Title: In the Heat of the Moment
Author: Amm (SoulSeeker)
Written for: azalee_calypso
Fandom: The World Ends with You
Pairing: Sota/Nao
Prompt: "How did they get into the Game?"
Wordcount: 1,268
Rating: K+ (death)
"Urrghh... how long have I been out? M... my head... H-huh...? The concert stage?"
"Sota! Sota!"
"But...last week...didn't it get...? Didn't I...?"
"Sotaaa!"
"Nao-Nao! What's wrong?"
"Like, I totally woke up with this weird pin on me? Look, you have one, too! And everyone's totally ignoring me! I like, don't understand what's going on..."
"..."
- - -
The concert stage was really, a very small place.
It was well-taken care of by its management, all things considered; but it was still far from perfect, and technical problems weren't exactly out of the ordinary. The stage lights, the amps, the microphones: countless things could and would go wrong during a show, displeasing the fans. Despite the problems, however, it was still a popular place that warranted at least a glance from all its passersby. Concert tickets sold well, the bands enjoyed themselves when things went their way, and so did all the teens that went to see them.
And nobody wanted to see it go. Not like this.
"S-sota? Like, Sota, where are you?!"
Nao should have left. Any sensible person would have. She knew, she had a bad feeling: she should have left when she saw those sparks fly. Those special effects, during the concert when the band on stage hit the climax of their song. When the curtains caught fire, and when that fire grew. When Sota told her to run, with everyone else. At first, she did. She got caught up in the panic, and ran towards the door, trying not to get trampled. When she saw Sota wasn't with her, however, she stopped dead in her tracks.
She refused.
She wouldn't leave. Not without him; not until she found him. She didn't care if he told her to leave and go on. Even as people ran screaming around her, even as the black smoke filled her lungs, she kept going. She was stronger than that. Even as the building became engulfed in flames, she tried her best to remain calm and look for Sota through her teary eyes. Teary eyes that stung horribly, and burned like the sun.
"S-Sota!"
"Nao-nao?"
Her ears immediately perked up at the sound of her 'nick' name. She looked around frantically, knowing that it was him; she could recognize that voice anywhere. Running against the crowd of people trying desperately to get out, she finally found him. She could feel the sweat running down her face when she put a hand on his shoulder, trying to give herself a moment's rest.
"What are you still doing here?" Sota asked, surprised. "I told you —"
"Tch. Like I was going to leave without you!" Nao interrupted with a scoff. "Come on! We're totally out of here!"
"Whoa whoa whoa, slow down!"
"Like, are you crazy?!"
Nao had grabbed, rather violently, onto his arm, attempting to drag him along. The path was clear at the moment, most of the people having already left — but the fire was rapidly growing and she knew they didn't have much time. She was trying to rush him, but he had brushed her off, rather forcefully, and she didn't know why. Why, why had he been so difficult in such a tough situation? Didn't he know, this was life or death?
She didn't know anything, until she actually calmed down long enough to look. Really look, at what Sota was doing.
He was crouched down, she had just noticed. And in front of him sat a young boy against the wall, crying his eyes out. Trembling in fear. She was in shock at how easily she overlooked him, and words got caught in her throat when she tried to speak. Speechless, as she wondered what such a little boy was still doing here.
"This lil' dawg," Sota was saying, still in a calm, steady voice. "Apparently he lost grip of his mommy's hand when they were tryin' to get out. S'too late for her to get back in by now, no one'll let her. He's been stuck here, too scared to move."
Nao looked around them with a sigh, seeing that the flames had already grown larger. She looked to Sota, and then to the little boy; they really didn't have the time for this.
"It's...it's okay!" she exclaimed, looking into his innocent eyes. "It's totally okay. We're going to help you find your mommy all right? But...but you've gotta come with us. Right now. It's, like, not safe here... you see?"
"It's..." The little boy was crying, and his words were barely audible. "It's hot."
"'xactly, little man," Sota agreed with him, nodding. "It is hot. So let's get out of here, y'dig?"
"Yeah, let's go! Let's find your mommy!"
Nao had already grabbed onto his hand, and he had gotten the courage to stand up, wiping tears from his eyes. He nodded, and though he was still trembling, was able to make a mad dash with them to their only exit option.
They ran like their lives depended on it. Because...well, they did. The path to the door had already been surrounded in fire before, and it was only getting worse. They could hear fire trucks outside — finally— but didn't have time to think or hope or wonder; they just kept on running, praying to God that they would make it in time. Together, like a family: a father, a mother, and a son.
"Aaaaghh!"
Sota had suddenly cried out from behind them, and it made Nao stop immediately, worried. Again, just like before, without a moment's hesitation. In the heat of the moment, she had let the little boy's hand go, and saw him run ahead of her, right through the exit doors. He kept looking back, and, her heart beating fast, she kept signaling him to keep going. Until he was safe. She saw the path in front of her burst into flames; their only way to the door, and suddenly had no idea what to do.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she turned around, seeing Sota collapsed on the ground.
He had tripped.
"No!" he exclaimed, frustrated. "Why...why did you stop?!"
Nao ran to his side, crouching down next to him as she continued to cry. "I...I don't know! I heard you cry out," she exclaimed in hysterics. "I was...I was worried. I didn't know what I was doing, I just...I just stopped. I stopped, I didn't want to leave without you! And now...and now we're..."
"Shhh," Sota interrupted her; still calm. Still rational. He had lost his cool for just a brief moment. But Nao crying had made him realize how important it was for him to be in his right mind. "It's all right."
He hugged her, and they sat there on the floor together. Leaning on each other, both with tears in their eyes now.
"Wha...what are we going to do now?" Nao asked, finally regaining her composure a bit.
"Wait. Wait for them to find us. They're here."
"Do... do you think they know we're like, here?"
"I'm not sure, Nao-nao." Sota hugged her tighter, wishing he could give her a better answer than that.
Nao hadn't exactly felt comfort at hearing the sound of sirens. But she suppose they were her only hope now: hers and his. She tried to convince herself that the little boy would save them. That he would tell everyone, the two of them were still trapped in there, and it wouldn't be too late. But she kind of knew. She got that bad feeling again, just like before when the concert had gone completely south.
They waited until they couldn't wait any more.
A/N: BAAAWWWWW. Angst angst angst. Why does I write eettt? ;___; Bahh. Oh well. They had to have gotten into the game somehow, right? Hope you guys enjoyed :\ Heheh, and as always thank you for reading.