[y/n]'s whole body tensed up to the point where she needed to support herself with one hand against the wall while making baby steps forward.

She had spent the last hour with pressing her ear against the iron door, her earlobe numb from the coldness, waiting for the scraps of conversations to hush and shuffling of feet to fade. It took her additional thirty minutes to be fully sure that every individual had left the area behind. But the relief of being greeted by silence after finally daring to fiddle open the lock didn't last long. Any moment, any second, one of the household's members could enter the living room and catch her attempt to escape.

An unreal, pallid twilight dived her surrounding in a milky dark blue. She couldn't even make out the source of light- The created shadows appeared surreal. Neither their forms nor their seizes matched with the outlines of the objects which caused them. They seemed distorted, almost as if they were secretly moving or growing whenever the girl turned around. The darkness crept through the quarters like a sinister fog. It was eery, so eery that the captive began to look out for a light switch, yet remembered that activating the lamps meant to reveal her presence.

Now, she stood rather purposeless in front of the dining area's only known exit, which was the corridor she already had been shoved through, to the bathroom and to Katsuro's office. Her restless gaze was fixed on the big painting across from her position, where the hallway splat up to the right and left. She knew by now where the left path would lead her to, but the end of the right one remained unknown to her. Nevertheless, checking out that allegedly opportunity for a way out would mean she needed to pass by the doors on both sides, any of them capable to be opened any minute. With trembling knees, [y/n] slowly approximated the tunnel, stopped to eavesdrop for any alerting sounds. But all she could hear was the beat of her own pounding heart, accompanied by heavy short breathing. Carefully, she placed one foot ahead the other, concentrating to be as soundless as her steps allowed her to be. Cold sweat formed on her forehead as she walked by the closed entrances.

Finally, the female stood in front of the large picture but didn't deign a closer look at the giant, picturesque wave that was presented. She turned to her right to face a black double door, gleaming seductively in the blue light. [y/n] waited a few seconds for her quivering legs to steady before continuing her journey- But a paralyzing sensation hold her in place. Her ears had picked up on mumbles, resonating from behind her. With a heavy gulp she slowly turned around.

The entrance to Katsuro's quarters was slightly apart. Her eyes widened as she saw the back of a male who was ready to leave the chamber, but still seemed to be caught in conversation. Pieces of whispers reached her. Without wasting another thought she made a sprint towards the opposite door. Having her hand on the handle, the female didn't hesitate to push. Even though she couldn't know what- or who- was expecting her on the other side.

Her heart sunk to her stomach as she stared up at two sky blue eyes.

[Y/n]'s mouth opened automatically, ready for any kind of explanation, but her mind was as blank as the boy's expression. She gasped in surprise when Yasu grabbed her hand and pulled her into the dark room. Right in time.

He left a little gap between the door and the frame, too small to be noticed from the distance but big enough for the both of them to peak trough. His palm covered her mouth as he pressed her against his body; it wasn't a rough grip but enough to prevent her from making any betraying sounds. The other reason why [y/n] didn't struggle against was to not get noticed by the individual that walked down the hallway in this moment. Isamu to be exact. But still, the ravenhead abruptly stopped before turning around the corner. His gaze wandered in their direction. He examined their hiding spot with a skeptical look; before slowly coming closer.

"Yasu? What are you doing here at this hour?" Isamu asked surprisingly unsurprised after he almost knocked down the boy that opened the gate in the same second as him. The smaller male looked up at him with a cold and devoid stare. Their conversation seemed to be more on a mental than actually hearable level. After some seconds of silent staring, the taller man just sighed and eventually turned to leave. "Don't go to bed too late" was all the girl could hear before the interrupter disappeared.

Yasu used the sallow light from the outside to scrutinize the captive from head to toes. She nervously fiddled with her fingers, avoiding the boy's perusing gaze. She knew what he expected: An explanation for her appearance here and now, an explanation for her leaving of the room she was supposed to be locked in. "I- I..." She started after the heavy quietness pressed on her lungs, but the words didn't find their way to her mouth. To her astonishment, Yasu broke the eye- contact with a quiet exhale. He opened the door further and shot her a demanding look. Everything inside the lass that had granted her the volition and power to end her plan, suddenly slumped down.

She knew a fight would only attract the attention of the household's rest. And even if she would manage to get past him, the chance to find an exit in the alien area before getting caught was vanishingly low. She kept her head down as she reluctantly stepped over the threshold. The cyanhead stayed right behind her as the both of them quietly made their way back to the forsaken cell. With heavy steps she forced herself inside the quarters, turning around to the blue- haired male who was just about to close the door. "Yasu..." she breathed out. The boy hesitantly paused. His gloomy hues met hers.

"Why... Why did you save me?" She took one step closer. "Back then in the streets, as these guys were after me, why did you intervene? Why didn't you simply abandon me to my fate?! Or just now, why did you hide me from Isamu?!" [Y/n] bit her tongue in the moment she realized her unforseen outburst. It wasn't her intention to blurt out this interrogation all of a sudden, but it seemed to had been bothering her more than thought.

A deep pause followed after those words had left her lips. Yasu might not be prepared for that unexpected but important question, or he might not know the answer himself. Or he was simply not intenting to reveal it. He deeply stared in her [e/c] orbs, yet his gaze was so vacuous, he seemed to rather gaze right through her. The burning feeling of anticipation for an answer was weakened by the growing feeling that the boy wouldn't give her the required explanation. For the split of a second, [y/n] thought to see something flicker in his eyes, and the male slightly parted his lips- Just to destroy all her hopes as he turned to go.

The sound of the exit's closing echoed deep inside the female's head.

A metallic creak and disruptive light caused [y/n]'s lids to flutter open. She rubbed her eyes to find herself lying on the floor, next to the mattress she obviously had rolled down from in her light and nightmare- filled sleep.
In the entrance stood a not amused looking Isamu, his long hair in a high ponytail. And an apron around his body. "Move."

The still only half- conscious and slightly irritated girl blinked a few times. Slowly getting on her feet, she melancholically toddled behind the male, too tired and muddled to soberly process what was awaiting her.

"Take a shower and come right back" The ravenhead bluntly ordered as she haphazardly stood around in the living room.

"I don't need to...-"

"I said take a shower. You smell terrible."

[y/n]'s wobbly legs took her back to the kitchen area. She had to admit the shower had been refreshing, it somehow had given new energy to her weakened limbs and cleared her clouded mind. She now felt able to face whatever the day would confront her with.

She stopped before entering the man's view. She had come to a decision: If she wanted to find a way out of her situation, she firstly needed to find out what people she dealt with, what kind of surrounding she was trapped in. Blindly jumping around without any clue where to go or what to do would only aggravate her conditions. Last night was proof enough to her. She could be thankful that Yasu had acted so indulgent; who knows what were to happen if another individual had crossed her path. Like the ravenhead for example, who clattered a plate with steaming pancakes on the counter in front of her. The captive threw an asking glance towards him, yet he had already turned his back on her again. But then, her eyes were drawn to a clock on the kitchen wall.

"Ten o'clock!? That doesn't make sense, does it?" Recalling all the events of the bygone night, knowing it had been around midnight when she had arrived- plus all the seemingly endless time she had spent in her cell- she assumed it to be far past the late morning.

"It's ten o'clock in the evening, if that helps you."

[y/n] peered at the busy man, not sure whether this new information was more sensible or not. The female quietly groaned and focused her gaze back on the dish. Examining the food, the sweet, delicious smell tickled her nose and let her tummy growl in excitement. "I've never had pancakes for dinner..."

"Breakfast."

"Huh? But I thought it's-"

"Breakfast."

As she placed the emptied porcelain back on the counter, Isamu already awaited her. His one hand held a bucket of water, the other pointing at some cloths and sponges, along with other cleaning supplies. Without a further explanation, he simply pushed the materials in the puzzled captive's arms.

"Uhmm..."

"If you're gonna ask me what you're supposed to do now, I am gonna rip your hair off" His ash grey eyes glared at her before he departed from the kitchen.

"...Why the hell should I do the cleaning now!?" Annoyed by his unexpected and unexplainable order, she carelessly placed the objects on the ground and crossed her arms in resistance.

The male turned around, narrowing his dark eyes. Approximating her with daunting slow steps. But the lass decided to not let him scare her this time- Or at not to show it.

"You rob our time, nerves and food." Isamu's orbs stung deep into hers, his index finger tipping hardly against her décolleté at every emphasized vocal. "Don't think you could just lie around in your room all day, spoiled brat. Better become useful at the housework before we make you useful in other ways." He ultimately left the area without losing one more word.

The girl stared speechless and bewildered at the spot where the rude individual had disappeared seconds ago. Her mouth hung open, but she couldn't find any terms to go against the absurd assumption that had just been thrown at her. She couldn't even tell what freaked her out more: The heartless threat or the ridiculous wrong allegations. [y/n]'s strained temper finally snapped as she sent the filled bucket flying through the room. The floor would get wet anyway in order to clean it.

The [h/c] haired female had finished to cleanse the tiled kitchen floor half- way when she dared to ensure that her grumpy companion wasn't in her closer surrounding. Her chance to check out the area for anything that could become helpful.

She started to roam through the drawers where she luckily found some knives: Not necessarily suitable for a serious fight but still better than no weapon at all. However, her main goal still remained to find a route out of the godforsaken basement. She slid the improvised arms in the hem of her pants, covered them with her luckyly way too wide shirt. She continued to stroll around, but since she couldn't find any hint for a second exit in the kitchen or living room, her only hope was one of the several doors in the hallway.

I came in here somehow, so there must be a damn way to out...

It was just in that moment she became fully aware of the deep silence that filled the whole area. Apart from her own paces and breaths, not a single sound was to be heard. The tranquility became cutting and pressing as [y/n] realized that there was no sign of life around her. Even though she assumed Isamu to be running around somewhere, the onerous feeling of lonesome captivity made her sling her arms around her cold body. In the next second, the girl noticed that she hadn't seen any other member in the past hours. She felt like being trapped alone in an alien labyrinth.

In the uncomfortableness of her solitude, she drew closer to the first door on her left. Cautiously, she pressed her ear against the wooden surface. Not the slightest of noise reached through. This lead her to two conjectures: There could be a person behind, maybe sleeping. Or the quarters were empty, giving her the chance to check the unknown area for any possibilities. Her softly trembling hand reached out for the handle, slowly pressing it down. But the door didn't budge an inch. With a sigh, [y/n] let go of the metal and carefully moved to the next entrance; eavesdropping before trying her luck, only to be faced with the same disappointment. This routine continued until the desperate captive reached the end of the hallway, confronted with the decision of turning left or right once more. She took a moment to collect her strength. Her eyes wandered over the big painting in front of her, held in a majestic golden frame. The painted wave appeared beautiful and frightening at the same time. She let her fingers trace along the lines, searching for a hidden answer somewhere deep in the unreal water.

Remembering that her time of aloneness had an unknown limit, [y/n] decided to try examining Katsuro's office. Even though she was highly interested in what kind of things the gang leader would hide there, she doubted that she could just easily enter an important place like that. Her thoughts proved to be true as the heavy ebony door wouldn't move either, leaving her banging her head against the expensive wood with an exasperated grunt. Afterwards, she turned around to eye the opposite entrance.

She haltingly and insecurely approximated the frame, convinced that it might hold a certain long haired man behind, since she hadn't crossed Isamu's way ever since his departement from the kitchen. With a gulp, she slowly pushed open the door- Just to slump to the floor as a loud, dull, piercing and metallic bang echoed through the room.

With her hands protectively over her head, her frantic eyes scanned the surrounding for the source of danger. Gunshot after gunshot banged on the female's eardrum, her instincts and reflexes taking over her body control. Until the terrible but familiar noises eventually stopped. [y/n] panted in fear. It took her a while to realize that she wasn't caught up in a crossfire, that the gun's owner wasn't even in her sight. She eventually straightened her back to fully enter the giant hall, now able to regarde the new place.

It was the largest room of all she had seen until now. And she felt highly uneasy as she realized what it was possibly supposed to be used for.

The center was covered with a layer of thin mats. Along the walls were several cabinets and shelves, its content secured by thick glass slabs. Stepping closer to the showcases, the dumbfounded girl caught sight of multiple different thrusting weapons: From all kinds of knives to metal- and wood canes; along with unfamiliar weaponries that resembled swords, spears and even modern bows. Each item appeared like an antiquity on the red velvet it was placed on. [y/n] couldn't hold back a gasp astonishment as she pressed her face closer to the surfaces; caught up in awe, incredulousness and excitement by the exotic goods.

"Quite a nice collection, isn't it?"

The captive was startled by the sudden familiar vocals behind her. Isamu's presence let her bubble of fascination pop to pieces and took her back to the present. But the light smile on the male's lips surprised her even more than her recent discovery. "Uh... Yes. Quite... Quite nice."

The ravenhead's smirk turned into a frown. "You better tell me you're here only because you're done with cleaning."

She nodded hastily. "Yes, yes I am here because I'm done with cleaning." Please lord, don't make him check it.

The young adult eyed her with one last skeptic glance, then huffed out in snideness while turning on his heels, leaving in the direction he had emerged from. The puzzled girl raised an eyebrow before stumbling after him. Around a corner she abruptly came to a halt. The associated area was even bigger than the previous one, allowing her a view on a new heap of cabinets- With the difference that this was a whole gallery. Of firearms.

[Y/n] had already been strongly impressed by the past collection, but this truly knocked her socks off. Guns, pistols, and other arms she couldn't even identify, of all conceivable sizes, calibers and functions, hang on brackets on the wall or were kept in metal and glass lockers. She glimpsed a few times, testing if she could trust the condition of her eyes, but the scenery in front of her wouldn't change. The feeling of overpowering and disbelief was replaced by a wave of hope, wantonness and deviousness. These metallic shining treasures could become much more useful than the plain kitchen knives.
"What's with that kinky grin." Isamu narrowed his eyes at her.

"What? I didn't grin."

"You did."

"...I didn't."

Her gaze continued to wander through the quarters until she finally noticed the colorful circles at the opposite wall: Five in a row, perforated by smaller and bigger holes just like the wall beyond. She approximated the targets, Isamu sharply watching every step she took. The girl surveyed the different patterns of imprimtings on each one, caused by the buttles which had disappeared in the protective barrier behind, proving the unequal skills of its gunmen. She stopped in front of the middle one and led her fingers across the lowerings; which spread all over the target and even meters apart, yet not a single one was detectable in the black center.

"That's Shiro's."

[y/n] regarded the man behind her with a thoughtful gaze. "I see... Which one is yours?"

His head pointed to the left. The girl gulped silently as she noticed the precision of the bullets, sent right through the dark middle. Almost the whole inner circle was replaced by holes. She couldn't spot a single one that had missed the black. She arched her brows. If I need to use force to get out of here.... Which will be the case... I obviously should avoid Isamu.

She was ripped out of her calculations by two hands grabbing her shoulders, spinning her around and shoving away from the useful discoveries. "Enough free time for you. If you've got nothing to do, go in your room."

"W-Wait!" She flung around to look at the male's deep grey eyes. "I... I have understood that I can't fight you. And that it's no use to try." [y/n] shyly lowered her head and fiddled with her fingers. "But... It's so frustrating. And I feel lonely..." She sensed his orbs lingering on her. The girl waited for a positive answer, a sign that her act of faked submission was convincing. Her original plan was to make the man grant her more so called "free time" to search for further escape opportunities or to figure out how to get her hands on some of the several fighting tools.

But the ravenhead wouldn't fall for her show. "Not my problem."
The door to the small quarters was already opened as another idea popped into the cunning captive's head.

Isamu was just about to push the female inside the cell, when he got startled by the sudden fierce trembling and shaking of her form. The lass fell on her knees as a severe coughing fit came over her; causing her to let out animalistic noises, tears pricking the corner of her eyes. The man was dumbfounded for a moment. Eventually, he lowered down to support the female's quivering body and forcefully knocked on her back. The redness of her face and her puffed cheeks alarmed him about the seriousness of her obviously instable health.

"I- It's the dust" [y/n] wheezed in between her coughs. "I... I need fresh air... please".

The male stood up again. "You've just cleaned the living room, haven't you?"

Confused, she turned to look at him. She gasped as she was roughly grabbed by the wrist and suddenly landed on the black leather couch. With wide eyes of shock, she stared at the tall man who pierced her with lethal glares.

"If you've cleaned thoroughly enough, there shouldn't be a single dust grain around."

Obviously, her realistic performance wasn't enough to fool her supervisor. [y/n] knew by the force behind his words that another attempt could put her at even higher risk. However, she wasn't truly persuade of a success anyway. She pondered on and waited for other ideas to appear, when a glass of water was vigorously thundered on the coffee table in front of her. She shot Isamu an uncertain glance.

"Don't mistake it for politeness. It's just troublesome if you should croak."

Hours passed that [y/n] had spent with inattentively watching television, reading a newspaper from three years ago; and eyeing the black haired male at the dinner table who just had emptied his fourth cup of coffee while reading a book that appeared to be five times as old as its owner himself. He placed the mug down with a low exhale before returning the girl's observing stare.

"...Come with me" he commended, raising from his chair and entering the kitchen.
The captive uncertainly watched him before she heaved herself over the leathern backrest.

"You gonna help me preparing dinner"