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LINK TO CHAPTERS:
Mission: °C-ute (http://missioncute.vox.com/): Prologue (http://missioncute.vox.com/library/post/mission-c-ute-prologue.html) 1 (http://missioncute.vox.com/library/post/mission-c-ute---chapter-one.html) 2 (http://missioncute.vox.com/library/post/chapter-two.html) 3i (http://missioncute.vox.com/library/post/chapter-three---part-i.html) ii (http://missioncute.vox.com/library/post/chapter-three---part-ii.html) iii (http://missioncute.vox.com/library/post/chapter-three---part-iii.html)
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Hi everyone :) I'm a first time fanfic'er, pretty much doing it for a friend of mine. So I'm open to any constructive criticism :) This fanfic revolves mainly around Morning Musume & C-ute. I really don't know enough about Berryz to write much about them. Also this is a fictional world obviously, the girl's personalities might be changed slightly, places might not be exactly how they are ... etc etc ;)
I'm also meant to mention that the Erika/Kanna relationship is a friendship/mother.daughter type thing ... not romantic in any way :p
You can read it here in the thread or at the blog I created: http://missioncute.vox.com/ The blog version has my original text structure, it didn't copy over onto here.
Enjoy :)
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PROLOGUE
• Yokohama Arena, Yokohama. JAPAN
• 02.11.08
• 17:56
The Yokohama Arena entrance plaza was buzzing with excitement.
Thousands of fans, some who had lined up hours in advance, were littered among the many hoards of collectors and traders who had set up their merchandise.
Fans wore their favorite girl’s colors, an array of pinks, purples and reds, while others donned glow sticks, scarves and other merchandise.
The crowd’s many conversations gave insight into their admiration and of the excitement that was to come:
“I can’t believe I’m finally going to see °C-ute!”--“I heard a rumor Mai will sing a solo, I hope so.” -- “Ah, I wonder if we’ll get to hear the new single?”
Even the dark, ominous skies and the roar of thunder in the distance could not dampen the joyous spirit of the people. Soon they would meet their idols.
• Yokohama Arena, Yokohama. JAPAN
• 02.11.08
• 18:42
Umeda Erika ran down the hallway, her eyes sunken and her thick black hair tangled in an interweaving mess. Her shoes slapped against the linoleum floor as she frantically glanced up at the doors, "no... no... ah °C-ute, here!"
She burst into the dressing room, scurrying past the horrified glares of her fellow group members.
Hurrying to the clothes rack she grabbed the outfit marked ‘Umeda #1' and, ripping it off its hanger, she turned around to meet the eyes of her leader.
“Where have you been!?”
Yajima Maimi, a gentle yet commanding leader was thrust into her position at a young age, but the seriousness she took in her job was second to none. A mother-figure to the younger girls, and a leader to them all, she expected only the best from her group and she did not tolerate tardiness, especially from the group’s eldest member.
“Don’t ignore me,” she screamed, “I asked where you were!”
“I fell asleep, it’s no big deal” Erika said calmly as she pushed her way past Maimi, finally taking a seat at her makeup station.
“Fifteen minutes before the performance!? No big deal!?”
“I have to get ready," Erika glanced up at Maimi’s reflection, "can you yell at me later?” Her sarcastic glare almost seemed to dare her young leader to continue the war of words.
Maimi was taken aback, she gave her all for the girls and she expected respect in return.
She swung Erika’s seat around to face her, pointing her index finger in a commanding manner.
“I will not let this go.”
• Yokohama Arena, Yokohama. JAPAN
• 02.11.08
• 18:59
Heavy rain pelted upon the latecomers who, under black umbrellas, quickly scattered towards the Arena entrance.
A shadowy figure stood on the opposite side of the road, glancing occasionally at his pocket watch.
His watch struck 19:00 and on cue his cell phone rang.
*MINIMONI. TEREFON da! RIN RIN RI...*
“I’m in position,” he answered. “Is everything to plan?”
He waited as his assailant replied to him at the other end.
“Good, I’ll bring ‘er round the back.”
He flipped the phone off, and strolled away slowly.
• Yokohama Arena, Yokohama. JAPAN
• 02.11.08
• 19:00
“Ah! Hurry up Erika! We have to go!”
Arihara Kanna bounced around nervously, waiting for her best friend.
“I’m coming! I’m coming!” Erika stumbled out of the changing booth, “Here, help me with my zip.”
Erika turned around as Kanna clutched at the zipper, tugging on it in a furious rage.
“It won’t do! Oh god!” she shrieked.
Kanna's face began to turn a crimson red and her brow shined with sweat.
“Geez, KanKan! Calm down.” Erika turned to her friend who was, at this point, a nervous wreck. “Are you calm?”
Kanna’s face scrunched up, tears were imminent, “no...” she stammered.
Placing her hands on Kanna's shoulders, Erika brought her towards her, embracing her and gently stroked her hair.
“It’s ok, they’ll wait for us. The world isn’t going to end because we are five minutes late.”
Kanna gave a soft, yet sincere laugh.
“All calm now?”
“Yes, I think so.” Kanna nodded, “Thank you.”
Erika nodded back with a smile and turned around, letting Kanna do her zipper up again.
Upon swinging back she struck an embarrassing pose, “How do I look?"
Kanna could not contain herself, letting out a flurry of giggles. Erika joined her as the pair laughed together.
“Girls! What in God’s name is taking so long?” Suzuki Airi’s head appeared in the doorway. “Maimi is going to be furious!”
Airi eyes widened as she caught sight of Erika “Oh no! What have you done to your hair?”
Dashing straight for Erika’s makeup station, she rummaged through the many hair ties and clips. Erika and Kanna looked on as Airi glanced back and forth picking up various items before seeming to change her mind.
After a furious minute she rushed up to Erika, catapulting a red headband into her hands, “Quick, try this on!”
A slightly amused Erika played along as she slipped the headband on.
Airi looked Erika up and down. “It cannot be saved,” she announced, “there is simply no time. It’ll have to do.” before heading out as quickly as she had appeared.
Erika and Kanna looked at each other and, once again, burst into laughter before Kanna, grabbing Erika’s hand, led the pair out into the hallway.
• Yokohama Arena, Yokohama. JAPAN
• 02.11.08
• 19:07
Nakajima Saki, Okai Chisato and Hagiwara Mai sat together on the steps of a backstage corridor, while Maimi stood waiting for the others to return.
"Nooooo! Hilda used the shrinking potion on her. That is why she was able to fit in the keyhole!" Chisato said, standing up to face Saki and Mai.
Saki laughed and shook her head, "It was definitely because she learned what true love was, so she was able to return to the castle."
Mai nodded her head, "... and then she married the prince, blah blah, the end."
Chisato started jumping up and down.
"No, no, no!" she shrieked. "They used the potion, true love didn't matter, it was witchcraft!"
Mai rolled her eyes "who cares anyway, Witchcraft V sucks."
"It's ok," Saki replied, "but there are better animes."
"No! It's my favorite!" Chisato started running around the small corridor singing the anime's theme song.
"Chisato!" Maimi yelled. "Sit down!"
Without hesitation Chisato jumped back down to the steps, while Saki & Mai tried to hide their giggles.
That moment, Airi came scampering up to her waiting group members.
“They’re coming.” She told Maimi, trying to catch her breath.
She was followed, moments later, by Erika and Kanna, hand in hand, their smiles fading as they reached Maimi.
Kanna immediately stepped forward to take the blame, "Maimi," she began, "... Leader Miami..." Kanna looked around nervously. "We were on time, but then ... the zipper wouldn't do up ... I got all nervous, you know how I am, and I needed to pee .... well I still do..."
The others stared in disbelief as Kanna continued, "... so I started crying, Erika was all like 'calm down, Kankan... I was all like 'no! I can't calm down!'..." her hands flared as she acted out the scene, "Erika was like, 'it's ok, just calm down'.... and again I was like 'no I can't! I can't calm do-"
"Enough!" Maimi held her hand up, silencing the young girl who quickly glanced towards the floor. "You are here now, that's what matters. Huddle time!"
The girls locked together in a tight circle, as they had done many times before, and suddenly their previous squabbles didn’t seem important anymore. They were a team.
Maimi led their chant.
“1, 2, 3, Starto!”
One by one they each called out their names, placing their right hands in a pile at the centre of the circle as they did.
“ERIKA!”
“SAKI!”
“AIRI!”
“CHISATO!”
“MAI!”
“KANNA!”
In unison they thrust their hands into the air in an exuberant cheer.
“KYUTO! YEAH!”
The girls laughed and smiled as the lights in the theatre slowly dimmed, the electronic beats of the intro music began to play from the speakers, and the crowd began to roar.
• Yokohama Arena, Yokohama. JAPAN
• 02.11.08
• 19:10
The wheels of the white van screeched as they rolled around the slippery corner of the alleyway. It came to a sudden halt outside a solitary door, illuminated by only a dim fluorescent lamp above.
The driver stared at the car’s clock, and in a gruff pulled out his cell phone.
“Boss, I’m at the pickup point. It’s 1910 hours and there’s no sign of em. Somethin’ wrong?”
He readjusted his review mirror with his left hand, sighting the deserted alleyway.
As he listened to his superior’s response, he heard a faint familiar sound in the distance. Turning his head he recognized the sirens.
“Boss, the mission is in jeopardy. I’ve just heard sirens, can’t be more than a couple of kilometres away. I repeat: the mission is in jeopardy! It needs to be now!”
• Yokohama Arena, Yokohama. JAPAN
• 02.11.08
• 19:13
°C-ute's first concert of the year would be their only one of the season, and it had sold out within an hour of tickets being on sale. The Arena was full, not one seat was vacant, and the already anxious crowd was growing impatient at the delay. They chanted in unison, “KYUTO! KYUTO! KYUTO!” as if calling upon their idols.
A large stocky man stood among a sea of screaming fans.
His nerves had gotten the best of him. They had not anticipated the delay of the start of the concert and by now he had expected the mission to be complete. The plan was to be followed exactly; °C-ute would perform their first song and at its conclusion he would execute his job.
The lights finally began to dim, as a wave of excitement swept across the packed Yokohama Arena. Fans held up glow sticks and called out to their favorite members as shadowy figures hurried on stage in the darkness.
From his waist he heard a soft beeping and, looking down, noticed his pager had gone off. The dim red light flicked on and off. Plan B. The time had come.
• Yokohama Arena, Yokohama. JAPAN
• 02.11.08
• 19:13
The girls hurried in the darkness to their positions on the large stage.
The intro music, a mixture of electronic beats and synthesized vocals, blared out as the audience roared.
Maimi stared out through the darkness. A vast ocean of colors streamed through the infectious crowd as she heard fans screaming her name. This is what she lived for, why she had worked so hard.
Bright white lights shone up through the stage floor, silhouetting each of the girls against cloth backdrops. The crowd’s screams grew louder.
Familiar beats echoed around the Arena, and °C-ute sang in the darkness.
“lao,
wow woah, lao.
wow woah, lao.
wow woah, lao.”
A flash of pink light illuminated the stage, and spotlights swerved down from the ceiling resting on Maimi. She lifted the microphone to her lips.
“Aso he no!”
Suddenly all the girls were bathed in brilliant colors. The crowd began to jump, reaching for their girls.
“That's the POWER Ikiru
That's the POWER Koyoi tanoshii PAREEDO
That's the POWER Meccha
That’s the PO-”
Without warning a deafening explosion ripped through the Arena, followed shortly by 4 others. Instantaneously the lights were extinguished as balls of fire exploded in the middle of the crowds, sending shock waves through the people.
The girls on stage were blasted off their feet, soaring several meters.
Mai, at the edge of the stage, was catapulted off, coming to a thud at the bottom of the 3 metre drop.
Maimi staggered to her feet, falling to her knees after only a few steps. Bruised and bleeding, she eyed a lifeless Chisato, face down in a pool of, what appeared to be, blood. Saki sat screaming in pain only meters away; a gash on left leg.
She could not control her thoughts. What was happening? The screams of horrified people surrounded her, penetrating her mind.
She felt a powerful grasp at her forearm, and she was swung backwards as she was swept in darkness.
• Yokohama Arena, Yokohama. JAPAN
• 02.11.08
• 19:17
The driver of the white van hurried his accomplices who, one by one, threw thick black sacks into the back of the van, climbing in after them.
“That’s only six!” He screamed, “Where’s Diego? Where’s the seventh!?”
“I dunno man, I only look out for myself” one of his cronies replied.
The sirens in the distance grew louder.
“No time, let’s get outta here!”
Running around to the driver’s door, he jumped in, and the terrorists sped off into the night.
• Later that evening
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.
Niigaki Risa scanned the floor, cautiously stepping over the corpses.
“Any more survivors?” Tanaka 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 Michishige Sayumi and Kusumi 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?!”
-
Wow now that is a long prologue :shocked:
I wanted this fic to be continued for a long while (obviously seeing it was started as a present for me :D) plus i need closure on whats just happened to the girls :cry:
I thought Mai was dead to start with, a 3m fall isn't good for anyway, thank god she is ok, and now she can help detective Musumes with what happened to track down the bastard kidnappers :mon headbang:
But Chisato, Nooooooo :gyaaah: nothing looks good for her considering she was in a pool of blood and lifeless :pleeease:
But on the other hand, the Erika/KanKan friendship is so sweet and Kanna's kookiness really suits her :P
And Chisato running around the halls like she has had waaaaaaay too much sugar :rofl:
Maimi is great too, so stern and serious and scary and Miki like :mon fyeah:
Btw, i hope you realise that by having such a long prologue, you are expected to have even longer chapters after this ;)
I of course can't wait for this fic to updated and its up there in my fav fics dear friend o' mine :gmon bang: :gmon flowers: :gmon heartu:
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Oh man. That was pretty intense. Haha. I like how strict Leader Maimi is... it's almost scary.
I thought Mai died, too and I was really upset... but now I'm just worried about Chisato. And I'm also super curious as to why C-ute had to be kidnapped and why they had to blow up a building to do it!
I do hope you continue this. :mon fyeah:
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That was a great start!
But it was also sad with the girls being attacked and kidnapped or something like that...
And what are the morning musume girls? Are they still singers? It doesn't look like it.
I wanna read what happened next, I hope they're ok after all! :-\
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that was very good. :yep: what happened to kanna after that? :'(
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Thanks for the nice comments :) I've just finished my first draft of Chap 1. It's quite light-hearted, very different from the Prologue. I'll have it up for you all shortly :)
And I'm also super curious as to why C-ute had to be kidnapped and why they had to blow up a building to do it!
I do hope you continue this. :mon fyeah:
Well you'll find out about C-ute being kidnapped later on :) About why they needed to blow up the Arena .... for effect ;)
I'll try my best :yep:
what happened to kanna after that? :'(
Gotta read on to find out ;)
And what are the morning musume girls? Are they still singers? It doesn't look like it.
lol. They're detectives now ... erm ... lol I dont have much of an answer for that :p A MM song makes a cameo in Chapter 1, it isn't really said whether they sing it or not though. It's one of the great mysteries of the world ;)
Btw, i hope you realise that by having such a long prologue, you are expected to have even longer chapters after this ;)
Chap 1 is longer than the Prologue ;) Just...
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Ok, here's Chapter One. The blog link is here: http://missioncute.vox.com/library/post/mission-c-ute---chapter-one.html I hope you enjoy it :)
Chapter One
CAFÉ CLUES
02.11.08
A cool breeze glided over the red and white parasols of the charming little café. It sat quaintly at the corner of an outdoor market, bustling with the early afternoon rush. The tree lined streets were littered with patrons who, in their hurry, seemed to overlook the hidden treasure that was the ‘Berry Tea Café’.
Two girls sat in solitude at one of the many black, iron patterned tables, sipping on peach iced tea and, every so often, taking small morsels of a large blueberry muffin that they were sharing.
“This place is gorgeous,” Risa told her friend, “how come no one seems to notice it?”
“Too busy,” Takahashi Ai guessed, beginngin to list possible reasons, “or maybe people prefer fast food nowadays?”
“Either way they are missing out.”
Around them the previously gentle breeze began to transform into an unpleasant gust.
Ai looked to the sky, seeing the white puffy clouds swiftly floating by.
“There’s a storm coming,” Risa announced, “see the dark clouds over there.” She pointed behind Ai, who turned around to view the grim, overcast skies.
Ai nodded, “we should probably head inside.”
The pair picked up their bags, glasses of iced tea, and their half eaten muffin and headed for the large patio doors which led into the ‘Berry Tea Café’.
Risa pushed the door with her back, holding it open as Ai hurried inside.
The café was just as deserted inside as out.
The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air as French music played from an old gramophone sitting on the main counter top, which was currently unmanned.
A man sat in a dark corner, his back facing the rest of the café, as he slurped up his beverage.
“Ah this is better!” Risa smiled, slipping off her heavy winter coat as they sat down at a table near the front windows.
*MINIMONI. TEREFON da! RIN RIN RIN! Denwa wo kakema-*
The cell phone music played softly yet filled the tiny café. Ai peered around her friend, who had turned around to eye the man answering the call. Turning back, Risa gave Ai a light hearted smile.
The man spoke in a low, muffled voice, as if concerned at the girl’s presence.
“Yes ... yes I already know all the detai- ... uh huh ok.” He scribbled information down on a café napkin, “Yes I’ve written it down.”
The man at this point seemed frustrated and anxious. His voice raised slightly as he sternly spoke into his phone, “I am ready, I know the plan!” before he hung up, tossing the phone on the table where it slowly skided to a stop.He quickly rose from his chair, leaving his belongings where they were, and walked towards the door marked ‘Garçons’. On his way he knocked Risa’s chair with his leg, though, seeming oblivious, continued swiftly through the door.
Risa’s eyes were wide in shock, “Well that was rude!”
“Rude..." Ai replied, "and very odd, something is up.”
“He mentioned a plan,” Risa nodded, “I think he wrote something down.”
Ai looked around eying the now deserted café, “You keep a look out, I’ll check out his table.”
“Wait! What do I say if he comes back? What’s the signal?” Risa quickly asked.
“Just call out to me.”
“How about a song?” Risa replied half ignoring Ai, “Which song should I sing?”
Ai rolled her eyes, “Any song will do.”
“Any song, hmm,” Risa thought, “how about Manpower!?”
“It really doesn’t matter.” Ai responded as she quickly rose from her chair.
Shrugging, Risa swung her own chair around, giving her a clear view of the men’s toilets, as she sipped at her remaining iced tea.
Upon reaching the man’s vacant table, Ai began to rummage through the myriad of items that were strewn across it. Surrounding an empty coffee mug and a small plate, which contained crumbs of cake, were many papers and folders, nothing unusual for a busy Tokyo business man.
Ai flipped through searching for the note the man had just written.
“Err” Risa suddenly perked up as she slammed her iced tea on the table, “Umm ... MANPOWER ga ... subarashii ... MANPOWER tte sore ga bokura sa!”
Ai looked up to see the door of the toilet opening slowly, quickly giving one last examination of the table. As she was just about to give up she sighted a scrunched up napkin and, upon open it, found notes scribbled on it. She wasn’t sure if this is what she was looking for but she had no time left and she quickly headed out of the café, the napkin clenched tightly in her hand.
“mirai wo kaeyou! Kako wa .... kak-“ Risa stopped her singing as the man, who had now exited the bathroom began slowly pacing towards her.
Slipping her chair back slowly she began to gather her and Ai’s belongings, threw some change onto the table before promptly standing up. Just as she turned towards the café entrance, a large hand grabbed her shoulder. She scrunched her face and closed her eyes as she was spun around by the large man.
After a few silent moments, Risa cautiously squinted her eyes to make out a grinning large man, smiling from ear to ear.
“I love that song!” he proclaimed.
“Ah! Me too!” Risa let out a soft laugh before backing out of the café to join her friend.
*~~*
“Cute will suit her best!”
Sayumi’s face had become as pink as her sweater as she tugged furiously at Junjun’s left arm.
“Cute? Ha! Cute is for 12 year old girls. Yankii is the way to go!” Reina yelled back as she pulled on Junjun’s other arm with all her might.
The three girls stood in the middle of Queen’s Square, among the many boutiques and clothing stores.
“Hey you guys, I’m not a yoyo!” Junjun screamed as the other two girls tugged at her arms.
Sayumi and Reina let go of Junjun’s arms, Sayumi placing her hands on her hips while Reina crossed her arms in an angry huff.
“I really don’t want anything too drastic,” Junjun explained to the girls, “not too cute or too yankii. Perhaps something in the middle would suit me best?”
Sayumi’s mouth opened wide, “Don’t even say that!” she replied.
“Oh please,” Reina laughed. “Like I said, cute is for little girls.”
“Well Yankii is for loser outcasts with no friends!”
Reina scoffed, turning her back on Sayumi, "Then cute must be for idiots with no brains..." she mumbled under her breath.
"What did you just say to me!?"
The girls were now in each other’s faces as a soft jingle played from Junjun’s pocket. Upon answering the phone, she strained to hear the voice at the other end over the insults being thrown around her.
“Can you two both shutup!?” Junjun yelled, bringing Sayumi and Reina to an astonishing silence. “I have to take this call...” she explained softly.
“Hell- ... Hello?”
Risa’s panicked voice blared through from the phone's other end, “Junjun! You girl’s have to get back to the agency ASAP! Something is going down tonight at 7 o’clock and we need to figure out what it is.”
“Sure, sure,” Junjun answered. “But Eri isn’t with us, she went to the movies.”
There was a slight pause from Risa as she thought. “Well just forget her, we can do it without her.”
“Ok, we’ll be there as soon as we can.”
“Great.” Risa paused once again before nervously continuing, “... can you girls do me a favor?”
“Depends on what it is?” Junjun cautiously replied.
“Pick up the girls from school...?”
*~~*
Linlin & Koharu stood outside the large gates of the prestigious Tokyo Prep School. It was a cool day so both had navy sweaters on underneath their school blazers. Koharu wore dark stockings under her skirt while Linlin wore trackpants.
“It doesn’t matter, the mark doesn’t even go towards anything.” Linlin reassured Koharu who had buried her face in her test paper.
“I know,” her muffled voice replied, “but a C minus!?”
She thrust the paper towards Linlin, holding it up for her to see the large C minus written in thick red ink. “I tried so hard too.”
Linlin brushed the paper from her face, “You hardly studied at all!” she laughed back.
Koharu’s mouth dropped open as she gave Linlin a playful shove, “Well excuse me Miss A+, we can’t all be geniuses!”
The pair laughed as the school bell rang and large groups of girls began shovelling out from the large oak doors at the top of the school’s stone steps.
Mitsui Aika came jogging up, with a huge smile on her face.
“Guess what?!” she screamed as she reached her waiting elders.
“I give up!” Linlin mimicked Aika’s enthusiasm.
Aika’s had a huge grin on her face as she pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket and, upon unfolding it, revealed a scrunched up test paper with a large A+ written on it.
“Top of the class!” She yelled as she threw her hands in the air in victory.
“Oh God!” Koharu threw her hands in the air, sending her test paper flying, as she quickly retreated down the road, “My life is over!”
The three girls walked side by side as they trudged down the path to their homes, kicking rocks as they went. Aika had a large stick in her hand that she swung to hit the leaves of trees as they walked.
A screech of tires caused them all to turn their heads in unison to see a large red car speeding down the road towards them. It stalled suddenly a few meters behind them, before starting up again and stopping once again, slightly closer. After two more stalls it finally reached them level at the curb.
The car’s window rolled down revealing an enraged Reina.
“When did you girls get off school!?”
The three girls glanced at each other.
“3:30,” Koharu replied, “the same time we always do. Risa wasn’t there to pick us up so we decided to just wal-”
“Do not bore me with your life story! You should have waited.” Reina scolded the young girls. “We have been driving around for an hour searching for you!”
“Sorry Reina,” Linlin chirped, “It’s just that the sky looks dark and none of us have an umbrella and ... we.... er..."
Linlin’s voice trailed off as Reina’s eyebrows slowly raised, her eyes glazing over in fury.
“Just get in the car!”
*~~*
The Morning Musume Agency headquarters was more of an old house than a high class secret agency. It had once belonged to Ai’s grandmother who had passed away two years prior and had left the property to her granddaughter.
The house still maintained that musty old person’s smell that the girls felt the need to comment on during each visit, an absurd fusion of potpourri, mothballs and warm chicken soup.
The old tattered furniture still rested in their original places, surrounded by the high tech gadgets introduced by the young girls. Cell phones rested on a table housing an old rotary dial telephone, the beautiful collision of old and new.
Risa lounged on a large tartan sofa, holding the napkin that the two had extradited earlier that day.
“I get the 1900 part, and the date,” she explained, “but what does ‘ya’ mean?”
“It is Y.A,” Ai snatched the napkin from her, “It's the initials of something. Perhaps a person, or maybe a place?”
Their heads turned as resounding thuds echoed through the house from the grey wooden floorboards of the hallway, followed by the cymbal like crashing of the front door. Reina led the way followed by the other girls.
“We let ourselves in,” she proclaimed, as they entered the living room.
Ai looked at Risa, rolling her eyes slightly “Yes, we can see that. Take a seat.”
Sayumi glared around the living room, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping a small wooden stool, before taking a seat.
Aika held her nose closed with her thumb and index finger, “This place smells like old people...”
*~~*
Kamei Eri rested her head against the plush cinema seat, dozing quietly as the film credits slowly rolled down the projection screen. Next to her Erika lay stretched out over 3 seats, snoring loudly, until a buzzing caused her to stir from her slumber.
Her cell phone was vibrating and letting off intermitting buzzing, warning her of a new text message.
Half asleep, Erika flipped open the phone.
!~*~ERIKA~*~ !
WHR R U? _(._.)_ CNCRT STRT IN 1HR ♪ (o^-^o)
HRY HRY! ～(≧ε≦)★
♥ ARIKAN ♥
She sat straight up, immediately awake. How could she have forgotten about the concert?
Checking her watch she saw that it was indeed just past 6pm and she viciously shook Eri to wake her.
“Urgh...” Eri mumbled under her breath, “what ... where am I?”
“The movies, we fell asleep.” Erika explained quickly, “But I've got to get to the Yokohama Arena, the concert!”
“What!?” Eri jumped up out of her chair. “When?”
“I only have an hour”
“Well let’s go!”
The two girls rushed out of the cinema, and through the foyer till they got to the road. Eri waved her hands frantically to signal a taxi cab, “Cmon... Cmon!” she begged as she jumped around.
After a frantic few minutes, a cab pulled up to the curb and Erika quickly jumped into the back seat.
The young looking driver peered back and, in a monotone voice, asked Erika’s destination.
“Yokohama Arena please! Fast!”
She rolled down the cab window as it prepared to leave.
“Bye Eri,” she blew her friend a kiss, “thanks for the film.”
“No problem,” Eri waved. “Good luck tonight!”
With that the cab sped off, swerving through the rush hour traffic.
Eri pulled on her coat, panting slightly. Unlike Erika, she had chosen to obey the cinema’s instructions and had turned her cell off before the film started. Upon reactivating it, she noticed a message from Ai to meet her and the other girls at the agency as soon as she good.
*~~*
“How do we even know that something bad is going on?” Koharu asked, pacing up and down the room, “Maybe the guy was just hungry and he wanted to eat a ‘Yummy Apple’? Or maybe he was commenting about Ai and Risa ... ‘Young Adults’?”
The others stared at her in silence.
“I’m just saying,” she shrugged, “it is possible.”
“We’re running out of time!”
Junjun stood up from her chair, stomping her foot on the ground in frustration. “We’ve been working on this for hours and we are still nowhere closer to figuring it out.”
“We’ve got to keep trying,” Sayumi reassured her, gently ushering her back into her chair, “we still have about half an hour.”
There was a sudden knock at the house’s front door and in unison all the girls stood up.
“I’ll get it!”
Linlin, who was sitting closest to the hallway, laughed. “I,” she said emphatically, pointing at herself “will get it.”
She rushed down the hallway to the front of the house and opened the heavy door to a flustered Eri.
“Ah! How was the movie?”
“Boring,” Eri replied, “we fell asleep.”
“... we?” Linlin looked confused.
“Erika and I” Eri explained.
Linlin closed the door and the two began walking up the hall.
“Where is Erika then? She went home?”
“Noooo, it was so bad! She has a concert tonight and she had totally forgotten, right?”
Linlin nodded as she listened to Eri’s story
“...and we fell asleep and she got a text message, so we had to rush outside...”
The pair reached the end of the hallway and entered the living room.
“...so we hailed a taxi and now she has to make it to the Yokohama Arena by 7pm!”
Eri chuckled and shook her head as the other eight girls all glanced at each other, standing up slowly, one by one, as the connection clicked in their minds.
“The Yokohama Arena!”
Ai grabbed her coat and ran for the hallway, turning around to face everyone.
“We only have twenty minutes. Let’s roll!”
The girls all swiftly grabbed their bags and jackets before filing out leaving a confused Eri standing alone at the hallway entrance.
“Will somebody please tell me what is going on?"
-
So the morning musume girls are secret agents? That's going to be interesting :grin:
And they also discovered about the Yokohama Arena on time, which makes me very sad to know that they couldn't help all the °C-ute girls. :-\
Keep it up!
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I realy like the idea of the Momusu as secret agents.
Anyway a great start for a first-time fanfic ( i realy like how you write the humourous parts, i lol'd at the MANPOWER bit) , hope we could read more of your works ^^
waiting for the next chapter ^^
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i love it. :grin: great 1st chapter. mm together as one :love: its got comedy too :rofl:
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:otomerika: YAY for a new update and YAY that chapter one is slightly longer then the prologue :P
I love that this chapter is so light-hearted and comedic, its like the calm before the storm, ooooooh what a good analogy with Risa talking about the storm clouds and the girls walking home coz it looked like it was gonna rain :lol:
Gotta love Ai and Risa at the café, Ai being so serious and Ai-like and Risa being goofy and cute. But how could she not realise that singing Manpower while staring at the door of the men’s toilet is a little creepy XD
Reina is just awesome! Her bickering with Sayu made me smile and giggle to myself… actually I do that every time she opens her mouth. No fic is complete without sarcastic comments by someone and Reina more than makes up for that. :mon yeah:
I think its great that this chapter shows the relationships within MM and gives a chance to explain/develop all their personalities. I especially love all the fine detials and the way the agency’s headquarters is described, sounds so cosy and I feel like I’m there… although I’m glad I’m not coz with that mix of smells, I’m sure I’d be holding my nose just like Mittsi, despite it ebing such a familiar, nurturing smell. ;)
*sings* DON’T STOP! :luvluv2: :wriggly: :mon lovelaff:
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still waiting for chapter 2 .....................
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I know, sorry! I've been pretty busy. BAD ME BAD ME! lol.
Chap 2 is about 3/4 done, then I just gotta edit and fix it up. It should be up soon. It will be about as long as the other chapters (if not slightly longer) and kind of action based, I guess. Hopefully it will make up for my tardiness.
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Chapter two is now up. Sorry for the wait. Hopefully you enjoy :) For some reason 'c.at' (without the period) kept coming up as squirrel so I had to put c.at - not a huge issue. I dunno why it did that though :p
Let me know your thoughts. Thanks :)
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Ok there is obviously some type of April Fool's joke. Jun.Jun become Linlin, C.at become squirrel ... there's no point posting now since it would be illegible.
You can read it here: http://missioncute.vox.com/library/post/chapter-two.html
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Ok there is obviously some type of April Fool's joke. Jun.Jun become Linlin, C.at become squirrel ... there's no point posting now since it would be illegible.
yep, JPHIP is in 4-1 mode
yay for ch. 2 ~
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lol yes I was a bit confused for a bit :P I guess I was fooled :sweatdrop:
Anyway as promised here is Chap.Two ... it's quite a bit longer than the other 2 chapters, so sorry for those who prefer briefer chapters. I tried to make it all connect up with the prologue, hopefully I didn't make any glaringly obvious continuity errors :P Enjoy!:
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Chapter Two
THE CHASE
02.11.08
The clouded Yokohama night sky was illuminated by towering skyscrapers and rippled reflections of neon lights. Intrusive music from elevated speakers drained out the voices of the people below, their conversations becoming muffled as they fought to counter the noises of the city. Above them, traffic stood still over the Yokohama Harbour, horns blaring as impatient commuters yelled from their vehicles. Interweaving between the many cars were three motorcycles. Roaring against the wind, their occupants made their way towards the city center.
Veering off at the first exit, past broken glass scattered amongst the asphalt and a stationary police car, the motorcycles drove side by side as rain began to fall. Turning onto a side street the group passed posters plastered against the wall, the young vibrant faces of youth, promotion of the new C-ute concert tour.
Holding her arm up, Eri wiped the rain off her watch face. She squinted her eyes as she tried to make out the time whilst firmly clutching at Risa’s waist.
“It’s five past nine,” she yelled in her friend’s ear, “We’re too late!”
“We can still make it!” Risa yelled back.
Leading the pack ahead of them was Ai, whilst behind was Reina and Sayumi, whose eyes were clenched closed as she held onto her partner tightly.
Their motorcycles skidded along the wet road as they came to a halt out front of the Yokohama Arena. The faint sound of music echoed around them as they removed their helmets.
“I can hear them!” Sayu jumped up, “We made it!”
“We have to hurry,” Ai quickly retorted. “We’re not out of danger yet.”
The group scurried across the plaza towards the large glass panel entrance, as police sirens echoed in the distance. Ai pointed to her side as she directed Risa and Eri around the back. The two girls quickly diverted towards a side alleyway, their figures casting large shadows against the buildings and they ran through the rain.
Ai thrust open the doors of the Arena and the three burst into the front foyer.
“Get security!” Ai ordered a uniformed worker standing at the entrance to the main arena, “This site is a potential dan-“
The explosion ricocheted through the front foyer, blowing the arena doors off, as the three girls were propelled off their feet. Catapulting through the front entrance, they landed in the middle of the plaza, rain pelting on them amongst a sea of shattered glass.
Eri swung around at the sound of the explosion.
“Screams…” she stammered, “Sayu?”
Risa grabbed her arm as she pulled her into the shadows. Ahead of them a white van roared its engine as a number of men exited from a fire exit and stumbled into the vehicle.
The girls could see large sacks being thrown into the van, but against the rain and wind they were unable to make out any of the conversation.
“That’s them.” Risa whispered. “In those bags…”
“We have to save them!” Eri stepped forward onto the road, Risa quickly pulling her back as the van sped past them down the alleyway.
Ai sat up quickly, brushing the glass from her clothes before helping up Sayumi and Reina who had both suffered minor abrasions.
They turned at the sound of a loud screech, the white van turning from the side street.
Risa and Eri appeared from the side of the arena.
“Ai!” Risa called out, struggling for breath. “In the van, go!”
Ai, Reina and Sayumi ran to their motorcycles, quickly jumping on.
“Check for survivors!” Ai yelled back over the sound of the roaring engines, before the two bikes sped away in pursuit.
Risa watched as Ai, Reina and Sayumi drive off into the darkness, still trying to catch her breath. Next to her, Eri was resting against the stone brick wall, tears welling in her eyes.
“No time to cry now,” Risa grabbed Eri’s hand, “we have to help.”
The pair ran towards the, now damaged, entrance, cautiously stepping over the broken shards of glass that was dispersed over almost the entire front plaza. Stepping into the foyer, the duo was met with black smoke which billowed from the main arena.
“How will we be able to see?” Eri whispered, “…how can we help them?”
Risa shook her head in disbelief. “Who would do something like this…?”
“We should get help, we can’t do this alone.”
“Agreed.”
The pair rushed back out into the rain, scanning the vicinity for help.
Running to the road, Risa looked down into the darkness concernedly. “Where are the others?!”
Pulling out her phone, she started dialling Junjun’s number.
“Sir?!”
Spinning around, Risa saw Eri calling out to a thin man who had appeared from the alleyway they had been in only moments earlier.
“Sir, there’s been a bomb and many people are injured. Please help us!”
The man’s eyes widened as they darted from Eri to Risa and then to the smoke which was now ascending towards the already darkened skies. As quickly as he appeared the man ducked back into the darkness of the alleyway, his footsteps echoing along its walls.
“Risa!”
“I’m already with you!” Risa jumped onto her motor cycle and started down towards the alleyway, slowing as she reached Eri. “Get on!”
Eri jumped onto the side of the bike and Risa continued up the alleyway.
The alleyway was damp and dimly lit, with pockets of shadows every few meters.
The girls quickly reached the end of the alleyway, two paths leading in the opposite directions.
“Which way do I go?” Risa’s voice was horse as she called out over the sound of the motor cycle.
Eri’s eyes squinted as she peered down each path, though neither was lit well enough for her to see. Her eyebrows arched as she frantically began tapping on Risa’s shoulder. “Turn the engine off!”
Risa quickly obeyed her friend and, as the engine slowly quietened, the girls heard faint footsteps.
“Bingo!”
*~~*
“Why is this traffic not moving!?”
Junjun blasted her hand against the car horn for the eighth time, pressing down for what seemed like an eternity.
“AHHHHH!” Koharu slapped Junjun on the head from behind, “Too loud!”
Junjun rested her cheek against the windscreen as she looked out onto the Yokohama harbor from the highway above. She had been sitting there for the past 10 minutes, barely moving an inch, and her patience was being tested. She had absolute faith in the other girls, that they would be able to help C-ute, though that left her the worst job of all: babysitter.
“Excuse me? Attention all people!” Aika had stuck half her body out the car window, her right hand was curved at her mouth, the other grasping the roof of the car. “We have an emergency! If you could all just move … please?”
“Get down from there!” Junjun tugged at Aika’s sweater, lowering her back into the car, “It’s not safe.”
“I see police up ahead” Linlin had crawled in between Aika and Junjun in the front of the car and was now pointing to the flashing lights of police cars a few hundred meters up the road. “We should ask them for help.”
The girls all got out of the car into a blistering chill.
“Stay right behind me,” Junjun cautioned the others before darting towards the flashing lights ahead.
Koharu and Aika joined hands as they ran together.
“Wa~hhhh this is so exciting!”
“We’re totally like secret agents!” Aika nodded in agreement.
“Hurry up!” Linlin called from ahead as she tugged her coat tighter against her body.
Shortly Junjun reached the officers who were busy dealing with a car accident, seemingly the cause of the traffic.
“Excuse me, sir?” Junjun rushed over to what looked to be the officer in charge.
“Sorry girlie, I ain’t got no time for chit chat. Can’t you see I got two blocked lanes in peak hour to deal with.” The officer’s voice was gruff and cold. “You’ll be on your way to the mall, or the cinemas, or wherever it is you and your friends are off too shortly.”
“No that’s not it!” Linlin chirped in, “There is a concert at the Yokohama Arena tonight, it’s starting about now and we thi…”
“A concert, did ya say?!” The officer mocked, “Well why didn’t ya say so? Boys, let’s get these girls a police escort quickly so they can make their concert in time!”An officer a few meters away laughed. “Look just beat it kids, we’ll be finished soon.”
The girls stood in a circle, bathed in the red and blue lights of the police car, pondering their options.
“He won’t even listen!” Aika stomped her foot on the ground.
“We have to make him! I’ll give him a piece of my mind!” Koharu rolled her sleeves up, “Officer wo PU~N!!” She punched the air a few times.
Linlin rolled her eyes, laughing, “Violence is never the answer. In fact in 94% of cases, disputes can easily be resolved with civilised discussion."
Koharu poked her tongue out at her friend as Junjun suddenly spoke up.
“I think I have an idea.”
*~~*
“Did you know that in 40% of car accidents, the negligible driver is either under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs?” Linlin tugged at the police officer’s coat as she followed him around the road, “Is that the case here?”
“I don’t know,” The officer mumbled as he brushed away Linlin. “Could you stop following me kid? Go play with your friends.”
Linlin continued following the officer who swiftly moved further from her after every step until they were both a fair distance from where they had begun. She turned around peering towards the officer’s car to see Junjun, Koharu and Aika ducking behind. Smiling, she held up her hand in an ‘A-OK’ symbol and nodded to which Junjun did the same.
“I see this glass is spread out in an evenly dispersed manner outward from the vehicle. Does that indicate a forward trajectory upon impact?”
“Yeah I guess, anything else?!” The officer’s face was red with frustration.
Linlin glanced back to see the girls crawling into the car, before turning back to the office. “No thank you, Sir. You’ve been quite helpful.”
At that moment the police car’s sirens began to blare as the engine revved loudly.
Linlin dashed towards the car as it spun around, stopping briefly as Linlin jumped in, then blaring down the off-ramp leaving many stunned faces behind.
“Good job,” Junjun smiled in the rear-view mirror back at Linlin.
“All in a day’s work!” Linlin grinned as Koharu shoved her, laughing.
“Let’s go save C-ute!” Aika raised her fist in the air, “Secret agents UNITE!”
Junjun looked over to her, one eyebrow raised. “Secret agents…?”
“Red light, straight through! We’re Police, wa~hh!”
The police siren roared as they neared the Yokohama Arena. They had reached the road adjacent to the Arena when a white van came speeding past, cutting them off at the intersection, followed by two motorcycles.
“Ai!” Aika jumped up and down in her seat, “that was Ai-chan!”
“…and Reina and Sayumi, I think.” Linlin continued, “We have to help them.”
Junjun nodded as she steered the car away from the Yokohama Arena, in the direction of the chase.
*~~*
Risa’s motor cycle came to a screeching halt as they reached a large brick building at the end of the alleyway, a dead end.
“Where did he go?” Eri looked around.
“Look!” Risa pointed at a small laneway between buildings a few meters behind them, running up to investigate. “It looks too small for the bike, we’ll have to go on foot.”
Together the pair ran down the dark lane way which was filled with dank, stinky water.
“You realize when we finally catch this guy, I’m going to make him wish he never met me,” Risa huffed as she trudged along, “These boots are new! Now they’re ruined.”
“I can’t believe you are thinking of footwear at a time like this!”
“It’s my defence mechanism!”
The girls finally ran out onto a ledge overlooking the Plaza Shopping Complex. A rustic spiral staircase led down to large crowds of shoppers loitering around one of the many entrances.
“Where did he go?”
“There!” Eri pointed to the thin black man, weaselling his way through the people below. Leading the way, she headed down the staircase into the crowd, as she tried to keep her eyes on the man ahead. “Do you see him?”
“That’s him!” Risa pointed towards the entrance of the mall and they both darted towards it, pushing people aside as they tried to navigate through the crowd.
Upon reaching the entrance, they stumbled past the automatic doors and scoured the current vicinity for the man. In the middle of the current floor, the girls saw large palm trees which peaked out from below. Rushing towards the balcony, they saw a large fountain on the lowest most level, with the palm trees surrounding it and views of the levels both above and below.
Risa turned her head as she searched the balconies of the levels above, while Eri leaned over to get a better look below. “I can’t see him.”
“Neither,” Eri replied, “let’s keep looking.”
*~~*
Junjun pressed down hard on the accelerator as she fondled with the gear shift, “Damn sticks!”
“You’re doing well,” Linlin encouraged, “We’re gaining on them, just concentrate.”
Linlin was indeed correct as the chase ahead of them seemed to be getting gradually closer as they manoeuvred through the back streets of Yokohama. In the distance, the white van was their target, easier to see than the two black motorcycles following it. All four girls had their sights on the van as it turned a corner ahead of them.
“LEFT!” Aika screamed, pointing to her right.
“It went right!” Koharu snapped from the backseat, “Left is that-a-way.”
“Oh yeah…”
“I’m not blind, I can figure it out myself.” Junjun called out, keeping her eyes fixed on the road as they approached the corner ahead. Aika’s head lowered slightly, Junjun noticing in the corner of her eye, “… but thank you.”
Aika’s head rose, smiling as she looked up towards Junjun.
They turned the corner ahead and came to a halt as they entered a dark, deserted city street.
Koharu jumped up, grabbing the seat in front of her, “Where did they go?!”
Linlin tapped Junjun on the shoulder, “Keep driving, maybe they turned up one of these side streets.”
Junjun nodded in agreement, “Keep your eyes peeled, girls. Now I’ll need your help.”
Aika reached around her seat towards Koharu as they both smiled before retreating to their windows, peering out into the darkness.
Junjun continued up the street cautiously, the headlights of the car revealing discarded trash being washed away down the gutters.
“Is that them?” Aika asked, her eyes scrunching up as she pressed her hands against her window.
Linlin climbed over next to Koharu to get a closer look. “It is! Good work, Mittsi.”
Aika beamed as Junjun examined the narrow street, a worried look on her face. “I don’t know if we will fit through there?”
“The van fit, we should too right?” Koharu nodded, anxious to continue their chase.
“This cop car is huge though,” Junjun replied, “it’s definitely wider than the van.”
“Perhaps we should look for an alternate route? The road veers off to the right up ahead,” Linlin pointed towards the end of the street, “we should head down there.”
The girls all nodded in unison and Junjun sped up the car as they headed down the street.
*~~*
Sayumi’s long black hair flustered behind her as she raced along the Yokohama backstreets, clinging tightly to Reina who was driving the motor cycle. Behind her she could hear the faint sounds of sirens and turning back saw police in the distance. “Good” she thought, “With the police on our side, we’re sure to rescue C-ute.”
Ahead of them, Ai was expertly dodging the terrain, gaining on the white van up ahead and widening the gap between Reina and Sayumi as she did.
“I can’t let Ai down,” Reina thought to herself, speeding up as she pushed the motor cycle to its limits, “I gotta catch up!”
She saw the white van turn down an alleyway, barely squeezing in, with Ai following right behind. Reina turned the bike to follow them, entering darkness as she did. She could only see a few meters in front of her, with the help of the motorcycle’s headlights. She could just make out the lights of Ai and the van a fair bit up the alleyway. The police sirens, which had been getting louder, began to soften.
Sayumi screamed as the motor cycle swayed, running over a discarded wooden plank, her hands grasping tighter around Reina’s waist and burying her head in Reina’s shoulder. The bike swayed as Reina wriggled from Sayumi’s grip, “Ah! Let go of me!”
Turning back around Reina could now not see the lights of Ai or the van ahead of her, just the dim reflection of the moonlight in puddles on the ground. Speeding up, once again, she vowed to get back into the chase.
Upon reaching the end of the alleyway, she saw lights not far off to her left; she had gained some ground.
This new street was well lit and easy to navigate. Large office blocks stood tall to their right while a sturdy brick wall was on their left. The police sirens began to grow louder as Reina gained on Ai and the white van.
Reina was now driving with confidence when, without warning, the police car came crashing through from a street ahead of them, colliding into the brick wall. Reina hit the front breaks, the motorcycle screeching as it swerved and toppled over, skidding into the police car.
Black smoke rose from the smashed front of the police car as Junjun, Linlin, Koharu and Aika crawled out.
“Is anyone hurt?” Junjun called to the other girls.
“My knee…” Linlin looked down to a small scrape on her knee, “that’s all.”
“Geez, learn to drive!” Koharu snapped from the other side of the car.
“I told you I can’t drive sticks!”
“Sayu!” Aika spotted Sayumi and ran to her friend who was stumbling to her feet, a few meters down the road, “Sayu, are you ok?”
Sayumi nodded slowly. “Reina...” She beckoned to her left where Reina was lying against the wall.
Koharu ran up to Reina who held up her hand as she approached, “I can get up by myself.”
Quickly lifting herself and brushing off, she sternly walked towards where Junjun was standing. Looking back she called to the others, “Stay there! It isn’t safe.”
She ran up next to Junjun, who was close to tears.
“Don’t you dare cry!” Reina whispered, “Not near the kids, we have to be strong.”
“I tried my best,” Junjun wiped the tears from her eyes, “I really did.”
“I know. I’m not angry at you. I shouldn’t have let them get so far in front. At least no one is hurt.”
Reina continued towards the car, jumping on the trunk before climbing onto the roof. She stared down the street where the van and Ai had headed. In the distance she could see the lights of the harbor.
“It’s up to you now, Ai-chan.”
*~~*
Ai screeched to a halt behind a large stack of crate boxes. Ahead of her, the van had come to a stop near a large warehouse at the docks of Yokohama Harbor. She turned around, searching for her friends. “Reina, c’mon!” she whispered anxiously to herself.
A large, brutish man exited the van walking around to open the back, after which a number of men carrying sacks began bumbling out.
Ai began forward but, eying large guns on the belts of each man, quickly stepped back behind the crates.
Peeking out again, she saw a medium sized vessel, stationary in the water at the other end of the dock.
She looked behind her down the road one last time but could not make sight of Reina or any of the others.
Waiting for the right moment, she rushed out from behind the crates, making sure to stay in the shadows, and swiftly ran down the side of the dock in the direction of the vessel.
Looking behind her she saw the men heading for the boat. They walked slowly, carrying the motionless sacks on their backs.
As she reached the boat, she jumped on deck.
The boat was medium in size. Its hull was rustic and old, paint peeling from its sides, while the deck reeked of a strange fishy smell.
Ai raised her head over the edge to see the men continuing their approach. She looked back towards the deck, her eyes darting around before they rested on a pipe which ran up along the main cabin.
Pulling a small circular device out of her back pocket, she scurried towards the pipe. Pressing a button, her device was activated, a small red light blinking on its face. Reaching behind, she placed the device against pipe, out of view, before rushing back to the front of the boat and jumping back across to the dock.
As Ai hid at the side of the old warehouse, she watched as the sacks were thrown aboard before the ship slowly set out to sea. She pulled another object out from her pocket, with a large viewing screen, holding down a button on its side.
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SEARCHING FOR SIGNAL…
SIGNAL RETRIEVED
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A map of her current location appeared on the screen, the Yokohama Harbor. In the center was a small blinking dot. She watched as it slowly drifted away from where she stood.
*~~*
Risa and Eri walked slowly out of the shopping complex, their heads hanging down in disappointment.
“We need to get back to the Arena,”
“I’m so tired,” Eri breathed heavily as she pulled out some money from her pocket, “Let’s get a taxi, we’ll get there qui-“ Not paying attention Eri walked straight into a tall man who had cut in front of them, dropping her money as she collided with him. “Sorry!” Eri bowed at the man who kept walking quickly with his head down, before she bent down to pick up her money.
“A phone…” Risa picked up the small cell phone which lay in between Eri’s coins and notes. “Sir?!” she called to the man who was now quite a distance away. “Wait here, I’ll just give him back his phone.”
Risa jogged through the crowd, calling out to the man who seemed oblivious. Upon reaching him, she tapped him on the shoulder, “Sir, you dropped your phone.”
Turning around he grabbed the phone before turning back, but not before Risa had gotten a look at his face.
“You!” Her eyes were filled with rage as she jumped on the man knocking him to his feet. “You ruined my bloody boots!”
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:lol: Nice ending.
I must say, my favorite parts were definitely the 7th + 8th gen parts. Junjun coming up with the idea of stealing a cop car was priceless. :heart: You're definitely good with suspense! I hope to read the next chapter really, really soon!
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Ah I love this. xD
"Officer wo PU~N!!” She punched the air a few times
Ah, Koharu. XD Just had to be Kirari at a time like this. lol
I loved the ending. lol Don't mess with Risa when she's wearing new boots! :lol:
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Thanks for the nice comments :) This chapter took me a while because I'm not very used to writing the whole action/suspense type stuff. I'm more dialogue oriented. So it doesn't surprise me, whoever said they enjoyed the 7th/8th gen bits the best, they were the most fun to write.
I'll get to work on the new chapter as soon as I can. This fanfic doesn't have the greatest following, but for the few fans I'll definitely continue, I do enjoy writing it. I am pretty busy though (big events in my personal life ooooo :wub: ) but yeah I'll put aside the time :)
Thanks again.
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I know I’m later then I said I would be look a comment :D
Its really cool having the prologue and then these chapters coz it means I can try and match up what’s going on in side the arena with what’s going on outside of it and even though I know the girls don’t make it to stop the explosion, it never stopped me from thinking “you can do it girls, ride faster!!!!”.
The motorcycles are such an awesome idea… They make the girls like badass even though they are the good guys… it gives them a “don’t mess with me!” aura, even Sayu :P
The girls getting blown away by the explosion sucked, but Eri being concerned about Sayu was so sweet. Eri really reacts on emotion without thinking things through, thank goodness she is with Risa who thinks it through a lot more, who knows what would have happened if Eri did walk right up to the van like she was going to. Thank goodness the Super agents are fit and the explosion didn’t really slow them down or stop them… if it did, the rest of the chapter wouldn’t have had much to it :lol:
At least Eri did have her smart moment with turning the bike off to hear the footsteps… GakiKame work so well as a team!
Poor JunJun having to be the babysitter lol… being stuck with the random weirdness of Koha and Mittsi in any situation sucks, but when its such a confined space and a traffic jam, I’m surprised JunJun stayed calm for so long! Stupid police office, he doesn’t have a clue what he is messing with, they should have just unleashed Kohapower on him whilst forcing him to listen to a random rant from LinLin about something smart. I gotta wonder though, they DID steal a cop car AND smash it, how the hell are they gonna use their charms to get their way out of that little pickle!?!?
I absolutely adore Gaki’s defence mechanism of her boots :heart: XD just the little things like that throughout the chapter do such a great job for the characterisation of every girl there… that’s some special writing you do there :)
The chase overall is just awesome, flicking back and forth between each group of characters and what they are doing at the same time, all equally important and such different dynamics… add this to the little details everywhere and its like I’m watching a movie, a really awesome, expensive, action blockbuster starring Morning Musume… Doesn’t get much better!
Poor Junjun almost cracked there too, thank goodness Reina was there to help her (or force her) to not think about it and to focus on what was happening. I think the moment Reina stood on top of the car and said “It’s up to you now, Ai-chan.” was not sweet but there was something special about that… GO AI!!!!
No one but Ai could be fast enough to sneak in and out of the boat with no one noticing her, its no fluke she’s the leader… Reina would be proud ;) At least now they can track them down with that special flashing device, YAY for super agent gear. And I hope Risa kicks that guys arse for wrecking her boots… he owes her at least 3 Italian shoes now :P
I didn’t quite make the 2600 word reply :lol:
Please don’t keep us waiting too long :mon pray2:
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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 :)
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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.
-
OMG a new 'part of a chapter' and the promise for more soon, I likey!!! :otomerika:
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 :O Poor Airi, you DON'T do that to an idol! :angry: 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 :lol:
“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 :sweat: 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 :O
“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 :oops: 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) :O 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 :dizzy: I wouldn't be able to keep on track with it all :lol:
:cow: How excitement... leave me on a cliff hanger like that but say we don't have to wait too long for the next installment :D 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 :tantrum:
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 :P :heart:
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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:
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^But didn't Risa find her in the mess earlier in the story? ._.
Either way, great chapter! :D
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Lollipopgrl (there is no way I'm quoting all your stuff :P):
* 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! :D
Thank you :)
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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.
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^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. :lol:
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! :cow:
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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
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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.
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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 (http://missioncute.vox.com/): Prologue (http://missioncute.vox.com/library/post/mission-c-ute-prologue.html) 1 (http://missioncute.vox.com/library/post/mission-c-ute---chapter-one.html) 2 (http://missioncute.vox.com/library/post/chapter-two.html) 3i (http://missioncute.vox.com/library/post/chapter-three---part-i.html) ii (http://missioncute.vox.com/library/post/chapter-three---part-ii.html) iii (http://missioncute.vox.com/library/post/chapter-three---part-iii.html)
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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.”
-
This is a really great story! :D
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! :P Their interaction is hilarious.
Can't wait for the next chapter!! :inlove:
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I can't believe they would just separate the girls like that.I hope they get away safely.
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OMG :OMG: things don’t look good for poor Chisato and Saki :cry: 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 :P
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, :lol:. I hope she is careful though, coz if she keeps back chatting they’re gonna hurt her. :mon cry: :mon chilly: :gmon tears:
Awww Erika, so motherly and caring to the young ones, especially Kanna :heart:… 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 :D
KanKan to the rescue! :gmon twirl:
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 XD
Great job as always :monk gboy:
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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 XD
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!
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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! :w00t:
Nor can I wait ;)
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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 :D
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.