Hello!Japan

[cool_kickin_dude]

Chapter 13

Phil woke up, still feeling tired from last night. Looking at the window, he saw the sakura tree petals fall from the skit and was carried by the wind. He had never seen a tree more beautiful like that in his life. He hoped one day that he could have a tree like that for his own home.He went over to where Rika was sleeping and kissed her before leaving for the kitchen.

He went and made himself some breakfast(to what little cooking skills he had) and sat down. Ryu and Misono got up and joined Phil as well. They began to talk about the concert and what they have done after. Suddenly, the house phone rang and Misono went to pick it up. After a few seconds, she gave it to Phil. "Someone wants to talk to you," she said.

"Who is it from?" Phil asked.

"Beats me. She didn't say."

For Phil, that was good news. At the same time, it could also be his mother. He went to the phone and he heard a quiet voice, but it was almost someone that he knew. "Hello?" he asked. "Who is this?"

"Meet me at the radio station in 10 minutes," the female voice requested.

"Who is this?" Phil asked.

"I'll tell you later, there's something I have to show you."

The phone clicked and Phil didn't know what to do. He hung up the phone and started to get on his shoes. Still puzzled over the request, he turned to his friends for support. "I gotta meet someone at the radio station," Phil told his friends. "I got a feeling something's bound to happen."

"Did you ask who it was?" Ryu asked.

"I did, her voice was calm though. I'm not sure about this."

"Hopefully, it won't take long."

"I hope not. Hopefully, it'll be fine."

Phil waved his friends goodbye and ran as fast as he could to the radio station. He started to worry about what was going on. He didn't know if the person was someone he knew or if the person was a total stranger. All he had to go on was that the caller was a lady. He ran to the radio station and didn't see anybody off the bat yet. Suddenly, there was someone who had a dark jacket on. Phil recognized the same jacket from a few weeks prior.

"Aya?" Phil asked. "Is that you?"

"You're right," Aya replied. "Come on, let's get in the taxi."

Phil followed Aya to the taxi as she told the driver their destination. "To the airport," Aya said.

The airport. Where everything had started for Phil. He began to have a knot in his stomach.

The two didn't say anything for five minutes until Phil finally broke the ice. "What's going on?" he asked.

"I wanted to show you something," Aya answered.

"You mean.."

"It could be, can I show you something?"

"What is it?"

Aya pulled something out of her purse and showed it to Phil. It was a picture that was taken just recently. It showed two people that Phil had not seen before, or maybe in a while. "Is that..who I think it is?" Phil asked.

"I don't know," Aya said. "Is it your parents?"

"I hope they're not," Phil replied. "But I got a bad feeling that it is."

"Right now, they're in airport security," Aya assured Phil. "Looks like they can't wait to start trouble."

"Wonder what they did?"

"Who knows? I took a picture just before they went in the room."

"So that's why you're taking me to the airport?"

"Yes, I want to make sure if that's your parents."

"They must have gotten help from someone."

"That's what I heard too, guess the airport people knows this third person."

"I can probably tell you who it is too."

"You do? Who is it?"

"A recruiter. He's been trying to get me to go with him before I left."

The taxi got to the airport entrance and stopped. "We'll be back in a few minutes.," Aya told the cabperson. She and Phil went inside the airport and went straight towards the security center. They saw security coming out with two people and letting them go. Phil could see their faces and began to panic and shake.

"Aya?" he asked.

"What's wrong?" she asked Phil.

"I believe that's them. That's my parents."

"Are you sure?" Aya asked.

"I believe so," Phil answered. "It's been a long while."

"You said that there was a third person," Aya replied. "Do you see that person?"

"Not with them," Phil said. "I bet they're waiting for them."

"We better get back home," Aya replied.

"Good idea," Phil said.

The two went back outside and went to the taxi. Before they went in, Phil saw someone that he thought he forgot from back home. It was a tall person looking straight at him. The stare gave Phil a cold shiver as he went in the taxi. Phil looked from the back window as Aya told the driver to take them back home. "What's wrong Phil?" Aya asked.

"You see that guy?" Phil pointed at the man from the back window.

"Is that the third person you're talking about?" Aya asked.

"I'm afraid so." Phil saw that the person was getting on his cell phone. "Is there any way you can make it go faster?" he asked the cab driver.

"Don't worry," Aya said. "I'm calling your friends right now to tell them we're on the way."

Phil kept looking out the back window to see if the person was following. He started to get worried and scared, knowing that it was all about to end abruptly soon. "I knew this was about to happen," Phil said.

"We gotta go to the police soon," Aya told Phil.

"You're right," Phil replied. "We may have to now. Looks like they're finally here."

"Remember," Aya promised. "We're not going to leave you to them no matter what."

The cab made it back to the apartment a few minutes later. Phil almost jumped out of the cab and ran to the door. When he opened it, he saw Ryu and Misono jump to their feet as they met Phil at the door. They could tell something had happened to Phil as Aya went inside the apartment. "You're not going to believe this," Aya told her friends.

"What's going on?" Ryu asked.

"They're here," Phil said, shaking all over. "My parents are actually here."

"What happened?" Ryu asked.

Phil and Aya began to tell Ryu and Misono the entire story. How Aya spotted Phil's parents coming off the plane at the same airport Phil left from months earlier. How the two saw Phil's parents in the security room. Phil finished the story about how he found the third person, a recruiter from back home as Phil was leaving the airport.

"Are you sure it was them?" Misono asked.

"I'm sure," Phil answered. "I never forget what they look like."

"Good thing I called you," Aya told Phil.

"Where's Rika?" Phil asked his friends.

"She left a few minutes ago," Misono said. "She'll be back here soon."

"Sorry guys," Phil replied. "I gotta find her."

"Why don't you call her?" Aya asked.

Before anybody could say something, Phil bolted out and went to find Rika. He knew he should call her, but he knew that she couldn't be far. Phil went to every place he could find. The radio station, the TV station, among other places. He began to panic, wondering if she was taken away by his parents. He called Rika on his phone and he got a dial tone. He was on the verge of tears before he heard someone screaming out to him.

"Phil! Watch out!" the girl yelled.

Phil looked and saw a car coming toward him. Luckily, Phil ran out of the way as heard a man screaming something at Phil. Phil knew it was probably an obscenity or two in Japanese. He didn't seem to care, he knew that if it wasn't for the girl yelling at him, he would be dead. He looked and saw two girls who ran toward him.

"Phil!" Yui cried as she hugged Phil. "Thank God you're okay."

"Yeah," Erika replied. "We thought you were gonna be run over."

"Sorry," Phil said. "You guys seen Rika?"

"She just called us a few seconds ago," Erika replied. "You okay?"

"No," Phil replied sadly. "Not at all."

"What's wrong?" Yui asked.

"My parents are here," Phil explained. "They just got off the plane an hour or so ago."

"This is bad news," Erika said. "Tell you what, why don't you come with us? Rika will be here any minute now."

"Where have you guys been?" Phil asked.

"At that restaurant over there," Erika answered.

Phil looked over at the restaurant. It was the same one that Phil and Rika went on their first date. The three went inside and waited for Rika. Within a few minutes, they sat near one of the corner tables that Phil and Rika sat months earlier. There wasn't anybody around, which made things a little easier.

Phil was a nervous wreck, he kept going outside, checking to see if Rika would show up. Erika and Yui went with him, and was just as nervous as well. Phil didn't mind the company, but he didn't want them to be caught as well. He stayed outside, hoping that Rika would spot him and the girls.

"How long does it take her to get here?" Phil asked impatiently.

"Hope nothing bad happened to her," Erika replied.

"Wait, is that her now?" Yui replied.

Phil and the girls looked and saw that Rika was incognito. She had on a different hat than her 'Charmy' hat and she was talking to another girl. Phil reconized the other girl, after some careful looking, that it was Maki Goto. Phil breathed a sigh of relief and rushed over to the girls. He led them back into the restaurant quickly so that they wouldn't be spotted.

"Phil, slow down!" Maki replied. "I know you're happy to see us."

The three, along with Yui and Erika went to their tables. Phil checked again to see that there was nobody else before he went to sit down. The girls could tell that Phil was beginning to show signs from when he first met them. Suddenly, Phil ran back outside without any reason. Maki didn't know what was going on. "Is Phil going to be okay?" she asked the girls.

"You probably don't know about Phil's parents, do you?" Yui asked.

"What about them?" Maki asked. At the time, Rika ran outside to meet with Phil.

Phil was beginning to shake and cry as Rika went towards him. Phil hugged her as Rika tried to figure out what was going on. She knew that it couldn't be good with her boyfriend becoming a wreck. "Is everything okay?" she asked. She knew that it was probably a dumb question to ask Phil.

"They're here," Phil said.

"Your parents?" Rika asked. "Are you sure?"

"Me and Aya just saw them an hour ago."

"Did they...hurt you?"

"Not yet, but I have a feeling they're going to soon."

"Don't worry, I told you before they will never hurt you again. We will make sure of that."

"I gotta do something."

"I know." Rika kissed Phil and led him back in the restaurant. "Leave it to us, we know what to do." She winked at Phil as she said that. Phil knew that he could trust Rika. She had never left Phil behind and she wasn't about to do that now.

Meanwhile, back at the apartment, Ryu and Misono tried to call Phil on his cell phone. There had been no response on his phone for almost an hour and they were getting worried. Phil had never been out this late and hadn't called them, unless it was for a concert or anything for that matter. Aya began to wonder if Phil had gotten himself caught by his parents. The thought made her shiver, to know that she may have opened a Pandora's box that Phil did not want opened.

"Do you guys know where he usually hangs out?" Aya asked.

"Wait, why don't we call Rika?" Ryu asked.

"We should have thought of it sooner," Misono replied.

Aya began to dial Rika's number and got her voice within a few dial tones. "Hello?" Rika asked.

"Is Phil with you?" Aya asked.

"He's here with us," Rika said. "We were just talking about what we were going to do."

"Does he agree that we have to go to the police?"

"He does now, it took him some convincing. We're going to do that soon."

"Just come back here when you're done. We'll all go down there together."

"Will do. We'll be there shortly," Rika said before hanging up.

Aya hung up and breathed a sigh of relief, as well as Ryu and Misono. "At least he's okay," she said.

"We should have known that he would be with Rika," Misono replied.

The three went outside, before they notice an odd-looking car driving up to the apartment. Before Ryu and Misono could say anything, the car pulled out and left. The two looked at each other before saying the same thing.

"I believe that's Phil's parents," they both said.

"I believe that was the recruiter too," Aya said.

"What do we do now?" Ryu asked.

"Get in," Aya said. "We're going to find Phil."

"How do we find him?" Misono asked.

"We'll meet at the TV station," Aya answered. "We'll call him from there."

They drove as fast as they could to the TV station, unaware that the odd-looking car could be behind them. Aya and her friends got there in little time and went inside. Aya began to call Rika on her phone, but got Phil on the other line. "Hello?" Phil answered.

"Phil, get yourself, Rika, and her friends to the TV station," Aya requested.

"What happened?" Phil asked.

"Just get over here quick," Aya replied. "It's real important."

Phil hung up, knowing that the worst had already come. He got up and went outside, where he met Rika and her friends. He had exchanged his phone for Rika's just in case something happened. "We gotta meet Aya at the TV station now," he told his friends.

"Did something happen?" Erika asked.

"You could say that," Phil answered.

Rika's car made its way toward the TV station, where they were met by Aya. Phil's group went in with Aya as they made their way to where Ryu and Misono were. "Sorry it had to be like this," Ryu said to Phil. "It just happened a few minutes ago."

"What happened?" Phil asked.

"You're not going to believe it," Misono said. "We couldn't ourselves."

"What is it?" Phil asked impatiently.

"We saw your parents," Ryu said.

"What?" Phil was shocked. "When?"

"Few minutes ago," Aya said. "We saw a car and it had three people in it. I got a good look at them and it was them. They backed up and they left."

"Now they know where you're at," Misono said sadly.

"Why can't just leave me alone and die?" Phil screamed. At that moment, Phil put his hand over his mouth. He had never said anything like that before. His friends couldn't help but laugh. "Guys, it's not funny," he told them.

"It is because we never heard you say that before," Yui said.

"Looks like I can't go back home now," Phil replied sadly.

"You could go with Rika," Erika suggested.

"I can't do that," Phil said. "Not now anyway."

"Do you know anywhere else you could go?" Ryu asked.

"I think I do." Phil got on the phone and began to dial a random number. A ring later, someone was on the other end. "Hello?" the woman asked.

"Hi, it's me," Phil said.

"Hi Phil! What's going on?"

"Can I ask you for a favor? I know it's unexpected."

"No problem, what is it?"

"Can I stay with you guys for a few days? I'll tell you about it as soon as you get here."

"No problem. We'll be there shortly."

Phil got off the phone and breathed a sigh of relief. He went outside and waited for the car to show up. His friends went out with him, wooried about Phil. "Who was you talking to?" Rika asked.

"It was Megumi," Phil said. "She'll be there in a few minutes."

"Sorry it came to this," Misono said. "We didn't expect your parents to appear at our house."

"It's not your fault," Phil assured his friends. "It had to happen sooner or later. Youguys might as well get the cops involved."

"Don't worry," Aya assured Phil. "They'll be knowing about this as we speak."

A few minutes later, Melon Kinebi came by as Phil waved his friends goodbye. Rika ran over to Phil and hugged him tight. She didn't want to let go, but she knew she couldn't do anything right now. Phil kissed her and whispered that it would be all over soon.

"Take care of him guys," Rika said to Melon Kinenbi. "He's the one thing I don't want to lose."

"Don't worry," Megumi smiled. "He's in good hands with us."

As the car drove away and Phil waved to his friends from the back window, Rika turned to her friends and knew something had to be done right then and there. "Get everybody on the phone," she said. "We're meeting back at the apartment."

"Mandatory meeting?" Aya asked.

"Definitely a mandatory meeting," Rika said.

[JFC]

Phi's got to grow a backbone and confront his problems instead of running away from them all the time. A military recruiter does not have the authority to force you to enlist, and unless Phil is under 18 years of age, his parents do not have the ability/authority to enlist him without his expressed permission. Unless they plan on kidnapping and/or forcing him at gunpoint to enlist, Phil's still in charge of his own destiny.

[glcorps2002]

Even with the gunpoint thing he can press charges and get them put away.

[cool_kickin_dude]

Chapter 14

As Rika and her friends were calling everybody for the meeting, the car carrying Phil and Melon Kinenbi was making its way toward their place. Phil kept looking out the window, hoping that he wouldn't be followed by his parents. He knew that his parents had gotten a good glimpse of him back at the apartment. It was only a matter of time before they would be able to catch him.

"You all right Phil?" Ayumi asked.

"It's Phil's parents," Megumi answered.

"What happened?" Masae asked.

"I went with Aya this morning to the airport," Phil began to say. "That's how I found them."

"I like to know how they got that kind of money," Megumi replied.

"I like to figure that part out too," Phil said.

"I wonder why they want you so bad?" Hitomi asked. "Did something happen?"

"I just didn't want to be around them anymore," Phil replied. "I was getting beat up, I had friends leave me, and basically everything I had was gone."

"Was it really that bad?" Ayumi asked.

"If I had my journals to show you," Phil replied. "You would be in for a shock."

"I can believe that," Masae said. "At least you didn't try to hurt yourself."

"If you only knew," Phil replied.

"Are you saying that you did?" Hitomi asked.

"I tried to," Phil said. "Unfortunately, I think that feeling is coming back to me again."

Meanwhile, back at the apartment, there wasn't a place to park. The entire H!P group was in the living room and wondering what was going on. Rika had come out of Phil's room, carrying two of Phil's journals. She put the third journal in her purse and joined the group. "Guys, we've got trouble," she said.

"What's wrong?" Miki asked.

"Where's Phil?" Yossie asked. Everybody was asking the same question. It seemed like nothing was any fun without Phil around. They have done so much with Phil that they couldn't go a day without thinking of him.

"That's the problem," Rika said. "He's gone."

"Gone?" Mari shouted. "Where?"

"If anything happened to him..." Yuko said.

"Don't worry," Rika assured the group. "He's with Melon Kinenbi for a couple of days. He's already told us to go ahead and get the cops involved."

"What do we tell them?" Nacchi asked. 'They can't make it just a stalking case."

"No, but I have these." Rika showed the two journals to everybody. Within a few minutes, there was shock, anger, and even tears. She looked inside her purse and saw that she had Phil's third journal safely tucked away. She got out her phone and pushed a few buttons.

"Rika," Nacchi said after a few minutes. "Get the police on the phone right now."

Rika did just that. She had the number to the station already on her phone. She called them as everybody else was still reading the journals.

Several miles away, Phil and Melon Kinenbi were driving toward a small stadium. Phil didn't know why, but it was probably an idea to keep his mind off of things for a while. It had been a couple of hours since he left Rika, but to Phil, the pain of leaving her was unbearable. The group was telling Phil about their concert that was occuring tonight. However, Phil's thoughts shifted to what was going on with his situation.

"Is everything okay, Phil?" Ayumi asked.

"He's still worried about Rika," Megumi replied.

"Don't worry," Ayumi said to Phil. "You'll see her soon."

"I know," Phil replied sadly.

They drove to the entrance of the stadium and got out. As they were walking, Phil kept looking around to see if he could see his parents. It was only a few hours since they got here, but already Phil was becoming paranoid. Phil began to wonder if he should have went to the cops a lot sooner. He didn't know what to think of anymore. His mind was pulling him in every direction imaginable.

Hitomi saw that Phil was far away from the group and still in the parking lot. Hitomi walked over to Phil, who was still looking around. "Let's go inside," she said. "That way, nobody will find you."

"You're right," Phil replied. "They couldn't buy a ticket in here, right."

Hitomi laughed and led Phil inside the stadium. As the two went inside, Phil saw the rest of the band going into a green room. It was only a couple of hours until the concert, so they had a little time to kill during that time. Phil wished that Rika would call him real soon. He knew that she was thinking of a way to get rid of his parents, but he would like to know about it.

"What do you guys want to do?" Masae asked.

"Beats me," Hitomi asked. "Any ideas, Phil?"

Phil just shook his head. His mind was still troubling him over what was going on. He wanted to say something, at least anything to his friends, but he couldn't find the words.

"Don't worry," Masae replied. "As soon as we get done with your parents Phil, they won't..."

"I don't want to talk about that, all right?" Phil's voice was angry, but strained. He was almost ready to cry. Not believing what he just said, he just covered his eyes and wept quietly. "I'm sorry girls," he said. "I'm just not feeling well right now. I didn't mean to yell at you."

"It's not your fault," Megumi said. "Hopefully, this will be over soon."

"I hope you're right," Phil said.

He left to go to the bathroom, which was next to the greenroom when his cell phone rang. Phil saw a number which he though to be Rika's To Phil, all the numbers he got from H!P were almost the same. Phil answeed it on the first ring. "Rika?" he asked.

"Nope," the girl laughed. "It's Aibon."

"Oh," Phil replied. "It's good to hear your voice right now, or anybody's."

"Thanks," Aibon said. "Rika just left a few minutes ago."

"Where did she go?"

"To the police station. It seemed like she just thought of a plan."

"What's the plan?"

"I don't know yet, but it sounds like it will work."

"Well, just have her call me when she gets back."

"No problem, I'll call you then."

Phil turned off his phone and left the bathroom. He began to exhale a small sigh of relief. It looked like things might be able to turn around this time. He knew that he had to go to the police soon, but he knew that it would be worth saving not only his friends, but also his life.

Phil went out to where the stage was and waited out there. The concert was about an hour away and he sat down at the steps. He wanted to call Rika, but before he could, Megumi sat down beside him. He looked and saw Megumi smile at him. Phil noticed something different about her. "You're not wearing your glasses," he said.

"I don't wear them all the time," Megumi replied.

A cell phone rang as Phil and Megumi checked to see which phone rang. Megumi answered her phone as Phil walked down to the seats and sat down. He decided to go ahead and call Rika, but before he could dial the last digits to her number, he dropped his phone. His hands were shaking and he was about to cry before he took a deep breath and tried to call her again. Before he could, he got a call from Yuko. "First time you ever called me, eh?" Phil asked.

"Wish it wasn't like this," Yuko said. "I should be bullying you, not them."

"Personally, I would like that," Phil smiled.

"You'll wish you didn't," Yuko laughed.

"You heard from Rika?"

"No, she hasn't called back."

"I wish she did, I miss hearing her."

"You better be glad you're not dating me. Your parents wouldn't be walking when I'm done with them."

"Believe me, they'll never see me again when we're done."

"You're right. We got the best police to take care of them. I gotta go, I'll make sure Rika calls you back."

"Thanks again, talk to you soon."

Phil turned off his phone and saw that people were coming into the stadium. Phil went backstage and saw that Melon Kinenbi was getting ready for the show. "Who was on the phone?" Hitomi asked.

"It was Yuko," Phil answered. "Nothing's changed."

"It probably will soon," Ayumi said.

"Who was on the phone?" Phil asked Megumi.

"Just a friend of mine," Megumi said.

"We gotta finish getting ready," Masae replied. "We'll see you soon."

Phil watched the group go back in the dressing room to get ready. Phil wondered who Megumi was talking to. Could it have been one of the members from H!P or someone else they knew? Phil didn't know what to make of it, but he didn't mind. He went to where the concert stage and backstage met and sat down in one of the chairs.

As the concert began, Phil's phone began to ring. He looked and saw Rika's number on there. He rushed over to one of the dressing rooms that Melon Kinenbi was in just minutes before. "Rika?" he answered. He knew it was her, but he wanted to make sure. "Is it really you?"

"Of course it's me," Rika said. "I've tried to call you all day."

"You're not kidding. I miss hearing your voice."

"Yours too. Where are you right now?"

"I'm at Melon Kinenbi's concert right now. What about you?"

"I just got back home from the police station. Why don't you come over here after the concert?"

"Hopefully, they'll be some good news."

"There is, besides there's something I need you to do."

"All right, we'll talk about it when I come over."

"See you in a couple of hours. I love you."

"I love you too." Phil hung up his phone and went back to where he sat down as Melon Kinenbi dedicated a song to him. Phil couldn't help but grin a little. Everytime he saw the girls on stage, they would smile at him. Phil was having such a good time that for a moment, his troubles were gone. As the concert was winding down, Phil went outside to walk to their car. As he opened the door, he saw a shady figure walking toward him. Phil began to realize who it was and started to walk away from the figure quickly.

"Don't you walk away from me," the figure said. "We're not done with you."

"Stay away from me," Phil said angrily. "I'm getting the police."

"No you're not," the figure said. "You're not going anywhere."

The figure tried to make his way toward Phil before a security guard yelled "Halt!" at the figure. It gave Phil enough time to run away before the security guard caught the figure. Phil could hear the figure call back for him. "We're not finshed with you yet!" the figure shouted. "We're not finished with you!"

As this was going on, Melon Kinenbi looked out and saw the security guard with the shady figure. They also saw that Phil ran away from the situation. "Thank goodness Phil got away," Hitomi said.

"That must be one of Phil's parents," Ayumi said.

"I wonder where he's going?" Masae asked.

"Hopefully, he call us soon," Megumi replied.

Phil didn't know what to do, he couldn't call for a taxi. He didn't know this part of town much, but he couldn't hide from the person for very long. He started walking road after road, trying to find his way out of the city and toward Rika's house. After almost an hour and a half, Phil sat on the pavement and began to cry. For the past couple of months, he was enjoying his new life. Now, everything was already falling apart. Phil dried his eyes and started to walk again. He walked for a mile before he saw a car pull over next to him. Phil began to panic, thinking that this was the end. The car window went down and Phil saw a familiar face smiling. It was Maki Goto.

"Hi there," Gocchin said. "Need a ride?"

"Am I glad to see you." Phil got in the car as they drove away. Phil looked at the rear view mirror and saw that the unknown city that he was in hours earlier disappear. "What are you doing walking in the city all by yourself?" Maki asked.

"I ran away from them," Phil answered.

"Who?" Maki asked. "Your parents?"

"No," Phil replied. "The recruiter."

"Who was that?"

"A month or so before I left, he wanted me to join the service so he could break me."

"Did you walk here by yourself?"

"No, I went with Melon Kinenbi at their concert. I gotta call the girls to tell them I'm okay."

Meanwhile, in another part of town, Megumi heard her phone ring. It had a text message from Phil which read:I'm okay, I'm with Gocchin right now. Headed to Rika's right now.Megumi breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness he's alright," she said.

"Who was that?" Masae asked.

"That was Phil," Megumi replied. "He's with Maki right now. He's going to Rika's right now."

"We'll call him tomorrow," Hitomi said. "Hopefully, he's okay."

As Maki's car pulled into Rika's house, Phil couldn't wait to get out. He ran toward the front door, which by then, the lights were already on. He went inside, not knowing if the door was locked or not. He saw Rika, who had just got off the phone with somebody. She ran over to Phil and hugged him tight. She saw Maki at the front door and hugged her as well.

"He was talking about a recruiter trying to chase him," Maki said. "Luckily, I found him before that guy did."

"I forgot to ask," Phil asked Maki, "but how did you find me?"

"Well, I know this city much more than you," Maki said. "Plus, I just finished a video and I followed you for awhile before I picked you up. I wanted to make sure we wouldn't get caught."

"At least you're okay Phil," Rika said as he kissed Phil. "I need you to come with me."

"I'll do anything right now," Phil replied. "As long as I don't lose you guys."

Within a few minutes, Phil found himself at the police station. He knew that this was going to happen, but he had to face the music and confess everything to them. He was in a small room with Rika, Maki, Yuko, Mari and a few others. "Okay Phil," Rika said. "Tell them everything."

"I need my journals first," Phil said.

"We got them with us," Nacchi replied. "They read it, but they gave it back to us."

"Oh no," Phil said. He put his head in his hands and wished that he was at the apartment. Suddenly, someone tapped his head. "Don't worry," Ryu said from behind Phil. "Maki already told us about the guy that tried to chase you. Just tell the cops."

"They have to know," Misono replied. "We'll stand by you."

"Unless he says something about this," the police officer said, "then we have no case." The officer started to walk away before Phil looked at him. "Wait!" he exclaimed. "I'll tell you everything." He looked at Rika, who nodded at him. He got something out of his wallet and gave it to the police officer.

"Those are my parents," Phil said. "They're after me and I need help. They're crazy."

[cool_kickin_dude]

Chapter 15

Phil knew the place, it was his house from back home. His parents had already yelled and probably have beaten him up again. He went up to the big tree that was in the field with a rope in his hand. He knew what he had to do, he couldn't live like this anymore. He began to climb up the tree and made it to one of the strong branches. He began to tie the rope to the brance as he put the noose on his neck. Before he could jump off the tree with the noose, he heard a voice calling him from the back of his mind.

"Don't do it," the voice said. "You'll let them win."

Phil wondered whose voice it was. "Rika? Can I hear you?"

Phil woke up before he could get an answer. He found himself sleeping on the couch, but he knew where he was. He was in Rika's apartment and he knew that his situation was going to get a lot worse from here on. He got up from the couch and turned on the radio. It was playing Berryz Koubou's new song, the same one that they played at the H!P concert days earlier.

He didn't know how he ended up here. He knew he was at the police department for a few hours before he went home with Rika. He didn't listen to what anybody said after he left the police station. It didn't matter to him, he had just poured his heart to everybody in a span of hours and all he wanted to do was to go home. He was glad to be with Rika as they kissed for a long while, but he didn't remember anything else after that.

He went in Rika's room as he saw the room and the bed already made. He then saw something which was familiar, it was one of Phil's journals. He went over and saw that a bookmark was already in place. As he opened the journal, he heard Rika's voice.

"Phil?" Rika asked. "Are you awake?"

"I'm up," Phil said, leaving Rika's room. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine." Rika said as she kissed Phil.

"Just curious," Phil asked. "Why did you take one of my journals?"

"It's the one you started," Rika said. "Read it."

"I will later," Phil replied. His phone began to ring, as he put the journal on the table. "Hello?" he asked.

"Hey Phil," Erika said. "Is Rika there?"

"Yeah, hang on." He gave the phone to Rika. "It's for you."

"Hello?" Rika asked. Phil sat down at the table and continued to listen to the radio. After a few minutes, Rika gave the phone back to Phil. "I gotta go," Rika said to Phil.

"What's wrong?" Phil asked.

"Nothing," Rika assured Phil. "I'll be back in a few minutes." She kissed Phil as she left the apartment. Phil watched Rika leave from the front window as he went back to the kitchen table and sat down. He decided to open the journal and begin to read it. He went to the page with the bookmark and started reading. It was written in Japanese, but Phil was lucky enough to understand the language, thanks to Ryu and Misono. He got out some paper and beagn to translate it.

Dear Journal,

I know I'm writing in my friend Phil's journal, but I want to tell you about myself. I am Rika, the same person that Phil has been talking about in this journal. I am also Phil's girlfriend, and have been for quite a while now. I know he hasn't written to you in a while now, so I'll pick up from where he left off.

About the time he met me, we have been close. Of course, we really didn't become close until a few days later. That was the time that I have heard about his past. He told me about why he left his home to come here. I knew that I didn't want to lose the most caring person I had ever met and I don't want to lose him now. We went to a concert just recently and he gave me the other journals to read and I was just in shock. I promised him then that I along with my friends that he would never be hurt by his parents ever again.

Then, just yesterday, Phil went with Aya to the airport. They told me that Phil's parents finally arrived in Japan with a third person. What I would hear is that he is a recruiter that tried to get Phil enlisted before he left home. I thought that was all that person was until Phil told the police last night that he was also a family friend. He had suddenly remembered something that he didn't want to remember. He also told the police that the person was trying to catch him during one of the H!P concerts last night.

We were at the police station for several hours until Phil wanted to go home. I don't blame him for wanting to go home. We've been so worried about each other for the past few days that it looked like Phil's parents want us to break up. It just tears me up inside that someone wants to take away our happiness. I decided to take him home to my place and we just kissed for a whole while. We whispered to wach other that we would never leave each other.

I'll go tomorrow and get everything situated at the station. Hopefully, this will all be over with in a few days. I love Phil and there is nothing or no one in the world that will take him away form me.

Phil read the journal entry several times before he began to cry. He was so glad that he had Rika and her friends. He put the jounal back in Rika's room and listened to the radio some more. He didn't know what was going to happen, but he knew that Rika was probably right. It would all be over soon, just how it was all going to end was still up in the air.

He turned on TV for awhile and watched as Melon Kinenbi was promoting their new album. He turned it off after a few minutes, deciding to go out for awhile. Besides, he couldn't stay in the house forever waiting for his parents to get him. He left a note to Rika, telling her that he would be gone for awhile before leaving. He looked around a few times to make sure that no one was watching him and got in his car(Ryu and Misono brought his car over the night before).

As he drove to town, he though about going to a nearby clothes shop to change his appearance. He thought against the idea and went inside a local mall. As he bought a few items for himself(PB's, a few cd's and whatnot) he saw that a girl in a red hat was looking at him. Phil could tell that he may have seen the girl before. He went to another mall store and he saw the same girl looking at him. She motioned Phil to follow her to another part of the mall. They went to the third level of the mall before Phil recognized who they were. It was Berryz Koubou, the same group that Phil was listening to the radio just this morning.

"I almost didn't recognize you," the red hat girl said.

"I just heard you guys this morning," Phil replied. "Good song,"

"Thanks. I'm Saki, the Captain of Berryz Koubou."

She introduced Phil to the other members of the group. There was Momoko, Chinami, Miyabi, Maasa, Yurina, and Risako. "We've heard about you for a while," Risako said. "Don't worry, you're in good hands with us."

"Don't worry, I can take care of myself," Phil replied.

"Looks like you bought one of our albums," Miyabi said.

"Yeah," Phil said. "But I wanted to get the new single."

"I believe we can help you out on that," Chinami replied.

The group went back to the store that Phil went in minutes before. As the girls looked around, Saki gave Phil a copy of their new single. She showed Phil that she left a copy where the other Berryz cd's were. "If I had known where it was, I would have bought it."

"Good thing we hid it," Maasa replied.

"Looks like you finally met them," a voice from afar said. It was Mari, who had came in with an unknown person that Phil had not seen since he came to Japan. Phil saw that the gril was handing her one of her cd's to him as well. "Phil," Mari replied, "this is Yuki Maeda."

"Nice to meet you Phil," Yuki replied. "How are you?"

"Right now, it's been a change from the last few days," Phil said.

"I'm sure it will be all right today," Yuki said.

"I sure hope so," Phil answered.

"Why don't we go somewhere so we could talk?" Mari asked.

"Sounds good," Phil replied.

Before Phil left, he got the numbers from the Berryz group before he went with Mari and Yuki. They went up to the food court on the second floor. After getting something to eat, the three went to a table far away from the rest of the crowd and sat down. They talked for a few minutes about what was going on H!P wise, before the conversation changed to what happened the night before.

"We're all proud of you for last night," Mari replied.

"Sorry it had to come down to this," Phil said.

"You have nothing to apologize about," Yuki said.

"I'll be glad when it's all over," Phil replied.

"Listen," Mari said. "I want you to meet us tonight."

"Where at?"

"You remember the train station?"

Phil remembered. It was the same train station that Aibon found him at months earlier. The same time he showed Aibon about walking in the rain. The same place he ran toward to when he thought his parents found him to start with.

"What time?" Phil asked.

"Around midnight," Mari answered.

"Don't you think it's a little late for a meeting?" Phil asked.

"Don't worry," Mari laughed. "We can stay up for that time."

"We'll call you tonight about it," Yuki replied. "Just don't tell anybody about it."

"Especially Rika," Mari said. "We have to tell you something about what we found."

"Rika went somewhere," Phil said. "She didn't tell me where."

"I've heard about you two for a while now," Yuki said. "You guys should be getting married."

"I wish we could," Phil laughed.

The three left in Mari's car, which took them back to Rika's place. Mari and Yuki dropped Phil off before Yuki gave Phil her number. "Don't forget the meeting tonight," Yuki told Phil.

"I won't," Phil promised. "Call me tonight before I go,"

"No problem," Mari said. "We'll see you then."

As they pulled away, Phil saw Rika's car coming towards him. Rika waved at Mari and Yuki before she parked the car in the driveway. She kissed Phil as she got out of the car. "What was you guys doing?" she asked.

"Just talking," Phil said. "Everything go okay?"

"Just fine," Rika said. "I'll tell you about it later."

Meanwhile, Yuko was driving to the mall parking lot when she saw Phil's car. Just about the same time, Mari and Yuki pulled up beside Phil's car. Yuko parked on the other side of Phil's car and got out to meet the two. "You guys are going to see Phil?" Yuko asked the two.

"No, we just dropped him off," Mari answered.

"We told him about the meeting tonight," Yuki said.

"Then everything is going according to plan," Yuko said. "We'll teach them not to mess with us or Phil."

Back at Rika's house, the two talked about their day. Phil talked about meeting Berryz, Mari and Yuki at the mall. He was told the night before by Yuko to meet Mari at the mall and to leave the car there. It was a crazy idea, but it worked so far. Rika told Phil about meeting Ryu and Misono at the apartment and how they were worried about him.

A few hours had passed by as Phil and Rika were eating dinner. Everything was fine just as it has been, when suddenly Rika went into her room. Phil thought she had another call, even though he didn't hear her cell phone ring. Suddenly, Phil's phone rang, knowing that it would be Mari on the other end. "Hello?" Phil asked.

"Forgot about the meeting yet?" Mari asked.

"Nope, still going to it."

"Good, make sure to come alone. We'll bring your car back with us."

"All right, see you at midnight."

Phil hung up the phone and went in Rika's room where she was reading Phil's journal, the one where she and Phil met. Phil went behind her and hugged her, where he could hear her crying. Rika turned around and hugeed Phil as she began to cry uncontrollably. "I'm sorry Phil," she said. "I just couldn't hold it in anymore."

"You're about to make me cry now," Phil said softly. He put his forehead to Rika's and kissed her. "If anything ever happened to you, I don't know what I would do."

"Do you believe we're fated to be together?" Rika asked.

"I believe so," Phil replied. "I believe we were when I met you."

"Me too," Rika said as she kissed Phil. She wiped the tears from her eyes and led Phil to the bed where they held each other and kissed for the next few hours. Phil checked his watch and set his alarm for tonight's meeting at midnight. It was already 8:30 PM.

At the same time Phil was resting, a car had already pulled up to the train station. It was Nacchi, who got out with Tsuji and Aibon. Just then, another car had pulled up, which contained Melon Kinenbi. The group waited for at least one more car before Yuki, Mari and Phil would come later on. As Tsuji and Aibon sat down, they began to wonder what the main reason of the meeting was about. They only heard bits and pieces from members of H!P.

"Do you think Phil will come?" Aibon asked.

"He has to," Tsuji answered. "I heard he told the police about his parents."

"That's what I heard too," Nacchi replied.

Another car had pulled up to the train station. It was Maki, Kei and Yuko. They met the group and sat down as they began to talk about the previous night. Soon, everybody in the group knew about the situation at hand. They began to wonder if they should just call Phil and have the meeting started early. "Is Mari supposed to be here?" Nacchi asked.

"Mari's with Yuki," Yuko answered. "They're talking to Morning Musume right now. They'll be picking Phil up in his car."

The last train of the night sped through the tracks as the group watched. Nobody knew what to expect when Phil would show up later on. They were just as nervous as Phil was. Besides, they had enough information that could help Phil or send him over the edge.

It was 10:30 when Phil woke up. He could hear Rika switching channels on the TV as he went in the living room. He began to get his coat and started to go out the door. Rika saw him about to leave and got up from the couch. "Where are you going?" she asked Phil.

"I have to go," Phil said.

"Where to?"

"I can't tell you right now." He went to Rika's bedroom to get his cell phone and his wallet. Before he could leave, Rika tried to block him from leaving. "You can't go," she begged Phil.

"Don't worry," Phil replied. "It's not what you think."

"How do I know that?"

"I've gotta go somewhere," Phil said to Rika before he kissed her. "I promise I'll be home soon."

"I don't want you to go," Rika said. Her eyes were beginning to water.

"I know," Phil said. "But it's something I have to do. I can't be scared and keep running away forever."

Phil started to leave before Rika ran toward him. "Please, don't leave me!" Rika cried as she hugged Phil. "Don't leave me alone without you." She cried onto Phil's chest before she kissed Phil passionately. It was the most intense kiss that either of them ever experienced. "Just hold me...please," she said.

"All right," Phil replied. "I got enough time."

They held each other for awhile before Phil saw that Rika was asleep on the couch. Phil kissed Rika's forehead and went to the door. He closed the door silently and started to walk. He saw his car in the distance as Mari blinked the headlights. He went to his car and saw Mari and Yuki open the door for him.

"Ready to go?" Mari asked.

"Yeah," Phil said. "Let's do this."

[cool_kickin_dude]

Chapter 16

They drove to the train station where everybody was at that moment. Phil was glad his friends were the only people that could understand his dilemma. It would take the average person about a week to comprehend what Phil would say to that person. He wondered what was going to happen at the meeting that was so important.

The car stopped just shy of the train platform before the three people got out. The large group upstairs did not notice the three people coming up to the platform, nor did they see the car pulling up to the station. Phil began to have a worrying feeling come over him before he made it to the top. Both Mari and Yuki could sense what it was, it was the fear of what could be said. What Phil did not know was, that Yuko had already told Mari and Yuki about the meeting.

"You all right?" Mari asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Phil answered. "You sure you guys want to do this?"

"It's the only way," Mari replied.

The three walked over to where Nacchi was, who had finished talking to Yuko. She went over to Phil and hugged him tight. That was, until Yuko interrupted them. "You know, he's dating, right?" she said to Nacchi.

"I know," Nacchi replied. "We just don't want to lose him."

"We all don't," Kei replied.

"So, what is this big meeting about?" Phil asked.

"You sure you want to hear this?" Yuko asked.

"I have to know," Phil said.

"First, we have to apologize to you," Maki said. "We haven't been fully honest with you about your home life for the past few weeks now."

"What are you talking about?" Phil asked.

"First of all," Nacchi handed Phil a small picture. "Do you know this guy?"

Phil looked at the picture for a few seconds before he realized who it was. "It's an old friend of mine," Phil replied. "His name is Richard. I used to work for him a couple of years ago."

"You realized he's another recruiter, right?" Yuko asked.

"He's a good guy," Phil said. "Unfortunately, I was introduced to the other guy last year."

"What happened?" Maki asked.

"I went to the fair to get away from everybody," Phil explained. "Me and Rich haven't talked since he got called overseas. That's how I met that recruiter."

"I believe these are yours too," Maki gave Phil back his journals. "Don't worry, we made sure that the police gave them back."

"The police told us that the recruiter has been in trouble with his superiors before," Yuko said. "I believe this is his revenge."

"Seems that the person and your parents have the same traits," Kei said.

"It seems you haven't told us everything yet also," Nacchi said.

"If I had about a week, I could tell you stories that were a lot worse." Phil looked down from the train platform. He shedded a tear when he felt both of his hands clutched. On his right, Nacchi smiled as she patted his head. On his left, Maki smiled and wiped a tear away from his eye. "We're glad you're with us now," she told Phil.

"No matter what happens," Nacchi said, "we'll always be there for you."

"Thanks guys," Phil said. "Looks like I'm gonna need you guys more than ever."

Just at that moment, another car had parked near the train platform. That car had Mari and Yuki, as well as Ryu and Misono. The four walked up to the platform and hugged Phil. "We got some good news for right now," Ryu told Phil. "The police now know where they are staying."

"It appears that the recruiter gave them the money to fly here," Misono said.

"I can't understand," Phil replied. "They would never get on a airplane."

"There's more," Mari told Phil. "Seems now that your dad and the recruiter are becoming good friends. They'll be on the move soon."

"Doesn't surprise me," Phil said. He looked at his watch, which nearly read 1:00 AM. "I gotta get back home."

"Why don't I walk you home?" Nacchi asked. "I'll have someone pick me up after you leave."

"Well.." Phil didn't know what to say, even though this was a different situation than from this morning when he left his car at the mall for Mari to pick him up in. "Why not?" Phil agreed. "I'll let Mari use the car for a few more days."

"Don't worry," Mari smiled. "I won't mess up anything, except the radio."
Phil and Nacchi said goodbye to the group, before leaving for Rika's house. Mari told Phil that she would call him if anything happened. As Phil watched Mari pull away in his car, he had an idea to take the car, go to Rika's house and take him with her and run away together. The station, which had been bustling for the past two hours, was nothing more than a distant memory.

Nothing was said for about a mile or two, until Nacchi cleared her throat. Unfortunately, Phil didn't hear her. His mind had already back into defense mode. He knew one day, when it was all over, he would have to tell his friends about everything he could remember(which would have lasted several journals). He looked at the sky and saw that the clouds were already forming for the oncoming storm that would lie ahead.

Nacchi cleared her throat again until she realized that Phil wasn't listening. "You don't have to be that way all the time," she said. "It'll be over soon."

"I know," Phil sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if this trip was a curse."

"You shouldn't say that. Think of what would have happened if you didn't go."

"I have a lot of explaining when this is over."

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with us."

They didn't say anything else for another ten minutes until Nacchi asked for a favor, something that Phil wouldn't expect. Phil saw that Nacchi was cluthing to Phil's hand real tight. "Can I kiss you?" she asked.

"Why?" Phil asked.

"I know you're with Rika, but there's been a few of us that have been wanting to ask you out for awhile now." Nacchi said as she looked at Phil, who slightly nodded for her to continue. "I promise, I won't hurt you." Nacchi said, moving closer to Phil's face.

"I'm surprised you guys didn't tell me this sooner," Phil said.

"Well, we thought we wanted to kiss you at least once before anything happened to you," Nacchi said. "Even Yuko wanted to kiss you, although she won't tell you that."

"Figures for her," Phil chuckled.

"You ready?" Nacchi asked. She could tell that Phil was back in defense mode again. His face moved away slightly from Nacchi's. She cupped her hands to Phil's head and smiled. "Don't be afraid," she said.

She kissed Phil slowly for a few minutes before letting go. The kiss was almost the same as Phil's first date with Rika, but not intense. Phil saw that Nacchi wanted to say something to Phil, but she coudln't find the words. She tried to kiss Phil again before Phil stopped her.

"I can't," Phil said. "I'm with Rika."

"I know," Nacchi said. She hugged Phil, just as tight as Rika did to him hours earlier. "I'm not gonna lose you to them. We will make sure of that."

"I know you guys will," Phil said. "I wish they would hurry up and come so I can finish this."

"What will you do when they do come?" Nacchi asked.

"I don't know," Phil sighed.

The two began to walk again until they got to Rika's house. They did hold hands until Nacchi let go of Phil's hand as he got to the front door. Phil didn't seem to mind holding hands with Nacchi. He probably wouldn't mind holding hands with any of the girls, but the other girls hadn't kissed him yet. He turned around to see Nacchi before he went inside.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Phil replied.

"Good night," Nacchi said.

Phil went inside and saw Nacchi walk for a few minutes before he saw a car that picked her up. He went to Rika's room and laid down. He saw that Rika was asleep with her face towards Phil. He kissed her forehead which almost instantly, woke her up. She smiled to see Phil beside her and began to kiss him. Phil pulled away for a moment. "Can I ask you something?" he asked.

"Of course," Rika said. "You can ask me anything."

"Do the other girls want to date me?"

"You wouldn't believe who wants to date you. Everybody's been jealous of me now."

"What about kissing me?"

"Phil," Rika said as she put her arms around Phil's neck. "I don't care if you get kissed by another girl. Just make sure it's one of our girls."

"I feel better now," Phil said. "Nacchi kissed me as we were walking back."

"I'm surprised it wasn't Yuko first," Rika replied. "She won't tell you that directly."

"I'll tell you about what happened tomorrow," Phil said. "Let's just get some sleep."

"Good idea." The two kissed for awhile before they went to sleep. Phil slept through the night without any bad dreams. He knew that this wouldn't last long. The real nightmare was about to emerge, he knew he had to prepare himself for it.

Meanwhile, back at the H!P club's apartment(Ryu and Misono's place), the two friends were getting ready for bed. The house phone rang as Ryu was getting ready to take a shower. He picked it up as Misono stood in the living room, fearing the worst. "Hello?" Ryu answered.

"Is everything okay?" Erika asked. "Yui and I haven't heard from Phil for a few days."

"He's over at Rika's place right now," Ryu said.

"Rika must have turned off her phone. That's probably why I couldn't get an answer."

"Why don't you go over there tomorrow?"

"Good idea. Me and Yui will be over there tomorrow, why don't you come with us?"

"Sounds good, see you then." Ryu hung up the phone as Misono breathed a sigh of relief.

"This would be good for all of us," Misono replied.

"We better get some sleep then," Ryu said as he went in the bathroom.

The next morning, a car pulled up to the H!P club residence. It was Erika and Yui who got out of the car to meet with Ryu and Misono. The four went inside the apartment and sat down. Erika began to call Phil on her cell phone as Yui gave Ryu and Misono tickets to their new concert. Luckily, Erika heard the dial tone from her phone. She had been trying to call Rika for the past two days.

"Hello?" Rika asked.

"I've been trying to call you, what happened?" Erika asked.

"Sorry, it's just been a rough couple of days. Phil's here with me"

"I figured that. You guys want to get some breakfast?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Great! We'll be over in a few minutes."

Erika hung up the phone and went to where Yui was, who was with Ryu and Misono talking about their concert. "Don't tell them everything," Erika told Yui. "You'll ruin it for them."

"I'm not," Yui said. "I'm just telling them about our new single coming out soon."

"We better get going," Erika said.

The four went outside to the car and drove to Rika's house. They were talking amongst themselves about what was happening between Phil and Rika. Within a few minutes, they arrived and saw that Phil and Rika had already been waiting for them. Phil knew he had to tell not only Rika, but also his friends about last night's meeting. He knew that he and his friends would be in danger in broad daylight. He just hoped that the police would live up to their end of the bargain and protect him.

"We've been worried about you Phil," Erika said.

"We've been wanting to talk to you," Yui said.

"I know," Phil replied. "I've got a few things I have to tell you as well."

"My guess is that it's bad," Misono replied.

"There's more to this," Phil answered.

"What could be worse?" Ryu asked.

"I'll tell you when we get there," Phil replied.

Nobody said a word until they got to the cafe, which was best for everybody since they didn't want to ruin the moment. As they got out, Rika and the girls ordered the drinks as the H!P club sat at one of the tables outside. After Rika and the girls got back with the drinks and sat down, Phil's second meeting in less than 12 hours began.

"So, what happened last night?" Erika asked.

"Nothing major," Phil said. He began to tell them about the recruiter and how the person was related to his friend Richard, another recrutier from back home. He showed the gang a picture of Richard as to not get the group confused over the wrong recruiter. "I used to work with him on another job before I went for security," Phil explained.

"So, he's not here in Japan right?" Misono asked.

"No," Phil answered. "He's probably stationed overseas again."

"Speaking about this recruiter," Ryu said, "we have to tell you that he was by last night."

"What happened?" Phil asked.

"He was in the same car that followed you from the airport. He passed by slowly as if to stop, but then drove away."

"It's funny," Erika said. "We saw the same car yesterday."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Rika asked.

"We didn't know if it was the same car at first," Yui said. "That's why we were trying to call you."

"We took some pictures of him and the car," Ryu said as he gave the photos to Phil. Phil looked at them closely for a few minutes before he confirmed his suspicions. It was the same person, all right. Phil was glad he wasn't at the apartment right now as this was happening.

"We're staying with Erika and Yui for a few days," Misono said. "That way, nobody will know that we're over there."

"Besides, we got the police at the house to check things out," Ryu replied.

"Never thought we would have to move out of our own house," Phil replied sadly.

"Don't worry," Yui said. "It'll probably last a few days, no big deal."

Phil didn't want to say anything else. He looked at the sky above as his thoughts began to wander. He couldn't fight it, it was traveling him to another part of town, another time frame. For the first time in as many months, if not years, he began to wonder what his parents were doing, if not planning their next move.

[kuro808]

wow i like the chapter, now i got to read the back chapters 

keep up the work

[cool_kickin_dude]

Chapter 17

In an apartment on the other side of town, a tall, but familiar figure went inside. He had just finished his drive from the city with few stops along the way. Of course, he had went by the apartment again to see if the troublemaker was still there with his so-called friends. Sure enough, he was. He wouldn't be there for long, the man thought. He was going to finish what he should have done back home. He thought, since the troublemaker liked to travel so much, he wouldn't mind traveling to another part of the world. Probably with no friends and a lot of fighting too.

He put his evidence of the day onto the kitchen table and got something out of the fridge, preferably a beer. His stomach wasn't as stout as it was in the early days, but when you are away from the service for awhile, it doesn't seem to mind. He ran his hands through his light brown hair, which had a few gray hairs. Probably the troublemaker's fault again. Wouldn't matter, when the guy was through with him, that person would have more than a few gray hairs to scare him to death.

The troublemaker had met the recruiter before, he had seen the guy last year. He remembered that it was the county fair. He had went with one of his superior officers on the trip to get some people interested about the service. That was when he saw the troublemaker, talking to the recruiter's superior officer. Almost like buddies, like they haven't spoken in a while. He didn't think much of this stranger at first, but when he started talking about his life, the recruiter knew then that it was the same person he was requested to know more about from his parents.

He had gotten his information from the stranger's father. He was actually good friends with the father, he had known him for a number of years and tried at one time to get him to join the service. That was when everything was supposed to be fine. The man would bring home the money just like the woman and the kids were to do as they were told and were supposed to respect the elders whether they liked it or not. That was how he was raised and that was how people was supposed to be. His father didn't enlist in the service, but he did it to make his parents proud.

He thought he would be set for life, but that didn't turn out that way. He was discharged this past year, he lost his wife and kids to divorce and it was all the troublemaker's fault. He was going to make him pay, he would make the troublemaker lose everything. Besides, the only way to make someone pay is to make that person lose everything just like the recruiter. The thought brought a smile to the recruiter's face.

He checked his phone to see if anybody called while he was out. No answer. They would call him soon for the details. He went back to his thoughts on how it got this bad for him.

He couldn't understand why or how it happened. It became a domino effect to him and the people around him. It may have been premeditated before he even met the troublemaker. His marriage was already on the verge of ruin, thanks to his long hours away and the suspicion of maybe someone else. He may have been with somebody and if he did, he never told his wife. She always was a inquisitive person to talk to anyway. Even the kids had their suspicions over what was going on.

To say that he could be either possessive or obsessed with his actions would be a huge understatement. To his peers, they knew that the recruiter was a no-quit person, but his ways were sometimes over the line. It had gotten him in trouble several times, with threats of demotion, expulsion, even in divorce. He didn't really seem to mind if he got himself in trouble or not, he knew that what he was doing was right.

He had enlisted in the service years back with his parent's support. Within a few months, he was moving up the ranks and was in command of his own troops. He had been overseas for almost a year before he came back home to praise from his family. Unfortunately, it would be the only good praise he would get for here on.

Then, the problems began. The domino effect.

First, his command was in trouble for not following protocol. They had taken some people captive and the recruiter had broken the laws of interrogating captives. He was in hot water with his superiors after the interrogations. He told the superiors that it was the right thing to do and it had to be done to get information from the captives. It got him court-martialed and demoted in rank after a quick trial. His command was stripped and he was relegated back home to recruiting new people.

It was last year when he and his superior Richard went to the county fair to recruit more people. They were going to be there for the entire week. They were doing a good job of keeping with their quota on the number of people being interested, even signing up. Nothing unusual was supposed to happen during that week.

That was when he first met the troublemaker.

Before he could think of anything else, he went back to the fridge and got himself another beer. He never did like the taste of Japanese beer, he had to go deep into town to find the beer he liked. He checked his phone again, no messages. The recruiter knew they had to call him soon. He sat back down at the kitchen table and thought back to that day. The day when his priorities changed. The day when his life changed forever.

The day when his life began to fall apart because of it. Because of the troublemaker.

If the recruiter had his way last year and knew about the troublemaker before meeting him at the fair, he would have gone ahead and shot him. He wouldn't care if he spent the rest of his life in jail, it would have gave him a sense of justice of shooting him. Nevertheless, he met him last year and he knew that his life was changed from that moment.

He knew that the troublemaker wasn't like anybody he had seen before, he had seen worse. If it wasn't for his superior looking over, he would have taken the troublemaker and forced him to enlist against his will. The troublemaker went over to superior Richard and started talking to him for awhile, which made the recruiter jealous. He stood and was listened to whatever jibberish that the troublemaker talked about. After about ten minutes of mindless talking, the superior talked about enlisting. The troublemaker just took some forms, nothing more and he left. After he left, the recruiter asked the superior about the person.

"Who is that?" the recruiter asked.

"That's a friend of mine from a couple of years ago," Richard answered.

The recruiter went back to work talking to young people about joining. He knew that it would be a long time before he would meet the troublemaker again, but he would never forget the face. After a few hours, he went back home to what would be a quiet night. His wife and kids were not at the house, but he didn't need them anyway. He was starting to get tired of them anyway. He didn't want them to know anything about his private life.

He decided to go back out and find a bar to drink away his problems. He parked near the entrance and went inside where he found someone already drinking his problems away as well. He pulled alongside the person and started a conversation with him. The person had a picture of his family from a few years back and was looking at it for a few minutes before he said something to the recruiter.

"I would have the perfect life," he said, "if it wasn't for him."

"What are you talking about?" the recruiter asked.

"This person," the person said, pointing at the person in the photo.

The recruiter was stunned. He could not believe the same person in the picture was also the same person he saw at the fair just hours earlier. He didn't say anything about it to the person, so he decided to ask more about the troublemaker. "You must be his father, right?" the recruiter asked the person.

"I don't call this person a son of mine," the troublemaker's father said. "Not if he is going to fight me when he knows that it's wrong."

"What's he trying to do?"

"Who knows? All I know is that he's trying to be someone that he shouldn't be."

The father then turned to the recruiter and asked him the million-dollar question. "How would you like to help me out finding out what he's doing?" the father asked.

The recruiter smiled. It may have not been for a million dollars, but finding the troublemaker was worth more than all the money in the world.

For the next couple of months, the recruiter was given information by the father on what the troublemaker's doings. Where he went, who he saw(the few people that haven't been drove off yet), there wasn't a fact that was missed by the recruiter. He knew he would meet up with the troublemaker sooner or later. It would be a matter of time. He didn't ask for anybody to help him, it would just give him more trouble. He knew that the troublemaker would have a punishment that he will never forget.

He went to all the places and saw the people that he was asked by the father. The recruiter wished he didn't have to stay in the town he lived in for long. The town had pretty much turned its back from him, thanks to the interrogation controversy a few months back. He wanted to leave, but finding the troublemaker was the main reason of staying in the city for a few days longer.

Finally, everything came together one day. The recruiter saw the troublemaker trying to find a job. As the idiot kid left, the recruiter pursued him all across the city. He was hoping that the idiot kid would get himself lost so that the recruiter could take advantage. After several miles, the troublemaker stopped at a gas station to get gas and a few snacks. The recruiter pulled back a few feet so he could surprise him when he got out. After a few minutes, the troublemaker came out and saw someone that almost familiar to him. The recruiter came up to him, ready to either kill the troublemaker right there or surprise him with the father.

"I've been waiting for you," the recruiter said.

"What are you talking about?" the troublemaker asked.

"Your father was right. You are a lot of trouble to everone and you're going to stop it right now."

"I knew he would do something stupid like that."

"Don't get smart with me. Go home now, I'll be waiting for you there."

That was when things really began to unravel. Before the recruiter could grab him, the troublemaker sped off in his car with the recrutier following. He started to ram the idiot's car a few times to try and get him off the road. It wouldn't have mattered to the recruiter if he killed the troublemaker or not. The father would understand, he probably wouldn't have cared either. However, there was one major flaw in the recrutier's plan. There was a cop that was watching the whole situation. He pulled over the recruiter's car as they let the troublemaker's car get away.

"I figure it would be you," the cop said to the recruiter.

"You should be pulling that punk over," the recruiter said. "He tried to run me off the road."

"Yeah, right." The cop arrested the recruiter and put him in jail for the next few hours before the recruiter made bail. Now, there would be a different side to the recruiter that very few people saw, especially in his own squadron from overseas. If the squadron saw that look, they would run away as well. They knew not to mess with the recruiter when he had that look, it was a different obsessive look than ever before.

When the recruiter went by the father's house(which housed the troublemaker), he saw the same car that he rammed hours earlier. He would get the troublemaker later, it would be a matter of time. Unfortunately for the parties involved, time would be the essence. They would not realize that the troublemaker was already making plans to leave.

After almost a month of inactivity, the recruiter got a phone call from the father. It was a urgent call from him and that he needed to be over at the house. The recruiter sped over to the house as quick as he could, figuring something had already happened. Maybe it would be good news for all the parties involved, maybe it would be that the troublemaker would be put in his hands now. Little would he know that it would be an eventful day for everybody.

When he got there, he saw the same red car he had rammed a day earlier. It was now being driven by the father, who was in a panic. It looked like he had just lost something very important(of course, the troublemaker wasn't that important, except for being left for dead). When the recruiter went up to the father, he could already tell something was not right.

"What happened?" he asked.

"He's gone. I can't believe he's gone," the father answered.

"How could he leave?"

"I'm not sure, he probably left while we were asleep. I swore we locked all the doors."

"Where's your wife? Maybe she knows something."

"She's in the house, I bet you he's enjoying this right now."

The recruiter went inside the house to find the wife. He had never went inside the house before, but it was almost like he dreamed of what would be inside. He went over to the wife, who was looking at the family pictures. Ironically, the recruiter could not find one picture of the troublemaker. He wondered if they somehow threw the pictures away, even though the father had showed the recruiter a picture of him just a few weeks prior.

"He probably went to a friend's house," the recruiter told the wife. "I don't think he went far."

"He's never ran away before," the wife replied. "I'm starting to believe he ran away for good."

"What are you talking about?"

"I remember that he talked to some friends one time that he wanted to go to Japan."

"He don't have the money to do that."

"I hope not."

The recruiter knew that it would be a good idea to check out if the troublemaker had already left the country. The recruiter knew that he should let it go, but he knew that he couldn't quit now when he was this close to finding him. He decided to leave and check out something back at the office. He had already been fired for conduct detrimental to the service, it seemed that one more day of sneaking around wouldn't hurt. He had a couple of sites that would let him look up travel dates and such, the same sites that got him in trouble in the first place. Within a few minutes, he got what he wanted and left the office. He didn't get anything else, it was best that he didn't want to take anything that would bring shame to those around him.

That was how it finally evolved from his perspective. Within a few weeks, he bought the three plane tickets and got them an apartment on the outskirts of town. The parents didn't know that his military service was already tarnished and they were probably looking for him as well. But it wouldn't matter, he was going to take down the troublemaker with him before he ever would be sent back to face the music.

Back in the present, the phone finally rang for the recruiter as he looked at his watch. It had been only a couple of hours remembering what had happened over the past few months. He answered his phone, which was the father. "Found anything yet?" he asked.

"Nothing since that night I found him," the recruiter answered.

"Well, just keep us posted. He won't be here for much longer."

"You got that right." He shut off the phone and smiled. He knew he would find him soon, but what he didn't know was that the troublemaker would bring company with him as well.

[kuro808]

that recruiter is a fishy person