Welcome to 'Countdown', one of the entries that will lead to the finale! I just ate the latest entry of 'Why' up, and now I've got goosebumps! I'm actually cold right now, and the room I'm in is warm! Sheesh! That story is the definition of an Oscar award! If you really wanna read another fic about Shuichi being held hostage, READ THAT ONE. YOU WON'T REGRET IT. Brrr...
I'm definitely standing up against a big dog here. That author and I are on the same page, since my Shuichi is in a similar situation...but I'm at the back of the pack! I'll do my best, though; I'll always put my heart into every chapter. I hope all you continue to enjoy it, and it's always a blast to welcome new readers! Please enjoy the rest of my story!
I'm freezing! I feel as though 'Samurai X' just came to an end, for I'm shivering from a multitude of emotions! How spooky...
Theme of 'Countdown': 'Tears Know' from Samurai X anime. 'Mermaid Princess' and 'Beyond' lyrics from Chobits are closely tied to this chapter as well. If you can picture 'Mermaid Princess' playing in the background, the full experience of this chapter will be brought out. PLEASE NOTE THAT I DON'T OWN ANY OF THOSE SONGS! They're just accompaniments for my work!
Warning: 'Countdown' will contain strong language and violent situations. This chapter receives an 'M' rating.
Enjoy, and thank you for reading!
I'm only next to you
And I can't do anything, but
For you only I'll make a present of
All the happiness in my smiling face,
Carrying you anytime.
-Lyrics of 'Tears Know'
A young star entered the world on the wings of life's music. He spent every waking moment in the melodies life had to offer, and savored every taste of life's radiance. The world was a painting to him, and he was determined to take in every drop of the painting's beauty. Simple sunsets, which were common occurrences to others, were memorable experiences to him. Rainstorms were miraculous sonatas, sonatas filled with the exuberance of twilight. The advent of the evening was only surpassed by the beauty of the stars; it was an advent that never failed to fill his heart with endless bliss. When the stars of the sky rose from slumber, his heart embraced each and every one.
The world was an enormous playground, and the star loved every inch of it. The smallest pleasures were unforgettable desires, and the greatest treasures were precious gemstones. The darkest of nights were breathtaking oceans of starlight; nighttime always filled him with an inexplicable curiosity. Everything about the world embraced him, and he never failed to greet each morning with open arms. He loved life, and loved everything life had to offer.
But now...he was separated from everything he held dear.
The songbird was no longer able to soar among clear blue skies. His arms were clipped; they were tied down by the hand of merciless, cold darkness. His body wasn't in a better condition, for most of it was covered in horrific injuries. The remnants of his clothes were tainted by the red mists of blood, and he couldn't bring an end to his shivering. His soul was a throbbing mass of fire; his body felt as if it had been drenched in poison, and oceans were tearing themselves from his burning eyes. His entire body was covered in endless, intolerable pain...and his spirit was broken.
The world he knew and loved so much wasn't near him. He was tied down in darkness, tied down in a world that kept him from the light. Time had no meaning, and neither did sleep. Every time his eyes closed, he wished for an end to the nightmare...but as soon as his eyes opened, he realized that his slumber had brought no relief. Everything was cold...too cold for human life. The color of his blood was undetermined, for he couldn't see his own hand in the thick darkness, but he knew his body was throbbing in it.
There weren't any familiar faces. There weren't even any voices.
There was only the smell of his own vomit...and the smell of his own blood.
He was trapped.
His captors were right outside, planning their next move. They had devoured his spirit several times, and they were ready to attack him again. Just thinking of their faces filled the songbird with excruciating fear; they filled him with a degree of fear that could never be measured. They had laughed at his beliefs in true, blissful love and stomped all over him; they had soiled his body and refused to feel the pangs of guilt. Monsters were incapable of feeling guilt, or even sorrow. They found his beliefs to be amusing, and used them to fuel their conquest.
Time crept right by the songbird, and left him in the darkness. He couldn't think; he could barely even breathe. His body, which had been defiled by ravenous predators, was too cold for even the smallest of functions...everything was too cold...
He had to escape. He had to do SOMETHING.
Pay attention to yesterday, pay attention to your eyes
Let's find anything
I don't know other things, I want you
All the great things are in the depths of the smile
No one touches it
Like a code, the true you...
The ones searching for the songbird were unable to hear him. Their hearts wanted to see him, but their eyes were unable to uncover the darkness he was trapped in. Days passed by his guardians, and not a single day brought a shred of relief. The passage of time failed to present any hope for them; it only made the world colder. The skies grew darker and darker throughout the seams of time...and the world slowly became an inhospitable region. They hunted for any sign of their songbird, but none could be found. They were conducting their search in the wrong world...for he was nowhere near them.
Their search came to an end after a thousand eternities. The songbird's friends found themselves back in their home, Tokyo...but their return wasn't a joyous, rapturous one. All of them were forced to retreat from their missions, and they did so with heavy hearts. All of them spent the trip to Tokyo in silence...for none of them were able to speak. The sorrow flowing through their hearts didn't permit the passage of speech, and their souls were throbbing against the drums of eternal pain. They felt as if they had failed their songbird...and his prince was feeling the full brunt of pain.
Tokyo was still a dark, unfriendly realm. The savage storm had died down, but the darkness was still abundant. Soft winds were brushing the streets, and the inhabitants were under the protection of raincoats...but their world was drenched in a darkness they knew little of. Only the songbird's friends knew of the pain Tokyo was in...for the land had lost its brightest star. No one knew of the mission failure, for none of the songbird's friends had the strength to release the news at the moment. All of them were inside of the prince's castle, still drenched in unbreakable silence.
They felt as if their search had ignited several seconds ago, but at the same time, they felt as if they had looked all over the world for their precious friend. All of them were in the living room, huddled up against each other for support. The home belonged to the songbird's prince, but all of them felt as if they had been born within the same home; their hearts were locked together as one, and the home offered comfort to all of their broken hearts. Hiroshi Nakano, Suguru Fujisaki and Reiji were huddled together under blankets; others were simply sitting on the floor, soaked in impenetrable regret. Even the ones that were normally active were drowning in pain.
The only sounds within the house were the sounds of mournful, steady footsteps. Footsteps were only etched in the ground when an individual wanted to fulfill a natural desire. Hunger, thirst and exhaustion were dealt with, but none of them gained any unique reactions...for none of the steadfast warriors had the strength to emit their unique personalities. All of them had been transformed into zombies because of the lost mission; none of them had the strength to speak, or even think.
Hours drifted by them. The world drifted by all of them, but none of them were able to embrace it. In their eyes, the world no longer existed, for they had lost a vital piece of their hearts. The songbird's prince, Eiri, was drowning in the deepest sorrow...but for some reason, he was unable to release his grip on the light called hope. He had dreamt of his songbird several times, and so his heart knew that the young one was still among humanity's reach...but somehow he had managed to end up in another galaxy. Eiri, of course, was silent...but unlike the others, he was lost in thought. He was absorbed in the thoughts of the past...absorbed in the dreams that had visited him, absorbed in the memories he had molded with the songbird.
The prince's loyal companion, Tohma Seguchi, was once again at his side. The motherly member of Nittle Grasper never left Eiri's side in times of pain, and he was unwilling to end his current term anytime soon. He knew Eiri was lost in thought...he knew the prince was holding onto hope...but he couldn't understand why. The prince's thoughts were hidden from view; there was only one heart that knew them, and that was the prince himself.
Prior to the songbird's disappearance, all of them were no more than acquaintances to each other. Of course, a few of them had already been close to each other, but their bonds were at their true strength. At the start of the Christmas party, they had been nothing more than individuals at a party...but now they were members of the same family. The prince had failed to acknowledge the existence of family in the past, but now he was in the company of very dear friends...people he felt he had known his whole life. All of them were very supportive of him, even though they too were drowning in the pit of defeat. Even Hiroshi Nakano, who had appointed himself Eiri's enemy, wanted to comfort the heartbroken prince. The guitarist of Bad Luck was on the other side of the novelist, covered in a blanket. That alone filled the house with the essence of family.
I have been searching for a while...for a feeling that softly glimmers...
The air was heavy with sadness. Claude K. Winchester was unable to produce any type of relief, and he was usually the comforting chieftain. The officer was lost in a type of silence he had never felt before, and that alone brought his heart down. He felt as if he had lost a very dear family member, and he felt as if he had failed that precious loved one. His heart had been torn from his chest, and he was barely able to breathe. Time crept by all of them, ignored by all...
...then...
A ringtone pierced the uncongenial, cold air. All of them failed to identify it, for as soon as it broke into the air, it caused all of their hearts to jump straight through the roof. None of them had expected to receive any more calls, for their mission had come to an end. Suguru was the first one to respond to the abrupt, foreign explosion of noise-
"Whose phone is that?"
Reiji and K exchanged glances with each other, and then the benevolent officer shrugged. "It isn't mine." he said firmly, his eyes shining with deep silence. "I don't have 'Rage Beat' assigned to my phone."
The owner's identity crashed into all of them a second later...and so did the song's lyrics...
"That unfulfillable emotion that never settles down somewhere--
Just decide to ignore it, then overtake it.
Aim for the loophole in this shy, trembling society,
For the place we keep struggling towards. I want a new world..."
The phone belonged to none other than Eiri Yuki.
The color drained from Tohma's face. The gentle Seguchi looked into Eiri's face, which was filled with painful tranquility. The novelist reacted to his phone's cries as if the phone were an object from another planet...
"Hello?"
"...Yuki...i-is...that you?"
His heart STOPPED. The color drained from his face, and strength evaporated from his body. The world began to spin...his head began to spin savagely...
Tohma's face took on a shade that wasn't normally applied to fear. The look on Eiri's face filled the others with immeasurable anxiety; all of them looked as if they were about to be pushed right over a cliff. The air became heavy and the world began to scream at the speed of light-
"Yuki, who is it?"
Ryuichi Sakuma shoved the speaker in the chest. "Shut it, Yuuji!"
Cold, deep fear filled Eiri's chest. It transformed his bloodstream into a river of hot ice...and filled his entire soul with indescribable emotion...
"Yuki...please...please don't go...don't hang up..."
Nauseu struck the novelist like a thunderbolt.
Tohma swiftly took his hand and squeezed it.
Hiro, Suguru and Ayaka exchanged fearful glances with their companions. Their minds were hanging by a mere thread; they were about to be driven insane by the current situation. K gave them an explanation that caused the fear to shoot beyond the roof. His voice was calm, but he was no different from an urgent, vigilant officer on the verge of locating a murderer.
"It's Shindou."
Fear struck Reiji and pulled her to her knees. Ayaka clasped a hand to her mouth, but her fall was intercepted by the loyal Sakuma. All of their heads became lighter than baby feathers...
...the world increased its speed, and became intolerably loud...
"Please don't go, Yuki..."
Tohma increased his grip on Eiri's hand. The novelist was cold...very cold...
The songbird's voice was shattered by pain. It had once been a song of bright, lively jubilance...but now it was a broken song of cold sadness. The sadness of Shuichi Shindou's voice broke the novelist's heart, for he had never encountered such pure emotion before...
Sobs pierced Eiri's heart, and they brought him to his knees. Shuichi was frightened beyond comprehension; his cries made that painfully evident-
His head wouldn't stop spinning...and nausea wouldn't leave him alone...
...his fingers became cold...the air froze his lungs...
"I'm sorry...I'm sorry for everything...I-I'm scared...please help me..."
"Speakerphone." K said urgently, resuming his place as the vigilant commander. "Put him on speakerphone. Now."
Somehow the novelist found the strength to follow his friend's demand. The operation of his cell phone was no different from ancient languages at the moment, but since he had memorized the phone's functions, he was able to follow the demand in an instant. The songbird's sobs pierced all of their hearts a moment later, and filled several eyes with tears. Hiroshi clasped both of his hands to his mouth, and was pulled into the warm shield of his brother-
"Yuki..."
Oceans filled Tohma's eyes, and his soul cried out in pain. Eiri was struggling to regain the power of speech, for the one he loved was lost in another world...and he was in danger.
Seconds were no different from years. Everything was cold...so cold...
"Shuichi, it's me. I'm here."
His own voice was strange to him. The world wouldn't stop spinning...and it was covering his body in ice...
"I'm here. It's all right. I'm not going anywhere. Just...just tell me-"
"I'm scared...she's coming...please help me..."
He was scared.
Someone was after him.
"Shuichi, listen to me. Everything's going to be all right. Just tell me where you are and I'll-"
The loud, sorrowful cry of a wounded animal pierced the novelist's heart and snapped it in half.
Tohma increased his grip.
"Let me go! Please! Please let me go! I just want to go home! PLEASE!"
Hiro closed his eyes and balled his hands into a fist. His brother sensed that he was seriously close to losing his frame of mind, so he kept himself at the guitarist's side. Reiji took Ayaka's hand, even though she was still suffering from overwhelming nausea-
"Please, just let me go! I want to go home! Noooooo!"
Eiri's heart began to jump around in its imprisonment. It was a cold, black lump of throbbing ice-
"Shuichi! Shuichi!"
Someone was tormenting the songbird...and they were having a lot of fun.
A voice answered the novelist's cries, but it wasn't the voice of the songbird. The vocalist's cries drifted into the background, but they were still loud and clear...
"He's a cute little thing. Really. So tender and pure."
Humans were rarely able to reach the true extent of emotions. Different situations pushed humans to their edge, and caused many of them to bloom into the one they were meant to be. Something snapped within Eiri Yuki, and brought out his heart's true strength. His eyes became fiery, venomous daggers...daggers that were radiant with the scent of death...
"Who in the hell are you? And what are you doing to Shuichi?"
K brought himself closer to the wrathful novelist. His dearest companion, Ark, was at his side, his eyes radiant with gentle urgency. The voice on the other end was the epitome of evil; it was sweet, yet dark and twisted with violent intention...
"My friends and I are just having a little fun, that's all. He's adorable, even though he's a bit loud at times. The sweet little thing's quite yummy."
"You fucking bastard!"
Eiri's tone caused all of their hearts to stop.
"If you lay another finger on him I'll tear your fucking heart out and CRUSH IT! I SWEAR!"
"So you intend to reclaim him, then? It's too bad. I've ruined the poor little thing. He's mine now, and will never be seen by another soul."
"Please don't! Let me go! Noooo!"
"His skin is quite tender. So soft and delicate...just like buttermilk. He's the most delicious prey I've had...and I don't intend to give him back."
Right then and there...Eiri Yuki snapped.
"I'll hunt you down and TEAR YOU APART! You can stake your life on that, you disgusting insect! I'LL KILL YOU!"
"Puppies are at their cutest when they're scared. I love them when they whimper, don't you?"
A flash of red hatred shot through Eiri's eyes.
"You filthy little bitch!"
"You've got until midnight. It won't be too hard to find us. I'm going to throw a little party for my new toy, and it's going to be BIG. After midnight, you'll still be able to see him...but he won't be in one piece."
"YUKI!"
Their house, which had been a silent abyss of death for so long, became a chaotic hotbed of activity.
Several things happened at once.
The call came to an end.
Eiri Yuki fell to his knees, overwhelmed by fervent dizziness. Human speech became foreign to him...the world tore itself from him, and filled him with intolerable sickness...
Tohma Seguchi brought him into a gentle, urgent embrace...and delivered soft, comforting words...
Claude K. Winchester released several orders and Tatsuha Uesugi came to Tohma's assistance...
Ark snatched up the novelist's phone and spoke to his companion...
Nothing was real anymore...
Relying on a voice from afar...I keep on walking...
"Eiri! Come on, bro! BREATHE! Breathe, dammit!"
"Eiri-sama, PLEASE come back to us! Wake up!"
He couldn't hear anything...other than the songbird's frightened cries...his pleas for help...
Someone was tormenting the pure heart, and he just wanted...to go home...
If the shaking feelings are calmed
All the unstable things are in both of us
So realize it
The undeniable truth, want it tomorrow...
Find it soon...
"Damn it, Eiri! BREATHE!"
"Stay at his side! Body heat will shake him! Just hold onto him!"
Another pair of arms wrapped themselves around him. They belonged to the guitarist of Bad Luck, who had evidently eliminated his vow for revenge. He was silent, but his eyes were vibrant paintings of emotion, and they were louder than any word within any vocabulary. They were filled with the urgency of a desperate father, and with the devotion of a concerned friend. His voice drifted into his shivering ears...and he was able to identify every one of the guitarist's words...
"Don't worry. Everything's gonna be all right. We're gonna find him. I know we will. Just hold tight, Yuki. He's gonna be fine. Remember, this is Shuichi Shindou we're dealing with. He's gonna pull through. I know him. We've been friends since the dawn of time."
Hiro's wordsfulfilled their intentions.
The novelist inhaled deeply, then exhaled. Exhaling caused his head to become even lighter, but at least he had regained the basic abilities of human life. The world wouldn't stop spinning, though...it just kept on going, faster and faster...and his heart was pounding at the speed of sound...
"We've identified the area code of the number. It's within the borders of New York."
K's words caused several of them to gasp. Tohma cried out in shock, his gentle eyes radiant with horror.
"New York? It's no wonder we couldn't unable to find Shindou!"
"Someone dragged him to the States!" Ryuichi cried out, his voice radiant with wrath. "It must have happened BEFORE Ark contacted the airlines!"
For the first time in his life, Tatsuha Uesugi grabbed Eiri's hand and squeezed it. He had never been close to his brother before, and thought he would never have any true connection with him...but the chaos within the novelist's house brought both of them together. Tatsuha kept a firm grip on his brother, his eyes radiant with newborn strength...and was answered by a strong squeeze from his sibling.
"Breathe. Breathe, Eiri. I'm right here with you."
"Were you able to pinpoint the location of the call?" Reiji asked K urgently, holding the sobbing Ayaka in a motherly embrace. The former manager of Bad Luck was violently shivering from fear, but she was determined to support her new friend.
"I'm afraid the call came from a payphone."
K felt all of their hearts drops.
"A payphone!" Hiro asked, utterly horrified by K's response. "How in the hell are we supposed to go off of a payphone's number!"
"Come on, bro. Stay with me. I'm right here."
Tatsuha's gentle words filled Eiri's ears, but they weren't able to eradicate the images flowing through his mind...
...the world was so cold...
Ryuichi's voice penetrated the chaotic atmosphere next.
"At least we've got SOMETHING to go from! We'll just have to take it from here!"
"K! Are you ABSOLUTELY sure the area code is from New York boundaries!"
K passed Yuuji Nakano a look of disgust. The officer was offended by the question.
"Absolutely sure. There's no way around it."
Tatsuha tore his eyes away from his silent brother and placed them onto K. His voice was surprisingly ferocious, for it was filled with newborn...
...devotion.
"K! What time is it in New York?"
"It's ten thirty. We don't have very much time."
"Then here's the game plan. I'll book ten tickets for a New York flight! You notify your pals in the New York Police Department!"
"I'm on it. Ark, notify the media and tell them that we've located Shindou."
Tatsuha whipped out his cell phone, dialed a number at the speed of light, then launched into a rapid wildfire of fury. His voice, along with the voices of others, pierced the cold air-
"I'd like to know when the next flight to New York is taking place! And make it quick-I've got an emergency on my hands!"
"Claude K. Winchester here. I've got a code red case on my hands. A life is hanging in the balance."
"What if the next flights can't get us there in time?"
Reiji's gentle, motherly voice answered her.
"Stray away from the 'what ifs', Ayaka-chan. Stay positive."
"You guys! I've got a flight that takes place twenty minutes from now, and another is within forty-five minutes!"
"Tatsuha! How many can fit on the earlier flight?"
"Six!"
Ryuichi Sakuma's fierce eyes met the courageous eyes of Tatsuha Uesugi. "Great! The rest of us can fit on the other flight, right?"
"Right! The other four are gonna have to sit on the sidelines for a moment! Eiri and I are taking the first flight, without a doubt!"
"Ark speaking. We've located Shuichi Shindou. I repeat, we've located Shuichi Shindou, the vocalist of Bad Luck. He's being held against his will in New York. Yes, that's right."
Eiri's eyes scanned the faces of his companions. All of their voices were songs of bravery, dedication and anxiety; it was as if they were in his position. He had never acknowledged their existence before, and they had never given him the time of day...but now...all of them...
...were his family.
"I'll contact the New York airlines! I'll make sure Shindou isn't smuggled out again!"
"Thanks Suguru." K said warmly. "I'd appreciate it."
Tatsuha's eyes lost their ferocity, and became gentle oceans of love. They filled the eyes of his fearful brother, and comforted him with the warmth of a parent. They had never shared such a strong connection before, but they felt as if they had known each other well since birth.
"Hey bro. What are you hiding in the garage?"
Eiri caught on instantly.
"A Mercedes and a Bentley."
"Perfect." K announced firmly, his eyes bright with the light of adrenaline. "Both cars will suit both groups. We've got ourselves a plan."
I've got to cut this short; I just ran out of time! I can hear you guys now. 'Short, she says. Hah! This was LONG!'
I know this was the longest entry, but it was supposed to be even longer! Music can really drive me on, and this time I got carried away!
I can't finish the suspense right now...waaaahhh! I'll update soon, I promise! I hope I did a really good job...PLEASE TELL ME HOW I DID! I worked so hard on this entry!
I HOPE YOU ENJOYED 'COUNTDOWN'! BYE FOR NOW! TAKE CARE!