24 Hours

1:36 A.M

Yamaguchi:

He couldn't scream- he couldn't move a muscle.

The black-hooded man had shoved him at the floor so hard that his vision was blurring, and his head was spinning. He tried to resist and push away from the man, but he was completely powerless. The man swung a mean left hook at Yamaguchi's face, and Yamaguchi's jaw burned with pain. He yanked Yamaguchi off the ground and slammed into the wall so hard that he began to see stars.

"Wasn't I lucky that your dear doctor friend believed I was also here to visit you stupid mother?" snarled the man, his breath making Yamaguchi gag. "Now you're going to get into the other elevator with me, and we're leaving through the back entrance. Trust me, you don't want to resist."

Yamaguchi was sure if he did or didn't, he would be dead either way. Maybe he could spare at least a few more minutes. Wondering if this was how he died, he allowed the man to drag him towards another elevator. They rode in the elevator for a few seconds where Yamaguchi gingerly touched his aching jaw, trying hard to stop himself from shaking. The man besides him was watching him carefully. Yamaguchi wished he had enough strength to fight back the man, but he knew he was no match. He wasn't the strongest person, and besides, he never had the need to fight anyone.

He tried getting a peak at the man's face, but he was hidden by how low the hood was pulled. When the elevator finally stopped, the man snatched Yamaguchi's arm and dragged him down a hall. They headed out a small, black door where it led to a tiny alley filled with trash bags and skittering rats.

Without warning, the man slammed a fist into Yamaguchi's nose, and he stumbled back against the brick wall, groaning. He clutched his nose and looked up at the man. With a frightening smile, the man drew a sharp knife that glistened in the moonlight.

"W-what are you doing?" stammered Yamaguchi through the heavy flow of blood. He tried to get up, but his head was spinning so wildly he could hardly focus.

"Your blood," rasped the man, slowly approaching Yamaguchi with the knife. "It has Glytheron in it, doesn't it? I saw you take it in the hospital."

"The hospital?" murmured Yamaguchi. "You were following us from the hospital..."

"I need your blood. With Glytheron traces in it, I could possibly..." his voiced trailed off, and the man began sickly lurched forward again. "I only need a vial full... not that much. It's a shame I'm going to have to kill you though." A mad high-pitched laugh erupted from his throat. He knelt down and grabbed Yamaguchi's arm and raised the knife to it.

Tsukishima:

Tsukishima had been very on edge since Yamaguchi's last day started. So when Yamaguchi insisted he wait for him outside in the lobby, he didn't. He had walked down the hallway, then stopped mid-way when Yamaguchi was gone from view. For a moment, he stood there, considering the past minute. Yamaguchi crying over his mother.

And the hug... he had just hugged someone. He wasn't sure if he had ever hugged someone before; it was always someone jumping on top of him, and he just stood there. But Yamaguchi needed comforting, and sometimes actions were worth more than words. It felt like the right thing to do, and even though Tsukishima had felt the nape of his neck burn, he had felt a small giddy feeling inside him. He didn't show it, of course, he had just stood there and scowled at the floor.

THUMP-

The sound jolted Tsukishima from his thoughts, and his head whipped upwards towards the direction. Furrowing his brows, he made his way down the hallway and peeked around the edge just to see Yamaguchi being slammed into the wall by a stranger. Tsukishima felt his breath hitch in horror as he watched his friend get dragged away.