The long, shimmering strings of black silk glided through his gloved fingers. With each brush, the onyx waterfall glistened brighter, became smother. In his sitting position, the ravenhead's splendid hair almost reached the ground.

"It's way too long. One day, I'll cut if off" Katsuro commented quietly. He knew his threat was far from serious, and he knew his friend knew as well. The addressed male had his legs crossed, his arms calmly hanging to his sides, his head carried by the backrest. His dark eyes were closed to support the relaxation while his leader gently ran the brush through his sleek hair. The easing sensation brought some serenity to his mind and soul, allowing him to sort his thoughts.

"We have to watch out. That brat is not as stupid as I expected" Isamu eventually spoke out, the anger about her recent disobedience still lingering in his guts. His cogitations travelled back to the different situations where the captive's actions had more or less surprised him. For example her first escape attempt; or how she had interrogated him in the red lounge. But what really made him wonder was the girl's prolonged persistence. Despite the things that were done to her, she still managed to come up with a new unnerving idea every night, talked back even in moments where her life was on the line, or showed a remarkable stamina at imposed tasks. How she acted like knowing no fear, whereas she had five good reasons to be scared. To death.

Katsuro smiled. His companion's reluctant realization amused him. For the leader himself, he had gotten the female fully psyched out within their first meeting. Her strengths were just as clear to him as her weaknesses.

The taller male huffed. He had no need to look up to know that his partner carried a haughty smirk. "Two months are not much time"

The blond shortly stopped his motion. When he continued to slide the hairbrush through the coal- black and blood- red strands, he assertively answered: "Time enough to get her into shape. She already resembles the description enough to get her through." Slowly, he leaned down, whispering right into the man's ear. "And then, all this chaos will come to an end. And we can finally exterminate that bloody clan"

Isamu grinned. The imagination of erasing one after one of Youkai's members brought flickering joy to his chest. But eventually, his smile died down as another thought crossed his brain. "She won't last a day there, will she?" he absentmindedly mumbled, picturing the frail being in the centre of the hated mafia gang.

The other male shrugged, coming to the last part of his task. "If we continue with the training, she might have a chance. Nevertheless, if she is really that wanted, I doubt her function is gonna be something trivial"

The ash- eyed man pondered on his words. For around two months by now, Youkai had stirred up the whole underground: Endangering several companies, business men and traffic routes, all to find a woman they owned nothing but a plain description about. Not even a picture was published. However, several gangs began to hunt for females that fit to the plain depiction, hoping to finally regain some peace. All few weeks, the news reported about another young woman being missed. Some returned, some did not.

But Katsuro must be right with his words: Causing such a fuss about a girl could only mean she had a very important place. She either owned knowledge they needed for business, or...

"...Do you think they'll execute her?" The ravenhead voiced out the last part of his thoughts. He heard the leader placing the tool down and turned around to look at him.

The other man was now fixing his own strawberry- blond hair in the mirror. Their eyes briefly met in the reflection. It took some time before he answered.

"Maybe. But it won't be our problem by then, right?"

The moment [y/n] had slammed the bathroom door shut, her tensed gaze immediately jumped around in fear of spotting the tall, angered male. Knowing that a future encounter would be inevitable yet still mean the death of her, she tiptoed along the corridor, eventually creeping into the living room.

The sounds of voices floated to her ear, accompanied by unclear background noises. The distraction guided her to the TV, a bright irritation in the barely illuminated chamber. The display currently showed the upcoming weather conditions: Sun blazing days and starry nights from now until Thursday, and a light summer rain for Friday. The female paused in front of the flickering pictures. Heat during the day, wetness during the night; those were complicated times for people with no secure shelter. She remembered the sweat and dehydration during one half of the year, the coldness and fevers in the other. But right now, she felt like trading anything- Anything, just to feel those sensations again. She craved the warmth of the sun light, the refreshing splatter of rain. The feeling of cosmic connection while gazing into the clear night sky, the view of the city from the roofs above. The singing of birds and the blaring of traffic. The colors of the dawn.

"Why don't you just join us?"

She clutched her eyes shut.

"Think about it- What would be the difference between being a member and being a captive?"

Shaking her head, covering her ears.

"Your liberties."

"No!" She winced at her own cry. Back to full comprehension, she quickly scanned her surrounding for unwanted attention her behavior may have drawn. Only then she realized she was the only individual in the room. As she let her gaze wander, she spotted a new unsettling anomaly.

The girl stared at the entrance of the cell- The usually locked door, whether she was inside or not, actually stood a gap wide open. And a shimmer of light fell through. She narrowed her eyes. Someone was- or is- inside.

Cautiously, she approached the barrier. Halting just inches away from the threshold, she pressed herself against the wall. The alarmed captive was now able to make out noises: Rustling and huffing, then a dull bang.

"God f***ing damn it"

It was not much of a challenge to make out the annoyed vocals' owner. [y/n] swung open the door and was, as expected, greeted by the fiery red orbs of a panting and upset Akito.

"What are you... doing here..." Her voice lost firmness during her confrontation.

A giant box, planted in the room's centre, silenced her and left her dumbfounded. The item was half as high as and several times broader than the female herself. Covered in gleaming golden wrapping paper and held together by thick red straps, topped by a flawless enormous bow, it was surely the biggest present she had ever seen in her life. "What the hell is this?" She breathed out.

The male on the other side of the abnormal big gift scoffed. "It's for you obviously, stupid brat"

'Obviously.'

[y/n] knew it made sense that the box had a connection to her, since it was placed in her sleeping quarters, yet she could not sort in the boy's declaration. "Why-"

"Don't ask. I have no f**king idea what Katsuro intends with this"

Her head shot up. "Katsuro!?" Immediately, she stumbled some steps backwards, eying the item suspiciously. "Is it... dangerous?"

"Everything that comes from the boss is dangerous"

She only gulped at his answer. That was not hard to believe.

"What are you waitin' for? Open it" he commended groaningly.

The perplexed girl furrowed her brows at him. "Are you curious or something?"

The redhead contorted his face, yet turned away from her. "I just wanna know if this was worth carrying it all the damn way here"

His insincerity brought a smile to her lips. Honestly, she did not want to touch the object at all, not to mention open it- But the boy stared at it with such eagerness burning in his orbs, she felt like ruining a child's birthday if she refused. With a shrug, she sighed in defeat. "Well, since you already took the trouble to bring this here..."

[y/n] cautiously approached the massive carton. With a heavy heart, her fingers grabbed the ribbon. A wave of scenarios ran through her mind as she tugged at the red velvet strands: Like facing the racing digits of a time bomb, or a fragmented body, or becoming swallowed by toxic gas.

Once the strings were loosened, her quivering hands lifted the lid. The captive instantly swung it in front of her, misusing it as a shield, whereas Akito immediately plunged his head inside. Expecting the worst, she peeked from behind her paper cover. The only thing she saw was the redhead's expression growing from restrained nosiness to a disenchanted frown. "The hell is this stuff"

The girl, now curious herself, lowered her protection and scuttled closer. As she eventually took sight of the content, her face formed the same vexed reaction.

Several items were piled up in the box, the amount explaining its ridiculous size. What she made out first in the formless chaos was a stack of colorful textiles. She carefully grabbed onto the first soft fabric: And pulled out a long, slim champagne- colored dress. From the texture she could tell it was pure silk. Her eyes widened at the sight of the heavenly elegant evening gown. She was unable to even imagine what value she held in her hands. In highest awe and deepest confusion, she guided the clothing to her body, imagining it on her own skin. She had no need to try it on to see that it would fit like wax. And that really dismayed her.

Sensing a dark premonition, the fraught individual threw the dress aside and took out the next item: A simple yet feminine, white sweater with a deep v- neck, the material tenderly fleecy. Unknown to her, she held a manufacture of cashmere in her hands. And again it hit her size perfectly.

How the hell-

She continued the same procedure with any other clothing: Elegant blouses in fair pastels, some modest and some rather reveiling; shorter and longer skirts, a few pairs of  branded Jeans. Underwear, again of high quality materials, some with a brand imprint. A summer dress with rose- print. It was a struggle to reach the lower levels of the layers, eventually she had to climb inside the box and handed the items to the redhead, who carelessly stacked them on the floor. Next she uncovered a varierty of shoe cartons, unrevealing a collection of pumps, high- heels and sandals: Gucci, Valentino, Dior. 

And everything led to the same result. She hardly prayed that the man's knowledge about her body dimensions were only thanks to his excellent observation skills. But the various beautiful clothes were not the only treasures the captives was about to discover.

Having eventually unfolded and placed away the first few layery, [y/n] had to climb inside the container to reach the next items, more or less careful not to crush anything. She now was surrounded by a variation of smaller cartons, each one in another hue or size and devotedly decorated. Gingerly picking up a mint- colored package with the golden emblem of a luxury brand, she opened it to reveal a selection of shower utensils, body lotions, along with other crèmes and perfumes. Another, littler box with a sheathing of black velvet which bared a delicate golden necklace. She carefully opened each carton, throwing a glance on earrings, bracelets, necklaces, cosmetics and parfumes. Swarovski, Chanel, Yves Saint Lauren. 

During that time, Akito stood leaned against the wall. Arms crossed, he silently watched the quiet female inspecting every single one of the high priced objects. Whether she was dumbfounded or just silenced, he could not tell- But much against his expectations, she did not voice the slightest of a comment. Furthermore: She analyzed everything with the same empty, neutral look. Not one of the sparkling objects- designed to make any woman's heart flatter and temporary satisfy the gentry's greed- brought a look of wonderment or even a hint of a smile to her face. The redhead knew, someone like her would never ever manage to get her hands on any of those things. But still, it left her cold. So cold, he began to ponder on what it would actually take to please her, if even the highest luxuriousness failed.

The female gender had always been a mystery to the impulsive male. They pretended to be so unique, yet on the inside of their dirty minds, all of them were the same: They like money and rich men. No matter how "tough" they acted, they were still fragile when it came to emotions. No matter how "shy and innocent" they played, they'd still stop over nothing just to get their man of interest. And yet- They could never be satisfied.

He has not only observed this behavior in his youth, but also countless times in Katsuro's circles of society. They came crawling for the leader from all sides, on hands and knees. Literally.

Akito's fiery eyes still lingered on the distracted girl. His presence seemed to be long forgotten. What the captive currently uncovered was a collection of jewelry and cosmetics, a hundred times more worth than her pitiful life. But what flickered in her eyes was neither intrest nor awe. It was fright.

The manipulative, blond man in charge always used the very same method of seducing women to his advantage. From simple dancers and entertainers to powerful business leaders and political influencers- he had them all in his grasp. And never did the glamour, gold and charisma fail its purpose.

Would she, eventually, fall for it, too?

[y/n] slowly but surely seemed to reach an end. All the time, one and the same thought circled through her mind: What could he want?

All the valuable textiles, products, accessory- She could not quite grasp the fact that these were supposed to belong to her. But being clever enough to know that the chartreuse- eyed man must have ulterior motives, she was far from accepting his gifts. Not that she had use for them anyway.

The girl heaved herself out of the container and started to pick up the various items she had thrown to the sides. She could perfectly picture him sitting at his marble desk, the gloved hands folded while wearing a sadistic grin, his feline orbs gleaming.

Was he trying to prove his power?

Were the presents meant to manipulate her?

Should she be pushed in the position of being in his debt?

The other individual was about to leave the captive alone with her unwanted treasures as her actions stopped him in his tracks. She had started to collect the articles and carelessly threw them back in the box, than smacked the lid down with a pressed huff. Her gaze found his. "You can bring this back again" she declared.

The redhead stood puzzled for the moment. A frown formed on his forehead. "Huh?"

"I don't want it. Bring it back" But before her order could even reach him, she had gotten in action herself and began to push the large carton towards the exit.

As Akito realized what the captive implied to do, he hastily jumped into the doorframe and blocked her way. "No. This is a gift from the boss, and you will f***ing keep it" He glowered at her, trying to cover the bafflement her acting caused to him.

[y/n] sassily crossed her arms. "And if I don't want to?"

He narrowed his eyes. The confusion quickly yielded into irritation. Her voice wore a coat of intended provocation, her [e/c] orbs sparkling playfully. She challenged him, and his temper couldn't resist.

The male slowly made a step forward. The only exit was blocked by his presence. Simply the box separated the two of them, and the female slowly began to regret her words. Her throat became dry as the redhead moved closer. She prepared to take the opposite direction around the large object, as soon as he would imply which course he'd take. But to her disadvantage, his strong arms pushed the carton to the side with such force; it slid a few meters before eventually crashing against the wall. The now really concerned girl forced the air down her windpipe as the barrier vanished from her view, opening her aggressor a direct path.

The boy's orange hues flickered like fire. "How about this: As a sign of your appreciation, I'll bring you to Katsuro. Your body as a gift in return" A mischievous smirk crept along his features.

[y/n] did not even dare to picture how his stated scenario would turn out. Subconsciously, she clutched the hems of her clothes. But Akito wasn't finished yet.

With a swift motion, the red ribbon left its place and lost its shape. He strived closer, now holding the broad strap in his hands, stretching it to release warning, snapping sounds.

The girl not only cursed her temerity but also the position she had taken in the small quarters. The room's narrowness allowed no route to pass by the boy without running right into his arms. "A- Akito, come on we can talk this out..." She stammered, rising her hands in defiance while hopelessly backing away. His malicious smile only widened. Her back hit the wall. She winced.

The male, now only inches away, found immense satisfaction in the sight of her cowering form. She kept up the strained eye contact, which only displayed her uneasiness clearer. He began to wonder how far he could go: What it would take to intensify her reactions of fear.

But was she really afraid of him, or only of his threat regarding the blond? As the question crossed Akito's mind, he tardily lowered the fabric- chains. He did not want her to run scared because of his leader. He wanted her to show that inferior position to him. With that being thought, a new wicked idea appeared in his head.

At first, the captive did not know whether to feel relieved or alarmed as his amused expression eventually faded. But the decision was quickly made as an even more evil grin plastered his face. His eyes glowed with malignancy. She felt like staring into the gates of hell.

"Or, you know what?" His voice was deep, coarse.

I really don't want to know.

"I could just keep you to myself"

[y/n], letting out a shriek of denial, lashed forward before he could jump at her. With all her might, she threw herself against his chest. The impact almost took her down, yet she managed to keep a stumbling stance and aimed for the exit. Akito, busy with regaining his balance, allowed a gap for her to make it past him.

She sprinted towards the threshold- And would have crossed it, if her ankle hadn't been grabbed in this very second. Nose forward, she crashed to the ground, a cloud of dust twirling up around her. A sharp ache rushed through her head. The exclamation of pain stayed stuck in her throat as she rapidly threw herself on her backside, to at least being able to see her attacker. Too late.

She found him sitting on top of her, wearing a smug smirk of victory. [y/n] groaned and tried to wriggle her way out, but the male had no effort to easily strangle her movements with his weight. The red tie glistened in the light. She remembered.

Swinging around her legs, the redhead lost his superior position. Yet he quickly picked up on her plan. A vigorous fight broke out between the two individuals: The female being repeatedly shoved to the ground by the boy's strength, yet balancing her detriment with swift motions. He began to groan in annoyance. "You stupid brat, would you just hold still..."

Akito did not realize how he had brought himself in the perfect position for her to train a new combat move. A method he himself had previously taught her. With surprising success at first try, she was now on top of him, having the upper hand about his body. And not only that: [y/n] also managed to snatch the string from his grasp and briskly tied it around his wrist.

Suddenly, their vision darkened.

Both of them froze in motion as a shadow glowered down on them.

Yasu stood in the doorframe, gazing at the two individuals with sharp cyan orbs. His face was as indecipherable as usual. Yet the dumbfounded female could only suspect what the current scene must look like. Somehow, the situation was not unknown to her."I swear, it's not what it looks like"

The person underneath seemed to be of a different opinion. "It's exactly what it looks like. Yasu, get that heavy brat off my rips"

But the blue haired boy neither minded his statement nor his command. For a second, the girl thought see anger flicker in his cold eyes. The second was over, and the massive iron door fell shut. Her cry died down in the banging echo.

"S**t... Yasu, open the f***ing door!" She yelled and hammered against the barrier. Her begging went on for some minutes, yet without any success.

"Drop it. How can a girl be so damn noisy?!"

The captive swung around and scowled at the male with gritted teeth. He had brought himself in an upright position, his manacled hands in front of him. "He doesn't listen when he's pissed"

With his remark, her suspicion was verified, yet she couldn't find the reason. "And what made him pissed?" She hissed, already blaming him in her mind.

He shrugged his shoulders. "You were probably screaming to loud and interrupted his stupid chess game or somethin'"

She furrowed her brows. "I didn't scream at all"

"Get over here and take this thing off"

[y/n] peered at the constrained redhead. He stared at her with a pushing, impatient glare. And as she made no move to follow his request, he began to growl deeply. The female let a supercilious smile creep across her mouth as his gleaming eyes darkened. She had to admit, she preferred the lively boy in his trapped position, and her anxiety formed into visible assurance. A triumphant huff slipped through her lips. How reckless of her.

Akito had already averted his gaze. His head hung low. Even though his visage was covered by his vermillion hair, she meant to sense a dark cloud glooming his face. His whole position had slumped. For the moment, he made the appearance to have given up, or even to be sulking. The lass couldn't quiet enjoy her superior state- His atypical silence now began to confuse her. Time elapsed and not even a murmur escaped from him.

"W- well, Akito" she eventually began, wiping the dust of her clothes and unsure whether he actually listened, "if you apologize and ask nicely, I might consider to..."

A clangorous, sinister laughter suffocated her words. He threw his head back, his body shaking. "You cunning brat..."

The addressed being developed a strong urge to squall as he let himself fall backwards, only to jump on his feet right after. His focus clashed with hers. His orbs burned even brighter than before- Devilish, devouring. A grin of insanity plastered his lips. "You think this little ribbon could stop me from hurting you?"

He stretched his hands. The manacle snapped apart like stripe of paper.

She pressed herself against the door behind her, praying the cyanhead would return and set her free. The flaming beast held her trapped with his blood- curdling peer. With every step he took closer, she felt her lungs shrinking. The two of them were now a mere meter apart when he stopped his tracks, his chest lifting and lowering fiercely. Like a lion waiting for the perfect moment to strike, he loomed in front of her, baring his fangs. She could totally trust him to dig his teeth into her neck. The moment arrived.

[y/n] threw herself to the side, landed harshly on the tiles yet managed to doge his attack. That's what she thought at least; before realizing what the boy was actually aiming at. He flashed her one last sanguinary smile before pressing the light switch.

Trapped with a bloodthirsty male, she was encased by darkness.

Yasu's forehead leaned against the cold iron barrier. Vibrations shook his brain as the battering individual on the other side tried to get his attention. He knew his behavior was unreasonable; even more because he couldn't quiet comprehend what had caused his inappropriate action. The second he had seen the girl sitting on top of the redhead, lighting shot through his nerves- An unknown, unsettling sensation had numbed his thoughts and temporarily caused his body to act on its own. For some reason, the sight of the [h/c] haired female in this proximity to his partner strongly displeased him. The cyanhead knew, Akito was aware that he couldn't do anything which would truly hurt her. What didn't mean that he wouldn't test his limits. And yet, the mint eyed boy couldn't say that his discontent was because of concern alone.

As the sounds from the inside faded, he let out a shaking exhale. She had either given up or was unconscious by now.

"Hey, Yasu" Isamu had appeared in the living room, catching his focus. "Katsuro demands your presence... Is something wrong?"

For the moment, the younger male pondered on involving him in the situation. He eventually stepped back from the cell, shook his head and made his way towards the office. It was better for the girl to find out on her own whose presence she should avoid.

And whose she should search for.

*** (a/n)***