The electricity hummed silently in the air. Heartbeats were beating silently everywhere.

And through the dark silence, tense awaitings wounded their ways around the hot atmosphere.

Silence..

Brown eyes snapped open, and her surrounding opened up to a mass of crowd that came to life. Reflected in the brown eyes, the stage loomed, and a figure stepped up to the stage. The breath of life through the crowd become louder and the lights flashed awake.

The brown eyed figure felt herself being drawn in. The beating drums. The vibration of the bass.. and to the unspoken voice..

Without any rest or hesitation, the figure grabbed the microphone and began to breathe his soul into it, transcending the emotional message to the anticipating audience.

With a terrified look in the eyes, spit those irritated feelings into the fickle wind

The signal that melted into the cracked roadway is leaving only a scar behind.

Before the drowsy noise blurs away tomorrow,

chase after those ambitiously resounding footsteps.

That unfulfillable emotion that never settles down somewhere--

just decide to ignore it, then overtake it.

Aim for the loophole in this shy, trembling society,

for the place we keep struggling towards. I want new world

If you bare your claws at your swarming anxieties, you'll be snapped back by unfamiliar lies,

and the unbearable times will adorn the rust-covered roads with agitation

Stuff your bag with nothing but velvet coins.

We don't need a map of the maze-like dreams.

From the tidal-wave's pounding rhythm

to the glittering silver passion, it's all just temptation's strategic pull.

Your fragile eyes beat on the door we can go through

as we still keep on searching. You just a new world

I can still hear the accumulated tears carving their paths into Main Street,

warping the sound of those footsteps.

That unfulfillable emotion that never settles down somewhere--

just decide to ignore it, then overtake it.

Aim for the loophole in this shy, trembling society,

for the place we keep struggling towards. I want new world.

-by Kinya Kotani-

-"The Rage Beat"

-lyrics from

Escaping Sanctuary

Chapter 1

Introduction

"Rika, snap out of it! You're making everyone look at us weirdly!" A girl who momentarily had been blank eyed and dazed by the experience, quickly snapped back to reality as she turned her attention to her insulter.

Awkwardly pulling on a piece of thread that poke from her shirt, Rika hesitantly apologized. "Uh.. sorry, Yuriko.."

"Come on, Yuriko.. It's Rika's first time in a concert.."

Rika quickly turned to her little sister, Rena, in alarm. Rena, not noticing her uncomfortable look, continued. "And you know how Rika nee chan is.. not used to loud places .." As she listened to Rena's explanation, Yuriko's eyed Rika unbelievably, while Rika looked down, her cheeks ablaze with embarrassment. Silently grinding her teeth, Rika silently threatened Rena. You are so going to go down tonight at home..

Brushing her dark purple hair back in a haughty manner, Yuriko turned the other way, facing the endless "line" that was waiting for Yuki Kitamura's entrance. Rika silently thanked the gods for the ending of the unendurable glare and took a peek at her sister.

Rena stood straightly but somehow looked very relaxed as well. Towering an inch or two over her own height, with her straight silky orange dyed hair, Rena looked like one of those models that would make front page of a magazine. Her body form wasn't bad either. Having all the right proportions and not one visible skin breakout, every girl and boy in school admired her. And her personality was very charismatic but carefree, making everybody to be easy with her.

She was the total opposite of her. If Rena and she stood side by side, people would never have guessed that they were from the same family and were in fact sisters. And even more, they would never ever guess that she was the older sister. With her plain dark brown hair and brown eyes, a five feet height that seemed to stop growing since forever, her plain personality that didn't attract, and her raging temper seemed to drive everybody away from her.

Softly yawning, Rika took out her cell phone from her oversized jacket and suppressed her urge to scream. 11:53! 11:53 P.M.!!! Their mom was going to literally butcher her alive. Quickly shaking Rena's arm, Rika informed urgently. "It's 11:53.. We were supposed to be home by 10:00!"

Breaking out of Rika's grip, Rena replied disappointedly. "Come on.. We waited at least two hours.. and what if he comes out soon? It would have been a waste of time."

"But.." Rika protested with panic in her voice. The only reason she came here was to get Rena home by at 10:00P.M. And mom and dad had counted on her to get Rena home safely, and thus paid the extra fifty thousand yens for her to attend the concert with her sister.

Rena just shrugged it off. "Hey. If you're that worried, why don't you wait outside and call a cab? We'll be out there shortly, after we get Yuki-kun's signature." Rena pleaded. Please? We waited two hours.. and you know how much I really really wanted to meet him even once."

Rika felt most of her strength leave her.. If she looked at it that way.. and if Rena wanted his autograph that much.. "Still.."

Yuriko excitedly started to shake Rena's arm, coming in between the whole conversation that had just went by. "Hey, Rena! Let's hurry! Yuki-kun just came out!!"

Rika felt her eyes widen as she spotted a figure with platinum silver hair poking out under his cap. It really was that guy.. That guy who had touched everyone's heart with his voice back on stage..

"KITAMURA KUN~! Wait!!"

"Yuki~!"

"KYAAAA~!!!!"

Rika immediately froze in her train of thoughts as she felt sudden fear as every single person began to move to the direction of the door. She grimaced as everyone squeezed and pushed everybody else in their way. Throughout the hustle of the crowd, she made out Rena's voice.

Glancing to where she had once been standing, she found Rena wave to her. "Rika, go catch a cab for us by the parking lot! Since he came out and has no where to run, I'm sure I'll make it there by at least ten minutes! I'll see you then!!"

Before she could even protest, the weight and pressure of the crowd pushed her down. Before anything more fatal could happen, she quickly crouched and shut her eyes.

Finally, feeling the air around her calm down, she looked up and to her amazement found the whole hallway that had once been bustling with people empty.

She stood back up and frowned. She didn't even know where Rena went.. And the only thing she could do right now was what Rena had told her. And that was the one thing she hated the most. However, in this situation, she didn't have any other choice. And if she just acted irresponsible, the situation will become worse.

Sighing, she began to walk to the exit of the building. As she walked, she began to take out the ribbons that were now entangled in her brown mess of a hair. For the first time in her life, tonight, she had actually tried to make her appearance a little more nicer. She had taken out her usual ponytail and had actually braided her hair following the same instructions from last month's magazine. She even had put on a little bit of lip gloss and snuck some eyes shadow from her sister's make up box.

Just for tonight, she even had been a little daring and put on a very showy tank top. But she still had hidden herself with her sweater because of the chilly weather.

Just for tonight, she had been prepared to become a Cinderella.

However, all this turned out to be ineffective. It still was the same when she had on her regular plain baggy clothes. Nobody said anything to complement her hair or makeup. Nobody had even noticed it.

Crumbling the ribbon, she threw it in the garbage can near the entrance and stepped outside towards the chilly frigid night.

Hugging her worn dark mangly green sweater around her tighter, she took out her phone and finding a signal called a cab.

Yuki Kitamura plopped down on the couch in exhaustion. Shaking his white T-shirt, he closed his eyes as perspiration ran down his flushed skin. "Hey, Yuki! You have a phone call!" Opening one of his icy blue eyes lazily, he smirked up his manager. "Tell them to call back tomorrow, Tsukino chan", drawled his sweet voice as his hand gently touched his manager's cheek. "Cause I might become very busy tonight." (winkwink^-~-*)

The people running around the room turned to the two figures, most of them blushing at his performance. However Tsukino, gently took his hand away from her face, smiled apologetically and.. whacked him hard on the head with clipboard she held in her hand.

Gently lifting Yuki's chin up to meet his eyes, the manager reprimanded with strong warning in her voice. "Didn't anyone tell you not to flirt with your elders? Don't think by flirting with me, that you'll be granted a free time." Letting go, she stood back up straightly and continued. "Besides, you just made it up into stardom and now you're slacking off?! That is totally unreliable of you. And .."

Grabbing the stinging bump on his head, Yuki whispered to a nearby person. "Such a boring witch isn't she?"

The person just froze and didn't answer anything, his whole being frozen with fear. Yuki, noticing his discomfort, turned to where he was looking and immediately grew fearful too. He, too, could literally see the hot steam pouring out from her ears and the invisible blazing fire around her background.

"Kitamura Yuki." Yuki flinched and began to brace himself.

The manager swallowing back her anger replied calmly, with genuine seriousness in her voice and dark green eyes. "You should really answer the phone quickly. Your father's waiting on the other line."

Yuki's face immediately lost all the humor and he looked up coldly. "Hang up." Tsukino spoke softly. "But.." "I'm going home now."

Taking his coat from a nearby coat rack, he began to head towards the door.

"Yuki!"

The door slammed shut, silencing the entire room immediately from the tense atmosphere he had just smacked into their hearts.

Rika felt her teeth literally clatter together as she shivered slightly from the cold seeping in through her sweater. No normal person would be out in a temperature drop like this, Rika thought as she surveyed the whole parking lot empty. She would also have gladly gone into the building but then she might miss their ride home. Rika sighed in disappointment "See what happens because you did something you never do? Why'd you even wear this stupid tank top in the first place anyway?"

Looking back to the driveway, Rika looked for any sign of the cab she called. A car began to drive in but Rika felt her spirit go down as it passed by and park itself in front of the entrance to wait for someone else. Taking out her cell phone, Rika began to grow irritated. 12:15.. It's been twenty minutes now.. What happened to the 'I'll be back in ten minutes'? And more importantly, what happened to the cab?

Rika slightly jumped as she heard a door slam open. Turning to the sound, Rika found herself pondering over the exiting figure. He somehow looked familiar? Silver platinum flashed brightly against the dark pitch black sky. Rika found her eyes widening in recognition.

"Yuki Kitamura!"

The figure, midway from opening the door to the car that awaited him, turned to face her. Not noticing the super cold icy blue eyes glaring at her, she ran to him. Quickly fumbling in her little bag for a paper and pen, she looked up to him cheerfully.

"You're Yuki Kitamura, right? I.. I saw you up there on stage.. and it .. you were really amazing.. and .. uh.. my sister's a big fan of yours.. even though I think Manami Nakasaki is better, no offense.. you know her don't you? She's an actress that just.."

"What do you want:?" Yuki's light but cold voice cut through Rika and stopped her rambling enough for her to realize what she wanted. Holding out her pen and paper, she asked politely. "I was wondering if you could sign this for me.."

Yuki took her pen and paper and just asked coldly. "Who do I make it to?"

Rika smiled gratefully. "Uh.. make it out to Fukuyama Rika please!"

After scribbling on the piece of paper, Yuki held it out for her to take back. Rika held her hand out expectantly. Inside she was bursting with pride of having to have met this singer who everybody especially her sister had been wanting meet with so badly.

Her hand reached over to take back her paper and pen when Yuki pulled it back out of her reach. Confused, she looked up to Yuki's face and immediately felt frightened at his cold expression.

Holding the paper out in front of her, Yuki ripped it in half and then in half again. Crumbling the rest of the paper, he threw it at her and climbed into the car. The car door shut and soon drove over the same driveway it had once come in from.

Rika stood there, shocked. She stared down at the ripped pieces of paper, twirling in the wind on the ground, lost at words to express her astonishment.

Over the driveway, the long awaited cab drove in. The door to the parking lot opened once again as a disappointed Rena and Yuriko stepped through.

The cab driver shouted out at Rika. "Hey! You getting on or what?!" Rena noticed Rika. "Hey! Rika! What are you doing?!" Rika snapped out of her reverie and looked up at Rena. Turning to the driver Rena nodded. "Yep. We're getting on." Turning to Rika, she yelled. "Hurry up, Rika! Or we'll be more late than we have to!!" Rika nodded and got on. Soon the cab drove out of the parking lot and was on its way.

Rika sat looking at the passing scenery as Rena and Yuriko kept chattering in disappointment.

"Can you believe it? We were chasing a decoy of Kitamura all along!" "And we didn't even get one signature or picture of him." "Yea.. I want to at least hear his beautiful voice one more time.."

"It wasn't beautiful at all.." A murmur passed by.

Rena turned to Rika. "Did you say something?"

Hearing no response, she just continued her chatter with Yuriko.

Rika continued to look at the scenery that was beginning to blur.

"I never want to meet him ever again."

~*~

Hmm.. *dodges all the rotten vegetables thrown at cenya* gomen gomen..even though I have like five other cliffhangered stories to finish.. I couldn't resist TT.. I'm weak to these things.. every time a new idea comes up, I'm always tempted so badly to write them out before I exploded - - ;;

Anyway, enough excuses. Besides, I have halfway of the next chapter of HoL done so.. hehe.. *whispers*(but even I dunno when the other half is gonna be written..- - ;;)

Still, I promise I'll try to put the next chapter of HoL soon as possible, hopefully before my spring break comes to an end. And I'm currently reinterested in 'Secrets' so do not worry, fans~! *looks around: no one's left* - - ;;

Anyway, putting aside all the "old" news, here a new fresh story. Although I have to admit it's lacking in the creativity,vocabulary and originality section. *coughcough* still, I hope you all enjoy it! And since this is a one week span, I'm pretty sure it's not long and will be DEFINITELY finished.

'Escaping Sanctuary' sounds a little too serious for this comedic but emotional .. um.. story I'm writing.. but so far, that's the only name I could think of. I'll explain the title more in details later. Well, R&R! I'll be awaiting those dearly~! ^^- Did you know, writers(me!me!me!) live for reviews *grin* - - ;; my life is so horribly sad. ( ._.)