Yoh stepped out of the bathroom with a thick towel wrapped around his waist. There were loud thumping noises and short screams in the distance as he walked down the hallway. He entered the bedroom with a sluggish pace and pulled off the towel. His back was still partially wet from the long shower; his naked skin reddened from sustained heat.
"YOH!"
He scratched his neck and pulled open the top drawer of the dresser, removing a black pair of boxers and a white tank top. After putting them on he went to the closet to search for an outfit.
"YOH!"
He exited the closet wearing a large orange t-shirt and dark jeans. A small mp3 player rested on top of the dresser that he grabbed; he rested the large attached headphones on his head.
"Yoh? Please let me out. I'm sorry...okay?"
He sat on the bed and slipped a pair of white socks onto his feet then covered his ears with the headphones.
"Please Yoh. It's too dark. I'm scared."
His pace was very slow as he reentered the hallway. She could hear his light footsteps against the wood. He stopped near the end, standing in front of the closed door. The wood shook back and forth; he stared at the repetitive motion in silence.
"Okay you win! Let me out!"
Her breathing elevated when he didn't answer. She beat on the door with her fists and screamed.
"OPEN THIS DOOR, YOH! STOP IT!"
Yoh powered on the mp3 player. He was uninterested in the song playing but spiked the volume as loudly as he could stand. The door vibrated as she kicked it a few times, but he couldn't hear anything over the melodic beats pulsating through his ears.
"I'LL KILL YOU, YOH!"
He walked away with his hands buried in his pockets. If she was speaking to him he wasn't aware and honestly didn't care. He grabbed his cellphone and reached the front door. Putting Tamao in the hall closet was the simplest way to disarm her. She dreaded confined spaces; he knew the longer he left her there the better. Irrational fear would keep her from opening the door, even though there was no lock. Guilt only flashed in his mind for a moment. Using a childhood phobia against her was probably cruel, but he needed to get away. His cellphone vibrated in his hand suddenly and he pushed the headphones behind his ears. This conversation would need to be fast. Tamao's screaming was audible again.
"Hello?"
"It's Horo."
A long pause fell over them immediately.
"YOH!"
"What's wrong with her?" Worry invaded his voice. "What the hell are you doing?"
He grabbed his shoes and exited the house. Tamao's screaming was barely recognizable after closing the door.
"We were playing a game. She's a sore loser."
Horo mumbled bitterly under his breath.
"You called me," Yoh said with irritation.
"We're looking for Hao. Have you talked to him?"
"Who's 'we'?"
"Have you talked to him or not?" Horo couldn't hide his anger. Merely talking to this man was enough to enrage him.
"A few days ago."
"Do you know where he is now?"
"Why?"
"Just answer the question, Yoh."
"Why are you looking for my brother?"
He cursed under his breath and paused. "Anna just wants to talk to him. Can you deliver that message for me?"
"No."
"No? What do you mean, no?"
"Tell me what you want, and I'll consider it."
There was loud scrambling as voices feathered in and out of the receiver. Horo was cursing, and a female voice countered it. He couldn't make it out immediately.
"Just let me talk to him. Give me the phone."
Yoh clenched his teeth.
"Yoh, his phone is turned off. Just tell him to call me, please."
"Is something wrong?" He couldn't soften his voice, and a growl released instead.
"It's none of your business!" Horo yelled at him.
"Turn the speaker off, Anna."
"Horo, get the picnic basket so we can go." The sound was muffled; she was holding her hand over the mouthpiece, but he was still able to make it out. "Yeah...that too. It's in the kitchen. And a blanket. The thicker one."
"Where are you going?"
She sighed without an answer.
"Why are you spending so much time with him all of a sudden?" Yoh's anger boiled over quickly. He couldn't control the outburst.
"You gave up the right to ask me about my personal life a long time ago."
He bitterly closed his eyes.
"I won't fight with you. Just tell Hao to call me."
She hung up before he could answer, and he held the small device tightly in his hand. He hastily went back inside, violently slamming the door when he entered.
"Yoh?" Her whiny voice was annoying; he tightened his jaw while staring at the floor.
"What?"
"I...gotta go pee."
Ren opened his eyes as dull pain forced him awake. His arms were no longer suspended over his head; his palms rested limply on the thick plastic. He leaned against the wall with his legs outstretched. This removal of the restraint was unhelpful anyway. Despite his best efforts he couldn't move his arms; he was forced to stay in that position. The room was empty, which was welcoming, but he knew the peace wouldn't last long. There were no windows; the only light came from a tall, florescent floor lamp several feet away. His mind wandered as he tried pushing away the pain. Ren wondered the time and how long he had been asleep. He wanted to know where Hao went and when he was coming back. He needed to know why he was unrestrained but couldn't move. He worried Lyserg would wake up without him there, and he knew his reaction would possibly be rash.
Or maybe not. Recently, Lyserg said he hated him almost every day. Perhaps it was the truth. This could be the break he was waiting for.
He heard the door open but couldn't see it. Hao entered holding a large cardboard box. He said nothing as he rested on his knees in front of him and placed the box on the floor.
"What time is it?" Ren asked with fatigue.
"Does it matter?"
"I guess not."
"It wore off an hour ago." Hao flicked the bottom of his foot with his finger. "Can you feel the difference?"
"Why can't I move?"
"It's a side effect. But you don't really need to move, do you?"
"What if I have to use the bathroom?"
"You'll stink."
"Why would you want to touch me if I soil myself?" He closed his eyes.
"I can wear gloves. It's really not a big deal."
"Why don't you just kill me now, and we won't have to work that out?"
"You went above and beyond what was necessary to get my attention, and now you just want to end it? I'm offended, Tao. You've really hurt my feelings."
Hao wasn't smiling when Ren opened his eyes. He couldn't tell if the man was serious; his voice didn't reveal any sarcasm. Ren decided he would play along.
"I didn't mean to. If you don't want to kill me...don't."
"I told you before. This is our quality time. It won't be interrupted by you dying or even a bathroom break."
"Will this be fun?"
"A blast, Tao."
He opened the box and removed its contents. Ren watched as he placed a large auto battery on the floor near his feet. There were two jumper cables connected to the nodes on top of it, but one cable was spliced with the internal wire exposed. A small dimmer switch was crudely attached to the free wire. Ren's face paled. Hao removed a large metal hanger next then pushed the box away and held the metal clamps connected to the cables in his hands.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Ren didn't answer.
"Don't worry. This is just to wake you up. It won't hurt."
He paused. Ren met his eyes with alarmed awareness; Hao shrugged his shoulders with calm indifference.
"Okay..." He bit his bottom lip. "Yeah, it'll hurt. A lot."
Ren's eyes watered as he observed him wrapping the hanger onto the end of the unaltered clamp. He slowly blinked his eyes when he pulled the long metal sharply around his waist. It wasn't long enough, but Hao forced it, cutting his skin in the process. The material bent without much resistance, and he secured it by twisting the end and wedging it inside the teeth of the clamp.
"Try not to freak out. Your heart will stop if you do."
He crawled closer and placed the second clamp between his legs. Ren gasped as the hard teeth pinched his skin, and he stared at the empty metal chair in front of him to avoid the sight below.
"I'll be honest. I have no idea if it'll fall off."
Hao sat beside him on the wall, leaning his entire body onto him, and rested his head on his shoulder as he gently grabbed the dimmer switch.
"Just relax."
"You talk to much," he said defiantly. "Get on with it."
There was a wide lever over the surface of the switch, and Hao pushed it up slowly with his thumb. The electric current burned through his skin immediately, and his legs violently shivered. He clenched his teeth and lowered his head. Hao stared the chair as he moaned something inaudible.
"It's barely on," he sighed. "Don't be a wimp."
"Bastard." It was the only word Hao could make out from the grunting in the back of his throat.
"This switch controls the voltage." He knew Ren was in too much pain to care. "It had to be modified. Without this it would fry you from the inside out. That's really not what we want to achieve here."
His head was shivering but he didn't speak. Hao's body weight became increasingly heavy. He closed his eyes.
"I've heard that electrocution can be exhilarating when done in small amounts. Similar to asphyxiation during sex. Is that true?"
Ren's entire body was shaking. A bitter moan escaped. Hao lifted his head enough to rest his lips against his ear, and the violent trembling rapidly increased as he pushed the lever higher.
"How about now?" he whispered. "It...tingles."
The moans were louder. He didn't lift his head.
"Nothing yet?"
He bent his knees but Hao pushed them back down against the floor with his free hand.
"It hurts, doesn't it? You can be honest."
"Hao..." His ragged breathing caused a wheezing sound to fill the air. "...Hao..."
"If you beg me to stop I'll be angry."
"Hao..."
"You don't want me angry, do you? Is that really smart?"
A stabbing sensation filled his lungs as he stared at his legs. His torso was bleeding where the metal choked his skin; his groin was partially numb from the clamp, and the bruised organ filled with burning acid from the current. Hao nudged the lever up with his thumb very lightly, but the change was drastic. Ren slammed his head against the wall as hot tears ran unrestrained down his face.
"S-stop. Please...stop."
Hao took a deep breath. Ren's body vibrated vigorously beside him; he slowly moved away.
"I'll think about it."
He pushed the lever again and narrowed his eyes as the man sitting beside him began screaming. The extended outburst was a mixture of gagged moans and desperate wails with hysterical screams and incoherent curses in between.
"I really am thinking about it, Tao," he said. "Hold on."
Ren's back beat violently against the wall in a sporadic pattern as his body continued shaking. Hao was unsure whether or not that was voluntary, but his expression didn't reveal any alarm.
"Shit." He only guessed Ren said it. There was no way to properly make it out.
"You're so impatient," he sighed. "Let me work this out in my head."
He tossed the switch at Ren's thigh and stood up. Even if he was able to move his arms Ren couldn't reach it. The thought was greatly amusing.
"Tell me why I should stop, Tao. Maybe that would help me with this decision."
Hao knew he couldn't respond. The screaming constant now.
"You wanted this, didn't you? You needed my attention. You thought I was ignoring you. So why would you want me to stop? I mean...you just got here."
Ren scratched the plastic with his fingernails and opened his mouth. He was unaware he was making that action. His eyes bulged painfully as he stared at his stomach. Hao leaned over and turned off the switch. He gasped, falling back limply against the wall. His expression didn't change, and he gawked at him with his mouth agape. Hao punched him in the face, cracking his head against the hard concrete, and he released a fatigued whimper.
"If you're going to have a seizure it forces my hand, doesn't it?" He said it with irritation.
His body was still trembling without his consent; his extremities were numb. Hao walked away toward a table in the distance and stood over it for brief moments. Ren hadn't noticed it before, but his senses were too dulled to speak.
Hao returned holding a large wrench in one hand and a thick steel pipe in the other. "Now that you're awake let's get started."
Yoh stood in the hallway leaning against the wall when she exited the bathroom. She timidly closed the door and lowered her head when walking in front of him.
"Are you going to put me back in there?"
"No."
"I'm sorry." She tugged the sides of his shirt with her hands and rested her head on his chest. "I don't want to fight anymore. Okay?"
"Okay." His tone was overly apathetic and blank; he didn't touch her.
"We should talk about this, right? That's what people in relationships do. Let's...talk."
"I have to go." He pulled away.
"What? You can't just...leave!" She followed him down the hallway. "Where are you going?"
"There's something I have to take care of. It can't wait."
"Just tell me the truth, Yoh. Are you meeting Anna?"
"I'm going to see my brother." He stopped walking but didn't turn around.
"I'll go with you."
"No, just stay here."
"You're not leaving without me, Yoh. I mean it." Her jaw tightened.
"It won't take long. I'll be right back."
"You always say that...then you stay gone for hours. I'm coming with you. I'm not asking."
He clenched his teeth and turned around. Tamao stood her ground initially but took a step back when he stepped into her face.
"You'll either wait for me here..." He pointed to the sofa. "...or in the closet. I said you're not going."
Tamao swallowed hard and widened her eyes. He never talked to her like that before; a pang of fear filled the pit of her stomach.
"Sit down," he said.
She walked passed him and sat on the sofa without a response.
"I'll be back in two hours. Don't call me."
Tamao gazed at the wall with tear filled eyes and flinched when he slammed the door.
"You're losing control, Tamao. I can't say I'm surprised."
"Shut up, Anna," she sighed.
The woman sat on a chair opposite the sofa with her legs neatly crossed. Tamao's eyes narrowed as she glared at her. Her long, blond hair was pulled up into an elegant bun, revealing the beautiful features of her face. Her supple lips were painted with deep red lipstick, which matched the skin tight dress hugging her body. Black sandals adorned her feet with heels high enough for Tamao to surely fall in. She stared at her with amber eyes of great amusement.
"He hates you," she whispered.
"No he doesn't. He loves me."
"Just because you want it to happen doesn't mean it will." She folded her arms over her legs and leaned forward in the chair. "That man definitely hates you."
"Go...away."
This wasn't the first time she saw her. Tamao knew the Anna sitting in front of her wasn't real, but she felt compelled to talk to her anyway. It was a bothersome habit she couldn't break.
"He didn't want you to go with him because he's seeing me."
"That's not true. He's going to see Hao. I trust him."
"No you don't. Why should you?"
She rubbed her face and exhaled.
"He locked you in the closet. Do you really think he would do that to me?"
"I hurt him. He was angry."
"Yoh wouldn't do that to me because he sees me as a woman. He sees you as an immature child."
"No he doesn't."
"I'm everything you wish you could be, Tamao. Smart, beautiful, strong—"
"Shut up."
"You're pathetic and weak. You always have been; you always will be. You can't replace me, Tamao. You would have to be my equal in order to do that. You would have to possess two brain cells to rub together."
"I said shut up!"
"Don't you think it's odd he won't sleep with you?"
"Our relationship isn't about sex," she said. "It's about—"
"Lies? Manipulation? Blackmail? You call that a relationship?"
"Yoh loves me, Anna. He has always loved me. Even before you came along."
"Oh, you're absolutely right! That's why he proposed to you. No...wait...that was me. He wants to marry me. He's only willing to live with you and not touch you. Unless you consider being locked in the closet as some kind of foreplay."
"I don't have to explain this to you." She stood and paced in front of the sofa.
"Because you can't."
"You won't win this time, Anna. He's mine. I'm not letting him go."
"You've already lost, Tamao, because you thought this was a game in the first place."
She stopped pacing and balled her hands into fists. Anna stood from the chair and pulled down her dress. She smiled at her mockingly and rubbed the side of her neck with her hand.
"All I have to do is pick up the phone and he'll come running back to me," she said. "I can have him whenever I want. If I told him to wait for me, he'd do it until his dying breath. If I told him to leave you, he would do it without a second thought. That's the difference between us, Tamao. You need him. He needs me."
Tamao fell to her knees and didn't speak.
"You've recovered from your injuries. There's nothing else keeping him here. He'll leave you soon, but don't worry. I'll invite you to the wedding."
"You won't take him away from me." Her hands violently trembled. "I'll kill you first."
Kanna was leaning over a large hunk of metal with a blow torch and heavy mask when she caught a glimpse of him walking into the warehouse. She powered off the dangerous tool and slipped the mask up above her head, then took a few fatigued breaths as she wiped the small beads of sweat from her brow.
"Hey, Yoh," she said.
"Is my brother here?"
"Yeah. Out back. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Long day."
She smiled in response and waited until he exited through the back door to continue the task. The sun beat against his face as he stepped out onto the gravel path behind the warehouse. Kanna's business always seemed slow to him. He never saw any customers around the junk yard or in the surrounding sheds in all of the years he'd known her. But she was paying her bills somehow. Hao explained to him she was selling scrap metal and not actual cars. He wondered who would buy something like that. The lot of land she acquired was vast. He lost his way around it several times, which was particularly scary at night. The heaps of metal in the junk yard looked like evil robots beneath the shadow of the moon; he was constantly spooked.
"What are you doing out here?"
Hao's voice startled him. The man came out of nowhere. Yoh blinked his eyes a few times while staring at him in silence. He didn't wait for an answer and walked away. Yoh followed him toward a clearing where there was a large object covered by a tarp in the center of the space.
"Turn your phone back on," he sighed. "Anna's looking for you."
"I know."
"You're avoiding her on purpose?"
"I'm not avoiding her. I'm busy."
There was a small shed a few feet away he disappeared into, leaving Yoh to stare at the tarp with an awkward pause. He reemerged dragging two sledgehammers, one in each hand, and passed one of the heavy objects to his brother. Yoh accepted it without question; his weary expression didn't change.
"She's going on a picnic with Horo. Why are they spending so much time together?"
"You sound jealous, Yoh."
"He's been trying to win Tamao over for years, but now he suddenly wants to be Anna's shadow?"
"You're jealous."
"I'm not...jealous. I'm just—"
"Jealous. It's okay to admit it. You love her. The thought of her being with someone else scares you."
"They're not together. It's not like that."
"How do you know?"
Yoh didn't answer. Hao removed the tarp, revealing a stunning black luxury sedan. The paint job was so flawless Yoh could see his reflection in the shiny doors. He whimpered lightly under his breath, holding his free hand over his chest.
"Such a...waste."
"It's not like I can drive it around town," Hao said.
He closed his eyes when his brother took a swing at it. The back windshield shattered instantly. Yoh cringed when he heard it.
"It's such a beautiful car, Hao," he whined.
"Your turn."
They took turns wailing at the sedan. Yoh's blows were mostly harmless. He partially dented the front hood a few times and broke off one of the rear view mirrors. Hao smashed all of the windows, hollowed out the trunk and doors, caved in the top hood and even took the time to slash all of the tires with a hunting knife. Yoh dropped the hammer and stared at the metal heap with grief. He scratched his head when Hao doused the entire vehicle with kerosene.
"It was so...pretty," he mumbled.
"Manta left a message on my answering machine." Hao reached into his pocket for a small box of matches. "What did he want?"
"I'm taking Tamao to a mental health facility. Manta set it up. You'll have to sign for it."
"Because she's not going willingly?"
"Yeah."
"Did you tell her?"
"No."
"Maybe that's best."
He swiped the bottom of the box with one of the matches and ignited a small, orange flame. Yoh slumped his shoulders forward when he tossed it into the heap, and the car quickly caught on fire. The heat was nearly staggering, but neither of them moved for several minutes.
"Hao...I want to see him."
"It feels like we've had this conversation before." He folded his arms loosely and exhaled.
"Please...don't fight me on this."
Hao's hair was wrapped into a tight bun high on his head; Yoh watched it the entire time he followed him along the gravel path. The heat subsided as they moved further away from the burning car. His chest ached with dread when a makeshift corridor lined with storage units came into view. Each containment looked identical. Outer metal was painted black; the aluminum roofs were untreated. The units were numbered, and gray paint thickly covered each door. Hao stopped abruptly at one of the far units and unlatched the lock securing the door. The number was 1186. Yoh wondered if that was symbolic for some reason. It could have been interpreted as the month, day and year of that man's birth, but he quickly dismissed the thought. Hao wouldn't care about something like that. He knew it was mere coincidence.
The unit was far larger than what the outside revealed. Yoh thought it resembled a small apartment rather than a storage closet. Hao turned on a light from a florescent lamp, and the pale hue illuminated the space with an eerie glow. Yoh closed the door and cautiously walked inside. He noticed a large table as he entered the main space filled with various odd items and an empty metal chair positioned a few feet away from it. The floor beneath his feet was covered in plastic, which increased his apprehension. He paused when noticing the table was covered in blood.
He took another look. The table was stained with dark splatters where the objects were tossed. A metal pipe and wrench were the source. Those were completely saturated; the rest of the instruments were unblemished. Hao sat in the chair, ignoring his brother's alarm. His calm demeanor was uncomfortable. Yoh froze briefly when he heard heavy, labored breathing filling the air.
"Hao?" He stared at the table with frightened eyes.
"Behind you."
Yoh turned around and gasped. Ren was lying down with his back leaning against the wall. One of his hands was limp with bent fingers; the other was flat against the plastic. His shoulder leveraged the bulk of his weight with the side of his face resting awkwardly against the floor. His torso and legs were bloody; a small pool of the liquid settled along his hip against the plastic. Yoh took a few steps forward when noticing his eyes were open. Although various violet hairs covered most of his face, his expression was mostly empty. His entire body shivered in obvious fashion. It was unclear if he was aware of it.
"What did you...do to him?" His voice was frail; he couldn't deepen it.
"It's a secret," he heard him say. "Right, Tao?"
Ren didn't answer.
"This is too much," Yoh said with panic. "You went too far!"
"I haven't done anything yet."
The ache in his chest was painful; his breathing was erratic.
"You wanted to see him," Hao said. "I told you to stay out of it."
This wasn't what he expected. Yoh wanted to feel better knowing Ren was there. He thought disarming him would give him relief, that seeing him in pain would give him satisfaction. But there was no satisfaction. No happiness. No positive feelings at all. His head ached lightly as a dizzy sensation deflated his resolve. Hao was right. He had no stomach for this. Yoh spent so much time wanting revenge he didn't consider how his personality would interfere. Staring at Ren's helpless form only filled his mind with one emotion he couldn't shake.
Pity.
"He attacked Anna last night," Hao said.
Yoh was immediately distracted; his eyes slowly narrowed.
"Horo said he beat her bloody and cut off all of her hair." Anger filtered his voice.
He tightened his hands into fists and clenched his teeth.
"I don't know if he raped her, but she was traumatized and wouldn't let Horo touch her. I'm assuming he did."
Yoh closed his eyes momentarily as his body trembled. His mind filled quickly with rage; he couldn't remember what he was thinking about before.
"...Bastard."
Hao leaned back in the chair and smiled. His brother brutally kicked Ren in the groin.
