The King of Hell
by Lamenting Fox

Chapter Three: Searching for an Answer

"Tatsuki, have you seen Yuuto today? I borrowed his math notes, but I can't find him to give them back," Kotarou asked his cousin at school the next day.

"Do I look like a babysitter?" replied the brooding boy.

Kotarou growled. "Fine, jerk. Thanks for all of your fantastic help!"

With that, he stormed away, leaving Tatsuki alone with his thoughts.

He's probably just sick. Or out chasing girls, he decided.

School started, and Yuuto was nowhere to be found, and the teacher did not say anything about him calling in sick. Tatsuki couldn't help but notice that Koutari looked exceptionally smug, and a shiver of fear ran through him.

What if... Tatsuki shook the thought off. No. I will not get paranoid over this. Why should I care if Yuuto misses a day of school?

But he did care, and it surprised him. If Koutari had done something to Yuuto, it would be his fault. His fault because he was too afraid to do anything about it. He was afraid of Koutari.

And as much as Yuuto annoyed him sometimes, he was one of the only people who'd accepted Tatsuki, powers and all.

Koutari caught his eye and smiled.

"Look how desperate you are."

Tatsuki was suddenly very worried.

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"Where are you going?" Kotarou asked him that night as Tatsuki walked down the stairs to the door.

"To look for Yuuto," he responded, pulling on his shoes.

"Did you call his house?" Kotarou questioned.

Tatsuki nodded. "He hasn't been home since yesterday."

Kotarou padded quickly after him. "I'll come with you."

"No," Tatsuki said coldly.

Kotarou glared at him, angry and annoyed. "It wasn't a yes or no question, Tatsuki. Yuuto's my friend. I'm coming," he said firmly.

Tatsuki looked uneasy, but didn't say anything else.

As he climbed onto the Kawasaki behind his cousin, he thought once again of what had happened with Sono.

But when he wrapped his arms around Tatsuki's middle, he felt nothing but the warmth of his skin through his shirt.

He thought about Tatsuki. What was he feeling?

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Tatsuki suppressed a shiver when Kotarou's arms encircled him, but no images of death and destruction flashed in front of his eyes, and he relaxed a little.

They drove around Yuuto's usual hangouts. They found nothing, and no one had seen him.

After more than an hour of clinging to Tatsuki as they went from place to place, Kotarou was exhausted and Tatsuki was losing patience. Suddenly Kotarou's head snapped up.

"Wait a second! Turn around, Tatsuki, I think I just saw Yuuto's bike," he cried excitedly.

Tatsuki obeyed without question. They pulled into an alleyway half hidden by a noodle cart, and, just like Kotarou had said, there at the end was Yuuto's CBR.

Tatsuki and Kotarou dismounted and went to examine the motorcycle, but there was no evidence of Yuuto had gone. Even Tatsuki's powers showed him nothing.

"So where do you think he is?" Kotarou asked nervously. "I mean he wouldn't ditch school without a reason. That's not like Yuuto."

Tatsuki's eyes were not on Kotarou. Instead, he was looking at a small part of the shadowed ground that was darker than the rest. Kneeling down, he touched his fingertips to the spot and found it wet. He pulled his hand back and stared with horror at his fingers. Blood. Yuuto's blood, he thought, though he couldn't say how he knew.

"Oh my god," Kotarou gasped. "Is it--do you think it's Yuuto's?" He touched Tatsuki's shoulder lightly, skin just barely grazing his neck.

Suddenly the past rushed at Tatsuki. He saw Yuuto fall to the ground as he was hit in the head from behind, and the unidentified person dragged him away. Then the vision switched, and Tatsuki was seeing a different past. It was somewhere he'd never been but felt strangely familiar with anyway. He saw a warehouse with the number nine painted on the side; a lake with a wooden dock, and thick, untended grass growing along its border; the highway in the distance far behind the line of warehouses; and, dragging an unconscious Yuuto through a door in warehouse nine, Tatsuki saw...

...Koutari.

His jaw clenched in anger. I knew it.

"Tatsuki?" Kotarou called tentatively.

"I know where he is," Tatsuki said shortly.

"But..how--" Kotarou began, but Tatsuki was already straddling his bike.

"Let's go."

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A/N: Hey, you know what I really like? Reviews!