Chapter 3

Eyes heard it. There was a ringing in his ears. He stopped and covered his ears but it was still there. Why were his ears ringing? Had the explosions effected him even though he hadn't been hit?

"Time's running out," the hunter's voice called out as Eyes put his hands down. "Little Narumi only has about thirty minutes of chain left."

"30? But he should have an hour," Eyes replied.

"About that. You were doing so well I thought we'd up the stakes," the hunter explained smugly.

"You're cheating," Eyes growled lightly.

"This isn't a game, Rutherford. This is life, and this is death. Get used to it," was the response before the sound shut off again.

Eyes cursed. He had almost no idea where he was going. Ayumu could be in any of these tanks, any of these halls. He had no more clues to help him. He had to rely on what he could see and find on his way. He just had to hope he didn't take a wrong turn.

– – – – –

Narumi knew his strength was fading. He'd hear the hunter's voice every once in a while, telling him the progress of the blade children, but he couldn't really understand him anymore. The water kept getting in his ears and Ayumu was finding it harder and harder to float as his chain was running shorter lately. Actually, he was sure it was fully out now. Because he felt it's sudden tug and the water was still rising.

"Ah..." Ayumu's heart sped up. He would really drown. He didn't want to die! Where were those blade children? "Eyes! Kousuke! Rio! Anybody!"

– – – – –

Eyes had two paths to chose. According to the hunter's last transmission, Ayumu was just down one of these halls. He was almost there. Hang on Ayumu.

"Narumi, I need a sign," Eyes muttered.

As if on cue, Ayumu's calls for help echoed from the left path. Eyes couldn't help but smirk as he ran down the passageway. The other blade children were right behind him. They all stopped shortly though. They could hear the water running in the next room but.. A large door stood between them and Ayumu and if their ears were truthful, there was enough electricity running through this door to kill them all at once.

"There's gotta be a disarm switch somewhere," Ryouko rationalized.

"They want to kill us. They wont always give us a way to turn it off," Kousuke scolded.

"Then what would be the point?" Ryouko growled back.

Eyes came over and grabbed Ryouko's arms, sticking them to her sides so she couldn't move. Before she could argue, Eyes had pushed her backwards and one a black dot. As her weight hit it, a beep went off.

"W-What was that?" Rio asked. Eyes nodded.

"Rio, stand on that black square," Eyes pointed out the other shape and Rio did as she was told. Another beep went off and the sound of electricity died.

"The electricity stopped!" Rio gasped.

"A switch activated by weight. Brilliant. Alright, don't move, you two. The current will start again if you get off, I'm sure of it," Kousuke nodded.

"Kousuke! I have an idea," Eyes said, walking over to Kousuke and murmuring so any listening devices wouldn't be able to hear him.

– – – – –

Ayumu was underwater, submerged. He'd been under for a good 15 seconds. It was easier to hold your breath when you weren't struggling to get up or down. Ayumu knew there was no point in struggling. He wouldn't go anywhere. But... His head was getting dizzy at 25 seconds. Ayumu was NOT a champion at holding his breath, that was for sure.

He couldn't... he couldn't breathe. His heart was pounding so fast, he must have become a bird. He was... dying. He could feel it. And he hadn't told Eyes that he loved him yet... Then Ayumu's mouth opened and all his air escaped.

The door was pulled open at the top of the tank and Eye Rutherford walked out onto the ground up there, usually reserved for trainers.

"Too late," the hunter's voice called out. "Darn. If only you'd been a few seconds faster. Key's on the wall if you still want his body."

Eyes's eyes widened as he spotted Narumi under the water, eyes closed and limp. No! The pianist grabbed the key, stripped his jacket and dove into the pool of water. Right at Narumi's ankle, Eyes jammed the key in and forced it to unlock. He realized halfway through that it wasn't the proper key. This whole trap was set so that Ayumu would never be rescued. But through sheer force, Eyes got the key to work. He pulled Ayumu to the surface and set him out on the dry land.

'He's not breathing!' Eyes noted in a panic. He plugged Ayumu's nose and pressed his mouth to his. Then he pulled back and performed CPR.

"Breathe!" Eyes ordered, trying again. The door opened again and Rio and Ryouko stepped in. They must have found some barrels or something to take their places on the switches.

"Ah! Ayumu!" Rio cried out. The site of Ayumu Narumi laying on the floor, not moving, not breathing, was a ghastly one. It just wasn't something you could expect.

"Were we too late?" Ryouko asked, worried etched onto her face as well. Rio hid her face in Ryouko's damp clothes.

Eyes paid them no mind and continued CPR. Ayumu couldn't die on him like this! Breathe, dammit!

"The hunter's are down," Kousuke's voice came over the intercom. "How's Ayumu?"

Eyes was beginning to panic for real. Ayumu wasn't... he wasn't responding. God dammit!

Eyes pushed a little too hard on the next push and Ayumu spit up so much water you'd think he sucked up the entire tank. Eyes heard the others gasp and the opposite door opened to allow Kousuke to enter. So the hunters were planning to come get them after they were tired from saving Ayumu Narumi.

Eyes did one more round of CPR, and Ayumu coughed up more water, rolling onto his side and gasping for air. His mind swirled, his head hurt like hell. Had he been... saved? He looked up and swore he saw Eyes through his blurry vision. But Eyes wouldn't be here. Maybe this was one last hallucination before he died.

"I..."

"Don't try to talk. You almost died," Eyes ordered.

"I love you," Ayumu whispered and only Eyes heard. Then Ayumu lifted himself up just enough to kiss Eyes on the cheek before he fell back to the stone floor and passed out.

"D-Did he just...?" Kousuke asked, taking a step back.

"He must still be in a haze from the lack of oxygen to his brain. He probably saw Rio or Hiyono," Eyes replied rather melancholy. He reached under Ayumu and lifted him a bit. Then he paused. "Kousuke, give me a hand."

Kousuke was a little hesitant, afraid Ayumu would wake up and kiss him as well, but he helped anyway.

– – – – –

Ayumu opened his eyes slowly, groaning. Where was he? Heaven? The sun was shining but it was being blocked by his bedroom blinds. The room was dark but he definitely recognized it as his own room. So had he been saved? Had Eyes really pulled him out and had he... really kissed him on the cheek and admitted his feelings for him?

"It's just a dream," Eyes's sexy voice murmured. Ayumu looked over at the pianist who was sitting in a chair nearby.

"Eyes?" Ayumu asked.

"Do you love me?" Eyes asked, looking over at Ayumu with his normal, unyielding eyes. When Ayumu didn't reply, Eyes rose from his chair and sat on the bed by Ayumu. "Do you love me?" he asked again.

This had to be a dream. The real Eyes would never say something like that.

"...Yes," he admitted in a breath, looking up at Eyes. He'd dreamt of Eyes over him before but this time seemed so much more intense. Usually in his dreams, Eyes was also naked but he'd never been able to see Eyes's full body.

"You want to kiss me?"

"Yes." What was the point in lying?

"You want me." This time it wasn't a question. Eyes was staring right into his with an odd sort of determination and judgment.

"More than a sparkling set of brand new pro cooking knives," Ayumu replied. When it came to Ayumu and cooking, this meant he loved you a lot.

Eyes smirked a little and leaned down, kissing Ayumu. Ayumu replied to the kiss and put a hand on Eyes's head. Eyes deepened the kiss and soon it was all out, passionate, french kissing. Ayumu was convinced of it now. He'd drowned, died and gone to heaven. This was his paradise. He still felt groggy, but he should expect to feel that way after drowning, he supposed.

"Ayumu...," Eyes murmured during a break to breathe.

"Hm?" Ayumu asked. Eyes never called him Ayumu either.

"This isn't a dream. You're alive and in my arms. And I swear, if you ever go and scare me to death like that again, I'll throw you back in the water myself." It was an uncharacteristic Eyes comment but in the oddly fitting Eyes Rutherford threatening tone.

"Wha-?" Ayumu's eyes widened and he pushed away from Eyes. Eyes watched him calmly.

So this wasn't heaven? Eyes had really gotten him to admit he loved him, had really saved him, had really just made out with him and called him by his first name!

"I didn't... drown?" Ayumu asked, still surprised.

"No. Kousuke took out the hunters while I jumped in to save you. You may have been dead for a few moments, but I wasn't going to let you leave us all like that. You coughed up half a pool before I got you breathing again. You really shouldn't scare us like that. You made Rio cry," Eyes explained.

"R-Rio? You asshole!" Ayumu sat up straight and pushed Eyes lightly. Eyes looked at his arm, where Ayumu had pushed him, and then up at Ayumu. "I don't care if I made Rio cry, what about you and what you just did?"

"What did I just do?" Eyes asked in his normal emotionless tone.

"The kiss, Rutherford. What did you mean by that kiss?" Ayumu asked, getting rather annoyed at the silver haired pianist. Eyes gazed at Ayumu for a moment, not moving, before he leaned in and tried to kiss him again.

"No." Ayumu stopped him. "I wont let you until you tell me why."

"Because you're mine, Little Narumi," Eyes replied. Ayumu gave him a curious look. "You nearly died, I saved your life. I wont let you get into another trap without letting you know I'll always come to save you. I'll do my best to keep you safe."

Ayumu's lips were then claimed by Eyes. He'd given a reason and so he had a right to at least one more kiss. Ayumu didn't mind. He kept kissing Eyes too. Eyes didn't say 'I love you' like Ayumu did, and he still called him 'Little Narumi', but Ayumu understood. Those were just quirks about Eyes.

The next day at school, Hiyono and Rio kept hugging him and glaring at everyone who wasn't a blade child who came near him. Kousuke and Ryouko greeted him and Ryouko gave him a brief hug, but his body guards quickly moved her along. They'd be like that for a while but Ayumu Narumi could deal with it. He caught Eyes watching him from his glass room, or walking down the street as though he were being sneaky. It was another quirk of Eyes's.

Suddenly, Ayumu's pocket began to vibrate and he pulled out his cell phone. He glanced at the caller i.d. briefly before answering.

"Hello?" Ayumu answered. Hiyono and Rio tried to see who was calling by putting their ears near Ayumu's but Ayumu shooed them away.

"Hello," the soft reply came.

"So am I going to meet you at the station?" Ayumu asked with a small smile.

"No..."

"No?"

"Meet me... at my piano."

"Hm... Okay," Ayumu smiled almost lovingly at the phone before he and the other person hung up. Hiyono and Rio couldn't see his face but the way he hurried off without them and the tone his voice had taken told them everything. He must be in love with someone. And it wasn't one of them. No! Never! They would fight for their Ayumu!

But they lost him somehow on his journey to meet the mysterious love. Ayumu easily stepped into an elevator, knowing he had escaped his bodyguards. He had an idea and pulled out his phone.

Eyes Rutherford picked up his phone. He'd gotten a message.

'I love you.' it read.

Ayumu checked his phone and couldn't help but laugh at himself. He held the phone open in his hand. The message he'd gotten in return was priceless. All it said was 'Little Naru', his new nickname from Eyes.

Eyes certainly had an odd way of showing he cared. But Eyes was the only person to call him on his cell phone, because Eyes knew something about Ayumu that no one else did. Ayumu could ignore the house phone, the emails, and the letters, but he always answered his cell phone.

Always.