Innocent
Mitsumi frowned worriedly as she paced the room with three other swimmers watching her. "This isn't like her."
"Did you talk to coach?" one girl asked.
She looked up at her and nodded, "Yeah, he said she was spending some time with some friends. But.she would have told me if she had any friends in England." She plopped down on a chair. "It's almost been a week and we haven't seen or heard from her.I.I think I'm going to call her parents." The others nodded in agreement, thinking it a wise precaution.
Oh, Johnny wishes he was famous
Spends his time alone in the basement
With a Lennon and Cobain and
A guitar and a stereo
And while he wishes he could escape this
But it all seems so contagious
Not to be yourself and faceless
In a song that has no soul
Mitsumi picked up her cell phone and dialed the Shiguru residence. After a few rings, a woman picked up, "Hello?"
"Mrs. Shiguru? This is Mitsumi."
"Oh, hello Mitsumi! How are you all doing? Everyone ok?" Sometimes Mitsumi wondered if Akane's spastic ditzy-ness wasn't hereditary.
"Ummm, we're all.fine.uhhh.Mrs. Shiguru.does Akane have friends in England?"
There was a pause at the other end of the line before the woman finally responded, "No.no I don't think so, why?"
Mitsumi bit her lip and wondered how to break it to the woman, of course.she also wondered why Mrs. Shiguru hadn't already asked where Akane was. "Well, we haven't seen Akane in about a week now and.coach says she's staying with some friends."
The silence on the other end of the phone worried Mitsumi. After a moment she could hear Mrs. Shiguru walking throughout her house and then she could hear her talking to Mr. Shiguru. Moments later Mr. Shiguru came on, "Mitsumi.Akemi and I will be flying in.we'll be there as soon as possible. I want you to gather as many details as you can. What time she was last seen, whom she was seen with, see if you can get any good descriptions.alright?"
Mitsumi nodded, even though he wouldn't be able to see it on the other side of the phone. "Yes sir. I'll get right on it. And.have a safe flight." After a moment, she hung up the phone and looked at her teammates, "They're coming."
I remember feeling low
I remember losing hope
And I remember all the feelings and the day they stopped
We are, we are all innocent
We are all innocent
We are, we are...
We are, we are all innocent
We are all innocent
We are, we are...
Mitsumi quickly delegated out the assignments to the team members and they scattered, attempting to gather the information. Within a matter of hours they had gathered quite a large amount of information, having even managed to convince hotel security to give them a copy of the video tape from the last day they had seen the swim team co-captain.
Everyone waited quietly in the lobby as a black limousine pulled up in front of the hotel. They watched as the driver got up and walked around, opening the door. A thin woman, in a sky blue dress got out first. Mitsumi expected her eyes to be red and puffy from crying, but they weren't.Akemi Shiguru looked as cool and collected as she always did. A moment later a man stepped out of the car. Dressed in a business suit, he was a good head taller than the woman. He spoke a moment to the driver, who nodded and went about getting their luggage.
The two walked in and to the registration counter. "Yes sir, may I help you?" The clerk behind the counter asked.
"Reservation under Hotaka Shiguru." The man stated gruffly.
The clerk nodded and looked their name up, amazed that there was even a room available for them. After taking care of some paperwork, the clerk handed them their keys and wished them a happy stay at the hotel.
Taking the keys, the Shiguru's turned and looked at the members of the Japanese swim team. The kids hopped up and came over, taking the bags from the driver. Hotaka nodded to the driver, dismissing him, then led the way to the elevator.
Arriving in the room, Akemi sat down in a chair and the kids piled up on the bed looking at Hotaka. "Ok, what do you have?"
Mitsumi handed him the notes they had taken, along with the security tape. "There's actually a fairly clean shot of the man she was leaving with on there."
Hotaka raised an eyebrow and nodded, "Very good Mitsumi.lets see what we can find out then."
Oh, and Tina losing faith in what she knows
Hates her music, hates all of her clothes
Thinks of surgery and a new nose
Every calorie's a war
And while she wishes she was a dancer
And that she'd never heard of cancer
She wishes God would give her some answers
And make her feel beautiful
Akane stretched and rolled over in her bed, eyeing the time. Her eyes widened as she quickly jumped out of bed. "Aiiieee.it's so late!!!" She quickly ran about getting changed. She put her swimsuit on, then a t-shirt and shorts on over it. After a minute of searching she pulled out some socks and threw on her tennis shoes. She then grabbed something to pull her hair back with, and snatched up her towel. Last but not least, she grabbed her CD player and ran out the door, nearly colliding with another kid. "ack! Gomen nasai! Gomen nasai!" She bowed to the kid who just looked at her with a puzzled look on his face, not understanding what she was saying.
Shaking her head, she went around him and ran out of the house, headed towards the main pool where all the other swim teams were training.
I remember feeling low
I remember losing hope
I remember all the feelings and the day they stopped
We are, we are all innocent
We are all innocent
We are, we are...
We are, we are all innocent
We are all innocent
We are, we are...
Gasping, she made it to the women's locker room and found an empty locker. She promptly pulled off her shoes and socks and stuck them in the locker, soon followed by her t-shirt and shorts.burying her CD player in amongst the clothes. Adjusting her hair so it wouldn't fall out, she carried her towel and walked out to the pool.
Her green eyes coldly swept the room, looking for any of the students she was supposed to keep an eye out for. Spotting a few, she sat down on the bleachers and observed them for awhile. For their respected divisions they were all quite good. None of them though were in her division and therefore wouldn't be competing against her. In fact, none of the ones in her division that she was to keep her eye on were there training.
She observed a little while longer while waiting on a lane to clear. Finally one did and she quickly claimed it for herself, running through some light exercises.
One of the boys from the Japanese swim team spotted her and quickly exited to the locker room, calling the hotel. "Mitsumi.she's here."
One day, you'll have to let it go
You'll have to let it go
No...
One day, you'll stand up on your own
You'll stand up on your own
Akemi and Hotaka quickly followed Mitsumi to the huge Olympic sized pool where they watched as Akane continued to swim. Mitsumi glanced over at Akemi and was actually shocked to see no emotion on the woman's face.
Akemi watched as Akane finished swimming and pulled herself out of the water. As Akane walked off to get her towel, Akemi headed over to her. Mitsumi went to follow Akemi but was stopped by a strong hand on her shoulder. She looked up at Hotaka and frowned slightly. He released her shoulder as he followed his wife from a distance.
"Akane." Akemi's voice was soft.
Akane peeked over her towel and blinked several times, obviously startled. "Okaasan." Akane glanced around and saw Hotaka standing in the distance. She blinked and looked back at her mother. "W...what are you doing here?"
Akemi frowned, "Akane, are you alright? Mitsumi called us." Akane's eyes shot over towards Mitsumi, the look turning into a mild glare. "Akane, don't be mad at her, she was worried about you. No one had seen or heard from you in almost a week! We have a right to be worried about you."
Akane looked back at her mother; her voice rose "You promised!!! You promised that I could do this on my own. That you all wouldn't butt in!!!"
"Akane!" Her mother's tone quickly turned sharp. "You aren't staying in the hotel with your team mates. You haven't had contact with them in almost a week. That makes the promise null and void." She made an exasperated sigh, "Use your head girl! THINK for once!!!"
Remember losing hope
Remember feeling low
Remember all the feelings and the day they stopped
Akane let out a very annoyed sigh. "I DO think, Okaasan!!! And I can take care of myself!!!"
Afraid of a screaming match between his daughter and wife, Hotaka walked up beside Akemi, "Akane.come back to the hotel. Now!" His stern voice sent a chill down Akane's spine.
Akane shot a glare at her father, then turned and walked to the locker room. She dried herself off and put her t-shirt, shorts, socks and shoes on. Picking up her CD player, she stuck her headphones on and secured the device itself to her waist. Towel tossed around her neck, she walked out of the locker room.
We are, we are all innocent
We are all innocent
We are, we are...
Akemi and Hotaka watched as she walked out, a mildly smug look on both of their faces. But the look quickly turned to alarm as Akane didn't even look at them as she walked out of the locker room and straight out of the building.away from them.
Akane wasn't about to go back with them, but knew she had to be quick before they caught up with her. As soon as she was outside, she picked up a light jog, heading back towards the house.
Hotaka and Akemi hurried to the door, Mitsumi following right on their heals. "She's running away!" Mitsumi wailed.
We are, we are all innocent
We are all innocent
We are, we are...
A scowl set on Hotaka's face, he slammed the door open and started running after Akane. However, she obviously realized he was after her, as she quickly picked up speed.
Mitsumi and Akemi walked out of the building and watched on. While Akane was extremely fast in the water, and almost as fast on land, she had nothing on her father's speed. He caught up with her in a matter of moments and grabbed her.
We are (one day), we are all innocent
We are all innocent (you'll have to let it go)
We are, we are (you'll have to let it go, no..)
"IIE!!!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs and fought against his hold.
"Akane!" His voice, sharp and cold, quickly stopped the struggle. He looked down at her with cold eyes, "You stop this now or I'm sending you home on the next plane. Do you understand young lady?"
She glared back up at him and wrenched her arm from his hold. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her back and looked up at him. "No.I'm not going back to the hotel and I'm not going back to Japan. Not yet."
Hotaka frowned and grabbed her arm again, "I'm afraid you don't have a choice. If you want to compete in the tournament, you go back to the hotel. Otherwise, you are going straight home."
The glare she gave her father was one he'd never seen from her before. It was as cold and angry as ice. "I said.no." She promptly wrenched her arm from him again and pushed him away from her.
He staggered back a bit, having never expected this much of a rebellion out of his daughter. Regaining his footing he walked towards her again, his glare harder than ever. "That's it.you're going home." he stated as he reached for her once more.
We are (one day), we are all innocent
We are, we are (you'll stand up on your own)
We are, we are all innocent (you'll stand up on your own..)
Something seemed to snap in Akane's eyes. In fact, it almost seemed to be in the air as Akemi and Mitsumi felt the 'snap' and watched on in worry. "iie!!!" she hissed at her father once more; a sudden mental wave of anger and pain hitting Hotaka and knocking him down to his knees. His hands went instantly to his head as he let out a gasp of pain and shock.
Akane's gaze swept upwards as she looked at her mother and 'best'-friend. After a moment, she turned silently and walked off.
We are, we are all innocent
Mitsumi frowned worriedly as she paced the room with three other swimmers watching her. "This isn't like her."
"Did you talk to coach?" one girl asked.
She looked up at her and nodded, "Yeah, he said she was spending some time with some friends. But.she would have told me if she had any friends in England." She plopped down on a chair. "It's almost been a week and we haven't seen or heard from her.I.I think I'm going to call her parents." The others nodded in agreement, thinking it a wise precaution.
Oh, Johnny wishes he was famous
Spends his time alone in the basement
With a Lennon and Cobain and
A guitar and a stereo
And while he wishes he could escape this
But it all seems so contagious
Not to be yourself and faceless
In a song that has no soul
Mitsumi picked up her cell phone and dialed the Shiguru residence. After a few rings, a woman picked up, "Hello?"
"Mrs. Shiguru? This is Mitsumi."
"Oh, hello Mitsumi! How are you all doing? Everyone ok?" Sometimes Mitsumi wondered if Akane's spastic ditzy-ness wasn't hereditary.
"Ummm, we're all.fine.uhhh.Mrs. Shiguru.does Akane have friends in England?"
There was a pause at the other end of the line before the woman finally responded, "No.no I don't think so, why?"
Mitsumi bit her lip and wondered how to break it to the woman, of course.she also wondered why Mrs. Shiguru hadn't already asked where Akane was. "Well, we haven't seen Akane in about a week now and.coach says she's staying with some friends."
The silence on the other end of the phone worried Mitsumi. After a moment she could hear Mrs. Shiguru walking throughout her house and then she could hear her talking to Mr. Shiguru. Moments later Mr. Shiguru came on, "Mitsumi.Akemi and I will be flying in.we'll be there as soon as possible. I want you to gather as many details as you can. What time she was last seen, whom she was seen with, see if you can get any good descriptions.alright?"
Mitsumi nodded, even though he wouldn't be able to see it on the other side of the phone. "Yes sir. I'll get right on it. And.have a safe flight." After a moment, she hung up the phone and looked at her teammates, "They're coming."
I remember feeling low
I remember losing hope
And I remember all the feelings and the day they stopped
We are, we are all innocent
We are all innocent
We are, we are...
We are, we are all innocent
We are all innocent
We are, we are...
Mitsumi quickly delegated out the assignments to the team members and they scattered, attempting to gather the information. Within a matter of hours they had gathered quite a large amount of information, having even managed to convince hotel security to give them a copy of the video tape from the last day they had seen the swim team co-captain.
Everyone waited quietly in the lobby as a black limousine pulled up in front of the hotel. They watched as the driver got up and walked around, opening the door. A thin woman, in a sky blue dress got out first. Mitsumi expected her eyes to be red and puffy from crying, but they weren't.Akemi Shiguru looked as cool and collected as she always did. A moment later a man stepped out of the car. Dressed in a business suit, he was a good head taller than the woman. He spoke a moment to the driver, who nodded and went about getting their luggage.
The two walked in and to the registration counter. "Yes sir, may I help you?" The clerk behind the counter asked.
"Reservation under Hotaka Shiguru." The man stated gruffly.
The clerk nodded and looked their name up, amazed that there was even a room available for them. After taking care of some paperwork, the clerk handed them their keys and wished them a happy stay at the hotel.
Taking the keys, the Shiguru's turned and looked at the members of the Japanese swim team. The kids hopped up and came over, taking the bags from the driver. Hotaka nodded to the driver, dismissing him, then led the way to the elevator.
Arriving in the room, Akemi sat down in a chair and the kids piled up on the bed looking at Hotaka. "Ok, what do you have?"
Mitsumi handed him the notes they had taken, along with the security tape. "There's actually a fairly clean shot of the man she was leaving with on there."
Hotaka raised an eyebrow and nodded, "Very good Mitsumi.lets see what we can find out then."
Oh, and Tina losing faith in what she knows
Hates her music, hates all of her clothes
Thinks of surgery and a new nose
Every calorie's a war
And while she wishes she was a dancer
And that she'd never heard of cancer
She wishes God would give her some answers
And make her feel beautiful
Akane stretched and rolled over in her bed, eyeing the time. Her eyes widened as she quickly jumped out of bed. "Aiiieee.it's so late!!!" She quickly ran about getting changed. She put her swimsuit on, then a t-shirt and shorts on over it. After a minute of searching she pulled out some socks and threw on her tennis shoes. She then grabbed something to pull her hair back with, and snatched up her towel. Last but not least, she grabbed her CD player and ran out the door, nearly colliding with another kid. "ack! Gomen nasai! Gomen nasai!" She bowed to the kid who just looked at her with a puzzled look on his face, not understanding what she was saying.
Shaking her head, she went around him and ran out of the house, headed towards the main pool where all the other swim teams were training.
I remember feeling low
I remember losing hope
I remember all the feelings and the day they stopped
We are, we are all innocent
We are all innocent
We are, we are...
We are, we are all innocent
We are all innocent
We are, we are...
Gasping, she made it to the women's locker room and found an empty locker. She promptly pulled off her shoes and socks and stuck them in the locker, soon followed by her t-shirt and shorts.burying her CD player in amongst the clothes. Adjusting her hair so it wouldn't fall out, she carried her towel and walked out to the pool.
Her green eyes coldly swept the room, looking for any of the students she was supposed to keep an eye out for. Spotting a few, she sat down on the bleachers and observed them for awhile. For their respected divisions they were all quite good. None of them though were in her division and therefore wouldn't be competing against her. In fact, none of the ones in her division that she was to keep her eye on were there training.
She observed a little while longer while waiting on a lane to clear. Finally one did and she quickly claimed it for herself, running through some light exercises.
One of the boys from the Japanese swim team spotted her and quickly exited to the locker room, calling the hotel. "Mitsumi.she's here."
One day, you'll have to let it go
You'll have to let it go
No...
One day, you'll stand up on your own
You'll stand up on your own
Akemi and Hotaka quickly followed Mitsumi to the huge Olympic sized pool where they watched as Akane continued to swim. Mitsumi glanced over at Akemi and was actually shocked to see no emotion on the woman's face.
Akemi watched as Akane finished swimming and pulled herself out of the water. As Akane walked off to get her towel, Akemi headed over to her. Mitsumi went to follow Akemi but was stopped by a strong hand on her shoulder. She looked up at Hotaka and frowned slightly. He released her shoulder as he followed his wife from a distance.
"Akane." Akemi's voice was soft.
Akane peeked over her towel and blinked several times, obviously startled. "Okaasan." Akane glanced around and saw Hotaka standing in the distance. She blinked and looked back at her mother. "W...what are you doing here?"
Akemi frowned, "Akane, are you alright? Mitsumi called us." Akane's eyes shot over towards Mitsumi, the look turning into a mild glare. "Akane, don't be mad at her, she was worried about you. No one had seen or heard from you in almost a week! We have a right to be worried about you."
Akane looked back at her mother; her voice rose "You promised!!! You promised that I could do this on my own. That you all wouldn't butt in!!!"
"Akane!" Her mother's tone quickly turned sharp. "You aren't staying in the hotel with your team mates. You haven't had contact with them in almost a week. That makes the promise null and void." She made an exasperated sigh, "Use your head girl! THINK for once!!!"
Remember losing hope
Remember feeling low
Remember all the feelings and the day they stopped
Akane let out a very annoyed sigh. "I DO think, Okaasan!!! And I can take care of myself!!!"
Afraid of a screaming match between his daughter and wife, Hotaka walked up beside Akemi, "Akane.come back to the hotel. Now!" His stern voice sent a chill down Akane's spine.
Akane shot a glare at her father, then turned and walked to the locker room. She dried herself off and put her t-shirt, shorts, socks and shoes on. Picking up her CD player, she stuck her headphones on and secured the device itself to her waist. Towel tossed around her neck, she walked out of the locker room.
We are, we are all innocent
We are all innocent
We are, we are...
Akemi and Hotaka watched as she walked out, a mildly smug look on both of their faces. But the look quickly turned to alarm as Akane didn't even look at them as she walked out of the locker room and straight out of the building.away from them.
Akane wasn't about to go back with them, but knew she had to be quick before they caught up with her. As soon as she was outside, she picked up a light jog, heading back towards the house.
Hotaka and Akemi hurried to the door, Mitsumi following right on their heals. "She's running away!" Mitsumi wailed.
We are, we are all innocent
We are all innocent
We are, we are...
A scowl set on Hotaka's face, he slammed the door open and started running after Akane. However, she obviously realized he was after her, as she quickly picked up speed.
Mitsumi and Akemi walked out of the building and watched on. While Akane was extremely fast in the water, and almost as fast on land, she had nothing on her father's speed. He caught up with her in a matter of moments and grabbed her.
We are (one day), we are all innocent
We are all innocent (you'll have to let it go)
We are, we are (you'll have to let it go, no..)
"IIE!!!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs and fought against his hold.
"Akane!" His voice, sharp and cold, quickly stopped the struggle. He looked down at her with cold eyes, "You stop this now or I'm sending you home on the next plane. Do you understand young lady?"
She glared back up at him and wrenched her arm from his hold. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her back and looked up at him. "No.I'm not going back to the hotel and I'm not going back to Japan. Not yet."
Hotaka frowned and grabbed her arm again, "I'm afraid you don't have a choice. If you want to compete in the tournament, you go back to the hotel. Otherwise, you are going straight home."
The glare she gave her father was one he'd never seen from her before. It was as cold and angry as ice. "I said.no." She promptly wrenched her arm from him again and pushed him away from her.
He staggered back a bit, having never expected this much of a rebellion out of his daughter. Regaining his footing he walked towards her again, his glare harder than ever. "That's it.you're going home." he stated as he reached for her once more.
We are (one day), we are all innocent
We are, we are (you'll stand up on your own)
We are, we are all innocent (you'll stand up on your own..)
Something seemed to snap in Akane's eyes. In fact, it almost seemed to be in the air as Akemi and Mitsumi felt the 'snap' and watched on in worry. "iie!!!" she hissed at her father once more; a sudden mental wave of anger and pain hitting Hotaka and knocking him down to his knees. His hands went instantly to his head as he let out a gasp of pain and shock.
Akane's gaze swept upwards as she looked at her mother and 'best'-friend. After a moment, she turned silently and walked off.
We are, we are all innocent