It's steaming hot in here (Karasumori Tumbling)

[Azuma Wataru]

The team has planned this trip to the onsen located not too far from Miura city for a while now. They had wanted some sort of a break, both physically and mentally. Being a third year in high school was certainly tough as they tried to handle both studies and rhythmic gymnastics at the same time, each and every aspect playing a major role in their lives. Well, actually, Wataru just juggled the gymnastics part and completely ignored school work. Most of school work anyways.

Everyone from the team enjoyed a good hot bath so they all unanimously agreed use 3 days of their holidays to have a trip to the onsen. Surprisingly, Wataru had won a voucher at an onsen resort for 2 people when he ate a cup ramen which promoted the newly constructed place. It was actually his mum who had realised he had won somehow and wanted to go, yet couldn’t leave the restaurant behind. The next day during their regular team meets, Wataru informed the whole team about his absurd luck.

Somehow, everyone ended tagging along.

Sitting in the bath now, the bath area was huge, with many different types of bath, each different in size and colour. He had been the first to get into the bath because he was so eager to try every single one by the end of one day. Wataru was unsure where everyone else was, maybe they had gone to explore the rest of the resort or something, maybe wandered around the local area. He couldn’t care less. All he wanted to do was enjoy the time in the natural onsen. The resort had a more traditional feel to it and although it wasn’t very flashy, it certainly had a ‘home’ feeling.

Right now, he was trying his fourth ‘flavoured’ onsen. This one had a sign saying ‘green tea onsen’. He sank down deeply into the water and placed the small towel on his head. Wataru realised the water had a slight green tinge to it and the tub was fairly deep. The water reached up to his shoulders as he sat comfortably, or probably, he just sank down a little too further. Closing his eyes and enjoying the moment, he let out a big sigh.
After a long while, Wataru decided to try a different onsen in the room, yet he didn’t really feel like moving.
This one had been the best so far, with it’s temperature being just right, soothing his muscles and his mind.

Who could live without experiencing the beauty of onsen?

He just had to finish trying the other types of baths before he joined the others for dinner, but he had already lost track of time. Had Wataru already spent an hour in the onsen bath place, or just 20 minutes? He had no idea. Standing up, the bottom of the bath suddenly felt very slippery.

All the baths began to spin, including the one Wataru was standing in. No, it was his mind that was spinning. He blinked and blinked, holding out both of his hands to gain balance but failed. The steam in the room appeared to increase and Wataru started to panic a little. It was getting way too hot for his body to handle and he was perhaps a little dehydrated from staying in the baths for too long. Plus, getting up from the sitting position too quick casted a big dizzy spell on him.

Finally, he managed to get one of his legs on the side of the bath, out of the water, while his hands rested on the edge. Wataru tried to push the rest of his body up but the nausea was a little too strong for him to handle this time, his foot slipping off the edge of the bath.

SPLLLASSHHH!

Wataru fell back into the water hard, landing on his back, the steam and heat consuming his body once again. The towel he had on his head before was now floating on the water a few reaches from him, still bobbing up and down from the large ripples created from when he fell into back into the onsen. A headache started to develop ontop of the dizziness.

He was losing control over his body and his eyes began to close.

Wataru was slowly sinking…



ooc: DAREKA TASUKETE! Someone save Aniki!!!!

[Kaneko Atsushi]

It's been two months since they planned to get there.
It all started when Wataru announced he won a voucher for a new onsen: the other members of the team were surprised and excited at the news.
"Ah it would be good to go there on holiday" Kaneko thought back then and soon they all agreed to go on a little trip.
Convincing his parents had been extremely easy: with his older brother at college and him outside town, they could enjoy some quality time together.
Kaneko was really looking forward to it: sure, they'd go almost daily to Satoshi's bathhouse, but it wasn't the same than going to an onsen.
As far as he knew (they had been checking the website many times) they had several baths, all with their unique size, color and fragrance.

The only problem were rooms: Wataru, being the owner of the voucher, got to pick his own for first.
After that it started some sort of a race to get the best one out of the rest.
Kaneko liked his room: it was big and warm, the light brown tatami floor blending so wonderfully with the dark color of doors and furniture.
But of course Nippori had to get the one next door and Kaneko was sure the other would be making noises for the whole time they'd stay there.

That's why, as soon as he got to his room, he changed clothes to head towards the bath area.
But just when he was about to open the door and leave, his phone started to ring.
Kaneko sighed and reached for his bag, rummaging around for a while before he found his phone.
"Hello?"
"Hello sweetie pie, mommy's here!"
Kaneko facepalmed: he was glad his team mates couldn't hear his mother, although he was still terrified of what could happen if she said that in front of Nippori.
Speaking of which, Kaneko heard a loud noise coming from the room on his right and then a door being shut. Maybe the other had planned to go out for a while.
"Hi mom... I'm about to go to the bath..."
"Aww. Have fun darling! Your father will take me out for dinner tonight! Ah... it feels like being lovers again!"
Kaneko didn't really want to listen to his mother when she started talking about those things, especially when they were related to the days when she
and Kaneko's father were engaged.
"Oh... Hum... That's great... I- I have to go now, my friends are waiting! I'll call you tomorrow. Night!"
He hang up before his mother could have time to reply and add more details Kaneko wasn't interested in.

He took off his glasses, went out, locked his room and headed towards the bath area.
As soon as he stepped there, he was glad he had left his glasses in his room: the steam coming out from the bathtubs was already too much for him.
He slowly moved around, not realizing (nor caring) if his friends were already there.
Kaneko reached a tub with a 'jasmine flavored onsen' sign written next to it.
He slowly sank down, enjoying the warmth of the water and the wonderful smell surrounding him.

Ah... feels like Heaven he thought, closing his eyes and relaxing as much as he could.

But that sensation didn't last long.
After a few minutes he heard some sort of a scream followed by a loud 'splash'.
Kaneko shot his eyes open immediately.
Did someone fell on an tub?
He had a bad feeling so he grabbed his towel to wrap it around his lower half.
Kaneko thought he knew the voice belonged to one of his team mates and worry washed over him: what if someone hurt himself badly and couldn't be able to practice for a while? Or even worse...

Shaking his head hoping to get rid of bad thoughts, he approached the onsen where he believed the scream came from.
"Hey!" He screamed.
When he got no reply, Kaneko started to panic.
"Hey! Who's there?"
Still no answer.
Just when he reached the border of the onsen, he noticed something pink floating right next to it.
Kaneko knelt down and dipped his hand on the water to pull up the object: it was a towel.
Someone's here then.
He rubbed his eyes, trying to focus on the water, even if the steam wasn't helping at all.

Suddenly something red caught his attention and his eyes widened.
"Wataru!" He screamed.
But the other was under the water and didn't move, even when Kaneko called his name a few more times.
Kaneko followed his instinct and jumped into the tub, splashing water all around the onsen.
He grabbed Wataru's body and started to pull him out of the onsen; not an easy task, considering the guy was thin but had quite a lot of muscles.
Kaneko climbed out of the tub and used all his strenght to lift Wataru up and letting him lay down next to the border.
"Wataru! Oi Wataru!"
Kaneko kept screaming his friend's name, even starting to give him light slaps.
Wataru still didn't open his eyes and Kaneko was in full panic mode.

With all the voice he had left he screamed once again.
"Help!"


ooc: so this is Kaneko's first reply. I hope what I wrote is fine

[Mizusawa Taku]

ooc: This is such a great group post! I think you both did a nice job! Hope it's okay for me to hop in next! Though I apologize about the quality of my post! I've been so out of it... (...I wonder if someone needs to give Wataru mouth-to-mouth? XD)

ic:

Mizusawa loved every minute he got to spend with the tumbling team, so to have the good fortune of being invited by Wataru for a free trip to the nearest onsen as a team was one of the best things that could have happened to him. He'd been quick to let his parents know where he would be and who he would be with, and of course they had no problem with it, having complete trust in his good friends from school. And a free trip to an onsen? That was sheer luck indeed, and wasn't going to happen often!

From the moment they arrived, Mizusawa was overtaken by the calming atmosphere of the onsen. It was about as traditional as an onsen could be, except for the actual baths. Maybe that was what made this particular onsen so popular, even if it was in an area tucked away from the big cities, or anywhere particularly interesting. Some of the baths had strange scents--such as green tea, jasmine, lavender, and the like. Mizusawa had been particularly interested in trying out the lavender bath he had heard of, most especially because he loved that smell.

But of course, because they were at a ryokan, this also meant each of the guys on the team got to pick a room too--a room that would come with a delicious meal after their bath, and a really warm, comfy place to sleep. When they got there, after Wataru had picked his room, everyone began a mad dash to get the next best room. Mizusawa didn't actually mind what room he got, all things considered, but it was fun to join the rest of the team in their scramble to call dibs on the next best. So, laughing uncontrollably--perhaps spurred on by the exciting atmosphere of where they were and who he was with--he raced Yuuta to a room at the end of the hall, which seemed decent enough.

After a quick game of jankenpon, Yuuta was the overall winner, and so Mizusawa, still grinning, took the room across from his friend. He'd dumped his bags there and then fell to the floor, lying spread eagle on the tatami mat and closing his eyes for a moment to just enjoy the atmosphere. He could still hear laughing out in the hallways of their floor. The other boys were still messing around, probably. Everyone was so excited for this, and after all their hard work, he knew they deserved to be here.

He lay like that a little bit longer before deciding that it was about time he went exploring a bit. So, changing out of his street clothes and into the provided yukata (it looked so comfy), he closed the screen door to his room and padded down the hallway, in search of the onsen. On the way, he passed a foreign couple, maybe from America or Europe, who smiled at him and talked frantically as if they were excited. Mizusawa didn't know what they were saying, but he could understand their feelings. He wondered if they had ever been to a Japanese onsen before. Smiling back, he continued down the next hallway, taking a turn where he saw a sign for the onsen springs.

Entering the bath area, he saw that at least two people were already here, their clothes piled up in the provided baskets at the entrance of the door. Mizusawa stepped over to an empty basket to discard his own clothing, before picking up one of the provided towels and crossing over to one of the nearby stools to quickly rinse down before entering the baths.

At first he thought he was imagining the sound that seemed to be overpowering the surge of water from the hose he was holding. It had sounded a lot like a scream, although he'd been sure he'd imagined that, considering that at a place like an onsen, the idea of screaming was practically impossible. Who would scream in such a relaxing place?

Sighing, he had turned around to continue with the hosing--until he heard it again. And this time, the scream was unmistakable.

"Help!"

Kaneko's pleading voice. Mizusawa froze.

What was going on?

A concerned frown replacing the calm expression on his face from a moment before, he quickly turned off the hose and rose to his feet, wrapping his towel around his waist.

"Kaneko?" he called, peering around the wall into the main bath area. He squinted his eyes against all the steam that had accumulated there from all the different-scented baths, searching for the figure of another. And that was when he saw another person, kneeling outside of one of the baths, and staring down at yet another person, who was lying prostrate on the floor and had a strangely familiar shock of red hair...

Wataru!

It didn't take too long to recognize who the red-haired person was, considering he was the reason Mizusawa was even here in the first place. And now it made sense, why Kaneko had been screaming. Kaneko had to be the other boy hunched over Wataru.

"Kaneko? Wataru?" Mizusawa rushed over to them, treading carefully around the first two baths so that he didn't slip or fall in. As he got closer, he could see Wataru's eyes were closed. Had something happened?

Sinking to his knees across from Kaneko, he looked into the eyes of the other boy and could see how scared he was. Mizusawa felt his own stomach drop. What was going on? Had something happened to Wataru?

"Did he faint?" he asked, motioning to the red-head on the floor.

Grabbing Wataru by the arm, he shook the Yankee gently. "Oi, Wataru? Wataru, are you okay?" He stared down at the other, for a moment. He hadn't stirred at all. He leaned down, placing an ear to the other boy's lips, but he couldn't feel the other boy's breathing. Suddenly, his face became etched with concern.

"Kaneko, what happened?" Mizusawa asked, trying not to sound as worried as he was. If anything, they needed to try and stay calm. Maybe he was imagining it, but if Wataru really wasn't breathing...had he fallen in or something...?

[Kaneko Atsushi]

ooc: this is a very short reply, with Kaneko's answers to Misuzawa while he starts to do something to wake his friend up.
Can't wait to see who's gonna hop in next!


Kaneko was loosing it completely: no matter how many times he screamed his friend's name, the other wouldn't buldge at all.
"Wataru! Oi Wataru!! Help!!"
He started to shake the other again: did he unconciously drink the water?
Maybe he needed CPR...
Kaneko looked at Wataru's face before his own changed into a horrified and disgusted one.
Ewww eww no, I can't do that....

Right when he was about to call for help again, he heard someone calling their names.
"Kaneko? Wataru?" Mizusawa rushed over to them, treading carefully around the first two baths so that he didn't slip or fall in.
When he noticed Misuzawa walking towards them, he felt a bit relieved.
"Misuzawa! Please help me!"
His friend arrived on their spot near the border of the onsen.
"Did he faint?" Misuzawa asked.
Kaneko nodded.
He saw the other kneeling down, shaking Wataru by his arm and calling the yankee's name a few times.
"Kaneko, what happened?" Mizusawa asked
"I don't know... I was having a bath and I suddenly heard a scream... I came here and Wataru... Wataru was..."
Kaneko took a deep breath: the image of his friend lying almost at the bottom of the tub, complitely stilled, was still so painful and vivid.
"...Wataru was under the water. I jumped in and brought him out but he doesn't wake up. Misuzawa what do we do?"
He saw Misuzawa's face turn paler and the other grabbed Wataru by his shoulder again, trying to shake him as hard as he could.
"Misuzawa, we need help"
Misuzawa looked at him before adding almost in a whisper: "I don't know where the others are"
Crap.
That wasn't good.

Kaneko looked at Wataru's body and then at Misuzawa.
He took another deep breath, knowing exactly what to do, even if he didn't like the thought one bit.
But he also knew he couldn't ask Misuzawa to do that: even if it was necessary to save his friend, what would happen if Wataru opened his eyes while Misuzawa's mouth was...?
He shook his head: he knew he was the one who had to do it.
"Misuzawa go out and start looking for someone. Anyone. I'll stay here and..."
Kaneko didn't end the sentence but he believed the other realized what he was about to do.
He moved closer to Wataru and placed both of his hands on his chest.
He started pressing them down, mentally counting till 8 and following the rhythm before he removed his hands to open slightly up Wataru's lips.
Kaneko hesitated for a moment before he bent down, letting their lips touch each other and exhaling into Wataru's mouth.

He did it a couple of times before he noticed Misuzawa was still there, a shocked look on his face.
"Misuzawa hurry! Wataru is not breathing!"
His friend nodded and stood up quickly.
With the corner of his eyes, Kaneko saw Misuzawa running towards the doors and screaming loudly for help.
Wake up Wataru... Don't do this to us...

Kaneko looked at Wataru's face, hoping he would open his eyes, hoping that Misuzawa had found someone.
Hoping this was going to end well.

[Takenaka Yuuta]

OOC: My first post, wheee I hope I did everything okay! I ended up at Yuuta + Mizusawa meeting up because I wasn't sure if I could just go and write Mizusawa pointing Yuuta in, so I stopped ^^

----

When Wataru had told them about his great luck winning a trip to an Onsen with a Ramen-coupon Yuuta had congratulated him and then got the crazy idea that this could be a perfect opportunity to grow closer as a team again, to become stronger and to strengthen their teamwork. A bit fun and relaxation would sure do their job as well. And he had to admit that the studying for school and his responsibility for the team were tiring him lately. When someone, he couldn’t quite remember who, had the idea of them all to go to the Onsen, Yuuta had joined in rather quick and very exuberant – which had surprised himself. After checking out the Onsen’s webpage everyone had been hooked and it was decided: The whole Team would go on a trip!

Convincing his parents had been quite easy since Yuuta had brought very good grades home and they thought their son needed a kind of vacation after all. After all they approved of his friends, even though they haven’t met them all. Something Yuuta had prevented very wisely since his parents were sometimes a bit… old-fashioned. Anyway, Yuuta was able to go just like everyone else and he had been looking forward to the weekend of joy, fun… oh, and of strengthening the teamwork of course.

The traveling to the Onsen had been uneventful – except for the normal little squabbles between Ryosuke and Nippori versus Kaneko which had almost ended in a bombing out of sweets. Yuuta had felt a slight throbbing in his left temple at that point – which had vanished quite fast after entering the Onsen.

Wataru had been the first to choose his room and after that the fight for the other rooms went lose. Yuuta joined in without thinking, letting his childish side take over. After exchanging an amused glance with Mizusawa, they started their own race on cue and headed towards the last room on the floor. They arrived at the same time and a short game of jankenpon settled it: Yuuta was the winner. He couldn’t help but flash the V-sign at his victory and laughed because it had been fun and he felt a bit light-headed. He patted Mizusawa’s shoulder in a casual way before picking up his back. This Onsen seemed to work already, he felt tons better since they had arrived.

After entering his hard-won room he closed the door behind him and looked around. A smile was forming on his lips and he breathed in and out, before letting out a quiet chuckle, laughing a bit at himself. He shook his head, placing down his back and then stepping towards the window to take a look outside. It was peaceful here, calm – apart from the noises his teammates currently made of course – and very green around the Onsen. He was sure that this was also a very nice place to wander about. Smiling and gently humming to himself he started to unpack the few things he took with him, listening a bit worried for more noise, hoping they wouldn’t disturb the other guests.
He closed his eyes for a moment. Yuuta, don’t worry. This is vacation. Try to have fun. He nodded and then left his stuff unpacked and decided to dress in the provided yukata, after all this was vacation and this was an Onsen.

He sighed and rolled his shoulders a bit to relax them. Then he dug around in his back to find the book he brought with him. Ah, there it was.

The greatest Japanese Tumbling teams

He sat down on the tatami floor and opened up the book. After reading a few lines he looked up and frowned.
What was he just doing here? He was at an Onsen, not at home. He was actually sitting here in his room, which was sure nice, and read a book? It was a book about Tumbling, fair enough, but still! There were lots of different bath tubs to check out, he was quite keen on finding the one with vanilla flavor.
Shaking his head over himself he got up and left his room behind. He thought about knocking at Mizusawa’s door to ask his friend if he wanted to accompany him but then he decided to let everyone else be. Of course they were here as a team but still everyone should be free to decide what to do. They would all end up together anyway, that was for sure.

He walked down the halls, following the signs to the bath area. He felt quite nice; the Yutaka was made of very soft cotton, feeling quite nicely on his skin. He was ready to relax, to let all worries fall apart – or at least stuffing them somewhere else until he was back at home.
Suddenly he heard shouting – and it sounded a lot like Mizusawa. He stopped dead in his tracks for a second, his heart suddenly hammering in his chest when he made out the shouting for ‘help’.
He started to run, skidding around the corner and almost crashing into his friend who stand in front of the bath area, looking quite pale, scared and shocked.

“What happened?,” Yuuta asked, sounding breathless and a bit harsh. “What’s going on, did something happen, Mizusawa?” He grabbed his friend by his shoulders and shook him slightly, getting scared by his friend’s behavior.
What could have happened in the Onsen? Had Ryosuke finally succeeded in nearly drowning Kaneko? Did someone slip and break a leg?
Thousands of thoughts were rushing through his head while his heart went thump-thump in his chest.

[Mizusawa Taku]

ooc: Hey guys, no worries for now, but please watch out for god-playing other people's characters! >< I got god-played a few times, but it's really okay, I can just go along with what was written for me! Just be careful about it in the future, okay? THANKS! ;D (And as for how bad this post is...I'm so sorry, guys. m(_ _)m)

ic:

"I don't know... I was having a bath and I suddenly heard a scream... I came here and Wataru... Wataru was..."

Mizusawa searched Kaneko's eyes and could see how scared the other one was. His own heart rate was also beginning to pick up now. This didn't sound good at all. He wasn't sure he wanted to know where Kaneko was going with this...

"...Wataru was under the water. I jumped in and brought him out but he doesn't wake up. Misuzawa what do we do?"

Mizusawa bit his lip and looked back down at Wataru, still lying still on the floor between them. "Wataru?" he called hesitantly, reaching out to shake Wataru by the shoulders once more. The boy wasn't moving. He might be breathing a little, but he wasn't moving. Had he taken in too much water? What could they do in a situation like this, with no teacher around? Get Yuuta and see what he could do? They might not even have time for that!

"Misuzawa, we need help"

Feeling helpless, Mizusawa looked at Kaneko, then looked away, back at Wataru's limp form. "I don't know where the others are," he said softly, unsure if there was really any time for him to go running looking for them. After all, what could they do? None of them were trained for this situation! Unless...

"...Maybe the inn owners?"

He'd been thinking out loud, but Kaneko was already a step ahead of him. He got to his feet as the other boy spoke.

"Misuzawa go out and start looking for someone. Anyone. I'll stay here and..."

He nodded, about to head back to the bath entrance as carefully as possible, then get out in the hallway and try to find someone who could help. But he paused, watching as Kaneko began doing CPR--or at least, that was what it seemed to be. Did...did Kaneko know how to do CPR properly? He wasn't sure he wanted to leave the other alone, when he looked so scared. He was feeling pretty scared himself, maybe because it was so strange seeing Wataru so silent and so still. The only memories he had of the red-head were of him jumping around and yelling all the time. It was like he'd lost a very important part of him, seeing him like this...

"Misuzawa hurry! Wataru is not breathing!"

Shaken from his thoughts once more, his face grew pale, and he quickly nodded and turned back towards the door, treading as carefully but quickly around the tubs as he could. "Help!" he called, moving quicker now that he was outside of the actual bath area. "Someone, help!"

He'd rounded the corner to where he'd left his clothes a moment before, and nearly ran headlong into Yuuta, who looked equally surprised. For a moment, Mizusawa stared at the other boy, shocked and frustrated and slightly out of breath from a combination of running and panicking.

“What happened?,” Yuuta asked, sounding breathless and a bit harsh. “What’s going on, did something happen, Mizusawa?” He grabbed his friend by his shoulders and shook him slightly, getting scared by his friend’s behavior.

"Wataru..." Mizusawa began, fully aware that his own fear must be apparent enough. "Kaneko found Wataru unconscious at the bottom of one of the baths. He isn't waking up." His voice was trembling now, and he realized he was searching Yuuta's eyes for some sort of idea on what they could do to make it better, maybe hoping Yuuta had the knowledge of how to help out, even if Yuuta was the same age as him and really had no reason to know any other way to alleviate the situation. It was just, as their team captain, he'd always looked up to him in some way...

There's no time for that! A voice was telling him in his head, nearly scolding him for thinking so irrationally at a moment like this. It wasn't going to help if he cowered behind Yuuta like a child behind his mother, simply because this situation was so scary. He had to do as much as he could to help out. And the best thing he could do right now was go get help from someone older than all of them, hopefully someone a little more experienced in this situation.

"We have to get help," Mizusawa told him, shrugging away from the other boy's grasp. For a moment, he glanced at his own clothes folded neatly in a nearby basket, but he knew there wasn't time to change back into them. He'd have to go find help wearing a towel--that was embarassing, but it wasn't nearly as horrible an idea as not being able to help out Wataru. "Come on!" He told Yuuta, and left the room, dashing down the hallway with one hand clutching the ends of his towel together, while his heart rate began to pick up even more. He was heading for the front desk area. If anyone was going to be around, there would definitely be someone there.

Hearing voices, he neared the front foyer of the traditional Japanese inn, and saw with some relief that there was a woman behind the front desk, chatting animatedly with a couple that were apparently just checking in. "Sumimasen!" he called out, not really wanting to attract attention to himself, but knowing there was nothing else for it. He saw all three people turn his way as he came to a quick stop by the desk, and then heard the sound of running footsteps behind him. Someone had followed him. Was it Yuuta?

"Please--" he said, finally out of breath. He ignored the confused and curious stares from the young couple that had been checking in. "Someone's fallen in the baths area. He's unconscious. I think he swallowed a lot of water! Please, we need help!" He stared at the woman, praying she knew what to do. Maybe the inn had some kind of people hired for this sort of emergency, though he doubted that. It was kinda in the middle of nowhere, and it seemed a small family company of sorts. "Please!" he asked again, pleading with the woman.

ooc: Tag Yuuta and/or anyone new to be the running person behind me! Also, someone please feel free to play receptionist lady in your next post and have her rise to the occasion! It doesn't have to be me, of course! XD I would have done it, but I don't want to move the post forward too much!

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

OOC: I call it! Crap post of the year!!!

Ryosuke loved onsens. It was one thing about semi-rural life that had really grown on him--there weren't quite enough of those kinds of things in Tokyo. And after a long day of school and practice with the team (sometimes even work), baths alone were a treasured comfort--a private, expensive onsen? That was sheer heaven. When the team had gotten together to consider the option of taking a trip to a semi-local, very nice onsen, Ryosuke had been one of the first to jump to his feet insisting they go.

And go they had, by almost sheer luck on Wataru's part.

The blonde Yankee spent the better half of the ride to the onsen area poking fun at a bickering Kaneko with his usual partner in crime, Nippori. And by the time they'd arrived, he'd been part of the mad rush for the best room.

He'd actually considered wandering around the huge, fancy resort first--he'd never been in a place like this before--but he couldn't pass up the chance of joining in on the fun pushing all the other guys around in their tease of a race for rooms.

In the end, he'd gotten the smallest of the private bedrooms--mostly because he'd spent so much time chasing the others that they'd all snagged the best before he'd gotten the chance--but he hadn't been too bitter. Even if he had ended up with the "worst" room, which wasn't even close to being a "worst" by any real standards anyway, he was excited enough being able to spend this time with the guys, and he was more than looking forward to getting to rest in his room later.

He'd gotten undressed, visited the shower room, and after taking his sweet time finishing his chores there, headed back to his private room to get his waterproof iPod. It was kind of rude to listen to music while spending time with friends in an onsen, but he figured if he got bored enough, he wouldn't mind listening to some rock songs while relaxing in the tub. And yet, just as he was about to leave the room itself, his precious music player in hand, he heard it.

The frantic calling.

He heard Mizusawa first, and rushed out into the hallway, holding tightly to the towel wrapped around his waist.

"Mizusawa?"

Yuuta was there too. Mizusawa had already taken off running in the direction of, he guessed, the main resort area. He seemed to have just emerged from the main bath room, and Ryosuke could hear some other frantic noises coming from there.

What the hell was going on?

Ryosuke rushed for the bath room, where the two boys had emerged, his heart rate suddenly beginning to pick up. What was going on? They couldn't even go to an onsen without drama?

But Ryosuke found the answer soon enough. Stumbling into the bathroom, mouth open about to inquire if everything was okay, Ryosuke froze.

Wataru.

He was on the floor, his eyes closed, and Ryosuke couldn't see his chest moving--he wasn't breathing? Kaneko was knelt down over him, giving the red-haired Yankee mouth-to-mouth, something that at any other time might actually have been amusing, but the Yankee still wasn't responding.

Ryosuke felt something clench in his chest. "Wataru..."

The words were barely audible. In fact, for a moment, Ryosuke could do little more than just stare, the result of his shock, he supposed. But he suddenly snapped out of it, the realization of what was happening hitting him all at once, and then he rushed forward, scrambling to Kaneko's side.

"Wataru, Wataru!" The blonde Yankee grabbed his friend's arm and started shaking him madly, tears springing to his eyes. He didn't know what was going on or how this had come to be, but Wataru didn't seem to be breathing, and nor did Kaneko's resuscitation attempts seem to be helping.

"What happened?" Ryosuke demanded suddenly, his voice frantic. "What happened to him?

And even though he wanted the answer immediately, to know what exactly had happened to his best friend, he quickly reacted again, pressing the palms of both his hands just below Wataru's ribcage to help Kaneko out. He was stronger than Kaneko. Maybe if he could press hard enough...

"Come on, buddy," Ryosuke murmured under his breath, timing each of the thrusts with his palms in accordance with Kaneko's gestures. "Come on...you can do it."

The thought of life without Wataru had never really crossed Ryosuke's mind. At least not like this. When he'd been trapped by a more small-time gang related to the Yakuza after working a job Akabane had forced on him, Wataru had sacrificed himself for Ryosuke. He'd allowed himself to get mercilessly beaten, over and over again, merely for the sake of his--Ryosuke's--freedom. Then, he'd come close to being killed--at the least, horribly injured--but they had been lucky. Someone had come to their aid.

If Wataru had already drowned, something of that sort, there was nothing they could do. No one could come along and save him again. And yet, Ryosuke couldn't imagine life without his Yankee friend.

"We can't give up."

[Takenaka Yuuta]

OOC: Soory for the godplaying, Alex! It won't happen again!

I just tried my luck with the desk lady ._. Hope it was okay!
I wanted to leave some kinda arc of suspense (yeah right) xD

---

Yuuta went still and stopped shaking Mizusawa after the words the boy had just spoken sunk in. What?

"Kaneko found Wataru unconscious at the bottom of one of the baths. He isn't waking up."

Yuuta stared at his friend in disbelief and pure shock, not being able to move. He had heard that Mizusawa’s voice had been trembling, saw that his friend was in pure shock. Now the boy was looking almost pleadingly at Yuuta, searching for some kind of guidance, a plan, an idea. Yuuta was totally at a loss. He was the captain of the team, sure, and normally everyone turned to him when a problem came up but he didn’t know either what to do, he felt almost frozen in shock and at the same time he wanted to move, to do something. To help!

He was only seventeen years old though and even though they had had a course of CRP at school – it was ages ago and it was completely different trying it with a puppet than doing this to a real person, most likely breaking all their rips. But Wataru needed help now and Yuuta knew that every second counted now. Did Mizusawa leave Wataru alone in there? He didn’t know but he kinda doubted it, plus he had mentioned Kaneko before. On the other hand his friend was panicking, that meant all his normal common sense could have been vanished with a puff. Still Yuuta believed that Kaneko was taking care of Wataru right now – or at least staying with him. He didn’t wanted to be in the place of the spectacled boy.

Yuuta tried to take a look into the bath, but everything was filled with steam and he couldn’t make out anything. He shivered, feeling suddenly cold and it felt like an iron fist was clenching his heart. He was scared, very scared. He was about to panic.
But he tried to stay calm, Mizusawa couldn’t need a hysteric Yuuta right now, a nickname his friend sometimes used to mock him. Sadly, Yuuta knew that he tended sometimes to go… well, hysteric.

"We have to get help.” Mizusawa’s voice cut into his rushing thoughts and his hands were shrugged off the boy’s shoulders. He looked back into his friends face, seeing determination mingled with fear. He nodded and followed Mizusawa’s glance towards the basket which hold most likely his clothes. Running around with just a towel through the hotel sure wasn’t a very nice experience, Yuuta guessed. He was about to suggest that he could go and look for help and Mizusawa could stay, but his friend already cried: "Come on!" and dashed out of the room. Yuuta nodded. This was no time for false vanity. This was a time for actions.

He shot a last glance towards the onsen, thinking for a moment about entering it, checking for Wataru and Kaneko, wanting to give his other friend some kind of company and assurance, too, by being there, giving him some sort of support. But he was quite sure that Kaneko would handle the situation, he was a very reasonable boy and Yuuta trusted him to do the right thing in this horrible situation. Plus getting an experienced helper was right now far more important and two people getting help was better than one.

In this moment Ryosuke came around the corner and Yuuta started to run after Mizusawa. He guessed that he was heading for the desk area and Yuuta decided to follow him to back him up. He skidded around a few corners and raced down a hall, most likely disturbing several guests but getting attention wasn’t really the worst option right now. They needed help and Yuuta wanted to get any help available. He just hoped that this inn had some kind of pool supervisor or something.
He started to panic again! He was gritting his teeth and then skidding to a halt since he had arrived the desk area. A couple was also there, apparently just checking in, giving Mizusawa suspect and curious glances. Yuuta was tempted to stare them down, but he decided that now wasn’t the time for that.

"Someone's fallen in the baths area. He's unconscious. I think he swallowed a lot of water! Please, we need help!," Mizusawa shouted and Yuuta saw shock wash over the woman’s face. Also the couple finally stopped the staring to exchange a frightened glance. They didn’t look like they were any help.

The woman behind the desk looked a bit unsure for a moment and Yuuta’s hope sank. Then she suddenly nodded hectically, waving with her arms a bit and for a second Yuuta feared they had the case of a hysteric desk lady here but he pushed this weird thought aside, trembling with fear and anticipation.

”Is someone with him?,” the woman asked while picking up her phone, pushing a button on the speed dialing pad.

“Yes, a friend of ours but I don’t know if he is much help,” Yuuta answered without meaning any harm towards Kaneko, but he really didn’t know much about his CRP-skills. “Mizusawa? What do you think?,” he asked. His friend had been in the bath at least and had a better overview due to that.

”Hello…? Hello Adachi-sensei, we have an emergency. A boy drowned in the Onsen. Yes. Unconscious. A person is with him apparently…”

“…two”, corrected Yuuta remembering that also Ryosuke had entered the bath after he took off. The lady behind the desk nodded. Yuuta looked at Mizusawa, to find some reassurance in the presence of his friend.

”Two. Yes. Hurry!” She put the phone back and turned towards the two boys, looking very pale. Apparently not many accidents had taken place here yet. “I have called a Doctor who lives nearby and supervises us and our guests, but it will take him a bit to come over here. I have to find Shinnichi-kun, he knows CRP. I am just… I am always at the desk. I don’t know…” The woman was going even paler, before starting to shake the slightest.

[Kaneko Atsushi]

ooc: this is an extremely short update, just for Kaneko to reply to Ryosuke.


ic:

Now that he was left alone, Kaneko started panicking even more once again.
He heard Mizusawa run away and probably he met someone else from their team.
He wasn't sure, his main focus on the being lying still in front of him.
"Wataru, damn it. Wake up!"


It was only when he heard other footsteps, that Kaneko briefly turned around: Ryosuke.
Good.
Ryosuke was good.
Together they would definitely have enough strenght to perform CPR.
Ryosuke walked towards them, sitting next to Kaneko, while calling Wataru's name.
"What happened?" Ryosuke demanded suddenly, his voice frantic. "What happened to him?"
Kaneko saw Ryosuke moving his hands over Wataru's ribcage as well, to help him with CPR.
"I don't know..." Kaneko said, breathing hard.
Panic and a steaming place didn't get along well together.
"I guess... he slipped... or fell.. I don't know..."
Once every eight pushes, Kaneko would stop to blow air in Wataru's mouth.
"Come on, buddy," Ryosuke murmured under his breath, timing each of the thrusts with his palms in accordance with Kaneko's gestures.
"Come on...you can do it."
"He was... he was..."
Kaneko couldn't talk anymore.
He hoped Mizusawa found someone who could help them.
He hoped his and Ryosuke's efforts could help their friend.
He hoped Wataru would open his eyes and start breathing again on his own.
"We can't give up." Kaneko heard Ryosuke say.
"I know... I know..."


"Wataru wake up... Don't do this to us..."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

ooc again: idk who comes next, maybe Yuuta & Mizu?
SOMEBODY PLEASE SAVE ANIKI!

[Mizusawa Taku]

ooc: Don't feel bad, Yuuta! I thought your hysteric desk lady was perfect! Now I hope this post is okay! ><;;

ic:

At first, Mizusawa had begun to feel a sinking feeling in his stomach, that the woman didn't believe them or didn't want to help them, just from the look on her face. That alone made him want to panic even more, bile rising into his throat now and making him feel sick to his stomach. If a hotel attendant wouldn't help, then who would?

But suddenly, the woman was waving her arms wildly, nodding at them quickly, looking extremely concerned.

”Is someone with him?,” the woman asked while picking up her phone, pushing a button on the speed dialing pad.

“Yes, a friend of ours but I don’t know if he is much help,” Yuuta answered without meaning any harm towards Kaneko, but he really didn’t know much about his CRP-skills. “Mizusawa? What do you think?,” he asked. His friend had been in the bath at least and had a better overview due to that.

Mizusawa could only shake his head. "Kaneko's trying, but we need someone who knows what they're doing. We can't just leave him to deal with that on his own, he's just as scared as we are!" He was addressing the desk lady now more than Yuuta, because he wanted her to be sure of how urgent this was. After all, someone might have drowned in her hotel! That wouldn't just be horrific for their friend, but bad for her hotel too. They'd lose their rep, and she could get fired, right? Why was he thinking all of these things right now??? They just needed help and fast!

”Hello…? Hello Adachi-sensei, we have an emergency. A boy drowned in the Onsen. Yes. Unconscious. A person is with him apparently…”

“…two”, corrected Yuuta remembering that also Ryosuke had entered the bath after he took off. The lady behind the desk nodded.

Mizusawa saw the look that Yuuta sent his way, but he wasn't sure he could return it with any sort of reassuring look. He was panicking now, and he wondered how much Yuuta was. They didn't have time for this lady to talk to some guy on the phone about the situation. Wasn't there any sort of emergency staff right on hand? He was about to ask her, when suddenly she was speaking again.

”Two. Yes. Hurry!” She put the phone back and turned towards the two boys, looking very pale. Apparently not many accidents had taken place here yet. “I have called a Doctor who lives nearby and supervises us and our guests, but it will take him a bit to come over here. I have to find Shinnichi-kun, he knows CRP. I am just… I am always at the desk. I don’t know…” The woman was going even paler, before starting to shake the slightest.

Mizusawa actually groaned at the woman's words. A doctor who wasn't even in the same building? She had to go find someone who knew things about emergencies? Suddenly, he was actually angry, in addition to sick and scared. "You," he said, turning now to the couple near the desk. They stared at him like some kind of alien, standing there in his stupid towel and feeling frustrated beyond belief. "Do you know anything about what we can do? We need help now!"

The couple just stood there for a moment, before the woman answered meekly. "I'm...studying to be a nurse..."

A nurse in training...that was perfect for right now! Mizusawa turned back to the desk woman, his fear and slight anger now lending him the ability to be more commanding. "Please send the doctor to the baths right away, and find...Shinnichi-kun! And you, miss," he turned back to the young guest. He felt a bit bad for her. After all, she and her boyfriend or fiance or whatever he was had probably just come here to relax, for a nice vacation or something. And instead they got to be right in the middle of the emergency. "Please come with us. Maybe you can help him!"

"I'm sorry, but only men are allowed in the male bath area," the desk woman was saying frantically, but Mizusawa ignored her.

"Please just go find your friend!" he cut the desk woman off, then motioned to the younger woman. "Come on!" he said frantically, now turning and heading off in the other direction to lead the woman there. He'd left Yuuta there, but that was because he wasn't sure what Yuuta wanted to do. If the other boy wanted to make sure the desk woman got her friend Shinnichi-kun, then that was fine. But of course Yuuta could follow him and the young nurse if he preferred. There was just no time to wait.

Mizusawa seemed to navigate the hallways much easier than last time, and he was happy to see the young woman and her boyfriend were right behind him. While, yes, it did occur to him that he was only wearing a towel and that likely the boys in the bath area wouldn't be wearing anything, desperate times certainly called for desperate measures. He'd give them a warning before entering.

"It's here," he told the couple, out of breath, motioning to the entrance to the baths. The woman looked hesitant, the man still unsure of what was going on. Taking a few steps into the bath area, Mizusawa cupped his hands around his mouth and called out, "Guys! I've brought a female nurse! We're coming in now!"

This certainly had to be enough warning, right? Nodding to the woman and the man, he led the way inside, afraid of what he would see.

ooc: I hope Wataru will wake up soon!!! Someone, feel free to write the nurse if you like!