Don't Give Up (On Me)

Shiraito Falls, Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture

They sat at the little picnic table near the falls. This had become a base, of sorts. Somewhere they could come to and not be bothered. Somewhere to attempt relaxation, even if it never came. Somewhere that they could be sure to be left alone to regroup and plan.

Kuroo and Tsukishima were going over their notes, and had a map of the country spread out over the table. Hayato was writing hastily in a notebook and going over the little scraps of paper they’d recovered from the people that found them and called. Wakatoshi was leaning against the table, facing the path in the direction that they came, eating onigiri. Satori was… well, he was somewhere. Ranging out, forever moving, keeping an eye out for anything. Or anyone.

“Semi, you need to eat something,” he heard Tsukishima say. “You haven’t eaten since yesterday.”
“Not hungry.”
“Yeah, well, even if you aren’t, you need to eat something,” Kuroo added. “Can’t have you laid up in the hospital for starvation and dehydration.”
“I’ve been eating,” he protested, though he turned from his view of the falls and went to the table.
“Barely,” Hayato said. “You look like shit. Eat.”
“What would I ever do without you?” Eita said sarcastically. Still, he took the sandwich Toshi handed him, unwrapped it, and sat down beside Kuroo. “Anything new?” he asked after he took a bite.
“Heathen,” Hayato muttered again. “Not really. He’s moved again, that much we know.”
“Switched coasts?”
“Probably.”
Eita finished his sandwich and tried not to throw the wrapper away in frustration. Kuroo held out his hand, and he gave it to him to throw away. Then, he bent and clunked his head on the table.
“This cat-and-mouse game is way past getting old.”
“Tell us something we don’t know,” Tsukishima groused.
“Are we any closer to finding her?”
“Not really. We only know locations from the people who find her little clues and actually call us.”
Hayato handed him the pile of little scraps of paper, crinkled and battered, looking like they’d been clinging to bushes before being found. Each one was written in her handwriting, and each one carried a little doodle of a guitar and a rose with a heart around it. Hayato kept track of where each note was found, and wrote down the date of when they took it from the finder. They criss-crossed the country in pursuit, always reacting to new information and going to her last known location.

Since her abduction, Eita had given up on his tour, canceling shows until further notice. Kuroo had done the same; she was his best friend and confidant, and the man had ‘adopted’ her as his lil sis. Both had their websites updated with a small explanation and they promised all ticket holders would be fully refunded. There was no known date when they’d return to performing. Tsukishima updated both pages from time to time, though most of it was just “Nothing New” and a date.

Pushing up from the table, he walked around a bit and then ended up back where he started; the perfect spot to take in the falls. It had been his decision to come here instead of going home to Sendai. She’d been so happy here, so calm. It was her favorite get-away spot before she met him, and then it became theirs. He was already half in love with her when she told him about the falls. Seeing her here pushed him over that metaphorical cliff. This place was special.

“You’re right. You said I’d love this place, and I do,” he said as he sat down beside her.
She was smiling brilliantly. “I’m glad! It’s peaceful here. When it starts getting dark, the night creatures start adding to the ambiance. And the sky is so full of stars!”
“Beautiful.” His eyes never left her face.
“But there isn’t much in the way of nightlife, I’m afraid. Some of the restaurants are open late, and maybe a few of the public hot springs. Everything else shuts down fairly early.”
“No worries. Sounds pretty good, actually,” he replied. “Relaxing, too.”
“It is. I’ve always loved it here.”
He reached down and took her hand in his, turned it over, and kissed her palm. Her expression gentled into something softer, glowing.
“You know what?”
“What?”
“I love spending time with you.”
“Yeah. Same.”
He kissed her wrist, forearm, and eventually, her sweet mouth.

It wasn’t like he had second thoughts bringing everyone else here, but this place had him in its spell. He could almost imagine she was here with them, laughing and joking and even roughhousing around with Tsukishima.

God, he missed her.

He started pacing. There had to be something else they could do. Someone else they could call. They’d already notified authorities in each prefecture where notes had been found, but there was only so much they could do, and it wasn’t guaranteed they’d start right away, or even keep looking. Then, an idea hit him. Maybe they could… A phone’s ring echoed around them, and Toshi answered.

“Hello? You did? Would you mind reading it for me?”
Hayato was already poised to write.
“Trapped. I need help. Call this number. Please.”
Hayato finished writing, and looked up at Toshi.
“Are there any distinguishing marks on the note? A guitar and rose in a heart? Yes, thank you. Where are you, if I might ask? Oda? Shimane prefecture. Thank you. Would you mind keeping that note for us? Yes, thank you. We’ll be headed that way shortly. May I have your location so we can find you?”

Eita listened so hard, he didn’t hear the falls anymore. Though, this particular conversation happened each time the phone rang. Toshi would ask the same questions, and because he was so calm and polite, the person on the other end was always extremely helpful. Thank god he had both Toshi and Tori on his side.

“I appreciate you calling, sir. May I know when you found the note? An hour ago? Yes, thank you. If you don’t mind, I’ll be in touch when we are close. Thank you. Good day.” He hung up, put the phone in his pocket, and then whistled loudly.
“Geez, Toshi! I wasn’t that far!” Tori materialized from wherever, walked up to the table making a show or covering his ears, and stood close to Toshi. “Another call?”
“Yeah.”
“Where are we off to now?”
“Oda in Shimane Prefecture.”
Less than a minute of thoughtful silence and then, “Ten hour drive. Roughly the same if by train.”
“We’ll take the train,” Eita and Tsukishima said at once. “We all need some sort of rest, and we can plan as we go,” Tsukishima finished.
Kuroo was already on his phone, purchasing tickets for everyone. Eita had his phone out, too, but Kuroo quickly turned to face him.
“Don’t you dare send me money for your tickets!”
“But…”
“No. If it’ll make you happy, you can buy tickets the next time.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Maybe one day I’ll mean it, too.”

Eita snorted, and came over to join his friends as they rose from the table. He helped them with gathering their stuff and cleaning the area. They made their way back quietly. Toshi and Tori had taken the lead, and were discussing where to go eat. Kuroo and Tsukishima were in the middle, both on a video call to another set of friends, or family members. Hayato was going over his notes, aimlessly drifting behind the pair in front of him. Eita followed behind them all, fighting the urge to go back and spend some time on his own.

He stood next to her as twilight fell. The falls still had a gentle blue glow, having been lit up earlier as part of a special evening tour. Fireflies rose and fell, drifting from here to there. But none of this held his attention for more than the time it took to see it once. No, what held his attention, what had always held his attention, was her. Her golden blonde hair shone like silver in the moonlight. Her gorgeous brown eyes were wide and filled with utter joy. And her face, her sweet, beautiful face was filled with child-like wonder. It never ceased to amaze him that she could look at life that way. It wasn’t like she didn’t know sadness, disappointment, or pain… far from it. She chose to see life as beautiful, wonderful, something to cherish while walking her path. And she chose him to walk with her, experience life the way she did. He’d bask in her light for as long as he could. He only hoped that meant forever.

Hands deep in pockets, head down, he kept the voices of his friends within range. So, he didn’t notice when Hayato fell into step beside him, didn’t realize until a handkerchief appeared in his field of watery vision, that tears were falling.

“Thanks,” he murmured, taking the square of cloth and patting his face dry.
“No problem.” He felt his friend’s arm around his shoulders, his hand squeezing lightly. “We’ll find her, Eita. We’ll find her and bring her home.”
“Yeah.”

They’d find her, and she’d be back in his arms. Where she belonged.