Title: Terror…
A/N: *wail* I'm REALLY REALLY sorry. I had a terrible writer's block and had no idea how to continue. Funnily it was my chemistry teacher who gave me the idea. Not directly, of course… and actually, it has nothing much to do with chemistry either. He was just talking about Einstein and I got an idea…sometimes it does pay to listen to teachers…hehehe. Look, this fic was not meant to be so long… but I just don't know how to end it, and I'm just expanding the plot more and more. I hope you guys bear with me… hehehe. Well, then, read on!!
Akira: Err… U would kill me? *whispers*… nyahahaha…. Hisashi-sempai? The figure? I don't think so… I'm not sure though. Don't tell me you haven't gotten over Hisashi's death… whops… ehehe… *runs off with Akira chasing her*
Sakura88: Do you speak English at home? I mean… if you do, isn't it a little waste of time to go for English tuition? Oh, good… at least you're not going to kill me… hehehe.. well, read on.
Crazy4u:Really? Thanks a lot!!! Though I wouldn't dream on taking her place… she's too good. Err…? No more killing? Hhehehehehe… ehehehe,,,, ehehe.. ehe….
J2ain: I told you before, but I'll tell you again, you have TERRIFIC ideas… I mean it!! hehe… I myself have no idea whatsoever how Mitsui's watch can help… I dunno… it would be cool if Maki could come out of the reed door, all save and sound…. I myself would love that. But… read on… it's hard to explain. I don't think he's going to be able to come out by that red door, unhurt and all….
Krappkarmin: Those four are my favorite characters too… but… I'm not sure if I can keep… err, nvm, read on, and then you'll know who I'm talking about… hehehe
Chapter 19- Time
Maki continued inching forwards, slowly, apprehension still gripping him in a death grip. It felt cold, it felt extremely weird… it felt as if he was shrinking. Maki shivered slightly.
Baka! You can't be shrinking, he reprimanded himself sternly, trying to convince himself that the corridor was the one that was expanding. But deep in him, he knew better.
Each step he took, he felt smaller. Each step took a bucketful of courage to perform. Each step seemed to kill a part of him, he just didn't know why! He felt lighter, more empty as he passed knight-suites after knight-suites. Knowledge and experience seemed to be oozing out of him.
After what felt like an hour, he stopped, taking in a deep breath. Without much of a thought, Maki turned behind, to see how far he had gone. He had, after all, been walking in a straight line all the while. A small gasp escaped his open mouth at the sight of what stood behind him. Utter darkness and nothingness. Immediately, he turned to the front, eyeing everything around him suspiciously. But everything looked exactly the way it looked a minute ago. Everything looked real enough. For the second time that night, Maki reached down fearfully, and touched the floor.
Real.
The red carpet he was standing on was real. However, a foot after where his feet were, the red carpet disappeared into nothingness. Maki turned his whole body to the back, now facing the… void. It felt… strange, looking at nothing.
Slowly, he edged backwards a little and sat down on the red carpet, his leg folded in front of him. Before his very eyes, he saw the floor where his legs once were, disappearing.
Maki took a deep breath. He reached out a little, and then, suddenly plunged his hand into the darkness. Immediately he felt excruciating pain. There was a strong force pulling him from the other side, so strong, he felt as if his hand was being torn apart. Maki stifled a scream, not knowing why. There was no one there to hear him anyway… but that was the last thing on his mind right now. He could feel that it, whatever it was, yearned to suck his whole body in, tearing it apart just the way it was tearing his hand apart, and he was determined not to let it do so. It hurt too much.
Acting impulsively, he quickly pulled his hand away from that… thing. One hand groping the red carpet behind him, his legs pushing against the carpet as hard as he could, he uttered a soft scream as searing hot pain crushed his bones… or at least it felt like it was crushing his bones.
Just when he felt as if he was losing to that force, he managed to pull out, and was thrown backwards by his own momentum. Breathing hard, mouth open, he saw the floor and the surroundings in front of him magically dissolving into emptiness and darkness. He took in a deep shaky breath.
Now there's seriously no turning back, he thought sourly. He inspected his hand carefully. There was no sign of it having nearly been torn out of its socket, as how Maki felt a few moments ago. The pain too had left, leaving almost no trace that it had been there. When he was satisfied that it was okay, he turned back forwards and proceeded on. With each step, his mood and morale lowered.
* * * * * * * *
'Damn it! Why can't we move?' Sakuragi swore.
'Maa, maa, Sakuragi,' Kongure muttered, patting the tall boy. One look at the blank look the bespectacled boy's face held told the whole world that he was merely doing that out of habit. His mind was wondering in another world.
A soft wind swirled around them. The rain was now thinning, but Sendo still felt cold. All he wanted to do now was to snuggle in his bed; after a sumptuous meal that was; and fall asleep with the covers pulled right up till his chin… or maybe even over his head. All at once, Sendo felt a surge of hot fury. How could their lives be destroyed in a matter of hours like that? What gave whichever idiot who was trying to destroy their lives the right to do so? His anger blazed from within, lighting up a bluish-whitish flame in front of his eyes.
'ArrrrgggggggghhhhhhhHHHHHHH!!!' Sendo screamed suddenly, taking all the others by surprise, as he rammed into the barrier with all his might. Everything in him was focused on the whitish flame.
I'll call it hope, Sendo thought impetuously, as he ran pass where Jin stopped. I'll call it hope.
Everything blanked out.
Sendo opened his eyes to a good quantity of whispering and cheering. He turned back, and realized the truth. He had made it! He was out!! At long last… he had made it.
'Sendo? How'd you…?' Jin's mouth was slightly open. Sendo shook his head,. Indicating that he had no idea whatsoever of how he did it. All he remembered was shutting his eyes after passing where Jin was. He shut his eyes, putting everything into that white flame… his energy, anger, hurt, happiness, depression… everything, focused only in that imaginary flame… and… and… that was all. He was not stopped. He didn't feel anything pushing him back.
Gasps pierced his ears, and he guided his mind back to reality. He could hear footsteps getting louder and more insistent, and in a few seconds, Rukawa was standing in front of him, looking more spent and tired out compared to him.
Rukawa grinned a little, something he had never done since he was about six. However, his grin was wiped out from his face as he saw Sendo's eyes widen with shock and terror. He tuned back towards Shoyo High, a sense of foreboding puckering within him.
'Na…ni?' he whispered, his normally detached face filled with shock and fear.
* * * * * * * *
Maki continued shuffling forwards, feeling terrible distressed, angry and irritated. It was unfair after all, wasn't it?
'Maybe I should just let myself fall backwards,' Maki thought aloud, pushing a memory that was shooting up his subconscious away absently.
As he continued forwards, he still felt as if he was shrinking, getting smaller… younger. And, he realized that memories after memories kept pricking him, flashing past his eyes. He could still feel the knowledge and experience seeping out of him, and deep in him, he wondered.
* * * * * * * *
A black mist was slowly settling down in front of the gate, obscuring Rukawa's view of the others still in Shoyo. He caught sight of Shoyo's building then, and felt that Maki was calling out for help. He dismissed that thought quickly. If the thing hadn't killed him yet, then Maki was in deep trouble. It must want to torture him…
Rukawa shook his head hard. Ordering himself to stop thinking such stupid thoughts, even though he knew it was not all that ludicrous; he looked over at Sendo, as if asking for instructions. Sendo, however, was inching forward slowly until he was nearly touching the fog.
'Guys? Koshino? Can you all hear me?'
'Sendo? What the hell is wrong?' Hanagata's voice penetrated though the mist, a little confused, and more than a little annoyed.
'I dunno, I think we're blocked by this black fog so that both of us can't move either way.'
'Black? You mean red, don't you?... don't you?' Kiyota asked. His voice was really anxious, as if the colour black meant death to him.
'Don't yo… ARGH!' Kiyota cut himself off with a scream.
'Hey… what the hell?!! Sendo, Rukawa! Do something why don't you?!! The fog is coming closer to us… Oi, Sendo!' Fujima screamed in such a hurry that they could hardly discern what he was saying.
'Err…' Sendo stammered, not really knowing what to do. He looked over to Rukawa instead, as if asking for instructions.
'I was the one who looked to you, don't you look at me like that,' Rukawa muttered, walking closer to where Sendo was.
'But…'
'I don't know what to do.'
'Well, I don't either,' Sendo groaned.
'Umm… Sendo, I hope you guys haven't forgotten us and ran off on your own,' Fukuda called out.
'No, we didn't even think about it… but that's an idea,' Sendo replied sarcastically.
'Hey, don't blame us for having our doubts. That was what you did to Maki anyway,' Takesago's voice pierced through the mist, making Sendo irritated. But he held himself back.
'Rukawa? Help u… AHHHHHHHH!!!'
'Aya-chan! AYA-CHAN!!!' Miyagi's screamed.
'Hey, what is happening over there?' Rukawa called out quickly.
'Stop screaming Miyagi! What is happening?' Sendo asked, louder than Rukawa.
'It… it took Ayako,' Jin's voice was a near whisper.
'It took Aya…' Jin voice was interrupted by another scream from Ayako.
'Where?' Rukawa was scared, hell, he was terrified and panicky.
'Where?!" he repeated, louder and with more urgency.
'Into the fog dammit!! Into the fog! The black fog,' Kiyota said, his voice hushing at the last sentence. His voice no longer the loud and noisy voice, but hushed and scared. This was something he knew… something he was familiar with… something that had always visited him in his dreams… something from his past. His past… with Maki, when he met Maki….
Before Sendo could stop Rukawa, he plunged into the mist, not screaming, not uttering a sound. Ayako was his senior, one of the only people he could relate with… because she reminded him of Saori-nee-san… and he wasn't letting her go. Not after Saori-nee-san.
'Sendo,' Uozumi was whimpering now.
'Wait. Rukawa just did a suicide mission by plunging himself in. Can you guys stop for a while to let me think?'
* * * * * * * *
Maki stopped walking.
Something very weird is happening in here. I know it… feel it, he thought as he lifted a hand to wipe a bead of sweat from off his brow.
Maki happen to glimpse his palm as he was lowering his hand, and with rising horror pulled it toward his eyes, scrutinizing it with immense concentration. His hands were getting smaller, smoother, fairer… younger.
A tear slid down Maki's eyes. He now fully understood what was happening to him.
A slim cut ran all the way up his palm.
A/N: Errr… was that a cliffhanger? Sorry if it is, couldn't help it. *grins apologetically* Rukawa has NOT died yet, so spare me first, ne?