Chapter 6

THE ACE IS MISSING

(The moments after Sawamura kidnapped)

When Kuramochi and Asada walked inside their room, they smelled something strange like there's a faint chemical odor in the air the smelled like chloroform.

"What's that smell? Chloroform? " Kuramochi asked with a frown.

"Yes, senpai. A chloroform." Asada said, confused.

Kuramochi called Sawamura's name but answered with the silence of an empty room.

"Sawamura-senpai?" Asada called.

He checked the double bunk bed and saw Sawamura's bag there, but the bed is empty and it was crumpled. Their room showed signs that the ace player had gotten back from hospital already. Kuramochi picked up his phone and dialed Miyuki's number even though they're both living in the same dorm, he just too tired to find their captain, but he just heard a recorded message saying that phone was turned off, followed by the voicemail message recorded in their captain's own voice.

"Fuck! Where's that Bakamura? Are they practicing the numbers together? " Kuramochi growled.

"I saw Miyuki-senpai headed in the direction of the comfort room, Kuramochi-senpai." Asada said.

Kuramochi tried to called Sawamura's number but don't get an answer. Maybe he forgot his phone in the hospital or he forgot to set the ring tone and vibration.

As Kuramochi was about to leave, he was startled by a voice behind him asking, "How's Sawamura?"

"Hey, we need help. There's something bad has happened here!" Kuramochi said to Maezono.

"Bad, like what?" Maezono frowned.

"I don't know exactly but our room smell like chloroform and Sawamura isn't here." Kuramochi said to him.

"What? He's supposed to be here now, right?" Haruichi said which startled Asada, Kuramochi and Maezono.

"Okay! Calm down, guys. I'll inform coach Kataoka now!" Maezono ran, not taking the time to talk or ask anything to Kuramochi.

The group began talking and asking to Kuramochi and Asada in front of their room. They would occasionally eating and resting after the practice, but they didn't. The front of the spirit dorm were filled of boys now, gossiping.

Inside the shower room, Miyuki wiped the steam off the mirror and rubbing a towel over his damp hair and walked back into the spirit dorm. He turned the corner and gasped in surprise. He was expecting an emptiness this current time but they are so many people in front of room 05. Miyuki paused as he felt a strange chill run down his spine. For a brief moment, he saw Maezono running towards the office of coach Kataoka. He then turned to the others, unsure of what to tell them.

"W-What's going on?" Miyuki asked.

That's a hard question for Kuramochi to try to explain for the first time in his life. He see the worry and fear in every boys' faces when their captain arrive. He and Asada can't find Sawamura who was just got back from the hospital.

"That idiot... he's not here and there's an odor of chloroform in the our room. This looks like a kidnapping to me." Kuramochi whispered.

"W-what?!" Yui gasped.

"Why would someone kidnap Sawamura? He told me that his family was just ordinary farmer and what is the reason behind it?" Kanemaru asked, as he didn't know what to say.

"Yeah, I can smell chloroform, too. It's like Sawamura has been drugged." Toujo said as he took a peek from the room.

Miyuki walk slowly through the door and was met by the familiar faint smell of chloroform that never left the room.

"Wait? How do we know he did actually get taken somehow?" Shirasu confused.

"I don't really know if Sawamura was kidnapped but something's wrong. If not, why isn't he answering his phone?" Kuramochi looked at them.

"I don't think it's a good idea to say he's been kidnapped when you have no such proof. Let's wait for the police." Asou said.

Kuramochi gave Miyuki a glance, he was probably thinking the same thing.

"Guys, go ahead and search the place for Sawamura. See if he's upstairs, dinning hall or somewhere near the spirit dorm."

Miyuki ordered as the other boys spread out and went through their room.

"Do you have any idea where he may have been heading?" Furuya asked Haruichi.

"No, I have absolutely no idea where Eijun-kun could be going since he's still sick." Harucihi replied.

Some boys checked upstairs, dinning hall, indoor practice area and comfort room. The others starts walking up and down near the field, calling Sawamura's name but no answer.

"He's not here." Seto said.

Okumura caught a glimpse of someone walking towards them, holding a picture.

"Are you looking for him, onii-chan? The old man threw it out of the car window." the little girl said.

She handed Okumura the picture and he took it from her hands and looking it.

"S-Sawamura-senpai? Hey, little girl, where did you find it?" Seto asked.

"I found it near the vending machine, onii-chan. He was the same boy that I saw earlier with the old man." the little girl replied.

Seto looked over at Okumura and asked, "O-Old man?"

"Yeah... I wasn't supposed to be there. I just wanted some fresh air and I heard footsteps coming from your dorm. Old man was carrying a boy's body and he put him in the car trunk." the little girl said.

"Car trunk?!" Seto gasped.

"Yeah, but I'm lucky. He's head was down all the time so he didn't notice me." the little girl added.

Panic begins to creep in now for the two first year. Seto looked over at Okumura again, the wolf boy nodded like that was all Seto needed to hear. They gave thanks for the kindness of the little girl. Okumura and Seto praised how smart the little girl is and then, she starts to walk away, waving her hand.

"D-Do you think Sawamura-senpai could have been kidnapped, Koushuu?" Seto's voice sounded nervous.

"Certainly. I had already heard this missing-baseball boy case before, Taku." Okumura said.

"Yeah, me too. His name is Takashi Hirofumi, right? He's a pitcher and... ace." Seto believed it.

"Sawamura-senpai had already told us that he got an anonymous gift from someone who claimed to be his fan and he felt like someone was watching him. I know that stranger, that man! He's the one who kidnapped our senpai!" Okumura said as he tightened his grip in the picture.

"Hey, calm down. Do you still remember his face, Koushuu?" Seto question as he fix his eyeglasses on his nose.

"I couldn't see his face clearly but I know I will recognize his figure and voice if I ever saw him again. If that man didn't show up tomorrow. He's definitely the one who kidnapped Sawamura-senpai." Okumura whispered.

"That is what makes the whole thing ironic. The smell of chloroform from their room, I think the stranger made sure that it would knock Sawamura-senpai out and put him in the trunk as precaution." Seto said.

"I think that bastard was just only interested in Sawamura-senpai." Okumura said.

"Alright, we should tell 'em now." Seto said with a confident smirk.


"Where am I?""

Sawamura surprised that it was too dark when he opened his eyes. The smell of gas or oil drifted around him and it's kinda warm. His breath caught in his chest when he found his hands and feet were tied together. He tried to stretch but his feet hit a solid surface and he realized that he was in a car trunk.

He began to remember about the stranger who knocked on the door but when he tried to run away, strong arms wrapped around his body and a smelly rag was pressed against his mouth and nose. He tried to break free, kicking his leg until he couldn't breathe and everything went black.

"Shit!" he gasped.

Sawamura wasn't sure how long they had traveled but he needed to find his phone. He tried to reach for the phone in his pocket but couldn't do it because his hands were tied.

As they drove, Sawamura could hear music from the car through the speakers. He felt around in the dark, hoping to find something that would help him break out. But the combination of heat, fumes and sweat was dizzying to Sawamura and felt as if he were on the inside of a clothes dryer as they bounced along a particularly bumpy road.

"HELP! HELP! LET ME OUT OF HERE!" Sawamura cried out in a long painful howl.

"Shut up!" a muffled voice growled from the other side.

Now, Sawamura's eyes drifted closed no matter how he fought it and unconsciousness claimed him.

When he opened his eyes once again, Sawamura realized that the car had stopped and a minute later, the trunk lid flew open.

"How's your sleep, baseball boy?" the man grinned.

Sawamura drew back, suddenly afraid and the man began to untie the ropes around the young boy's ankles.

"Come on, get up!" the man ordered but Sawamura couldn't move.

The man used both hands and he yanked Sawamura out of the trunk. He ordered him to get in the house immediately or he will kill him. While his hands still tied together by the rope, Sawamura willed his body to stand and with every step, he kept waiting to be bashed in the head but it didn't. He made it to the front of the red door and noticed the small gray house with number 1425 near the door. Sawamura gasped in terror because it was exactly like he had seen in his dream.

He turned around to glance at the face of his abductor before he walk inside. The man appeared to be about 27 years old, with black hair and blue eyes and was dressed in a white polo shirt and gray pants. He looks so ordinary. From the way the man had pulled him out of the trunk, Sawamura knew this man was stronger than he looked. He then started looked around to see if there are any houses nearby but it's like some owners abandoned them years ago and just left everything. It's too quiet, where could he be?

"What's wrong? Go inside! Now!" the man yelled, showing his pocket knife.

Sawamura didn't clearly heard what the man was saying because he felt exhausted, and terrified but he forced himself to take a few steps and walked in. He glanced around the room, it looks normal, like a normal Japanese-style apartment but this place was a little mess. He tilted his head and recognize any details of the room and it's really all the same as his dream, even the pictures of the young boy scattered and broken glass on the floor. He noticed the man had locked the front door of the house and pointed his finger crossly towards the kitchen and frowned at him.

He felt more frightened and alone than he'd ever felt in his life, maybe this man was going to feed him.

"Sit down. I'll make you dinner!" the man ordered.

As he sat down in the chair, Sawamura heard the sound of clattering dishes coming from behind him. The man was probably start making the dinner he had said to the young pitcher. Not that Sawamura felt any kind of appetite but he knew that he needed some nourishment if he were to escape somehow and the man would probably cut the ropes on his wrists so that he could feed himself and perhaps that would be the time. The sound of footsteps on the floor interrupted Sawamura's thoughts and saw the man was holding a tray with what appeared to be a bowl of leftover curry and a glass of water.

"Are you hungry, Eijun? You look so pale!" the man asked with a smile but Sawamura didn't respond.

"Okay. Before you start making any plans to try anything cute with your hands feed, I plan to feed you myself so just stay still and I'll give you your dinner. Understand?" he added.

Sawamura was too sick and weak to protest so he just nodded.

The man sat next to Sawamura and began to spoon-feed the curry to the young boy. Out of the corner of his eye, Sawamura glanced at the man and confidently feeding him as if he were a child. This man had abducted him only tonight but it felt like a lifetime. Sawamura starts thinking if he should talk to this man or he should remain resolute and stoic, causing the man to wonder about what was going through his mind? Still glancing at the man through his peripheral vision, Sawamura would remain silent and mysterious and let this man wonder what he was thinking.

The man noticed there was a tiny rice at the corner of Sawamura's lips so he wiped it away which Sawamura's eyes widened. The man knows it should have been an innocent gesture like a father helping his children but something happened when he touched Sawamura's skin. It's a heat, the kind that he'd tried to imagine the past few months. The kind that led someone to do stupid things and a victim to make unwise choices.

"How's the taste of my curry, Eijun?" the man asked, smiling.

His thumb sliding down the skin of the young boy, first the cheek then Sawamura's neck.

"W-what do you want from me? Please...please...let me go, sir!" Sawamura begged.

A hand went in Sawamura's hair, pulling him to the floor and dragging him along without any grace. Sawamura can't help but screamed in agony before managing to scramble his feet but the man didn't let up speed or brutality. His arms are still both tied together so he almost tumbled when the man forced him down the stairs towards the basement, bent over double so Sawamura's hair wouldn't rip from his scalp. The man stopped only to ram the key into the basement door then shoved the young boy in with one hand. Sawamura's head felt on fire.

"Get out, Takashi!" the man said but there's no one else besides them.

"Let me go!" Sawamura cried.

He pushed Sawamura down the stairs and kicked him for saying unnecessary words. He was locked in the basement enduring the beating the entire night and Sawamura thought for sure he was going to die that time.


NOTE: Please don't hate me xD