"Kusanagi, what's wrong?" I placed my schoolbag down on the desk in the van and seated myself. Kusanagi looked distressed, with his tightly clenched fists sitting on the desk and his face painted with one of the most pained expressions I had ever seen on him.

"It's Yusaku." He answered, voice strained.

"Yusaku? Has something happened to him?" Kusanagi's tone concerned me. I had only heard him speak like that before when he was talking about Jin.

"You know how he has been missing for a week?"

I thought back to the days I had been going to school last week and this week. I had found it rather strange that Yusaku wasn't there. But I assumed he had been skipping to do work on getting Jin back, or that he had perhaps fallen ill.

"You mean to say that he wasn't just gone from school? He has been missing!?"

"He was missing. I found where he is."

"That's so good to hear! That's a good thing, right? What's bothering you then?" I chirped, happy that the news wasn't as bad as I had thought it was.

"I wish that was where this chain of events had ended…" Kusanagi tightened his fists.

"Was he hurt or something?"

"I… I don't know…"

"How can you not know if you found him?" I asked, completely confused and very much in need of clarification.

Flame popped out of my duel disk.

"Takeru is correct, Kusanagi. What you have said is an oxymoron and makes no sense. How can you find somebody but not identify if they are injured?" Flame maintained his usual analytical tone.

"He wasn't physically hurt. But where I found him suggests that somebody has done something to him. Whether that something involved hurting him, I don't know."

"Kusanagi, where did you find him then?" I asked, wanting to cut the cryptic talk and know what exactly was going on.

"I found him at Ryoken's house."

"What would he be doing there?!" I was shocked. Surely it wasn't anything bad? Maybe Yusaku had been trying to collect information on the Hanoi.

"I still don't know. He was asleep in Ryoken's arms. He said that he wanted to be with Ryoken. I lost my temper, then I got kicked out of their house." Kusanagi picked up his fists and slammed them violently down onto the desk.

"What…? What the hell?" I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what conclusions to come to. All I knew is that Ryoken must have done something to Yusaku, just as Kusanagi said.

"Yesterday, Yusaku and Ryoken visited my van."

"What did they do?" I was eager to hear the details. I was sure more details would help me understand what was going on.

"Ryoken acted smug, and bought hotdogs for the two of them. Then Yusaku got mad at me when I apologized for losing my cool. He said that I was dangerous. I… Yusaku was my closest ally. I don't want to lose him like this." Kusanagi lowered his head in shame, "I should have been able to do something about this situation, but it has gotten so bad… I don't know what to do."

I sat for a moment, feeling bad for Kusanagi. Everything that had happened had been so terrible for him. I needed to think of a solution to this situation.

"Kusanagi, we need to go to Ryoken's house and get Yusaku back, or find evidence of whatever Ryoken has done to him." I finally concluded.

"I can't go back there. I'll be forced out again. Considering that they're cyberterrorists, I wouldn't be surprised if the security was tight enough to prevent us from breaking and entering. I've considered everything, Takeru." Kusanagi sighed hopelessly.

"They won't deny me entry though. Right?"

"Takeru…! If you go there, they'll probably kick you out like me, or worst case scenario they'll do whatever they did to Yusaku to you! I can't let you endanger yourself like that!"

Hearing that made me feel useless.

"Kusanagi, surely there is something I can do?" I said, on edge.

"Just… Just think of things we can do to get Yusaku back, okay?"

"I'll do that. Anything to get Yusaku back."

"As will I." Chimed in Flame.

"Thank you, you two." Kusanagi took a deep breath.

"Perhaps I should leave Flame with you? He can help you think of something to do." I suggested.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Kusanagi agreed.

I unclipped my duel disk and carefully placed it down on the desk, just next to Kusanagi's keyboard.

"I should probably get going now, Kusanagi. Try not to worry too much, we'll definitely get Yusaku back." I offered the most reassuring smile I could manage.

"I'll try. Have a good night, Takeru."

I picked my bag up and got out of my chair, then headed for the van door.

Walking alongside the ocean, I took a deep breath to calm myself.

I had lied to Kusanagi. It was no secret that I had the least brainpower out of Yusaku, Kusanagi, the AIs and I. Therefore, I couldn't think of anything to help Yusaku except for the obvious options. I was going to pay Ryoken a visit.

Kusanagi had told me not to, but at this point I felt too desperate. I'd do anything to get one of the members of our little team back. It didn't matter if Kusanagi was worried about my safety. As far as I could see it, we had no other options.

I was willing to endanger myself, but not others. So I had neglected to tell Kusanagi where I was going tonight. Alongside that, I had left flame in the van under the guise of him being helpful. In actuality, I had left him for his own safety.

I climbed the steps to Ryoken's oceanside abode. Each one made me feel uneasy, but I kept myself focused on why I needed to go here. I admit, I was afraid of what might happen in there, but what rational person wouldn't be?

I had to face my past. I had to stand up to my past. I reincarnated, I could do anything.

Knock knock.

"Specter, please go and check the door." Ryoken ordered, sipping his tea and pulling Yusaku to lean on his shoulder.

"Of course, Ryoken-sama." I immediately left the room and made my way for the door.

Briefly, I wondered who might be knocking at this hour of night. It certainly couldn't have been Kusanagi; there was no shouting and he hadn't knocked more than twice. The visitor seemed rather polite and calm in comparison to him.

I turned the handle and pulled the door to open it.

"Why, hello there Takeru. Have you come to visit Ryoken-sama and Yusaku?" I inquired, bowing to our guest.

"Visit? Not exactly. I have come to take Yusaku." His voice was gruff.

"Oh? Is that so?" I couldn't help but chuckle a little, "Well, our last visitor had come to do the exact same thing and left empty handed. I wish you the best of luck with your goals."

"Cut the sarcasm, Specter. Where is he?"

"Please, follow me." I bowed once again and lead Takeru into the house.

"Who has come to visit, Specter?" Ryoken asked. Yusaku looked at me with an expression of curiosity, but didn't utter a word.

"See for yourself." I said, opening the door and stepping aside to let Takeru into the room.

"Takeru!" Yusaku smiled a little.

"Ah, your friend has come to visit." Ryoken pat Yusaku's hair, looking happy for him, "What brings you here, Takeru?"

"This is as strange as Kusanagi said it was…" Takeru breathed disgustedly, sitting down on the chair across from the couch that Ryoken and Yusaku sat on.

Yusaku's expression turned to one of concern. He looked up at Ryoken, hoping for instruction on what to do.

"Takeru, you listened to Kusanagi? That man is bad news." Ryoken smirked.

"Yusaku, I'm worried about you. Kusanagi is too!" Takeru was sounded as if he was trying to be as assertive as possible.

"There isn't anything to be worried about, Takeru. Kusanagi isn't worried anyway. He's lying to you. He wants to hurt me and take me away from Ryoken." Yusaku wrapped his arms around Ryoken and clung tightly. Ryoken made an affectionate noise in response.

"What has Ryoken done to you, Yusaku?" Takeru was reaching his limit.

"He's done nothi-" Yusaku began to respond, before Ryoken cut him off.

"It's okay, Yusaku. I think Takeru can learn about our little secret."

"Its okay if he can?" Yusaku asked, surprised.

"Of course, he's your friend after all. He's just been misguided by Kusanagi. Takeru will come to understand."

"So you have done something to him?!" Takeru exclaimed.

"He hasn't done anything bad. Its okay." Yusaku assured Takeru.

"What do you mean?! This just looks like brainwashing to me!"

Yusaku paused and thought for a moment, then spoke again, "Actually, it almost is? But it isn't bad."

"Brainwashing is as bad as it gets, Yusaku!"

Takeru stood up from the chair he had been sitting in, furious.

"Perhaps what we should do is just show him what it's like, don't you think, Yusaku?"

Yusaku nodded.

"Specter, please secure our guest."

That was my cue. Quickly, I moved from the corner of the room I had been standing in and grabbed Takeru's arms.

"Let go of me!" Takeru screeched. His face took on the features of a delinquent, and he thrashed about to attempt resisting me.

"I shall do no such thing."

Using all of my weight and strength, I pushed Takeru to the ground and held his arms across his back.

"Yusaku, are you okay?" Ryoken asked.

"Yeah… Is this what Kusanagi has done to him?" Yusaku asked, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

"Yes, it is. This is why we need to stay away from him." Ryoken confirmed.

"Kusanagi has done nothing! You're just creating a straw man of him, Ryoken!" Takeru cried. Ryoken ignored him.

"Thank you for your help Specter. I'll go and grab the chloroform. Yusaku, lets go."

Takeru sat on the floor of the bathroom, back against the wall just beneath the shower head. He was unconscious, naked and restrained.

"Ryoken, will he wake up soon?" I asked.

"Of course. It isn't a well known fact, but chloroform isn't as effective as they make it look in movies. It won't last long."

"So any minute now?"

"Yes, Yusaku." Ryoken answered, wrapping his arm around me and placing his hand on my shoulder.

For a few minutes we sat and watched Takeru, waiting for him to wake up. Eventually, it happened.

"...nnnnggg…" He groaned a little as he slipped back into consciousness.

"Finally, you're awake." Ryoken observed.

Takeru blinked a few times, then quickly became aware of where he was. A shot of adrenaline brought him back to full energy.

"What the… what the hell?!" He spat. He pulled at the straps binding him to the exposed plumbing in the bathroom. He couldn't move an inch.

"We just had to make sure you wouldn't run away." Ryoken said.

"What the hell are you going to do to me? And why am I not wearing anything?!"

"You're not wearing anything because the more uncomfortable you feel, the more effective what we might have to do is."

"I asked you, what are you going to do to me?! Answer me!" Takeru demanded.

"Well, we were hoping to hypnotise you, just like we did for Yusaku." Ryoken informed him.

"You were hypnotised, Yusaku?!"

I nodded, "Yes, I was. It isn't as bad as it sounds, Takeru. It feels really nice and relaxing. I let Ryoken hypnotise me often."

"Yusaku, you're his mind slave! Snap out of it!" Takeru screamed.

"I am. I like it this way." I said, feeling my hypnotic instructions guide me. I smiled a little bit in response to the feeling.

"Yusaku is mine, Takeru." Ryoken said, possessively holding me, "We're not going to exactly do to you what we did to Yusaku… But Specter has told me that he wouldn't mind another person helping him with all the chores around the house…" Ryoken smirked.

"How does me being naked help with any of that?! I thought you needed to be comfortable or something to be hypnotised." Takeru argued.

"Well, sometimes. You see, there are two types of people who can be hypnotized; the willing and unalert. Comfort sometimes helps somebody become willing, and sometimes makes them lower their guard. But in your case, I'm not sure this will work. That's why we're going to exhaust you until you're too tired to be alert." Ryoken explained.

"How are you going to do that?" Takeru asked. He sounded brave, but I could hear his voice wavering. He was scared.

"Tell me, Takeru, have you heard of Chinese water torture?"

"Chinese what?"

"Water torture." Ryoken stated blankly, reaching for the tap. He turned it very slightly to the side and a tiny drop of water fell from the shower head onto Takeru's head.

"This is torture?" Takeru sounded a bit underwhelmed.

Another drop of water landed on his head.

"It might not seem like it at first." Ryoken shrugged, "But we're going to be keeping you here for a while. It might be days, it might be a week. However long it takes for you to concede. If you ever try to sleep, the water will wake you up. You're going to be bored and awake for a very long time, Takeru."

"Yusaku, why are you going to let him torture me?!" Takeru was now terrified.

I couldn't deny that Chinese water torture was a cruel concept. But this was the only way we could undo the lies that Kusanagi had deluded Takeru with. This was the only way we could get him to understand that hypnotism isn't a bad thing.

"Takeru, it is only for a short amount of time. I promise. Once it is over you'll feel better than ever." I tried my best to raise his morale.

He remained unmoved.

"Being hypnotised feels really good. You'll love it, Takeru." I coaxed.

Takeru stared me right in the eyes. I gave him a reassuring smile. All he did in response was lower his head and grit his teeth.

Holding Yusaku's hand, I made my way down the hallway toward the bathroom door.

"Do you think today will be the day?" Yusaku asked, hopeful.

"I'm not sure, but hopefully it will be." I responded. I ruffled Yusaku's hair lovingly to comfort him.

I opened the bathroom door, and closed it behind Yusaku.

Takeru was the first thing we saw. After 5 days, he was quite a sight to behold.

He lay slumped against the tiled wall. If it weren't for the support of the restraints, Takeru would have fallen into a heap on the floor by now. He had dark circles under his eyes and a dulled expression. His eyes looked blank and he breathing was shallow. His hair was messy at the back where it has been pushed against the wall, and part of it was wet from all of the drips that had landed on it. He didn't react to the presence of others in the room.

"He looks worse than yesterday…" Yusaku seemed worried.

"He does, but don't worry. I think he's ready, Yusaku. He'll finally know why you want to be with me. And you'll finally get to see what hypnotism looks like."

Yusaku nodded, looking relieved. We both sat down next to the lifeless Takeru. I turned off the tap.

I pulled out a necklace from my pocket. Takeru's necklace.

"Takeru, if you want this pain to stop, we're offering you a way out. Listen to my voice and watch the necklace." I instructed.

I suspended the necklace in front of his face and started to slowly and rhythmically swing it from side to side. Takeru's eyes were frozen at first, but slowly his eyes began to trace the patterns the necklace made in the air.

"Take a deep breath. Slow your breathing and deepen each breath. Feel the soothing air run through your lungs." I made my voice soft and gentle.

Takeru took a moment, but did exactly as I had commanded.

"Good… Feel the crisp, cool air numb the pain you feel… Let the tranquility wash over you… Release the burden of your spite and hatred… Be filled with peacefulness and calmness…"

Yusaku watched taker intently with wide eyes as he relaxed and his features went from being devoid of hope to looking more mindless. Yusaku looked amazed.

"Feel yourself slowly drifting into a trance… Feel my power take control of your mind…" Takeru's eyes slowly stopped following the necklace. Soon after, I ceased swinging it.

"Is… Is he hypnotised?" Yusaku asked.

"Yes. Takeru, do you feel better? Does being hypnotised feel pleasant?"

Takeru nodded slightly.

"Please, remember this feeling when I wake you up from your trance. Being hypnotised really wasn't as bad as you thought it was."

Takeru nodded again. Yusaku watched in wonder.

"For Yusaku's sake, I ask that you stay away from Kusanagi. You are to think that he is the reason that you were so needlessly tortured, because it is true. He made you think we were up to no good, but as you can feel now, that isn't the case. He is a dangerous liar. We wouldn't have needed to weaken your impressive will if it weren't for his meddling. Trust me, we all would have liked to have avoided doing this, but we were left with no choice. I'm very sorry that we had to resort to such harmful methods." I used the most persuasive voice I could muster. Takeru was too weak to refuse anything.

"Now then; I have another request for you. Please stay in this house with us. We could use another servant's help. Specter feels rather fulfilled by doing things for other people, and I have no doubt you could find the same joy in doing work for us. You belong to us now. Just think of everyone in this household as people who understand what being hypnotised feels like. I'm going to reserve my hypnotic abilities for Yusaku, but if you want to feel like this again, I'm sure Specter will be quite happy to comply."

Takeru nodded one final time.

"When I snap my fingers, you will be released of your trance and you will fall asleep. You've worked hard."

Snap.

"Takeru, this tastes great!" Yusaku exclaimed, digging into his breakfast. Ryoken, sitting beside him, made a noise in agreement. Takeru smiled sweetly at the praise he received for his cooking.

"That is the satisfaction that you get from making everyone smile, Takeru." I said approvingly.

Takeru made a noise of fascination.

"Let's go back into the kitchen, we have some cleaning to do." I instructed. We both left the dining room.

As Takeru wiped down the pan with a sponge, I began drying some of the items used to cook.

"You're looking much healthier."

"Thank you, Specter."

"Don't you think that-"

Our conversation was cut short by a racket at the front door. Yelling and violent knocking echoed down the hallway and seeped into the kitchen. Takeru looked at me, wondering what we should do next.

"Why don't we go answer the door, Takeru?" I suggested.

As we moved down the hall, the noise became louder. Right next to the door, the racket was almost unbearable.

Takeru turned the handle and pulled the door open. Kusanagi stood there. He was the maddest I had ever seen him.

"Takeru! Don't tell me they got you too?!" He was an unstable mix of angry and despairful.

"Perhaps they did." Takeru said, grinning.

"What did they do to you?!"

"I would tell you, but you wouldn't like it. You wouldn't understand the way I do." His cheerful attitude heavily contrasted that of Kusanagi.

"Takeru, please…!"

"I would love to stay and talk Kusanagi, but I have work that needs doing. Have a good day." Takeru smiled one last time and shut the door swiftly, get gently.

"You handled that very well, Takeru."