He turned over a bit, feeling a little sick in his stomach. The curtains hadn't been opened yet, and the darkness was the only real thing that was comforting him. His digital clock on his dresser next to his bed rang softly, Kai's brain registering the sound as annoying.
Eight AM.
Following the ringing came a knock at the door, to which Kai turned again and ignored. He didn't feel like getting up at all. Pulling the sheets up and over his head, his ears tuned out the frantic calls from behind the door. The warmth kept him in bed.
Still in his underwear and not even dressed Kai lay in his bed, his mind a jumble of thoughts and processes he couldn't even begin to register nevertheless make sense of. All he wanted was to lay in his bed forever and forget the other day even happened. The feathers haunted him.
The knocking continued for a while and eventually Kai decided to get up and walk slowly to the door, pulling on the handle and seeing a rather distraught Tala standing in front of him.
"Sir, you've been in there all morning. Is there something wrong? Your meeting started already!"
Stepping aside and allowing Tala in, Kai didn't answer but merely strode back to his bed nonchalantly and flopped down again. Covering himself with sheets once again, Kai heard Tala's footsteps come towards him, feeling Tala sit down next to him.
"Sir… are you feeling alright?"
Once again Kai didn't reply but instead shut his eyes and tried to block out the world, his fingers tracing the sheets up and down as if they were the most interesting thing he had ever seen.
"Sir… this isn't like you. You're usually so upfront. Is everything alright?" Tala pressed, wanting an answer. Kai pursed his lips and opened his eyes again, seeing nothing but darkness all around him. The feathers ruffled in his mind.
"Is it because of that man we saw? The one you claimed to know?"
Kai's ears perked at the mention of Tyson, knowing very well that Tala was not at all stupid and knew exactly what was bothering Kai.
"What difference does it make?" Kai replied almost hotly, sitting up and uncovering himself now. They sat eye to eye, both of them locking their gaze.
"Tyson didn't know me… he didn't remember anything… nothing at all."
"Sir, you DID say you came from a different time… and a different dimension altogether. Don't you think that it would be a little strange if he DID know you? The people you remember… aren't the people you meet here… remember?"
"I don't want to remember… I don't want to think about anything right now." Kai retorted, shaking his head. "I don't get it. Why am I here? Of all places?"
"Maybe you should take the day off… just to clear your head." Tala suggested, seeing Kai crawl back down under his sheets. "You look like you need it."
"Funny how you say that and yet I'm the boss."
"I'm saying it as a…" Tala's voice trailed off, leaving Kai to sit up again and gaze at the man who held his eyes to the ground. Kai's eyes softened, sighing. He grasped his head now, a sudden headache overcoming him and making him want to lie down again.
"You're right… you can take the day off too."
"I can't. I have to run your meetings if you aren't going to."
Turning his eyes back to Tala, Kai watched as the man stood up and began to walk his way towards the door. The room seemed colder now that Tala was leaving, and Kai could see that he was going to have to think things through more if he ever wanted answers to his questions.
Tala had reached the door by now, his hand coming up and pausing before he touched the handle. Kai breathed out quietly, listening.
"There's a note on your desk."
Time passed slowly for him, the sheets becoming lighter as some of the sunlight trickled in through the windows. He opened and closed his eyes numerous times before finally gathering up the courage to actually get up again.
He lifted himself up and off of his bed, his feet dragging across his floor and towards his desk, where some times ago Tala told him there was a note. His body felt sore not from physical exhaustion, but from the mental state of being that happened to be occupying his mind. He felt as if he had been run over by a truck.
Cracking his neck and picking up the white envelope on his desk he slipped his nail under the seal and slit the opening. A small pink note fell out first before a larger white note fell out as well upon his desk. The pink note fell at his feet, the white note being the first thing he saw. His eyes traced over the letter and he cocked his head, now leaning down to pick up the pink note. His eyes narrowed as he read the inscription:
I'm waiting.
"This is it…" stepping out of his car and looking about him, he could hear the humming of cicadas and the chirp of birds who welcomed him to this serene place. Cherry blossoms bloomed magnificently over his head, a petal floating down and landing on his shoulder. The grass crunched softly under his feet as he made his way to the house that stood in front of him, beeping his car that he had left under a cherry tree.
The sun was to his back and the shadows of trees covered him as he knocked on the door, the wooden frame gently creaking under his pressure. A bird tweeted overhead and landed on a branch, its gaze fixated upon him. Kai's eyes wandered over to the creature, and as he turned his head the door suddenly opened. A woman in a pink flowered kimono greeted him.
"Mr. Hiwatari! I would not expect you on a weekend!"
Scratching the back of his head and bowing he replied to her.
"Uhm… is there… someone waiting for me here?" he asked, the women stepping aside to let him in the house. The floors were all wooden, and immediately the smell of incense and lavender filled his nose. Peering around the room he saw droves of women in half clothing prancing about, some staring at him intently, others ignoring him completely.
"The women here are the usual ones of course. Would you like to have your usual?" forgetting the woman's presence beside him Kai quickly answered.
"Y-Yes! I mean uh…" he cleared his throat, standing up straighter. "Yes." He watched as the woman jumped quickly to a table that happened to be located right next to the door, pressing a few buttons before taking out a receipt and handing the paper to him. Kai tucked the receipt in his pocket and proceeded to follow the woman to a corridor towards his right, which led to four rooms.
From each room he heard a different female voice, a different woman. The last door on the left happened to be his door, in which the woman handed him a key. Kai gazed at her curiously until she opened the door, leading him inside and closing the room.
Almost immediately Kai's nose caught the scent of fiery cinnamon enter through his nostrils, the complete opposite of what he had just come from. The room was dark, with the only light filtering in from a dirty window that led to the outside world. Red drapes were hung from the ceiling and as his eyes scanned the area, he saw numerous shimmering metals lining the floor. Curiosity got the best of him once again as he leaned down and picked up the metal, holding the ring in his hand.
A… handcuff?
The handcuff was a standalone, the other one missing in the room somewhere. As Kai began to drop the cuff he realized that sticky substance ran along his fingers. Clasping his hand tighter around the cuff he trembled hard, smelling a very faint scent.
Blood.
A soft coo from the corner of the room caught his attention, snapping his neck towards the sound. The darkness in the room covered the source of the sound, but as Kai dropped the cuff and moved towards the sound's general direction he could hear the silent flapping of wings.
Wings… birds?
His feet moved towards the sound more, his ears catching the ruffle of feathers. Below him he could feel feathers move aside as he strode, his boots sticking to the ground slightly as he took each step.
Blood… on the floor… wings… feathers…
Swallowing hard, he realized that he had come to the end of the room. He breathed in hard, his heart pounding in his ears and dulling out any other soft coo sounds he heard from directly above him. Tracing his fingers over the soft walls he breathed out a little more, his head finally and slowly looking upwards towards the coos.
"Jesus!"
He fell backwards almost instantaneously, his entire body trembling like the feathers that surrounded him. The woman's eyes were a fiery red color, little coos emerging from her rope covered mouth. She hung from the wall like a crucifix, her arms lined with metal that tied her to the ceiling. The metal was covered in beautiful yellow, orange and red feathers, making her look like a phoenix in a cage. Her hair hung over her nearly naked body, the orange red color making Kai's brain click to connections.
He stared up at her evenly and stood up again, eying the latches on the metal. Her red tube top was smeared with blood, and the breech-cloth matched her top in both color and smears. Kai noticed the golden bangles that hung from her bare ankles, her feet also stained with dried blood. Uncertainly he came closer to her, gingerly touching her with a single finger.
She struggled to back away in fear, her wings losing their feathers and covering Kai. The man began to speak to her now, afraid and puzzled at the same time.
"Hey! It's okay! I'm not going to hurt you!"
The woman didn't listen and merely continued to struggle, Kai managing to get close enough to her to undo the shackles that were around her legs. She kicked at him hard, Kai nearly losing an eye in the process.
"Watch it!"
Searching along the wall for some sort of release trigger, Kai's hand happened upon a button that engaged the anti-lock system and released the metal. Hearing the clank of the metal going back into the wall, Kai felt the woman drop on top of him, his face landing hard on the floor.
Almost immediately the woman was handcuffed by the numerous metals on the floor that happened to notice her touch. Green lines twinkled here and there a bit, the sensory touch system fluctuating between shackles and handcuffs. She tried her best to pull away, her wings once again producing feathers in a storm of panic.
Kai sat up and rubbed his head, watching as the woman struggled against the system. Her hands were bound together and her mouth was roped shut, her feet the only part of her that were able to move in all directions. Crawling over to her quickly, Kai placed his hands upon the cuffs and spoke.
"Let her go!"
The cuffs withdrew as soon as they had come, leaving the woman free hands. The man only gazed at her for a second before she tackled him into a corner and tried to run away. Her body unfortunately gave out beneath her and she fell to her side, a soft cry emerging from her throat.
Shaking his head and recovering from the attack, Kai ran towards her again, getting down beside her and trying to pick her up.
"C'mon, there's a bed over there."
The woman kicked at him, scratching and clawing at the same time. The man did his best to hoist her over his shoulder and run over to the nearby bed, which happened to be white and clean. He threw her down unknowingly, the woman crying out in pain and agony.
"Calm down! Just calm down!"
He put his hands upon her wrists and forced them down, putting his body on top of her legs and forcing her down into the mattress. The woman struggled a little more, and then curiously a knowing look appeared in her eye. The struggling stopped and as Kai waited the woman instinctively opened her legs, her head rolling to the side.
"Hey, whoa! I don't want that!" he said, leaning back a bit. "I just wanted you to calm down… that's all." He spoke gently, not wanting to alarm her. His breaths came out in pants, his body relaxing after the ordeal.
The woman's eyes went to him carefully, Kai seeing that she was unsure of his motivations. Licking his lips and shaking his head he let go, sitting back upon the bed.
"See? I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not going to do anything. All I want is for you to just relax. Breathe."
The woman sat up, her wings coming up to hoist herself up to a sitting position. Upon closer examination Kai could see that her body was lined with scars and bloody marks that were shaped like Vs. He swallowed once again, speaking.
"Listen… I'm going to untie you… and when I do… I don't want you to run, ok?"
Hearing his words, the woman nodded her head and offered him her mouth. Clasping his hands over the buckle in the back he undid the rope gently, letting it fall to the floor. Along with the rope he also undid the metal bars that held the wings up for her. The metal clanked on the floor as he unhooked all of the wiring, the woman breathing a sigh of relief.
"You were… dressed like a bird… why?"
The woman stared at him blankly, almost not understanding him. She had obeyed his orders and not run, which made the wheels in Kai's head turn. He came closer to her, the woman flinching away.
"I'm not going to hurt you… I already said that."
Raising a hand to caress her face, the woman cried out again, animalistic cries escaping her throat. He withdrew his hand quickly, speaking.
"Please… I just want to know…" he began softly, his body moving away. "Are you the one… who's waiting for me?"
With this, the woman pulled down her hands that she was using to cover her face. She breathed rapidly, her eyes changing from fear to wonder. Slowly, she began to nod her head towards him, her posture relaxing.
"So… you're the one." Kai murmured, throwing the rest of the handcuffs and metal away on the floor. He turned to her again, and spoke.
"Can you tell me who you are?"
The woman remained silent, only eyeing the floor and the pure white bed sheets. Kai cocked his head, coming closer to her. The woman began to cry out again, but he took her hand softly in his. She stopped in her cries, gazing at him.
"I told you, I'm not going to hurt you."
She swallowed hard, Kai seeing the tears form in her eyes. He frowned.
"Don't cry… I didn't do anything."
The woman began to cry before him, the tears running down her cheeks and onto the bed. Kai sighed, taking her up in his arms and rocking her back and forth gently.
"It's alright… I'm here. I'm here."
You've always been here.
A sudden voice rang in his head, forcing him to pause for a moment. He looked about him, seeing no one else in the room but him and the now peaceful woman.
You've always been right here… right here. As I have with you.
"What?"
At that moment the woman tugged on his shirt, her head up against his chest. He looked down at her, a soft look in her eyes.
"What? What is it?" he asked, now addressing her. Putting her down upon the bed again, he pursed his lips, seeing her stare at him.
"You can't tell me who you are?"
The woman shook her head soundly.
"Why not? Is it a secret?"
Turning red and bowing her head down low, she opened her mouth to him, Kai peering inside cautiously. Stubble of muscle replaced the tongue she was supposed to have, Kai understanding.
"They cut off your tongue… so you'd never talk." He looked down, fingering the sheets presently. "And the reason you… opened your legs…"
She nodded slowly, her eyes welling up again. Kai felt a cold shiver run down his spine, his breaths coming out in shudders now.
A whore house. That's what this is. It's a whore house.
Gazing at her again, Kai could see why his touch bothered her so much. He finally understood where all the metal came from.
The me here… used to tie her up… and dress her up like a bird… and… He growled, knocking himself with his fist. The woman leapt forward in confusion, seeing if he was alright.
This is me… this is all my fault… she's in so much pain because of me… is this what I am here? Someone… who takes advantage of poor and defenseless women? She probably doesn't even have family…
"Do you… have a family?"
A shake was all he needed.
Kai bit his lip, anger resonating in his chest. Swiftly he got up and dusted himself off, cracking his back and extending his hand towards her. The woman shied from his hand, but Kai insisted and she held onto him faithfully.
"Listen to me," he began. "You are nobody's. You are your own person. No matter what I did to you… no matter who cruel I was… I…" he paused, trying to regain his composure. "I want you to be free."
Her eye slit up, the amber red golden fire in her eyes sparkling. Her grip on his hand became stronger, her body moving towards him.
"Because no one deserves this. No one… deserves to get fired because I didn't have my cup of coffee in the morning… or tied up like a caged bird…" narrowing his eyes, Kai lifted her into his arms gently, setting her head against his neck.
"C'mon. We're getting the hell outta here."
"Who is this?" he asked, sitting opposite from the girl who sat on Kai's bed. Kai turned to him briefly before wrapping more blankets around the woman.
"I have no idea. Apparently it was my prostitute."
"Your what?" Tala exclaimed, looking at the woman who sipped at a cup of warm tea softly.
"She was the person who was waiting for me… that note on the desk." Tala nodded, swallowing and watching the woman carefully. "Sir, you're sure bringing her here was a good idea?"
Kai fingered the computer screen in front of him, looking over various IDs.
"I wanted you to find her a suitable home. Get her into a college or something."
"S-Sir?"
The woman was bathed and dressed normally, her bangles thrown out and her hair fixed so she looked almost perfect. She gazed at Kai thankfully and sipped at her tea more, looking at Tala now.
The assistant sighed and rubbed his temples, getting out his notepad and jotting down a few notes. Birds from the outside caught Kai's attention as Tala stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him and leaving the two be.
"You know, buying you wasn't what I had intended to do at first, but seeing you like that… well nobody deserves that."
The woman looked away from the birds to him now, her lips pursed.
"I couldn't very well leave you there… after all you had been through." He clicked the screen off and sat back in his seat.
"Soon you'll have a family all of your own… and a bunch of people will love you and take care of you. I'll make sure of that."
Before he could move the woman stood up from his bed, walking over to him. Kai watched her closely, seeing her bite her finger and drawing blood. His eyes widened.
"We just got you cleaned up! What're you-"
Taking a piece of paper from his desk she pressed her finger down upon the paper, drawing in random lines.
Kai watched in fixation as she drew and drew, not making out any sort of pattern or design. Her handwriting scribbled from up to down, and then right to left, confusing him to no end.
"You need a band aid…"
At once she stopped, her finger finally blotting the blood and the drawing done. Sticking her finger in her mouth Kai remained silent as she walked back to his bed and crawled in, falling asleep almost immediately.
The clock on the wall ticked ominously as his eyes set upon the bloodied paper, his mind trying to make sense of everything. The lines suddenly became figures as he touched the paper and moved it back and forth a bit. Holding the drawing up to his face and tilting the paper sideways, he finally read what she had written him.
His heart plummeted to the ground and a cold chill overcame him as he read.
Dranzer.
