seigaku Tennis Club to move away, Momo held back his tears and wiped off the soot that covered the victim's face.
Momo's heart stopped beating.
Oishi ceased his rantings.
-
It was Eiji.
-
"NOOOOO!"
To be continued…
Will Eiji survive? Or
will he perish just like their house did in the fire? What caused the
fire? Was it an accident… or a deliberate act?
There is more than
meets the eye as the mystery unfolds when another unexpected wound is
found on Eiji's body…
A gunshot.
Please R&R!