General Grievous [Mizusawa + Hoshiko + Open]

[Nakanishi Hoshiko]

OOC: It's gettin' gooooood!

Hoshiko was having a hard time finding her way around the second floor of the warehouse, even with her hands untied. She'd become sort of disoriented moving throughout the darkened level, past one shelf after another, and she'd even narrowly avoided a not-so-friendly collision with various car parts on some of the tall shelves. It looked as though part of the old use of the warehouse had not completely disappeared, which had given her hope in Ryosuke-sempai's guesstimation about a possible exit.

And then she'd found it. The slide. The exit.

It came in the form of a wide, rusty-looking panel in the wall. Hoshiko could feel a slight draft--the cool, but refreshing sea breeze--coming in through a narrow slit in the side, and everything was confirmed as she glimpsed the Japanese Kanji across the wall front, reading:

Notice! Proceed with caution! Open shaft!

At first, she'd been surprised to see the thing at all. It didn't feel like the escape from the warehouse should be so obvious and out in the open. Hoshiko was thinking about all the best video games and how the exits to dungeons were typically more difficult to reach than a snip of some rope-bindings and a climb up to a second floor. Even though the lack of lighting had made this escape route somewhat difficult to find, the smell of fresh air and the small crack of light gleaming back at her had been enough.

Though, looking through the slit in the wall, Hoshiko could see that the sky was rapidly darkening. Evening was approaching--and after all, they'd been in the warehouse for quite some time, so no surprise if it was getting dark now. More than that, there was a bit of an issue. The exit was quite a ways up the side of the wall, not even really far down enough for them to reach jumping, but it was there, and that was all that mattered.

Hoshiko smiled at the sight and gave the exit a thumbs-up. "Don't go anywhere without me!"

And it was then, when she began heading back towards the stairwell to the second level, that she heard the commotion.

She'd heard the door give, she'd known the bad guys had broken in, but she'd been paying little attention to anything else after finding the exit Ryosuke-senpai had mentioned. Then she'd been so intent on getting back to them, hearing the pounding of what had to be more than ten or so angry gangsters, everything dawned on her.

Had the boys even gotten upstairs on time? She'd been too thoughtless to even check! And now that she thought about it, she didn't really know her way back to the stairs. She'd been turning corners like a mad-woman earlier, just following gut instincts over a specific route, and now, no matter which was she turned, all she saw were car parts, car parts, and, of course, more car parts.

Hoshiko furrowed her brow and clenched her teeth together. "Oh no...." It wasn't even like she could call out to the boys, and if her ears weren't mistaking her, the thudding that she was hearing now was close by, very much resembling the sound of feet--many feet--hurrying up stairs.

The 2nd year felt the beginnings of true panic inside, though she was trying her hardest to hold it together. Not that she had the time, but if she thought about this reasonably, she hadn't heard any cries of surprise from either of her friends, and likewise, she had serious doubts that the gangsters would sound so frantic in their footsteps alone if they were looking only for her.
No, she got the impression the boys hadn't been caught yet, but it didn't mean they wouldn't be, once the brutes got upstairs. She'd gone through a maze of shelves on the second floor--there was a small chance they would walk the same path and find the exit.

So I have to help!

Hoshiko looked to her left, where a small square of light from the first level of the warehouse gleamed back at her. Surely there was a part of the catwalk over on that side where she could look down on the scene below her. And that would mean....

Hoshiko grinned and studied the various car parts in front of her.

Heavy, metallic things.

How nice.

The gangsters had to know that they hadn't escaped--yet, at least--because the front door hadn't been opened and only two of the ropes had been cut. If they had gotten free, they would have cut three ropes first, not just two. No, she was fairly certain the gangsters still knew they were here. And even though there were quite a few places to hide, they wouldn't be enough in a thorough search of the entire warehouse.

So they had to improvise.

Hoshiko tested her arm again, hopeful that its previous binding wouldn't affect things, then selected a few nifty-looking car pipes, a broken side mirror, and other heavy-ish bobs. Then, with her wonderful new bundle of supplies in hand, she moved slowly for the edge of the catwalk she'd glimpsed earlier, and stopped at the railing.

A quick glance downward told her everything she really needed to know. There was a group of four different gangsters avidly searching out for three missing high schoolers. Hoshiko was briefly reminded of pigs sniffing out three delicious truffles before her mind resorted back to work.

Arms full, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing."

A broken side mirror belonging to a previously junked car went sailing through the air over the heads of four gang members. It sailed straight, a perfect pitch, right into one of the grimy-looking warehouse lights. There was a brilliant flash of sparks--the gangsters all cried out, looking up for the source of the blaze--and then that corner of the warehouse went dark.

Hoshiko smiled. The sound of yelling below confirmed that while she'd basically told their enemies that they were still here, she'd also disoriented them and given themselves more darkness to hide under. She could see another light some ways off, but she knew she didn't have the arm to reach it from here, and nor was she entirely sure she wanted the baddies to see her.

But she could make a nice diversion for the boys. She would run back into the maze and try to find them, and then they could make their escape together while the enemy fell for her trap.

"Aaaaannnndddddd....."

Under the cover of the darkness, Hoshiko leaned over the railing of the catwalk again, grinned wide, then deposited her whole armload of car goods off the edge. She didn't wait to see how the baddies reacted; the sounds of their screams was enough. She hoped she hadn't killed anybody with the deadly, mechanical rain, but at this point, she didn't think she'd had much of a choice.

Now.

To find the boys.

Hoshiko raced back into the dark maze of shelves. With any luck, the gangsters who'd come up to the second floor would run to where she'd just deposited the car goods--it would buy them at least a little time.

[Mizusawa Taku]

"I.....I think we have to. I'm sorry to leave you like this, but I don't think we have a choice. They'll break through that door any second now."

By the sound of Ryosuke's voice, Mizusawa knew how bad the situation had become. The other sounded completely unsure, thrown off by the turn in events. Not that it wasn't something they shouldn't have expected. Of course the gangsters would come back for them. The thought of what they wanted though...that was the scariest part of all. Mizusawa hadn't forgotten what had transpired back in the arcade not too long ago. Where he'd foolishly gotten himself involved, and had taken a severe beating for it. Ryosuke had been there too, and Mizusawa wondered if the blonde boy was recalling that moment at a time like this too. It was scary, feeling like you had little to no control over what was going to happen to you.

"It's okay," he quickly murmured to Ryosuke, not wanting the other to feel some regret that he was still tied up. They'd done their best to free themselves. As long as they could find an exit, this was fine.

"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."

This time, Mizusawa knew the other boy was addressing Hoshiko. He felt the glass sawing again at his bound hands, and nearly opened his mouth to just tell Ryosuke to forget it, when suddenly Ryosuke spoke again to Hoshiko.

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

"What about you guys?"

"We'll be right behind you, just go!"

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

BANG!

"Go, go!"

The banging noise made Mizusawa flinch. He didn't want to be chased right now. The knowledge that he was going to have to run and hide wasn't just something scary to think about--it was really happening. He'd never been very good at those kinds of games, and he didn't think he'd be able to start now. Then he heard the sound of glass hitting the floor and realized Ryosuke must have tossed aside the glass shard. He'd been about to turn to the other, when he felt a hand on his back, another on his shoulder, guiding him in a certain direction. He didn't try to fight it, because he knew Ryosuke must have a better idea of where to go than he did.

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

BANG BANG!

Mizusawa shuddered, reaching the stairs just in time as there was a loud CRASH! The door had finally been opened. He could sense Ryosuke's own urgency as the boy raced up the stairs, helping Mizusawa at the same time. The gangsters were inside now. He and Ryosuke had barely made it to the second floor and behind some high shelves, before Mizusawa was able to see a few of the gangsters appear into view. Beside him, Ryosuke was breathing heavily. He was doing the same thing, winded from taking the stairs nearly two at a time, unable to use his arms to provide some extra form of support for moving so quickly with his own weight. He realized now that his body was shivering completely, his heart beating louder and faster than it ever had before. He was, of course, genuinely scared. Now that he could see them, all he could recall was that time from the arcade, the overwhelming pain from that moment, the fear of what had happened to his friends. It was even worse this time, since they had a younger girl with them. He didn't want to imagine what these guys were capable of, especially when they were so far away from having justice served in time.

"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.

Mizusawa shivered. This was definitely a game of hide and seek, alright. And one that Mizusawa didn't want to be playing. Trying to keep his shivering under control--it had begun to get very cold in here now--he turned to look at Ryosuke to see his reaction, but was surprised to find that Ryosuke was moving on hands and knees over to the edge of the catwalk, maybe to spy on the gang and see more clearly what they were doing. Mizusawa's fear grew bigger, and he opened his mouth to warn Ryosuke that this was not a good idea. But he kept quiet, realizing that perhaps the gangsters would hear him, and he'd give away their cover.

His hands dug into his back, pressed against the shelf behind him, and he winced, trying to control his breathing. It sounded so loud. Maybe him breathing would give them away long before anything else would. After a moment, he turned to look back at Ryosuke, and saw that now Ryosuke was looking at him too, a concerned look on his face. The boy shook his head, and Mizusawa felt his hopes beginning to fail. Was it that bad? How many of them were there? But there wasn't time to think abotu that. Ryosuke was now nodding in the direction they should start moving.

"You better come the f*ck out, kiddies..."

A shiver coursed through Mizusawa's body. That voice...it sounded...hideous. And of course what the man was saying was just as bad. Who would ever give themselves up to a voice like that? The guy sounded like some sort of child rapist or something!

As the men continued talking, Mizusawa watched--nearly paralyzed with fear--as Ryosuke moved slowly and carefully to join him back behind the shelves. He didn't hear what the men were saying. Something about his being had drowned the voices out, so that he wouldn't have to hear what they had planned next. He knew that was an unreasonable thing to do, but it was also something that his body had done as second nature. He didn't want to know what was going to happen next. He wanted to focus on their only hope left, the one target they were going for: escape.

He felt Ryosuke's firm hand begin pushing him again, and he slowly on quivering legs moved forward, as carefully as Ryosuke had been a moment before. Ryosuke was staying behind him, making sure he was the first to safety. But that being said, Mizusawa had no idea which direction to go. He'd nearly turned around to tell Ryosuke that the other should lead, that he might know a better way of escape, but Ryosuke was first to speak.

"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...."

Mizusawa's entire body shivered at Ryosuke's words, at the thought of the men coming up here to hunt them, but he also realized that this must be even scarier for Hoshiko. The poor girl was all by herself! At least he had his team mate with him. He didn't trust himself to speak, only nodded his agreement. They had to keep moving, had to figure out where Hoshiko had gone, so they could all escape together--

Suddenly, there was a fizzling noise, and then the lights went out completely in an area not too far away. Mizusawa stopped momentarily, surprised by what had happened. Had Hoshiko done that?

A moment later, and there was a sound of metal on metal, accompanied by screams from below. The gangsters...had someone attacked them?

Feeling Ryosuke's firm but shaky hand still pushing him forward, Mizusawa continued moving again. At least now he knew where to go. If he headed in that direction, maybe they would find Hoshiko. They just had to be very careful.

Darting around another shelf, Mizusawa tried to keep to the shadows, watching straight ahead of him for any sign of their female friend. He had yet to see her. And now that they were entering the area where the lights had gone out, it was very difficult to see anything anymore, except for the looming shadows of the shelves around him. He felt something like panic beginning to settle in, but he tried to will it away. Hyperventilating at a time like this wasn't going to do anyone any good, and right now he had more than just himself to look after.

"Hoshiko-chan!" he whispered, looking around the slight form of the girl in their group. He became concerned. Had she been caught already or something. "Hoshiko-chan?" Taking another step forward, he was preparing to call out the girl's name one more time, when suddenly--

He was free-falling.

He hadn't seen it coming, had been looking straight ahead for their friend, praying they would find her soon. But apparently he had tread right onto a weak patch of flooring--or, what must have been some sort of trap door in the floor that he hadn't noticed before stepping on it. He'd shut his eyes, preparing to die an entirely different death than he'd been expecting, but suddenly felt an arm swoop around his chest, followed by another. Ryosuke's? The motion knocked the wind out of him, and he choked, finally opening his eyes to find that he was now dangling dangerously, high above the first floor. His heart, already having leapt into his throat now, seemed to be blocking any ability he had left to breathe. What was that about not hyperventilating? Above him, he could feel Ryosuke's arms straining to hold him up. There was no way...they were both going to fall!

"R-ryosuke..." Mizusawa was amazed he still had the ability to speak right now, though his mouth was dry and his voice was little more than a whisper. He'd been planning to tell the other to just let go of him, that they didn't need both of them to get hurt, but then suddenly, he found he was falling again. And this time, he had no clue what had happened to Ryosuke.

Despite what was happening, he didn't scream. Just closed his eyes, quickly prayed for his friends' safety, and waited for what would either be a mass of pain, or a quick end.

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

OOC: My posts always get so action-y these days. >< And it only dawned on me how dark this post was until this actual response. WOW. Scary.......they need a hero! Any godplaying has been allowed!

Ryosuke was both cursing and blessing the lack of lights. Though he knew it was best to look ahead for what was coming, maybe Hoshiko or the potential exit from this hell hole, instead he was busy watching the floor carefully for his footing--if there was weak patch of floor that they missed right off the bat, they were screwed--but he was also grateful that they had some means of a disguise with the darkness around them.

Then there was an eerie sound, something like a fizzing or popping, followed by yells somewhat close by. Ryosuke thought maybe someone had come to their rescue, or Hoshiko had just taken out one of the baddies.....

And then he froze for a moment. The lights had gone down somewhere not too far from them, one corner of the warehouse, if he had to guess, and judging by the sound of confusion down below, he was guessing it had been an accident. Or done on purpose. Hoshiko wasn't with them....had it been her, maybe? Still, no time to ponder. Ryosuke wasn't sure how quick the guys who'd followed them upstairs would be moving around this place in the dark, but they just couldn't take any chances. He nudged Mizusawa a bit to gesture they keep going, though he had to admit that the other boy was moving quite fast for being bound from behind and probably scared too.

And yet even as they moved, there was the sound of more cries of confusion and loud clanging of metal on metal. What the hell was going on? Ryosuke knew it was too much to dream about, but it really seemed like someone had come to their aid.....like someone was watching over them. If only the police were here.....Surely they would know he, Mizusawa, and Hoshiko were innocent in this, so they and the Tumbling Team wouldn't have to pay any price. And they'd be safe....that was all that mattered, right? Still, no time to hope, only time to move.

Ryosuke nudged Mizusawa again. We can do it, he thought to himself, moving past another row, and then another, of old, rusty metallic bits and bobs. He ducked past what looked to be an old car antenna sticking out from one of the shelves, and dared himself to turn around.

The coast was clear. Either the guys who'd come up the stairs had gone the wrong way, or they'd been the ones screaming. Ryosuke knew it wasn't the nicest of thoughts, but he almost wished they'd maybe run into something dangerous on the shelves, fallen through the floor, just somehow taken themselves out.....

The lighting was terrible as they rounded another corner. Ryosuke felt his head spinning in the maze of shelves they'd gotten lost in, and with the lighting getting progressively worse, he realized he was beginning to have difficulty watching out for the dangerous objects sticking out on the shelves. He only just avoided a narrow encounter with a jagged piece from a car door, which was hanging off the shelf in a menacing kind of way, as thought it was lying in wait for the perfect person to slice open.

Ryosuke wanted to warn Mizusawa to take care, but he was afraid his voice would be heard, and the other was already moving so fast between the aisles, even with his arms bound.....Ryosuke's own breathing had become sort of ragged, a testament to the unshakable sense of horror that he was suddenly feeling in this whole thing, but even over his loud breaths, he could hear Mizusawa. His classmate sounded like he was hyperventilating, like he was truly panicking. And of course he had all the reason in the world to be, but if he wasn't watching where he was going....

"Hoshiko-chan!" Mizusawa's words were only just audible. Ryosuke found himself looking around for the younger student along with Mizusawa, straining his eyes against the darkness to try and see the telltale outline, short and cute, of the girl that had unfortunately ended up with them in this mess. As Mizusawa whispered her name again, Ryosuke had just gotten to wondering if maybe the girl really had escaped, when--

He saw Mizusawa suddenly drop.

Ryosuke's former Yankee reflexes seemed to kick in just in time. Right before his friend disappeared from view through what he now realized was a hole in the floor--one of the weak patches he'd been concerned about, by the looks of things, it had been a trapdoor of sorts back in its normal time of use--Ryosuke dived forward. With Mizusawa's arms bound up behind him, it made everything more difficult, but somehow Ryosuke was able to grab him around the chest with his arms. First one, then, sinking to his knees, another. Ryosuke's upper half was almost pulled down into the hole with his friend--he was bent completely at the waist with the weight of his classmate in his arms, and he wasn't entirely sure how much longer he could stay like this, holding the both of them up.

At that moment, all of Ryosuke's worst fears seemed to be realized. The sense of being helpless, at someone else's mercy again, only this time without even the smallest sense of hope, his friends endangered, his own reckless actions in the past as a possible cause for all of them being severely hurt, or worse, killed....

Even so, Ryosuke wound his arms tighter around his friend. If only he could get it, the strength to pull them both back up.

"R-ryosuke..."

"S....Shhhh." Ryosuke was as breathless as Mizusawa. He was sure someone would have heard the noise they'd made, crashing through the weak grate in the floor, but he had the smallest bit of faith that maybe they'd gotten deep enough into the maze of shelvework to avoid capture, maybe they would be okay...

And then three very unfamiliar, harsh sets of hands were suddenly pulling at Ryosuke's clothes. Someone grabbed him by the hair from behind, yanking his head back, and the other two took hold of each of his arms. Even if he'd had all of his strength about him, the hands were strong. They wrenched his grip free from Mizusawa, and then he felt his friend slip through his grasp.

Ryosuke cried out. At the moment, he'd become oblivious to the fact that he'd been captured, that one of the people had him in a painful grip via his own hair, that another still was putting a gun to his chest......He'd just felt Mizusawa slipping, falling, to the floor far far below them. And yet, Ryosuke didn't know. If he was lucky, if the boy was really lucky, then maybe instant death? If he landed down there with merely something broken--worse still, a broken spine--he was doomed.

His fear and anger erupting in him simultaneously, Ryosuke suddenly lashed out against the people holding onto him. With something comparable to an angry lion roar, he cried out as he attacked, breaking free of his assailants' hold all in one go, thrusting first one fist into the face of the person--a middle-aged man--who'd grabbed one of his arms, then reaching back and kicking another middle-aged guy in the ribs. The person who'd held him by the hair, one of the few women he'd seen in the group, didn't get any mercy from him either. Though she started moving again around the same time Ryosuke did, he was able to land a very solid punch to her jaw.

She fell back into one of the shelves.....

Ryosuke suddenly saw red, momentarily blinded as someone's fist collided with his face. Then he was tasting something familiar, almost coppery in his mouth, blood, and he lashed out once again. He landed a well-placed kick on one of the guys who had grabbed his arm, which sent the other reeling backwards, but only momentarily. Ryosuke had just enough to time to clamber to his feet, only narrowly avoiding the hole in the floor through which Mizusawa had just tumbled.

He took a quick look--he didn't want to see his friend and classmate on the ground, injured or otherwise, but he knew it was best that he found out, and......

He wasn't there. Ryosuke's eyes widened. The hole was there, the bad guys were still in front of him, seething, so he hadn't imagined them.....But Mizusawa was gone...

Had he somehow landed all right? Had he gotten up and run away? Had someone dragged him away......?

"Bring that little fucker over here!"

Ryosuke's head was still pounding from the blow he'd just received to his face, and he was beginning to feel both overwhelmed and confused, in addition to the scared panic he'd been feeling earlier, but the voice was clear enough to pierce his thoughts.

Fuck, they'd got him. However Mizusawa had landed, whether he'd fallen and survived or someone had caught him, they'd got him......

"Want to waste my time with your fucking kiddie games, well...."

Ryosuke didn't get to hear the rest of Devereaux's words or what happened next because another barrage of attacks were coming his way. He'd managed to give his captives a bit of a run for their money, but even being bigger than the smallest of them, the female, he wasn't doing as well as he'd hoped. He knew there couldn't be much time left for him to fight the three of them off, what with Mizusawa now in that horrid man's possession, but if he could even take out three........maybe there was some hope in helping the others.

"We've got another one up here!" one of the males suddenly called out, loud enough, Ryosuke was sure, for the whole warehouse to hear. The man turned back to face Ryosuke, wiping blood from his lip with one of his sleeves. If he was a Yakuza, it seemed almost improper for him to be acting so savagely, what with his fancy clothes and tough attitude. Yakuza were tough, of course, but there was a sense of something clean and neat about them. Even though this guy was dressed like one, Ryosuke got the firm impression of just another gang member, albeit a really evil one.

"We've got one of you..." The voice was coming from the other side now. The other male assailant was speaking, but he had somehow already dodged around the hole in the floor and was getting progressively closer to the blonde Yankee. He looked like he was itching for a fight. "And we're gonna get you too, and then your other friend. And then we're going to have a party. A really nice party. You won't even remember what happened when you wake up...."

"Fuck you," Ryosuke growled.

That was when he saw the raised gun. He'd almost forgotten about its presence after he'd retaliated. He'd been so enraged and shocked and distraught about Mizusawa that he'd just....he'd just....

"I guess he doesn't care if he dies now," came the female voice. She emerged from the shadows, cracking her neck--a Yakuza lady, that was really something new--and stopped just before the hole in the ground, pulling her own weapon from her belt. Ryosuke was suddenly imagining how amazing it would be if Hoshiko came out of nowhere and pushed the woman into the hole from behind......

No. No, he didn't want Hoshiko near them. So far they hadn't found her. So so far, so good. Maybe she'd gotten out. Maybe she was going to get help. And if that was the case, that was best. She would be out of harm's way and she might be able to call someone on time to help them.

"Let's go."

Ryosuke glared at his assailants, from one face to another, then at the cold, unfeeling, dark barrel of the gun pointed his way. He'd never been so close to a gun before, and definitely not at the opposite end of one. He'd never imagined he'd have to be. Even with his previous encounters with all kinds of gangs, even the ruthless one from the Arcade, he'd never had to deal with guns.

He was trying to be tough, but he was scared. Really scared.

"I said....let's. GO."

There was a loud BANG! and Ryosuke felt something whizz by very close him, followed by sparks as whatever it was met with the metallic floor, and then the middle-aged gangster to his left had him by his school jacket and was pushing him past the hole in the floor, back the way he'd come. The other man took him by his other arm pretty forcefully, and with the woman in the front now aiming her own gun his way, he knew he couldn't fight back. Not yet, anyway.

As they led him down the stairs, Ryosuke took in the sight on the main floor of the warehouse. The gang had reassembled, for the most part, in the center, around Devereaux. He immediately noticed a few of the members nursing random upper body injuries. Someone was apparently unconscious too, lying off to the side on one of the couches in the warehouse with a small trail of blood running down the side of his face. Ryosuke briefly wondered if any of it had to do with the noise and yells he'd heard before he and Mizusawa had been captured and felt a sudden small, but assured swell of hope. If Hoshiko had done that, if Hoshiko was taking them out from afar, maybe things would be okay. She looked to have injured at least five of them, and she'd taken one out as well. Fifteen or so guys was still one too many for Ryosuke to handle on his own, but it was still less to deal with, and that's what counted. He was almost tempted to start fighting back again, right there on the stairs, but suddenly the foreign man was looking his way.....He hesitated under the man's firm stare.

Ryosuke felt the cold metal of a gun pressed into his lower back, and then he was ushered down the last of the steps, into the center of the room. A small group of the gang members in front of him parted to allow the new crowd through, and then Ryosuke was shoved forward. He landed on his hands and knees next to Mizusawa.

Mizusawa.....

Ryosuke turned to look at his friend. "Mizu...are you...."

"Well, isn't this pretty?" Devereaux was speaking. He was even more terrifying up close, like some kind of disgusting figure from a horror novel. It hadn't been so apparent glimpsing him from the second floor, but the man's body looked twisted, bent out of shape, and he was gangly too. He reminded the blonde Yankee a lot of an old Halloween tree, or something. Ryosuke didn't even want to look at him, but he didn't want the guy to think they were so scared of him either. He was just so confused.....this guy, what was he doing with Yakuza?

"You two look like a cute little couple."

A raspy laugh, one that sounded very much like the man was about die at any second, and then he pointed one twig-like finger in Mizusawa's direction. The finger was shaking. "He's the woman."

There was some scattered laughter among the room, though Ryosuke noted that the injured people among them only looked pissed off, and then the blonde Yankee turned his attention back to the grotesque figure in front of him, trying to meet--and keep--his gaze. He decided to ignore the insults. That was just to get them riled up. Ryosuke's blood was boiling, but he knew he couldn't act out too much. They'd both get hurt faster that way.....

"Who the hell are you?"

The corners of Devereaux's thin-lipped mouth pulled into an eerie smile. Surprisingly enough, his smile had to be his best feature. Aside from one or two gold teeth Ryosuke imagined he'd had to used to replace others broken in a fight or for some show of wealth, he actually had a rather celebrity-like smile that could have been charming on anyone other than him. This guy was an all-around enigma. He shared an amused look with some of the others around him.

"Look at this guy. Bold as brass, isn't he?" The man leaned in close to Ryosuke suddenly, and it took everything within the Yankee's power not to draw back. "I don't think I have to tell you anything, kid. Not a fucking thing." And then, Ryosuke wasn't entirely sure he wasn't expecting it, the man lashed out. He felt the guy's shoe--a thick, iron-toed one--connect with his ribs, and the wind knocked out of him, he fell back.

"I never liked Japanese schoolboys," the man said, taking a calm step back and turning his back to Ryosuke and Mizusawa. "Especially the little bitchy Yankee types. Think they know what a real fight is, bullying all the kids in their class--especially the different ones--if only because they think they're fucking Gods. Immature, nasty little pricks. Then they get their asses kicked one day and realize they're not as hot as they thought they were." The man turned around. Despite the severity of his words, he was still smiling. "I've changed my mind." The finger was pointed Ryosuke's way; he suddenly felt as though he was looking at the hand of death. "He's the woman."

Ryosuke was too winded to even care. He clutched a hand to his ribs, trying to even out his breathing. He didn't know what this guy was about, but he just didn't care to know anymore. If he wasn't going to be told, then there was nothing else he and Mizusawa could do but try to escape again. It seemed futile, but.....Ryosuke chanced a glance at his friend.

OOC: I didn't want to go too far with this one, because I already wrote a ton, so feel free to just react if you don't want to play the baddies--I can always add things in and improvise and so on! ^^;;;;

[Mizusawa Taku]

He'd been expecting the kind of death you heard about in movies or books. What people told you happened just before dying. He'd been expecting to see his life up to this point flash before his eyes and, as the ground rushed nearer, expected to find some regret over what he had never completed, his hopes and his dreams shattered far too early. But that wasn't the case. As it was, there really wasn't any time to think. The moment he felt Ryosuke's arms no longer supporting him, the first thought that popped into his mind was What happened to Ryosuke?!, before he sucked in a breath, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to steel himself against what seemed a fairly gruesome and unexpected death for someone like him.

But the painful landing never came. Well, he'd landed on something. But there was no pain really...had he broken is back from the fall and now he couldn't feel anything any more? Surely he would die here now...Because he had fallen, he was sure of it, he hadn't imagined the feeling of the air whizzing by him, the pounding of his heart, nor the quick glance at the ground rushing up to meet him before he'd closed his eyes. All of that had definitely happened. He could still feel his heart pounding. And now that he thought about it, he could feel a pain in his wrists too, still tied tightly behind his back. He winced. What was going on?

He felt some kind of movement and then realized. He hadn't opened his eyes. No wonder why he had no clue where he was, or what was going on! He'd been so unexpectedly paralyzed by the fear from the fall-yes, from a fear of dying--that he hadn't even opened his eyes after it was over. And now, he was moving again? But...he wasn't moving voluntarily--at least, he didn't think so. Was someone dragging him over the floor or something? He opened his eyes.

And looked right into the eyes of a bigger, scary guy. One of the gangsters. He grew pale.

Now he knew what was going on. Someone had caught him during his fall. And that someone was currently in the process of carrying him away, somewhere. But unfortunately, he wasn't quite sure what was worse--the fall, or this guy. Because the look this guy was giving him wasn't all that pleasant.

"Bring that little fucker over here!"

He heard the voice, but at this point, he wasn't sure what to make of them anymore. He'd nearly just died, he had no idea what had happened to Ryosuke, and he was about to be handed over to this big, scary gang. He could only pray that Hoshiko had somehow made it out, and maybe even Ryosuke, although for some reason he felt a sickly feeling that Ryosuke was in just as much trouble still as he was.

"Want to waste my time with your fucking kiddie games, well...."

Mizusawa suddenly felt the man holding him roughly setting him back down on his feet, then pushing firmly into his back to make him walk the rest of the way to their destination, wherever that was. He didn't have to wait long to find out. They were going to what appeared to be the center of the warehouse. Mizusawa watched with wide eyes as they moved closer, as he neared a gang of the men all huddled together. They weren't doing anything, just watching. He tried to choke back his fear at the sight of them, the merciless looks on their faces.

And that was when he heard it.

"We've got another one up here!"

It came from the catwalk above them. Mizusawa opened his mouth, about to say something, maybe something that could distract them, but as he was brought roughly to a stop in the center of the room, he received a kick to the back of knees, knocking out any stablity his legs had left in this situation. He fell to the floor, on his knees. Up ahead of him was the owner of the horrific voice he and Ryosuke had been running from earlier. And now that he saw the man's face, he was even more stunned.

The guy...he was a foreigner. A gaijin. And probably from Europe, by his look. Except, he didn't have that usual, refined European look. Aside from his suit, he looked like someone who had smoked far too much, someone who had never bothered to take care of his appearance all that much. Thin, and slimy. That's how he seemed. And he was staring at Mizusawa now, a look of absolute hatred on his face. Mizusawa couldn't lie. He was now even more scared than before. He didn't know what to expect of a foreign gangster--sure, he'd never been involved with Japanese gangsters either, really, but he felt more........

More, what? A voice inside of him rang out. More comfortable around Japanese gangsters? Face it, they're all gangsters, one way or another. None of them care if you or your friends live or die. That much, he knew, was the absolute truth.

At that moment, there was a loud BANG! from upstairs, at which Mizusawa jumped, his head swivelling around to look up. The gangster behind him gave him a rough thwack across the face with the back of his hand, forcing his head back forwards. Grimacing, Mizusawa felt his heart rate getting even faster now. That had sounded an awful lot like a gun going of--and right where the other voice had just proclaimed they'd captured one of his friends.

Ryosuke? Hoshiko? This was really bad.

Looking at the Caucasian man, he saw something like a grin, a sneer appear on his face, and the two made eye contact for a moment before Mizusawa had to quickly look away. He couldn't take this. If one of the others had been hurt, he wasn't sure what he would do. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Caucasian man look in the direction of the stairs to the catwalk. Apparently, someone was coming down them. From where he was, however, he couldn't see what was going on. Not unless he wanted another hit to the face.

There was some scuffing noises from nearby and then suddenly, someone landed on the ground beside him. He turned, slowly, his body quivering uncontrollably despite his inner battle to remain calm.

"Mizu...are you...."

It was Ryosuke. They had found Ryosuke. He felt a surge of relief. Even if it wasn't a good thing that Ryosuke had been captured, it was better than the things he had just been imagining after that gunshot. And Ryosuke looked okay, he didn't look like he'd been hurt. Did this mean that Hoshiko really had escaped? No one had found her yet, and they hadn't been able to find her either, even with a headstart. Maybe she was already on her way to getting help from the police.

"Well, isn't this pretty?" The loud voice of the gaijin broke out. Despite how scratchy and horrifying the guy's voice was, Mizusawa still found himself impressed with the man's Japanese-speaking ability. He sounded like a native! If he hadn't seen the man up-close, he would never have expected the voice to come from anyone other than someone of Japanese blood. "You two look like a cute little couple."

Eh?

A confused, fearful look appeared on Mizusawa's face as he watched the Caucasian man carefully. What was the man talking about? Him and Ryosuke as a couple? Where would he get an idea like that? Was it that obvious that one of them was gay?

A raspy laugh, one that sounded very much like the man was about die at any second, and then he pointed one twig-like finger in Mizusawa's direction. The finger was shaking. "He's the woman."

Despite the situation, Mizusawa felt his face heat up in embarrassment. Why was this guy saying that in front of all these people? What did anything like that have to do with this situation?

He heard laughter from some of the gangsters in the room and quickly lowered his eyes to the floor. Maybe this was just his way of humiliating him and Ryosuke before he finished them off.

"Who the hell are you?"

Mizusawa froze as the sound of Ryosuke's voice reverberated from beside him. What was the other boy doing? Talking back like that would only egg the bad guys on!

And he was right. At Ryosuke's words, the Caucasian man smiled. "Look at this guy. Bold as brass, isn't he?" The man leaned in close to Ryosuke suddenly, and it took everything within the Yankee's power not to draw back. "I don't think I have to tell you anything, kid. Not a fucking thing." And then, Ryosuke wasn't entirely sure he wasn't expecting it, the man lashed out. He felt the guy's shoe--a thick, iron-toed one--connect with his ribs, and the wind knocked out of him, he fell back.

Mizusawa cried out, watching as his friend was kicked hard in the ribs. The pain on Ryosuke's face was evident, and Mizusawa nearly shouted for the old man to stop it, but fought to restrain himself. He knew it was better if he didn't speak, didn't get them in any further trouble. He wanted to make sure Ryosuke was okay, but for now he hoped that the other boy knew to just be quiet. He had little doubt in his mind that they'd end up being the gangsters' sandbags if they so much as spoke out again.

"I never liked Japanese schoolboys," the man said, taking a calm step back and turning his back to Ryosuke and Mizusawa. "Especially the little bitchy Yankee types. Think they know what a real fight is, bullying all the kids in their class--especially the different ones--if only because they think they're fucking Gods. Immature, nasty little pricks. Then they get their asses kicked one day and realize they're not as hot as they thought they were." The man turned around. Despite the severity of his words, he was still smiling. "I've changed my mind." The finger was pointed Ryosuke's way; he suddenly felt as though he was looking at the hand of death. "He's the woman."

Mizusawa wasn't sure what to think of the Caucasian man's speech. In some ways, what he was saying was true. Yankees--many of them--were just big bullies. Before Wataru and his friends had joined the Tumbling team, they'd been quick to pick on him and Yuuta and Kaneko. Even now, Akabane was one of those Yankees who he would have a very difficult time trusting, especially because he was still constantly bullying the other kids. But...none of that meant that Yankees couldn't change. Ryosuke, one of the very Yankees here, was full proof of that. The transformation he and Wataru had gone through was amazing, compared to how they'd been before. They could be good people too. Had this guy been bullied before...? Was that why he was saying these weird things? He no longer knew what to make about the whole thing regarding which of them was "the woman."

Now that he felt some sort of understanding (if it could even be called that) with the Caucasian man, he wondered if he should try saying something. Otherwise...maybe this humiliation thing would just go on for as long as it could, if he didn't step in now. If "Yankees" were what was bothering the gaijin man, then maybe Mizusawa could say something that would calm him down.

"Ano..." Mizusawa paused, biting his lip and forcing himself to meet the Caucasian man's eyes. His voice cracked as he spoke, trying to keep it from wavering. "I'm...I'm not a yankee. And Ryosuke...I know he looks like one, but he's really not either. We're just normal school kids, in a club, working hard in class." He paused. Where had he been trying to go with this? He really had no idea. But he'd better try to find some way to peacefully conclude this. Otherwise he'd just sound like he was being defiant. He tried to keep from stammering, tried to stop himself from sounding as scared as he felt. "...I mean...Yankees can be really scary, it's true. And I'm sorry if you're looking for someone specific, but...we...we probably can't help you. W-we're not...w-we're just normal students."

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

Looking Mizusawa's way, Ryosuke felt the last remnants of the hope he had inside begin to flutter away. The other boy looked just as scared as he felt. And unsure. The both of them had no idea whatsoever about what was going on. And while Ryosuke had assumed, at first, that he might have had some blame in this whole thing, maybe done something unintentionally to get them all in trouble, he was slowly beginning to get the feeling that whatever was happening was far out of his or anyone else's control.

"Ano..." The voice was almost meek-sounding. Ryosuke turned along with everyone else in the room to glimpse at the speaker.

Mizusawa looked as meek as he tone of voice, and he seemed to have difficulty meeting the gang leader's gaze. Devereaux, on the other hand, had turned his attention the boy's way now, and he seemed to be having no trouble at all.

"I'm...I'm not a yankee. And Ryosuke...I know he looks like one, but he's really not either. We're just normal school kids, in a club, working hard in class."

At first, Ryosuke closed his eyes. He hadn't been expecting his classmate to speak at all, and after the kick in the chest he'd gotten for mouthing off to these guys, he didn't expect anything good from Mizusawa's words, even if they were true and well-intended. Yet instead, Ryosuke watched the foreign man carefully, following his every move. The guy was.......well, creepy though he was, he was so mysterious, it was hard to not want to know what he was about, figure him out. And yet Ryosuke wasn't sure even the gangsters backing this man up knew just what he was for.

"...I mean..." Mizusawa sounded even more scared now. Ryosuke's stomach clenched. "Yankees can be really scary, it's true. And I'm sorry if you're looking for someone specific, but...we...we probably can't help you. W-we're not...w-we're just normal students."

Devereaux's face was stony for a long while before anything happened. In fact, time seemed to have stopped, for the dirty-looking gangster was just standing in the same place, his eyes glued to Ryosuke's classmate. It was like he could see right through him, read his mind or something. The man's eyes were a hypnotic, an almost piercing blue, now that Ryosuke looked carefully. He wondered if maybe it wasn't possible that he could hypnotize them, do the kind of impossible magic Ryosuke had seen popular Western magicians perform.

But Mizusawa didn't seem hypnotized. Just scared and tired and hurt.....all the same things Ryosuke himself was feeling.

When the foreign leader finally moved again, he turned his back to the two boys. Ryosuke tried to angle his head to see what was happening, but a hard slap to the side of his face set him straight. What was Devereaux doing?

They'd find out soon enough.

The man turned around at that moment, two pieces of paper in his hands. He held them out for the boys to look.

"See these?"

Ryosuke squinted, studying the documents in the man's hands. The one closest to him had a picture of a schoolboy with brown hair and a cute, round face. His birthday, address, and other personal information was listed alongside the picture itself.

It was Mizusawa.

A quick glance at the other form, and the the blonde-haired schoolboy in the photograph, told Ryosuke all he needed to know.

These guys.....they really had come for them. He didn't know why--he definitely didn't understand why--but it hadn't been a mistake. They had all their personal information, right down to their physical measurements, if Ryosuke wasn't reading the papers incorrectly from where he was kneeling.

"The girl was a mistake," Devereaux went on, making a strange clicking noise as he tapped some of his gold teeth against others. "We'd come looking for you boys, and some others. She happened to be in the way, at the time. Which reminds me....." The foreign man handed the papers back to the nearest gangster as he busied himself with his coat pockets for something, the look of sarcastic amusement previously on his face replaced with one of a gross determination.

He pulled out a gun, and suddenly Ryosuke was staring, wide-eyed, at the black barrel.

"You're going to tell us where she is, right now, or I start breaking appendages." He slammed his top row of teeth down over his bottom teeth, mimicking biting clean through something. "And if I get through fingers and toes, there are always other appendages I could go for. I'm not sure you boys will need them for where you'll be going anyway..." He winked. That enigmatic smile had returned, though now it was only serving to make Ryosuke sick to his stomach.

While none of the man's words would go down in his book of "great things to hear from other people" and the prospects had been horrifying, Ryosuke was dwelling more on what Devereaux had said last.

They wouldn't need them for where they'd be going..... Where? Where were they going to be taken to?

Ryosuke took a moment to study the crowd of Japanese gangsters surrounding the one foreign man. He wondered what kind of purpose they had in serving this guy, helping him out. Didn't they feel bad at all that it seemed some innocent Japanese schoolkids were about to be attacked? Probably shipped far away from home to a place where they would be made to work endless hours or something worse, assuredly never to see their families again?

It was all horrifyingly new to Ryosuke. He'd been in the situation where a gang leader had threatened him harm--a similar punishment to now, actually, though possibly less drastic, despite that he'd almost had his fingers broken then too--but even then, there had never been the threat of being sent somewhere far away. That had been a do or die moment. And the more he thought about it, the more he decided he'd much rather die here in his home country than be sent somewhere else, far from home, where he and his classmates would be made to do....something terrible. He'd heard about the gruesome child labor in some other countries, human trafficking....he'd never given it too much thought, if only because it seemed too unreal, but he'd always known that once those kids were gone, they never came back. And now he and Mizusawa, maybe Hoshiko too, assuming they gave her up in place of their more preferred appendages, were being subjected to this?

For what reason? What had they done? Why target them specifically? And Devereaux had said they were coming for others.....did that mean they'd been looking to take other students too? What if.....what if they had already?

Ryosuke felt a wave of sickness pass over him--his stomach felt like it was in his throat. He forced himself to look back up at the leader of the gang, unsure of what to say or do. They really were........in trouble.

"Why......why us? Why come for us?" He paused, biting his bottom lip. He was not going to cry in front of these guys, but the injustice of the whole thing, the sheer reality that something so horrifying, like something from the worst kind of horror movie, had come to life, was hitting them now, brought tears to his eyes. He fought them back. "What did any of us do to deserve this?"

Devereaux didn't seem remorseful, though he didn't laugh, either. "Why is th sky blue? Why do people die? Why is there disease in the world?" He shook his head. "That's another problem with you kids today. You always want answers. To everything. Some day you need to understand that life doesn't come with an answer sheet. Things change, people make up their own rules, and shit happens."

Ryosuke swallowed the lump in his throat.

"You don't like what's happening? Well isn't that a shame for you, girly, huh?" The man shook his scraggly head. "I had more than two boys on my pretty little wishlist, and all I got was you two troublemakers. So you know what I'm gonna do?"

He winked again. Ryosuke felt the urge to spit in the bastard's open eye.

"I'm gonna work with what I've got. I'm gonna make the most of having two little sissy, piss-assed boys and get the fucking job done. End of story. And I'm gonna find your friend too..." Devereaux nodded his head to the small group of gangsters behind Ryosuke and his classmate, waving his gun at them, and then the blonde Yankee felt the suddenly familiar hands of his assailants from the second floor. Two of them had him around the arms and chest, holding him in place, and someone else--the otherwise slender fingers around his own made him think it was the woman--grabbed hold of his pinky finger. He was instantly reminded of his encounter with Akabane's gangster friend. But how he wished he could trade places, go back to that moment......

"I don't really think I have to repeat what I said before," Devereaux continued, his smile returning. "We'll ask you where your friend is, and for every time you don't answer, you both get to lose a finger. From my own personal experience, I can tell you that the pain is incredible, even for so small a thing. But the killer is the thumbs." Another wink. Ryosuke snarled, his breathing beginning to pick up again. "Assuming we do get past that and past breaking all your toes and so on and so forth, which I'm sure no one here wants. Now...."

'.....where is the girl?"

Ryosuke's chest was heaving in fear as the slender hand over his pulled his finger back, applying more and more pressure. It was already beginning to hurt. "Wait! Wait......you still didn't tell us why! You...you owe us that much!" Ryosuke swallowed hard. Every minute he stalled meant every more minute he and Mizusawa had their appendages, and every more minute Hoshiko had a chance to escape for good. Oh God....he hoped she'd found the way out. He was terrified even to have a few of his fingers broken, and he was sure he needed them if he hoped to fight his way out of this one, but he would try to give Hoshiko as much time as she needed to escape. He hoped she would understand that, know he was stalling, go get help.

"I already told you, brat...No one here owes you anything. Except for maybe a nice beating for running off your mouth to me. Anyway, I think the reasons will become clear enough once we're on our way--finger! And someone consider getting them something to bite on, yeah? A tongue's another appendage I suppose we can consider chopping if they really won't talk, but for now we don't want them biting it off."

Ryosuke cringed, jamming his eyes closed.