Thanks a lot for every review :)

(pre-writing) This is my fourth pot of tea tonight. My god, I have a long night – and day – ahead of me. Let's hope I get this chapter over soon, I have the greatest idea ever. Not that it hasn't been done before, but hey, what's ever totally new, right?^^"

… I'm sorry this chapter's not what you've expected, it was kind of a last minute decision to walk this way … that's the fourth time this has taken another turn than I planned … I mean, I always plan alternatives, but this was really last minute …^^

I hope you'll enjoy reading nevertheless.^^

Ina

Shuichi and Eiri had ridden the elevator down to ground level and gotten home separately, each taking a cab for themselves.

Eiri was still quite upset when he reached home. Thinking – or talking – about the incident always had that effect on him. They hadn't really said goodbye before they had left the building. He didn't know why. All he knew is that when they had reached the ground floor Shuichi had disappeared into a cab rather quickly, without saying a word. Eiri had thought about asking him to come home with him tonight, but had abandoned that thought the second he'd seen the expression on Shuichi's face. He couldn't quite place it, but it didn't scream "I want to go home with you, all you have to do is ask" at him, so he didn't.

Even now, Eiri's hands were twitching. He had touched Shuichi's skin once today. That incredibly soft skin he had been wanting to touch for ages it seemed. Oh how he had missed Shuichi. How he missed him right now. Maybe it hadn't been that good an idea to go there. Now he craved Shuichi even more. He hadn't been with him for so long. He wanted Shuichi, and bad at that. It hadn't been that bad this morning, it was bad now. Right now he wanted Shuichi more than food, water, air, anything. He was stressed out, stressed out, because he had no way of relieving the insane amount of want in any way.

And he hadn't even asked Shuichi to take him back, really. Telling someone you love them doesn't necessarily entail that you want them to take you back. He should have begged on his knees. Next time he saw Shuichi, he would. He would fall to his knees, beg and beg and beg until Shuichi either said yes or gave an ultimate no for an answer. He needed closure. If Shuichi didn't want him … then he would leave. New York would be his place to go, even though he despised the place for what Kitazawa had done to him, but if he could stay focused in any place, it was NYC. On the other hand, maybe he would go somewhere else entirely. Like Canada, England, Australia … any country, really, where you could get along with English.

He went to bed and tried to sleep, but sleep wouldn't come. Something didn't feel right. Not the usual, that he was alone in his bed, that there wasn't any warmth next to him, but something else entirely. He was worried sick and had no idea why. He got up when his phone rang, it was Tohma calling.

"Have you seen Shuichi?"

"Not since I left the party, why?"

"He didn't get home and didn't show up for practice today."

"What? Well, maybe he'll come in later?"

"For the last months he hasn't been late a minute …"

"Maybe he's a little stressed or something."

"A little stressed? Eiri, with this job you are permanently stressed out. He's used to it by now, he has to be. Otherwise he wouldn't survive this business. And when he wasn't with you he was never late, not a minute. I'm worried, Eiri."

"You're making me worried … what are you saying?"

"I think I should file a missing person's report."

"Shouldn't we wait, I don't know, a few hours?"

"The sooner they know, the sooner they can find him, if he's missing."

"I'm still not convinced he's missing at all."

"Trust me. And if he shows up, I can simply tell them to drop it."

"I don't like this Tohma."

"You think I like that?"

"Well, whatever … do what you got to do …"

Eiri and Tohma hung up simultaneously. Eiri started pacing his living room. That couldn't have been serious, could it? Shuichi couldn't be missing. Just because he hadn't come to work today didn't mean he had to be missing, did it, though it definitely explained the bad feeling he'd had all night long.

What the hell was happening here? Shuichi'd gotten into a cab and the next thing he knew he woke up in a sterile white room without windows and a lamp. He didn't see a door, he thought. How had he gotten here? And why was he dizzy?

A few hours later a policemen knocked on Eiri's door. "We would like to ask you some questions about Shindou Shuichi."

Eiri: "Sorry, what?"

Policewoman: "We are investigating a missing-person's case and would like to ask you a few questions."

Eiri (letting them in): "Shuichi has just been missing a few hours, is that really necessary?"

Policeman: "NG Records received a letter this morning, the envelope contained a lock of his hair and a piece of paper on which was typed

"Ich liebe dich, mich reizt deine schöne Gestalt;
Und bist du nicht willig, so brauch ich Gewalt." —
"Mein Vater, mein Vater, jetzt faßt er mich an!
Erlkönig hat mir ein Leids getan!" —

That is the seventh stanza of a German poem called "Erlkönig" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Translated that means

"I love you, your beautiful form entices me;
And if you're not willing, then I will use force."
"My father, my father, he's grabbing me now!
Alder king has done me some harm!" 1

This is the eights time something like this has happened, the subject always sends a message like this to the victim's workplace … the last six times we found a body four weeks later, mutilated. And, I know this sounds strange, but we are certain that it is the same person who abducted the other six victims … we have to ask you some questions so that we can find him more quickly. We have to find out why he abducted this specific person to be able to find out why he does things to them, establish patterns in his behavior. It helps us understand the subject, helps us find out what he will do next."

Eiri: "Whoa! Are you telling me my Shuichi's been missing for barely two hours and you already suspect a serial killer?"

Policewoman: "The sooner we start the investigation the sooner we can find the subject and hopefully prevent another death. So, do you mind answering a few questions?"

Eiri: "No, no, not at all."

Policewoman: "Does this poem mean anything to you or the abducted?"

Eiri: "No, not at all, I doubt Shuichi even knows the author. I heard it before, but it has no significance whatsoever."

Policewoman: "We suspect the person who abducts these people sends us a message with these poem fractions. We think that he might have chosen Shuichi because he is openly homosexual and successful nonetheless. He also doesn't kill his victims for weeks, which renders us positive that Shuichi is still alive. Shuichi would be his eights victim – he doesn't send the stanzas in the right order – and considering that the poem consists of eight stanzas this is our last chance to get that person."

Eiri: "I'll help you with everything I can …"

The officers had left a few minutes ago and Eiri was a wreck. He had been fairly composed when the officers had been around, his defenses were intact again, but now that they were away he sat on his bed, blinds closed, no light, rocking back and forth like he had done so many times before. Someone had kidnapped Shuichi. He'd just gotten him back – almost – and now he was gone, probably for good.

Eiri had no idea why these officers had questioned him about Shuichi and not about yesterday night, but assumed that crime novels and serieses just didn't depict it the right way, or maybe there were new interrogation techniques and whatnot.

Shuichi was gone. Every single thought revolved around that. He had to remain hopeful, if he assumed the worst case he wouldn't survive this, not relatively sane anyway.

Gosh, he'd gone through so much already, why was this happening? Was it a coincidence? Was someone playing a sick joke on all of them? Had Tohma arranged all this to be able to send Eiri into a mental hospital so he wouldn't disturb Shuichi's work any longer? Eiri's twisted mind was running wild, looking for anything and everything that would explain what was going on right now.

Why – if he was taken – had they taken Shuichi? Why not him? He could handle everything, everything except separation from Shuichi it seemed. At least that was what he talked himself into believing. Again, he felt like he was drowning – asphyxiated. He didn't know if he wanted to break the spell Shuichi'd created, but he sure as hell wanted to be himself again. They had to find Shuichi, soon, they just had to. He wouldn't survive the ultimate separation, not for long at least. But there was hope. There always was hope. Shuichi would get home safely and then Eiri could beg for forgiveness and for him to take Eiri back.

Why did someone send a poem when they kidnapped someone? Why not threaten the receiver and demanding money or something? And why would anyone want to harm someone like Shuichi? He was beautiful, a pure soul, innocent, pure, despite Aizawa. How the hell could something like this happen? Ever?

Where was he? Shuichi had woken up again, this time with a start. He'd heard a bang, like a door being slammed shut. There was food on a tray. He eyed it suspiciously. What if it was poisoned? What if whoever'd brought him here was wanting to kill him? Well, that wouldn't make sense, would it? They'd have killed him already if that was all they were after. He noticed that he was in another room. He could see the door, it was a heavy one, made from some kind of metal as far as Shuichi could say.

And there was a speaker in here.

"You are an abomination. The Lord does not want you to walk the earth. You have to be purified." A voice that sounded like someone changed it via computer or something said.

Shuichi was stunned. He'd been called many things, but an abomination? "How am I an abomination?" He carefully asked.

"You mate with other males, it's disgusting."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You are a homosexual. You are an abomination. God does not want scum like you to walk his holy earth."

Now that was just great. He most likely dealt with homophobia here. What should he do? Denial wouldn't help him, his relationship with Eiri had been all over the news. "How do you plan on purifying me?"

"Oh, you'll see soon enough. Eat, you'll need your strength."

"Still nothing?" Eiri asked the officers two days later. "No leads at all?"

"There are some leads, but that information is classified. We need to ask you if you remember anything you didn't tell us yet."

"I went over the last evening again and again. I didn't miss anything, I described to you everything I remember."

"What were you talking about? You said you were stuck up in that building for hours."

"That's … that's personal issues." Eiri was nervous. He couldn't tell them.

"Maybe they are related to this case, maybe they watched you up there."

"I can't … I can't tell you those things. Shuichi told me things in strict confidence and I did the same, that's nothing you just tell anybody."

"Sir, we need to know, if there are any things in the past of the two of you that would have made you a target."

"I don't think there is, officer. The things we discussed … they were extremely private. Nothing that would make anyone a target."

"You cannot know that. People have killed because of race, age, hair-color, success, sexual preferences, because they saw something they shouldn't have seen, because of money, environmental issues, you name it. A serial killer is nothing to be toyed with. Everyone has their special method to kill people, every single one of them has different preferences and issues. Everything could make a person a target."

"You think so?" Eiri asked in a defeated voice.

"I know so. Sir, you wouldn't believe the things I've seen."

Eiri swallowed and told the officers to clear the room; he would only tell one of them what they'd been talking about. Hopefully, that wouldn't leak to the press …

1 You can find the poem on wikipedia, if you search for 'Erlkönig' this is the rough translation, not the stylized version of it, which you both can find there.

Okay, before you kill me, consider this: I know this is awkward and strange and highly unlikely, in a way, but I found the idea to be quite intriguing. And Eiri's suffering a little more. He deserves that. (runs and hides)

... I really hoped I would be over this kind of awkward conversations ... grah ...

I hope I depicted my serial killer right. I know in that poem I chose are no hidden religious meanings, but I think it's just that the stanza kinda fits Shuichi. I hope my officers talk like real ones, I've never encountered one of those up until now and I hope I never will, so …

I would like to know if you like the way I am writing this, not the content, but more like the style of writing, though I'd appreciate comments on everything of course :)

Have a nice day

Ina