Mission: °C-ute (MM+C-ute fanfic) - Final Part of Chap 3 is up!

[AngelCakes]

Ok the next chapter is up! It is part 1 of Chapter 3. It stands alone but it goes together with a few different parts that should be up over the next week or so. This chapter is Airi centric. It's not quite as long as the others, but it when combined with the other parts, Chapter 3 will prob be the longest :p Hope you enjoy

~~

Part I
CAPTIVE

Airi's eyes fluttered as she stirred awake. Sitting up, she blinked, gazing around the room she was in, still drowsy and confused. “What is going on…?”

She lay in the middle of a small, dark storage space. A bright fluorescent light shone from above, illuminating crates, stacked high against the wall. Feeling something on her leg, she turned to see a group of small rodents crawling over her calves. Letting out a soft squeal, she backed herself into a corner of the room, stepping backwards, up onto one of the crates.
Tears began to swell in her eyes as she grabbed at her legs, curling herself into a tight ball.

She thought back, Her memories were a frenzy. She remembered the Yokohama concert, the girls doing their C-utie chant together... Erika had been late, she recalled. What had happened?

Booming footsteps began to echo from outside the room, disturbing her train of thought.
They become louder and louder till Airi released they were just on the other side of the door to the room. The footsteps ceased and she heard the metallic sounds of the door being unlocked, backing herself even further into the corner.
The thick, silver door swung open slowly and a tall man stood at the doorway.
“Where are ya, puddin’?” he scoured the room till he spotted Airi, “Time to go, eh? Come on pretty girl, youse got a big trip ahead o’ you!”

Airi shielded her face with her arm, trying not to make eye contact with the man.
Walking slowly towards her he began to whistle a chilling tune, which suddenly stopped as he stood right where Airi was cowering. “Hello, pretty girl,” the back of his hand gently caressed Airi’s cheek. His hands were cold and Airi shivered as he touched her.
“I asked ya nicely, but I s’pose little spoil’ gals like you ain’t got no manners, eh?” He clutched a handful of Airi’s dark hair and pulled at it, hurling her off the crate, onto the floor in the centre of the room.
Airi let out a cry as she buried her head into the cold, metal floor.

The man walked once again towards her.
“Let’s try this again…” he whispered, bending down towards her, “Time to go!”
He grabbed Airi’s top, lifting her up, and pushed her out the open door.

 Airi stumbled slightly before finding her balance. Immediately she was hit with a rush of cool, ocean air, which gave her goose bumps along her arms and legs. She looked up at the night sky, illuminated with bright stars. “So pretty…”
“Move it!” the man shoved her from behind and she stumbled a few steps more before slowly staggering forward, the man pushing her every few metres.

Looking towards the ocean, she saw a jetty, stretched out a hundred metres or so out to sea. It was lit with tall lamps on either side and she could make out a whit, stationary boat at the end of the jetty.

As she was led past large scaffolded structures, she turned to see a small caged elevator shaft ahead.
“Send ‘er down!” The man yelled up upon reaching the doors of the elevator. After a few moments, a small carriage began staggering down the shaft.
As it reached the bottom, the man pulled open the rickety wire doors and Airi hesitantly stepped inside.

As the elevator rose, Airi looked out towards the ocean, seeing nothing beyond the dark, ocean waters, but could eye black rocks and the outline of the coast. She released she was on a peninsular or island of some sort.
“Yokohama…?” she whispered to herself.
The man, overhearing her, began laughing, “We’re far from Yokohama now, pretty girl!”
Airi turned her face away from him as the elevator continued to rise, jolting as it reached the top.

A man outside of the elevator pulled open the doors and Airi was led out onto a high platform. Her hair began blowing violently in the wind, as a large helicopter in front of her roared to life.
“I’ll take it from here!” the man on the helipad yelled to his taller comrade, before he sent him back down the elevator shaft.

The man knelt down, facing Airi, and placed his hand on her shoulder. As she flinched, he retreated his hand, a sympathetic smile on his face.
“I’m Frank, but everyone calls me Frankie. What’s your name?” he yelled to Airi.
Airi glanced up at him, before mumbling her name back softly, her voice drained out by the helicopter.
“You’ve got to speak up over the helicopter,” he pointed towards the beast, “very noisy!”
His charm was undeniable to Airi, even in her circumstance. He seemed different, kind, compared to the other men. He reminded her of her father.
“My name is Airi!”
“Very pretty name! Can I call you Airi-chan?”
Airi smiled softly before nodding slowly.
“I know you’re scared, but don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.” He took off his big black jacket and swung it over Airi’s bare shoulders.

The transceiver Frankie had been holding in his hand began emitting unusual static tones.
“Wait here,” he held his hand up towards Airi, before walking a few metres away, fiddling with his device. After a brief conversation he returned to Airi, “Ok, it’s time to go, follow me.”

He took Airi’s hand and led her towards the helicopter. “Duck down, ok?” he called out to her, behind him.
The pair ducked as they hurried towards the door of the helicopter, Frank sliding it open as he reached it, “In here, c’mon!”

Airi turned her head back to look at the elevator shaft. She thought of her friends. Where were they?
Her eyes began to tear as she turned back towards Frankie.
Frankie’s face grew concerned and he ducked briefly inside the helicopter, which soon began to quiet as the propellers began to slowly stop spinning.
Soon, Airi could only hear the soft sounds of waves crashing on the rocks below them.

“Airi-chan…” Frankie ducked down, wiping the tears from her eyes with his thumb. His hand was warm to Airi, not like the previous man’s cold hands.
“Fra… Frankie…” Airi’s voice stammered as she tried to speak, “… my friends?”
“Ah! You’re worried about your friends?”
Airi nodded, “are they ok?”
“Of course,” Frankie pulled out his transceiver, “let’s see if I can arrange something for you, eh?”
He winked at Airi before standing up, walking away as he talked into his transceiver.

After a few minutes, the helicopter’s pilot came bumbling out of the aircraft, an irritated look plastered over his face.
“Frankie! What the hell is taking so long!?”
“Just a moment!” Frankie called back, hurrying towards Airi. Holding the transceiver  out to Airi, he pointed at a large red button, “press this one to talk.”
Airi looked up at Frankie, taking the transceiver. “Thank you.”

She held down the button, as she had been shown, and brought the device toward her mouth.
“Hello?”
“Airi!?” Maimi’s voice was crackled as it came through the speaker.
“Maimi? Are you ok, the others?”
“I’m not too bad. The other girls are fine.”
“They’re taking me on a helicopter…”
“A helicopter? Where are you going?”
“I don’t know… Maimi, I’m scared.” Tears began to trickle down Airi’s cheeks.
“Don’t be afraid. Take care of Maimai, ok?”
“Mai-chan?” Airi looked up at Frankie, “She isn’t with me…”

“That’s enough!” The helicopter pilot ripped the transceiver from Airi’s hands, hurtling it towards the ground where it smashed upon impact. “We’re late!”
“Pete, that wasn’t necessary!” Frankie let out a disgruntled huff before resting his hands on Airi’s shoulders and leading her into the helicopter.
“Frankie, what has happened to Mai? Is she ok?”
“I’m not sure,” he whispered back to her as he tightened her safety harness, “I’ll try to find out for you.”

Airi’s cheek was pressed against the cool window of the helicopter as she looked down at the island below. It gradually grew smaller and smaller as they flew further away. Further away from her friends, they were down there somewhere. Mai-chan, what had happened to her? Where was she being taken? Her mind raced as she yawned, tired from exhaustion.
Next to her, Frankie had opened a laptop and was typing away. She glanced at him. He had been nice to her when no one else had, but still he had taken her away from her friends. She wasn’t sure if she could trust him.
Pulling Frankie’s jacket tighter around her, she rested back against the window, gently closing her eyes and drifting to sleep.

[lollipopgirl]

OMG a new 'part of a chapter' and the promise for more soon, I likey!!! 

She lay in the middle of a small, dark storage space. A bright fluorescent light shone from above, illuminating crates, stacked high against the wall. Feeling something on her leg, she turned to see a group of small rodents crawling over her calves. Letting out a soft squeal, she backed herself into a corner of the room, stepping backwards, up onto one of the crates.
Tears began to swell in her eyes as she grabbed at her legs, curling herself into a tight ball.

OMG, ewwww... I'm sure you enjoyed writing that disgusting part... even if Airi isn't at the top of my list I still feel sorry for her already 

“Where are ya, puddin’?” he scoured the room till he spotted Airi, “Time to go, eh? Come on pretty girl, youse got a big trip ahead o’ you!”

“I asked ya nicely, but I s’pose little spoil’ gals like you ain’t got no manners, eh?”

I love the way you wrote his speech, really helped me picture how disgusting and creepy he seemed, but the way he treated her  Poor Airi, you DON'T do that to an idol!  when he stroked her cheek I shivered too!

“Airi-chan…” Frankie ducked down, wiping the tears from her eyes with his thumb. His hand was warm to Airi, not like the previous man’s cold hands.
“Fra… Frankie…” Airi’s voice stammered as she tried to speak, “… my friends?”
“Ah! You’re worried about your friends?”
Airi nodded, “are they ok?”
“Of course,” Frankie pulled out his transceiver, “let’s see if I can arrange something for you, eh?”
He winked at Airi before standing up, walking away as he talked into his transceiver.

Awww, he seems nice... How can he be part of the bad group when he is so caring! Does it mean that Airi was taken for a different other then to harm her... Maybe its the same reason I want to kidnap Kanna 

“Hello?”
“Airi!?” Maimi’s voice was crackled as it came through the speaker.
“Maimi? Are you ok, the others?”
“I’m not too bad. The other girls are fine.”
“They’re taking me on a helicopter…”
“A helicopter? Where are you going?”
“I don’t know… Maimi, I’m scared.” Tears began to trickle down Airi’s cheeks.
“Don’t be afraid. Take care of Maimai, ok?”
“Mai-chan?” Airi looked up at Frankie, “She isn’t with me…”

That sounds really suss  Or maybe Maimi is just being strong for the other girls like she always would as leader... I hope its not some computer generated voice of hers though and she (with the others) are actually ok... I wonder if Maimi assumed Mai is with Airi seeing she isn't with them or if the kidnappers actually told her that... Maybe they don't know where she is yet either 

“I’m not sure,” he whispered back to her as he tightened her safety harness, “I’ll try to find out for you.”

Again with the caring, awww... I like this guy  At least he makes me feel reassured that Airi will be secure with him and not harmed (at least for a while).

Airi’s cheek was pressed against the cool window of the helicopter as she looked down at the island below. It gradually grew smaller and smaller as they flew further away. Further away from her friends, they were down there somewhere.

And further away from the tracking device Ai so sneakily put on the boat (it was that boat right)  How the hell are they gonna find them now though... I guess if they find Maimi they will at least know they took a helicopter.

Glad your writing this and not me  I wouldn't be able to keep on track with it all 

  How excitement... leave me on a cliff hanger like that but say we don't have to wait too long for the next installment The detailed description is this 'part of a chapter' was awesome, i could really picture the damp cruddy room Airi was in to start with and the cold as she walked out of the room... And I like the introduction of the 'bad guys' and almost being able to put a face to the people who blew up the C-uties 
Now all you need is to add some more KanKan in the chapters and things will be going along fabulously oh most fabulous person ever  

[mini*wheat]

Really well written chapter. Not to say that the other's weren't, but I really liked how this stayed in one place and focused on one situation. I definitely can't wait to read more.

And figure out what happened to poor Mai Mai!!! D:

[niigaki_risa]

^But didn't Risa find her in the mess earlier in the story? ._.

Either way, great chapter! 

[AngelCakes]

Lollipopgrl (there is no way I'm quoting all your stuff  ):

* Not revealing TOO much, but Airi was the main reason for the kidnapping. The others were insurance, I suppose.
* You'll find out in another part of Chapter 3 about Maimi's conversation with Airi.
* Frankie will play a role a little later on. However, that role might not be what you expect
* It is true that Airi is being taken away from the island, but the island may reveal a clue as to where Airi is being taken.
* Kanna will feature a large part a few chapters from now.

Really well written chapter. Not to say that the other's weren't, but I really liked how this stayed in one place and focused on one situation. I definitely can't wait to read more.

Thanks  I did find it easier to write just the one focussed setting for this chapter, which is why I decided to do it in parts, rather than switch and change. There will be another 2 parts, the next one will be MM based and will have something to do with a scene in the prologue.

In regards to the rest of the storyline, I've mapped it all out now and I know what I'm writing in each chapter so hopefully that will help me churn them out a lot faster (no month in between chapters :p). Chapters also tend to revolve around the one group of girl/s (whoever they may be) which might be easier to follow when reading.

And figure out what happened to poor Mai Mai!!! D:

^But didn't Risa find her in the mess earlier in the story? ._.

Someone's on the ball

That's the scene btw

Either way, great chapter! 

Thank you

[AngelCakes]

Here is Chapter Three Part II It's MM centric. Hope you enjoy

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Part II
INFORMATION

“Reports coming in now indicate that an explosion occurred at approximately 9:15 this evening inside the Yokohama Arena. Emergency crews are assessing the situation but initial fears are that the casualties could be in the thousands. The explosion occurred during a concert for the Hello! Project idol group C-ute. The group contains seven young girls aged from 11 to 16. At this time it is unclear of those girl’s whereabouts.”

Bright spotlights shone down on the disaster that was unravelling in the plaza of the Yokohama Arena.
Emergency Crews had already curtained off the scene and members of the public had gathered around the police tape to catch glimpses of the victims as they were being carried out of the Arena on stretchers.

Ai’s boots crushed the small remains of broken glass that lay about as she jogged up to the Arena’s front entrance.
Pushing through the crowds, she ducked under the police tape, and proceeded to the nearest officer.
“Captain Yoshizawa, please.”
“Takahashi Ai?” the officer was taken aback upon realizing who he was speaking to, “Ma’am, the captain is very busy at the moment…”
“I’m sure she’ll find time to fit me into her busy schedule.” Ai turned away from the officer, who began to scurry away towards the Arena, folding her arms as she waited.

“Ai-chan!”
Risa waved through the crowd as she and Eri made their way towards Ai, each holding the arm of the tall thin man who was reluctantly being overpowered by the two girls.
“Risa, Eri,” Ai nodded as her friends reached her, “I thought you two were inside … who is this?”
“We saw him trying to escape,” Eri pointed towards the alleyway as she explained how they chased the man.
“He ruined my boots!” Risa chimed in, looking down at her brown leather boots, now discoloured with water stains.
Ai’s face twisted as she looked down at Risa’s feet. “Oh no! How horrible…” she commented sarcastically.
“I know, right!”

“Anyway,” Eri spoke up again, “we think he’ll be able to get us some info. Help us find C-ute.”
“You think you’ll get ‘em back? A bunch o’ girls!” The man laughed, showing off his yellow stained teeth.
Ai grabbed the tuff of the man’s collar, his laughter ceasing as she brought him close to her face. “I’ll show you what a bunch of girls can do!”

At that moment, two police cars came speeding around the corner, halting outside the front of the plaza. Reina, Sayumi and Linlin stepped out the first while Junjun, Koharu and Aika hopped out of the second.
“Once again, Officer,” Sayumi’s head tilted as she spoke to the driver of the car she had arrived in, “we are sooo sorry for crashing that cop car.”
“Sayu-cha….cha….chan,” the officer stammered as he spoke, “it’s no problem!”
“Awww! You’re so sweet! Kawaii!”

 The girls all grouped together as they began heading up the steps of the plaza towards the other three girls.
“Thanks for that Sayu,” Junjun whispered as she walked, “you saved my butt.”
Sayumi smiled as she turned towards Junjun “Now, can you see that kawaii is better?!”
“ehh … I guess?”
“I’ve got this cute pink sweater; it has love hearts on it. It would really suit you.” Sayumi nodded as she thought. “You know you’re really pretty Junjun, you should put your hair in pigta-“
“Sayumi!” Reina interrupted the girl’s discussion. “Not now!”

Ai smiled as the girls all gathered around in a circle.
“I’m glad everyone is safe, but we have more work to do. C-ute’s been kidnapped and we need to rescue them: Mission C-ute.”
“Risa and I caught this guy.” Eri pulled the man forward so everyone could see, “We think he’ll be able to get us some answers.”
“I’ll be in charge of that,” Ai took the man’s right arm off Risa, “Eri you can join me.”
Eri nodded as Ai continued, “I’ve set up a tracking device; Linlin I want you to be in charge of that. Risa, you take the rest of the girls and help Yoshizawa with whatever she needs.”
Risa looked around and began to work out which girls had been assigned to her.”
“Any questions?” Ai asked looking around at the other’s faces, “…no? Ok, good. Let’s go.”

Ai and Eri, both holding on to the man, began walking down the steps away from the Arena, as Linlin tagged along behind.
Risa counted the members she had been left with: Reina, Sayumi, Junjun, Koharu and Aika.
“We’re together again!” Aika grabbed Koharu’s hand, both girls smiling widely.
“With Junny-Jun too!” Koharu hugged her elder, Aika following suit. Junjun rolled her eyes.
 “Actually,” Risa spoke up, pointing towards Aika, “You’re a little young. You go with Ai and the others.”
“Awwww!” Aika and Koharu grabbed onto Junjun tightly, as if refusing to let go. “No fair! Koha is only a year older!”
“Hurry up, or you’ll miss them!”
Aika reluctantly let go of Junjun and began rushing towards the other girls who had almost reached the road.
“Bye, bye!” Koharu yelled out as she waved. “At least we’re still together,” she smiled at Junjun.
“Yay…”

Risa hurried towards Yoshizawa Hitomi who she saw briskly walking towards her.
“Gaki-san, where is Ai?”
“She’s left, but she left me in charge. We’re here to help with anything you need.”
“We’re almost done with the injured, but you can go inside and start looking for any more survivors.”
“Right, thanks”
Risa ushered the other four girls as she headed towards the Arena.

The deserted Arena lay under the dim battery operated lights of the rescue team.
Charred bodies were strewn across the ground, hundreds of lost souls.
 
Risa scanned the floor, cautiously stepping over the corpses.
“Any more survivors?” Reina yelled to her from across the grounds.
“Not that I can see,” Risa replied “but there’s smoke everywhere.”
“Everywhere is an understatement” Reina scoffed back in disgust.
 
A high pitched squeal came from the north side of the Arena.
Reina shone her torch in the direction of the darkness, revealing Sayumi and Koharu grasping onto each other.
“My torch,” Sayumi stammered, “it went out.”
The younger Koharu, next to her, was on the verge of tears.
 
“Here!” Junjun catapulted her torch across the arena. “You can have mine.”
The torch, sailing long past the weeping girls, landed towards the north of the Arena. Scuttling along the ground, it finally rested up against the main stage.
“There!” Sayu pointed to a lifeless body, unveiled in the darkness by the light, as Koharu let out a surprised gasp.
 
The five girls began running in unison towards the body. Upon reaching the solitary body, Risa stepped forward and rolled her over.
The young girl’s eyelids fluttered, as she scrunched her sooty face to make out her rescuers.
She spoke in a soft, broken voice, weak from the explosion.
“Ga…ki … san?”
 
Risa picked up Junjun’s torch, which lay at her feet, her eyes widening as she brought the light upon the young girl’s face.
“Hagitty-chan?!”

----

“I’m only going to ask you one more time,”

Ai leant in close to the man who was securely tied to a chair in the middle of the dusty lounge room of the MM Headquarters. Eri sat quietly in the couch, watching on.

“…who are you working for?!”
“Piss off!” the man spit in Ai’s face.
“That’s it! Eri, get the gun!”
“The what?” Eri sat up.
“The gun! Top drawer,” Ai pointed towards a chest of drawers in the corner of the room.

Eri got out of the chair, rushing towards the large oak dresser, opening the top drawer to find a small gun.
She picked it up carefully with her thumb and index finger and carried it towards Ai who immediately pressed it towards the man’s head. “Talk or you die!”
“Ya won’ kill me, ya NEED me!” he bumbled back.

“The tracking device says they’ve stopped at an island 22km off the coast,” Linlin’s voice came sailing from a back room, “Kyuuden Island.”

“I guess I don’t need you at all,” Ai smiled, “do I?”
The man’s smug smirk slowly disappeared as his forehead began to sweat.
“Who are you working for?”
“I ain’t talkin..” the man’s voice was now soft and crackled.

“The island’s owned by some guy called Don Castavill,” Aika hand rested on the pane of the door as she entered the room, “Linlin says he’s part of the Spanish Mafia.”
“The Spanish have mafia?” Eri’s eyebrows raised.
Aika shrugged, “Apparently.”

“So what does the Don want our girls for?”
“I told ya’ I dun know!”

“That’s it,” announced Ai cocking back the gun’s hammer, “I’ve had enough”
The two girls gasped, while the man raised his hands in terror, “No, please! I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”
“About time!” Ai slammed her right foot on the chair seat, in between the man’s legs, and leant in close to him. “What does the Don want with our girls?”
“I’ve never met him, but I know he just wanted one girl in particular.”
“Which one?”
“I don’t know her name… the main one.”
“Which one is that?” Ai turned to the two girls behind her.
“Airi?” Eri suggested.
“No wait,” Aika chirped, “maybe Maimi?”
“Whatever,” Ai turned back to the man, “What does he want this girl for?”
“I don’t know, to collect her, or something?”
“Collect?”
“In his castle …. in Europe…”
“What about the other girls?”
“They’re insurance, in case something happens to this main girl.”
“Where are they?”
“…the island”

Ai turned back to Eri and Aika, scanning their reactions to his admission.
“Can we trust him?” Aika asked.
“I’m telling the truth!”
“He sure is,” Linlin appeared at the doorway, “Our friend, the Don, has a palace in Spain; The Palacio Reales.”

“What was your name again?” Ai gestured towards the man whose eyes were fixated on the gun in her hand.
“Di….Diego….”
“Well Diego,” Ai accentuated the name as she spoke, “thank you for your cooperation.”
With one swift move, Ai slammed the butt of the gun against Diego’s head and he slumped into unconsciousness.

Eri grabbed the gun from Ai and ran to the chest of drawers from which she had retrieved it, tossing it in and slamming the drawer shut.
“I thought you didn’t believe in guns!?”
“That wasn’t a gun,” Ai smiled, “It’s just a starter’s pistol. I snagged it from a sports festival a few years back. It looks real, huh?”
“You scared me!” Aika sulked, slumping down in the couch.

“Ai-chan?! Eririn!?” Koharu’s voice came from the front of the house as she banged on the front door, Aika bolting down the front hallway to let the others in.
The girls filed into the front lounge, Ai catching site of Hagiwara, who cowered as she saw the man tied to the chair in the middle of the room.
 “Get him out of here.” Ai beckoned to Eri who, with some of the other girl’s help, lifted the man and carried him into a back room.
“Ai,” Mai walked up to Ai, who had opened her arms to embrace the terrified girl, “please help get my friends back.”
“I will,” Ai whispered back as she hugged her tightly.

[mini*wheat]

^But didn't Risa find her in the mess earlier in the story? ._.

I know! But I want to know why she was left behind. 

Another good chapter. I like how Ai is so tough. The little kawaii Sayu/Junjun exchange was cute, too!

 I'm writing in each chapter so hopefully that will help me churn them out a lot faster

Yay! 

[AngelCakes]

It may have been a little unexplained, but Mai wasn't caught because she fell off the stage after the explosion. That's why Diego (the guy who Risa and Eri caught) wasn't able to get her and thus missed his ride and then got caught by Risa/Eri. So no overly intricate reason to why she got left behind, she wasn't meant to be :p

[slasha]

Oh this is starting to get good.I didn't expect the Spanish Mafia to show up here.Hopefully MM will get to the bottum of this.

[AngelCakes]

Here is the final part of Chapter 3. This section is Maimi/Erika/Kanna/Saki/Chisato centric. Hope you enjoy

If you want to catch up on any of the chapters feel free to visit my blog. The links to all the chapters are as follows:

Mission: °C-ute: Prologue 1 2 3i ii iii

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Part III
DESPERATION

Maimi sat against the cold stone wall of her prison cell. The room was quite large with a tall ceiling and a lone door stood in one of its dark corners. Pipes crossed across the ceiling, leaking water which created stagnant puddles below. In her arms lay the limp body of Chisato. Her head rested back as she pressed a piece of cloth against a large gash across her friend’s stomach.

Kanna’s feet splashed in the water as she staggered towards Maimi. “How’s Chisa? Has she woken yet?”
“Not yet,” Maimi looked up at the worried girl, “but the bleeding has stopped.”
“Saki’s too,” Kanna looked back towards Erika who was nurturing Saki, her head resting in her lap, “but her leg is really bad. She’s not waking up.”
Kanna’s eyes began to water and she sobbed as she collapsed in the middle of the room.
“Kanna-chan, come sit by me.” Maimi rested her hand on the stone floor next to her, “Erika, you too.”

The three girls huddled against the wall, their heads rested on each other’s shoulders. On their laps the two injured girls lay as they were tended to by their group mates.
“We can’t last much longer,” Erika’s voice was horse and crackled, “we need to get out of here.”
Maimi nodded in agreement, but could not come up with a solution to their problem.
“What do they want with us?” Kanna wiped her eyes with her hands, “Airi and Maimai are gone and they leave us here to die.”
“We’ll be fine. Someone will come for us.” Maimi tried to stay positive. As the leader she felt an obligation to show authority and guidance in every situation, although she felt that this may be too big for even her.

The girls sat in silence as they thought of ways they could escape. Their minds fought off fatigue but within minutes they had surrendered to their bodies, falling quickly to sleep.

----

“Which one of you’se is the eldest!?”

The three girls stirred as they were woken, a short, stocky man stood at the open door of their cell.
Erika’s eyes slowly opened, the man’s voice echoed in her head as she tried to decipher exactly what he had just said. She looked down at her lap, Saki and Chisato still lay motionless.

“Speak up! Which one is the eldest!?”

Erika’s raised her hand, nervously.

“You, eh?!” The man pointed at Erika, who looked to the two girls beside her in desperation, “Girlie, come with me!”
“Wait!” Maimi began to get up, shifting Chisato’s head onto Kanna’s lap as she did, “I am the leader.”
The man looked back and forth between the two girls, scoffing as he turned away and headed back out the door. “Follow me!”

“Maimi,” Kanna reached her hand up from where she sat, grabbing hold of Maimi’s, “be safe.”
“I’ll be back, shortly.”

Maimi’s hand gently left Kanna’s as she slowly followed the man who slammed the door shut as soon as she had exited the room, leaving Erika and Kanna alone, nursing the two injured girls.

----

“Why did you kidnap us? What do you want with us?” Maimi pleaded as she was escorted down a small hallway, the man’s tight grip hurting as he tugged at her arm. “Two of my friends are hurt. They could die!”

The man ignored her as he continued down the hallway, stopping at one of the many doors. Pulling out a keycard of some kind, the man swiped a panel and proceeded into the room, pulling Maimi in behind him.

“It’s ‘bout time!” An elderly man, seated at a large control panel, turned his head as the two entered, “Could ya have taken any longer?”
“Ehhh, give me a break!” He pushed Maimi towards the elderly man.
“This the girl, huh?”
“Yep, this is the one. Seems she’s the right one too for talkin’ … whole time comin’ down here the lil’ bitch wouldn’t shutup!”
The two men laughed as Maimi stood silently in the middle of the room, trying to not show how afraid she was.

“Well get ov’r here!” The elderly man thrust his hand towards Maimi, who cautiously approached him.
He grabbed her as she reached him, pulling her towards the console which was full of lights and buttons.
“Wha- What is this?”
“It’s a communications panel,” The elderly man mumbled as he fumbled with the controls, “gonna ‘elp ya speak with ya friend.“
Maimi gasped as the man spoke into a small speaker which was connected to the communications console, “Oi, Frankie! I got the girl here, let’s get this done.”
He held out the device which Maimi took and held tightly in her palm.

“Hello?”
She recognized Airi’s voice immediately.
“Airi?!” She held the device up to her mouth and waited for the response.
“You stupid little runt!” The man laughed beside her, “Ya gotta press the button on the side, dumbass kid!”
Maimi ignored the man’s insults, pressing the button down and repeating her message.
“Maimi? Are you ok, the others?”
Maimi hesitated, questioning whether to reveal their grim situation to Airi, before deciding against worrying her. “I’m not too bad. The other girls are fine.”
The two men in the room scoffed and smiled at each other at hearing Maimi’s message.
“They’re taking me on a helicopter…”
“A helicopter? Where are you going?”
“I don’t know… Maimi, I’m scared.”
Maimi could sense Airi’s fear and felt powerless to helping her but tried her best to reassure her. “Don’t be afraid. Take care of Maimai, ok?”
“Mai-chan? She isn’t with me-”

The transmission ended suddenly and Maimi looked up at the two men in the room. “What’s going on? Get her back!”
“That’s enough,” The short man at the doorway walked up and grabbed her, pulling her away from the console, “back to your friends.”
“No!” Maimi tried to kick free as she was dragged across the room. “No! I want to talk to Airi again! Where is Mai!?”

The elderly man replaced the transmitter to the control panel, smiling as Maimi was dragged, kicking and screaming, from the room.

----

Kanna and Erika raised their heads as they heard screaming from outside their cell.
“Maimi?” Kanna looked at Erika whose face turned sullen and grim as the screams of terror grew louder.

The door burst open and Maimi was thrown inside, her body rolling along the ground and resting in a stank puddle of water. She kicked herself up, slipping as she headed back to the door which slammed closed.
“Where is Mai?!” She cried as she crawled towards the door, banging on its hard metal surface as she reached it. “What have you done with her?!”
Maimi’s face rested in the ground as she wept at the base of the door, her two friends looking on in shock. They were so used to their leader being brave and in control whilst here she lay, before them, her spirit broken.

“Maimi,” Kanna got up as she and Erika lay Chisato and Saki softly on the floor, before walking towards their cowering leader, “what’s wrong?”
“What did they do to you?” Erika rested her hand on Maimi’s shoulder as she sat on the cold stone floor, next to her.
“I talked to Airi,” Maimi’s voice was soft and distorted as she tried to talk through her tears, “she’s scared and she’s being taken somewhere.”
“…and Mai-chan?”
“She isn’t with her.”
Erika and Kanna looked at each other as they processed this new information.

Maimi’s crying suddenly ceased as she rose to her feet, drying off her eyes with her sleeve.
“That’s it!” Her voice was fraught with anger and pain as she spoke now, “Airi is in trouble, Mai…” her voice cracked as she said the young girl’s name, “…Mai might be too. We need to help them. We need to get out of here.”
“But the door is locked,” Kanna rested her back against the iron door.
“Saki and Chisato too,” Erika walked towards the two girls lying on the floor, “how will we move them?”
Maimi looked around the room, her gaze resting on the pipes on the ceiling.
“There,” she pointed towards a small vent in the upper corner, above them. “If we can reach that, then I can crawl out and get help.”

----

Maimi stood on Erika’s shoulders as Kanna looked on from below.
Maimi could just reach the vent which, though fastened to the wall, had rusted greatly. She pressed her fingers through the vent’s cavities and pulled back tightly, the vent falling off to reveal a small dark tunnel.
“Good work!” Kanna clapped her hands before grabbing the vent cover which Maimi dropped to her.
Maimi looked down to Erika below her. “Just give me a boost and I’ll be able to climb through.”
Erika grabbed hold of Maimi’s boots, lifting her up as she began climbing into the vent.

The girls watched as Maimi’s tried to manoeuvre herself into the vent, finding difficulty because of its size. After a few minutes of futile attempts, Maimi conceded defeat, Erika helping to lower her back down to the floor.

“It was worth a try, but it’s too small.” Maimi looked around thinking of some other plan.
“Wait…” Kanna looked up towards the small vent, “I’m smaller than you. I think I could fit.”
“Kanna, no!” Erika shook her head frantically. “It’s way too dangerous.”
“You two both said we needed to escape. That’s the only way out and I’m the only one who can fit through it. I can do it.”
Erika looked towards Maimi, who was looking up towards the vent.
“Ok,” Maimi looked back towards Kanna, “you can go.”
“Maimi, no!” Erika pleaded. “What if something happens?”
“She’s got a good head on her shoulders. I trust she can help us, plus we don’t really have any other option.”
Kanna smiled as she approached Erika, hugging her. “I’ll be okay. Usually I’d be really scared, but I want to do this. I know I can.”

The two girls both helped to lift Kanna up towards the vent, of which she snugly fit as she crawled inside.

“Kanna?” Maimi spoke up towards the vent, Kanna’s head had disappeared inside.
“Yes?” Kanna’s muffled voice floated back from the vent.
“Don’t try anything heroic. Just quickly find a way to unlock the door and that’s all, ok?”
“Roger!”
“Kanna?” Erika spoke up towards her friend. “Please, be safe.”

[CrypticShadow8]

This is a really great story!

I wonder what they want with Airi I hope the other C-ute girls escape and that Morning Musume finds them since they know their location.

Love the isolation of Aika Koharu and LinLin as the youngesters! Their interaction is hilarious.

Can't wait for the next chapter!!

[slasha]

I can't believe they would just separate the girls like that.I hope they get away safely.

[lollipopgirl]

OMG  things don’t look good for poor Chisato and Saki  They probably lost so much blood by now they will be unconscious for pretty long time. When you said “limp body of Chisato” to start with, I thought you had killed the poor thing… I was not impressed

I love Maimi’s tough exterior, not only does she absolutely make sure (as much as she can) that the others don’t get hurt and she goes in their place, but she also is willing to give the dirty old men a piece of her mind and bark orders at them, . I hope she is careful though, coz if she keeps back chatting they’re gonna hurt her.   

Awww Erika, so motherly and caring to the young ones, especially Kanna … I’m with Maimi though, I don’t think Kanna would do anything stupid, not at a time like this when her friends are already in enough danger. My little C-utie is such a brave girl
KanKan to the rescue! 

Oh that just reminded me of the C-utie rangers, thank goodness Maimi isn’t like that here, that would prove to be rather difficult for all in such a situation like this

Great job as always 

[chibilolli]

I just read through everything so far and OMG - Morning Musume as Special Agents. I love it.

I love how Risa's character was so concerned about her clothes. It didn't matter that there had just been an explosion at the Yokohama Arena whilst C-ute were inside, she was more pissed that the dirty water had stained her boots

I love how each chapter (or part of chapter) has been centric to one character or group. That works really well.

Can't wait for the next chapter...UPDATE!

[lollipopgirl]

I love how each chapter (or part of chapter) has been centric to one character or group. That works really well.

Can't wait for the next chapter...UPDATE!

Yeah it's great split up like that, it means we get to see so much more of what happens with each character/group then we would if the scene kept swapping back and forth! 

Nor can I wait

[AngelCakes]

Thanks for the nice comments people *hug* I always get lots of views but not many comments so it's nice when I get a few. Keep commenting, I really enjoy reading them 

Sorry bout no update this weekend, I was away until last night, so I'll try to work on the new chapter very soon as soon as I get my affairs in order.

In response to the comments:

@CrypticShadow8: You will find out what they want with Airi in the next chapter. It is Airi-centric and it will be all about her arriving at her destination.

@slasha: You'll have to keep reading to see

@lollipopgirl: Thanks for all the nice comments.

@Lolli: Glad you've enjoyed my story. I'll work hard to get the next chapter up asap. The chapters will continue to be centric to certain groups or characters like you have enjoyed so far.