There's a Problem... (Yuuta + Open)

[Mizusawa Taku]

ooc: Yaaay, here we go! ;D

ic:

Mizusawa had just come from a tumbling practice with Yuuta and the guys. They'd been working doubly-hard to prepare for the local competition coming up, and this meant a lot of work, considering all the guys who had just joined their team. Of course, Mizusawa didn't mind that it meant more work. Having more guys on the team was the best thing that could have happened for the Karasumori Men's Tumbling Team. The girls had never taken them seriously before, but with the new guys, they were actually being recognized as a team now.

It was inspiring enough to make him want to work harder.

Today he'd stayed behind to watch and help Yuuta as much as he could with compiling a new routine. Actually, for the most part, he'd just been watching. Yuuta had extreme talent when it came to creating routines. Mizusawa actually found it enjoyable to just watch him work, and maybe learn a thing or to.

Since the school day had now ended, Mizusawa had changed back into his school uniform and was heading home, taking the back alley near the boys club room. Yuuta was with him.

"That was a great practice, you know," he told the other boy, smiling warmly. He thought about the Yankees who had joined their team, and how well they were doing. Wataru in particular was working so hard. "At this rate..." Mizusawa kept walking, but he stopped speaking for a moment. "...Do you think we could actually place in the upcoming local competition?"

What he'd really wanted to ask was if Yuuta thought they could place first, but he didn't want to sound too naive. Still, deep down, he had a hope that it was finally possible.

He looked to the other for a response.

ooc: Sorry it started off boring! I promise I'll make it end up good!

[Takenaka Yuuta]

ooc: it wasn't boring at all~ I enjoyed it mine's horrendous~

Today had been a most tiring day. Between compiling new routines and helping out the new members, Yuuta was shagged.

The members were really putting in their best effort and it was really showing. Their routines were a lot sharper and smoother than before. The local competition is in a month's time but it didn't mean that they could slack off.

'The competition will be a good experience for all of us. Thank goodness Mizusawa's here to help me' thought Yuuta as he changed out of his practice clothes into his uniform.

They decided to walk through the back-alley near the clubhouse.

"That was a great practice, you know," he told the other boy, smiling warmly.

Yuuta bubbled with pride. "Yeah we really did great today."

"At this rate..." Mizusawa kept walking, but he stopped speaking for a moment. "...Do you think we could actually place in the upcoming local competition?"

This got Yuuta thinking. " Well, while I do think that we have improved by leaps and bounds, it would be too soon to tell if we could place first. I'm just happy that we get to perform as a team in the first place as it is," said Yuuta carefully. He could see Mizusawa's hopeful face but he didn't want to bring up any false hopes.

Yuuta linked his arms and stretched them upwards. "Ahh~ Well, there's still some time before the competition. And with you by my side, everything will definitely go well so don't worry too much!" He gave Mizusawa a one-armed hug, tugging him along.

[Mizusawa Taku]

ooc: What?? Your post was pretty awesome for having to reply to mine! And by the way, I might have god-modded a little! Just let me know if there's anything in here you don't want! XD

ic:

Yuuta bubbled with pride. "Yeah we really did great today."

Mizusawa smiled back. It really was nice to see his friend and team captain looking so happy. Generally, Yuuta was always working so hard for the team, that it was rare he ever had the chance to really enjoy things. Or, at least, that's how it came off to Mizusawa. Knowing Yuuta was proud of their work--and knowing he and the team had done well enough...that was a good feeling.

When Mizusawa asked about potentially placing in the competition, he could see Yuuta considering the question seriously.

"Well, while I do think that we have improved by leaps and bounds, it would be too soon to tell if we could place first. I'm just happy that we get to perform as a team in the first place as it is," said Yuuta carefully.

"Me too." Mizusawa nodded in agreement. He had to agree with Yuuta there. Considering their situation before Wataru and friends had decided to join them, they might not have even entered the local competition, let alone consider placing. Mizusawa sighed, though it was more of a content sigh. "Ahh...Just imagine the look on the faces of the Washizu team if we actually made it up there."

"Ahh~ Well, there's still some time before the competition. And with you by my side, everything will definitely go well so don't worry too much!" He gave Mizusawa a one-armed hug, tugging him along.

Mizusawa laughed, giving his long-time friend a You silly look. But in response he draped an arm over Yuuta's shoulders as well. "If you say so, Captain, if you say so!"

He was just about to ask if Yuuta wanted to come over for dinner and maybe some video games, when suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder--and it wasn't Yuuta's hand. The hand pulled him to a stop, and he could tell, from the way Yuuta had stopped as well, that the person had grabbed him too.

"Hello, boys," came the gruff, mocking voice from behind them.

Mizusawa froze, the smile disappearing off his face. He gave Yuuta a confused, worried look, before the person behind him spun them both around.

Whoever this guy was, he definitely was not a student, not unless he'd stayed back repeatedly over the years--and Mizusawa knew that wasn't the case, because then this guy would have been in his year. He looked like he might be in his late 20s, early 30s. Mizusawa couldn't tell. The guy had spiked hair, much like Wataru's, but dyed several different shades of brown, rather than red. There was a nasty sneer on his face, his eyes lit up in anticipation of whatever he was planning.

But his face wasn't the scary part.

Mizusawa glanced past the guy now in front of him and Yuuta, and his eyes widened. There was a huge gang of men behind the guy. Whoever he was, it seemed he led some kind of gang. And Mizusawa and Yuuta had just walked right into their territory.

Now he was really frozen in fear. Why are they here? Mizusawa couldn't help wondering. We're still on school grounds...

"So," the creepy guy began, sizing up Mizusawa first, and then doing the same to Yuuta. "Would you boys happen to know a guy named Azuma Wataru?" Casually, he reached into his pocket and pulled something out. He couldn't see what it was, until there was a flash of silver, and suddenly the item was being held to Yuuta's neck.

A switchblade.

Mizusawa's eyes widened even more. "Wait--" he began, moving forward, but the guy gave him an intense look.

"I asked you boys a question," the man said, his voice now resembling something of a snarl. "--And I expect an answer." He turned to Yuuta, obviously expecting the team captain to answer.

Mizusawa shut his mouth quickly, wondering if it was even a good idea to say they did know Wataru.

[Kiyama Ryuichiro]

Kiyama had forgotten something.

He retraced his steps back to the club room, slightly annoyed with himself. One hand in his pocket, the other holding the bag he had slung over his shoulder, he figured that he'd cut through the building and save a few minutes of walking time.

Before he stepped inside, he saw something out of the corner of his eye -- a large group of people in the alley. Kiyama knew from experience that nothing good ever happened in that alley, and knew that whatever was going on that day certainly superseded his forgotten item.

The first thing he noticed was that the lot were dressed in street clothes instead of school attire. Wait, that wasn't true. Two of them were dressed in the school uniform... he felt his heart skip a beat when he recognized the pair.... Takenaka and Mizusawa.

The gang was just out of earshot, but amongst the mumbles he heard from their apparent head, he could make out a name. Azuma Wataru.

At that moment, there was a glint of something in the sun. Kiyama squinted to see that the head gangster had pulled a knife on the team captain. A slew of four-letter words crossed his mind before he started to move.

Sudden moves were definitely out of the question, he figured, as he walked past the gang as casually as he usually did. His eyes met those of Mizusawa and Yuuta, the latter with a very dangerous-looking blade floating in front of his jugular, for a second before he walked a little past them as well. In that second, he could tell that the pair were terrified.

He turned to look over the group and saw that they had every reason to be.

They were definitely quite a bit older than the usual yankee crowd -- perhaps they were small time yakuza? At a high school? He'd heard that Akabane had gotten into some shady stuff after his expulsion, but did he really get mixed up with a group of people like this? Regardless, there were more than Kiyama felt up to dealing with on a good day, and he'd just come from a rather rigorous practice with the gymnastics team.

But looking at backs of his two classmates and teammates, he decided it wasn't really a matter of what he was up to at the moment... or even what he could do. He closed his eyes and exhaled before addressing the group.

"You didn't ask for Azuma Wataru, did you?"

Eyebrows furrowed and jaw squared, Kiyama looked from the gangsters, to his teammates, and back again.

"By the way, whatever business you have with this Azuma couldn't possibly have anything to do with these kids." He casually, but quickly, yanked Yuuta backwards, creating enough space between him and the stranger to slip his body between the hapless students and the gangsters. He leaned forward, shooting the leader his most dangerous of leers. It was a lot more aggressive than he would've been otherwise, but he was trying to do everything he could to distract the gangsters from Yuuta and Mizusawa.

Kiyama spoke again, his voice quiet but still threatening. "Now what business do you have with Azuma?"

[Mizusawa Taku]

There was a moment of silence as no one spoke. The alleyway seemed eerily quiet, despite the presence of 15 or 20 people. Mizusawa could only watch helplessly, scared out of his mind, as his best friend was semi-interrogated by the older man who'd somehow decided to bring his gang onto school grounds. They'd had problems in this alleyway before, sure, but never on a scale as big as this. Yankees were one thing, but gangs of grown-up men were entirely another.

His heart-rate quickening, Mizusawa racked his brain for some way to get them both out of this mess. But the truth of the matter was, he just couldn't think of a single thing they could do that could possibly save them.

And then, at that moment, he saw some slight movement just over the gang leader's shoulder. He didn't turn his head to look, didn't move his body at all, for fear that the gang leader would take notice of it. Instead, only his eyes glanced sideways.

His rapidly beating heart skipped a few beats as his eyes connected with the eyes of none other than Kiyama. Seeing the other boy, Mizusawa would normally have felt utterly relieved. Kiyama was a Yankee, after all, and he was...well, he seemed like the type of guy you could always feel safe with. Even now, Mizusawa could see the extreme concern in Kiyama's eyes.

But he wished Kiyama had not come. As relieved as he was to see someone big and strong like Kiyama had come to protect them, he also felt his fear growing stronger--that Kiyama might do something to protect him and Yuuta and put himself in harm's way. After all, wasn't that the kind of thing Yankees did? But even so...Kiyama might be a Yankee, but that didn't mean he could take on all these guys. Mizusawa was sure of it.

Kiyama passed by the three of them, and Mizusawa quickly looked away, back at the gang leader and Yuuta, his eyes quickly roaming from Yuuta to the blade, to the sneering face of the gang leader. He knew Kiyama was somewhere behind them now, wanted to just shout for him to get away, but he was too paralyzed with fear to do much of anything.

And then he heard Kiyama's strong voice from behind them.

"You didn't ask for Azuma Wataru, did you?"

Mizusawa tensed, cringing at the sound of Kiyama's voice. He'd been so hopeful that the other boy would just keep going, although he should have known that was not at all in Kiyama's character. Turning slightly, Mizusawa saw the look on Kiyama's face and, despite his own strong fear for himself and his two friends, felt a burst of admiration for the Yankee.

The gang leader was now frowning, the knife still pressed against Yuuta's throat. He glared at Kiyama, obviously not realizing Kiyama was one of the Yankee students at the school.

"And who the hell are you?"

"By the way, whatever business you have with this Azuma couldn't possibly have anything to do with these kids." He casually, but quickly, yanked Yuuta backwards, creating enough space between him and the stranger to slip his body between the hapless students and the gangsters. He leaned forward, shooting the leader his most dangerous of leers.

Mizusawa watched in shock as Kiyama pulled Yuuta to safety, away from the blade, then proceeded to get into the gang leader's face himself. Realizing Yuuta was now close beside him, he turned worriedly to the other boy. "Daijoubuka?" he asked quickly, grabbing Yuuta's forearm and staring from the boy's eyes to his throat, trying to see if he'd been nicked or anything. But it looked like it was okay. Kiyama had saved them in time.

"Now what business do you have with Azuma?"

Kiyama's voice was quiet, but nonetheless threatening. Again, Mizusawa felt something like a swell of pride, pride for how brave Kiyama really was, but that good feeling was easily cloaked by the fear that was continuing to seep into his heart. His stomach was twisting itself into knots at the thought of what was happening.

The gang leader had clearly not been prepared for Kiyama to make as bold a move as pulling Yuuta away from the blade. The older man watched, slightly stunned, as the tall Yankee got closer to him, so that their faces were only a few inches apart.

He seemed to realize last minute that Kiyama was now doing something along the lines of threatening him, threatening his authenticity. And he didn't like that very much.

Keeping his cool, the gang leader laughed in Kiyama's face. "Business that ain't yours, that's what, kid." He spat at Kiyama's feet, the blade still out, stuck somewhere between the two of them, at chest level. He met the boy's eyes, not once looking away, despite the intense look in them. A grin played across his face. "Why? ...You know him, boy?"

At that moment, he raised the blade again, now placing the point to Kiyama's chest. Mizusawa was watching the entire procession in utter fear, his eyes widening some more as his heart-rate seemed to surpass itself, beating faster than ever before. For whatever reason, watching someone as cool and...well, strong and brave as Kiyama get into a situation like this, and all because of him...It was one of the scariest things he could ever have imagined happening.

And then suddenly, he felt an arm wrap itself around his chest, felt the presence of a large person behind him. He hadn't seen the gang leader calling over his gang, but clearly he had. One of them was now holding him tightly in place. And, when he looked to his left, he saw that another had hold of Yuuta too.

This was bad. This was very bad. And now Kiyama was mixed up in all of it too.

The gang leader was staring Kiyama down, tapping the point of the knife tenderly against Kiyama's chest, as if mocking him. "If you've got any information kid, it's better to just spill. Don't wanna have to hurt three of ya. Two maybe, but not three."

For some reason, this made the entire gang laugh, the leader included. Mizusawa felt the huge torso of the man behind him, quivering with laughter. He felt bile in his throat, wondering how such a thing could be considered funny. And worse still, the way the gang leader was playing the blade across Kiyama's chest...

His entire body shivering with fear and worry, he spoke before he could stop himself. "Kiyama!"

[Takenaka Yuuta]

OOC: Monsterpost of DOOM! xD - And I am not really happy with it...

Yuuta grinned at the look Mizusawa gave him while also draping his arm casually over his shoulders. He felt quite light-headed due to this successful training. He was just about to open his mouth to ask Mizusawa about his plans for tonight and if he wanted to come to his place for dinner and a good game when a hand landed heavy on his shoulder. He stopped dead in his tracks – just like Mizusawa at the same time which he didn’t quite realize in this very moment though.

The voice that started speaking to them was rough and unknown. It sent shivers down his spine and he tried hard not to shiver. Suddenly the alley seemed to have grown colder. Way colder.
He met Mizusawa’s worried glance, knowing that he was mirroring it perfectly just with a hint of fear, before they were spun around quickly.

Yuuta was facing a guy, he was older than he had expected, and not one of the schools Yankees. He stared at the guy intensely, jaw rigid, trying to show no fear, to stay calm. Most likely he just wanted their money. He didn’t mind as long as no one got injured.
Suddenly he remembered Wataru saving them from such guys who had led them into a dark alley not too long ago. It would have been pure luck if the redhead would be near again. He kinda doubted it though.
This guy didn’t like look very friendly. His hair was spiky and coloured in all shades of brown. Yuuta was expecting the guy to ask for his money any moment now and was trying to remember how much he got with him right now. Would it be enough?
Suddenly he noticed… them. A whole gang of men, shady guys, the ones you really didn’t want to meet in a dark alley at night – or in any alley at all. They had somehow appeared behind this guy, all sneering in a not so friendly way and suddenly he knew that this wasn’t about money.
Sometimes he regretted it that his brain was quite good at remembering stuff he once read. Lurid headlines of communal newspapers appeared before his inner eyes, saying stuff like “Young student killed for money” or “Gang’s and Yankees – Japan’s Downfall?”
Tense and frightened he watched the guy sizing up Mizusawa and then himself. He tried not to show any fear, to look like he kept his cool. He knew that his eyes could be hard like pebbles, sharp as daggers if he wanted to, something people never guessed when they saw his soft features. He stood there, frozen, hoping he could get at least Mizusawa out of this somehow so he could find help.

"Would you boys happen to know a guy named Azuma Wataru?" Yuuta frowned. Wataru? Of course, Wataru was a Yankee after all, his vibrant haircolour made this clear enough but his character sometimes made Yuuta forget that. He couldn’t believe that Wataru had ever hung out which such shady guys though – on the other hand the incident in the Warehouse including Ryosuke, Wataru and him was still a pretty vivid memory (one he rather not owned).
So who knew with whom Wataru had hung out before? Everything seemed to be possible.

Lost in his thoughts he hadn’t noticed any of the strangers movements – and inhaled sharply when he saw suddenly flash something and felt cold metal against his neck’s skin. His eyes had gone big and he went a little pale. He looked down at the hand of the Yankee, holding the knife against his neck before slowly looking up into the strangers face.
He knew that his fear was written all over his face. There was nothing to hide anymore. He was scared to death.
He saw Mizusawa move in the corner of his eyes, his heart racing. What if this Yankee suddenly went crazy and injured them both badly?
“I asked you boys a question. And I expect an answer,” the guy snarled and Yuuta gulped, trying to catch a glimpse of Mizusawa’s expression.
He didn’t know what to do, what would be the best answer, what this guy expected of them. Was it good that they knew Wataru? Was it bad?
Would Wataru be in danger if they told them? He didn’t believe this guy would be friendly with anyone.

In this moment he noticed a movement, quite slow, but a movement nevertheless. His eyes widened when he recognized the person: Kiyama. He didn’t know if he should be relived or not. He decided that while having a knife against your throat he was far away from relief either way. Anyway, he was glad that the other boy had arrived even though he doubted that he could change anything about the situation. He could never beat all those guys and Yuuta doubted that Mizusawa and he would be any great help. Plus he wasn’t really a person to solve problems with his fists.
Kiyama walked past them and most likely stopped to stand behind them since suddenly his voice was coming from there, sounding as calm and reserved as always. "You didn't ask for Azuma Wataru, did you?" Yuuta tried to make out any reaction in the delinquent’s face, while still slightly shaking, hearing his blood pounding in his ears. He kind of wished Kiyama would have gone on and get help. Like teachers or the police.

After Kiyama had spoken again, Yuuta was suddenly yanked backwards and he let out a tiny yelp, feeling the fear rushing hot and cold through his body. His heart was pounding like crazy while Kiyama stepped between the gang and him like an unbreakable wall.

Suddenly Mizusawa grabbed his arm "Daijoubuka?" he asked quickly while he stared first into Yuuta’s eyes and then at his throat.
Yuuta nodded, fighting down the wish to touch his neck and check his skin. “I am fine. Daijoubu”, he answered, his voice sounding a bit funny. He cleared his throat and looked back to Kiyama, trying to breathe more evenly. “He came just in time.” He gulped and said more to himself: “But I don’t know if that changed anything.”
They were still between a rock and a hard place, there seemed to be no real solution for this situation and Yuuta feared that any rash action would probably end very, very bad. Kiyama was a Yankee, but Yuuta doubted that the stranger would be impressed by that.

He watched shocked how Kiyama moved closer to the other Yankee, threatening him. Yuuta’s pulse started to race again. This was bad. Sure, Kiyama knew about those kinds of fights, knew those people but still, this guy was dangerous. While he had the knife against his throat, he had never doubted that this guy would cut him, hurt him, and maybe even kill him without flinching.

The delinquent kept his cool, he spat on Kiyama’s shoes and Yuuta flinched, grimacing slightly. He went still when the guy pointed his knife at Kiyama’s chest. The situation sharpened. This was really bad. Yuuta knew that he had to try and stay calm, but he also knew that he was just a step away from panicking. He thought about calling Kiyama and just run for it but who was he kidding? Outrunning a whole gang of Yankees? Yuuta knew that he was at least a really bad runner. Short distances were no problem at all, but he wasn’t very fast in long distances. He didn’t know about the others but it was a really bad plan, he knew that.

Shouting was most likely very stupid as well, especially with this guy pointing the knife directly at Kiyama’s chest. Everything was just stupid, no plan seemed to work out. They weren’t even real plans!
He clenched his fists and crunched with his teeth, his jaw set and his eyes fixated onto the scenery in front of him.

Suddenly he was grabbed from behind; it felt like being clawed at by a jaw vice. He flinched and looked over to Mizusawa who was just in the same situation as him, looking frightened and flustered. Yuuta tried to reassure him with a smile or something but he know that it was very lopsided and that his eyes spoke another language.
He glanced back to the scenery in front of him when the delinquent was starting to talk again.

"If you've got any information kid, it's better to just spill. Don't wanna have to hurt three of ya. Two maybe, but not three."
Yuuta frowned at this while the whole gang was roaring with laughter. It made no sense at all. Or maybe… it did. When the gang leader needed someone to bring him to Wataru maybe?
A crazy plan came into his head. What if they told him everything, said they wanted to lead him there – and then just try to run away at the first opportunity?
He quite liked his brain normally – but at the moment it didn’t like to function very well.

"Kiyama!," spoke Mizusawa next to him all the sudden and Yuuta turned his head to see his friend staring with wide, scared eyes at Kiyama. Yuuta frowned. He hoped that his friend wouldn’t lose his head right now. It wouldn’t be the bests of times. He himself felt the known feeling of paralyzation he had already experienced back in the Warehouse with the Yakuza-guys and Ryosuke. He hadn’t been able to move an inch back then and right now he felt like that again. It was like freezing up, just standing there, staring, thinking clearly but not being able to do anything at all.
He knew he couldn’t be like that again though. He wasn’t a Yankee, he wasn’t a fighter, but he couldn’t just stand here and do nothing. They were all in danger, especially Kiyama right now, and this guy had saved Satoshi. Now he needed help. And when Mizusawa didn’t give up, Yuuta couldn’t give up either.
He was the Captain. He was responsible for his team. And Kiyama was part of his team. They had to find a way, some way.

He knows, he thought all the sudden. He knows exactly that we know Wataru. That’s why he came to us. Why he threatened me, the Captain, and not just anyone. He knows.
Maybe they have watched up for days, weeks… But I wonder why he didn't just follow Wataru home then...?
I don't get it.

He shivered while thinking that, his arms starting to get numb from the hard grip of the Yankee. There was no need to bluff the gang leader, no time to fool around.
On the other hand, he would most likely hurt them anyway, if they would talk or not. At least the baddies on TV did that.
Yuuta really hoped that his Dad was right for once and Movies were pure fiction.

“Please… take away the knife,” Yuuta spoke up, his voice shaking the slightest. “And tell us… how we can help you.” He wasn’t planning on helping this guy at all but he really didn’t want to see this knife pressed against Kiyama’s chest any longer.
Maybe Mizusawa or Kiyama had any idea how to go on now. All he could hope was that they made it out unhurt. All of them, not only one.

[Kiyama Ryuichiro]

"Business that ain't yours, that's what, kid."

The man spat at Kiyama's feet, and the boy couldn't help but make a face. These guys were proving to be disgusting, and in more ways than one. Then the man stared staight into Kiyama's eyes... his eyes were sharp and menacing. Kiyama matched his stare, not flinching for a minute.

Then the thug smiled. "Why? ...You know him, boy?"

In Kiyama's periphery vision again was that glint. He looked down the slightest bit to see gang leader raise the knife and press it somewhere between his ribs.

He exhaled deeply. He'd been in plenty of fights, and in plenty of fights with losers who stooped low enough to use weapons. He'd been in more trouble than this before... but the difference was that Kiyama usually fought alone. He didn't have anyone to count on, but he didn't have anyone to worry about, either.

Being stabbed in the chest would certainly suck. It would also do nothing to help Takenaka and Mizusawa get out of this in one piece...

Would this guy really stab him?

At that moment, there was shuffling behind him... where Takenaka and Mizusawa were. Kiyama was about to look back to see what was going on, when the man in front of him started tracing the knife across his chest. Kiyama could do nothing but maintain his gaze on the gangster, hoping that the boy behind him were alright.

The gangtster's grin widened, and the knife lingered above Kiyama's heart. "If you've got any information kid, it's better to just spill. Don't wanna have to hurt three of ya. Two maybe, but not three."

At that, the entire gang broke out into laughter. Apparently their sense of humor was disgusting as well. Kiyama kept starting at the man, his eyes intense; these guys were really starting to annoy him. Kiyama wasn't the type to fuss, or even fight, but a group like this waltzing into his schoolyard threatening his comrades and spitting on his shoes, he couldn't take kindly to this... but he had to keep what little control he had over the situation. He had to--

"Kiyama!"

The yankee closed his eyes for a moment, a sinking feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. Mizusawa had called out his name. If he wasn't at knifepoint, Kiyama might've facepalmed.

Because that was exactly the last thing he wanted to happen at the moment.

When he walked over to the scene, Kiyama knew that he probably couldn't take the entire group. However, he'd been hoping that he could negotiate with the apparent leader. Takenaka and Mizusawa were practically the most normal-looking kids he knew so he figured it would be no trouble at all, convincing these thugs that the pair didn't have anything do to with what they were after and let them go.

“Please… take away the knife,” went Takenaka, and Kiyama groaned inwardly. “And tell us… how we can help you.”

Now Kiyama was conflicted. He didn't know what had happened to bring these guys to Karasumori, and why they would have business with a high school kid who spent all his free time in tights nowadays...

Regardless of all that, Kiyama couldn't just give up one of his own, and definitely not Azuma Wataru. He'd practically been to hell and back over the last few years, and Wataru was the only person he knew from before... the incident... that dared treat him like a normal person. The crazy redhead never stopped looking out for him, and for that, Kiyama owed Wataru. No matter what these guys wanted, Kiyama couldn't just give up someone like that.

But Takenaka and Mizusawa and the rest of he gymnastics team had become part of the group, too. Except they didn't fight and didn't get mixed up with crap like this. They didn't deserve to be mixed up with all this. Kiyama hadn't known them long, but... somehow he'd grown fond of them, and he couldn't stand the idea of them getting hurt. Not like this, and especially not when he could do something to prevent it.

Still, when they opened their mouths, they put themselves in the middle of it. They acknowledged that they knew both him and Wataru, and if Kiyama knew anything about gangsters, then there was no way they'd let the others go just like that.

Slowly, Kiyama raised his hands, letting his schoolbag drop to the ground. His open palms faced the gang leader. "I know Azuma Wataru. And these two do, too... they're just in the same homeroom."

Kiyama took a deep breath, resisting the urge to look behind him and check up on his two classmates and teammates. He couldn't move at all. If it were just a couple of the thugs, even with the knife he could still make an escape attempt, but there were just too many people there. And he could risk anything for his teammates getting hurt.

The way things were, he was completely powerless. He hated it.

So much.

He spoke slowly, still looking into the gang leader's eyes. "So it's information you want? Because I can tell you anything you need to know."

Kiyama swallowed hard before he continued, practically praying that he was doing the right thing.

"...and I'll tell you all you want about Azuma so long as you don't lay a finger on those two."



OOC: Sorry! I know I'm not really moving the story along, but I didn't think I can control any NPCs, and that's as far as I wanted to go without any response from them. If it's really needed, I can try and add some more so just let me know!

[Mizusawa Taku]

ooc: Yay, thanks for joining, Suzume! Your post is great, and even better...HYSTERIC YUUTA! XD Yes!! Thanks guys for continuing the thread! ;D

ic:

Despite everything that was going on, despite the way that the gangster seemed to be playing with Kiyama, as though he had every control over whether the Yankee lived or died (and in some respects, that did seem the case), it seemed that Kiyama was doing a good job of not reacting at all. He'd been maintaining the same intense eye contact that the gangster had also been dishing out. He continued to keep that brave, strong, equal look with the gangster--until Mizusawa called out his name.

Mizusawa had been feeling that continuous mix of fear and pride, for how strong Kiyama was being, but at the look on Kiyama's face when he called his name, he suddenly felt very sick. Had he said the wrong thing?

Then Yuuta spoke up, with a proposition that actually sounded pretty good to Mizusawa right now.

“Please… take away the knife,” went Takenaka, and Kiyama groaned inwardly. “And tell us… how we can help you.”

Yuuta was right. If they could just talk nicely with this guy, maybe give him some faked information, he would let them go. Maybe they could take him right to the principal's office or something...Whatever they did, it had to be better than just standing here being worried they would be killed. The gangster still had the knife pressed to Kiyama's chest...

And then, perhaps reacting to what Mizusawa deemed was Yuuta's "unspoken" plan, Kiyama came to life once more.

Slowly, Kiyama raised his hands, letting his schoolbag drop to the ground. His open palms faced the gang leader. "I know Azuma Wataru. And these two do, too... they're just in the same homeroom."

Despite the tight grip around his chest, Mizusawa nodded and exhaled slowly. They just had to take things one step at a time. Maybe they could convince this gang leader if they just--

Ow!

Whoever was holding onto him had grabbed a fistful of his hair from the back, yanking his head back up from mid-nod. There was a quiet chuckle from the guy, and Mizusawa flinched. He hadn't been expecting that, but boy had it hurt. Obviously he and Yuuta were not expected to move--at all. He'd remember that.

"So it's information you want? Because I can tell you anything you need to know."

The gang leader smirked. He'd known eventually he could get this punk to give in. Even if they seemed like two different types of kids, he'd seen this Kiyama hanging around with the two smaller guys he'd come after. And Wataru too. All of them, like they were part of some secret little club or something. He didn't know a lot about it, only did what he was told, but he'd been watching them for a while now from outside the school grounds, planning for this moment, and right away he'd easily been able to tell...They were something of an item. All for one and one for all. Meaning he could get his way now, especially with three of them in his company.

"...and I'll tell you all you want about Azuma so long as you don't lay a finger on those two."

A knowing grin spread across the gang leader's face, his eyes searching Kiyama's for what he now was sure was the truth. Mizusawa, his head still forced back by the gangster holding him prisoner, watched the look appear with the sickening feeling in his stomach growing bigger and bigger. That look couldn't possibly mean anything good.

"They mean a lot to you, don't they?" The gang leader sneered, laughing quietly. "Kiyama." He stopped for a moment, taking the chance to look first at Yuuta and then at Mizusawa.

When the man's eyes met his, Mizusawa quickly looked away. He didn't think he could match that stare, and he certainly didn't trust himself to. There was no way he could be as strong as Kiyama like that.

But when he looked away, the gangster began laughing all over again. "Shy little ones, aren't they?" He returned to looking at Kiyama, now judging Kiyama's features, sizing him up as he had the other two. "Not like you, though. Tough, daring." He smirked. "But I bet you wouldn't be quite so tough or daring if I took this knife and etched a nice long scar across either of their faces..." He motioned to the man holding Yuuta. "Bring him over here."

In that moment, Mizusawa froze. What was happening? Why were they doing this? Hadn't Kiyama offered this guy what he'd wanted? To know where Wataru was...?

But then it occurred to him...

They're just playing us. Maybe they didn't really give a crap at all about Wataru...Maybe he had just been some kind of scape goat. But...what did they want with him or Yuuta or Kiyama? They were just normal kids, they had nothing to do with...Kiyama does, a voice reminded him. But despite that, he ignored it. Whether Kiyama was a Yankee or not, Mizusawa trusted him wholeheartedly. And now that he thought about it, since Kiyama wasn't the one these guys had come after first, he knew this couldn't possibly be Kiyama's fault. There was just something seriously twisted going on here...

"Hello again," the gang leader said, addressing Yuuta, who was now beside Kiyama. "Aren't you looking like a frightened little rabbit." The gangster laughed in the team captain's face, before pulling out another knife from his pocket.

Two?

He didn't move the other knife from Kiyama's chest, rather turned and pressed the new knife against Yuuta's cheek, while nodding something at the gangster that was holding the captain tightly.

"What was that you were saying, Kiyama?" Don't lay a finger on these two?" He laughed, his laugh as obnoxious and evil as his words. "I'm sorry...I think I've already done so." Turning back to Yuuta, he now began tracing that blade along Yuuta's skin. It was clear now this guy was just toying with them. It seemed like he didn't have any real motives. The man was watching Yuuta's eyes interestedly as he began speaking. "I could really disfigure the little one's face, couldn't I? With just a quick motion.......Or with an even quicker motion, I could..." He let the knife stray across Yuuta's jawline, and now back to his neck.

"Please, stop!" Mizusawa shouted. He'd been watching this entire scene with growing fear and sickness. He was sure the man holding him could feel his heart beating frantically, he was so scared. How was this happening, in a place where he'd always felt safe? Yuuta didn't deserve this, Kiyama didn't deserve this, and he didn't deserve this. And it seemed now that, no matter what they did, they would not be getting away from here safely. This guy just wanted to play games. And that meant having fun in whatever way he deemed. Mizusawa was sure that, whatever his choices, none of them would mean anything good for him or his friends.

He felt his stomach knot itself when the man's eyes returned to his, amused. "Oh...so do you want to play first?" he asked Mizusawa, though the boy did not answer. The gang leader was opening his mouth again to say something else, but then--

SMASH!

Something--something--hit the gang leader square in the jaw,with such a force that it sent the man flying backwards to the ground. Mizusawa was stunned and momentarily frightened that the movement had caused Yuuta or Kiyama to be nicked by the blades--or worse--but before he had any time to check, he heard cries of outrage from the gang members around them, then felt the one holding him loosen his grip, spinning him around by the hair to land a punch to the side of his face. Like the gang leader, he stumbled to the ground, clutching his face. There were gang members stomping around everywhere now, and he clambered to his hands and knees as quickly as he could, worried he would be stampeded into the ground. It looked like everyone was fighting now--with themselves? If that were the case, he had to find Yuuta and Kiyama so they could escape from here.

ooc: OK, so with this one, I just wrote whatever came to mind for the gang leader. And it came out...pretty weird, I think And really crappy. XD But really, it's up to you guys what just happened to the gang leader. Could be a punch, kick, or really anything else. And anyone could have done it...So in your next posts, you guys can decide on that! I just felt like this guy needed to be taken down for a moment, at least. XD

[Takenaka Yuuta]

ooc: I hope there aren't too many mistakes in this... I wrote it here in my break at work - and apparently word has no correction for English

Please tell me if something is awfully wrong! Thanks!

---

Yuuta was thankful that Kiyama seemed to have understood what he had been trying to do – even though he had no idea himself what exactly it was but... he couldn’t help it anyway. They were stuck in this situation, all three of them unable to move.
The gang leader was eyeing Kiyama and Yuuta thought that his eyes were pretty scary. They had a glint in them he really didn’t like to see. Especially not when a friend had a knife hold against his chest.

Still, he trusted Kiyama to somehow get them out though. He was experienced in this kind of thing after all and was luckily not as hot-headed as the other yankees on the team... Maybe he could make something out of Yuuta’s weird trial to do something. Even though they really were between a rock and a hard place.

When the gang leader was looking into his eyes, Yuuta slightly flinched and looked away. He felt ashamed of his reaction immediatly. Normally he was good at staring people down. He was good giving his glance a sort of hardness and coldness.
This guy was different though. He seemed dangerous, really dangerous. And Yuuta didn’t want to cross this guy, to make him really angry.
He hated the way the gang leader was mocking them though, laughing at Mizusawa and him before he was seizing up Kiyama.

Yuuta had enough of this situation, he wanted to be out of here now. Why hadn’t the plan worked? Why didn’t this guy just ask them where he would find Wataru?
It had always worked in the movies, Yuuta thought, suddenly feeling really stupid. He wasn’t a kid anymore and he knew that reallife was way different than movies but still... he had hoped it would somehow help them out.

He hated the way he was hold by this guy behind him, he hated the gang leaders dirty, rough laughter, he hated his smirks and how he was so full of himself. Feeling all powerful. He felt like he would explode any moment now, even though he knew it would be very, very stupid. He wouldn’t stand a single chance against them. Not even Kiyama would (especially not in his current situation).

"But I bet you wouldn't be quite so tough or daring if I took this knife and etched a nice long scar across either of their faces..." He motioned to the man holding Yuuta. "Bring him over here."

Yuuta tensed up. He was trying to somehow make himself really heavy, to push his feet into the ground, to make it for the guy behind him as hard as possible to bring him forward again – but a simple, really hard nudge in his ribcage which made his eyes tear had him give up any resistance.

Resistance is futile..., was all he thought when he stood next to Kiyama and in front of the gang leader again. He looked up and into the guys eyes, trying not to look away this time, but knowing fully well that he was shaking and most likely as white as a ghost. He was scared.

"Aren't you looking like a frightened little rabbit."

Gritting his teeth he glared at the gang leader but he guessed it didn’t matter. This guy wouldn’t be scared of a boy like him. He was only a Highschool boy, Captain of the Tumbling team. Nothing more. He wouldn’t stand a chance and this guy knew it.

All he could do was to trust Kiyama to find some way out of this. And he really hoped, that Mizusawa could do the same.
He knew that this wasn’t the right moment to think about this but he had been wondering about what Mizusawa thought of Kiyama. Yuuta suspected his friend to dislike the yankee for some reason. He couldn’t put a finger on why though since Mizusawa had accepted everyone else with open arms and even had helped Wataru with gymnastics back when Yuuta just couldn’t... just wouldn’t want to.
He remembered very clearly the day on which Mizusawa’s back had emptied itself on the classroom floor and he had helped him to get everything back up. Kiyama had grabbed Mizusawa’s school ID – and Mizusawa had teared it outta his hand. Since then Yuuta had been silently watching his friend and noted that he most of the time kept his distance to Kiyama. Yuuta couldn’t tell his friend whom to like or dislike so he had decided on accepting Mizusawa’s behaviour as long as it wouldn’t influence the team in any way.

Suddenly the gang leader was holding a knife against Yuuta’s cheek. Horrified, he went rigid. The blade was cool and unmistakingly sharp. Yuuta really didn’t feel like trying out how sharp though...

He couldn’t move a muscle when the gang leader was tracing his cheek and along his jaw with the knife. Cold shivers ran up and down his spine but he didn’t dare to shudder. His heart was racing against his chest. He was so scared the gang boss would suddenly move and cut his face or his throat. He was waiting for the initial pain and the warm feel of blood running down his skin. He tried to gulp but his throat was dry and he suddenly had the feeling he was about to choke.
He was trying to keep an eye on the blade but also not leaving the gang leaders face with his eyes who was watching him with interest.
Yuuta knew that his face was clearly showing every emotion he feeled.

Fear. Hate. Despair. Panic.

He didn’t care that he was an open book to this guy. It didn’t matter anymore. He had never been so scared in his whole life.
And he guessed this would be the end of it.

He could hear his blood pounding in his ears. All the other sounds were muffled, locked out. He heard Mizusawa shout something from very far away. He somehow understood the words, but he couldn’t make out what they meant. His brain just refused to work right now.
He tried to get some air, to breathe somehow because he suddenly felt as if all air had been knocked out of his lungs. He made a strangled sound, looking quickly up to the gang leader’s face, scared, begging, panicking.


In this very moment suddenly a hand came into his sight, grabbing the knife just like that. Yuuta couldn’t help but stare, following the trail of blood running down the wrist slowly. But before he could process all that in the same second something else happened.


Something—something--hit the gang leader square in the jaw,with such a force that it sent the man flying backwards to the ground.

“Wow,” was all Yuuta could utter before he noticed, that the tight grip around him had losened up. Most likely the gang member was stunned by his leaders defeat, he couldn’t do anything else than stare at the moment but Yuuta didn’t care much.
He struggled free and turned, to give the guy a good push to send him to the ground. Yuuta knew he had just been really lucky to catch this moment. Normally he wouldn’t have been able to knock this guy over.

Mayhem had broken lose around them, all the gang members were fighting now... with themselves apparently. Yuuta raised his eyebrows before he noticed the still, tall figure of Kiyama not far from him.

“Are you okay?” This was a stupid question, taking his bleeding hand in consideration.

“Th-thanks for... helping,” Yuuta stumbled still shocked from the events. “We should try and find Mizusawa and... take a leave.” He couldn’t stop staring at the yankee’s bleeding hand. “We should also take care of that. And warn Wataru.”

Hopefully they could make it outta here somehow.

----
ooc: lee, I hope that was okay! I just went with the thing you mentioned in the PM. If I should change something about it, just tell me!

[Kiyama Ryuichiro]

"They mean a lot to you, don't they? Kiyama."

Hearing this lowlife say his name like that made the yankee's blood boil. But Kiyama could only watch as the gang leader as he continued his rambling session, making sure to leer at the two other boys before their eyes met once more.

"Shy little ones, aren't they? Not like you, though. Tough, daring," the thug chuckled.

Kiyama intensified his glare on the man in front of him. The more he thought about it, the more he was sure that he wasn't scared of this jerk, because he was nothing but a lowlife jerk and he couldn't do anything to him. Nothing except for...

"But I bet you wouldn't be quite so tough or daring if I took this knife and etched a nice long scar across either of their faces..."

...nothing except for that.

Kiyama watched as the man made some motion to the thug restraining Takenaka. "Bring him over here."

And his partner did bring Takenaka, jerking the boy around in a way Kiyama was sure was hurting him a lot. "Hello again. Aren't you looking like a frightened little rabbit."

Kiyama looked to the side to see Takenaka, still firmly restrained, and cowering in anticipation for whatever this man was planning for him. Was it that he didn't even think of them as people? Dehumanizing them had to be the only way people like them could be able to toy with the lives of others. That's when the thug snatched something else his pocket, something else that flashed in the sunlight. Another knife?

This... it wasn't funny anymore.

But the thug seemed to disagree. Everything was funny to him. He broke out in the that throaty, raspy, disgusting laugh he had again. That voice. That freaking voice. And the man's obnoxious laugh his badly-dyed hair and the fact he spit and--

"What was that you were saying, Kiyama? Don't lay a finger on these two?" He laughed, his laugh as obnoxious and evil as his words. "I'm sorry...I think I've already done so." Turning back to Yuuta, he now began tracing that blade along Yuuta's skin. It was clear now this guy was just toying with them. It seemed like he didn't have any real motives. The man was watching Yuuta's eyes interestedly as he began speaking. "I could really disfigure the little one's face, couldn't I? With just a quick motion.......Or with an even quicker motion, I could..."

He let the knife stray across Takenaka's jawline, and down to his neck. Kiyama shivered as the blade followed the boy's jugular.

It took him a second to tear away from the knife, and eyes danced those of Takenaka's between the ominous blade. The team captain, his captain, was terrified. Then Kiyama's eyes rose to the gang leader's; they flashed and shone just like his knife in the afternoon sun. He was deriving some kind of sick pleasure from all this. That man was sick, and it was making Kiyama sick, too.

The yankee had absolutely no idea who these people were, why they were there, or even what they were trying to accomplish at that point... but he did know a few things. Takenaka Yuuta didn't have a damn thing to do with this gang. Mizusawa didn't, either. Kids like them should not have to deal with this. It wasn't fair. He'd seen this episode before, and it didn't end well, it was like...

...that sound -- just so much blood. So much. His eyes. God, the look in his eyes, the second it hit, the moment the lights went out and...

Kiyama was trembling.

Because he also knew he wasn't strong at all. He wasn't tough, and he couldn't do this. It was a selfish way of thinking and he knew it, but he just couldn't watch anyone else get hurt. Especially not kids that didn't deserve it in the slightest, not kids that he been silly enough to grow to like and respect as much as the members of the gymnastics club. Kiyama knew how to fight, he'd been in situations like this before... but he still found himself getting scared like this all the time.

"Please, stop!" came a cry from behind. It was Mizusawa.

Mizusawa and Takenaka were two different kinds of boys from a very different walk of life, but they were still trying so hard. They were the ones that were daring, not Kiyama. The two reminded the yankee a lot of... him.

And for Kiyama to see that again, to have to carry another burden like that... to go through something like that one more time...

The husky gangster's voice started blaring again. "Oh...so do you want to play first?"

...he couldn't bare watching them being hurt on his behalf. He couldn't deal with seeing the pain of someone else, because it hurt too damn bad. He couldn't do that again.

He just couldn't.

He wouldn't.

This had been going on for too long. Kiyama was so damn sick of this guy, his threats, his voice, his...

Kiyama snatched the knife being held against Takenaka's neck with one and swung with the other, as hard as he possibly could.

Everything happened fast after that. Kiyama's fist hit true, and the man in front of him immediately crumpled to the ground. Right after that, he saw another figure to the side of him also fall. He turned about him to see a lot of action going on; flying fists, and kicks and the shine of a metallic weapon or two but... none of them were going in his direction. Why weren't they going in his direction?

Didn't he just knock out their leader?

There was another movement to the side, and Kiyama turned to see gymnastics captain.

"Takenaka?" he asked, tentatively. But it also registered that the boy had done something to knock down one of the gang members, which struck Kiyama as very impressive.

“Are you okay?” The boy stumbled towards the yankee, looking and sounding a bit dazed. “Th-thanks for... helping. We should try and find Mizusawa and... take a leave.”

Kiyama looked down to see his right hand, which was thoroughly red and sore. tried to open his left hand for the briefest of moments. That was long enough to trigger a shot of searing pain through his arm as the thug's knife dropped to the ground. He was hoped that it was one of those injuries that just felt a lot worse than it actually was. In any case, no matter how bad it was, they weren't in a position to deal with it at the moment.

Yet Takenaka's eyes lingered on Kiyama's hand as he continued. “We should also take care of that. And warn Wataru.”

Kiyama nodded. At that point, he didn't know what to make of this random gang, or even if they were a lasting threat to him and his comrades. Still, there had been a few very real moments of danger there. Actually, they were still in the middle of that danger. He clenched his bleeding hand into a fist; he'd still be able to use it like that. He gestured for his classmate to follow with what was now his better hand.

"Stay close," he commanded, and he started making his way through the crowd.

Though the yankee had to keep an eye out for two people, what initially seemed like it would be very difficult ended up being a rather quick and easy job. It seemed like the members of the gang where just that intent on fighting with each other. Kiyama did endure a few punches and kicks, but it didn't take much to fend off what seemed like half-hearted attacks on him and Takenaka. It was an absolute mess, but Kiyama didn't really have time to think about the gang's apparent schism.

Soon enough, he popped through the crowd, yanking Takenaka after him.

Finally, he saw the light at the end of the tunnel... In spite of the ensuing chaos, he was still firmly in the grasp of one of the gang members, and that gang member, frankly, looked kind of crazy.

Not quite sure what that man was planning, or if he had any weapons of his own, Kiyama stood for a moment. It seemed like one of those times that sudden moves might do more harm than good... so he could only stand there, hands clenched, eyes fixed on his teammate and the dangerous looking man holding him back.

"Mizusawa!"


OOC: This probably too effing long wasn't very good, but (probably because of my indecisiveness) I didn't know where to take this... Also, I didn't know if you guys wanted to end this now or draw this on a bit longer, so I ended it there. I'm sure that Alex can work out some OOC magic to either move things towards wrapping up or stirring it up as she sees fit.[/i]

[Mizusawa Taku]

ooc: After the first Yuuta left, I completely forgot where I wanted to take this too. XD But I could try to wrap this up and we could finish the storyline in a new post somewhere? Meaning I would take the last little section of this post (the part in the club room) and start a new post with that elsewhere. What do you think? (And I hope it's okay I god-modded you guys out of the fight. If you wanted to actually continue fighting, just let me know and I'll edit!

ic:

On the ground, on all fours, Mizusawa could only sit there, watching as the gang members brutalized each other. And for what? Was it that they didn't know what who had just attacked their leader? It was true that everything had happened so fast, it was really difficult to tell where the hit had come from. It could have been anyone. And considering these guys didn't seem to be the type who cared for each other or stuck by each other--just the types who were constantly looking for a fight and followed along when they found it--it made sense that they were fighting now, just like they wanted to. But something in Mizusawa's heart told him...Kiyama had been the one to knock the leader out. It was him, undoubtedly. Even if it was the wrong time, wrong place, he felt another swell of pride in his heart. It was weird, how his emotions were playing out right now. Going from being so scared to so proud...Maybe it was the effect of being full of so much adrenaline, even after a long tumbling practice session.

He watched as the gang continued to fight, one guy toppling over not too far away from him. He considered running in the other direction, going to get help, but somehow he couldn't get his body to leave. Kiyama and Yuuta were on the other side of this mess of bodies. He didn't know if they were okay, because the last he'd seen of them, they'd had knifes being held dangerously close to their bodies. There was now way he could just take off now without knowing for sure they were okay.

"Come on, Taku..." he spoke quietly to himself, gritting his teeth and getting hesitantly to his feet. He didn't want to fight. He wanted to run straight through the gang to find his friends. But he knew it wasn't likely. If anything, he was going to have to at least defend himself. And even that wasn't something he really knew how to do properly.

Steeling himself against what was to come, he took a deep breath and prepared to run through the wall of men.

Only he was stopped.

It was very sudden that another set of arms wrapped themselves around him from behind in some kind of bear hug, an older voice snarling into his ear, "Where do you think you're going?"

Mizusawa froze. So one of them had finally noticed him. This was bad. He didn't want to have to hit this man to get away, but he also didn't want to be standing here playing hostage. He needed to find his friends so they could escape. But if this guy had a weapon or something, then...

"Mizusawa!"

That was when he heard his name being called. He looked up, ahead of him, and saw Yuuta and--Kiyama. Kiyama had been the one calling his name. Mizusawa would have given a massive sigh of relief, if it were not for the fact that he was not only still trapped in this guy's hold, but he'd just noticed blood trickling down Kiyama's hand. He paled. Had Kiyama been hurt?

There's no time for this, his brain seemed to be warning him.

Gritting his teeth, he tried again to pull out of the man's grip, but the guy held on firmly. What was he doing? What good would holding him here do for anyone? This guy wasn't even trying to hurt him, just holding onto him!

Maybe to use me as a human shield, he thought bitterly, wondering what would happen if a gang member came over to attack him right now. He wouldn't even be able to block the blows.

Then it occurred to him. He could do something...something that wasn't necessarily fighting so much as defending. At least, he didn't think it was. He'd seen it so many times in the movies before, and he had the kind of flexibility to...

Steeling himself for a second time, he gave his two friends a quick look to let them know he would try his best to escape, then, kicked out and hooked his right leg backwards, catching the man behind him in the back of the knee. The man gave a startled grunt, then toppled over backwards, taking Mizusawa with him. Mizusawa only had a moment to prepare himself for the fall, squeezing his eyes shut and holding his breath, wondering how in the hell something he'd seen from a movie had actually worked. The man landed hard, and Mizusawa just as hard on top of him, the air completely knocked out of him, but the man let go, apparently to cradle his injured head. Still slightly stunned at what had happened, Mizusawa took a moment before scrambling up to his feet, running to join his two friends on the edge of the fray.

"Let's...go..." was all he could manage to say, grabbing Yuuta and Kiyama by the arms and pulling them away from the fight as quickly as possible. He didn't know where this sudden strength had come from, this sudden ability to move and think rationally. Before, he'd been so paralyzed by fear that he hadn't even been able to come up with an escape plan, but now...

Maybe it was because of how scared he'd been for his friends only a moment before.

Despite being winded, he didn't stop running, didn't stop dragging the other two until they were safely away from the fight. Well, he didn't actually know how far away was safe enough, considering the fight had taken place on school grounds, but he'd dragged the boys to the safest, most comfortable spot he could think of--the boys' club room. Once they were safely inside, he slammed the door shut, pressing his back against the door and breathing hard. It took a moment for him to catch his breath, to fully comprehend everything that had just happened. That he'd just grabbed Yuuta and...Kiyama by the arms and brought them here, and...

That was when he remembered Kiyama's wound.

"Kiyama...How badly are you hurt?" He asked, suddenly jumping up again. He turned to Yuuta, afraid. "Are you hurt too, Yuuta?" He could only imagine what he looked like to them right now, wild, crazy, his hair a mess and his eyes flashing. Everything they had just been through though...it was insane.