General Grievous [Mizusawa + Hoshiko + Open]

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

Ryosuke was bitter, very bitter. He had never been in this kind of scenario before, trapped with two other people in one of the very same warehouses that had once been his playground with the other Yankees. He couldn't understand how he had let it happen, or even why. It was no longer a matter of whether or not he could take care of himself, because the two people with him--though they wouldn't want to hear it, he was sure--were the types that were never normally around gangsters and probably needed at least some small reassurance from him.

A younger girl named Hoshiko, who he knew from rehearsals with the music classes, and then his good friend, Mizusawa, who while capable at a lot of things, was probably not very capable at fighting low-blow gangsters.

It had happened by accident, Ryosuke was sure, how the other two had gotten involved. He'd been talking with Mizusawa about the next meet to take place while on their way home--Mizusawa had also offered Ryosuke homework help again, though he was quick to promise for no other surprises this time--and Ryosuke had been in the process of settling a date and time with the guy when the strange but cute 2nd year, Nakanishi Hoshiko--if Ryosuke remembered her correctly from when they'd practiced together in Murdoch's classroom--came running up to tell them Murdoch Sensei needed to see the Tumbling Team immediately.

They'd been in the process of returning to the school to see what was up, though Mizusawa had explained to Hoshiko that most of the others had already gone home, when they'd run into a gang of older guys. The thing was, none of them were familiar, and everything about the scenario, the way the guys were waiting surprisingly close to the school gate, weapons in hand, made everything had been planned.

There hadn't been any room for arguments or fighting. Ryosuke had wanted more than anything to attack the guys, knock them down and get himself and the others to safety. But as it was, he knew it would have been really dangerous and reckless of him to act that way. Not only because the men waiting were armed and far outnumbered them, but because Ryosuke knew that any serious fighting he did could not only endanger their lives, but knock the male Tumbling Team down another peg or two in the eyes of the school officials. And in addition to the imminent dangers, they just didn't need that too.

Though what had happened in the end might very well have been worse. They were grabbed pretty forcefully, arms wrenched behind their backs, a blindfold put over their eyes as they were shoved into some kind of van. Ryosuke had pushed his luck a bit too far some time during the ride, testing out his restraints to see how much leeway he had if he did need to fight, and the result had been a sharp blow to the side from one of their assailants.

Ryosuke grimaced at the thought, the pain returning to his side at the memory. The van had stopped, they'd all practically been carried into the warehouse they were in now, and then the blindfolds had been removed and they'd been locked in.

Nothing else. No one had said anything about why, it had just been. And here they were now.

Ryosuke looked at his two comrades for what seemed to be a very long minute, trying to see if he could read them, see how they were feeling. He couldn't imagine either of them having this kind of encounter before. Though Mizusawa had once been with Yuta and Kaneko, Satoshi, and that other poofy-haired ex-Tumbler when a small gang of guys had threatened them for their money. But even so, Ryosuke got the impression that that attack had been far more petty than whatever was happening now. He wasn't entirely sure what any of them--himself included--had done to warrant being locked up in an abandoned warehouse now, in wait for who knew what.

That's what scared him most. The people that had brought them here....why? He didn't even know any of the gangsters who had done it. The last time he'd been tossed around by a few gang guys, he'd at least known their faces. He'd been forced to work with them for a while. There was something slightly more unnerving about being manhandled by a group of people you didn't know, then silently told to sit in a warehouse and rot while waiting for whatever came next. It didn't help things that they'd all been tied up either.

Ryosuke shifted slightly, then found a seat on a nearby empty oil barrel. He thought back to when he and Wataru had been hanging out together in a place like this, and he suddenly desperately wished for all those kinds of magic powers you read about in kids' books, because he wanted more than anything now to whisk the three of them away from this place. But he had to remind himself....there wasn't such a thing as magic. And right now, it was more important he tried to stay level-headed and work out what was going on.

Though, first things first.

Ryosuke returned his gaze to his two companions. "You guys okay?"

[Mizusawa Taku]

Mizusawa was scared. Very scared. The day had been innocent enough, going through the usual motions of school, following that up with tumbling practice, and later leaving the locker room with Ryosuke, discussing whether Ryosuke would be coming over for study help again. It had seemed like the end to any normal day, so he had hardly been prepared for what ended up happening.

Then a second year had come running up to the them, and Mizusawa instantly recognized her as Murdoch Sensei's assistant, Hoshiko-chan. The girl was nice enough, even if Murdoch Sensei wasn't. She'd been telling them that Murdoch Sensei wanted them to return, the entire team, for some important announcement, and Mizusawa tried to explain to her that most of the team had already left and couldn't they just wait until the next day to find out what Murdoch had to say. He'd been tired at the time too, and he had the whole walk home to endure, which was why he was so hesitant to return to the school for what might be a simple scolding and nothing more.

Still, they had turned back to find out anyway. But it hadn't mattered. Because as they neared the school gates, they saw them. A huge gang of guys. With weapons. Guarding the school gates. It was still pretty light out, but it didn't seem to stop them from hanging out there anyway. Mizusawa froze, watching carefully as they drew nearer.

The guys had been forceful, insisting that they come with them. Mizusawa hadn't dared to speak or dared to defy them. He'd side-glanced at Ryosuke, wondering if the Yankee would choose to fight, and praying he wouldn't. He couldn't speak for Hoshiko-chan, but there was no way he could help Ryosuke get them out of this situation. Luckily, the Yankee seemed to realize, and he didn't put up a fight either.

Still, even though they were being cooperative, Mizusawa couldn't be more scared for their lives. He had just shot Ryosuke one more confused glance, before his vision was blinded by...a blindfold? Then his arms were wrenched behind his back, so forcefully that it felt like they'd be pulled from their sockets. He bit back a cry of pain, afraid any noise might set these guys off. He could hear the grunts of his peers, as all three of them were forced into some kind of vehicle.

Mizusawa just continued to do as he was told, sitting down in the van, his body shaking visibly, despite all his attempts to remain calm. He could feel Hoshiko and Ryosuke beside him and wondered how they were taking this. Did Ryosuke have something to do with this? Or was it about Wataru or something? Mizusawa wasn't quite sure why the three of them had been chosen--neither of them were exceptionally wealthy or anything like that. Mizusawa's family might have a little more money than Ryosuke's and maybe even Hoshiko-chan's, but it couldn't possibly be enough if this was a full-fledged kidnapping.

Just stop thinking, he told himself, knowing this kind of thinking wasn't doing him any good. It would be better for now to keep quiet and listen carefully to what these guys wanted. A thought that was quickly confirmed when he heard a pained grunt from beside him, from Ryosuke. Clearly the other had been attempting something. Mizusawa wanted to warn him to just do as he was told, but he didn't dare open his mouth.

The ride lasted for much longer than he cared to remember, and his thoughts had soon been eradicated by his struggle to use his remaining senses to try and figure out where they were being taken. He didn't have to wonder long though, because the van soon coasted to a stop. Mizusawa was dragged out of the van and into some building--one that had to be large enough for their voices to echo. Then he and the others had been thrown in a room, blindfolds removed, and locked in.

Blinking a few times to adjust to seeing again, Mizusawa turned to face the other two. He knew he looked scared--it was impossible for him to hide that any longer. Luckily nothing had been done to them yet, but this was still scary enough. Even Ryosuke looked far more than worried. Mizusawa could only watch as the other boy slowly took a seat on some kind of oil drum.

Looking around, Mizusawa saw a wooden crate nearby and slowly sank down on top of it, unsure if he could trust his legs to hold him up any longer anyway. He bit his lip, struggling a little with the binds on his arms before deciding it was useless to try and get them off.

"You guys okay?"

Mizusawa paused before answering, lowering his gaze to the floor. He nodded.

His mind was beginning to work double-time all over again, wondering what was happening, who had kidnapped them, and all that. He needed to know what was going on. "Ryosuke..." he began, taking a slow breath. "...Do you know them?" It wasn't that he didn't trust the Yankee boy, but he had to ask, had to know. If this was completely random, or if it had happened for a reason.

[Nakanishi Hoshiko]

Hoshiko liked adventures. A lot. She was one of those girls who spent half the school day daydreaming or writing down manga stories she'd invented on the spot. She especially loved the Western fairy tale stories, though she often interchanged the role of the distressed Damsel with that of the knight, imagining rescuing whatever cute boy happened to be on her mind. Lately she'd been thinking a lot of a well-known Yankee she'd met. He was far out of her league, that she'd always been aware of, but he'd been so nice to her. And at the time, they'd known practically nothing about each other. It had just felt so nice to finally have someone understand her, even a little.

She'd been daydreaming about rescuing the red-haired Yankee from a ruthless gang leader with magic powers as she'd rushed across the school grounds and past the gate after two members of the male Tumbling Team wandering off down the road. She'd imagined she was running, to some epic music she had composed herself, and then she'd caught up with the boys, been brought back to reality, and begun the walk with them back to the school.

"Murdoch Sensei needs to see you guys immediately," she'd explained. And when Taku-senpai had told her the others had gone home, she'd merely shrugged and added, "Two's enough for this, I think."

But they hadn't gotten to Murdoch Sensei's office. They were stopped, oddly enough, at the school gate. And unfortunately it wasn't one gang leader with magic powers lying in wait, it was many of them, armed with things--at the time--that seemed far worse than the magic of the gang leader in her imagination. She wanted to lash out and attack the guys--she even spent a good moment or two looking from the two boys she'd brought back with her to the school to see if they were planning anything--but in the end, they'd all just allowed themselves to admit defeat.

The scariest part had been in the van. Hoshiko hadn't dared move, despite how much she might have wanted to, and good thing too. She heard some movement from somewhere beside her, and then Ryosuke had made some sort of pained sound. She figured he must have been struck some way or another, because his shoulder had collided with hers after the pained grunt. She'd whispered an, "Are you okay?" that had gone unnoticed, and then one too-long, silent ride later, the van had stopped.

The blindfolds had made things all kinds of mysterious and Hoshiko, sensing that the others were just playing along, allowed herself to be carried in with them. She figured if there ever came a time to fight, she'd know it, and she'd be ready.

And now here they were.

"Well...." Hoshiko bit her lip, eying the grimy floor of the warehouse as she twiddled her thumbs behind her back. "...this was unexpected. I don't even think Murdoch's good news was worth this..."

Ryosuke began pacing around the warehouse, looking restless, before finally deciding to sit down on a rusty looking barrel. And Mizusawa Taku had followed suit, choosing a cracked wooden box. The 2nd year girl exchanged looks with the boys, and finally returned Ryosuke's gaze when he asked if they were okay.

Hoshiko just nodded, smiling. The binds on her hands weren't too nice, but she really was okay. The binds meant a challenge, a challenge meant adventure...and she knew if she kept thinking of things in that way, they wouldn't feel as bad as they could. Hopefully she could get the boys to calm down a little too. And she was wondering how Ryosuke was doing, after being struck. In fact, she meant to ask, but Taku-senpai spoke up first.

"...Do you know them?"

Hoshiko looked at Taku-senpai. He seemed even more concerned than Ryosuke, but she could understand why. He wasn't a Yankee at all. He'd always seemed far more reserved, peace-loving. Like a modern day tumbling hippie. He belonged here about as much as Hoshiko did. Though, she didn't think Ryosuke-senpai belonged here either. Not from how she knew him, and definitely not from the look on his face.

The boys looked really distressed, and though Hoshiko was scared too, she almost felt like this was the little chance at adventure she'd been dreaming about. She couldn't imagine the three of them being killed, not without a good reason for it, and she also couldn't imagine that any of them had done anything to warrant their deaths. She also wanted to know if the blonde Yankee knew any of the gang guys, because she certainly didn't, unless they'd somehow sprung loose from her imagination or something, but she wanted to tell him and Taku-senpai something first.

"I don't know if you know them, Ryosuke-senpai," Hoshiko murmured, flopping down onto the floor, smoothing her skirt out beneath her, "but I just want to say I'm really sorry. I mean, I brought you back to the school and back to the baddies." She scrunched up her nose. "They could have at least said something...Jerks."

There was a pause, in which Hoshiko resumed playing thumb of war with herself to pass the time, then she added in, "You guys are okay, right? I heard someone cry out in the van. Imagine if I'd had my guitar with me? I could have played a louuuudddd tritone, deafened them, and then we could have run away." She grinned at the thought.

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

Ryosuke met a very concerned-looking Mizusawa's gaze and softened a little. Why did he get the feeling this was his own fault and that the others had been dragged into it?

"Ryosuke..." his classmate said softly, "...Do you know them?" Even his voice betrayed how worried he was. Ryosuke had to look away for a moment, he felt so guilty. Yet even if he'd wanted to respond, he didn't get the chance. Hoshiko was quick to pipe up.

"I don't know if you know them, Ryosuke-senpai, but I just want to say I'm really sorry. I mean, I brought you back to the school and back to the baddies. They could have at least said something...Jerks."

Ryosuke shook his head. "You don't have to be sorry. It's not your fault..."

""You guys are okay, right? I heard someone cry out in the van. Imagine if I'd had my guitar with me? I could have played a louuuudddd tritone, deafened them, and then we could have run away."

Ryosuke raised his eyebrow at the girl, though he was secretly a little grateful someone in the warehouse wasn't as angsty and unsure--at least on the outside--as he and Mizusawa were. "With what hands?" he pointed out, though he smirked slightly. "Yeah, I'm all right. Bastard......I mean, jerk, uh, jerk just kicked me in the ribs."

Then he glanced at Mizusawa, shaking his head. "I don't know them, I don't know any of them. And I'm not saying I think I have nothing to do with this, because maybe I do....and if that's the case, well....." He sighed. "Well, I'm sorry. People like that are bad news. I never wanted anyone to get caught up in this....I kinda...promised myself I gave it all up the day Wataru came to get me from that other warehouse."

He got to his feet from the barrel, suddenly determined to find the way out of the damned place. Before long, night would fall. Everyone would wonder where the three of them were...well, no, that wasn't entirely true. His parents wouldn't, but Hoshiko's and Mizusawa's undoubtedly would, and if they could just escape before whatever was coming arrived, he knew that would be best.

"Hey guys, first things first. Why don't we split up and find light switches? The daylight's gonna be gone soon, and we wanna be able to see where we are and what we're doing. They have to be around here somewhere." He scanned the room quickly for anything that remotely looked like a switch, found a sort of knob by the door they'd been thrust through, and stumbled over to that, turning his back to it and managing to flick it on backwards after some effort. The lights around the door came on, but much of the rest of the warehouse remained in shadow.

"There's another thing," he added, looking to the pair again. "Warehouses like this, there's a ton of them on this port. First of all, if either of your parents put out a search for us, the police would probably think to look here first. I mean, where else could gangs hide people in this town? Which makes me think they'll be back soon to move us. Which also means we need to try to find a way out now, if we can. Warehouses like this.....I used to mess around in them all the time with Wataru. They were used to store crap for the boats way back when, so there should be other exits. Maybe not in the conventional sense, like through a door or something, but there are probably large export slots or something around. I think we should search for those."

[Mizusawa Taku]

Though Mizusawa had been expecting an answer from Ryosuke, it was Hoshiko-chan who spoke up first. Looking her way, Mizusawa was actually surprised to see that the younger girl looked fairly calm. In fact, she almost looked like she was enjoying this situation, although he was sure that had to be some kind of trick of the light or something.

"I don't know if you know them, Ryosuke-senpai," Hoshiko murmured, flopping down onto the floor, smoothing her skirt out beneath her, "but I just want to say I'm really sorry. I mean, I brought you back to the school and back to the baddies." She scrunched up her nose. "They could have at least said something...Jerks."

Again, Mizusawa found himself astounded by Hoshiko-chan's seemingly carefree attitude. Granted, she had always seemed that way, but in a situation like this? Mizusawa would have said something, but he knew it was Ryosuke's turn to speak next. After all, both he and Hoshiko had just posed questions to the Yankee boy.

Ryosuke shook his head. "You don't have to be sorry. It's not your fault..."

There was a pause, in which Hoshiko resumed playing thumb of war with herself to pass the time, then she added in, "You guys are okay, right? I heard someone cry out in the van. Imagine if I'd had my guitar with me? I could have played a louuuudddd tritone, deafened them, and then we could have run away." She grinned at the thought.

As if perfectly timed, Mizusawa raised an eyebrow of suspicion at the same moment as Ryosuke. He watched the younger girl on the floor, twiddling her thumbs as if she was already bored with what was going on. Maybe she just doesn't realize the full extent of this situation, Mizusawa pondered, as Ryosuke began speaking again.

"With what hands?" he pointed out, though he smirked slightly. "Yeah, I'm all right. Bastard......I mean, jerk, uh, jerk just kicked me in the ribs."

Then he glanced at Mizusawa, shaking his head. "I don't know them, I don't know any of them. And I'm not saying I think I have nothing to do with this, because maybe I do....and if that's the case, well....." He sighed. "Well, I'm sorry. People like that are bad news. I never wanted anyone to get caught up in this....I kinda...promised myself I gave it all up the day Wataru came to get me from that other warehouse."

Mizusawa didn't realize that he was being addressed right away, until he looked over at Ryosuke to see the other boy was now speaking to him. He nodded in response. "It's okay, Ryosuke," he told the other, his voice still quiet. His mind was currently cycling through escape possibilities, ways they could reason their way out. None of which seemed to be very good enough plans. "Anyway," he continued, giving the other boy a curt nod. "I trust you by now. It's not like any of us were welcoming that attack or anything."

At that moment, Ryosuke got to his feet, and Mizusawa sighed. He didn't want Ryosuke to think this was his fault, even if in some small way he was connected to these guys. If Ryosuke said he'd given up the whole gang thing, then Mizusawa felt every reason to trust him. They were team mates now, and friends on top of it. Rysouke had been good enough to keep his secret back at a time when he should never have even found out about it. He knew he could trust the other.

"Hey guys, first things first. Why don't we split up and find light switches? The daylight's gonna be gone soon, and we wanna be able to see where we are and what we're doing. They have to be around here somewhere."

Still perched on the wooden crate, Mizusawa watched sub-consciously as the other boy made his way over to a light-switch by the door, flipping it on only to make the room a little brighter. Well, not even the whole room--just the area by the door.

Anyway, it was something to do. Better than just sitting around.

"Got it," Mizusawa nodded, getting to his feet now. Looking at Hoshiko-chan, he nodded in a specific direction. "Can you search there?" Then he turned, and began heading in the opposite direction of Ryosuke, but the other boy spoke up again.

"There's another thing," he added, looking to the pair again. "Warehouses like this, there's a ton of them on this port. First of all, if either of your parents put out a search for us, the police would probably think to look here first. I mean, where else could gangs hide people in this town? Which makes me think they'll be back soon to move us. Which also means we need to try to find a way out now, if we can. Warehouses like this.....I used to mess around in them all the time with Wataru. They were used to store crap for the boats way back when, so there should be other exits. Maybe not in the conventional sense, like through a door or something, but there are probably large export slots or something around. I think we should search for those."

Mizusawa listened to Ryosuke's plan in full and was surprised at how well Ryosuke had calculated the situation. Even if this was just him acting on experience, it was certainly a big help. Mizusawa gave the other boy an affirmative nod and then began moving towards the other end of the room once more, passing bits of old boats and bikes, ancient cigarette butts and discarded ash trays. Looking at all these things and recalling what Ryosuke had just said, Mizusawa had a thought.

"Oi, Ryosuke!" He called, stopping suddenly in his tracks. Turning back the few paces so that Ryosuke was back in his sight, he turned around so Ryosuke could see the bindings around his wrists. "If we can find something sharp--like an old propeller or something...don't you think we could cut these off?" He turned to Hoshiko-chan to see what she thought. "Ne?" He asked, looking between the two. Maybe if they could get rid of these binds, there wouldn't even be a need for light. They could just find the escape route and get out!

ooc: Crap post. So sorry.

[Nakanishi Hoshiko]

Hoshiko was grateful for the slight smile that crossed the blonde Yankee's face. He'd probably always thought she was a bit eccentric, and she wouldn't deny that she was, but in this situation, anything remotely positive from him or the other boy was worth its weight in gold.

"With what hands? Yeah, I'm all right. Bastard......I mean, jerk, uh, jerk just kicked me in the ribs."

Hoshiko winked. "People have played guitar with their feet before! How hard could it be? Anyway...I'm glad you're all right, but....but I'd like to give that bastard a kick in the ribs too." She nodded to herself at the thought. There was really no reason for anyone those guys' ages to hurt high school kids, and she couldn't imagine Ryosuke-senpai, even as a former Yankee, having done anything that would deserve what might possibly be a very serious punishment.

As the Yankee went on to express his concerns and apologies, Hoshiko shook her head and looked at Taku-senpai. The other boy still seemed as nervous as he had the minute they'd run into the gang back at the school. She wanted to do something to help console him too, but for the first time in her life, she realized how inconvenient it was not to have use of her own hands. And as for Ryosuke.....well, she believed him. Maybe this did all have something to do with him and him alone, and she and Taku-senpai had been dragged along for the ride, but even so, she'd been the one to lead them back towards where the overgrown bullies had lain in wait. And likewise, it wasn't as though Ryosuke had demanded they be taken too. He didn't even seem to know what was going on. No, she believed him. She believed both of them, and she trusted them too.

"It's okay, Ryosuke."

Hoshiko nodded her agreement.

"Anyway. I trust you by now. It's not like any of us were welcoming that attack or anything."

"Nosiree," Hoshiko responded, shaking her head.

Ryosuke rose from his seat on the barrel. "Hey guys, first things first. Why don't we split up and find light switches? The daylight's gonna be gone soon, and we wanna be able to see where we are and what we're doing. They have to be around here somewhere."

The same instance that the Yankee and Taku-senpai began scanning the room, Hoshiko also looked. She had never been in a warehouse before, especially not one of this size, so she was looking up into the rafters for some far off switch that wouldn't likely even be in reach. Somewhere in her static search, the lights directly overhead came on, and Hoshiko turned back towards Ryosuke, happy to see he'd found at least one of the switches.

"Hey guys, first things first. Why don't we split up and find light switches? The daylight's gonna be gone soon, and we wanna be able to see where we are and what we're doing. They have to be around here somewhere."

"Got it." Taku-senpai had practically flown to his feet.

Now they were in business! The three of them together would find some means of light, then plan their escape. Three heads were far better than one, and even two, and Hoshiko was willing to be that if they really worked together, they'd even probably be able to outsmart the group of bullies who'd locked them in the place.

Their first mistake seemed to have been leaving the three high schoolers alone, in Hoshiko's mind. If she was a gang leader, magic powers or not, she would have left at least a few armed guys to watch over them.

Taku-senpai was already moving forward for the deeper parts of the warehouse, though he was looking seriously at Hoshiko now and gesturing off in another direction. "Can you search there?"

Hoshiko would have offered a salute of some sort if she'd had the hands for it, but instead she just nodded. Wherever Taku-senpai was pointing, she would find it, and wherever it was, she would search. Creeping into the dark corners of the warehouse didn't particularly strike her fancy, but if it had to be done to help in their escape, she was on it.

"There's another thing..." came Ryosuke's voice. He went on to explain about the purposes of the warehouse and what they might find, and that made everything seem even more possible. "I think we should search for those," he finished.

"Ah-hah!" Hoshiko, eager to get a move on to find light switches and escape routes and the like, then realized that with her hands behind her back, she was almost incapable of getting off the floor without someone's help, and by this point, Taku-senpai had already gone looking for something in the great depths of the warehouse. She could hear him shuffling around.
Instead, she turned her gaze back to the big blonde Yankee, who was still standing close by.

She donned a mock frown. "Help a one-time-only damsel, mate?"

Then Taku-senpai called back to them about the propellers. She had her back to him, the way she was still sitting, but she could tell that at least part of his exclamation of discovery had been aimed her way. It was a good idea.

"Even if we only have time to cut one of us free," Hoshiko added to the thought, still waiting for her help, "the other people could try to untie the other two!"


OOC: MEGA CRAP POST!!! *0*

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

Ryosuke had the sensation of a time bomb being strapped to his chest. Though Hoshiko and Mizusawa had helped him make light of the situation at least a little, he knew what these kinds of guys were like. Last time, even though it seemed petty in contrast to what they might have planned now, they'd threatened to beat him dead with an iron bar, and when he'd given in to their demands, they'd still insisted on breaking his fingers. They'd never gotten that far and Ryosuke had only Wataru to thank for that, but it didn't mean that a ruthless group of idiots wouldn't mind hurting some high schoolers for fun if there was something in it for them.

And yet for the chaos that could have been going on if all of them had been stressed enough, they were doing fairly well. Even Ryosuke's ideas about the warehouse, which were just from experience not anything he considered intelligence or whatever, had blown over well. In fact, odd as it might sound, he'd felt somewhat proud when Mizusawa had hopped to his feet, seemingly raring to go.

They would have to move fast and they would have to hope that there was at least a small amount of luck on their side, but the blonde Yankee knew it was possible they could get out of this. Troublesome and difficult, but possible. The only question was what would happen if they escaped. Where did they go? They couldn't hide from people like this in their homes, and yet going to the police seemed like a bad idea too.

"Ahhhh, mendoukuseee." Ryosuke raised one shoulder to wipe part of his sweaty face on it--he got a mouthful of dirt as a result, his school uniform had already gotten so dusty from the warehouse itself.

That was when he noticed the pleading look on Hoshiko's face, one that might have actually been funny in any other circumstance. "Help a one-time-only damsel, mate?"

"Oi, Ryosuke!"

The Yankee stopped in his tracks. Had Mizusawa found it? "Yeah?" He called back, trying to see his classmate through the murky lighting where Mizusawa was standing. The other boy had spun around, gesturing with his bound hands.

"If we can find something sharp--like an old propeller or something...don't you think we could cut these off?" Mizusawa turned again, this time looking to Hoshiko. "Ne?"

Ryosuke remained silent for a moment. It was a must to have the binds removed, because he got the feeling any searching they had to do for an escape route would require a lot of moving furniture and whatnot. Whatever the case, even if they found an escape shaft of sorts, having their hands free seemed a necessity. It might help to move furniture up against the main door as well. It would only buy them a minute or two more than they had, considering all warehouses had sliding doors, but a minute or two more was all they needed, if they could be quick enough.

"Even if we only have time to cut one of us free," Hoshiko added to the thought, still waiting for her help, "the other people could try to untie the other two!"

"That's true," Ryosuke responded, finally reaching down and taking the girl by the arm to help her to her feet. "But we're all gonna need our hands. no matter what. Whether we're trying to flee or end up having to fight, we're going to want to have our hands free. Yet either way, I don't know if it's possible to do on time."

He looked in the direction Mizusawa was standing and gestured with a nod of his head for Hoshiko to follow suit. "You guys stick together for a moment. Try to find something to cut the binds with and any potential escape routes. Maybe leaving the lights off for now is good. We could always hide, if we had to."

He moved in the direction opposite the curious girl and his Tumbling classmate and set to work trying to find pieces of furniture he could move up against the door. His eyes had immediately caught sight of an old beat up couch off to one side, but not too far away, and he'd moved for that, thinking he would try to push it over to the door, when he saw it.

The chain.

If he could get his hands free, he could lock the gang members out of the warehouse until he, Hoshiko, and Mizusawa found their own escape route.

[Mizusawa Taku]

"Even if we only have time to cut one of us free," Hoshiko added to the thought, still waiting for her help, "the other people could try to untie the other two!"

Mizusawa nodded to her in agreement. "I think it would be a lot easier if even one of us is free. Whoever is cutting themselves free just has to be careful not to cut themselves, right?" He looked over at Ryosuke to see what the other boy thought. The blonde had been silent for a moment, as if weighing their options. Even though he thought his own idea was a good one, Mizusawa would follow Ryosuke's command either way. Granted, Mizusawa had better grades in class, but it was Ryosuke who had more experience with this kind of thing. He trusted his judgement.

"That's true," Ryosuke responded, finally reaching down and taking the girl by the arm to help her to her feet. "But we're all gonna need our hands. no matter what. Whether we're trying to flee or end up having to fight, we're going to want to have our hands free. Yet either way, I don't know if it's possible to do on time."

Mizusawa looked up at one of the dusty windows high above them, where some light was still trickling in. Ryosuke was right. They really had very little time before nightfall, and it was a scary thought being stuck here after dark. Even if he lived in one of the "poorer" neighborhoods, it wasn't quite as bad as this one. This one was a good bus ride away from home. He wasn't sure about Ryosuke or Hoshiko-chan, but they had to be a little scared too.

"You guys stick together for a moment. Try to find something to cut the binds with and any potential escape routes. Maybe leaving the lights off for now is good. We could always hide, if we had to."

"OK." Mizusawa nodded to Ryosuke and then looked over at Hoshiko-chan. "Let's go," he told her, beginning to search around again for something sharp. He'd seen some old parts in the area he had been searching before. There had to be something over there that they could use.

Despite the shadows that made it difficult to distinguish everything in the warehouse, Mizusawa squinted his eyes and concentrated hard on finding something they could use--anything. Behind him, he knew Hoshiko-chan was doing the same thing, scanning the shelves on the opposite side he was looking.

Paddles, decrepit boat engines, steering wheels...but nothing yet with sharp points. He was thinking maybe they should check another area, when suddenly he saw something glinting off the lights from the other end of the warehouse, where Ryosuke had turned them on. He moved closer to see what it was.

A piece of glass--a random piece of glass, maybe from the window shield of a speed boat or something. But it looked sharp enough, enough for them to at least try it out.

"Hoshiko-chan," he called back to the girl, nodding his head in the direction of the glass. He waited for her to approach before nodding at it again. "Looks sharp enough to try out, don't you think? We just have to get it down somehow."

ooc: Let the fun get-the-piece-of-glass positions begin!!!

[Nakanishi Hoshiko]

Hoshiko murmured a quick thank-you to Ryosuke for, literally, his hand in helping her up, then stood to face Mizusawa. He seemed to be deeply calculating their options. Ryosuke had just expressed that he didn't think it was possible for all of them to get untied, and yet he was sure it was the only way they would all be able to escape.

Hoshiko pouted. She'd always prided herself on being one of the first in the class to get those math problem solving questions solved, but this was one instance that not even tons of practice with her DS Brain Age game could help her with. It was all scary, and at the same time, all kind of exciting, especially being with these two guys, who she really loved, but it was certainly tough....

Hoshiko saw Mizusawa glance upward, through a somewhat grimy looking window on the second floor--an idea passed through her mind at that, there was a potential escape route already--and then Ryosuke's voice cut through the silence.

"You guys stick together for a moment. Try to find something to cut the binds with and any potential escape routes. Maybe leaving the lights off for now is good. We could always hide, if we had to."

"OK." Mizusawa turned to Hoshiko and added, "Let's go."

Hoshiko nodded in response and followed her senpai in the direction opposite of Ryosuke. The area they were headed in was somewhat hard to search through. There were all kinds of things in this warehouse, and if the situation weren't so dire, Hoshiko might have found it fun just to explore. But there was no time for that, of course, though she was having a hard enough time trying to see around her.

She'd busied herself in studying a makeshift living area, complete with couches and coffee table littered with random junk, when Mizusawa's voice rang out through the silence.

"Hoshiko-chan!"

Only subconsciously aware that she was being summoned, Hoshiko abandoned the warehouse "living room", her eyes still trying to distinguish just what was on the coffee table itself as she hurried over to Mizusawa.

"Eh!? Sorry, Taku-senpai, I keep losing myself in thought.....that glass?" Hoshiko's eyes fell upon the glinting object the boy was pointing to. It was like a moment from a video game--the object itself, which--Taku-senpai was right--would cut through their binds probably very easily--was in a place far out of reach, almost glowing because of the way the light from the doorway was shining. It seemed the perfect option.

Hoshiko started trying to ponder what could be done. They could throw something--no, they would need their arms for that, and even if they did hit the glass and it fell from the shelf, they risked breaking it upon impact or missing catching it and having it hit them instead. And then Hoshiko was considering one of them standing on the other. The shelf was high enough up that they couldn't really jump to get it down, but Taku-senpai did Tumbling.....was it possible one of them could climb on the other's shoulders and maybe get it down using their teeth or something?

Hoshiko actually smiled. "I think I have an idea! And if it works, the person holding the glass piece has to do the Zelda theme. Da-dadaduh-daaaa! Just for fun!" Looking back in the direction the blond former Yankee Tumbler had gone, Hoshiko called out to him. "Ryosuke-senpai! Can you come here?"

Turning back to Mizusawa, she added, "I could get on your shoulders and try to get that glass with my mouth--ouch--but I don't think we would be tall enough combined anyway. But Ryosuke-senpai is really tall. If you got on his shoulders, you could probably get it!" She paused, then added, "And since your mouth would be full, I could always do the Zelda theme for ya." She smiled happily.

OOC: The crappiest post in the thread! (But I had fun with it, at least. XD)

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

ooc: Okay, admittedly, I will godplay Hoshiko a bit in this post. But I also play Hoshiko, so it's not really godplaying, but....okay, anyway. XD


Ryosuke had kept his eyes trained on that chain for as long as he was at work, pondering what he could do with it. If he couldn't lock the door on time with it, he could use it as a weapon. It would mean, if he was skillful enough--which he wasn't sure he was anyway--he could keep a safe distance between himself and gang members while fighting them off. It was a last resort kind of option, but any weapon was better than none, and as far as he'd seen, there weren't any iron poles or other things around that he could use.

But first things first, if he wanted to use that chain at all, he needed his hands free.

As if his thoughts had been amplified for all to hear, a voice called out to Ryosuke as he'd set to work shifting the large couch in the corner over to the door.

"Ryosuke-senpai! Can you come here?"

"Yeah!" he called back, grunting as he put his full weight against the couch with one shoulder, slowly but surely inching it towards the door to the warehouse. "Just....a moment!"

He was hoping in his heart of hearts that Hoshiko and Mizusawa had found something good. He didn't think, by this point, that he could take anymore bad news. His mind was in another disastrous whirlwind, and being confined to using everything but his arms and hands was making him feel like someone had stuck him in some kind of cage--which, in a way, they had. The warehouse was little more than one, at this point. That sensation alone, of being trapped, was really beginning to weigh down on him. Even when he'd been beat up by Akabane's pay-off earlier in the year, he'd been scared, he'd been sure that he'd be hurt, but the sheer "unknown" in this situation was just overwhelming. If he could help it, even if there was something bad ahead, he liked to know what was coming.

After another minute or two, Ryosuke somehow heaved himself back to his feet, content that the couch had been moved far enough in front of the warehouse door that it would at least pose a temporarily solid barrier.

A bit out of breath, he moved in the direction he thought he'd heard Hoshiko's voice coming from, and stopped when he saw the lounge area of the warehouse. If his eyes weren't tricking him, he was fairly certain it was a pack of cigarettes on the table in front of him. He'd given them up for the sake of the Tumbling team, but looking at them now, he felt tempted to have one. Or two. Or the whole pack, considering how stressed he was feeling.

But there was no time, was there?

"What's up?" Rounding the corner where Hoshiko and Mizusawa were standing, Ryosuke found the two of them gazing upward at something on a shelf. From where he was, it looked like nothing more than a large, broken piece of glass. And an ill-placed one, at that. If it ever fell, it could probably impale and kill anyone standing nearby.

But it was also probably sharp enough to cut through something like the binds on their arms.

Ryosuke looked from the girl to his classmate, trying to think quick. "How are we going to get it?"

Hoshiko had something of a creepily happy smile on her face. "It's.....easy, considering some of the other ideas I had!" She paused. "I was thinking you could give Taku-senpai a piggyback up to the shelf! He'd have to be really careful, but he could get the piece of glass with his mouth, then bring it back down."

Ryosuke hesitated. It was certainly an option and a plausible one at that, but he knew for a fact that bound the way he was, lifting anyone, even a three-year-old, would be difficult, let alone a full grown high schooler. Mizusawa was smaller than him, sure, but not by much. And he was probably heavy too. Ryosuke was sure Mizusawa had muscles that even some gang members couldn't challenge. He just...didn't use them for the kinds of things gangs members did.

"Why can't I lift you up?" Ryosuke finally input, nodding to Hoshiko. "You're lighter than Mizusawa--I hope--and since it was your idea..."

She shook her head. "That's the thing...I thought of that too, and it seemed like a good idea, but I don't think I'm tall enough. Look, I barely even make Taku-senpai's shoulders," she went on, encouraging the thought by trying to stand at her full height for emphasis.

It was true, she wasn't very tall at all.

Ryosuke remained quiet for a moment, but all things considered, there was some kind of twisted humor in the whole thing. He narrowed his eyes, donning a mock-annoyed face, then started mumbling to himself as he moved over to Mizusawa. "If I didn't know you any better, I'd think you had an interest in that BL stuff or something....."

He stopped in front of his classmate. "Are we going to do this?"

[Mizusawa Taku]

ooc: Permission to god-mod Ryosuke where necessary. >< (I enjoyed god-modding in some places though. )

ic:

"Eh!? Sorry, Taku-senpai, I keep losing myself in thought.....that glass?"

Mizusawa nodded, searching the girl's expression to see what she thought about it. Of course, this was very dangerous and he knew that it was unlikely they could get up there without one of them getting hurt, but it was still worth thinking about. Could it be any more dangerous than the guys waiting for them on the other side of the door to this room? Somehow, he doubted that.

Hoshiko actually smiled. "I think I have an idea! And if it works, the person holding the glass piece has to do the Zelda theme. Da-dadaduh-daaaa! Just for fun!"

It took a moment for Mizusawa to follow the girl's train of thought as she began to summon Ryosuke over, but when he realized her reference to the famous Legend of Zelda game series, he couldn't help smiling a little. Hoshiko was such a strange girl.

"I could get on your shoulders and try to get that glass with my mouth--ouch--but I don't think we would be tall enough combined anyway. But Ryosuke-senpai is really tall. If you got on his shoulders, you could probably get it!" She paused, then added, "And since your mouth would be full, I could always do the Zelda theme for ya." She smiled happily.

Mizusawa just stared at her. Wait...he was supposed to climb on Ryosuke's shoulders to get the piece of glass down? When had this happened? Though, now that he began to think about it, he supposed she was right. The two of them combined weren't tall enough, and it probably wouldn't be all that proper for Hoshiko to do something like that in a skirt. Not to mention, this also sounded like it was going to be very dangerous, and it wouldn't be all that courteous for them to make the girl do all the hard work.

"Oh, okay..." he gave something of a nod, looking in time to see Ryosuke join them.

"What's up?" Mizusawa hesitated before looking back at the glass above their heads. Apparently Ryosuke had just noticed it too.

"How are we going to get it?" He didn't sound overly concerned, nor impressed with their plan. Maybe, as a yankee, he could come up with a better one though.

"It's.....easy, considering some of the other ideas I had!" She paused. "I was thinking you could give Taku-senpai a piggyback up to the shelf! He'd have to be really careful, but he could get the piece of glass with his mouth, then bring it back down."

Mizusawa cringed. The way she said it, she made it sound like this was going to be for fun. And like she was enjoying the prospect too much. He wasn't all that surprised when Ryosuke hesitated to respond.

"Why can't I lift you up?" Ryosuke finally input, nodding to Hoshiko. "You're lighter than Mizusawa--I hope--and since it was your idea..."

She shook her head. "That's the thing...I thought of that too, and it seemed like a good idea, but I don't think I'm tall enough. Look, I barely even make Taku-senpai's shoulders," she went on, encouraging the thought by trying to stand at her full height for emphasis.

Now that he thought about it, Mizusawa wasn't sure he trusted letting a girl on Ryosuke's shoulders anyway. Even if he'd never seen any of Ryosuke's girlfriends before, Ryosuke had quite a reputation of being a ladies man. And yeah...well, this wasn't a good time for that.

"Hoshiko-chan's right, Ryosuke," Mizusawa agreed calmly.

There was a pause before Ryosuke spoke, moving towards Mizusawa now. "If I didn't know you any better, I'd think you had an interest in that BL stuff or something....."

Mizusawa cringed again, although he knew Ryosuke was right. That was initially what he had thought of too, when Hoshiko had made her suggestion. Though it didn't matter anyway. They had to do this for their safety.

Ryosuke was directly in front of him now, staring at him. "Are we going to do this?"

"Yeah." Mizusawa nodded, though he didn't move to do anything just yet. It took a few moments, but when Ryosuke had finally crouched down enough for him to get into place, he stepped forward, tenderly swinging one leg over Ryosuke's shoulders, then the other, and trying to position himself properly behind the boy's head. This was already uncomfortable, and he hadn't even taken the weight off of his own feet yet.

"OK," he mumbled, wishing he had the mobility right now to hold on to something so that he could maintain the proper balance and wouldn't topple off of Ryosuke's shoulders. Unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do with his hands behind his back. He felt about as awkward as Ryosuke probably felt right now, especially in front of Hoshiko, who seemed to watching avidly.

As the Yankee slowly began to get back to his feet with Mizusawa now astride him, Mizusawa felt his balance wobbling. He leaned forward a little, trying to maintain his placement on Ryosuke's shoulders, though all he seemed to succeed in doing was putting more pressure on his own abdomen. He grimaced, then wondered if maybe he weighed too much and this plan was doomed to fail.

But Ryosuke somehow had managed to get to his feet--slowly and painfully for both of them, but surely. Mizusawa saw the shard of glass drawing nearer and nearer, until he was finally eye level with it. Not close enough that he could reach it with his mouth, but close enough that he was staring directly at it.

And yet, this seemed to be Ryosuke's full height. They just weren't tall enough.

"Uhh..." He paused, looking down at Ryosuke for a moment and then regretting it. Normally he wasn't afraid of heights, but right now he wasn't feeling all that safe. And apparently, this plan had not worked out so well.

Then he had an idea. It was actually extremely dangerous, but it reminded him of something he'd seen those sword dancers do in the old-fashioned circus acts. If he could bend his head the right way, this could work.

"Ryosuke? Can you move us under the glass? I might be able to get it in my mouth that way." He prayed that this wasn't going to result in a serious injury for any of them--or something worse. In his own case, if he didn't bend his head back far enough, he might give himself a serious cut, or maybe even get himself blinded. But he could also lose his balance and fall backwards off of Ryosuke--or forwards if he leaned into it too much, which would likely result in the weight of his entire body snapping Ryosuke's neck and his imminent death from being impaled in the face by the piece of glass, and...WHY THE HELL WAS HE THINKING THESE THINGS AT A TIME LIKE THIS??

He felt the blonde look up to see where Mizusawa was asking him to move, and he twitched, a tad uncomfortable with the blonde's head now practically in his lap. He shifted a little, trying to prepare himself for something he wasn't all too sure he wanted to do anymore.

As Ryosuke began to move forward slowly, Mizusawa leaned his weight in slightly, trying to ignore the dull pain from it, and began to duck his head back, praying with all hope that none of the worries in his mind would come true. He watched the glass moving dangerously closer and closer, just barely missing his upturned chin.

"OK, stop," he breathed, not even wanting to open his mouth to warn Ryosuke. The sharp glass was now directly above his lips. All he had to do was move upwards a little and try to grasp it with his mouth, get it off the shelf, and come down safely without biting into the glass or doing something else stupid from being afraid that he would fall.

He pursed his lips for a moment, steeling himself, then clasped his hands together where they were tied tightly behind his back, squeezing them together. His thighs clung a little more firmly to the sides of Ryosuke's face and neck as he tried to balance himself better.

Then, opening his mouth, he craned his neck slightly, tilting his head sideways to have a better grasp of the glass. His lips met the cold, hard material of the shard, which felt razor sharp and threatening even when the biggest danger had yet to come. He moved up a little more, feeling part of the piece of glass move dangerously against his tongue, while the sharp edges of the it came to rest against the corners of his mouth. He had taken in as much as he could without cutting himself. Now he just had to hope he had enough strength in his mouth alone to pull the shard down without hurting himself or letting it fall.

"Mmmmfff," he mumbled beneath the glass in his mouth, keeping is tongue down and away from the glass inside, in order to let Ryosuke know he should begin coming down again. He was thankful that the blond understood, despite his indistinct command.

As they moved, he wondered if he had enough strength in his mouth alone to pull the rest of the piece of glass off of the shelf with the bit he he was holding onto, but he knew that was something they would find out soon enough. It wasn't like he could warn the others now.

Ryosuke continued to sink back to a crouch, and Mizusawa wobbled again, keeping his head tilted upwards with the piece of glass. He saw the other end of it finally leaving the shelf ledge, and he strengthened his hold on the bit that was in his mouth, squeezing his eyes shut that they wouldn't get hurt.

There was a brief moment where it felt stuck, then a moment where the small weight in his mouth seemed to increase, but he'd been holding on tightly enough to what was already in his mouth that nothing else seemed to happen. All he had to do was wait until he was finally able to put his feet back on the ground again.

He didn't realize how tightly his thighs had been clinging to Ryosuke this entire time, out of his own nervousness for all three of them. By the time Ryosuke had gotten back on the ground and Mizusawa felt his feet brushing the floor, he scrambled to get off of the boy's shoulders, ignoring the dull throbbing from where the back of Ryosuke's neck had pressed into him. Unfortunately, given that they both had their hands tied behind their backs, he knew he could only get off of Ryosuke going forwards, not backwards. But of course, with the shard of glass in his mouth, he couldn't actually tell Ryosuke that.

Feeling like something of a wounded and highly embarrassed animal, he gave an exasperated "Mmmmmfff!" to Ryosuke, looking at Hoshiko to help out so that he could get off of the other boy and spit the glass out before he cut himself.

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

OOC: Okay, so, I'm skipping Hoshiko's turn because I think it's probably better if Ryosuke goes next what with the way things are going! If I do godplay Hoshiko in this post, it's only for the sake of moving things along, and also because I play her, so I approve myself of doing so.

"Yeah."

Ryosuke studied Mizusawa's face carefully, wondering if it was really okay. Truth be told, it seemed to him that Mizusawa often just played along with things for the greater good, even if he himself didn't agree with it. There didn't seem to be any other way for them to get the glass from the shelf though, unless Mizusawa wanted to try lifting Ryosuke up on his shoulders instead. And yet Ryosuke was well aware that the large chunk of glass high up above them was likely just as dangerous as the gang that had brought them here. At least, trying to bring it down from the shelf without the use of hands was.

Still, Ryosuke nodded to his friend, hoping his look was encouraging and that his feelings of uncertainty weren't tainting his appearance, then crouched down so that he was low enough for the other boy to get on his shoulders. Mizusawa had only swung one leg over, and Ryosuke was already uncomfortable.
In fact, it seemed to take some time before Mizusawa could properly get adjusted on Ryosuke's back, and by the time he finally murmured an "OK" for them to go ahead, Ryosuke was already straining under the other's weight. Mizusawa was considerably smaller than him, and maybe he didn't look it upon first glance, but he was no twig. He was fairly wide, and the muscles he'd surely gotten from Tumbling hadn't lessened his weight any.

Ryosuke groaned trying to lift the new weight on his back using only his legs. At least, he told himself, trying to keep balanced, getting the large glass shard would mean use of their hands again. Of course, there was still the matter of finding an escape route once at least one of them--assuming they didn't have time to free everyone--had their hands free, but Ryosuke tried to remind himself that unless they did things one step at a time, they were doomed to fail from the start.

By the time Ryosuke was sure he was at his full height, his whole body was already aching. The weight on his shoulders and back felt entirely wrong, and there was an almost instinctual part of him that just wanted to shed the additional pounds. He closed his eyes, taking a few steps forward, then back again, to keep his balance. He wondered if maybe they would even have gotten this far if they'd ended up in this situation together and Ryosuke had never done Tumbling. He'd never been very good with balance, maybe because of his height, but if he'd never done rhythmic gymnastics and spent so much focus on it, he wondered if he'd even have been able to lift Mizusawa more than a few inches off the ground before tumbling over.

"Uhh..."

Ryosuke frowned and glanced sideways at Hoshiko--his first instinct would have been to look up at Mizusawa to see what was wrong, but he knew he was limited there. One wrong move, and they could go tumbling backwards. Yet the look on the 2nd year's face seemed to be more of one of nervous hope than trouble. She was monitoring Mizusawa's progress carefully.

"Ryosuke? Can you move us under the glass? I might be able to get it in my mouth that way."

Ryosuke hesitated. Where was the glass? He didn't want to look up and risk throwing them off balance, but he wondered if maybe he even really had a choice in this matter. He didn't want to move forward too far and send Mizusawa face-first into the shelf, or something. More than that, trying to glance up and see what the other boy was talking about, he found that his movement was limited if only because Mizusawa was suddenly gripping Ryosuke's head tightly between his thighs. If they stayed like this for too long, the Yankee was beginning to think he might suffocate.

Stay focused, he told himself. The shelf. Looking up as much as he dared to without shifting Mizusawa's weight, Ryosuke could see that the two of them had to move at least a little to get where Mizusawa wanted. He didn't know what the other boy was planning, but he figured at this point, he was just a tool. He had no power in really getting the glass shard himself. He would just have to do whatever his classmate asked, and fast too. They were really going to run out of time if they didn't hurry this up. Maybe that was partly what was giving him this horrible sensation of choking as well.

Ryosuke began moving forward slowly-he saw Hoshiko bow her head slightly and close her eyes, probably scared about what was happening-and came to a sudden halt at Mizusawa's request. The other boy was moving atop his shoulders slightly, and Ryosuke found himself shifting his weight from one foot to the other to keep his balance.

There seemed to be a long, drawn out moment of silence, the moment--Ryosuke guessed--in which Mizusawa was probably working to get the glass shard, and then suddenly he heard the muffled sound that he knew meant Mizusawa was ready.

He wasn't so sure he could say the same, but there was nothing for it. "Hold on," Ryosuke responded, backing up very very slowly and praying that the three of them finally got some luck on their side.

Ryosuke began sinking back down to the ground, his eyes focused intently on the ground below them. His legs were beginning to shake under the strain of having to hold up two bodies rather than just his own, and now with the weight of the glass being added. Ryosuke felt the other boy's legs tighten around his head, and he grunted. Mizusawa had to do what he had to do, whatever would keep him balanced, but damn if the other boy didn't have super leg strength. Ryosuke felt like he was getting dizzy, having the guy's knees tightening around his head.

And then they were done. Ryosuke was back into the same crouch he'd started off in, and he closed his eyes, waiting patiently for when Mizusawa would climb off his shoulders and lessen the strain on his back--or maybe if Hoshiko came over to help out.

"Mmmmmfff!"

Ryosuke felt himself beginning to panic at the sound of what he was sure was a troubled Mizusawa. The other still hadn't climbed off his shoulders, and the Yankee didn't think he could take the strain of the other boy's weight much longer, even with the both of them at least safe on the ground now. What was going on? Did it have to do with the glass shard? Had he cut himself?

"Hoshiko?" Ryosuke's voice was shaking.


OOC: Well, looks like I'll have to continue this in Hoshiko's post! So if I'm adding anyone into the post, I'll do that with hers!!!! ^^v Anyway, for any who read this, I apologize. I wrote it while pretty distracted, so it's absolute crap on a stick!!! >_____<

[Nakanishi Hoshiko]

OOC: Any godplaying done for Ryosuke (and Mizusawa) is allowed!! And for the record, this is a crappy response (it's honestly the crappiest crap that ever crapped), but once we get to the actual "escaping", things will be just peachy! ^^v

Hoshiko bit her lip as the boys began working on the task, taking unconscious steps backwards in the event they began to fall. While she wouldn't have minded being all knight-like and rescuing the boys in the case of an accident, she was well aware that fate had formed her into a size that would probably only serve to be crushed in that event, not helpful. And already, Ryosuke seemed to be struggling slightly getting up off the ground with Taku on his shoulders.

"Eek..." She closed her eyes, murmuring under her breath, "Be careful!"

But though she opened her eyes again and saw that the task looked near-impossible, even with Mizusawa finally high up in the air and just about level with the glass piece, she had faith in the boys. She only wished she could do something to help more....

"OK, stop."

Hoshiko tensed and closed her eyes again before daring herself to watch the boys get into the final position to get the glass. Ryosuke stopped short, Taku suddenly had a look of serious concentration--probably fear too--on his face. It was as if he was studying the piece of glass before him as though he could will it over to himself. Then he was leaning forward, his mouth open, stretching his neck to reach the glass, and....

...he had it!!! Hoshiko had to refrain from jumping for joy. They were halfway there!

Come on, you can do it, you can do it, boys!

Taku muttered some sort of confirmation, and then Ryosuke was bending at the knees again, slowly bringing his teammate back safely to the ground. The piece of glass looked to be a huge strain on the latter's mouth, but he was holding it firmly in place. A true trooper! Hoshiko had the urge to start cheering for the boy, call to him, "My hero!", but refrained from doing that as well.

And then they were back on the ground, finished!

Sort of.

"Mmmmmfff!" Taku still couldn't speak properly with the glass shard in his mouth, and he suddenly looked more strained than he had before.

"Hoshiko?"

Ryosuke.

Hoshiko couldn't see his face well now, not with Taku-senpai's knees in the way, but judging by his shaky tone of voice, he was either nervous, scared maybe, or about to drop Taku--and consequently, the glass shard--if someone didn't do something. None of those options was very pleasant...

It took a moment, but Hoshiko realized where the problem lay and rushed forward to help out, stopping with her back to Taku-senpai and stretching her fingers feeling for the ridiculously large piece of glass. If she could even carry it a few inches away from the two boys, then Taku could get off Ryosuke's shoulders and she could get the dangerously sharp object out of the way of harm.

When she felt her hands close over the piece of glass, cool and deadly to the touch, she nodded her head. "I've got it, Taku-senpai! You can let go!"

But she'd underestimated the weight of the shard itself. Even though it did look heavy, carrying it off on her own while the boys re-assembled themselves proved to be a bad idea. She lost her footing as she tried to turn around and face her two senpai, and instead of landing the object safely on the floor in front of them, she went stumbling backwards into the nearby wall, the glass shard still in her grasp.

She felt it press into her back.

There was some silence, the realization of what had just happened taking all-too-long to finally hit, and Hoshiko stared, her eyes wide as she gazed at the boys, her mouth hanging open slightly in surprise. Then the glass shard fell from her grasp, clattering to the floor. Everything else was silent.

It took just as long for her to realize that there was no blood, no glass shard in her back....but her arms.....

Feeling the new freedom for her arms and moving them back around in front of her, Hoshiko did a double blink, first glancing down at her hands, then back to the boys.

"Do you think they were dummies....tying us up with rope?"

Ryosuke was the first to respond, his gaze as wild-looking as she imagined hers had been, seconds before, when she had been sure she'd accidentally impaled herself on the intense piece of glass.

"Wh....what? How did you...?"

Hoshiko didn't answer him, xercising her arms back and forth, trying to work out the ache that had developed in them after they had been pulled back that way for so long. Then, content with that, Hoshiko clambered forward, her hands shaking slightly with the weight of the large glass shard as she carried it over to her two senpai. "Come on--turn around, show me your hands!" She didn't know how they were doing on time or whether the guys approved, but she knew that with the glass in hand and the bindings being obviously nothing more than simple rope, it was in their best interests to get all of them free.

"Hoshiko-chan," Ryosuke still sounded frantic, but Hoshiko was pleased to sense some note of relief in his tone, even if it was very little. "Thanks, just uh....we gotta keep moving!"

"One step ahead of you."

Yet even as Hoshiko rested the glass shard against the bindings on Ryosuke's arms, she wondered if she had the capability of cutting them free at all. Her binds had broken because of the sheer force with which they'd landed on the glass shard. In this case, she was working to cut the binds herself, and she wasn't sure she had that kind of physical strength. (She cursed fate again for making her so small.) And then there was the fact that the way the boys' arms were tied--Taku-senpai's too, she noticed, glancing his way--if she wasn't careful, there was a very good chance she could cut them. And that wouldn't go over well.....

"I'll do my best...."

Hoshiko stuck her tongue out in careful concentration as she set to work on the tall blonde's bindings. She was already thinking...if she could cut him free, he could probably very easily get Taku-senpai free as well. Then the three of them could go back to finding their escape route. With free arms--gosh it felt good to be free again--it would be so much easier.

And as if there was some sort of good luck fairy hovering over them, it took only a matter of a minute or so before the powerful glass shard worked its magic. Hoshiko was working carefully, back and forth with the shard over the rope binding Ryosuke's arms, putting as much pressure on the bindings as she dared try, and finally one layer gave way, then another, and then another. And though the final layer hadn't come undone, it was enough. Ryosuke seemed to sense his newfound freedom and brushed the ropes off himself, turning around quickly to thank Hoshiko for her work.

He seemed unsure of what to say or do, then finally resorted to a soft, "Thank you," before patting her on the head, taking the glass shard, and making his way over to Taku-senpai. He'd had the same idea as Hoshiko...

"Let's finish this!"

[Mizusawa Taku]

ooc: Permission to god-play Ryosuke, haha! And I win for the suckieist post of the year! ^_^/

ic:

"Hoshiko?"

The sound of Ryosuke's nervous voice only made Mizusawa more anxious to get off of the other boy's shoulders. He didn't know why Ryosuke sounded so nervous, but he was feeling pretty uncomfortable up there anyway, still with the glass in his mouth. If Ryosuke could just bend his head a little, he might be able to climb over that way and be free. But he couldn't tell him that with the shard of glass still in his mouth.

Then he saw Hoshiko drawing nearer, turning so that her back was to his front. He watched as she reached out with her tied hands, moving backwards closer and closer to the glass shard. His eyes widened when he realized what she was trying to do. He nearly opened his mouth to warn her that it was a bad idea, and felt his heart skip a beat that he'd come nearly that close to cutting both himself and then, after dropping the piece of glass, cutting Ryosuke. But then again, if Hoshiko did this wrong, she might be the one to cut herself and him. This was definitely not a good idea.

But all he could do was think that and watch, because no matter how much he tried to talk, she wouldn't know what he was saying. He closed his eyes as he saw her hand drawing nearer, not wanting to see what might happen next.

There was a slight pressure on the end that was in his mouth, and then...

"I've got it, Taku-senpai! You can let go!"

Her words left Mizusawa with a feeling of absolute relief. Heaving something of a sigh, he relinquished the piece from his mouth, allowing the girl to take the entire piece herself. He was about to ask Ryosuke properly if he could move his head so that he could climb off--now this was just really getting painful--when suddenly something happened with Hoshiko. He looked up in time to see a shocked expression on the girl's face, her back pressed against a wall, and her bound hands, which had been holding the piece of glass and had been pressed against her back...

Mizusawa's eyes grew wide with fear.

Suddenly, the girl pulled her arms away from behind her back, swinging them freely. "Do you think they were dummies....tying us up with rope?"

It took a moment for Mizusawa to completely gather what had just taken place. Though it had looked exactly as though Hoshiko had impaled herself, evidently all she had succeeded in doing was freeing herself through her own clumsy movements. Mizusawa heaved the biggest sigh of relief he'd even given before. Thank goodness she hadn't been hurt, or killed.

"Wh....what? How did you...?"

Seeing that the girl was busy swinging her arms happily, Mizusawa felt another dull throb between his legs and remembered what he'd been about to bother Ryosuke with. "Ne, Ryosuke..." He looked down at the shaggy blonde head between his legs. "Can you duck your head a little bit? I'm having a hard time getting off your back like this."

He didn't bother to thank the blonde once he had complied, but instead quickly scrambled off of the boy's shoulders, barely missing the boy's head as he climbed over.

Free. He was finally free again, on solid ground, able to move freely and without feeling like he was about to lose all ability to have children. Not that that mattered, but...

He was about to thank Ryosuke now that he was feeling safe again, but Hoshiko was already making her way over to the Yankee, the shard of glass glinting in her hands.

"Come on--turn around, show me your hands!" The way she was holding it, it looked like she was planning to stab Ryosuke, not actually free him.

"Hoshiko-chan," Ryosuke still sounded frantic, but Hoshiko was pleased to sense some note of relief in his tone, even if it was very little. "Thanks, just uh....we gotta keep moving!"

"One step ahead of you." This was followed by a pause, and then, "I'll do my best...."

Mizusawa watched as the girl worked carefully to cut Ryosuke free. It looked like it was tough to do too, especially considering she was trying to cut through rope with a sharp piece of glass. If she wasn't careful, she could risk cutting herself too, not just Ryosuke. "Easy, Hoshiko-chan..." Mizusawa spoke gently, watching the girl carefully. If only he'd already been untied...at least he could have helped out some way...

But as if they had some luck on their side, the ropes eventually fell away. For what seemed the umpteenth time in such a short time, Mizusawa breathed a sigh of relief. He shot a relieved smile Hoshiko's way, as Ryosuke thanked the girl, taking the glass shard from her and making his way over to Mizusawa. Mizusawa knew this was a good idea. Ryosuke was stronger, so he'd likely be able to cut through the bonds much quicker. Mizusawa just hoped the other boy was careful enough not to cut either of them accidentally.

"Let's finish this!"

Mizusawa nodded, turning around so that his bound hands were presented to Ryosuke. He stared at the floor, waiting to feel the close proximity of the glass to his skin. All things considered, he was pretty sure he would hate anything made of glass after this.

While Ryosuke had just begun working, however, there came a banging from further down the room, where they had been sitting not too long ago.

The door.

Mizusawa froze, about to pull his hands away from Ryosuke's grasp, then stopping himself, remembering that they were dealing with a big shard of glass at the moment. "Ryosuke, the door!" He hissed, a sudden feeling of cold beginning to take over his body again. Those guys had come back for them. And very quickly too. Though from the sounds of things, they were having a difficult time getting into the room.

"What should we do?" Mizusawa asked anxiously, wishing he could see the expressions on Ryosuke and Hoshiko's faces. Unfortunately, he was facing the wrong way. "Should we try to find a way out?"

He personally felt the latter was the better plan. If the gangsters saw that two of them had gotten free, they would be in serious trouble. And likely they wouldn't have the same luck afterwards. They really had to just try, even if he was still tied up and wasn't able to do much to help out.

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

ooc: You can't win for suckiest post! I already claimed that title!!! And godplaying for Hoshiko (and Mizusawa) is approved! ^^V And as for the baddie....guess if you know who I was thinking of when I wrote it. XD He just came to mind!

Ryosuke set to work cutting off Mizusawa's bindings. These, in particular, seemed to have been done quite well. He wondered if maybe he and Hoshiko had been the lucky ones--if maybe they'd gotten the people more incompetent at tying captives up--because whoever had done Mizusawa's had done a damn good job....

BANG BANG BANG!

Ryosuke froze on the spot in conjunction with his classmates, his eyes widening.

"Oh no..."

"Ryosuke, the door!"

The blonde Yankee nodded, forgetting that his gesture was invisible to his classmate, what with his back to him, his mind suddenly going crazy again. They were here. They'd come back already...

Oh who was he kidding? Of course they had. It wasn't like a group of well-trained gangsters--especially if they were Yakuza--to hesitate too long with something that needed to be done. The problem was that Ryosuke still didn't know what that was that needed to be done. And more than that, he knew there was no longer enough time to try to cut his friend free. He'd pushed the couch up against the door and had begun work with the chain, but there hadn't been enough time to complete things. Assuming there wasn't some other entrance the baddies could take, it would probably only take them a minute or so to break back into the warehouse.

They'd run out of time.

His palms getting sweaty and his heart rate picking up again, Ryosuke turned his attention back to the work he'd been doing. This wasn't good....

"What should we do?" Mizusawa even sounded worried. He probably had an idea of what was going to happen too.... "Should we try to find a way out?"

Ryosuke nodded. "I.....I think we have to. I'm sorry to leave you like this--" God, this was terrible. If they did have to fight, Mizusawa wouldn't be able to do anything! "--but I don't think we have a choice. They'll break through that door any second now."

He turned quickly to Hoshiko, trying to think fast again. "See that stairwell right there? The one leading up into the 2nd floor, with all the tall shelves? Start heading up there, and go quickly! I think these kinds of warehouses used to have those mechanical slides for all the stuff they shipped out, and those slides usually had an exit on the second floor. With any luck, there'll still be one there."

He tried sawing away at Mizusawa's ties again, but another ferocious bang at the front door reminded him that no, there was no time to hope. Only act.

"Okay, Hoshiko, go! Just be careful...I don't know how stable those stairs are."

"What about you guys?"

Ryosuke waved a hand. "We'll be right behind you, just go!"

She saluted. Ryosuke felt a twinge of guilt at her response, aware that even though she seemed to be trying to be brave and hopeful, it was probably just an act. He knew she had to be scared too...

"Got it! I'll try to be light as a mouse so I don't break the stairs for you guys--"

BANG!

"Go, go!"

Ryosuke threw the glass shard to the side, into a dark corner of the area, and started pushing Mizusawa forwards towards the stairwell in the back corner of the warehouse. Hoshiko had been quick--she was already at the base of the stairs, now working her way up. All things considered, she was pretty nimble, and even if he and Mizusawa got stuck here, if she could get out, she could get help....

"We're heading up the stairs--just....watch your footing, but move quickly. We don't have time anymore, I'm sor--"

BANG BANG!

Ryosuke heard a loud scratching sound--the legs of the couch scraping across the floor, he guessed--and began moving more quickly. Even at the base of the stairs, behind Mizusawa, he urged the other boy onwards, suddenly wishing he'd thought to run and shut down the lights, give themselves at least the cover of darkness if the baddies broke in immediately.

CRASH

The door was open.

Ryosuke's Yankee instincts kicked in, and suddenly he was pounding up the stairs with Mizusawa. They only just reached the second floor, ducking into the cover of the shadows of the high shelving, before three of the gangsters came into view. Ryosuke wondered if his ragged breathing was as loud to the rest of the building as it was to him.

F*ck, they'd nearly been seen. And where had Hoshiko gone?

"Where are they?" came a raspy voice from the first floor. "Fuckin' kids..."

"Maybe they think we're playing hide and seek," someone with a deep voice responded, laughing a little.

"Shut the f*ck up, Tanaka," responded the first man. He coughed--it was as though he was hacking up a lung, it was so dreadful-sounding--and then the sound was followed by footsteps. Many footsteps. It seemed the rest of the gang--maybe more--had returned with the original group and were now inside.

Ryosuke began crawling forward on his hands and knees, aware that every second they spent dawdling was every second they had less to escape. But he had to know. He had to see for himself what they were dealing with...

Reaching the rim of the catwalk, Ryosuke peered over the edge, ducking low to keep under the cover of the shadows on the second floor.

Twenty guys. At least twenty guys. And not even just guys, because there was at least one girl there too. Ryosuke felt something tighten his gut at the sight. With a number like that, they were doomed. He was the biggest in their small group of three, and even with his former Yankee abilities and size, there was no way he could take on twenty people on his own. He wouldn't put it past Hoshiko to have some sort of martial arts' skills, or even Mizusawa of having some way of incorporating Tumbling into things to kick gangster *ss, but he knew that was hoping for too much. The two of them shouldn't have been in this situation to begin with. He shouldn't have been in this situation either, and he was the one out of the whole group who probably deserved it the most.

He turned back to Mizusawa, his brow furrowed, shaking his head to signal that it was a no-go, then began nodding in the direction he assumed any such exit as the old warehouse shipping port-slide would be. They had to find Hoshiko too....

"You better come the f*ck out, kiddies," came the main guy. His voice sounded further strained, as though he was trying to hold in another terrible cough. Ryosuke dared himself to look over the edge of the catwalk again, to see who this guy was, and actually froze.

He wasn't Japanese. He was a stringy-haired, sallow-looking middle-aged foreigner. It looked so odd, seeing him heading a group of Japanese people. And looking down at him, Ryosuke was suddenly more lost than ever. What the hell was a gaijin man doing leading a Japanese gang? What the hell did a gaijin man want with three high schoolers? Human trafficking or something? Well, they'd done a sh*tty job picking kids to traffick.

His heartbeats going at a speed he hadn't thought possible, Ryosuke slowly turned again to his friend, beginning to crawl back to his side. He knew Mizusawa couldn't do the same--crawling--so they would have to somehow crouch forwards quickly and as quietly as they could. He really hoped there weren't any weak patches of flooring on the catwalk, considering how old it had to be, and more than that, they needed to find Hoshiko. Though he was beginning to think that if they didn't, maybe they could give themselves up and give her the chance of escaping.....

"Maybe they got out," came a third voice. "There's always the--"

"Shut up!" Raspy foreign man again. "If they're still here, we don't need them knowing about that!"

"All right, let's spread out then!" A new voice. This one sounded more authoritative, more controlled, though Ryosuke was still guessing by the appearance and mannerisms of the foreign man, he was the one in charge. "Tanaka, Suzuki, Yamashita, Keisai, that corner. Masuda, Tada, Shinoda, the opposite corner. Nakamura, take your group upstairs, and the rest of you help me and Devereaux search the rest of this area."

Ryosuke had already begun pushing forwards with Mizusawa, even without having heard that someone was now coming upstairs for them. But he'd also been listening half-heartedly to the names being called. While he hadn't heard all of them, those he had picked up on were entirely unfamiliar. He didn't think these people could really be related to the gang that had followed him into the arcade, though considering he hadn't known those guys' names, he supposed it was possible. And the last name mentioned, Devereaux....he knew that had to be the name belonging to the foreign man. He'd never heard of a Japanese name like that before.

But the thing was, foreign though he might be, Devereaux spoke damn good Japanese. He had to have been here for some time, at least. Ryosuke hadn't even recognized a trace of an accent.

"Mizu, keep moving," Ryosuke whispered, ushering the other along with shaky hands. "They're coming upstairs now...we've gotta try to find Hoshiko and get the hell out of here. Keep an eye out for some kind of slot that leads outside...."

He heard the sound of footsteps--enough of them to cause alarm--on the old catwalk stairs and felt his heart clench again. Oh God....he was scared. He would admit it, he was really scared. And he knew if he was scared, then poor Mizusawa and Hoshiko probably had to be nervous wrecks. He'd never been in this kind of situation before, but he had been target practice for gangsters in the past, even if it hadn't been to this terrible magnitude.

"I've got two ropes! Two of them got free!"

Hoshiko.....please have found a way out....