Ok I have a feeling I lost some of you last chapter. Hopefully you came back to read the excuse-er, I mean explanation I have.

So I just finished my English class and I just had to have the hardest teacher in that school. We analyzed everything! We went so in-depth in the books we've read and wrote so many hard essays. T^T So I guess writing indirectly just snuck its way into this story. I see things now in such different ways. It's kind of scary. -_-

But school is over now and hopefully I will write more...directly (is that the right word?). XD

Anyways enjoy this new chapter!

Chapter 6

I've lost count. I can't remember how many times I've been dunked in the water. The. Freezing. Cold. Water.

I just got pulled up from the icy water after staying for about a minute. A minute's not long but after like a hundred times, it starts to hurt the lungs…and everywhere else. I coughed up some water and shivered violently. Even after being soaked over and over, I still couldn't get use to the coldness.

Teto was a smart torturer. When she dropped me into the water, she would wait until I was about to pass out to pull me back up. And right when I caught my breath, she would drop me back down. I don't know how she does it but she definitely had a lot of experience in this field.

I shivered again and even sneezed. I really didn't want it go under again. I have had enough water being consumed. Forcefully. I was starting to get really sick of water.

"Speaking of water, I wonder if Miku is okay."

Wait. Why did I even think about that? In my situation, I should be more worried about myself. So of course Miku would be fine. I shouldn't have to worry about her…

"You're no fun." Teto stated, snapping me out of my thoughts. She sounded bored. "All you do is cough. Others would have at least started crying or have some kind of breakdown. Some would even-"

"Shut up!" I yelled at the darkness. Yes, I was still hanging in the dark. "What's the point of this anyway? You didn't even ask me any questions."

What kind of torturer doesn't ask any questions and just starts the torture? A very sadistic one.

"Oh I won't be the one asking the questions," Teto replied. "My job is to break you. But you are making my job very hard. Maybe I should take more drastic measures." She sounded like she was contemplating other means of breaking me. But I was already getting tired of all of this and wanted some answers.

"Why don't you reveal yourself?" I asked in frustration. "Or at least tell me where I am. If I'm going to die, then I want to know where I die and who by," I reasoned. I had no intentions of dying but I needed to sound…desperate. Which wasn't that hard considering I was freezing to death and probably deep underground.

"Hmmm," Teto hummed. "Very well. You shall get your answers since you are a very special person, according to the Queen."

"The Queen?" I was confused at first then I got angry. "THE QUEEN!"

My anger was short-lived when suddenly everything lit up.

Torches burned alive around the room. It was a square room of metal. I was hanging in the middle of it over the dark waters. Overall, I was being held in a box.

There was a window in the wall in front of me. Well it was more like an opening than a window. On the other side was a long room filled with…other torture devices and they looked pretty painful.

I took a small gulp. "Maybe my current predicament isn't so bad."

On one end of the long room, Teto stood next to a wall covered with countless of levers. She wore a tight, black outfit. She definitely looked her part as an expert torturer. She had her red hair up in twintails, which were in the shape of…drills?

I bit my tongue to keep myself from giggling. I know if I did, she would leave under the water longer. Teto just gave me a feeling that if I made fun of her hair, she wouldn't hesitate to kill me. I bit my tongue harder.

I must've been making a weird face because Teto raised a brow at me. "You look uglier than when I first saw you," she remarked rudely.

I stopped biting my tongue and pretended to flip my wet hair. "Well I'm sorry for not being up to your standards," I joked. "Why don't you let me out and I'll go freshen up for you?" I winked and gave her a charming smile, which I failed at because my face was still numb from the water.

Teto snickered. "It amazes me how you can still joke around like that considering the circumstances."

"Why thank you. I like trying to make the best of what I got." That much was true but now it was time to focus on the matter at hand. "So will you tell me where we are?"

Instead of getting the answer i had hoped for, I got a lungful of cold water. Usually a person would just float on the surface and that would've worked in my favor but I had the weight of a bunch chains around me so I kept on sinking. I tried staying calm and still but the fall caught me off guard. So there was already water in my mouth, nose, and lungs. And it all hurt so bad. I was reaching my limit too soon.

Then I felt a tug and ascended from the water. The moment I hit the surface, I started coughing up all the unwanted liquid from my body. I groaned and glared angrily at Teto, who was just laughing against the wall.

"What the heck was that for?!" I screamed with my fists clenched.

Teto calmed down a bit and shrugged. "It's my job," she said nonchalantly. "I need a little bit of fun."

"What part of this is fun?" I sneered. I felt myself warming up a bit.

"Obviously not for you," she said, pointing at me. "But I," she put her hand on her chest, "get the pleasure of seeing your horrified face every time I pull you up."

I closed my eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. No matter how much this girl was pissing me off I still needed to know where I am. I opened my eyes and looked at Teto with a determined look.

"Will you please tell me where I am?" I asked in my most persuasive tone.

Teto blinked then brought her hand to her chin. She stayed silent and looked around the room.

"What is she doing? I asked a simple question."

"Ok," Teto finally spoke up. "We're still in Asakawa Kingdom. We're actually beneath it. I think 50 feet, maybe more."

"Shit." I shuddered again and it wasn't from the water.

Teto saw my reaction and smirked. "Oh this is going to be interesting. But first, I have to escort a special guest. I'm sure you'll be quite excited." Then she left out the door behind her.

"Escort? Who is she escorting? Dammit! It's because of this whole escorting job I'm stuck in this situation in the first place. Note to self if I ever make it out alive: Never escort anyone ever again."

After I finished mumbling in frustration, I looked at the empty room that Teto had just left from. Then I looked up at the single chain, connecting me to the ceiling.

I smiled in glee for I just got an idea.

Miku's POV

The walk to the dungeon was long and silent. I didn't mind the silent. It allowed me to clear my mind and focus on some stuff. But the walk was a bit time-consuming. I think we've been walking for about fifteen minutes. So many darn hallways and stairs.

I'm afraid to admit but Luki's castle might be bigger than mine. After I get back home, I'm going to have a little chat with my parents.

Leon and I went down more stairs and I instantly knew it was the dungeon. It was dark and mucky and smelled horrible. There were empty cells with bones an blood in the corners.

We walked past a few cells and doors when we heard voices around the corner. I motioned Leon to stop walking and we stayed out of sight. I don't know why I did that but…

"Where did she go?" a familiar deep voice asked. After a few seconds of quick thinking, I realized it was the king. Why did he come down here?

"She is in her rightful place," a feminine voice answered. I assumed it was the queen. I wondered who they were talking about. "We finally got her. She must be dealt with."

"How can you say that?" The king sounded a bit angry. "She's our own-"

At that moment, a rat scurried between my feet. "EEEK!" I squealed, jumping away from the rat and ending up in front of the king and queen.

"Miku!" the queen exclaimed, sounding more angry than surprised. "What are you doing here?"

I bowed and saw Leon doing the same. "I'm deeply sorry! I didn't mean to eavesdrop on the both of you."

I heard the queen was about to say something but the king interrupted her. "It's okay, Miku," he assured as he put a hand on my shoulder as well as Leon's shoulder, signaling we were allowed to get up. "I thought you watching Luki."

"It's okay. I got Al to watch over him," I explained. "As for the reason I'm down here, I came to take back my bodyguard."

"You mean the ninja?" the king asked. I nodded.

"Wait, Luka's your bodyguard?" asked the queen in disbelief.

"Well technically, she's my escort but that doesn't matter. She belongs to me." I realized a moment too late on what I said. Thankfully the dungeon was dark enough so no one saw my rising blush.

"Wait. Wait. I never mentioned Luka's name."

The queen arched a brow at me. "Oh on the contrary, she doesn't," she countered. "She belongs to us."

I was my turn to be confused. What was she talking about? How does she know Luka? I was about to ask when the queen continued speaking.

"Miku, would you like to see Luka?"

I bit my tongue. Of course I did but I didn't want another outburst like with Leon and Al. especially not in front of the king and queen.

"Honey, are you sure we should let her see?" the king asked.

"I don't see why not," the queen replied. "It's not like she can do anything to stop us. Plus, this way Miku will see Luka for what she really is."

I was getting a bit ticked off. They were talking as if I wasn't standing right there next to them. "What are you talking about? What's wrong with Luka?"

The queen looked at me with a sly smile and snapped. "You'll find out." Even the king looked a bit worried. I'm pretty sure I looked a lot more worried. Leon looked…emotionless. Seriously nothing gets to this man!

Suddenly a red haired girl dressed in black comes out of nowhere and bows to the king and queen. "Your Majesties," she said politely. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, Teto," the queen replied. She looked around at the small crowd around her. "And we're going to bring along a couple more guests."

Teto nodded and looked at me. She was about the same height as me. "Hello, Your Highness," Teto greeted, bowing before me. "You'll be in for quite the show." Even though she was still bowing, I could see the smile creeping up on her face. It was a sinister smile. A slight chill went down my back.

Teto stood back up with the smile gone as if it was never there. She started walking down the hall followed by the queen, the king, me, and Leon, respectively.

"Oh Luka…What happened…"

Luka's POV

"Almost there."

I stretched my toes to grab a hold onto the edge of the window-like opening. But I missed by a hair. I've swinging for about ten minutes. It wouldn't have taken so long the chains weren't so freaking heavy.

I grunted as I swung backwards one more time, gaining enough momentum to reach my goal. Then I leaned forward as hard as I could, sticking out my feet.

"Yes! I got it!"

I managed to get both feet inside the room. I tried standing up but I lacked the amount of chains available to me.

"Now what do I do?" The levers were a bit far away for me to reach with just my feet. "Crap, I didn't think this through."

Then the door opens and Teto appeared. She wasn't very ecstatic to see me attempting to escape. She quickly put her hand behind her back and threw a knife at my left leg.

I hissed in pain as that leg went limp, leaving only my right leg on the wall. I saw Teto reaching for another knife and I quickly threw my leg to the side, barely dodging her attack. Now that I lost my grip on the wall, I fell backwards back to the middle of the room.

"What's going on, Teto?" That voice was sounding too familiar. I felt my blood boil at the sound. It boiled even more when I saw her face.

Then the king entered followed by Miku and Leon. Some of my anger turned into confusion and partly relief.

"Miku. She's okay. But why is she here? Don't tell me she came for me."

I pushed that thought away. There's no way she'd do that. Especially not after what happened with Luki. But I can hold onto a little bit of hope, can't I?

"It seems Luka was trying to escape," Teto said as she observed me swinging back and forth in shame. "But it won't happen again." She walked over to her wall of levers and pulled one down.

Another chain emerged from the ceiling, hooking itself onto the chains already on me. At the same time, more chains appeared all around my box room and attached onto me. Within seconds, I was in the middle of a web of chains, restricting any movement from me.

I bet it was an interesting sight for the newly arrived guests. I was a half covered cocoon with a bleeding leg. Very interesting indeed.

But the sight of the guests themselves was a bit more different.

The king was confused but mostly worried. "Why is he-oh, I forgot. I'm his daughter. But how come he's so different from his wife?"

Leon was emotionless so nothing new there.

Miku looked horrified at what just happened. I bet she didn't expect to see me dangling by a chain then a second later, in the middle of this mess of chains. But it was nice to see her make an expression towards me other than anger. I'll take what I can get.

The queen and Teto, on the other hand, were smiling with evil satisfaction. I hated them so bad right now.

"Very impressive, Teto," the queen complimented, examining the chains around the room.

"Thank you, My Queen," Teto said proudly as she happily took the compliment. "I've been tweaking the controls so that they-"

"Ok enough talking about how I'm chained up and more explaining on why I'm up here in the first place," I yelled, snapping everyone out of their trance and directing their attention to me.

"Yes, please explain," the king said with a small cough. He didn't seem like the one in charge of my impending doom. "I understand your intentions but isn't this going too far. I mean she's only our-"

"Silent!" demanded the queen. "You're the king. You should know better than anyone that what's about to happen is for the sake for the people. We wouldn't want another catastrophe in the kingdom again, now do we?"

The king's eyes widen in horror and looked at the ground sadly, probably thinking about what happened.

"What happened? I caused a catastrophe. What did I do?"

"But it was only an accident," the king reasoned. "She was young. She didn't know any better she just lost control."

"Yes that's why she must be detained. She's a danger to everyone."

"How am I a danger to everyone? What did I do that was so bad?" I asked because listening to them continue on with their conversation was only making me more confused.

"You don't remember?" the king asked.

"She's lying!" the queen cried then facing towards Teto. "You should've gagged her!" Teto shrunk back in fear.

"I don't think I'm in the position to lie," I pointed out, taking a look at the chains surrounding me. "I honestly don't know what I did in the past. I don't know about the catastrophe. I don't know why I'm such a danger to others. Heck, I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that I'm your daughter!"

It was silent for a while. Well I did say quite a bit. They're probably still taking it all in. Especially Miku. Her eyes were wide and mouth had drop a little.

"She's so cute. W-what the tuna? Luka, now is not the time for that!"

"So you really don't remember us?" the king asked, pulling me out of my trance. He gave me sad eyes when he said that. He gave off a very different feeling than what I would normally get from his wife. It was like the sadness he felt was actually genuine.

"Whether or not she remembers, she still must be dealt with," the queen said with an entirely different tone. It was like she disapproved of me.

"You know what, 'mom'? Actually I refuse to be related to you. As soon as I get out of here, I'm going to beat you up so badly. I don't care if you are the queen." I started kicking round to express my anger which was actually not the best idea because my leg was still wounded and kicking around only made it bleed more.

"Foolish girl," the queen snarled with arms crossed. "As you are in no position to lie, you are also in no position to threaten me."

"Um, Your Majesty," Miku spoke up timidly so the queen wouldn't get any madder than she already was. "Those accidents. Are you talking about the ones that happened fifteen years ago?"

"Yes," the queen relied. "I'm surprised you remember that from so long ago."

"Well I don't exactly remember it. I just heard it from my parents."

They continued their little chat. I didn't try to listen to them anymore. It didn't matter anyway. I didn't know what they were talking about. I was just going to get more irritated if I did listen.

For as long as I can remember, I was an orphan. I've had people taking of me but they don't even know who my parents were. They said they found me in the…in front of the…shit I forgot. That information might be really helpful in my case.

Miku and the queen were still talking with each other. I'm not even sure if they were even talking about the same topic. The aura around them felt different. More relaxed. And here I am feeling anything but relaxed. I felt a vein on my forehead pop.

"OK ENOUGH!" I yelled, seeing a puff of smoke coming out of my mouth. "I'm sick of being out of the loop for so long! I demand to know what happened in my past!"

I had an intense stare down with the queen. I wasn't going to back down unless I get an answer. The queen just stares back and smiles, evilly. I stared into her deep black eyes. As far as I was away from her, I still felt like I could get sucked into the dark void of her eyes. But I kept face, refusing to lose.

"Since you want to know so badly," the queen smirked, "I know the perfect way to get you to remember." She snapped her fingers at Teto, grabbing her attention immediately. "Pour it."

Teto nodded like she already knew what the queen was talking about and pulled down another lever.

At first, nothing happened because I was expecting to be dropped into the water or more chains coming at me. But nothing like happened. I don't where whether to be relief or scared. The suspense of something about to happen was a bit nerve wrecking.

Suddenly I felt something wet and slimy drip down my arms. I looked over and saw some kind of black liquid. I looked around the room at the chains. They were all covered in the same kind of substance.

I rubbed my fingers in it. It felt like…oil? In seconds I was covered in oil. So instead of being soaked in water, I was soaked in oil. It was even on my face and head. I don't even know how that's possible.

Some got into my mouth and I started coughing and trying to get the taste of oil out of my mouth.

"Water! Water!" I looked down. "Seriously? The one time I need water, they decide not to drown me. Wait. Oil is slippery, right? So I should be able to…"

I wiggled around, hoping to slip right out of the chains. But something was in my way. More chains. I had failed to notice the extra chains underneath my arms. So the only way to slip out of this was to lose my arms. I shook my head. No way in hell would I do that. I rather just wait and see what that evil queen will do next.

"Why did you just douse me in oil?" I asked. "How does this make me remember anything?" I thought for a moment. Nope. I wasn't remembering anything.

The queen chuckles and sticks her hand out in front of her. "Oh, you'll remember." Then a tiny ball of flame flickered to life upon her hand.

"She wouldn't."

Then she blew the fire straight towards me.

"Fuck she did."

I lost all sense of time. The ball of fire was moving ever so slowly at me. It was like being faced with a ticking time bomb and no way of defusing it. I didn't know what to do. Well of course I knew what I had to do. I had to stop the fire before I reached me. But how? If I summoned my own fire, which I don't even know if I can, I'd probably just set myself on fire in the process. It felt like any movement I made took hours to reach its destination. So I didn't dare turn away from my inevitable fate.

Time came back to me and the flame hit me right in the middle of my chest. The fire spread across my body in an instant. It snaked its way along the chains but stop when it hit the wall. The fire danced upon the surfaces that had any trace of oil. Since I was soaked in oil, the fire loved me.

I shut my eyes, preparing myself for the immense pain. But I wasn't feeling that burning sensation. Though it did hurt a bit and I was dying from the heat, it felt more pleasant. It was like the fire refused to do any severe harm to me. It was just putting up a show for the lovely spectators.

I opened my eyes. I expected to see the room and myself covered in flames but what I saw was the same as when I had my eyes closed. Nothing. Just darkness. Then the pain stopped. I felt nothing. I heard nothing. I saw nothing. I couldn't do anything. All I could do was stare straight into the darkness.

Something caught my attention in the distance, or at least I thought it was in the distance. The darkness made me lose all sense of direction. But it was a tiny light. Soon it drew closer and grew brighter. Eventually it completely engulfed me in light.

Am I making Luka cuss too much? I mean desperate times calls for desperate colorful language. XD If I make her keep cussing, I probably have to change the rating to M. I'm not really sure.

Thanks for the reviews! They give me the right amounts of motivation to keep writing :D

Forgive me for any mistakes.