Yume no Tobira: A Love Live School Idol Project Fanfic

Chapter 22

Then, she wondered if they thought that it would be a rescue mission done when they were home and in bed. Going through the front door isn't exactly the wisest thing to do when sneaking into a house with people home. Kotori decided Nozomi would probably find something set up to prevent them from getting in the house.

Nozomi hadn't found anything in her short search. She couldn't spy any cameras or decoy objects. Everything seemed to be just how it would be under normal circumstances. That made her even more suspicious. They must have put traps inside.

“Making this complicated, are they?” Nozomi mumbled as she continued scanning the area as much as she could. The only light they had was the street lamps. And there weren't many. It was difficult to see.

…

Seeing as the search yielded nothing of interest, they all decided it was best to just wing it and hope nothing went horribly wrong.

“If we can't get her out tomorrow night, at least we can report her missing the next morning. Then we could give a tip and hopefully she'd be found.” Kotori tried to lighten up everyone's mood.

“I just hope we don't have to do that…” Nico seemed to grow more and more worried by the minute.

“There isn't anything we can do right now. Let's get some rest and discuss this again tomorrow.”

…

The next day wasn't any easier than the first. Everyone was on edge still. Nico was barely holding it together. She was losing hope that they'd find Maki almost unharmed. If what she heard that night was any indication of what they were doing to her, it seemed like she might be bruised or beaten badly when they found her.

School was hard for them. Everyone wanted to be out planning their break-in. But, they knew better than to do that. No one was paying attention in class. They had too much on their minds to even try.

Thankfully, they all managed to make it through the day without getting in trouble. They immediately went to Nico's  house to plan the next stage of their mission. That was just deciding who was going to the house.

“Alright. You three stay safe. Keep us updated.”

The three Lily White members had been chosen to go. Everyone knew Nico had to stay. She might not run with the plan and instead to anything.

“We will.” Umi promised as they headed out the door.

They started jogging down the roads until they came to a halt close by their target. After a few minutes of waiting around, they saw Maki's parents exit the house and drive off.

“Let's go. Be very quiet.” Umi hissed as they snuck over to the house.

Once there, they carefully walked up the steps and scanned the area. Everything seemed okay, so they continued to the door. Once there, Nozomi went to see if the key was still in the spot that had last seen it in. Much to everyone's relief, it was exactly where it should be.

Nozomi handed it to Umi, who after a quick scan of the area, put it in the keyhole and opened the door. She held a finger to her lips, making sure to remind Rin not to make any noise.

They headed inside and quickly shut the door. Umi set the key on a small table by the door. After they made a quick confirmation that they were indeed alone, they started the serious part of the mission.

“Rin, look around this floor and also guard the door. Text if they come back. I'm going upstairs. Nozomi, see if there is a basement to explore. If not, help Rin.” Umi ordered.

They nodded and split up. Umi went quietly up the steps. Nozomi vanished around a corner and looked for doors. Rin hesitated at the door, before going to look around the ground floor.

Umi carefully wandered the hallways and started opening doors. She wasn't having much luck, until she came to a locked door. As she tried to open it, she listened for any noises. Nothing seemed to be in the room. But, Umi wasn't giving up until she got in. She left the door and started scanning for a key.

Nozomi had located a basement door and was exploring the depths of the house. She wasn't finding much other than boxes. It seemed as if there wasn't any way Maki would be down there unless there was a trap door hiding somewhere. Nozomi doubted that was a thing.

Rin hadn't found anything promising, so she went back to the door and stared out the window, keeping a close watch on the road. Her phone was gripped in her hand incase she needed to use it quickly.

Umi had tracked down a few keys, so she went back to the locked door and tried each one. She had found five in total. The first one didn't even fit in the hole. The second couldn't turn. The third didn't unlock it. The fourth opened the door. Umi set the keys down, before picking them up again and just leaving the fourth key on the ground. She returned the other ones and then came back to the room.

Nozomi explored the entire basement, so she went back up and quietly asked Rin if she had any luck. Rin shook her head. Nozomi stayed by Rin and helped her keep an eye out for anyone coming in.

Umi carefully opened the door. She was greeted by darkness. She couldn't see anything, so she was forced to turn on the light. The sight she was greeted with wasn't what she wanted, but she was expecting it. Umi carefully made her way across the room and knelt beside Maki.

She was laying against the wall, her body covered in bruises and cuts. Umi gently laid a hand on her and tried to see if she would wake up. Maki didn't respond, leaving Umi to believe she had been either beaten into unconsciousness or knocked out before they left.

Umi left her briefly to go fetch Nozomi for assistance. The two of them walked into the room. Nozomi very gently picked up Maki and brought her out of the room. Umi turned off the light and then locked the door. She then returned the key back to its original place, before heading downstairs with Nozomi. Rin met them at the bottom. Her eyes widened farther than they thought was humanly possible. She was shocked extremely badly from Maki’s injuries.

“Let's go.” Umi whispered, opening the door.

Nozomi exited first, Maki safely held in her arms. Rin went next. Umi followed, bringing the key with her. She locked the door and returned the key to its place. Then they speed walked away and back to Nico’s house where everyone was waiting for them. Rin texted them and told them the mission was successful, but they needed to get a first aid kit ready.

They reached the door and quickly entered. Nozomi rested Maki carefully onto a futon that they had prepared for her in the living room. Nico was instantly by her side, gently trying to coax her awake. Her attempts seemed futile at first, but it seemed to work as Maki started making small moans and tensing her body up slightly. Seeing as Eli hadn't started attempting to patch up her injuries yet, and she hadn't made a single noise during the entire walk home, they could only assume she was waking up.

“Maki… take your time… you're safe now…” Nico whispered as she held one of Maki’s limp hands in her own, “Rest up… don't push yourself.”

After she confirmed that Maki was able to wake up, Nico wanted her to rest and save her strength. She didn't want her to wake up yet. Who knew how much pain she'd be in if she was fully conscious.

The small pain-filled noises slowly stopped and Maki slowly relaxed. Nico let out a small sigh of relief. Eli moved to kneel beside her and start the first aid. Nico let go of Maki’s hand, but stayed by her side incase she woke up again from the pain Eli would, unfortunately, have to cause.