Chapter Twenty Three

Sachie

What's gotten into him? The moment you think you've got Fuji figured out, he does something to completely blow our theory.

As stupid as it was not to stay close to him, at least for the sake of maintaining a non-life threatening body temperature, my pride told me to stay away.

I couldn't understand. I'd known for a long time that Ishizaki and Fuji didn't get along—they all but threw daggers whenever they met—and I wasn't too crazy about my date either, but there was no reason for Fuji to really hate the guy. Whatever this tensai said, there was absolutely no way anyone blame Ishizaki for landing us in the current situation. Was there?

But then, it was hard to think straight when my head felt like it was about to burst open, so maybe there was something I'd overlooked. Plus, I'd actually said yes to Ishizakis proposal of a date, and that was while I was still woundless, thus it could be derived that my judgment wasn't always the best.

And I hadn't even done it to make Fuji jealous, like any other normal girl.

Wait. Make Fuji jealous?

Could that be why he was acting so unnaturally...erm, un-Fuji-ish? Jealousy? Was it possible that while I had accepted Ishizaki's offer to dinner in a vain attempt to make myself forget about the fact that the new, recovered Fuji wouldn't need me anymore, Fuji had finally started to like me back? Hey, it was possible; he had taken a whack to the neck for me after all.

Stop it! That's how you nearly ended up confessing to him, back when he still couldn't remember your name.
But he remembers it now, and he really did look furious when he tried to stop Ishizaki from grabbing my waist.

He just doesn't approve of public displays of affection.

Yeah, when they're not directed at him—

I slapped myself on both cheeks at this. Not mentally. Fuji witnessed this sudden burst of violence and got seriously freaked out.

Great. Now he thinks I've lost my mind.

Sighing inwardly, I reflected on how much better off the world would be without first crushes. They were the ones you never quite got over.

Dawn was approaching. First purple, then pink and finally a brilliant gold streaked the small patch of sky I could see outside the tiny window.

What will happen to us now? I asked the rising sun.

Gradually the world awoke, but instead of the chattering of birds, shouts, panicked voices echoed into our prison cell.

"If I ever find out who that rat it, I'll—"

Bang! The door flew open and the men from the night before, minus the guy whose facial features I had permanently disfigured, stormed in.

What I pretended to still be a little dizzy, not having any intention of being tied up. The knots on Fuji looked very tight.

"Get up!" one of them snapped, the one with a small scar on his chin.

Leaning against the wall, I made as big a show as I could, painstakingly pushing myself upright. Fuji was dragged to his feet.

"We're moving you," another man in a baseball cap growled. "Some idiot told the cops were here," he kindly explained.

I wonder how that happened.

My act paid off and I remained free of ropes as we were marched out of the house, rejoining Ishizaki.

Why is it that everything bad seems to happen on a mountain? Our surroundings were not unlike that of the training camp, except there wasn't a sea view from the tennis courts.

"Now move, and no funny business from any of you!"

We were hurried down a narrow path littered with pebbles. It was very awkward, walking along such a road in a dress, even with shorts underneath it. The rod I had in my pocket didn't make things better. The stick which the man who had hit Fuji had dropped, I mean. I had to keep covering it with my hand to stop anyone noticing the bulge.

Concentrating hard on not twisting my ankle on the small stones, it seemed that no time at all had passed when the ground leveled out and we were making our way over a sandy beach.

Forced aboard a rowboat, I glanced despairingly back at the shrinking beach, willing policemen to miraculously appear on it.

Surprise, surprise, none did.

The ship that we were brought to was bigger than the one which had taken us to the island for the camp. I liked that one better. This was a ship that could store enough fuel to take us clean out of Japan. In that case we would be positively impossible to find.

The people who ran the steamer seemed to be friends with our kidnappers. If they weren't, you'd think they'd be shocked to see Fuji and Ishizaki tied from the waist up. But they just called out greetings and went on their way.

We were taken below the deck.

"No—couldn't you put us all together?" Fuji protested. I had been pushed into a new prison cell—I am not kidding, there were bars where a wall should have been—while the two boys were shoved on.

"Is this necessary, Shimoda?" The man in the cap asked, looking uncertainly at me.

At least this guy has a conscience.

Please, I pleaded silently, don't separate us! I wasn't too happy with either boy, but as opposed to being locked up by myself, their presence was preferable.

"Yes, it is necessary," the guy with the broken nose snapped back.

I knew it, I knew I shouldn't have kicked him.

"It's easier to deal with these kids with them apart." He pointed to Fuji and myself.
"We're tied up, for goodness sake—"

Slam! The gate to the room was closed and locked; leaving me sprawled in the middle of it.

A moment later I was alone, sitting in that dark, damp cell...