Bound - Ch. 14 Mission Success?
The heavy atmosphere hung in the air after Ushio informed the other three of the situation. Nozomi was practically shaken knowing that her friends were in danger while Eiichi and Masaki were trying their best to not punch a hole into the wall.
"I already informed the Captain of the situation. Saori-san gave me the coordination of where they're being held. Once my equipment gets dropped off I'll head there as soon as possible."
"I'll go with you." Eiichi added, but the other shook his head.
"No, the Captain wants you to stay with Nozomi. He says that it could be a trap for us to let our guards down so they can also get their hands on her." Ushio's gaze softened when the blond scowled at the statement.
"Then I'll go." Surprisingly, Masaki had been silent the whole time when Ushio filled them in on the situation. His amethyst colored eyes hardened with a determined look. "I'll go with you."
"Masaki, I can't allow you to go. We can't put you in a dangerous situation when you just reclaimed your rightful position."
"I don't care! It was my job to make sure Nico-chan was being protected, and I failed! The only way I can make it up now is to go after those guys and save her!"
"This isn't a game Masaki! What if their true goal is to come after you?!"
"Then they can go screw themselves before I do it for them!" The two were at each other's throats, neither willing to back down from each other. "What makes you think you can save them both going alone?! Stop trying to be a hero!"
Ushio's face darkened and he pulled Masaki's closer to his face. "I never said I was a hero, in fact, I know I'm far from being." The older let the other go and took a deep sigh to calm himself down. "You have half an hour to get yourself ready, but only on one condition. You are to stay away from any combat. I'll be the diversion while you search for them. Am I clear?"
"Yes." Masaki answered back grimly and exited the room.
Eiichi looked between the closed door and Ushio. It wasn't often that the two would get into an argument. The blond knew well how the two would often get along because of their similar personalities, but that was another reason why they would butt heads. They were both too stubborn to the core.
"Ushio-kun..."
"I'm sorry, Nozomi, Eiichi, that you had to see that side of me." The younger man apologized to the present individuals.
"What are you saying? You're just worried about Masaki and all of us. But I do have to agree with him, you need to think about how others would feel. You're not immortal." Eiichi tried to lightened up the lingering tension of the room.
"Maybe it's because I still haven't found a true reason to live." Ushio spoke under his breath as he walked out the room. "After all, I don't have anything to return to once this game is over."
"Hm? What did you say?" Eiichi furrowed his eyebrows and stared at the other's back.
"I said, you should worry more about your situation." Ushio looked over his shoulder and gave the other a half-hearted smirk. "I won't be there to save your ass if you get in trouble."
The blond returned the gesture and gave a lax salute to Ushio. "I could say the same to the both you. Always leaving me behind and having all of the fun to yourself." The two chuckled as Ushio made his way out the door. "Don't die on me."
As the door closed behind Ushio he rested his back against the frame to balance his tired body.
"I don't plan on it…not yet at least."
xXx
Eiichi stared at the closed door for a good while before dropping into a nearby seat. He let out a frustrated sigh and buried his face in his hands. It was only then when a hand touched his shoulder that he remembered Nozomi was still with him.
"Are you worried about them?" Her worried voice made his heart clench, soothing his soul and strangling it to death. To be the only one to hear it was like they were in their own little world inside the closed off room.
"Yeah, I am, but I'm also worried about you." Azure colored irises made contact with turquoise eyes before trailing down to her trembling hands. "You're shaking."
"I- I'll be fine." Nozomi tried her best to reassure the other, but it seemed more like she was trying to convince herself that she would be okay.
Eiichi stood up from his seat and took her hand without saying a word. Nozomi could feel herself slowly crumbling from his touch.
"It'll be okay." The tall blond pulled her into a comforting embrace and stroked her hair. "I know they'll be fine. I won't go anywhere. I'll be here by your side."
His words were whispered softly into her ears. All of her wall came down in an instant. The purplette pulled the man closer and cried. Eiichi shushed her and continued to stroke her hair, feeling the wetness of the other's tears dampen his shirt. "It'll be okay, I know Ushio and Masaki will bring them back."
"I'm sorry Eii-kun." The muffled voice of the crying woman wasn't heard by the blond, but never once did he let the fragile woman go.
The world was spinning once Nico opened her eyes to the dim lit room. When she was finally able to focus her vision, she realized that there were no longer at the party. Then, everything came back to her like when it first happened. Some strange guys had used some type of drug to knock her out and brought her here. It was only when another person stirred beside the brunette that she realized she wasn't alone.
"Kotori?" She sounded uncertain at first, but the soft mumbling of the other was proof that the person was indeed Kotori.
"Nico...chan...?" Her amber eyes fluttered open as she tried to focus her sight in the room. "Where...are we?"
"I don't know, but from the looks of it, we won't be going anywhere soon." Nico's expression turned dark when she noticed that Kotori's hands were also tied up like her own.
Damn it! She internally cursed and panicked.
"It seems like our sleeping beauties have finally waken up." A snarky remark came from the opposite direction of the room; a slightly aging, bulky man entered with the four black suited men who kidnapped them from the party.
"Who the hell are you?" Nico bared her teeth at them. "And why are we here?"
"You don't need to worry. Knowing how that man works, he's gonna send those brats to come after you two." Kotori shivered at the sick smile he flashed at them. "I plan to make this abandoned factory the end of this little game."
The two heiresses were speechless. Not because they didn't have anything to say, but because they have no idea what he was talking about and were too scared to say anything.
"I'll make sure that little Nishikino regret taking back his rightful place."
"Hey, Sato-san, the boss never said anything about not being able to mess around with the hostages did he?" One of the suited men looked at Kotori with hunger in his eyes.
"You have a point." The oldest of the four kneeled down to be face to face with Kotori. He lifted her face up with a hand and smiled. "It would be a waste if we didn't let ourselves have some fun before their little knights come after them."
"You stay the hell away from her." Miraculously, Nico was able to stand up while in her dress and kick the man in his shin.
"You little bitch!" The guy knocked her back down and glared back at her. His expression of anger was soon turned into a smug smile. "Hmmm, seems like you want to be first."
"Keep the other one tied up and don't touch her. I'll take care of this one first." He gave out the orders with a growl and picking Nico up, throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
Nico's felt like a bucket of ice cold water was dumped onto her whole body. The expression of his face showed that he had every intention to hurt her.
"Let me go! I swear-" The guy pulled out a piece of cloth out of nowhere and used it to gag her. Although it didn't completely shut her up, it was enough to help ignore her attempts from yelling into the other's ear.
"…Nico-chan…" Kotori was unsure of what to do. She herself, was too afraid of what was going to happen to her.
I'm scared…Hotaka-kun…Ushio-kum…
xXx
"Let me go, you ugly old fart!" Nico thrashed around in hopes that it would be a way for her to escape, but the older man ignored her attempts of hitting him with her bound hands and legs.
"Heh, you're going to have to do better than that princess." The man known as Sato entered a different room with Nico and threw onto a dirty old couch that Nico was sure smelt like mold.
Landing with a bounce from the old springs in the cushions, Nico glared back at her kidnapper the best she could with her red colored irises, trying her best to hide fear behind them. He used his hand to slick back his graying hair and smirked at the petite girl.
"Although your friend was more of my type, it seems like you need some discipline." Sato took off his jacket, throwing to the side and eyed Nico. "So, shall we start the game?"
There were so many things that flashed in the eyes of the brunette. Of all the things in the world, there was one person who she thought would never be in those thoughts. Red hair, lilac eyes, and a constant frown on his face.
"You got everything." Sharp citrine gems turn to the redhead who was checking the number of bullets in his handgun. The click of the object being shoved back into the weapon gave Masaki a satisfied feeling as he pointed the gun forward at the invisible enemy in front of him.
"Yeah."
"Remember, you're not allowed to get involved in any combat unless needed." Ushio made it clear before, and insistent on making sure that it got through the other's head.
"I know." Masaki answered back in an annoyed tone. How many more times was he going to be reminded about this?
"Good." Ushio pushed the magazine into the gun in his hand and pointed it at the redhead. "Because if you don't, you'll have to deal with me instead."
Amethyst locked with the dangerous glowing citrine colored irises for a split second. Masaki could feel a cold chill crawl down his spine from the other's words. He swallowed the small amount of saliva in his mouth to clear out his dry throat. Masaki would rather face a hundred men bare handed than have a one-on-one showdown with Ushio. If anyone was to ask him who he was scared of more, the Captain or Ushio, he would most likely pick his blue haired older brother.
"A-anyways, are you ready?" Masaki tried to divert the conversation in a different direction to avoid the other's look. "We don't have a lot of time on our side."
"Masaki-kun is right." A feminine voice rang inside both their ears. The pair pressed their earpieces closer to listen better to Saori on the other line. "It's been approximately 90 minutes since Minami-san and Yazawa-san have been kidnapped. Captain Izumi wants everything to be taken care of as soon as possible since no one has made a call for ransom of any sort. He has a feeling that the situation is being used to lure you in."
"Tell me something I don't already know Saori." Ushio huffed.
"Eh~, okay then. I. Love. You~." The older woman cooed through the earpiece in hope that it caught Ushio off guard.
"We're in a dire situation right now, and the two of you are acting like a stupid couple." Masaki interjected, but that was a mistake. A very big mistake to be exact.
"What was that?" The redhead could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up when Ushio smiled politely at him. Sweat rolled down his face as Masaki realized his mistake. Making Ushio more irritated than he already was is something that Masaki knew better not to do. He wanted to at least live to see the next day.
"We're wasting time!" Masaki quickly turned around and walked away. "I'll leave the goons to you then."
"Wouldn't want it any other way." Ushio replied back. "Maybe they can be my stress reliever for the day."
Masaki picked up his pace and prayed that the older was joking. A small part of him on the inside was starting to feel sorry for whoever was going to face Ushio.
Ushio, on the other hand, kept his eyes on the back of Masaki. He worried for the younger more than he worried for himself.
"Be careful Masaki…" Ushio muttered under his breath and closed his eyes to clear out his mind. He let out a deep breath, revealing calm amber looking straight forward. "Time, 23:54 PM. Soldier 02, Soldier 03, heading out. Rescue Mission M.Y., operation start."
Izuma Jin sat at his desk, his face half hidden behind his laced fingers propped on the smooth, black wood surface of his desk. The lights were off in his office, but he could see every inch of the room as clear as day with the city lights behind him as a guide.
It has been less than 20 minutes since the operation started, but he was already feeling restless. It was only natural for him to feel this way. Every time he sent the trio out for a mission, he felt like he was trying to evade the real problem. Every time they were sent on a dangerous mission under his orders, he wondered of the hundreds of millions of possibilities that could occur.
It scared him. More than anything. He didn't want to have to see any of them hurt. Not again. The captain let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes. Something wasn't right. The unsettling feeling inside his stomach…
*RINGGG~*
The disturbance of the ringing phone pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Hello?"
"I wonder… Jin, how far exactly are you willing to go to save them?" The distorted voice on the other side of the line was challenging him. "How about we play a little game? Who do you think will be the first to die?"
The Captain gritted his teeth and tightened his grip around the phone. He knew exactly what the other was talking about. "I swear, if you lay a single finger on any of them, I'll make you pay a hundredfold for it."
The voice laughed at the threat and brushed it off. "Is that a challenge? After all, you have yet to do so? How much are you willing to pay when your-"
The head of the special forces slammed the phone down, taking deep breaths to calm his rising temper. Pushing away the thoughts, he picked the phone back up and dialed to contact his secretary.
"Captain."
"Saori, I need you to send a backup squad to the factory." The sound of concern mixed in with the command.
"But Captain, you said-"
"This is an order from your commanding officer Himura. Send a backup squad as support for Soldier Unit."
"Understood." Saori replied quickly. "I'll send one right away. They should be able to arrive there within 50 minutes."
The aging man pinched the bridge of his nose for a brief moment letting out a small sigh. "Thank you." He then put the phone down and sat down back in his chair. His hand then reached for the bottom drawer of this desk, pulling out a dusty picture frame. His dark brown orbs carefully studied the picture behind the glass wiping away the dust particles off of the precious memory lost in time.
Faster!
That was all Masaki could think of.
Damn it! Move faster!
He could hear voices in his earpiece that didn't belong to Ushio yelling and grunting in the background. Clenching the gun in hand tighter, Masaki forced his legs to move faster. Compared to Eiichi and Ushio, he was nowhere close to how strong there were despite going through the same daily training. A part of the redhead scolded himself for thinking that way. It was a bad habit of his. Always comparing himself to someone he's not.
At this rate I'll never be able to find them.
A flash of smiling faces came into his vision and Masaki's feet came to a sudden halt. The sound of his racing heart pulsed loudly in his ears and he quickly hid behind the corner. He tried to breath out as quietly as possible to calm down the pounding muscle beating against his ribcage. Two guards stood on each side of a door making it obvious where the hostages were being held.
"I need a diversion…" Masaki clicked his tongue and racked his mind to come up with something quick.
"Hey, you stay here." One of the guys spoke while walking away from the door. Masaki froze in place and wondered if he had been found out. "I need to take a leak."
Or not.
"Hurry up or the boss will get mad." The other added.
"Yeah yeah, it's not like he'll notice when he's busy with that one girl. What was her name again? Yamakawa something?"
Nico-chan.
On impulse, Masaki stepped out of the shadows and threw the backside of his right hand forward, landing a clean pistol whip to the back of the henchman's neck.
"What the-" Masaki wasted no time to throw in a swift kick at the second guard. It sent him flying back slamming against the old door with enough force to break it down.
The one guard inside jumped to his feet, charging forward with a metal pole towards the Masaki. Left, right, Masaki dodged the predictable swings with ease and quickly took him down. Despite his many experiences, Masaki was not used to hand-to-hand combat, he much preferred using guns from the distance, but didn't want to risk dragging in more goons to deal with any loud noise.
Lilac orbs frantically searched around the dim lit room for any signs of threats. Instead, he found Kotori cowering in the corner bound in ropes. Masaki immediately pulled out a knife to free her from the restrictions holding her down.
"Masaki-kun?!" Amber widened at the bodyguard when the bindings around her writs loosened.
"Where's Nico-chan?" He sounded desperate. But why? Why did he feel scared?
"T-they took her to a different room. But…" Kotori's legs felt like jelly. The image of the supposed leader of her kidnapper's face flashed through her mind. It scared her. The way he spoke with such malice.
The ashen haired girl was pulled up by her hand and forced to move her feet. Masaki dragged her along as fast as they could before the unconscious guards came to or others could come. In a way, she was feeling uneasy hearing the redhead mumble "stay calm" repeatedly. All Kotori could do was pray that no harm was done to Nico.
"-saki, Masaki!" A buzz in the said person's ear made him loosen his grip on Kotori.
"Ushio!" The redhead pressed his earpiece closer to hear the other. "Are you okay?"
Kotori could feel the air around her warm up despite only still wearing her dress from the party. Knowing that her appointed bodygaurd also came made her feel a little more secure.
"Nico! I have Kotori with me but-"
"It's okay, I have her with me."
A wave of relief washed away the two's worried, but that didn't last long when thoughts of Nico being touched without consent crossed their minds.
"Is she-"
"Meet me in the lobby. Saori-san told me that a squad is coming to pick us up."
xXx
Masaki and Kotori huffed their way to the lobby as soon as Ushio informed them to do so. There, Ushio and Nico stood with the suppose ringleader who so happened to have a nicely beaten face, handcuffed up against a column supporting the factory. The extra henchmen that Ushio had taken down earlier were still unconscious and Masaki was starting to second guess if they were still alive.
"Nico-chan!" The smaller girl was almost swept off her feet when Kotori gave her a tackle hug. Once they were both together again, the two let their tears, enjoying each other's presence.
Masaki let out a sigh and walked to the older male. Ushio had a hand to his chin and a frown etched onto his face.
"…um…"
"Hm?" Ushio looked up and found a hesitating Masaki.
"…she…" The shy schoolboy side of the redhead let out a small chuckled from the other.
"Nothing happened. I made it there just in time. She put up quite the fight." Masaki felt a wave of heat creep up his neck knowing that Ushio was reading him like a book.
"I- it's not- hmph, I wasn't that worried about her!"
"Who'd want a person like you to worry about me?" Nico and Kotori walked up to the two. There was a bit of glaring between the petite girl and Masaki, but it wasn't intense like usual.
"Ha, don't get so cheeky just because you brats won this round." The ringleader spat at the two bodyguards' feet.
"Says the one who's handcuffed." Masaki commented.
"Heh, you're just like that snarky bitch who doesn't know how to shut her mouth." Amethyst did their best to glare at the man, but only received an amused smile in return. "What was her name again?"
By this time, Masaki muted out Sato's attempt to come up with a name.
"Ah, I remember now." A smirk stretched on his face, staring directly that the Nishikino heir. "Her name was Yuhi. I think that's what your father called her. Yeah, Nishikino Yuhi."
"What…what did you just say…" Blood drained from Masaki's face when the name reached his ears.
"Oh, did I hit a mark?" The smirk widened on Sato's face.
Rage ate the insides of Masaki, possessing his right state of mind. The redhead impulsively pulled out his gun and pointed it straight at the older man's face. "Where…are they?" Sato let out a hysterical laughter at Masaki's restrained anger. "ANSWER ME!" Masaki's grip tightened around the gun, a part of him wanting to pull the trigger so badly.
Nico and Kotori flinched at his shout. The facial expression on his face scared them. Although it was his job to make sure they were safe, even they don't know what kind of things Masaki is capable of doing.
"Masaki, calm down. We don't know if what he's saying is the truth." Ushio tried his best to make the other lower the gun.
"Are you saying that they're not alive then?!" Masaki snapped back.
"I didn't say that, but acting impulsively won't help you finding them either." Ushio let out a small breath of relief when Masaki lowered the weapon. "I'll make sure to ask Captain to question him once he's in official custody."
Masaki balled his hands into fists; the hand holding his gun gripped it even harder, turning his knuckles white. His eyes burned with anger and frustration. Ushio knew full well how his younger brother was feeling, but there was nothing he could do about it.
"Should we turn the tables now then?" Sato gave Masaki a haughty smirk pushing the redhead closer to his tipping point.
However, there was something that kept bothering Ushio, gnawing the back of his mind. This whole operation was too easy. Much too easy to his liking. If anything, Ushio was sure that their enemy would have at least something up their sleeves, but all of the guards didn't have a single gun on them. It made no sense. It made him feel uneasy. Like…
"MASAKI!" Ushio pulled the redhead back and fired his gun at a silhouette hidden within the shadows of the old factory. He was sure he saw a person, but why didn't they try to do anything. "Take them to a safe place. NOW!"
No hesitation, Masaki did as he was told and kept an eye out for anyone else who might be hiding in the shadows. The three backed into a wall, close enough to an exit, just in case things got out of hand, but still in range for Masaki to act as backup for Ushio.
Ushio forced Sato to his feet and pulled the older man in front of him, using him as a shield for protection. Citrine irises darted around to find the hidden enemy, but couldn't find no one.
"I knew I should have killed you when I had the chance." Ushio turned his attention to Sato in a confused manner. How could someone in his kind of position still talk with such arrogance?
"What are you talking about?" Ushio was beginning to feel trapped. Like their true goal was to snare him instead of Masaki. The two heiresses just so happened to be the bait to catch the bigger fish.
"Fifteen years ago."
Fifteen years ago? Ushio's blood grew cold. He could feel his body lose composure at the sight of the widening smirk on Sato's face. A wave of pain shot up Ushio's head and he was pulled back in flashes of his past. The bright flames swallowing his home, the helplessness he felt, the evil smiles of the ones who chased his family to a corner.
"Y-you…you're-" The blue haired bodyguard loosened his hold on Sato and backed away with a frightened expression, his hand pressed onto the side of his head to lessen the pain. The loud ringing in his ears made it hard to pay attention to his surroundings.
"USHIO!" Masaki wanted to rush to the other's side, but he knew that if he did, it would only put Nico's and Kotori's life in danger.
"Bingo." Sato continued to smile at Ushio's shocked face. "So do me a favor and die will ya?"
A metal canister rolled in between the two and smoke began to surround them. The fog-like blanket acted as another trigger to Ushio's memories in his current state. His mind was reverted back to himself when he was a seven-year-old again. Scared. Helpless. Weak.
"Saori-san! Where the hell is the squad that should have been here by now!?" Masaki yelled, pressing the earpiece closer to hear her voice. The smokescreen separated everything that was happening to Ushio, meaning making stupid decisions would only put the other in danger.
Ushio covered his mouth to avoid the intake of the smoke. While trying to control his mental state of mind, his senses hadn't noticed the new presence behind. It was only when Ushio felt a thin rope wrap around his neck that his survival senses were able to bring him back to reality. The breath he held in became caught up in his throat, choking for air, while seeking a way to break away.
With one hand trying to stop the rope from tightening around his neck, Ushio used his other to grab the hand of the one choking him and had somehow managed to flip the guy over his shoulder. Letting out violent coughs to regain his breath, Ushio was left in an extremely vulnerable state. The smoke was slowly beginning to clear out, and right as Ushio had regained his footing, a brief flash of someone wearing a mask appeared in front of him right before his vision was engulfed in a void of darkness.
Eiichi tapped his finger on the desk; his leg was rapidly bobbing up and down to calm down his nerves. The blond was at a hotel that belonged to the Toujou family. It has been approximately four hours since he was informed that the operation had begun.
Nozomi noticed his uneasiness. After they had left the party, the atmosphere around them turned awkward and neither one was sure of what to do to break the ice. Along with the awkwardness was the tense feeling the two gave off, unsure of what is happening to their friends.
*RINGGG~*
The sound of Eiichi's cellphone caused the two individuals to jump in their seats. Immediately, the blond picked up when Masaki's name was shown across the screen.
"Masaki!" Eiichi held his breath, waiting for the other to speak. Sweat accumulated on his hands while holding the phone, listening to every word. "I see, that's a relief." He flashed a smile at Nozomi and saw the other let out her breath in relief.
"Masaki….?" The sound of concern in Eiichi voice put the room back into tension. "What are you not telling me…?" After a few words of exchange, Eiichi hung up and grabbed his jacket hanging on the chair he was sitting in.
"What's wrong Eiichi-kun?" Nozomi could feel her stomach sink when the other tried to hide his emotions behind an expressionless mask. He stood his ground silently until he felt the warm touch of Nozomi's hands.
"Kotori and Nico were safely rescued during the operation, but…" Eiichi felt a lump form in his throat. He avoided turquoise eyes and clenched his fists, swallowing hard to say the next words.
"But?" Nozomi echoed his words, bracing for the worse to come.
"Ushio…he received an injury to the head and is currently getting treatment. As of right now, the doctors are unsure of his condition."
A/N: So…yeah…that happened. This is my weak attempt of getting this story back on its feet (feel free to critique me for the horrible attempt) and myself to get off my lazy butt. I apologize to my readers who have been waiting for ages for the update, and I apologize in advance because I know I won't be writing the next chapter anytime soon. So, Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, Happy Birthday, and whatnots for this very late or early (take it as you wish) present. If you want to bother me every once in a while, or need to check up on me if I'm still alive or not, feel free to do so and send an ask or message me on tumblr since I'm always on there. As always, all of your reviews and comments make my day.
Until Next Time (whenever that will be...lol maybe another half year or so)