Hi! I'm back! Sorry for the long wait! I finished exams 2 weeks ago, and was out partying right after that. Then I had to go for an operation to extract my wisdom tooth and immediately after that, I fell sick (cough, flu, fever). Urgh… It was a living hell! I took a week to recover.
Yeah, so that's why I took so long. Plus the fact that I'm into Prince of Tennis now. Hmm…
DISCLAIMER: Gravitation does not belong to me.
Mou Ichi Do
もう一度
Chapter 16 – The Only Name
Ishi was preparing to take a short nap when he noticed the shadows that loomed over him. But before he could even turn around, he was hit on the back of his head. He collapsed in a split second.
"Move him somewhere less conspicuous." The first shadow hissed to the other two. "And make sure you don't get caught on the security cameras."
In the process of moving the unconscious Ishi away, Kyo appeared from the building after making sure that Shuichi and Haruko had reached the second level safely.
"Hey! What are you doing!" Kyo ran towards the thugs and knocked down the one who was charging at him. He whipped around to face the other two and lash out a series of kicks, punches and arm-wringing moves. But he was outnumbered - three versus one. The three thugs charged at him, sending a deadly punch into him stomach, while another rammed an elbow down hard onto his shoulder. As Kyo collapsed onto the ground, the thugs sent more kicks flying into him, leaving him in a bloody mess, before dragging him out of sight.
"Now… let's go find our prey…" The leader drawled in a sick excitement.
Meanwhile, in the building, Shuichi and Sakura roamed around the studios, the meeting rooms, the waiting rooms and almost every other room, including a restaurant, on the third and fourth levels, their eyes wide opened.
"Oh my god… this place rocks!" Haruko squealed and started bouncing on her toes every now and then. "Don't you think so, Shu-chan?"
"Yeah… this is awesome… indescribable…" Shuichi breathed in awe. Everything's so new and spacious… and whoa…
Suddenly, a ringing tone echoed throughout the empty corridors.
They stared at each other for a moment, before Haruko started rummaging through her bag.
"Oops…" She smiled sheepishly as she held out her mobile phone, which had been hiding in her make-up pouch. "Hello? Jun?"
xXx xXx
Akiha sipped on his cup of coffee, his eyes never leaving the blond novelist who sat next to him in the office of the president of NG.
"Are you sure you're not interested in being my model? Just for one photo shoot?" Akiha frowned thoughtfully.
Yuki glared sideways at Akiha. "N.O. NO. Which part of 'NO' don't you understand!"
"Hmm… but you have the makings of a top model. Besides, you'll be a perfect partner for Shuichi."
Yuki gritted his teeth in annoyance.
Tohma chuckled. "Sakurai-san, stop making things difficult for Eiri-san. He's famous enough without having to be a top model…"
Akiha laughed. "Now that's true… hahaha!"
"What are you doing at the NG branch building? It's not yet opened to public, isn't it?" Jun glanced at Akiha worriedly, while Tohma raised his eyebrows at that.
"Wait… you're telling me that you wanted to see how it looks like on the inside and the guard recognized Shuichi and let you guys in? Are both of you mad? It's already 8 at night! And we're supposed to meet here at NG!"
Akiha motioned for Jun to pass the phone. "Haruko? Can you pass the phone to Shuichi?"
("He refuses to speak to you.")
"What! What did I do to deserve that! Ok then, would you be so kind as to pass a message to my honey? Tell him that I'll be there at the branch building in 20 minutes time. And then, we can kiss and make up. Get it?"
("…so we're meeting here at the branch building instead? Okay then, see you.")
"Remember to pass him my mes-" The line went dead before Akiha could finish. He turned to Jun pathetically. "She hung up on me! And my Shuichi refused to speak to me! Fine, then we'll just have to go to them… right after Tsuyoshi returns!"
Jun ignored him and continued examining her nails.
"All of you are evil... Hey, Yuki-san! Where are you going!" The door slammed close behind Yuki as he practically stormed out of the office. "Chi'… everyone's ignoring me…" Desperate for attention, he turned back to the all-time smiling Seguchi Tohma.
xXx xXx
Shuichi and Haruko moved on and reached a lounge, where there were many small tables and comfy cushions, a jukebox at one corner, and rows of wine and wine glasses behind the bar top.
This is just like a five or six star hotel, isn't it!
"I would love to work here!" Haruko smiled dreamily.
Shuichi grimaced. Work here? Maybe that would be possible… IF Bad Luck still existed. He ran his hand across the bar counter sadly.
"Haruko, let's-"
"Ouch!" A shout of pain rang out suddenly.
Harsh whispers followed. "Be quiet, you moron! They'll hear us before we find them! And if that happens and they managed to escape, I won't be able to experience the fun of tearing that model's pretty face into pieces. They should be somewhere close…"
Shuichi froze in fear as his heart hammered against his chest. He didn't like the sound of that. Those voices… those men… if he was right, there were three of them. They were definitely up to no good. And they were after him.
Shuichi met the fear in Haruko's eyes, and silenced her with one look when she was about to speak. Hurriedly, yet silently, he reached out for her and pulled her down behind the bar counter to conceal their presence. They pressed their back against the bar counter, hand clasped tightly over one another's.
Then… CRASH!
"Bloody hell! What do you think you're doing!"
"Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch! I'm so sorry!"
"At this rate, we will never be able to catch them off guard!"
"Forget it, Ryo. He's an idiot. A clumsy one too."
"What! And who are you to say that? You're the one who knocked into me and caused me to bang into the table!"
"Yeah, yeah, you have an active imagination…"
Shuichi sweatdropped as those men continued to bicker. They're all idiots…Anyway, I have to think of a way to escape quickly!
He rose from his crouching position and peeked out carefully over the counter. Through the glass doors and panels that were slightly tinted black, he could clearly make out three figures posed in the corridor, a few meters away from the entrance of the lounge.
I was right. There're three of them. Shit. I can't deal with so many of them! He gritted his teeth in frustration, keeping his eyes on the three men outside the lounge. Haruko! I have to make sure she's safe, at least. I'm the one they're after. I can't let her get hurt because of me…
Think, think, think!
Haruko isn't a fast runner. If both of us were to run for the stairs or elevators, we'll most definitely get caught…… I'll have to distract them to clear the escape route for Haruko… after all, they're after me, right?
But where will I escape to? Panic rose in his heart. He knew he had to act quickly, before the men found them.
Aha! The cross junction where we passed through just now… it'll serve to confuse them. And besides, there's another flight of stairs at the end, if I make a right turn.
He crawled back to Haruko, and conveyed his plan to her in whispers. Fortunately, those men were to busy arguing to notice anything amiss.
Haruko widened her eyes in fear and worry, and shook her head, voicing her objection to his plan. "I can't leave you here. It's too dangerous." That was what her eyes spoke of.
"There's no other way. Please trust me. I have to make sure that you're safe. And I need you to go get help. Please." He cupped her cheeks gently and they stared into each other's eyes.
Finally, she understood that there was no other way. She nodded.
He peeked out again, and noticed that those men were almost done arguing. Okay… here goes… He took a deep breath and sprang for the doors.
The thugs jumped as they realized that their prey had just shot off away from them. "Hey! Wait up! You fucking asshole! We're gonna get you!"
It was a game of predator and prey.
Tears stung Haruko's eyes as she huddled behind the counter and waited for a few moments to make sure that those men were gone. As soon as she felt that the route was cleared, she scrambled to her feet and started for the exit. She understood that she needed to get help FAST if Shuichi were to survive this.
xXx xXx
Yuki gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He pushed down harder on the accelerator and sped off into the night. The radio was turned on at a deafening pitch with thumping metallic rock music in an attempt to blast off all his frustrations.
But apparently, it was not working. He cursed under his breath and continued cutting in and out of the traffic, ignoring all the angry honks he was getting.
Shuichi, Shuichi, Shuichi.
Fuck! He couldn't get that name out of his mind. Everywhere he turned, he caught a glimpse of Shuichi on tiptoes, kissing Sakurai Akiha TEN-DER-LY.
Shit! What the hell's happening to me! I'm not supposed to feel like this! Cigarettes, beer, cigarettes, beer… I need to calm down. Store. Cigarettes. Beer. Cake. Sleep. Sex.
He made a U-turn, and the car skidded a little. Regaining his sanity, he slowed down to avoid crashing and dying in his car. How ugly and pathetic would that be?
Ok, store first. Then… He almost lost his foothold on the accelerator as he realized where he was. Shuichi.
He slowed down further and glanced out of the window. There stood the new NG Building… where Shuichi currently was in, as according to the conversation he overheard earlier.
He cursed himself again and averted his eyes back to the road, just in time to catch a figure running out in front of him. Instinct kicked in, and he slammed his foot onto the brake.
"Shit!" Yuki hissed and unbuckled his belt, ready to give that brainless pedestrian a taste of hell, vaguely noting how apt the situation was actually.
Not Shuichi again! He was seriously considering seeking his psychiatrist for help on getting rid of this annoying baka-Shuichi-disease soon.
But just as he stepped out of his car, before he could even open his mouth, the brainless pedestrian had flung her arms around him, sobbing and muttering incoherently.
"What the hell are you doing! Get your hands off me! What's wrong with you!" He pried the girl off him, irritated. Just my luck to bump into a mad woman late at night!
"Please… Please..! Help him somebody help him! Shuichi-Shuichi… someone's out to hurt him! Please!"
Wha-what! Yuki froze. Am I hearing things as well?
He looked down at the girl in his arms. This time, he could clearly see her face. "You-"
Haruko gasped and continued shrieking. "Yuki-san! Ohmygod! Please hurry! Shuichi is in there and there are guys after him you got to help him quick or they'll hurt him bad! Save him! Please!" She burst into tears again. "Shu-chan Shu-chan…!"
It took a moment for Yuki to register those words. Shuichi. Guys. Hurt. Bad. Save him.
Aizawa Taki?
Immense fear washed over him as he forced his feet to move. Sprinting towards the entrance of the building with his heart pounding madly against his chest, Yuki felt the first trace of desperate helplessness, a feeling that he had not experienced since the fateful day years ago.
xXx xXx
Shuichi leaned against the door, panting heavily, scanning the darkness with his eyes. Towards the front half of the room, there was a whiteboard along with tables and chairs arranged in straight rows. The back of the room towards the door was empty, save for some cupboards. For a moment, he thought that he was back to school and that he had entered some weird classroom.
What's this room going to be used for? He slapped himself mentally and walked further in. Baka! Now's not the time to think about this. Hide… I need a place to hide…
Just then, he heard footsteps nearing.
Shit! They're here! Scanning the room wildly, he realized that the only hiding place available was…
He dived into one of the cupboards just as the door clicked open.
"Look around carefully. I'm quite sure that he came this way."
"Got it."
"Here, kitty… Come on out… We've got a treat for you. Don't you wanna play?"
Shuichi shuddered at the cold voices. He clapped his hand over his mouth to stop himself from crying in fear.
"Bad, bad kitty. We're going to punish you for disobeying orders once we find you…"
All of a sudden, Shuichi stared hard at the cupboard doors from the inside. He could feel it. Yes, he could feel it in his gut. One of them was standing right outside the cupboard.
He held his breath, praying silently to god. Pleading desperately.
The door creaked open slightly, and some light fell in through the crack.
This is it. I'm dead. He squeezed his eyes shut, shunning away from his sealed fate.
"I think I heard some noise out there. Let's move on to the next room!"
The door fell back closed.
Still trembling, Shuichi let out a small sigh of relief. He waited for a few minutes before peeking out to make sure that the thugs were gone.
Now, if only I can get to the stairs back there… He jogged lightly to the door. I'll be safe…
But before he could even reach the door, he felt something hard crashed into his back and an electrifying bolt of pain shot through him. Splinters flew everywhere as the wooden plank broke into half, and Shuichi collapsed to his knees.
"Hey kitty, we were waiting for you… stupid…" They laughed.
"I'll start first."
"Sure, Sei…"
Sei smiled and yanked Shuichi by his hair. "Now, let's start playing for real."
"No! Let me go! Why are you doing this!" Shuichi shrieked and flailed for life.
"Why? Blame it on yourself, you nosy idiot."
He slammed Shuichi against the cupboard and brushed the back of his hand against Shuichi's cheek. "I heard a lot about you, Shindou Shuichi. Back then, you were popular as a singer… and the fact that you had a guy for a lover. That was totally disgusting. But now I'm starting to understand why. You have a pretty face that makes me want to tear it apart… dear model…"
Shuichi shivered at those words. With a fresh burst of energy, he lifted his leg and brought his knee hard into Sei's stomach.
"Oof!" Sei's grip on Shuichi loosened and the latter began to make a mad dash for safety.
But Sei was faster. He grabbed Shuichi by the arm, pulled the latter back hard, and slapped him with so much force that he fell onto the ground. "Naughty kitty… don't you dare try to escape… because you can't."
He pinned Shuichi onto the floor, trapping Shuichi effectively with his limbs, smirking maliciously. "I'll like a taste of you…"
No no no no no no no… Shuichi's eyes widened in fear as he watched Sei inched closer and closer to him. There was nothing he could do. He was frozen in terror and dread.
He screamed the only name that came into his mind.
"YUKI !"
xXx tsuzuku xXx
Ok, great. Yuki's going crazy. Haha! I think the idea of Shuichi having a boyfriend is pissing him more off than him having a girlfriend.
Anyway, the YukiShu parts are kicking in. Though I really want to write more of YukixAtsushi and maybe ShuxAkiha. Strange. Atsushi and Akiha are really nice characters to work with!
Lastly, remember this: "There is no such thing as coincidence in this world, only inevitability." (quoted from Yuuko, xXxholic)
Keep that in mind! (laughs)