ahahah,Pride, that is an important plotline right there ;3 it'll aaallll be explained later, thanks to the detective skills of kero- i mean,Fuyuki :) (p.s. thanks for reviewing)
(fuyuki's PointOfView)
"-And...And then they drove off. And then you came..." Fuyuki explained to Momoka's trusted bodyguard/butler Paul, and two other police inspectors.
"Do you remember the registration number of the van?" Inspector Number One asked.
"It didn't have one." Fuyuki replied "Or they painted over it..."
"Did the kidnappers have any particular features?" Inspector Number Two asked.
"No- I told you; they were wearing masks."
"Do you have any idea where they might have gone?"
"Of course not .I told you- I only saw them drive down the street and then turn the corner."
"Do you think you've seen them before?"
"No. They were wearing masks. Even if I had seen them before-"
"So you have seen them before?"
"What? N-no-"
"Why would they take her now?"
"How should I know?"
"Why were you so late coming out of your- what was it now- Cult Club?"
"Occult Club. We were just t-talking and lost track of time-"
"Why didn't you try to stop them from taking her?"
"OF COURSE I TRIED TO STOP THEM! ONE OF THEM GRABBED ME FROM BEHIND WHILE THE OTHER ONE DRAGGED HER AWAY! I COULDN'T GET TO HER- I COULDN'T STOP THEM- I COULDN'T STOP THEM FROM TAKING HER AWAY- OKAY?"
"That's enough." Paul raised his linen gloved hand to calm the situation "Fuyuki Hinata-dono has also been put through a lot of stress because of what has happened. You are being unfair to him by bombarding him with questions this soon after the...incident."
Inspectors Dumb and Dumber walked back to their car solemnly.
Fuyuki and Paul were left standing alone just outside the school gates, silently watching the forensics team painfully search every scrap of ground for any evidence of any value.
Strangled words wormed up from the broken boy's heart and to his horse throat.
"I couldn't stop them Paul-san...I-I wanted to and I tried but...I couldn't."
"It wasn't your job to stop them." Paul answered, almost immediately "It was mine. It was my job to stop them coming anywhere near Lady Momoka."
"But, who were they? I thought...I thought no-one could get past her bodyguards."
Paul's eye's turned hard. His mouth was a thin, grim line.
"That's...a need-to-know basis only, Fuyuki-dono."
"Convenient that I need to know then, isn't it?"
"Fuyuki-dono..."
"Listen, maybe- I don't know- maybe Sergeant and Kururu could find her. Make a...a DNA tracker or something...!"
Paul looked deep in thought for a moment.
"Any decisions regarding this will have to be run by Baio-sama. But he will most likely be grateful of any help- extraterrestrial or otherwise...You may go home, if you wish, Fuyuki-dono. There is not much that you can do here."
Those last words stabbed at Fuyuki's chest like an iron poker. Reluctantly but painfully understanding, Fuyuki turned and made his way home.
"Fuyuki-dono!" Paul called "Not a word of this is allowed into the public or the media. Is that understood?"
It wasn't, but with the instruction clear enough, Fuyuki nodded and continued the slow trudge back home.
"I'm home-"
A flying hug tackle almost knocked Fuyuki off of his feet.
"Fuyuki!" His mother cried "A-are you alright? They didn't hurt you, did they?"
"M-Mom?" He tried to detangle himself from the bear hug "Wh-what are you talking about?"
"Paul-san called me just a little while ago..." Aki looked at her son "Oh, Fuyuki...I'm glad you're safe."
"Fuyuki!" Natsumi shouted, sprinting down the stairs. "Is it true? Has Momoka-chan really been..."
"Kidnapped? Yeah." Fuyuki dropped his gaze. He was too ashamed to look at his mom or his big sister- he was too ashamed to look at anyone. "And I let it happen."
"Don't say that." Aki shushed him and pulled him into another hug.
The telephone suddenly rang, making Aki have to leave her son and go to pick it up.
"Hey," Natsumi tentatively put her hand on his shoulder ",it's gonna be okay. They'll find her, and she'll be okay. There wasn't much you could do anyway..."
"I know." Bitter, bitter rage mangled Fuyuki's voice into a growl "I know I couldn't do anything and I know I can't do anything. I know, alright?"
"No- that's not what I meant." Natsumi quickly said "I meant that- these guys that took her...they seem pretty professional if they could get past her bodyguards...No-one would've been able to stop them if they were that determined. So, stop beating yourself up, okay? It's not your fault."
Fuyuki looked up at his big sister. His heart felt like a well-used punching bag, but what Natsumi was saying made it hurt...just that tiny bit less. "Thank you, Nee-chan."
"It's not your fault." She repeated, giving his shoulder a little squeeze "Come on, I'll make you some tea."
Fuyuki trudged into the living room and plonked himself down on the couch. His mother was still on the phone, speaking quietly. But he was barely aware of anything. The pain in his heart made everything else ebb away slowly, until the only things left were the pain and his tortured thoughts.
"Momoka-chan's been kidnapped...Momoka-chan's been kidnapped...Momoka-chan's been-"
He fiercely shook his head, desperately trying to dislodge the horrible gnawing thought.
"Instead of focussing on the past; focus on getting her back!" He decided.
"I'm surprised it hasn't been on the news." Natsumi mentioned, pouring water into the kettle.
"Paul-san told me that I wasn't allowed to tell anyone." Fuyuki replied "I wonder why...?"
"Because if one person can abduct her- anyone can! kukuuu..."
Ominous laughter drifted around the corner. And then Keroro and Tamama raced around that same corner, dragging a reluctant Kururu with him.
"Fukki-Fukki-Fukki- We're going to get Momochi back!" Tamama half yelled, half whined "We've got to- GOT TO- DAMMIT!"
"W-we're going to Tamama!" Natsumi, obviously frightened by the fluctuating personalities of the little tadpole, tried to calm him. It didn't work, of course.
"What did you mean, Kururu?" Fuyuki stared at the sadistic scientist "About if one person can..."
Kururu's glasses glinted in the light like a knowing wink, "Exactly what I said. When one person tries to do something, another person will be inspired to do the same. If the first person does it successfully, the next person will be even more determined to do it. Ku ku kuuu, it's the classic 'Jumping off a Cliff' syndrome! Didn't know it happen here on Pekopon though...ku ku..."
"Maybe, but I think you've got the saying a bit messed up." Natsumi mumbled, still trying to edge away from the fuming Tamama.
Silence caught the room as Aki cleared her throat to get their attention.
"That was Momoka-chan's father on the phone," She explained ",he's coming here to ask Kero-chan for help."
"Sergeant..." Fuyuki's eyes pleaded with his alien friend. "Please...you have to find her. You have to bring her back."
"Stupid Frog..." Natsumi's eyes glared threateningly at Keroro "I swear, if you don't do something to help..."
"I was going to, before you got all stroppy!" Keroro squealed "Gero...We'll have to wait until Baio-dono gets here. Perhaps he has a way of finding her..."
"If he had a way, he wouldn't be coming to you!" Fuyuki shouted. Keroro's reluctance to do anything straight away tipped his temper of the edge "Stop stalling and being lazy arses like you usually are and build something to find Momoka! Now!"
Boiling blood pounding through his head, and the scorching pain still deep seated in his heart, were the only things Fuyuki was aware of. His rage at his lazy, good-for-nothing –friend, and his mourning for Momoka insulated anything and everything else.
But when the fury subsided, he became awkwardly aware to the eerie quiet, and everyone's odd peering stares.
"Fukki..." Tamama's voice was very quiet. And slightly frightened.
"The Captain's right..." Kururu snickered "If we make any rash decisions now, without asking the daddy, we could make a big stinky mess."
"That's...sensible." Natsumi mused "Unusual for you guys."
"Watch it, ku ku ku..."
"We should get back to the base." Keroro said, making a point of not looking at Fuyuki, which stabbed at the boy's gut horribly. "Make preparations for Baio-dono's arrival."
And with that, the frogs retreated to Keroro's room.
"Sergeant, wait!" Fuyuki chased after him.
"Momoka-chan's already been taken, the last thing I want is to alienate myself from my best friend aswell!"
"Fuyuki-dono...?" Keroro paused, looking back over his shoulder.
"I'm sorry...I-I didn't mean to yell, I just...just..."
"It's okay, Fuyuki-dono." The little green frog smiled. His eyes were so...understanding and accepting, that Fuyuki felt like a massive weight had been pulled off of his shoulders.
"Um...Fukki?" Tamama piqued up "Just now...you called Momochi 'Momoka' instead of 'Nishizawa-san'..."
"Oh...d-did I?"
"Yeah...why?"
"Hm- oh, yes, why did you call her that Fuyuki-dono?" Keroro's warm smile turned into a mischievous grin, leering over Fuyuki.
"You can't deny saying it, 'cause I heard it too!" Natsumi called cheerfully from the living room.
"And me!" called Aki "There wasn't even a '-chan' on the end of it!"
"Um...uh...ah...gah." was all Fuyuki could manage out of his flustered mouth.
"That's not much of a reason, Fuyuki-dono." Keroro tutted. Shaking his head from the disappointment of not getting any good gossip, the froggie went back to his room. Closely following was Tamama, but he stopped briefly to look back at Fuyuki. He only just noticed the small grin the tadpole was hiding.
A few hours later...
Fuyuki was sitting at the top of the stairs, head in his hands.
It had been a while since Momoka's father announced that he was coming over, and Fuyuki had decided to wait for him so he could find out what he and Keroro were planning to do.
But, as the creeping hours came and went, he was left alone with his thoughts. And they refused to give him the slightest scrap of peace.
"I'm so pathetic...I tried so hard to get away from that guy, to break free to help her...But I just couldn't...If only I was stronger...If I was stronger, I would've been able to save her...she wouldn't have been taken, she wouldn't have been thrown into that van..." Fuyuki's wandering mind lead him to imagine something a universe lovelier.
"...she would be here with me, or we would be at her house...we would be sitting in her living room...we would be by a warm fire...we would be drinking nice hot cocoa...we would talking about the latest occult articles...we would be laughing and holding hands and cuddling and...a-and if we would be getting really close...maybe we would be k-k-ki-kis...uhhh...anyway!...we would be.. ...happy."
His head sunk lower. His hands slid over his scalp and tugged at his hair.
"What if they've hurt her? What if she's still unconscious? What if she's a thousand miles away? What if we won't be able to find her in time? What if she's dead?"
He groaned, a low, pathetic, mewling sigh.
"Why am I so weak? Why can't a save her- save the girl I like...Why am I always having to rely on guys like Sergeant to do something for me? Why am I just so weak, weak, weak?"
He drew his knees up to his chest and clamped his arms around his head.
He had to try and make himself as small as possible. He couldn't bear the thought of anyone seeing a pathetic cretin such as himself. If he could just make himself miniscule, perhaps he could escape the condemning glances and glares. But something as pitiful as himself wouldn't even be graced with any worthwhile human's glance or glare.
He didn't deserve it. He was just a weak little boy-
-Ding Dong-
Fuyuki's head snapped up.
"That must be Momoka's dad..." He mumbled.
He got up and went to open the front door.
"Come in..."
"Where are they?" Baio stormed into the house. His usually composed eyes were...frantic.
"Y'mean, Sergeant? He's in the secret base down in the basement."
Without stopping, Baio raced down to the base. Fuyuki flinched when he only just noticed the two silent bodyguards follow him.
"Well, he's here now, so we can start finding her." Fuyuki felt a relived sigh wash through him.
A cold breeze drifted through the still open door. Just before he closed it, Fuyuki caught sight of the night sky. Of the opulent moon and the tiny pin-prick of stars.
And he prayed.
"Please...where-ever Momoka is...let her be safe. Let her be somewhere that she can see the same stars as me."
(momo's POV)
The cell they tossed Momoka in was about six by eight feet. The walls were rust coloured and damp infested. There was an off-coloured, defeated looking mattress dumped in the corner. The only light came from the thread-thin crack in the steel doorframe, and the tiny, tiny window in the far top corner of the cell.
Out of the window, Momoka could get just the slightest of glimpses of the night sky. Of the opulent moon and the tiny pin-prick of stars.
"Fuyuki-kun..." She sobbed.
Chapter 4: WEAK