A/N: Okay, before I start off with the fic, I'd like to thank Allie for pointing out the mistakes that I failed to notice in e-mail. Thank you so SOO much! Concerning the CIA, I didn't really realize what I've done wrong with that unti Allie pointed it out. I just remembered that CIA, I THINK, stands for California Investigation Agency (?) Please do correct me if I'm wrong. -_-' But all I know/remember is that the CIA are only in the U.S. XP Okay, well, let's just say this: pretend that they have different CIA agencies scattered around the world, (unless they already do) but they still work for the U.S. Catch my drift? Good. And instead of Aleron Thorn being framed, as Allie said, he's being charged. *sweat drops* Thank you once again Allie!!!
Anyway, I guess while I'm here, I might as well say my thank you's to the people who reviewed the last chapter ^^! Thank you to: Nadine, Syvonair, fefa-chan, Megami No Hikari, KyteAura, Jess, ms. evil, kawaiiaznangel36, and June. Thanks everyone! =) Nooowww on with the chapter!
Don't Say You Love Me
Chapter Eight: Tour de Paris
By: Azure Rosas
3:45 P.M.
The winter afternoon could find Eriol pulling his car to a quiet stop somewhere behind the building. Pulling down the window, he looked at the warehouse where his aura led him to. This is where he felt Tomoyo's presence most strong at. Closing the window, he parked his car somewhere out of eyeshot from anyone inside the building and allowed his grasp on his magic to relax, along with his muscles. A few drops of sweat rolled down his forehead as he panted lightly and gripped the wheel firmly. It took a lot more out of him then he expected to search for Tomoyo using his magic. But unlike the last time he used it, he didn't feel as drained as before. That must mean he's growing more accustomed to using his powers once again.
Turning off the car engine, he regained his composure and began to load his guns with bullets. He pocketed the weapons in the holsters, and hid some in his shoe or in the back of his pants. With an extra gun in hand, he turned off the safety, exited out of his car, and glanced around cautiously for any sign of life. Jogging behind a pile of boxes, he looked towards the entrance of the warehouse.
One man with dirty blonde hair and black shades could be seen with his back leaning against the wall and a cigarette in hand. Eriol's keen eyes glanced around everywhere and didn't catch any other person around. But still, people could be hiding, waiting to ambush anyone crazy enough to try and rescue Tomoyo. He would've used his magic to pick up any other presence, but he decided to rely on his instincts and reserve the rest of his energy for any sort of struggle or fight there maybe.
He turned the silencer on his gun before closing one eye and taking aim. Eriol was about to pull the trigger, when a black car pulled up in front of the warehouse. He cursed silently underneath his breath, withdrew, and hid deeper behind the boxes. The guy, or Romare as we know him, grinned when four men filed out of the car. He greeted them and led them into the warehouse.
Eriol heaved a sigh as he racked his hands through his hair. He was hoping it would've been easy, but with four extra men (all of them looking well armed), things just became more complicated. Licking his dry lips, he studied the warehouse in hopes to find another entrance besides the front door. His eyes spotted the stairs that was made for an emergency exit. It led up to the second floor windows. He smirked.
Meanwhile
Tomoyo blinked away her tears when hearing the front door being opened and closed. She lift her head up only to find Romare, followed by four other men, enter the building. They all exchanged glances and Tomoyo felt more than nervous under their gazes and smirks.
"Is that the chick?" one man asked, jabbing a thumb towards the tied up Tomoyo.
Romare nodded his head and slumped into the chair by the round table. "Yeah. That's her all right."
"I wouldn't mind havin' this babe for myself," another commented, forcefully grabbing her chin, making her look at him straight in the eye. She glared at him and pulled her face from his grasp. His brown eyes glinted in amusement as he smirked evilly. "Feisty one, aren't we?"
Romare sent them all a glare. "Hey! The Daidouji girl's off limits. Aleron said no one's to touch her."
They all took a seat at the table and the third man with orange-yellow eyes grinned crookedly. "Figures. He just wants her all to himself."
The fourth man with silver tinted sunglasses dealed a stack of cards he pulled from his pocket. A lit cigarette stuck out from the corner of his mouth and an unlit one was tucked securely behind his right ear. He never went without an extra cigarette. He was known as Xavier and he looked the strongest and toughest of the whole lot. As soon as they had their share of cards, they began to play a little game of Poker.
Tomoyo twisted her face in disgust at the men as they smoke and drank beer that Vel, the man with the brown eyes, brought. She was glad she was far apart from them so she wouldn't have to smell the smoke that hovered thickly around them. She sighed silently while closing her eyes; her mind drifting off to an image of a certain sapphire eyed magician. 'Oh Eriol... Where are you?'
Eriol climbed silently down the window sill and clambered down the boxes beneath him. He landed quietly on the metal floor and slowly approached the railing. He peered over it to see Romare, along with the others playing Poker, and Tomoyo tied and bound to a chair a few feets away from them. He was relieved to see that no damage was inflicted upon her, but couldn't help but notice how flushed her cheeks looked. 'Don't worry Tomoyo, I'll get you out of here...'
He was going to have to kill them all quickly and get Tomoyo out of there. He just found it a shame that Aleron wasn't one of the men so he could've had the chance to kill him then and there. Holding his breath, he readied his gun, took aim, and fired. Vel's head slammed against the table and he neither moved nor made an attempt to move. They were confused at his actions, not hearing the gun shot considering that Eriol put on the silencer.
"Aye, Vel, this ain't no time to be sleepin'," Michael, the third one to speak when they entered, said as he roughly prodded Vel with his gun. But Vel simply fell off his chair and landed limply onto the ground. Xavier knelt beside him and saw the trail of blood coming from the back of his head.
"Everyone, take cover!!!" Xavier shouted, everyone ducking onto the ground just as a bullet pierced through Romare's chair.
"Shit," Eriol cursed under his breath, hiding in the shadows of the wall. He still had the advantage from his high position.
They turned off the safety's of their guns and carefully looked around for any signs of the person who fired that bullet. From the angle that bullet came from, Xavier knew where Eriol was hiding. "He's somewhere on the second floor!"
Eriol fired from the shadows, but in his haste, narrowly missed Xavier's head. He mentally kicked himself for his stupidity and fired again. They scattered in separate directions so whoever it was that was firing down at them, would have a harder time. Romare came up behind Tomoyo and untied her before heaving her up onto her feet. He held her arms behind her back and kept his gun pressed against her forehead.
"I suggest you quite firin' or the Daidouji girl gets it."
Eriol's eyes darted to Tomoyo and Romare and he lowered his gun. When Romare was satisfied that he wouldn't fire, he glared at nothing in particular and allowed his eyes to wander along the shadows of the second floor.
"Come out and keep your arms where I can see them."
Eriol obediently stepped out from his hiding place with his arms in the air in a show of defeat. Tomoyo's eyes went wide as her heart seemed to do a flip. Even though they were in a bad situation, she was glad that he was there and she felt more than happy that he tried to rescue her. Xavier kept his gun aimed at Eriol as he climbed down the stairs. Romare gave him a warning glance. "Drop your weapons."
He dropped his gun and it clattered against the ground. Xavier eyed him. "Do you take us for fools? I know you have more weapons, now unarm yourself or we will kill Daidouji."
Eriol didn't make a move to follow Xavier's orders as a lazy smirk crossed his face. "Do you expect me to believe that you would actually kill Tomoyo when Aleron gave specific orders that no one was to touch her or even kill her? Does he not want her alive?"
He proved a point. They remained silent before Michael spoke up, "Oh screw what Aleron wants! We don't really care up to this point. And if you value your own life, I suggest you drop whatever weapons you have to the floor."
Eriol shrugged and did what he was told to do. Gun after gun clattered against the ground, followed by a few blades and pocket knives. He glanced at Tomoyo, Romare, at Michael, at Xavier, then at the last man who was mostly silent throughout the whole time (Except for when they entered the warehouse. He was the one that said "Is that the chick?"). A red cap was on his head followed by sunglasses. His lips were held in a firm line and he kept his gun pointed at Eriol, who felt as if he's known the man from somewhere... He just couldn't put his finger on it...
"Now, who are you?" Romare demanded to know.
"I'm CIA Agent Eriol Hirrigazawa," he replied calmly. "And all of you including Aleron Thorn are under arrest for taking part in the kidnap of Tomoyo Daidouji."
Michael sneered and spat. "You're in no position to be putting anyone under arrest, if you've forgotten who has the upper hand?"
Eriol smirked, a mysterious glint in his eye. "Oh, my dear friend, I have the upper hand, not you. Do you know who you're messing with?" They didn't reply and his smirk widen. "I didn't think so."
"Let's just kill him," Michael snarled angrily, his gun pointed threateningly at Eriol's chest. "I've had enough of his talk."
Before they could possibly fire at him, in one swift movement, Eriol reached down, grabbed a gun, took aim, and fired. Michael's eyes went wide as his pistol slipped from his grasp and landed with a light thud against the ground. His body fell after his fallen gun and he lied there, dead. Eriol failed to notice Xavier sneak up behind him. He went completely stiff when the cold steal of Xavier's gun pressed against the back of his neck. He would've react and turned around, but the mysterious man with the cap pointed his own gun at Eriol's forehead. He was trapped now.
Tomoyo's eyes went wide in horror and worry. She struggled desperately to escape Romare's hold, but he was too strong for her. Her eyes welled with tears when hearing Romare's next command,
"Kill him!"
The man with the cap began to apply pressure on the trigger and Eriol tightly shut his eyes. He was waiting for the bullet to pierce his head any second now. Tomoyo closed her own eyes. A gun shot filled the air, and he still waited for the kill. But... it never came.
He blinked owlishly to find himself still standing in front of the mysterious man. A trail of smoke came from the bullet hole. He heard a light thud behind him and he turned around to see Xavier drop to the ground dead. He looked back at the man in confusion.
"Who... are you?"
Tomoyo opened her eyes to find Eriol still alive. A wave of relief washed over her. Instead of answering Eriol's question, the mystery figure turned around and aimed his gun at Romare. His eyes went wide when realizing that he was all alone. It was two against one. He had no chance. Before anyone could stop him, he pushed Tomoyo towards them, causing her to stumble and collide against the man with the cap. Romare took his opportunity and ran out of the warehouse, a few gun shots following after him. It was too late to stop him. He was out the door and driving away in the black car before anyone could possibly kill him.
He mumbled a curse and turned around to find Tomoyo jumping into Eriol's arms. He hugged her tightly, a faint grin fluttering across their faces. He put away his gun and couldn't help but smirk at their reunion.
"Eriol! I'm so glad you came!" she exclaimed, lifting her head up to meet his sapphire orbs.
He smiled at her. "And I'm glad that you're all right." Eriol frowned. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"
She shook her head. "No." A look somewhere between sleepiness and happiness was etched on her face. "They didn't hurt me."
Eriol creased his eyebrows in worry. "Tomoyo, daijoubu desu ka? You look sick..."
"Daijoubu," she murmured sleepily, her head resting against his chest. "Really, I am..."
He swept her off her feet and into his arms. "Rest, Tomoyo. I'll get you to a hospital so they could treat your fever..." She smiled in content and didn't bother to reply. She cuddled closer to him and instantly fell into a dreamless slumber.
"You still love her... huh?"
Eriol lifted his head up and looked at the man with the cap and sunglasses. The only thing evident on his face was the smile. Eriol glared at him. "Who are you?"
"You know who I am, Hirrigazawa, you just don't know it," he replied, still wearing the same grin.
"Why did you save me?" Eriol asked suspiciously.
He waved his hand to dismiss Eriol's questions. "I'll tell you later. We have to get outta here. That guy's probably gonna inform Aleron about what happened and more of his men will be after her." They walked out of the warehouse, Eriol still feeling suspicious about him. Usually, people were suspicious of him. It was never him suspicious of someone else. He would've laughed at that, but this wasn't the time to be laughing. "We have to get back to Paris and fast before they come after us."
"But... how do I know that I can trust you?" Eriol asked once they reached his car. He lye Tomoyo on the back seat.
"Does it help to inform you that I'm an F.B.I Agent?" he questioned.
He didn't reply. For some reason, he felt as if he could trust this guy, and he promised to trust his instincts, so trust them is what he was going to do. "Fine, whatever. Hop in."
Once they were in, Eriol started the car. He shifted the gear in reverse, pulled out of his parking, then shifted the gear again and pressed down on the pedal. The car rounded the corner and he drove off towards the entrance of the highway.
4:50 P.M.
Eriol chanced a side ways glance at the mystery man next to him, hoping to find or distinguish anything else about him besides that familiar, deep frown and the familiar deep voice. His sunglasses and the dull glow of the dark clouds looming over head cast shadows across his eyes, which dashed Eriol's hopes of recognizing this man on his own. He heaved a silent sigh of defeat and returned his attention to the road. He would've checked to see if he had magic, but he needed to conserve energy. Glancing over his shoulder, he smiled when noticing how peaceful and content Tomoyo looked while sleeping.
"What were you doing with those guys back there?" Eriol questioned, facing the road.
"I was assigned an undercover mission to dig up some dirt on Aleron Thorn," he replied, not bothering to glance at Eriol. "And what better way to do that then pretending to be another of his little possies?"
"Did you find anything?"
He nodded. "Yeah, plenty of proof to send him in jail for a life time. But the thing about Thorn is that he never goes down without a fight... so bringing him to jail will be a lot harder."
Eriol agreed wholeheartedly with that. "True. Will he be executed?"
"Probably," the man with the cap answered, bringing his hands behind his head and leaning back in his passenger's seat.
"How long have you been doin' this mission?" Eriol asked out of curiosity.
"Up till now... one year and three months."
Eriol whistled in surprise. "Woah. Got any wife and kids?"
He nodded. "Yeah. One kid."
"And you haven't seen any of them in more than a year!?"
"Yep. But we kept in contact..."
"The wife must be mad, huh?" Eriol asked with a hint of humor.
"You have no idea."
The car was silent after that and all that could be heard was the usual sounds you'd hear on a highway: the engines of cars... the passing of cars... the loud radios from cars... and the sound of helicopters and motorcycles right behind your car... Wait, helicopters and motorcycles!?
Eriol looked over his shoulder and his eyes went wide when finding themselves being pursued by a dozen or so bikers, a few nice speedy black cars, and one chopper right above them. "WHERE THE HELL DID THEY ALL COME FROM!?!"
"Ahh shit!" the man with the cap cursed, having to look twice and rub his eyes just to make sure he wasn't seeing things. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? QUITE STARIN' AND FOCUS ON THE ROAD! WE GOTTA LOOSE 'EM!"
Taking his advice, Eriol pressed the pedal as far down as it possibly could go. The car burst into an extra round of speed and he glanced at the speed monitor. It kept on rising and rising with each second. He could hear the engines of motorcycles roaring loudly as their drivers road even faster, some of them performing wheelies as they did so. The mysterious man rolled down the window and stuck half of his body out the window. He took careful aim with his gun and ignored the powerful gust of wind as it whipped his cap off, making it fly into the air. Pulling the trigger, a gun shot filled the air and to show his success, a biker tilted oddly off his motorcycle as it began to spin out of control, knocking another guy from his bike as they crashed off the side of the road.
Eriol harshly steered his car to the side, making the man cry out in surprise and duck back inside before he slipped and fell out. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?!? WE'RE YOU TRYING TO KNOCK ME OUT!?!"
Eriol faced him with a sheepish grin. "Sorry, there was a guy next to us and I had to knock him off coarse before he could shoot..." he trailed off, noticing that his cap was off. A set of unruly chestnut brown hair topped his head. Hmm... unruly chestnut brown hair... It looked familiar...
But he didn't have time to ponder over it as a bullet shot through the back window and penetrated into the front view window. Eriol and the man ducked from surprise and looked at the back to see Aleron's rookies still hot on their wheels. Tomoyo stirred into the world of consciousness as she propped herself up onto her elbows and spoke groggily, "What's going on, Eriol?"
"Oh nothing really, Tomoyo," he replied casually, "besides the fact that we're being chased by a bunch of bikers, drivers, and a chopper, everything's just peachy!"
She glared at the back of his head before peering through the back window. Her eyes went wide. "WHAT THE - WHO ARE THEY!?!?"
"Well, in since you don't seem sick anymore, I guess it's safe to inform you that those are Aleron's men who are after you," the mystery man explained.
Tomoyo looked at them as if they were both crazy. How could they be so calm about this whole situation!?! Eriol wildly steered his car, dodging other cars in the process as some honked their horns in annoyance. With one hand on the wheel, he dug through his compartment before pulling out a gun and tossing it to Tomoyo. "Here, use this. You two try to fend them off so I can concentrate on the road..."
She stared at the weapon as if it were about to explode. "You expect ME to use this... this... THING!?"
"Please, Mademoiselle Tomoyo, this isn't the time! If you wish to get outta this alive, then start firing!" the guy who once had a cap instructed, sticking his head out the window.
Sighing in defeat, she stood up and stuck half of her body through the sun roof. The highway wind blew wildly around her, causing her raven hair to bellow and fly around everywhere. She could hear him firing from her left. Taking aim at a biker's head, she thought against it and aimed at the tire. She hit target as his tire began to inflate and he span out of control. She smirked in triumph and fired at the front wheels of a black car hot in pursuit of Eriol's. A laugh echoed from her throat when its front tires completely tore into shreds, causing the driver in the car to pull over as his car slowed to a stop.
Him and Tomoyo ducked back into the safety of the car as someone from one of the cars opened fire.
"I never knew you could use a gun," the man commented to Tomoyo.
She grinned. "Neither did I."
"Are we almost in Paris?"
Eriol glanced at one of the high way signs. "Yeah. Just keep them off my tail for seven more minutes."
The chase caused a few crashes from innocent people, along with a trail of traffic they left behind. People did their best to keep out of the speeding cars' and motorcycles' ways. The helicopter still hovered in the air, following them since the beginning.
Eriol grabbed his cell phone, deciding it was time to call for back up. "Yeah, hey Cody. We'll be needing back up IMMEDIATELY. We're six more minutes from entering Paris!.... Yeah... There's a chopper and a few bikers and cars chasin' us... I'll explain how we got in this mess later, right now, just call for back up!" With that said, he hung up and returned his attention to the road.
Meanwhile - The Helicopter
He peered through the window and down at Eriol's car they were currently pursuing. A smirk crossed his face. "Hmm... I never knew this would be so much fun..."
"Hey boss, we're five more minutes from Paris," the pilot said. "They'll probably have back up waiting!"
His smirk widen. "Oh don't worry, we're not going to give them the chance to stop and we're not going to stop either. We're going to keep on chasing them until they reach a dead end. The others could hold whatever back up they called."
The pilot shrugged. "All right. Whatever ya say boss..."
Back To Eriol And Them...
The blue eyed magician rolled down his window when he saw from his side view mirror a biker driving up closer to his window. With one hand on the wheel, he used his other one and took aim with his gun. The sound of the bullet piercing through the tough rubber of the front tires could be heard and he was satisfied when he saw him spin out of control. He glanced at the highway signs and saw not to far ahead, "Paris, Next Exit."
He jerked the wheel as it sharply made a jolt to the right, causing Tomoyo and the guy to duck quickly back in before they fell out. Apologizing to them, he exited the freeway and drove down the streets of Paris. Glancing at the mirror, he noted that the helicopter, cars, and whatever motorcycles there were, were still chasing after them. He knew he couldn't stop or else they'd be surrounded, so they would just have to hold off until back up actually arrived.
"GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!" Eriol bellowed from the window as he honked his horn. People that were crossing dodged out of the way while cars or people on go-peds swerved to the side. Making a sharp turn at one of the corners, he did his best not to crash into anything at the speed he was driving at. He sped throughout Paris, their pursuers always right behind them since the beginning.
".... and over there is the Eiffel Tower," Tomoyo said, pointing at the Eiffel Tower that could be seen to their right. She was giving the man with the sunglasses a detour of Paris while they were driving.
"Hmm... I wonder what's bigger... the Tokyo Tower, or the Eiffel Tower?" he commented absentmindedly.
She shrugged and continued to point out some of the famous landmarks they passed by. Never having the chance to see all of Paris before, he was enjoying their little detour and seemed rather fascinated by all the buildings that he's seen pictures of, but never actually saw in real life. Eriol sighed and sweat dropped. It was his turn to wonder how they could be so calm and act as if everything was just dandy when... a bunch of people were chasing them through all of Paris.
When they passed by a street, police sirens filled the air as they rounded the corner and rode right behind Aleron's rookies who were chasing Eriol, Tomoyo, and the chestnut haired man. Tomoyo sighed and slumped gloomily in the back seat.
'It's ALL because of ME that everyone was dragged into this mess...' Tomoyo thought, glancing at all the black cars, police cars, motorcycles, and the chopper that was behind/above them. She sighed again and rubbed her temples. 'I just wish this all would be over...'Then again, a feeling of excitement rushed in her. 'But this is still SO MUCH FUN!! I never felt so thrilled in my life! This is like... those cop shows or those action/thriller movies where the bad guys are chasing the good guys, or the good guys are chasing the bad guys. This is sooo SUGOI! Even though this can't compare to the Card Capturing days, this is still sooo exciting!'
"Hey... WATCH OUT!" the man with the sunglasses cried out in warning.
Tomoyo blinked and snapped back to reality to find Eriol driving, of course, and a truck coming straight at them! Her eyes turned to dots as a huge bead of sweat rolled down the back of her head. Then again, this whole experience is a bit...I guess you can say... life threatening?'
"OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO!!!" Eriol cried in panic, his eyes as wide as saucers.
"ERIOL!!"
"DODGE IT!!!!"
As if snapping back to the real world, he sharply jerked the wheel to the side just in time to narrowly dodge the front of the truck. All three of them sighed in relief as the pounding in their hearts calmed to its normal beating rate. Tomoyo looked through the back window to see the police and their chasers doing their best to avoid the truck.
"Maybe that'll hold 'em off for a while..." Tomoyo mused silently to herself, the sound of the blades of the chopper up ahead still clear and loud against the roaring of the car engines.
Eriol's cell phone rang and he picked it up.
"Exactly WHY are these people chasing you!?" an annoyed male voice could be heard.
"Turns out those are Aleron's rookies, boss," Eriol replied, rounding a corner. During his 'crazy driving', as Tomoyo and the man would describe it, he explained to Hishima all that took place. He turned at another corner by the time he was finished with his explanation. "....and I guess when he got away, he ran to Aleron, told him we got Tomoyo, and decided to chase after us while we were on the freeway."
"Tell me, Agent Hirrigazawa, how DID you find Daidouji?" Hishima demanded to know. He sounded as if he could use a tylenol at the moment.
"I have my secrets," he answered in his oh-so-mysterious tone. Tomoyo grinned and shook her head at this, knowing very well what he was talking about, and the guy with the sunglasses simply smirked.
"Yeah, yeah... whatever..." Hishima mumbled in a stressed voice. From his seat in one of the cop cars, he rubbed his temples and thought to himself, 'I'm gettin' to old for this... Watch them younger generations run us older people outta business...' He decided to take all of his stress out on Eriol while they were on the phone. "Do you know the ruckess you guys are causing!?!?! Lord only knows how many crashes there have been!!! Next time consult with ME before you go and do anything reckless! You could've gotten yourself KILLED! My BEST AGENT! You younger people think you could get things done easily your way, but guess what..."
"Er...uh... Boss?" Eriol sweat dropped as Hishima continued on with his rambling. "I think I'm gonna go now.... Bye!"
"Hirrigazawa, don't you DARE ha-"
He pressed the button with a small picture of a phone on it and hanged up on his own boss. Heaving a sigh, he put his cell phone away. He glanced at his gas monitor and his eyes bulged out of his sockets, and I mean literally bulged out.
"AWW MAN! OF ALL THE TIMES TO BE LOW ON GAS.... THIS HAD TO BE THE TIME!!"
They eyed him, hoping he was speaking some sort of lie. Tomoyo moaned and rolled her eyes. "Eriol, this isn't the time to be kidding around..."
"No! Seriously! LOOK!"
They looked, and to their horror, found Eriol's words to be true. Tomoyo let out a string of curses; curses that neither Eriol nor the other man ever heard her or ever thought she would say in her life.
"I guess our little... tour de Paris is over, huh?" the man mumbled gloomily, slumping deeper into his chair. And here he was, hoping to be able to see ALL of Paris.
Tomoyo glanced dully out of her window. Sure, there were less people on their tail, but it was still enough to capture her and more than enough to handle Eriol and the other man. There were still police cars behind their chasers, but it was fewer from the last she looked. (Turns out that a bunch of police cars got in a crash when that truck came along.)
Once again, Eriol's cell phone rang. Grumbling in irritation, he picked it up. "What now!?"
"Tell them to back off or we'll start firing at you."
His eyes went wide when recognizing his voice. Only one person had that tone - Aleron. "What?"
"You heard me! Call them off or we'll start shootin' from the chopper!" Aleron repeated. Before Eriol could say anything, he heard a click and a dial tone. Turning the phone off, he ignored their questioning stares as he punched in a number.
"Boss, call everyone back."
"WHAT!?!?" Hishima exclaimed in surprise. "Why?"
"Just do it!"
He hung up and sighed, realizing how much slower he was driving as his gas tank used whatever gas it had left. "Eriol," Tomoyo began, "Why did you tell him to call them back?"
"Aleron," he muttured, turning a corner. "He said he'll start firin' down on us if we don't. He's in the helicopter..."
Her face paled. Just when she thought she was FAR away from him, it turns out that he's right above her. She felt her heart sink just as Eriol's car got slower and slower...
"Once we stop, get out of the car and run," Eriol stated, loading his gun with bullets and removing his seat belt. "It's the only chance we got left."
They nodded their heads in acknowledgement. Tomoyo could feel her heart thumping loudly in her chest with each burst of speed the car was loosing; sort of like sand slipping through your fingers when you're trying to hold it. She climbed to the front and sat between the mysterious man and Eriol. They waited impatiently until it finally.... stopped.
"Run!"
They pushed their doors open and ran out, Tomoyo coming right after Eriol. They ran as fast as their legs would allow them to, the sound of bikers and cars nearing them could be heard. The chopper hovered somewhere up-behind them. All three fired at their pursuers and when hope of escape seemed slim, the man spotted an entrance to an ally way.
"In there, hurry!"
Running into the narrow gap between the two brick buildings, they gave their chasers a slip as they ran. It was too narrow for cars to drive through, but motorcycles could still do the trick. Eriol pressed himself, along with Tomoyo, against the wall of the building and so did the capless man, just as the bikers rushed past them. Eriol and the other man held up an arm, catching two seperate men by the throats and knocking them off their bikes. The other two crashed into a fence (knocking it down) as their transportations collided. All four bikers were injured in the end.
The chestnut haired guy brought a bike back up onto its wheels as he took a seat. Eriol picked up the other one and gestured for Tomoyo to climb on. She sat behind him and tightly wrapped her arms around his waist as the engines roared loudly. They road off down the ally way and turned back onto the street. Just as they did that, their chasers rounded another block and was once again hot on their 'wheels'; the helicopter coming into view when it flew over the buildings.
A few of Aleron's rookies shot from the cars, a few bullets piercing into the back tires of their bikes. The mysterious figure jumped off his motorcycle just as it began to spin around out of control. He rolled across the streets, his sunglasses falling off. Eriol somehow grabbed Tomoyo and jumped off his own bike just in time to avoid spinning out of control WITH the bike.
Eriol helped Tomoyo up and the now capless, shadeless man stood up also. All three faced the cars as they pulled to a stop and men after men filed out of the cars, each one of them loaded with guns. The helicopter hovered to the ground, its blades spinning around wildly so they looked nothing like a mere blur. Their hair and clothes bellowed around from the powerful gust of wind. Once the chopper landed, a door opened and out stepped...
Tomoyo's amethyst eyes widen in fear. "Aleron."
To Be Continued...
Azure Rosas: *smiles innocently at mad readers* Umm.... hi? ^^;;; Heh... *nervous laugh* I'm uh... sorry? I guess for that... *twiddles thumbs* cliffhanger. ^^; Please FORGIVE ME!! At least I updated, ne? Heh. *scratches head and grins sheepishly* I bet ya'll are tired of cliffhangers. But what can I say? Cliffhangers are my specialty. =P *dodges a tomato* But it's true! I love leaving those! *dodges two more* Okay, okay... I'M REALLY REALLY SORRY FOR THE ENDING OF THIS CHAPTER! ^^
ANYWAY, besides that, I hope ya liked this chapter! ^^ I worked really really hard on it! I watched SO many chasing scenes from movies in the past that "inspired" me to write the chasing stuff in this chap.! =) Okay, well, I'm hoping for chapter 9 & 10 to be the last two chapters for this fic sooo as you can tell, this fic is coming to a close...and SOON. ^_^ *wavez* Welp, hope ya liked this chap.! Please leave a review on your way out. Thank you very much.
Anyway, I guess while I'm here, I might as well say my thank you's to the people who reviewed the last chapter ^^! Thank you to: Nadine, Syvonair, fefa-chan, Megami No Hikari, KyteAura, Jess, ms. evil, kawaiiaznangel36, and June. Thanks everyone! =) Nooowww on with the chapter!
Chapter Eight: Tour de Paris
By: Azure Rosas
3:45 P.M.
The winter afternoon could find Eriol pulling his car to a quiet stop somewhere behind the building. Pulling down the window, he looked at the warehouse where his aura led him to. This is where he felt Tomoyo's presence most strong at. Closing the window, he parked his car somewhere out of eyeshot from anyone inside the building and allowed his grasp on his magic to relax, along with his muscles. A few drops of sweat rolled down his forehead as he panted lightly and gripped the wheel firmly. It took a lot more out of him then he expected to search for Tomoyo using his magic. But unlike the last time he used it, he didn't feel as drained as before. That must mean he's growing more accustomed to using his powers once again.
Turning off the car engine, he regained his composure and began to load his guns with bullets. He pocketed the weapons in the holsters, and hid some in his shoe or in the back of his pants. With an extra gun in hand, he turned off the safety, exited out of his car, and glanced around cautiously for any sign of life. Jogging behind a pile of boxes, he looked towards the entrance of the warehouse.
One man with dirty blonde hair and black shades could be seen with his back leaning against the wall and a cigarette in hand. Eriol's keen eyes glanced around everywhere and didn't catch any other person around. But still, people could be hiding, waiting to ambush anyone crazy enough to try and rescue Tomoyo. He would've used his magic to pick up any other presence, but he decided to rely on his instincts and reserve the rest of his energy for any sort of struggle or fight there maybe.
He turned the silencer on his gun before closing one eye and taking aim. Eriol was about to pull the trigger, when a black car pulled up in front of the warehouse. He cursed silently underneath his breath, withdrew, and hid deeper behind the boxes. The guy, or Romare as we know him, grinned when four men filed out of the car. He greeted them and led them into the warehouse.
Eriol heaved a sigh as he racked his hands through his hair. He was hoping it would've been easy, but with four extra men (all of them looking well armed), things just became more complicated. Licking his dry lips, he studied the warehouse in hopes to find another entrance besides the front door. His eyes spotted the stairs that was made for an emergency exit. It led up to the second floor windows. He smirked.
Meanwhile
Tomoyo blinked away her tears when hearing the front door being opened and closed. She lift her head up only to find Romare, followed by four other men, enter the building. They all exchanged glances and Tomoyo felt more than nervous under their gazes and smirks.
"Is that the chick?" one man asked, jabbing a thumb towards the tied up Tomoyo.
Romare nodded his head and slumped into the chair by the round table. "Yeah. That's her all right."
"I wouldn't mind havin' this babe for myself," another commented, forcefully grabbing her chin, making her look at him straight in the eye. She glared at him and pulled her face from his grasp. His brown eyes glinted in amusement as he smirked evilly. "Feisty one, aren't we?"
Romare sent them all a glare. "Hey! The Daidouji girl's off limits. Aleron said no one's to touch her."
They all took a seat at the table and the third man with orange-yellow eyes grinned crookedly. "Figures. He just wants her all to himself."
The fourth man with silver tinted sunglasses dealed a stack of cards he pulled from his pocket. A lit cigarette stuck out from the corner of his mouth and an unlit one was tucked securely behind his right ear. He never went without an extra cigarette. He was known as Xavier and he looked the strongest and toughest of the whole lot. As soon as they had their share of cards, they began to play a little game of Poker.
Tomoyo twisted her face in disgust at the men as they smoke and drank beer that Vel, the man with the brown eyes, brought. She was glad she was far apart from them so she wouldn't have to smell the smoke that hovered thickly around them. She sighed silently while closing her eyes; her mind drifting off to an image of a certain sapphire eyed magician. 'Oh Eriol... Where are you?'
Eriol climbed silently down the window sill and clambered down the boxes beneath him. He landed quietly on the metal floor and slowly approached the railing. He peered over it to see Romare, along with the others playing Poker, and Tomoyo tied and bound to a chair a few feets away from them. He was relieved to see that no damage was inflicted upon her, but couldn't help but notice how flushed her cheeks looked. 'Don't worry Tomoyo, I'll get you out of here...'
He was going to have to kill them all quickly and get Tomoyo out of there. He just found it a shame that Aleron wasn't one of the men so he could've had the chance to kill him then and there. Holding his breath, he readied his gun, took aim, and fired. Vel's head slammed against the table and he neither moved nor made an attempt to move. They were confused at his actions, not hearing the gun shot considering that Eriol put on the silencer.
"Aye, Vel, this ain't no time to be sleepin'," Michael, the third one to speak when they entered, said as he roughly prodded Vel with his gun. But Vel simply fell off his chair and landed limply onto the ground. Xavier knelt beside him and saw the trail of blood coming from the back of his head.
"Everyone, take cover!!!" Xavier shouted, everyone ducking onto the ground just as a bullet pierced through Romare's chair.
"Shit," Eriol cursed under his breath, hiding in the shadows of the wall. He still had the advantage from his high position.
They turned off the safety's of their guns and carefully looked around for any signs of the person who fired that bullet. From the angle that bullet came from, Xavier knew where Eriol was hiding. "He's somewhere on the second floor!"
Eriol fired from the shadows, but in his haste, narrowly missed Xavier's head. He mentally kicked himself for his stupidity and fired again. They scattered in separate directions so whoever it was that was firing down at them, would have a harder time. Romare came up behind Tomoyo and untied her before heaving her up onto her feet. He held her arms behind her back and kept his gun pressed against her forehead.
"I suggest you quite firin' or the Daidouji girl gets it."
Eriol's eyes darted to Tomoyo and Romare and he lowered his gun. When Romare was satisfied that he wouldn't fire, he glared at nothing in particular and allowed his eyes to wander along the shadows of the second floor.
"Come out and keep your arms where I can see them."
Eriol obediently stepped out from his hiding place with his arms in the air in a show of defeat. Tomoyo's eyes went wide as her heart seemed to do a flip. Even though they were in a bad situation, she was glad that he was there and she felt more than happy that he tried to rescue her. Xavier kept his gun aimed at Eriol as he climbed down the stairs. Romare gave him a warning glance. "Drop your weapons."
He dropped his gun and it clattered against the ground. Xavier eyed him. "Do you take us for fools? I know you have more weapons, now unarm yourself or we will kill Daidouji."
Eriol didn't make a move to follow Xavier's orders as a lazy smirk crossed his face. "Do you expect me to believe that you would actually kill Tomoyo when Aleron gave specific orders that no one was to touch her or even kill her? Does he not want her alive?"
He proved a point. They remained silent before Michael spoke up, "Oh screw what Aleron wants! We don't really care up to this point. And if you value your own life, I suggest you drop whatever weapons you have to the floor."
Eriol shrugged and did what he was told to do. Gun after gun clattered against the ground, followed by a few blades and pocket knives. He glanced at Tomoyo, Romare, at Michael, at Xavier, then at the last man who was mostly silent throughout the whole time (Except for when they entered the warehouse. He was the one that said "Is that the chick?"). A red cap was on his head followed by sunglasses. His lips were held in a firm line and he kept his gun pointed at Eriol, who felt as if he's known the man from somewhere... He just couldn't put his finger on it...
"Now, who are you?" Romare demanded to know.
"I'm CIA Agent Eriol Hirrigazawa," he replied calmly. "And all of you including Aleron Thorn are under arrest for taking part in the kidnap of Tomoyo Daidouji."
Michael sneered and spat. "You're in no position to be putting anyone under arrest, if you've forgotten who has the upper hand?"
Eriol smirked, a mysterious glint in his eye. "Oh, my dear friend, I have the upper hand, not you. Do you know who you're messing with?" They didn't reply and his smirk widen. "I didn't think so."
"Let's just kill him," Michael snarled angrily, his gun pointed threateningly at Eriol's chest. "I've had enough of his talk."
Before they could possibly fire at him, in one swift movement, Eriol reached down, grabbed a gun, took aim, and fired. Michael's eyes went wide as his pistol slipped from his grasp and landed with a light thud against the ground. His body fell after his fallen gun and he lied there, dead. Eriol failed to notice Xavier sneak up behind him. He went completely stiff when the cold steal of Xavier's gun pressed against the back of his neck. He would've react and turned around, but the mysterious man with the cap pointed his own gun at Eriol's forehead. He was trapped now.
Tomoyo's eyes went wide in horror and worry. She struggled desperately to escape Romare's hold, but he was too strong for her. Her eyes welled with tears when hearing Romare's next command,
"Kill him!"
The man with the cap began to apply pressure on the trigger and Eriol tightly shut his eyes. He was waiting for the bullet to pierce his head any second now. Tomoyo closed her own eyes. A gun shot filled the air, and he still waited for the kill. But... it never came.
He blinked owlishly to find himself still standing in front of the mysterious man. A trail of smoke came from the bullet hole. He heard a light thud behind him and he turned around to see Xavier drop to the ground dead. He looked back at the man in confusion.
"Who... are you?"
Tomoyo opened her eyes to find Eriol still alive. A wave of relief washed over her. Instead of answering Eriol's question, the mystery figure turned around and aimed his gun at Romare. His eyes went wide when realizing that he was all alone. It was two against one. He had no chance. Before anyone could stop him, he pushed Tomoyo towards them, causing her to stumble and collide against the man with the cap. Romare took his opportunity and ran out of the warehouse, a few gun shots following after him. It was too late to stop him. He was out the door and driving away in the black car before anyone could possibly kill him.
He mumbled a curse and turned around to find Tomoyo jumping into Eriol's arms. He hugged her tightly, a faint grin fluttering across their faces. He put away his gun and couldn't help but smirk at their reunion.
"Eriol! I'm so glad you came!" she exclaimed, lifting her head up to meet his sapphire orbs.
He smiled at her. "And I'm glad that you're all right." Eriol frowned. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"
She shook her head. "No." A look somewhere between sleepiness and happiness was etched on her face. "They didn't hurt me."
Eriol creased his eyebrows in worry. "Tomoyo, daijoubu desu ka? You look sick..."
"Daijoubu," she murmured sleepily, her head resting against his chest. "Really, I am..."
He swept her off her feet and into his arms. "Rest, Tomoyo. I'll get you to a hospital so they could treat your fever..." She smiled in content and didn't bother to reply. She cuddled closer to him and instantly fell into a dreamless slumber.
"You still love her... huh?"
Eriol lifted his head up and looked at the man with the cap and sunglasses. The only thing evident on his face was the smile. Eriol glared at him. "Who are you?"
"You know who I am, Hirrigazawa, you just don't know it," he replied, still wearing the same grin.
"Why did you save me?" Eriol asked suspiciously.
He waved his hand to dismiss Eriol's questions. "I'll tell you later. We have to get outta here. That guy's probably gonna inform Aleron about what happened and more of his men will be after her." They walked out of the warehouse, Eriol still feeling suspicious about him. Usually, people were suspicious of him. It was never him suspicious of someone else. He would've laughed at that, but this wasn't the time to be laughing. "We have to get back to Paris and fast before they come after us."
"But... how do I know that I can trust you?" Eriol asked once they reached his car. He lye Tomoyo on the back seat.
"Does it help to inform you that I'm an F.B.I Agent?" he questioned.
He didn't reply. For some reason, he felt as if he could trust this guy, and he promised to trust his instincts, so trust them is what he was going to do. "Fine, whatever. Hop in."
Once they were in, Eriol started the car. He shifted the gear in reverse, pulled out of his parking, then shifted the gear again and pressed down on the pedal. The car rounded the corner and he drove off towards the entrance of the highway.
4:50 P.M.
Eriol chanced a side ways glance at the mystery man next to him, hoping to find or distinguish anything else about him besides that familiar, deep frown and the familiar deep voice. His sunglasses and the dull glow of the dark clouds looming over head cast shadows across his eyes, which dashed Eriol's hopes of recognizing this man on his own. He heaved a silent sigh of defeat and returned his attention to the road. He would've checked to see if he had magic, but he needed to conserve energy. Glancing over his shoulder, he smiled when noticing how peaceful and content Tomoyo looked while sleeping.
"What were you doing with those guys back there?" Eriol questioned, facing the road.
"I was assigned an undercover mission to dig up some dirt on Aleron Thorn," he replied, not bothering to glance at Eriol. "And what better way to do that then pretending to be another of his little possies?"
"Did you find anything?"
He nodded. "Yeah, plenty of proof to send him in jail for a life time. But the thing about Thorn is that he never goes down without a fight... so bringing him to jail will be a lot harder."
Eriol agreed wholeheartedly with that. "True. Will he be executed?"
"Probably," the man with the cap answered, bringing his hands behind his head and leaning back in his passenger's seat.
"How long have you been doin' this mission?" Eriol asked out of curiosity.
"Up till now... one year and three months."
Eriol whistled in surprise. "Woah. Got any wife and kids?"
He nodded. "Yeah. One kid."
"And you haven't seen any of them in more than a year!?"
"Yep. But we kept in contact..."
"The wife must be mad, huh?" Eriol asked with a hint of humor.
"You have no idea."
The car was silent after that and all that could be heard was the usual sounds you'd hear on a highway: the engines of cars... the passing of cars... the loud radios from cars... and the sound of helicopters and motorcycles right behind your car... Wait, helicopters and motorcycles!?
Eriol looked over his shoulder and his eyes went wide when finding themselves being pursued by a dozen or so bikers, a few nice speedy black cars, and one chopper right above them. "WHERE THE HELL DID THEY ALL COME FROM!?!"
"Ahh shit!" the man with the cap cursed, having to look twice and rub his eyes just to make sure he wasn't seeing things. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? QUITE STARIN' AND FOCUS ON THE ROAD! WE GOTTA LOOSE 'EM!"
Taking his advice, Eriol pressed the pedal as far down as it possibly could go. The car burst into an extra round of speed and he glanced at the speed monitor. It kept on rising and rising with each second. He could hear the engines of motorcycles roaring loudly as their drivers road even faster, some of them performing wheelies as they did so. The mysterious man rolled down the window and stuck half of his body out the window. He took careful aim with his gun and ignored the powerful gust of wind as it whipped his cap off, making it fly into the air. Pulling the trigger, a gun shot filled the air and to show his success, a biker tilted oddly off his motorcycle as it began to spin out of control, knocking another guy from his bike as they crashed off the side of the road.
Eriol harshly steered his car to the side, making the man cry out in surprise and duck back inside before he slipped and fell out. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?!? WE'RE YOU TRYING TO KNOCK ME OUT!?!"
Eriol faced him with a sheepish grin. "Sorry, there was a guy next to us and I had to knock him off coarse before he could shoot..." he trailed off, noticing that his cap was off. A set of unruly chestnut brown hair topped his head. Hmm... unruly chestnut brown hair... It looked familiar...
But he didn't have time to ponder over it as a bullet shot through the back window and penetrated into the front view window. Eriol and the man ducked from surprise and looked at the back to see Aleron's rookies still hot on their wheels. Tomoyo stirred into the world of consciousness as she propped herself up onto her elbows and spoke groggily, "What's going on, Eriol?"
"Oh nothing really, Tomoyo," he replied casually, "besides the fact that we're being chased by a bunch of bikers, drivers, and a chopper, everything's just peachy!"
She glared at the back of his head before peering through the back window. Her eyes went wide. "WHAT THE - WHO ARE THEY!?!?"
"Well, in since you don't seem sick anymore, I guess it's safe to inform you that those are Aleron's men who are after you," the mystery man explained.
Tomoyo looked at them as if they were both crazy. How could they be so calm about this whole situation!?! Eriol wildly steered his car, dodging other cars in the process as some honked their horns in annoyance. With one hand on the wheel, he dug through his compartment before pulling out a gun and tossing it to Tomoyo. "Here, use this. You two try to fend them off so I can concentrate on the road..."
She stared at the weapon as if it were about to explode. "You expect ME to use this... this... THING!?"
"Please, Mademoiselle Tomoyo, this isn't the time! If you wish to get outta this alive, then start firing!" the guy who once had a cap instructed, sticking his head out the window.
Sighing in defeat, she stood up and stuck half of her body through the sun roof. The highway wind blew wildly around her, causing her raven hair to bellow and fly around everywhere. She could hear him firing from her left. Taking aim at a biker's head, she thought against it and aimed at the tire. She hit target as his tire began to inflate and he span out of control. She smirked in triumph and fired at the front wheels of a black car hot in pursuit of Eriol's. A laugh echoed from her throat when its front tires completely tore into shreds, causing the driver in the car to pull over as his car slowed to a stop.
Him and Tomoyo ducked back into the safety of the car as someone from one of the cars opened fire.
"I never knew you could use a gun," the man commented to Tomoyo.
She grinned. "Neither did I."
"Are we almost in Paris?"
Eriol glanced at one of the high way signs. "Yeah. Just keep them off my tail for seven more minutes."
The chase caused a few crashes from innocent people, along with a trail of traffic they left behind. People did their best to keep out of the speeding cars' and motorcycles' ways. The helicopter still hovered in the air, following them since the beginning.
Eriol grabbed his cell phone, deciding it was time to call for back up. "Yeah, hey Cody. We'll be needing back up IMMEDIATELY. We're six more minutes from entering Paris!.... Yeah... There's a chopper and a few bikers and cars chasin' us... I'll explain how we got in this mess later, right now, just call for back up!" With that said, he hung up and returned his attention to the road.
Meanwhile - The Helicopter
He peered through the window and down at Eriol's car they were currently pursuing. A smirk crossed his face. "Hmm... I never knew this would be so much fun..."
"Hey boss, we're five more minutes from Paris," the pilot said. "They'll probably have back up waiting!"
His smirk widen. "Oh don't worry, we're not going to give them the chance to stop and we're not going to stop either. We're going to keep on chasing them until they reach a dead end. The others could hold whatever back up they called."
The pilot shrugged. "All right. Whatever ya say boss..."
Back To Eriol And Them...
The blue eyed magician rolled down his window when he saw from his side view mirror a biker driving up closer to his window. With one hand on the wheel, he used his other one and took aim with his gun. The sound of the bullet piercing through the tough rubber of the front tires could be heard and he was satisfied when he saw him spin out of control. He glanced at the highway signs and saw not to far ahead, "Paris, Next Exit."
He jerked the wheel as it sharply made a jolt to the right, causing Tomoyo and the guy to duck quickly back in before they fell out. Apologizing to them, he exited the freeway and drove down the streets of Paris. Glancing at the mirror, he noted that the helicopter, cars, and whatever motorcycles there were, were still chasing after them. He knew he couldn't stop or else they'd be surrounded, so they would just have to hold off until back up actually arrived.
"GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!" Eriol bellowed from the window as he honked his horn. People that were crossing dodged out of the way while cars or people on go-peds swerved to the side. Making a sharp turn at one of the corners, he did his best not to crash into anything at the speed he was driving at. He sped throughout Paris, their pursuers always right behind them since the beginning.
".... and over there is the Eiffel Tower," Tomoyo said, pointing at the Eiffel Tower that could be seen to their right. She was giving the man with the sunglasses a detour of Paris while they were driving.
"Hmm... I wonder what's bigger... the Tokyo Tower, or the Eiffel Tower?" he commented absentmindedly.
She shrugged and continued to point out some of the famous landmarks they passed by. Never having the chance to see all of Paris before, he was enjoying their little detour and seemed rather fascinated by all the buildings that he's seen pictures of, but never actually saw in real life. Eriol sighed and sweat dropped. It was his turn to wonder how they could be so calm and act as if everything was just dandy when... a bunch of people were chasing them through all of Paris.
When they passed by a street, police sirens filled the air as they rounded the corner and rode right behind Aleron's rookies who were chasing Eriol, Tomoyo, and the chestnut haired man. Tomoyo sighed and slumped gloomily in the back seat.
'It's ALL because of ME that everyone was dragged into this mess...' Tomoyo thought, glancing at all the black cars, police cars, motorcycles, and the chopper that was behind/above them. She sighed again and rubbed her temples. 'I just wish this all would be over...'Then again, a feeling of excitement rushed in her. 'But this is still SO MUCH FUN!! I never felt so thrilled in my life! This is like... those cop shows or those action/thriller movies where the bad guys are chasing the good guys, or the good guys are chasing the bad guys. This is sooo SUGOI! Even though this can't compare to the Card Capturing days, this is still sooo exciting!'
"Hey... WATCH OUT!" the man with the sunglasses cried out in warning.
Tomoyo blinked and snapped back to reality to find Eriol driving, of course, and a truck coming straight at them! Her eyes turned to dots as a huge bead of sweat rolled down the back of her head. Then again, this whole experience is a bit...I guess you can say... life threatening?'
"OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO!!!" Eriol cried in panic, his eyes as wide as saucers.
"ERIOL!!"
"DODGE IT!!!!"
As if snapping back to the real world, he sharply jerked the wheel to the side just in time to narrowly dodge the front of the truck. All three of them sighed in relief as the pounding in their hearts calmed to its normal beating rate. Tomoyo looked through the back window to see the police and their chasers doing their best to avoid the truck.
"Maybe that'll hold 'em off for a while..." Tomoyo mused silently to herself, the sound of the blades of the chopper up ahead still clear and loud against the roaring of the car engines.
Eriol's cell phone rang and he picked it up.
"Exactly WHY are these people chasing you!?" an annoyed male voice could be heard.
"Turns out those are Aleron's rookies, boss," Eriol replied, rounding a corner. During his 'crazy driving', as Tomoyo and the man would describe it, he explained to Hishima all that took place. He turned at another corner by the time he was finished with his explanation. "....and I guess when he got away, he ran to Aleron, told him we got Tomoyo, and decided to chase after us while we were on the freeway."
"Tell me, Agent Hirrigazawa, how DID you find Daidouji?" Hishima demanded to know. He sounded as if he could use a tylenol at the moment.
"I have my secrets," he answered in his oh-so-mysterious tone. Tomoyo grinned and shook her head at this, knowing very well what he was talking about, and the guy with the sunglasses simply smirked.
"Yeah, yeah... whatever..." Hishima mumbled in a stressed voice. From his seat in one of the cop cars, he rubbed his temples and thought to himself, 'I'm gettin' to old for this... Watch them younger generations run us older people outta business...' He decided to take all of his stress out on Eriol while they were on the phone. "Do you know the ruckess you guys are causing!?!?! Lord only knows how many crashes there have been!!! Next time consult with ME before you go and do anything reckless! You could've gotten yourself KILLED! My BEST AGENT! You younger people think you could get things done easily your way, but guess what..."
"Er...uh... Boss?" Eriol sweat dropped as Hishima continued on with his rambling. "I think I'm gonna go now.... Bye!"
"Hirrigazawa, don't you DARE ha-"
He pressed the button with a small picture of a phone on it and hanged up on his own boss. Heaving a sigh, he put his cell phone away. He glanced at his gas monitor and his eyes bulged out of his sockets, and I mean literally bulged out.
"AWW MAN! OF ALL THE TIMES TO BE LOW ON GAS.... THIS HAD TO BE THE TIME!!"
They eyed him, hoping he was speaking some sort of lie. Tomoyo moaned and rolled her eyes. "Eriol, this isn't the time to be kidding around..."
"No! Seriously! LOOK!"
They looked, and to their horror, found Eriol's words to be true. Tomoyo let out a string of curses; curses that neither Eriol nor the other man ever heard her or ever thought she would say in her life.
"I guess our little... tour de Paris is over, huh?" the man mumbled gloomily, slumping deeper into his chair. And here he was, hoping to be able to see ALL of Paris.
Tomoyo glanced dully out of her window. Sure, there were less people on their tail, but it was still enough to capture her and more than enough to handle Eriol and the other man. There were still police cars behind their chasers, but it was fewer from the last she looked. (Turns out that a bunch of police cars got in a crash when that truck came along.)
Once again, Eriol's cell phone rang. Grumbling in irritation, he picked it up. "What now!?"
"Tell them to back off or we'll start firing at you."
His eyes went wide when recognizing his voice. Only one person had that tone - Aleron. "What?"
"You heard me! Call them off or we'll start shootin' from the chopper!" Aleron repeated. Before Eriol could say anything, he heard a click and a dial tone. Turning the phone off, he ignored their questioning stares as he punched in a number.
"Boss, call everyone back."
"WHAT!?!?" Hishima exclaimed in surprise. "Why?"
"Just do it!"
He hung up and sighed, realizing how much slower he was driving as his gas tank used whatever gas it had left. "Eriol," Tomoyo began, "Why did you tell him to call them back?"
"Aleron," he muttured, turning a corner. "He said he'll start firin' down on us if we don't. He's in the helicopter..."
Her face paled. Just when she thought she was FAR away from him, it turns out that he's right above her. She felt her heart sink just as Eriol's car got slower and slower...
"Once we stop, get out of the car and run," Eriol stated, loading his gun with bullets and removing his seat belt. "It's the only chance we got left."
They nodded their heads in acknowledgement. Tomoyo could feel her heart thumping loudly in her chest with each burst of speed the car was loosing; sort of like sand slipping through your fingers when you're trying to hold it. She climbed to the front and sat between the mysterious man and Eriol. They waited impatiently until it finally.... stopped.
"Run!"
They pushed their doors open and ran out, Tomoyo coming right after Eriol. They ran as fast as their legs would allow them to, the sound of bikers and cars nearing them could be heard. The chopper hovered somewhere up-behind them. All three fired at their pursuers and when hope of escape seemed slim, the man spotted an entrance to an ally way.
"In there, hurry!"
Running into the narrow gap between the two brick buildings, they gave their chasers a slip as they ran. It was too narrow for cars to drive through, but motorcycles could still do the trick. Eriol pressed himself, along with Tomoyo, against the wall of the building and so did the capless man, just as the bikers rushed past them. Eriol and the other man held up an arm, catching two seperate men by the throats and knocking them off their bikes. The other two crashed into a fence (knocking it down) as their transportations collided. All four bikers were injured in the end.
The chestnut haired guy brought a bike back up onto its wheels as he took a seat. Eriol picked up the other one and gestured for Tomoyo to climb on. She sat behind him and tightly wrapped her arms around his waist as the engines roared loudly. They road off down the ally way and turned back onto the street. Just as they did that, their chasers rounded another block and was once again hot on their 'wheels'; the helicopter coming into view when it flew over the buildings.
A few of Aleron's rookies shot from the cars, a few bullets piercing into the back tires of their bikes. The mysterious figure jumped off his motorcycle just as it began to spin around out of control. He rolled across the streets, his sunglasses falling off. Eriol somehow grabbed Tomoyo and jumped off his own bike just in time to avoid spinning out of control WITH the bike.
Eriol helped Tomoyo up and the now capless, shadeless man stood up also. All three faced the cars as they pulled to a stop and men after men filed out of the cars, each one of them loaded with guns. The helicopter hovered to the ground, its blades spinning around wildly so they looked nothing like a mere blur. Their hair and clothes bellowed around from the powerful gust of wind. Once the chopper landed, a door opened and out stepped...
Tomoyo's amethyst eyes widen in fear. "Aleron."
To Be Continued...
Azure Rosas: *smiles innocently at mad readers* Umm.... hi? ^^;;; Heh... *nervous laugh* I'm uh... sorry? I guess for that... *twiddles thumbs* cliffhanger. ^^; Please FORGIVE ME!! At least I updated, ne? Heh. *scratches head and grins sheepishly* I bet ya'll are tired of cliffhangers. But what can I say? Cliffhangers are my specialty. =P *dodges a tomato* But it's true! I love leaving those! *dodges two more* Okay, okay... I'M REALLY REALLY SORRY FOR THE ENDING OF THIS CHAPTER! ^^
ANYWAY, besides that, I hope ya liked this chapter! ^^ I worked really really hard on it! I watched SO many chasing scenes from movies in the past that "inspired" me to write the chasing stuff in this chap.! =) Okay, well, I'm hoping for chapter 9 & 10 to be the last two chapters for this fic sooo as you can tell, this fic is coming to a close...and SOON. ^_^ *wavez* Welp, hope ya liked this chap.! Please leave a review on your way out. Thank you very much.