Mar 19, 2008

Summary: Arakure (Wild Ones), Vol 3, Chp 12

This chapter begins with a flashback to Igarashi's childhood. He appears to be about 5 or 6 -- sooo very cute. Someone is saying something to him that is making him sad. The person refers to Igarshi as "Hetare" I don't know what that means though. Current Igarashi thinks, "Oh yeah that's when it happened." "I do not want what I cannot have" he thinks. The person says to him, "Yeah, but when the important time comes, can you say the same thing?" Back to the scene in which the last chapter ended. Igarashi has grabbed Sachie's cellphone away from her. He is reflecting, "Can I say the same thing?" He caresses Sachie's lips with an intense look on his face. Sachie is still stunned. The situation is broken by a lost child type announcement telling Sachie and Igarashi to meet their party in the lobby.

Sachie tries to dismiss the situation saying that Igarashi did what he did because the announcement was going to be made. She tells him that she going off before him and then rushes off. When she is out of the room, she talks to her mother in her mind explaining that Igarashi is acting weird. She has accepted that Igarashi is excessively touchy-feely, but something about this time has made her uneasy and she doesn't understand why. While walking back, dwelling on the matter of Igarashi, the man from before approaches Sachie and asks her whether she is the Asagi's group princess and whether Igarashi is her bodyguard. She answers yes, and then finds herself that the end of a barrel of a handgun. Sachie has been kidnapped.

Igarashi is still in the room. He is looking at the cards Sachie brought and thinking about his desires. "I do not want what I cannot have. That is how I lived until now. Since then the strength of my wish has gotten stronger." He thinks back to Sachie's grandfather desire to find Sachie a good man outside of the yakuza. Igarashi's thoughts continue, "The thought has crossed my mind that if I were not her bodyguard, perhaps we could date normally."

Igarashi goes to the lobby to join everyone. The other yakuza ask where Sachie is if she's not with him. Igarashi starts to panic and then his cellphone rings. It's the kidnapper and he informs Igarashi that he has taken his precious princess. He tells Igarashi if he wants Sachie back, he has to find were they are hiding. Sachie has a gag over her mouth and she is wide-eyed. Igarshi is shocked, but quickly calms himself and puts on a smile. The yakuza ask about Sachie again. Igarashi covers and tells them to rest for while. They complain that they haven't eaten yet. Igarashi gives them a bullshit smile and then turns, tightly gripping the phone. The kidnapper has told him that he has 30 minutes to find them. Igarashi's face must look tortured. Out of nowhere, Azuma stops him and comes very close, face-to-face with Igarashi while holding Igarashi's face by the chin with one hand. It looks almost like Azuma is going to kiss him. Igarashi leaps back, looking completely horrified and sickened. Azuma asks why his face looks so bad. Igarashi pats him on the shoulder and says thanks. Azuma is very confused. Igarashi then takes off running. He doesn't have time to dawdle.

Meanwhile back where the kidnapper is holding Sachie, we see that she's gagged, her hands are tied behind her back and her shoes have been removed. The kidnapper's assistant tells her that if she behaves they won't have to hurt her as he unties her and removes the gag. Sachie immediately takes off once she's freed, shouting back to her captors, "Like hell I'll behave after what you've done to me!" She runs toward the door. Upon opening it, she discovers the door leads directly outside and they are four stories up. There is nowhere to run. The kidnapper coaxes her away from the door by explaining that he has no grudge against her and then offers her some food as he is sure that she is hungry. Sachie's stomach grumbles, so she grudgly eats. The kidnapper comments that Sachie is full of life, just as expected of one with Asagi blood in their veins. Sachie's curiousity is piqued. She asks what this is all about. The kidnapper says "Taking someone away." (This doesn't translate well into English, sorry). Sachie says that she doesn't have any money. The kidnapper replies that he knows. Sachie asks if it's a grudge. The kidnapper explains that his beef is not with the Asagi group, but rather he went out of his way to get Igarashi's attention. Sachie understands, but she wonders why on Earth is this guy targeting Igarashi. The kidnapper aggressively closes in on Sachie and asks whether Igarashi will really come.

Igarashi is on his way and the kidnapper is monitoring his progress with cameras. Igarashi is frantic. He has to find the key. The first room he goes to is 5011. From within the room a bunch of women dressed as geisha welcome him. One approaches and tells him that if we wants the key, he will have to find it on her body. Sachie blanches as she sees the scene on camera and tells the kidnapper that since she's known him, women have always been weak against Igarashi. As Sachie foretold, Igarashi goes into ladykiller mode and tells the geisha, "It's fine with me if you want to expose that body." The woman goes goo-goo eyed and gives Igarashi the key. The kidnapper is in utter shock, Sachie is not. Next comes a room full of dogs, reptiles, and darkness, all of which the kidnapper thinks Igarashi fears. After watching this all, Sachie comments to the kidnapper that she thinks he is really bad at this. The kidnapper snaps and starts ranting about how long ago Igarashi used to following him around while crying and that he was smelly and completely unreliable. Sachie sarcastically response, "You know quite a bit about Igarashi." The kidnapper yells back at her for her nasty attitude.

Sachie thinks about each obstacle Igarashi faced and feels proud that he's overcome his weaknesses. She's laughing very cutely as she thinks of Igarashi. The kidnapper catches her expression out of the corner of his mind and it reminds him of Sachie's Mom, Yukie.

The kidnapper reminds Sachie that there is no meaning if Igarashi arrives after the time limit. There are only 6-mins left. Igarashi is still running. There is another key and he has just about reached his limit. He pauses and gets down on his knees in pain in frustration. He thought he would never experience this much fear, regret, and horror. He feels like his chest is being crushed. He then realizes that he's been on a wild goose chase with the keys. Sachie tells the kidnapper that he's been playing dirty and the kidnapper decides to be an ass. He tells her that rules are rules and then starts the countdown. There is less that a minute left. Igarashi is running and steeling his resolve with the thought that it's meaningless if he can't be by Sachie's side. "Always near, protecting her, that is my place. WE CANNOT BE SEPARATED" he declares. 15, 14, 13-seconds left. Igarashi is frantically running. He has no idea where Sachie could be. Sachie runs to the window and sees Igarashi. She shouts down to him to stand right where he is. She opens the 4th story door, to the kidnappers shock. She says to her kidnapper, "The princess certainly can't wait, rules or nothing." Igarashi looks up. He is adorably wide eyed. The narrator says, "A strong desire was born." Next page. Sachie continues talking to the kidnapper, "A sheltered princess is so not me." She then looks forward and leaps. Her hair is floating in the breeze as she flies down. The kidnapper looks totally freaked out. The closing narration reads, "From now on, I always want to be by your side."

End of Chapter