DAY 55
Tamao wore a pair of denim shorts and a white tank top that tightly hugged her torso as she paced slowly in front of the bed. The faint sunlight emitted an orange glow through the window, and as it covered the top of the mattress the rest of the room remained in shadow.
"I'm sorry," she said after several moments of hesitation. "I...didn't think you would pass out."
Yoh lay on the bed staring at the ceiling with blank eyes. The rope confining his wrists was extremely restrictive. He couldn't move his body without the sensation of his shoulders becoming detached. There were visible burns on his neck, arms and torso where she tased him. Although he was now conscious, he seemed to be in some sort of pain.
"Are you mad at me?"
"No."
She climbed on top of him, straddling her legs over his hips. Silence filled the room as she sat still for a few moments staring at his eyes, but he didn't return the gesture. She ran her hands delicately over his chest; her eyes widened as the lightly raised scars passed beneath her fingertips.
"I love you. You believe that, don't you?"
"Yeah."
Tamao leaned into his face and pressed her lips firmly against his. Her hair spilled over his arms as she embraced his head, and when she forced her tongue into his mouth he closed his eyes. She pulled back immediately and held her hand over her lips with a shocked expression as sharp pain pulsated through her mouth.
"Ow! You...bit me!"
"I'm sorry. I just got carried away."
"You're still mad at me, aren't you?"
"No...this is unfair."
She dropped her hands against his stomach and frowned.
"I can't play with you if I can't move." Yoh wasn't looking at her, and that increased her discomfort.
"But...I had to tie you up so you would calm down."
"I'm calm now."
She considered his statement as carefully as possible. The position looked painful. Perhaps her guilt would diminish if she made him more comfortable.
"Wouldn't it be more fun if I could move?" His tone was scary and vague. She didn't recognize the change immediately.
"I...guess you're right."
Yoh glanced at her hair as she leaned forward to untie the knots strangling his wrists. She removed the right one first; he rested his hand limply against the mattress. His eyes traced her neck, chest and stomach as she untied the left one. She fell clumsily on top of him as she pulled the rope away, but he didn't move.
"Is that better?"
"Yeah."
She rested her head against his shoulder and crouched her body over him. There was silence again for a moment; she smiled as he ran his fingers through her hair. Yoh's expression was vastly different, but the hair blocked the view. The repetitive motion was soothing. She closed her eyes until she felt a hard tug against her scalp.
Yoh grabbed the hair roughly and pulled her head back. She swung her arms instinctively, but he yanked the hair with a forceful momentum that pulled her off of the bed. Tamao fell, hitting her arm and hip hard against the floor, and she lay on her side for a moment to catch her breath.
"That hurt," she said.
"It's supposed to be rough, isn't it?" There was a low growl escaping from his throat he couldn't hide.
She stared at him with watery eyes, but her expression quickly melted into an angered frown as she rose to her knees.
"Yeah."
Tamao tackled him hard to the floor. He was definitely caught off guard by the move, but she slapped him a few times while sitting on top of him. Yoh recovered quickly and pushed her. When she crawled away he grabbed her hair, which was the only thing he could grasp, and pulled her back. They wrestled for several minutes. Tamao punched him in the face hard enough to force a pained whimper, and he tossed her back onto the bed. She clenched her teeth and closed her eyes, but when he climbed on top of her she screamed at him while wildly punching him in the chest and neck. He grabbed the rope she used to restrain him earlier and wrapped it around her neck with a double loop then pulled both loose ends tightly with his hands.
Yoh was serious. She realized this as soon as she could feel herself losing air. Various strands of her hair were caught between the threads of the rope and covered her left eye. She stared at him with mixed shock and desperation as she frantically kicked her legs beneath him. He held her securely by sitting hard on her hips; the more she struggled the tighter he pulled the rope.
"...Can't...breathe."
He was leaning over her; his hair cloaked his face in frightening shadow.
"S-stop...Yoh..."
Her right hand was hanging off of the side of the bed, and she began stretching it toward the table. Yoh didn't give her much room to work with, but she reached as vigorously as she could as her face quickly reddened.
"...Stop."
Yoh either didn't hear her or wasn't listening. She couldn't tell which. Her fingers barely brushed the handle of the taser she placed there the night before, but as soon as she grabbed it the rope around her neck fell away. He swatted her hand from the table then pinned her wrists over her head.
"Are you mad at me?"
"No." She was lying but needed better leverage before attacking him again.
He grabbed the taser from the table, and she gasped when he pointed it firmly against her stomach.
"Then we should keep playing."
Anna opened her eyes as sunlight filled the room with warmth. She sat up in the bed when noticing she was alone and lightly rubbed her eyes. Horo was somewhere in the house; she could hear distant noises outside of the bedroom. As she attempted standing, her wounds prevented her from fully stretching her arms or yawning. There was more pain present than the night before. She stepped into the hallway gingerly and placed her hand against the wall as she made her way into the dining room. The table was adorned with small plates filled with food. She focused her eyes on the steam rising from it but was quickly distracted when he entered.
"You're awake! Are you hungry?"
"Yes," she answered . "You...cooked?"
"You make it sound like I can't cook, Anna," he said with a partial frown.
Anna glanced at him with hesitation, and he heavily exhaled.
"Sit."
After breakfast they retired to Horo's bedroom. Anna wasn't comfortable anywhere else in the house; Horo wanted her to rest, although she refused. He wrapped her arms and legs with rolled gauze, stating the tape she received at the hospital would irritate her skin. She allowed him to dress the cuts without protest then sat on the bed when he left the room to get ice for her face. Although the swelling was gone, the pain was almost unbearable; she knew bruises were still visible.
For the next hour they talked about absolutely nothing. Horo made her laugh several times as he discussed the most insignificant things that were far removed from any of her thoughts. The subjects varied from television commercials to soap operas, sports to fashion, food to gardening. He offered opinions on everything she could possibly think of and never mentioned any of their friends once. Anna was unsure if this was on purpose, but she appreciated the omission nonetheless.
"Horo," she said after a pause, "thank you."
"For...what?"
"For being here. For...everything. You've been very good to me."
"I'm your friend. Don't thank me for doing my job."
She expected the response and smiled at him. Horo exhaled with relief. Her smile was electric; he would do anything to keep that expression on her face. Anna sat on the floor in front of the bed with her legs folded, and he sat in front of her a few feet away. He was unsure of why she was moving but didn't ask.
"I said we would talk about it. Maybe now we should."
Her grave voice was uncomfortable. Horo didn't want her to be sad, and he feared this conversation would do just that.
"I had an argument with Yoh the day he went over there. I asked him if he wanted to sleep with her, and he didn't give me a straight answer. I just...wasn't surprised."
Horo remained silent. He watched her face with a weary expression and took a deep breath.
"But I didn't intend to fight her. I was too angry. I couldn't calm down. It felt like he punched me in the stomach."
His eyes narrowed.
"When I went back to my room Ren was still there."
"He was there?"
"He told me about Tamao. He wanted me to break off the engagement. We argued about it, and he kissed me."
Horo's body tensed. He didn't like where the story was going but didn't want to interrupt.
"We used to fight all the time, but this day was different. I knew that, but..." She paused, clasping her hands loosely in her lap. "I don't really know what I was expecting."
Anna's eyes were suddenly wet, and this triggered a mirrored response from him.
"I honestly don't remember everything. It's in pieces. I remember trying to fight him and not being able to. I remember biting him. I remember him punching me in the mouth because I called for Yoh. And then...realizing he wasn't coming because I told him to leave."
Sadness flooded her senses as she stared at his ear with a painful pause.
"He...ripped my dress..." Anna buried her face in her hands; she couldn't stop herself from crying, and her voice was too weak to keep talking.
"You can stop," Horo said.
He sat beside her and wrapped his arm delicately around her shoulders. She swallowed hard and took a few deep breaths then leaned her body against him.
"Why didn't you say anything, Anna?"
"I didn't want you to think I was weak, I didn't want to lose your respect."
"What are you talking about? You're the strongest woman I know. That will never change."
She grabbed his shirt with her hand and rested her face against his shoulder with her eyes closed.
"That's the point in having friends. Me wanting to protect you has nothing to do with you being weak. I'm sorry...that I failed you."
"You didn't fail me..." Her voiced trailed off. The last statement confused her.
"Yes I did...three times! I wanted to give you space. I thought you wanted to be alone."
"You couldn't have known Ren was there."
"I shouldn't have left you there. It's my fault." He was frustrated. "I knew how scared you were at the hospital. I took you home and didn't even ask about it. It was just...stupid!"
"Horo—"
"Even after I saw that, I still left you here last night all by yourself. All of this could have been avoided. I was too busy protecting Tamao when I should have been protecting you."
"You didn't know, Horo. You can't blame yourself."
He didn't answer, but she knew he was unconvinced. They sat in silence for a few moments as he bitterly closed his eyes, and she wrapped her arms loosely around his waist.
"Does Yoh know about this?"
"No," she sighed. "He thinks I'm sleeping with him...which is worse."
"Hao?"
"I told him Ren attacked me, but I'm sure his imagination ran with it. He promised he'd stay out of it."
"Anna, I called him last night."
She pulled away from him and sat upright.
"I panicked."
"Tell me exactly what he said, Horo."
"He didn't say much. Just for me to stay with you."
"About Ren. What did he say about Ren?" Her stressed voice was low, and she stared at the floor.
"He said he'll take care of it and hung up on me."
"When did you call him?"
"Before I took you to the hospital. I would have said something last night, but you were so upset."
"No."
She scrambled to her feet with clenched teeth. The pain restricted her movements slightly, and he followed her as she attempted jogging into the hallway.
"What are you doing?"
"Where's my phone?"
"What?"
She stumbled a few steps into the hallway, and he grabbed her before falling.
"Anna, you need to rest."
"No!" She jerked away from him and leaned against the wall. "I need to find Hao right now."
"His phone is off. I tried calling him this morning, and it went straight to voice-mail."
"Then we need to call Yoh."
"Wait...what?"
"I have to find him. I can't let this happen."
"He just wants to keep you safe, Anna. You should let him do that."
"No, Horo..." She closed her eyes and tightened her jaw. "It's so much deeper than that. You...don't understand."
"I know he's going after Ren. I'm not stupid. And he deserves it."
"Was he calm?"
He stared at her with confusion.
"Did he sound calm on the phone, Horo?" Her eyes were filled with tears again as she held herself against the wall with her hands.
"Yeah, actually." He rubbed his neck lightly. "He was way too calm. I thought it was weird."
"He's not...thinking clearly," she said. "I have to find him before it's too late."
Horo was bothered that she seemed so defensive of Ren. She sauntered down the hallway as quickly as possible but paused before reaching the end.
"Call Yoh," she said. "Don't tell him anything. Just ask him to find Hao and call me back when he does."
"Anna—"
"I need you to do this for me! If you want to call yourself my friend you'll help me right now!"
"Why are you trying to protect that monster?" he asked angrily.
"I'm not protecting Ren. I'm protecting Hao...from himself."
Ren blinked his eyes a few times as the thick fog of unconsciousness slowly faded. His surroundings were unfamiliar; grogginess prevented him from seeing the space clearly. His wrists were tied above his head; the tight knots pulled against the skin as he rubbed his face with his arm, and after glancing into his lap he realized his clothes were missing. His nakedness was uncomfortable but curiously unaffected by the surrounding air, and he leaned his back against the concrete wall behind him as his crouched position on the floor began to tire him. The surface against his back stuck to his skin, and he was startled by the discovery. He blinked his eyes again several times. As the adjustment continued he noticed the floors and walls were lined in thick plastic sheeting. This realization increased his anxiety, and he tried to stand on his feet to free himself from the rope. The attempt was short lived. Plastic beneath his feet caused him to slip involuntarily, and his legs tumbled out from underneath him, sending him crashing to the floor. The sudden pull of gravity tightened the rope and cut into his skin, but numbness shielded him from the sensation.
"Did you enjoy your nap?"
Ren assumed he was alone in the room until he heard Hao's voice. He realized quickly the man was just watching him struggle.
"It's been hours, Tao. I was expecting heavy sweating, a fever or...hallucinating. Something." There was disappointment in his voice. "But you just...slept."
He blinked his eyes a few times and tightened his hands into fists. As the rope cut deeper into his wrists he pulled his body weight back while repositioning his feet flat onto the floor. His knees bent as he attempted another position, but the restraint made this task nearly impossible. After several moments of silence he abandoned the trial altogether and curled his legs into a half fetal position against the floor.
"It makes me think you're either a heavy drug user or you have a chemical imbalance in your brain. I guess it doesn't matter which."
Ren cleared his throat as his vision focused, and he stared at him with narrowed eyes. Hao glanced at the watch on his wrist then rested his hands in his lap. He was sitting in a small metal chair several feet away.
"We have about forty minutes left, so let's talk."
There was confusion in his expression; he didn't speak.
"You won't feel any pain until then, Tao."
"You want to talk to me?" Ren said it with a smile. The substance was still in his system, which may have fueled this sudden defiance, but for some reason he was entertained.
"Of course," Hao replied evenly.
"Isn't this a bit forward for a first date? You took my clothes."
"This is our first date? I thought we were on number six or seven at least."
He didn't respond.
"If you wanted to spend quality time with me, Tao, you should have just asked."
"Well, you're a very busy man...and I'm impatient."
"Indeed."
"Did you molest me in my sleep, Hao? That's unfair."
"You know I would do it while you're awake. With a machete."
There was a long pause. Hao eyes never veered away from his face. Ren matched this look with a grin laced with irrational amusement. Blood trickled down his arm from his rope-burned wrist, but he ignored it.
"Did you put something in Lyserg's water?" Hao asked. "He called you five times. Blows my mind."
"I told him I was coming back, and I didn't. He takes promises very seriously."
"Why would he want you to after that ice pick party?"
He didn't answer.
"Oh, is that off limits?" Hao held his hands mockingly in the air. "We can't talk about Lyserg?"
"Let's talk about Anna instead."
Ren's statement was intended to illicit anger, and judging by his silence the plan was effective.
"She's not as strong as I thought she'd be. So...disappointing."
"I'm sure she didn't expect having to defend herself from a man too weak to fight other men." Hao recovered much more quickly than Ren anticipated, and that was annoying. "You attack girls. Anna...Pirika...Lyserg..."
He was offended Hao referred to him as a girl, but his anger was ignored.
"Shintarou's sister? Now that was completely unnecessary, wasn't it?"
"If nothing else, it makes me fair." Ren rolled his eyes. "I treat men and women equally."
"That's what you call bullying your ex-girlfriend?"
"Are you saying I can't hit Pirika simply because she's a girl?"
Hao paused.
"You're changing the subject, Hao. Stay on topic. You want to know about Anna."
He leaned back in the chair and lightly rubbed his hands against the fabric of his pants. Ren's smile returned, and he clutched his hands into fists.
"The answer is yes. She's magnificent in bed."
He remained silent. His expression was incredibly vague, but Ren had to keep going. There was a compulsive need to push him as far as possible. Vague definitely wasn't enough.
"She wasn't even really trying, honestly. She was tired but aggressive. Did she tell you she bit me?"
Hao didn't move from the chair, which was utterly disappointing. Ren licked his lips softly, pausing to take a deep breath, and carefully watched his eyes.
"That woman bit me everywhere. It was amazing." His voice elevated as he spoke; his eyes widened.
Hao's silence increased both his boldness and irritation. There would be no satisfaction earned without forcing a reaction of some kind. Ren's smile faded into a hateful scowl. He lowered his voice when he spoke again.
"I don't know why you care so much, Hao. She wasn't thinking about you. Anna wanted Yoh to save her."
His hands slowly balled into fists, but nothing else moved.
"Which is probably why she called for him at least ten minutes. I guess everyone left. I mean...no one heard her screaming?"
Hao's patience was wearing thin. He could see the hatred in his eyes. Ren was determined to keep pushing until he was given the reaction he wanted.
"The second time was even better. I gave her a haircut too. She really liked it."
He stood from the chair. Ren was almost satisfied.
"You should have been there, Hao. The begging was so sexy. She moaned like a dirty whore."
He walked toward him but stopped a few feet out of range. Ren clenched his teeth when realizing he was no longer advancing.
"Hit me."
"I told you it has to wear off. That's your problem, Tao. You don't listen."
Hao's voice was remarkably calm, and with exception of his eyes his face revealed no anger. Not reacting required discipline, and keeping his face neutral was a testament to patience Ren knew he completely lacked. The display baffled him, but deep inside he felt a pang of fear he couldn't push away.
"It's imperative all of your senses are returned. Do you understand?"
Ren didn't answer. The fear was rising. He couldn't stop the progression.
Hao knelt in front of him, lowering himself onto his knees. The action was swift, causing Ren to blink a few times. Hao leaned into his face with an exaggerated pause. Mere inches separated their noses as he stared into his eyes silently, and for a few eternal seconds the intimidating gaze forced Ren's strong expression to weaken.
"I'm going to do things to you that won't be considered pleasant," he said with unbroken eye contact. "In the next months, your normal physical function will be limited. You won't walk away unchanged."
Ren slightly parted his lips as he held a shallow breath in his throat. Hao was too close for him to look away. His eyes grew watery and red without his consent.
"That's only if I decide to let you walk away."
A quiet gasp escaped when he paused.
"Enjoy these remaining moments." The gentle tone was sinister and low. "A very thorough exhibition of our quality time will start soon. You'll have my undivided attention for as long as you want."
"You...think I'm afraid of you?" Ren's frail voice was terribly unconvincing. "I'm not."
Hao tapped his finger lightly against the tip of Ren's nose.
"You really should be. But then again, you don't know what's coming."
A tear rolled over his cheek as his view blurred. He remained silent as Hao stood and walked away. Ren stared at the floor as his heart raced; Hao resumed his casual position in the chair.
"Thirty four minutes, Tao. Continue."
Ren couldn't stop his body from shaking. The anger was replaced with terror he probably never felt before. He lifted his eyes slightly, but when he saw Hao was staring at him he couldn't match his eyes.
"Were you finished?" he asked. "You were talking about Anna. That wasn't the end, was it?"
"You won't get away with this. You're going to prison."
"You're making the assumption someone will find you...alive."
Hao's even voice was languid and soothing. Almost all of Ren's courage quickly depleted. He knew the rest of this time would be spent in silence.
"While I'm extremely flattered by your weak attempts to imitate me over the years, what you did was child's play."
"Imitate?"
"Stay awake, Tao. You need to learn this lesson once and for all." Hao ignored the outburst. "But your moans won't be sexy when I break you."
