DUCT TAPE III: Paybacks Are a *BLEEP*
by Ebonhawk

They gazed down on the still sticky, Sage-sized spot in the middle of the gym floor. Bits of grey were visible to the eye all around the area, as well as several strands of honey blond hair. They'd tried calling him last night to say they were sorry but his mother had told them he wasn't home yet and she would give him the message. He hadn't returned any of their calls.

The janitors, when questioned, couldn't remember seeing Sage in the gym at all yesterday afternoon. Rowen shot a glance around at the faces of the others. They were just as perplexed as he was. There was NO way Sage could have gotten free on his own...but that was the way things appeared. He figured that they'd all just have to keep their eyes open and hope that Sage was all right and not *too* mad at them.

The first bell rang. Wherever Sage was, he would have to hold on until after their classes were over.

He gazed down at the four boys, his eyes narrow and seething with animosity. They were going to pay dearly for what they had done to him...oh yes, would they *ever* pay. The bell rang. They filtered out of the gymnasium and he grinned with evil intent. That one, the one with the long black hair...he was first.

The shadowy figure slipped back across the catwalk situated high above the floor and into the secret inner workings of the high school. This was going to be too easy.

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Ryos & Kentos & Cyes, Oh My!
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Growling, Ryo grabbed his hair into one hand, snagged a rubber band off the coach's desk and quickly flipped the black mess into a barely controlled ponytail. He was having a serious bad hair day.

Tromping back to his gym locker, he scrounged through all of the severely wrinkled bits of clothing that had piled up over the past couple of weeks. He grimaced at the smell and told himself that he DEFINITELY needed to take it all home...but it could wait. Friday was a much better day than Tuesday to carry that load around. Finally, he found his sneakers at the bottom of the pile and yanked them out - along with half the clothes. They landed in an even bigger mess on the cold, tile floor. Ryo groaned and leaned over to gather them back up. He was glad that he'd gotten to class late and no one was there to see this.

CLINK!

He paused at the noise. Listening closely, he didn't hear anything more. Ryo turned back to his pile on the floor.

CLINK!

It was closer now. Ryo scanned the locker room quickly, his incredibly blue eyes searching for whatever had caused the sound. He couldn't find anything.

"Hello?" he called out, mystified. The reply was utter silence. Shaking his head a little and feeling foolish, Ryo once again started picking up his mess.

CLINK!

It was right behind him. Straightening up slowly, Ryo felt a menacing presence standing only inches from his back. He readied himself to swing about and knock the person upside the head - or something like that.

"Hello, Ryo," said an all-too-familiar voice...and then everything went grey.

"You've got what - Phys. Ed. next, right?" Kento quizzed Cye. It was that passing time between second and third period classes. Ryo usually met up with them in the hall but he wasn't anywhere to be seen. They'd caught sight of Rowen's unmistakable hair down at the far end of the hall as he'd been hurrying to his next class. Rowen's schedule had him running from one side of the school to the other all day. Kento wasn't sure how he did it.

"Yes."

They'd forgotten all about Sage in the busy-ness of their classes. "Hmmm. I've got math, Ryo's in history third period, and I don't even want to *think* of what class Rowen's in-"

"Catch you at lunch?" Cye asked, just as the bell rang, gripping his notebook securely against his chest, backpack weighing heavily on his shoulders.

"Sure," Kento told him, brushing past to make it to his class on time. Mama would kill him if he got another tardy note sent home.

He slid into his seat and plopped his book and folder down just as the second bell rang.

"Good morning, students," said Sensei Tanaka, his dark eyes sparkling with his zest for life. "Shall we begin?" Then, the phone on the wall gave its annoying buzz, drawing his attention away from the class. "Excuse me for a moment."

Kento sighed and grabbed his folder, opening it to search for yesterday's homework. He'd actually finished it, amazing even himself.

"Kento?"

"Yes, Sensei?" He looked up in surprise. What had he done this time?

"You're wanted in the office for something. Place your homework on my desk and I'll get today's assignment to you later," the jovial man said as the other students made "ooooo" sounds. Glaring at them, Kento grabbed up his stuff, put his completed homework on Sensei Tanaka's desk, and headed out into the hall.

As he passed by the door to the school's kitchen, he heard a voice whisper his name.

"Psssst, Kento!"

"Who is it?" he asked, curious. The whisper was too low for him to figure out who it was.

"Come in here...I've got something for you."

Grinning, he reached for the door that was just a little open. Someone had something for him in the kitchen. It *had* to be a good thing. He glanced around. The lights were on but he didn't see anyone. "Where are you?" he asked the mysterious person.

"Right behind you," said a voice that he knew very well.

Kento gasped and ran for the door. There was a flash of blond in his vision before the grey took over everything.

Cye searched the cafeteria. Nope. No Kento. No Ryo, either. He saw Rowen and hurried over to him.

"Rowen! Have you seen Kento or Ryo?"

"Not since this morning. Have you seen Sage?"

"No. I wonder where they all could be..." he trailed off as he and his blue-haired friend sat at their usual table. It seemed a bit empty with only the two of them. "Maybe they got in trouble or something. That would explain none of them being here."

Rowen considered this and found it a very likely scenario. He laughed and said, "I guess we should just eat without them. What have you got?" Surveying Cye's tray, he spied something *he* had somehow missed. "Trade you my carrots for those cookies?"

"How about half for half?"

"Sure!"

Rowen eagerly separated his carrot sticks and reached for the chocolate chip cookies Cye handed to him.

Two down, two to go, he thought, and an evil smirk spread over his lips. Rowen and Cye didn't see him from his spot on the other side of the cafeteria. Ryo and Kento were ready and waiting for the finale. You're next, Fish-boy.

He sprinkled some food into the tank. He'd promised Sensei Ogawa that he would feed the fish in the biology lab and he'd just reached the last of the tanks. Leaning down to watch the frilly tailed goldfish, Cye puckered his lips and did his best fishy-face against the glass. He giggled as the one blue and silver fish turned to regard him curiously. The orange ones seemed to be ignoring him, as always.

"At least you like me, Zippy," he said to the one that stared at him. "Bubbles, Speedy, and Rebecca are just stuck up."

"Is that right, Cye?" asked a voice from behind him.

"Sage?" Cye wondered, standing straight and whipping around to look for the other boy. No one was there. The lights went out suddenly and the room became dark. Cye cursed himself for having pulled the shades down earlier to block the too bright sun. Then, one of those shades jumped up, rolled tightly around itself, and the sunlight streamed in to blind him.

"Now it's your turn," Sage breathed into his ear and he felt the tape touch his bare skin. He fell into the trap quickly as the grey overwhelmed him.

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Shhhhh! Be Vewy, Vewy Quiet. I'm Huntin' Wowens.
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Rowen walked toward his locker and looked around the hall. It was totally empty, even though he hadn't stayed after his last class *too* long. Where WAS everyone? They wouldn't have left without him, he knew it. He pulled open his locker and watched in surprise as a folded piece of paper fluttered to the floor. Blinking, he bent down to grab it up. He unfolded it and found it to contain Sage's neat, flowing script. "Meet me in the auditorium," he murmured, reading it aloud. "Hmmm."

His decision made, Rowen stuffed his bag into his locker - barely - and slammed it shut. Something was up and he was going to find out what. Setting his shoulders bravely, Rowen headed toward the ominously closed doors of the school's auditorium.

He pulled one open and stepped inside, shuddering when the heavy door slipped silently shut behind him. It was dark in the large chamber, not even one of the houselights was on.

"I'm here, Sage," he called, stumbling blindly down one of the aisles. He was startled when blue-gelled footlights flared suddenly into life across the stage. To stage left, he saw Ryo duct taped securely into one of the throne style chairs from the prop room with tape also across his mouth. His eyes were wide and seemed to be trying to warn him about something. To stage right, Kento was in the same predicament. Downstage center, Rowen found Cye, not taped to a throne but strapped quite uncomfortably to a large, upright, X-shaped, wooden thing, instead.

"What the hell?" he wondered.

"Well, well, well...if it isn't the mastermind, Rowen Hashiba." Sage's voice floated over the audio system, giving Rowen no hint as to where the blond might be. Someone grabbed his arms...no, *two* someones grabbed his arms. The spotlight hummed as it came to life, illuminating a large, round-backed wicker chair on the stage, previously hidden in the shadows just to the side of Cye.

Sprawled elegantly in its cushioned embrace was Sage, one long leg flung over the side. He grasped loosely in one hand the microphone he'd been using and a look of supreme, haughty smugness was on his too handsome face.

Rowen swung his head to look at the two holding his arms. He couldn't tell who they were as they were dressed in black and their faces covered. Even so, he could tell they were members of the drama club...and thus loyal to Sage.

"Bring him here," Sage commanded his 'soldiers.'

Rowen was dragged onto the stage and held firmly in front of the still lounging blond. "What are you doing?" he asked of Sage.

"Rowen," Sage tsked, "I'm only - what's the word you used? Oh, yes - playing. Don't worry."

Suddenly, Sage was on his feet and he pulled from behind his back what Rowen recognized as a tape gun...and it was loaded with duct tape! Oh no! his mind screamed as his jaw dropped. It was going to happen AGAIN.

"Strip him."

Rowen stared at Sage for a shocked moment, then struggled for all he was worth as the hands of several drama clubbers worked at his clothes, leaving him in only his underwear. "Don't do this, Sage. Please?" he begged. "I'll be your slave for a week! Just don't do this to me..."

Sage seemed to consider this for a long second, then he smiled and said, "No, as Kento said yesterday, I like *this* idea better." He then went to work with the tape.

Leaning back into his hard, butt-numbing wooden seat in the front row, Sage happily gazed on the priceless spectacle on the stage before him. Maybe this would teach them better, or maybe it wouldn't, but at least he'd repaid them for yesterday.

"Let's go, guys," Sage said to his cohorts from the drama club. Laughing, they all filed out of the auditorium, Sage pausing to turn and say gleefully over his shoulder, "See you four tomorrow!"

Rowen lay (once again) mummified on the stage, just in front of Cye. He sighed and listened to the taped-up, protesting gibberish of his fellow captives. Then the lights went off and they were left in absolute darkness until someone found them. It was going to be a long wait.

END

AND THE MORAL OF THIS STORY...

Don't piss Sage off. *grin*