Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed last time! I really appreciate the comments! (For some reason, isn't letting me edit in the little 'hr' code.. It happened with the last chapter, too. I dunno if it's my computer or the site.. Anyone know what might be happening? I run on Safari.)
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Tezuka paced restlessly, his gaze flickering constantly from Fuji's abandoned bed to the warehouse doors. Everyone had returned safely, save for Inui and Atobe. Kaidoh was standing by a small window, wrapping his bandana around his fingers again and again as his eyes strained to see through the darkness. Jiroh was sitting in silence, his gaze trained on the warehouse door. Everyone else exchanged awkward glances, somewhat estranged by the situation. Those who had been a part of the expedition seemed shocked into silence, but it was obvious to anyone that something had gone very, very wrong.
--
Atobe limped through the trees, his face contorted in a mixture of pain and determination. He couldn't hear the soldiers anymore, but it was unlikely that they had given up the chase. If they had bothered to send troops out to pick up a bunch of kids, they must have had an incentive for capturing them in the first place.
The warehouse wasn't far anymore; he could distinctly see the shape of the large building against the starry sky. WIth his last ounce of strength, Atobe pushed forward, driving his aching legs toward the large, steel doors. Wrenching them open, he barged into the building, expecting utter chaos. Instead, however, he found the group sitting in complete silence, the only sound being the repetitive thump of Tezuka's footsteps as he paced across the floor. Eyes wide, he felt his knees buckle as his legs gave way. Shaking his head, he landed on the ground with a soft thud, the words already forming in his mouth.
"What the hell is going on here? We could be ambushed by a group of armed soldiers at any minute, and you are all sitting around watching Tezuka pace? We need to get out of here, now! You!" He pointed at Oshitari, Mukahi, and Jiroh. "Pack medication. Anything you can fit into a bag comes with us! Oishi, Kikumaru, Momoshiro, and Echizen! Pack food! Anyone else, just put anything we might need in a bad and prepare to flee. We don't have time to dawdle!" He glared around the room, panting hard. Everyone stared back, before all at once, there was a mad dash for the shelves as the boys hastily swept things they couldn't even name into duffel bags.
"Atobe."
It was Tezuka.
"What?" the Hyouteian spat.
"Fuji's missing. We can't leave without him. Inui hasn't returned, either-"
"I'm right here, Tezuka." Kaidoh whirled around at the sound of his senpai's voice. Inui stood in the center of the warehouse, his clothes torn and bloody.
"Senpai," Kaidoh whispered, starting toward the data specialist. Tezuka and Atobe watched as the two shared a long, meaningful look, before turning away to join the others in the packing frenzy. FInally, Atobe turned back to Seigaku's captain, his face hard, and his mouth set in a grim line.
"Tezuka, I understand that you're worried about Fuji, but we cannot risk the lives of our teammates to wait for someone who may already be dead. We can keep an eye out for him as we move to a new location, but we don't have to time to waste looking for him!" Tezuka's eyes narrowed at Atobe's words.
"You have no idea what you're talking about, Atobe."
"Perhaps not, but I know where I stand when it comes to priorities, Tezuka! It is perfectly reasonable to value fifteen lives over one!"
Tezuka did not reply. Instead, he strode over to the pile of duffel bags that had accumulated in the center of the room, grabbed the top one, and slung it over his shoulder as he continued toward the back door.
"We best leave now, then, before it gets light." His voice was cold and harsh, and as he turned to face the group, his eyes glinted with a steely malice. Exchanging worried glances, the two teams followed after him, shivering slightly as the cold night air snaked around them.
"There's a neighborhood just the other side of the school fence," Atobe whispered, falling into step beside Tezuka.
"We'll go there, then."
--
The group proceeded quickly and silently, no one daring a word. They were aware of every sound, and anything unnatural sent them scurrying off the path, into the shadows of the trees. Within thirty minutes, they had left the school grounds and were now weaving their way through the abandoned streets in soundless awe. The houses were completely abandoned, their windows dark. Doors had been flung open, and clothes and bags littered the sidewalks, abandoned by the citizens as they had met their fate. Tezuka lead the group through several dark alleyways, bringing them deeper into the city. There was absolutely no sign of life, nor death. The streets were completely bare of bodies.
"Strange," Oishi mulled. "It's almost as if people left by will."
"Mmm," Inui agreed from somewhere behind him. "If there was any killing, they did it cleanly."
"But they shot at us, senpai," Kaidoh reminded him. "Recklessly, too."
"Perhaps because we were fleeing," Inui replied. "Although why they would care about a fairly harmless group of middle school students, I don't know.."
"It doesn't look like they left anyone behind," Kawamura speculated, looking around. "Perhaps they aren't here to kill.. Maybe they have another incentive?"
"But what could that be?" Inui mumbled.
"We're here," Tezuka interjected. Looking up, the group found themselves in front of a small, inconspicuous house. Placed on a back alley, it was well out of sight and protected by the tall apartment buildings on either side.
"Nicely chosen, Tezuka," Atobe commented, moving up the front steps. He pushed the front door open all the way with his foot and poked his head in. "It looks safe," he called, and disappeared inside. The rest followed warily, dragging their bags and surveying the house with apprehensive gazes.
Inside, the house was completely dark. Echizen reached for a light switch, but was quickly halted by Oshitari, who shook his head.
"Lights will give us away," he whispered.
"It's so strange," Kikumaru cried, "nothing's out of place!"
It was true. The house looked as if its inhabitants had simply been erased from the earth. Lunch sat on the table, and a book lay open on the living room table.
"It's vaguely creepy," Momo admitted, looking around.
"Really creepy," Ootori agreed. Shishido immediately grabbed his hand and rubbed his thumb against the taller boy's palm. Choutarou offered him a small smile, which he determinedly returned, before starting forward toward the kitchen, where everyone else had convened. Inside, people were talking in low voices, discussing the possibilities of the soldiers searching the area.
"Tezuka, what do you-- Tezuka?" Oishi looked around, his eyes wide. "Where is he?"
--
The sun was already beginning to rise over the hills in the distance as Tezuka wove his way back through the neighborhood streets. Cursing softly, he ducked into an alley and gazed across the street at the fence surrounding Hyoutei's grounds. Light already kissed the tops of the trees, and in the distance, he could see helicopters turning circles above what would most likely be central Tokyo.
Taking a deep breath, he shrank back into the shadows before dashing across the street. Nimbly slipping under the fence, he sprinted deep into the grounds, finally coming to a stop beneath a tall tree. Collapsing against the trunk, he let his eyes survey the land, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach. This area alone was massive. What was the chance he would ever find Fuji?
"Tezuka?"
The captain whirled around, his eyes wide.
"Fuji?"
The tensai stood before him, his face pale. Blood trickled down his face from a long gash on his forehead, and his voice had been ragged and breathless.
"Tezuka.." Fuji stumbled forward, reaching toward him. Tezuka hurriedly stretched out to catch him, pulling the frail body close to his.
"It's alright, Fuji," he mumbled, unable to stop the tears from welling up in his eyes. "It's okay." He breathed in the tensai's scent, reveling in their closeness. Finally, he pulled away, immediately despising the cold morning air that replaced Fuji's comforting warmth. Gripping the boy's hand instead, he motioned for him to follow. Fuji looked at him uncertainly. "Can you walk?" The tensai shook his head. "I'll carry you, then." Hesitantly, he bent over. Fuji slowly climbed onto his back, wrapping his arms around Tezuka's neck. Rising, the captain carefully placed Fuji's legs around his waist before starting back toward the fence. They had gone but two steps, however, when there was a shout from somewhere behind them.
"Hey! You! Stop!" Fuji's eyes snapped open.
"Tezuka," he rasped, "put me down and run."
"No," Tezuka replied, shifting his weight slightly and breaking into a slow jog. "I'm not leaving you behind."
"Don't be foolish, Tezuka! I'm as good as dea--" Tezuka released his grip on the tensai's legs, sending Fuji plummeting toward the ground. Before the tensai could fall completely, however, he reached back and grabbed Fuji's hand, quickly guiding him under the fence. Tezuka began fumbling to pick Fuji up again, but the tensai twisted out of his grip and instead pushed him to the ground as a bullet whizzed through the air above them.
"Fuji," he breathed, gazing in awe at the clear, blue eyes shining down on him. They stayed like that for a moment, until another shot rang out through the grounds. Scurrying to his feet, Fuji pulled the captain up and broke into a run, his strides weak and unsteady.
"C'mon Tezuka, I can run a little bit, see?" he panted, looking over his shoulder.
"Ah... There are houses we can take refuge in not too far from here. Can you make it?"
"Of course!"
They ran quickly, dipping in and out of alleys and through rows of shrubbery. The shouts of the soldiers weren't far behind them when they turned a corner, leading them directly to a dead end.
"In here," Tezuka whispered, pulling Fuji alongside a tall, dark house. The side door hung open, barely clinging to its hinges. Ducking inside, the pair retreated to a dark corner in the back of the house. They sat in silence, Fuji's eyes shut tight and Tezuka's constantly sweeping the house, searching for any sign of life. Outside, the soldiers were banging around, firing random bullets and calling to each other in their awkward language. Someone shouted something particularly loudly, and there was a scurry of movement in the street as the sounds grew fainter. Fuji opened his eyes, a slight glow of relief accentuating the eerie blue.
"They thought they saw footprints going the other direction," he explained. Tezuka raised an eyebrow.
"You.."
"Speak English, yeah. My dad works in London, so he teaches us whenever he comes back to visit."
"Ah."
"Tezuka.." Fuji gazed hard at the floor, moving his fingers in circles on the wood. "Why did you come look for me?"
"I.." Tezuka paused. He knew why he had gone to find the tensai, it was written clearly across his mind. Yet, he didn't know how to explain it, other than.. "I knew you weren't dead." Cringing mentally, he cast a wary gaze at Fuji. That wasn't exactly what he had wanted to say.
"Oh." Fuji didn't seem particularly affected.
"Why did you run away when you woke up?"
"I panicked."
"Ah."
"You weren't there. I hadn't had a chance to call Yuuta before..." he trailed off, his eyes closed again. "He's dead, isn't he."
"Yuuta?"
"No. Kabaji."
Tezuka's eyes widened slightly before he nodded, slowly.
"Ah."
Fuji looked away, tears threatening to spill down his cheeks.
"It was my fault, Tezuka. I started running toward the main building.. I had to let Yuuta know.. Kabaji shouted after me, telling me I was going the wrong way. I didn't listen, though, and then.. The bomb went off, and he threw himself on top of me." Fuji slowly trailed a slender finger through a teardrop, spreading the saltwater across the floor. "Tezuka.. It's like.. I killed him."
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BLEH. Sorry, guys. This chapter? Big thumbs down. I'll probably try and rewrite it or give it a serious edit sometime soon.. Ugh.. Hopefully you guys managed to survive through it.. Reviews are welcome, if you can stand commenting on this awful chapter.