NIGHTMARE

chapter 42

Y/N's POV.

The plane had landed, and we were on our way to the hotel.

My mind continued to race as I took each step, descending onto the tarmac and approaching the line of waiting black SUVs that were waiting to escort us back to wherever we were staying.

"You'll be fine." The sweet whisper of Mikey's voice rang through my empty mind, soothing the stress.

"You don't know that," I choked back, making no attempt to hide my fear anymore.

We couldn't get out of this trade, making no point for faked bravery.

"But I do know that you'll be with some of the most highly trained military men in the country, who I would bet my life on to get you in and out of that room safely." His voice sounded confident, but I could almost hear his heart as it skipped two beats at once.

"But not you," we said, stopping at the end of the cold metal stairs.

He leaned over, shifting his weight onto one crutch, grabbing my hand within his own, and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"But some of my top administration," he tried to reassure me.

"And besides," he continued, pulling out a small set of what looked to be fancy earbuds from his suit jacket pocket and handing me one.

I glanced up at him; my confusion was very clear.

"You'll be able to hear me the whole time." He unzipped the container and passed me one of the small, almost plastic, ear buds that would have been no bigger than a macadamia nut.

He kept the second set of the piece and put it in his ear, showing me, and I followed suit.

"These are a personal favorite, so don't lose them," he joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"So what? They like linking up to the radios?" I prompted, taking the casing in my hands and having a good look over the information on it.

"That's exactly it," he nodded briefly, "except only you, Bonten's Higher-Ups, and I will be wearing one. You'll get direct messages from me, and then the others will just use radio or Takeomi's instruction.

"And you're not worried about people interfering in the conversation?"

"These are pretty much undetectable, and they weren't cheap for that reason either. Radio can be easily overhead if you can find the right frequency and channel, but these not so much.

"I suppose it's safer then, not that we're trying to start anything here.

"It's merely a precaution in case things go bad unexpectedly." I shrugged; it seemed like a reasonable idea.

And it made me feel more at ease with the situation if I knew Mikey was going to be guiding me through the whole operation.

"Boss," Ran called from the passenger seats of one of the SUVs, urging us to get in the car, tight schedule and all.

The ride wasn't much, just along the coastline, where everything was mainly beach, beach, and a bit more beach.

Don't get me wrong, it was stunning, and I can understand why the Atsushima Kazuya does cost an absolute fortune to come and visit; the crystal waters were breath-taking. But the tinted and almost completely blacked-out windows of the SUV made it hard to appreciate the sights in all their natural glory.

"How far away from the airport are we going?" I questioned. It felt like we had been on the road for hours, just the same long and coiling road.

"Only about 15 more minutes now; we should be there soon." Mikey rested a hand over my shoulders, and I did the best I could to shuffle into his side, resting my head in the space between his neck and his shoulder, just about his collarbone.