Hold my hand and don't let go - IDOLiSH7

Chapter 6

"What do you mean, you don't know?! Did something happen to him?!" Tenn became hysterical for a few seconds, shaking an unsettled Mitsuki, urging him for answers.

"Hey- Tenn, calm down! Hear them out before jumping to conclusions!" Ryuu placed a steady hand on Tenn's shoulder, his gaze unwavering, allowing Tenn's mind to regain some well needed clarity, realizing that he let his emotions get the better of him, as often happens whenever Riku is involved.

"... You're right. I'm sorry, Izumi Mitsuki. I lost my cool." Tenn released his hold on the other boy, slowly gaining his composure. But it did not mean he stopped worrying; he simply stopped showing it.

"No- It's alright. You only panicked because you noticed something was wrong, right? Sorry for attempting to hide it from you. We didn't mean anything bad, we just..." Mitsuki spoke, guilt audible in his voice.

"We can talk about it later. For now, what I want to know is what happened to Riku? Why do you all look like this?" Tenn asked again, as he noticed the discussion drifting away from what he needed the most right now: answers.

Mitsuki was about to speak up, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Yamato, offering him a light smile. "I'll take it over from here. You go sit down a bit."

Mitsuki quietly thanked him as he went to sit down besides Iori, who looked equally as concerned as him, and started a conversation. Tenn couldn't care less to bother listening, his attention focused on Yamato, doing his best not to show to the others his inner turmoil as each second without answers felt like an eternity.

"Riku went to the toilets around twenty minutes ago, but never came back. We got worried after some time had passed, so we went to check on him, but he wasn't there. We just came back from checking every other toilet in the building but we couldn't find him anywhere. He also left his phone there, so... " Yamato trailed, his expression displaying a slight mix between concern and helplessness, but well hidden behind his calm and collected demeanor.

Tenn's blood ran cold as he processed Yamato's words. He knew how much Riku hated to make people worry about him, especially his friends. If anything had come up, he surely would have come back to warn them, before going anywhere. This whole situation cannot be good.

"Did you try asking the staff members if they saw him?" Gaku spoke, his tone calm and composed, his expression unreadable, yet Tenn could tell that he was beginning to grow anxious as well.

"We asked every person we found on the way, but they said they didn't see him." Yamato shook his head, his brows furrowing with concern.

"Did you try asking at the reception desk then? If he had left the building, they would have seen him for sure. His hair color stands out a lot." Ryuu suggested, who did not even try to conceal the worry in his voice.

"No, we didn't yet, hoping we wouldn't have to. But this is a good idea. We should do this before doing anything else. It'll save us time in case they know something." Yamato resigned as he now had to consider the fact that something might have happened to their center, his expression growing more solemn.

"I'll go ask, as all of us surely won't fit in the elevator. You guys should stay here. I'll be-"

"I'm coming as well."

"I'm coming with you."

Iori and Tenn both spoke up, who were without a doubt the two most restless people in the room. Yamato eyed them for a few seconds, before giving in.

"... Alright. Let's not waste any more time, then. Let's go."

"Tenn! Don't leave us like that!" Gaku was about to follow after him, when he felt a hand resting on his shoulder.

"Let's wait here. Five people in one elevator might be a little crowded." Ryuu spoke up, smiling slightly at his friend as they watched their center disappear into the distance.

The entirety of the walk towards the elevator was spent in silence, so was the ride, and after a few seconds, the door of the elevator opened before them, with the reception desk just in line of sight.

They hurriedly made their way towards it, with Yamato walking in the front.

"Excuse me, miss, but by any chance, have you seen our center? I think you might have met him before, as we come to work here often. He has red hair and eyes."

"Ah- you mean Riku-kun, right ? Yes, I saw him. He left recently, accompanied by another person. They asked me to deliver a message to anyone that would be looking for him- saying that he'd give Riku back when he was done talking with him, and that you just had to wait there. I found it weird, but Riku-kun didn't seem distressed, so I didn't do anything. Is there a problem?" the receptionist (a young lady) answered, her voice filled with concern as she looked at them.

"Another guy? What did he look like?" Iori asked, urgency clear in his voice.

"He had purple hair and wore a black suit. He seemed to be older than Riku-kun."

Tenn's eyes widened, as one person came to his mind immediately. He felt sick as he imagined Riku all alone with him. Next to him, he could hear Iori whisper faintly.

"Could it be..."

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

"I'll ask Iori if I can go watch Tenn-nii's shooting when I get back. Manager won't come to get us until 6PM, so I don't see any reason for him to say no! Even if he does, I'll just ask-"

"Oh! If this isn't Riku-kun! Just the man I was hoping to see!"

Riku, who had just gotten out of the toilet and was making his way back towards IDOLiSH7's room, was brought out of his daydreaming by a familiar voice, yet it wasn't any of his friend's. It was a far more ominous one.

"... Tsukumo."