So sorry for the delay! It's lamost 7am here and I'm damn tired so sorry if this chapter really sucks but I really felt I ahd to do this as it's been so long! Comments are loved as always!
Chapter Three: Partners in Crime“Wake up lazy ass!” Miki heard a voice yelling as a pillow was flung into her a face.
She looked around groggily to see Yoshizawa stood above her bed ready to launch another pillow at her.
“Cut it out.” Miki complained trying to stifle a yawn.
“Have you any idea what time it is?” Hitomi said folding her arms still looking down at Miki.
“Enlighten me.” She said rolling over and letting her eyes close again.
“It’s already gone eleven; we’ve only got an hour left for breakfast you know? So hurry your sorry ass up.” Hitomi replied hurling the other pillow at Miki.
“Alright, alright, fine I’m getting up, but you do realise we have the day off today?”
“Yes, but not tomorrow we don’t; I’m not letting you lie in bed all day today so you’re hyper later when I’m trying to get some sleep myself.”
“Hyper?”
“Well alright, maybe hyper isn’t the best word to describe you, but you know what I mean.”
Miki sat up and gave Hitomi a glare showing her displeasure at having to wake up.
“Don’t try that one on me,” Hitomi said raising an eyebrow, “I’m not quite as easy to scare as the others.”
“Yeah, don’t I know it…” Miki replied looking even more irritated.
“But that’s why you love me, right?” grinned Hitomi.
“Ah, screw you.” Miki said throwing a pillow back in Hitomi’s direction.
Miki had always had a thing for Hitomi and they had even spent the night together on more than one occasion; something which was common knowledge for a fair few of the other members. Miki wasn’t too happy that a part of her love life was public knowledge but what annoyed her more was Hitomi’s constant flirting with her. She was sure Hitomi knew that she still had feelings for her as it was more than slightly obvious but she continued to tease her despite Hitomi’s ongoing relationship with Rika.
“Ha, well hurry up and get your ass moving, I’ll see you downstairs.” Hitomi said turning to leave.
Damn, why does she have to carry on acting that way? Miki thought to herself.
If she’s trying to annoy me then she’s doing a pretty damn good job at it.* * *
When Miki arrived downstairs at sat down at the table Hitomi didn’t seem to notice her sitting down next to her, instead she had a mild look of confusion on her face and was staring out into the reception area.
“Problem?” Miki asked starting on her cereal.
“Not sure.” Hitomi replied keeping her eyes fixed on the reception and keeping her expression exactly the same. “There was some weird goings on just now.”
“Meaning what exactly?”
God, this is another thing that annoys me about you! Why can’t you just get to the point rather than beating about the bush al the time? You know full well what I want to know so stop making things so long winded!“Well, haven’t you noticed Ai-chan over there?”
“Takahashi? Why where is-“
Miki looked around to see Ai sat at another table alongside Kusumi.
“Don’t make it so obvious you’re gawking at her.” Hitomi said with her eyes still fixed in the same place.
“You’re not exactly Miss. Unnoticeable yourself staring like a retard into space like that.” Miki snapped.
“I’m doing better than you seem to be,” Hitomi replied as though hardly listening to Miki’s poor attempt at a comeback.
“Well, what about her anyway?”
“Her and Risa just had an argument before Ai came storming in here, “Hitomi frowned and paused for a moment as if working something out in her head, again irritating the impatient Fujimoto.
“Risa was yelling something about Reina and how she knows that she’s here.”
“What the hell?!” Miki shouted.
There was a silence from Hitomi as she turned to look at Miki with a disgusted look on her face.
“S-sorry.” Miki replied looking sheepish.
“Well that’s what she said.”
“But…how can she possibly know she’s here?” Miki said quieting down but still sounding just as worried.
“She can’t.” Hitomi said but even she had a hint of worry on her face. “This is probably just Gaki-san going off on some crazy adventure of hers.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.”
“Even so, we can’t risk anything.”
“Oh come on, Risa isn’t
that determined.” Miki said rolling her eyes.
“You never know; but that isn’t really what worries me.”
Miki felt herself getting annoyed again, Hitomi could have just said what was worrying her but instead she waited for Miki to ask her again.
“So what is it that’s worrying you?” Miki asked patronisingly.
“Just after all that happened Lin Lin seemed to be messing around at the reception desk before the staff guy sat back down.”
“What do you think she was doing?” Miki said gulping down more cereal, she knew exactly what Hitomi wanted to hear and so just fuelled her with the questions she needed to get the full story out of her.”
“I know exactly what she was doing.”
“…and that was?”
“Well shortly afterwards Risa came down with Aika and they did some messing around of their own.”
“…and?”
“Afterwards the receptionist left in quite a hurry looking pretty concerned about something. So I thought I’d have a quick nosey myself at what Risa and the others found so interesting.”
“…yes?”
“Could be bad news.”
“Why’s that?”
“Amongst all the junk lying around on the desk I noticed something very interesting.”
“Go on.”
“You remember the list we made of all the rooms in here? Well looks like someone had been having a bit of fun colouring it in.”
“What are you talking about?” Miki asked exasperated from asking so many questions.
“Someone had…..”
“Someone had?”
“Shh!” Hitomi suddenly snapped putting a finger to her lips and using the other to point at where she was looking.
Risa was coming back down the stairs and headed straight over to the reception desk. It didn’t take long before she disappeared back upstairs again.
“What was all that about?” Miki asked. “Considering all the explaining you’ve done I haven’t exactly learned very much.”
“Well start using your brain a bit more-“
“Look, I’m only just getting back into things here okay? Forgive me for not being very enthusiastic about this detective work of yours.”
“Detective work? No, I’m being responsible considering the job we’ve been given. I thought a fellow ex-leader would understand that, not that you lasted very long.
As Miki opened her mouth to argue Hitomi cut her off.
“But that’s an argument for another day, this is more important right now.”
Miki hated how hard she found it to argue against Hitomi, she was one of the few people she frequently lost to. Thinking this though Miki couldn’t help but replay Hitomi’s words in her head:
“But that’s why you love me, right?”“Looks like we’ve found our culprit anyway,” Hitomi continued.
“Culprit for what?” Miki said quickly losing interest.
“Like I said, someone had fun drawing on our list and they decided to draw over somebody’s name on that list.”
“Who’s?”
“Don’t be dense.” Htomi said sounding annoyed.
“Reina’s?”
“Obviously.”
“So…why exactly would someone cross off Reina’s name from the list?”
“Why exactly would Niigaki Risa cross off Reina’s name from the list is what you should be asking yourself.”
“Erm, I should?”
“Yes, but thankfully for us both I know why.”
“Enlighten me.” said Miki sarcastically.
“She’s found Reina and she’s worried about her, like I said she’s probably got some crazy idea of what’s going on in her head that’s far from the truth and so she’s thinking she’s the only one who can help Reina since no-one else knows she’s here.”
“But why cross of the name?”
“I suppose she doesn’t want anyone else messing up whatever plans she’s got to “save” Reina”.
“So what do we do now?”
“Well, we can’t let Risa see the state we left Reina in so what do you think we have to do?”
“Get her out of there.”
“Yes, and now.” Hitomi said standing up.
As Miki followed suit a Hello! Project staff member peered his head around the arch way into the dining area from the reception.
“Yoshizawa! Fujimoto! We need you down at set two for filming!”
“It’s our day off!” Hitomi shouted back taking little notice.
“Not any more it’s not! One of the girls has had an accident and if we want to get finished on time we can’t afford to stop filming from now until we leave.”
“Is it just me or is this the worst timing imaginable?” Hitomi said looking at Miki.
“This is so shit.” Replied Miki, even she knew what was more important right now despite her becoming increasingly infuriated with the whole situation she found herself in.
“Get on set now!” the staff member shouted again angrily.
“Look, we might get lucky and Risa will wait a while before running off to find Reina…but I doubt it.” Hitomi said to Miki putting a hand on her shoulder.
Confused as to why Hitomi was comforting her like this Miki gave a glance towards the staff member.
“Let’s go, the sooner we can get this over with the better.”
“I hope you’re gonna be ready to run later.” Hitomi said seriously.
* * *
Much later than the two girls would have liked they found themselves sprinting back to the hotel, Miki lagging behind slightly. As they burst through the doors Hitomi showed no hesitation and darted straight up the stairs with Miki still trailing behind but still following.
“What time is it?” Miki asked breathlessly as Hitomi stopped at a room.
“Eleven…” Hitomi said.
“What the hell? They had us working for almost twelve hours straight?! They sure pick their fucking moments.”
“Forget it, let’s just hope that somehow we got here first.”
“Hitomi reached into her pocket and pulled out a key. It took a moment for her to find the keyhole in the door with the lights in the corridor flickering but she managed to turn the key and opened the door on its creaky hinges.
“Oh fuck.” Miki said as the door creaked open.
The room was dark inside as the only window in the room had been covered with newspaper; inside there stood a very lonely looking single bed with various coloured stains on it and the surrounding area of the floor.
“She really has no idea what she’s getting herself into does she?” Hitomi said shaking her head and walking over to the bed.
“So what do we do know?” Miki said, still breathless.
“We need to find Risa and get Reina back before she can find out what’s going on.”
“Alright, but you think Risa’s going to let us in her room if she’s got Reina in there with her?”
“She will let us in, I’ll make sure of that; and we’ll make sure she doesn’t tell anybody about this.”
Topic: The Jade Dragon [Chapter Three: Partners in Crime] (Read 5574 times)