Chapter 14 is up and I'm damn sleepy.

Prontera Inn, 3:07 AM, Room 28

CRASH! CRASH! BONG! BONG! BOP! CRASH!

"DAMMIT, SENZO...!" Yoshiro yelled. "Yes, you play good, alright...? But that kind of music isn't exactly a lullaby...!"

Yoshiro was in bed with bloodshot eyes. After finally falling asleep, he and Haru were once again awakened by Senzo's new box drum.

"Senzo... you're playing is getting out of hand..." said Haru. "Couldn't you hear Suzuka banging on the wall from her room... telling you to keep it down...?"

"I thought I was playing so good, she couldn't help but join in!" said Senzo, smiling.

They heard some loud stomping...

...and Suzuka burst into the room with unbrushed, undone hair, wearing her nightdress.

"TAISEN SENZO YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING... DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT SLEEP IS?!" yelled Suzuka.

"Hey, Suzuka. I like your nightie, it shows a lot of leg."

"It DOES NOT!"

"Oops, I guess it was just my imagination..." said Senzo.

Suzuka's violent rants and Senzo's indifferent replies were interrupted, however...

"EEK!" shrieked a lady's voice suddenly. It came from downstairs.

Suzuka stopped yelling and turned her head to the source of the sound.

"What was that?" asked Haru, suddenly snapping out of his sleepy state.

"Probably a late reaction to Senzo's box drum racket..." Yoshiro joked. His voice still sounded drowsy.

Haru reached for his blindfold on his bedside table.

"This is serious, Yoshiro." he said, tying the blindfold over his eyes.

"Let's check it out." said Senzo, sliding his cajon to a nearby corner. He took his staff which was leaning against the wall.

"Dammit, we never get a rest..." said Yoshiro, climbing out of bed. He took one of his guns from one of the drawers and tucked it into the waistband of his pajama bottom. He felt too lazy to tie his long, messy hair. He took his glasses from the drawer as well, wiping them with his shirt.

"Yoshiro, hand me my axe, please." said Haru as he got out of bed.

CHAPTER 14: MARKINGS ON THE WALL

They climbed down the wooden stairs. The first floor of the inn was so dark, they couldn't see a thing. Senzo snapped his fingers and lit a small ember to shed some light on the place.

Everything seemed fine, contrary to the shriek they heard earlier. What could have happened?

They heard a strange rumbling noise...

A group of people ran towards the lobby where Yoshiro and company stood. The first floor was where the staff slept, so most likely, they heard the scream as well. The lights switched on.

They saw that the staff were holding bats, curtain racks, and other weapons they could find.

"What was that noise? Why are you up so late?" asked the old man who was standing by the light switch. He was holding a broom in his hand, suggesting he was the handyman.

"Which noise...? The scream?" asked Yoshiro, "Or Mr. Virtuoso here?" he pointed at Senzo.

"Both!"

"Sir, we can explain the racket... but we're just as clueless as you are about the scream."

One of the staff members looked around, noticing there was on member missing. "Where's Melissa?" he asked.

"Melissa!" exclaimed the old man. Anxious, he ran across the hall and opened one of the doors. "She's not in her room!" The old man walked back to the others, trembling. "Somebody took her..."

"Roger, please calm down..." said one of the crowd. He was probably the manager.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" yelled Roger. "My granddaughter is missing!"

Roger was shaking. He couldn't believe that his dear Melissa was abducted.

Suzuka then turned and saw something strange on the wall.

"Mr. Roger?" Suzuka said, "You might want to look at this."

Roger, along with everyone else, looked at the wall and saw them, circles that have been carved into the wall. They were in an unusual pattern.

"What's that?" wondered Yoshiro.

Haru walked up to the markings and felt them with his fingertips. "It must be a code. Somehow, it seems familiar."

Haru sighed and took his hand off the wall. He couldn't decode it.

"What do we do now?" Yoshiro asked.

"We find them." said Haru, "And this message is our first lead."

"How do you know it even means anything?" asked Senzo.

Haru turned his head to Senzo. "Because Sensei may have introduced me to this code. I just can't remember."

They decided to think it through.

Eventually, the sun rose.

"So... what do we do now...?" asked Yoshiro after emptying his fifth cup of coffee.

They were sitting in one of the tables of the inn. They were talking about what happened last night, and how they're going to find the mysterious kidnapper. A waiter came over to their table and served them their breakfast.

"Sorry if it don't taste so good," said the waiter as he placed down their plates, "Melissa was our cook, until she was kidnapped."

The breakfast for today was sausage and scrambled eggs, served with garlic rice.

"They weren't too shy about the garlic huh?" Suzuka whispered to the other three as she eyed the garlic rice, which looked more garlic than rice.

"Goddamn, it's salty!" yelled Yoshiro as he took a bite from his sausage, "Oh, well..."

Despite his repulsion, Yoshiro leaned forwards and gobbled his meal. In less than a minute, his plate was clean. Senzo and Suzuka stared at him in utter disbelief.

"What?" asked Yoshiro as he saw his friends' faces while he wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"You're gonna die of a heart attack before those ninjas find you, Spex." said Senzo.

"No, I think he'd choke on his food first." said Suzuka.

Word of Melissa's kidnapping spread quickly. That afternoon, almost everyone who knew Melissa knew about it.

Yoshiro, Senzo and Suzuka were in the guys' room. Yoshiro was on the workbench cleaning the insides of his guns. Senzo was sitting on his box drum, and Suzuka was sitting on one of the beds.

"Is Haru still downstairs?" asked Senzo.

"Yeah, I think he's got a crush on that wall." said Yoshiro, reattaching his guns' slides.

"Do you really think the markings mean anything?" asked Suzuka.

"If they were carved in that pattern, then they'd have to!" said Senzo.

"Yeah, 'Zuka." agreed Yoshiro. "We should check on him."

They all agreed. Yoshiro reassembled his pistols and went downstairs with Senzo and Suzuka.

"Guys, I've cracked it." said Haru after he heard their footsteps. His hand was feeling the markings. "It's the Braille coding system."

"What's 'brail'?" asked Yoshiro.

"It's a system of writing used by the blind," Haru replied, turning his head to them, "and this here is a ransom note."

"A ransom note?" asked Senzo.

"Yes."

"You think the kidnappers are blind too?"

"Definitely."

"What does it say, then?" asked Suzuka.

Haru read the code out loud, tracing his fingers across the markings, "We have the girl...If you want her back alive, leave 4 million Zeny behind Prontera church... If you send a single knight or crusader..."

"What? What does it say?" asked Suzuka.

"...we'll cut her throat."

"Aw, man..." said Senzo.

"They're threatening to kill her?" asked a voice from behind them. The four turned and saw that it was Roger. His face was expressionless and his skin was pale.

"Sir..." Yoshiro started. He wanted to say something to make Roger feel better, but he couldn't find the words. Instead, he walked out the front door.

Senzo, Suzuka, and Haru went after him.

"Spex, what's up?" asked Senzo as he stepped outside.

Yoshiro didn't say anything. He had his back turned to them and his hand seemed to be at his mouth.

Suzuka walked up to Yoshiro and turned him around. "Yoshiro... are you smoking?" she asked.

Yoshiro had a lit cigarette in his mouth. Seeing their surprise, he took it out, dropped it on the ground and stepped on it to put it out. He let out a fit loud coughing.

"(Cough) I'm sorry... (Cough)" said Yoshiro. Smoke was spouting out of his mouth.

"Damn, Spex, you smoke like a virgin." said Senzo.

"I am a virgin, Senz."

"Why'd you walk out on that guy?"

"I didn't walk out."

"Huh?"

Yoshiro wordlessly turned around and walked away. Senzo ran after him.

Senzo ran up to Yoshiro's right side. "Spex, where the hell are you going?" he asked.

"Melissa meant the world to Roger, Senz. I can't let those kidnappers do this to her."

"Are you going after them?" asked Senzo with a tone of anticipation in is voice.

"Yes. I'm going to Prontera Church."

"And you were gonna leave us here?" asked Haru's voice. It turns out Haru and Suzuka followed him as well.

"Kuroya Yoshiro, you selfish bastard!" said Senzo, "You can't just hog all the action to yourself!"

Yoshiro smiled at them.

"Let's go. That girl needs us."

-end of chapter

Would it kill you guys to write a review? lol, joke.