Shadow Boys 2: Part 4 Chapter 12
Title: Shadow Boys 2 : Midnight Mercury
Part Four: Quicksilver
Genre: Angst, Supernatural, Brotherhood, slight!Romance
Rating: PG - PG 15 (violence)
Fandom: Hey!Say!Jump with some others
Disclaimer: I own the plot, the OCs and the idea...the media, graphics and references to Johhnys is the reason I have this disclaimer.
Summary:
They risked their lives to save him. Now, to save them, he has to risk everything else. Bonds are tested and the stakes are raised.
They brought him home from hell, now… to protect them… he has to go back….
Part Four
Trust, betrayal...the limits of friendship and love...an amalgamation of different feelings...strength isn't always solid, but sometimes vulnerable...like quicksilver.
Chapter Twelve - Paralyzing Fear
He sighed and looked up. His petite companion was crouched on a high branch a good 30 feet from the ground. The trees in this forest were like skyscrapers and the ground was uneven, making the trail truly more of a hike than a walk through the woods. He quickened his pace, Yuri had moved to the next tree.
That flying squirrel.
He laughed at the thought. Everything seemed unreal to him. Even after all that had happened. They were actually on an island, far away from home. He stopped and watched a snake slither by, over a moss covered trunk before sliding into the underbrush. He sighed deeper. He wasn’t tired or exhausted, not physically yes but his mind was so transfixed on everybody, especially Kota and Ryosuke that nothing perturbed him at the moment. Not snakes, not the silence, not even the fact that a dangerous animal could appear out of nowhere.
He jumped as something landed behind him with a thump.
“Why are you standing there day dreaming Yuttie? Not the time and place to loose focus,” the younger chided. His gaze softened at the worry on the taller boy’s face.
“There is a fair chance we won’t see anything but the woods for another hour, the hill will start to slope at a point and I think I saw something,”
“What?”
“It looks like a waterfall, its huge…I suggest we head for it,”
Nodding his agreement he gathered himself together as Yuri pounced on multiple tree trunks to reach the higher branches, a gentle breeze accompanying his ascend.
He looked ahead and for the umpteenth time, sighed.
“It’ll be a long walk.”
~*~
“It is one isn’t it?”
Ryuytaro’s eyes twitched at the goofy face Yuya was making up at the little camera hidden in a branch that he had accidentally uncovered by knocking into that tree.
“Why are you so happy?” he asked irked. Yuya grinned at him before snapping his fingers. Sparks erupted from the camera and soon it was smoking.
“You just wanted to do that,” he sighed shaking his head.
“Of course little one, and now…we get over that fence!”
Ryutaro stared at the barbed wire fence they had uncovered thanks to Yuya being able to sense that there was current flowing through. They had only uncovered a small part though and not knowing what the extent of the fence was and why it was put up in this particular area of the forest in the first place gave him a pretty bad feeling.
But then, as long as they get to Ryosuke in time…he was willing to risk it.
~*~
Keito took his steps carefully, his heart jumping at the smallest thing. He wasn’t so good with dark places, it made him think of all sorts of things that could be hiding in it. Haunted houses were something both he and Ryosuke were weak with, they would stick together throughout the rooms (when forced to go into one or having lost a dare of course) and would literally claw each other whenever something would jump at them.
This wasn’t a theme park attraction though. This was a dingy tunnel-like cave, taking a strange course through the rocky cliffs of the shoreline. It’s hard stony walls, dark gravel floor and the sharp projections of rock on the ceiling made him wonder if it was used as a passageway often. Something in the air, whether it was the strong smell of salt and ash or the suffocating humidity made him think otherwise.
But he was no expert, and he had felt movement after all.
He sighed, trying to swallow the bitter taste in his throat. He knew that whatever was lurking in the darkness here, would not just try to scare him. He stopped suddenly and jumped as Sakura crashed into him.
“Sorry,” he whispered. He couldn’t bring himself to speak any louder.
“It’s alright, what’s the matter?” she responded just as quietly. He shone the light upon the ground and squatted to touch the gravel. He felt the coarseness of the relatively damp sand, fingering the tiny black rocks. He felt her crouch down as well, peering over his shoulder.
“I’ve done some reading… and if I’m right… this island used to be active…,” Keito murmured, rubbing the black sand in his palm.
“Volcanic ash?” Sakura guessed. He nodded.
“I guess that’s to be expected… I mean… this entire region is around the Pacific Ring of Fire, but why are you saying that it used to be?” she asked.
“The texture of the gravel, the mineral content of the sand… it doesn’t happen overnight… I mean from what I’ve read up and also, I couldn’t feel any… violent activity for miles, it’s probably been dormant for years,”
“That’s pretty impressive Keito-kun,” Sakura said, marveling at the boy’s effort. The boy blushed, shaking his head. He stiffened, feeling warm air that smelled like rotten fish hit his face.
“What…?” he began raising the flashlight and illuminating a rather large, bulging eye. Paralyzed with shock he felt Sakura jerk backwards with a gasp, pulling him along till he was sitting on his behind. The flashlight now helped him make out… something, crouching before him. He couldn’t tell what it was only that it had a large round face, a pair of beady eyes and a slit for a mouth. The large bulging eye was in the center of its forehead. He yelled as it reached out two large arms that looked like gray tentacles and wrapped one around his neck, the other around his torso. The feeling was cold, sticky and if he hadn’t yet lost consciousness because of the shock of what he was seeing, he was jolted to his senses as he heard Sakura scream.
He gagged as he felt the grip on him tightening and then croaked out a scream as he felt a terrible pinch on the side of his neck. The tentacle unwound from his throat with a sickening sound but he was mortified to discover that there was a numbness spreading downwards, slowly but surely. He stared at the creature, its large eye swiveling in its socket and it reminded him of those predators that paralyze their prey before devouring them. He couldn’t even move his head so he found himself staring at the sight, the fear killing him slowly. The slit spread apart revealing a mouth full of small jagged teeth. He whimpered as the tentacles pulled him closer but just then a gunshot echoed through the cave and the creature’s third eye exploded in a bloody mess. The tentacles retracted quickly as the creature backed away, emitting a strange shrill scream. There were two more shots fired and there was more screaming. Keito watched not one but two of those creature slinking away into the shadows beyond. He lay sprawled upon the ground, the flashlight a few inches from where he was. His shoulder was frozen and his entire body felt numb.
“Keito-kun? Keito-kun are you alright?”
He tried to open his mouth but he found himself unable to. With the flashlight no longer their focus, he found his eyes adjusting in the dark. Sakura was by his side, she had crawled to him. He eyed the smoking gun in the girl’s hand and the way her eyes were wide and alert. She was still breathing heavily as she fingered the puncture wound on his neck.
“Poison through the jugular…this is not good, Keito can you move your lower body?”
The boy lifted his knees and wiggled his toes.
“Good, now grab my hand,” she commanded, placing her palm upon his. To his surprise, his fingers closed upon her’s easily and he squeezed. She let out a breath of relief, squeezing his hand back with a reassuring smile.
“It moves slow, good than it means it hasn’t entered the systemic circulation…your heart Keito, it hasn’t reached your heart. I need you to relax alright, you are going to be just fine, I promise,”
Throwing a wary look around her she placed her gun on the ground and touched the puncture. Keito was glad she had not let go of their joined hands, most probably to assure him that he still had it because he did not feel her touch on his neck. He kept his eyes behind her, to watch out for anything. The screaming had become distant and then had stopped. That made him more wary. Sakura had her eyes shut tight, as if she was seeing something behind her closed eyelids. For what seemed like a good 5-7 minutes, he felt the feeling return to his neckline and a wave of strength washed over his body as if he had just woken up from a deep sleep. He was suddenly very aware of severe pain where the puncture wound was.
When she removed her hand, his eyes widened to see it bloody.
“Stay down, you’re still bleeding, I haven’t closed the wound yet, you’ll faint if you get up,” she said letting go if his hand to rummage through her bag. She pulled out a roll of bandages.
“We don’t have time,” he croaked realizing that he was feeling light headed.
“I know, so I’m sorry I’m gonna be so crude,” she replied unrolling the bandage and patching him up very swiftly.
“Why did you let me bleed?” he asked as she grabbed her gun again and stood up. He touched the dressing on his neck, it was already soaked at the center.
“I needed to get the poison out, I can’t detect it anymore and your body will stop the bleeding soon on its own, I’ll just check it and make sure
its fine as soon as we get out of here,”
He nodded, he was feeling much better. She looked around, gun at the ready.
“It’s your blood,” she spoke as Keito pushed himself onto his feet. He looked down to where the sand had mixed with his blood before realizing what she was talking about. They could hear the movement on the gravel, it was getting closer.
Keito took a deep breath. He was so not ready for this!
“Alright, here we go again.”
~*~
A/N: Thoughts so far? Do share and oh Keito's misadventures with those tentacle cave things (yes i have no cool name for them) have just started. And yes something is waiting for Yuya and Ryutaro beyond the fans and please don't kill me but what I have planned for Hikaru is actually worse than what happened to Keito.
Part Four: Quicksilver
Genre: Angst, Supernatural, Brotherhood, slight!Romance
Rating: PG - PG 15 (violence)
Fandom: Hey!Say!Jump with some others
Disclaimer: I own the plot, the OCs and the idea...the media, graphics and references to Johhnys is the reason I have this disclaimer.
Summary:
They risked their lives to save him. Now, to save them, he has to risk everything else. Bonds are tested and the stakes are raised.
They brought him home from hell, now… to protect them… he has to go back….
Part Four
Trust, betrayal...the limits of friendship and love...an amalgamation of different feelings...strength isn't always solid, but sometimes vulnerable...like quicksilver.
Chapter Twelve - Paralyzing Fear
He sighed and looked up. His petite companion was crouched on a high branch a good 30 feet from the ground. The trees in this forest were like skyscrapers and the ground was uneven, making the trail truly more of a hike than a walk through the woods. He quickened his pace, Yuri had moved to the next tree.
That flying squirrel.
He laughed at the thought. Everything seemed unreal to him. Even after all that had happened. They were actually on an island, far away from home. He stopped and watched a snake slither by, over a moss covered trunk before sliding into the underbrush. He sighed deeper. He wasn’t tired or exhausted, not physically yes but his mind was so transfixed on everybody, especially Kota and Ryosuke that nothing perturbed him at the moment. Not snakes, not the silence, not even the fact that a dangerous animal could appear out of nowhere.
He jumped as something landed behind him with a thump.
“Why are you standing there day dreaming Yuttie? Not the time and place to loose focus,” the younger chided. His gaze softened at the worry on the taller boy’s face.
“There is a fair chance we won’t see anything but the woods for another hour, the hill will start to slope at a point and I think I saw something,”
“What?”
“It looks like a waterfall, its huge…I suggest we head for it,”
Nodding his agreement he gathered himself together as Yuri pounced on multiple tree trunks to reach the higher branches, a gentle breeze accompanying his ascend.
He looked ahead and for the umpteenth time, sighed.
“It’ll be a long walk.”
~*~
“It is one isn’t it?”
Ryuytaro’s eyes twitched at the goofy face Yuya was making up at the little camera hidden in a branch that he had accidentally uncovered by knocking into that tree.
“Why are you so happy?” he asked irked. Yuya grinned at him before snapping his fingers. Sparks erupted from the camera and soon it was smoking.
“You just wanted to do that,” he sighed shaking his head.
“Of course little one, and now…we get over that fence!”
Ryutaro stared at the barbed wire fence they had uncovered thanks to Yuya being able to sense that there was current flowing through. They had only uncovered a small part though and not knowing what the extent of the fence was and why it was put up in this particular area of the forest in the first place gave him a pretty bad feeling.
But then, as long as they get to Ryosuke in time…he was willing to risk it.
~*~
Keito took his steps carefully, his heart jumping at the smallest thing. He wasn’t so good with dark places, it made him think of all sorts of things that could be hiding in it. Haunted houses were something both he and Ryosuke were weak with, they would stick together throughout the rooms (when forced to go into one or having lost a dare of course) and would literally claw each other whenever something would jump at them.
This wasn’t a theme park attraction though. This was a dingy tunnel-like cave, taking a strange course through the rocky cliffs of the shoreline. It’s hard stony walls, dark gravel floor and the sharp projections of rock on the ceiling made him wonder if it was used as a passageway often. Something in the air, whether it was the strong smell of salt and ash or the suffocating humidity made him think otherwise.
But he was no expert, and he had felt movement after all.
He sighed, trying to swallow the bitter taste in his throat. He knew that whatever was lurking in the darkness here, would not just try to scare him. He stopped suddenly and jumped as Sakura crashed into him.
“Sorry,” he whispered. He couldn’t bring himself to speak any louder.
“It’s alright, what’s the matter?” she responded just as quietly. He shone the light upon the ground and squatted to touch the gravel. He felt the coarseness of the relatively damp sand, fingering the tiny black rocks. He felt her crouch down as well, peering over his shoulder.
“I’ve done some reading… and if I’m right… this island used to be active…,” Keito murmured, rubbing the black sand in his palm.
“Volcanic ash?” Sakura guessed. He nodded.
“I guess that’s to be expected… I mean… this entire region is around the Pacific Ring of Fire, but why are you saying that it used to be?” she asked.
“The texture of the gravel, the mineral content of the sand… it doesn’t happen overnight… I mean from what I’ve read up and also, I couldn’t feel any… violent activity for miles, it’s probably been dormant for years,”
“That’s pretty impressive Keito-kun,” Sakura said, marveling at the boy’s effort. The boy blushed, shaking his head. He stiffened, feeling warm air that smelled like rotten fish hit his face.
“What…?” he began raising the flashlight and illuminating a rather large, bulging eye. Paralyzed with shock he felt Sakura jerk backwards with a gasp, pulling him along till he was sitting on his behind. The flashlight now helped him make out… something, crouching before him. He couldn’t tell what it was only that it had a large round face, a pair of beady eyes and a slit for a mouth. The large bulging eye was in the center of its forehead. He yelled as it reached out two large arms that looked like gray tentacles and wrapped one around his neck, the other around his torso. The feeling was cold, sticky and if he hadn’t yet lost consciousness because of the shock of what he was seeing, he was jolted to his senses as he heard Sakura scream.
He gagged as he felt the grip on him tightening and then croaked out a scream as he felt a terrible pinch on the side of his neck. The tentacle unwound from his throat with a sickening sound but he was mortified to discover that there was a numbness spreading downwards, slowly but surely. He stared at the creature, its large eye swiveling in its socket and it reminded him of those predators that paralyze their prey before devouring them. He couldn’t even move his head so he found himself staring at the sight, the fear killing him slowly. The slit spread apart revealing a mouth full of small jagged teeth. He whimpered as the tentacles pulled him closer but just then a gunshot echoed through the cave and the creature’s third eye exploded in a bloody mess. The tentacles retracted quickly as the creature backed away, emitting a strange shrill scream. There were two more shots fired and there was more screaming. Keito watched not one but two of those creature slinking away into the shadows beyond. He lay sprawled upon the ground, the flashlight a few inches from where he was. His shoulder was frozen and his entire body felt numb.
“Keito-kun? Keito-kun are you alright?”
He tried to open his mouth but he found himself unable to. With the flashlight no longer their focus, he found his eyes adjusting in the dark. Sakura was by his side, she had crawled to him. He eyed the smoking gun in the girl’s hand and the way her eyes were wide and alert. She was still breathing heavily as she fingered the puncture wound on his neck.
“Poison through the jugular…this is not good, Keito can you move your lower body?”
The boy lifted his knees and wiggled his toes.
“Good, now grab my hand,” she commanded, placing her palm upon his. To his surprise, his fingers closed upon her’s easily and he squeezed. She let out a breath of relief, squeezing his hand back with a reassuring smile.
“It moves slow, good than it means it hasn’t entered the systemic circulation…your heart Keito, it hasn’t reached your heart. I need you to relax alright, you are going to be just fine, I promise,”
Throwing a wary look around her she placed her gun on the ground and touched the puncture. Keito was glad she had not let go of their joined hands, most probably to assure him that he still had it because he did not feel her touch on his neck. He kept his eyes behind her, to watch out for anything. The screaming had become distant and then had stopped. That made him more wary. Sakura had her eyes shut tight, as if she was seeing something behind her closed eyelids. For what seemed like a good 5-7 minutes, he felt the feeling return to his neckline and a wave of strength washed over his body as if he had just woken up from a deep sleep. He was suddenly very aware of severe pain where the puncture wound was.
When she removed her hand, his eyes widened to see it bloody.
“Stay down, you’re still bleeding, I haven’t closed the wound yet, you’ll faint if you get up,” she said letting go if his hand to rummage through her bag. She pulled out a roll of bandages.
“We don’t have time,” he croaked realizing that he was feeling light headed.
“I know, so I’m sorry I’m gonna be so crude,” she replied unrolling the bandage and patching him up very swiftly.
“Why did you let me bleed?” he asked as she grabbed her gun again and stood up. He touched the dressing on his neck, it was already soaked at the center.
“I needed to get the poison out, I can’t detect it anymore and your body will stop the bleeding soon on its own, I’ll just check it and make sure
its fine as soon as we get out of here,”
He nodded, he was feeling much better. She looked around, gun at the ready.
“It’s your blood,” she spoke as Keito pushed himself onto his feet. He looked down to where the sand had mixed with his blood before realizing what she was talking about. They could hear the movement on the gravel, it was getting closer.
Keito took a deep breath. He was so not ready for this!
“Alright, here we go again.”
~*~
A/N: Thoughts so far? Do share and oh Keito's misadventures with those tentacle cave things (yes i have no cool name for them) have just started. And yes something is waiting for Yuya and Ryutaro beyond the fans and please don't kill me but what I have planned for Hikaru is actually worse than what happened to Keito.