15 | Captive Audience

Ugh… What the hell…? My head… I feel like I'm gonna vomit…

Rei awoke to a searing pain in her head that seemed to start at her temples and sluggishly work its way to the back of her skull before reversing course. She groaned as her agony seemed never-ending. Not once during that ordeal did she dare open her eyes and risk increasing her misery. However, even though all she could see was darkness she could easily sense that much was amiss. As she pulled herself up from her prone position, the first thing she noticed was that she had been lying on a mattress. That alone was not a terrible thing, and she longed for the sleep it once gave her and promised once again. Yet, its surface felt much coarser to her skin than that of her futon, and it was far lumpier too. The second thing she realized was that she was not wearing her normal bedclothes, which once again ruled out the possibility that she was at home. She was not wearing her school uniform either, as far as she could tell. The fabric was soft enough to not be uncomfortable, and it seemed to cover her body down to her ankles. However, her new clothing would continue to be a mystery to her until she found the courage to open her eyes.

Two new stimulations knocked her out of her contemplative daze. The unmistakable aroma of smoked salmon tickled her nostrils and caused her stomach to grumble without her permission. A distinct tapping sound accompanied that delicious smell, one that grew louder and louder until it stopped a few feet next to her bed. She sluggishly turned her head in the direction where the tapping had died.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead. You've been out for long enough. And you can open your eyes now as it should be dark enough not to hurt you."

The slightly high-pitched and assuredly feminine voice sounded friendly enough, though she could recognize a slight edge to the tone as it gave those orders. She paid that no mind though. Instead, she hesitantly blinked a few times before finally lifting her eyelids. Sure enough, there was only a slight improvement over the pitch-black environment that had previously surrounded her. Dull yellow light filtered from a series of lamps at the ceiling, providing just enough illumination to see the room. It was a sparsely decorated place, with the bed and a chair in one corner being the only furniture she could spot. When she turned her head back to her left she could see the person who had addressed her earlier. It was a woman who clearly looked about two decades older than her despite being no taller. Wavy brown hair bracketed her face, and when the woman leaned down to set the food tray next to the bed Rei could see that it extended to the middle of her back in a simple ponytail.

"I told you so," the woman said, sitting at the edge of the bed. A faint grin tugged at her lips. "Now, here's some breakfast for you. I hope you like salmon on rice."

The once-throbbing pain in her head seemed to diminish by the second, but that phenomenon did not completely allay her disorientation. She still desperately wanted to know why she was lying across a strange bed in an unfamiliar room, and she hoped her companion could provide her answers.

"Who are you?" Confusion was scrawled all over Rei's face as she stared at the mysterious woman with wide eyes. "Where am I?"

The woman's smile widened. "Oh, just a friend—if you play your cards right, that is. But, you can just call me Rosa. Unfortunately, I can't answer that second question for you. A little something called operational security, you see. We can't just let all sorts of secrets wonder out all willy-nilly."

"Operational security?"

"Yes. Being a young girl as yourself, you probably are unaware of such a thing. That's just fine though. Nobody expects that from you." The woman leaned in and gently patted Rei atop her head, eliciting a slight flinch from the shrine maiden upon her touch. "However, my masters absolutely do expect that from me, and I absolutely cannot disappoint them. So, that is the reason why I can't tell you where you are right now. What I can tell you is that you might be staying here for a while."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Understandably, Rei was unnerved by the last part of Rosa's answer and she wasted no time in displaying her anxiety.

"You haven't figured it out yet?" What previously had been a smile morphed into a definite smirk. "I thought you were a lot smarter than that, being a student of the prestigious T-A Academy after all. But, I guess we all can't be geniuses now, can we. I'll be nice and let you have one crack at figuring it out on your own."

As Rosa spoke, the more clearly Rei recognized an accent in her tone that most assuredly was foreign. It sounded vaguely English to her ears. Either way, she knew immediately what had happened. Naturally, anger quickly filled her spirit and permeated her voice.

"You've kidnapped me."

"Bravo!" Rosa swiftly leaped from the bed and, with obvious sarcasm in her mannerisms, clapped her hands. "Though, you shouldn't be too afraid, not of me at least. As I said, I'm your friend here. The others, not so much. If you keep straight and play along with me, then you should do alright, and you'll never have to see any of them."

Rei glared at the woman. "And, if I don't?"

A sinister chuckle echoed about the room. "That's not really up to me, but, knowing my compatriots' lust for blood, I would have to say that you wouldn't be very long for this world. Such a pity, too."

"Why don't you guys just go ahead and kill me now?" She seethed as her glower only intensified. "It'd save you all the trouble."

Rosa brought a hand to her chin and glanced at the ceiling as though in deep thought. That hand then disappeared behind her back. A second later it reemerged, and Rei's eyes were immediately drawn to the silver glint reflected off of the eight-inch-long blade carried within. She recoiled when Rosa leaped toward the bed, but she was too slow to escape the older woman's firm grasp of her arm, one she found pinned behind her back. Her other arm was immobile, trapped beneath her body as she was pushed face-down onto the mattress. She struggled to fight back, but the woman was far too strong and enjoyed leverage over her. For the first time since awakening she felt real fear.

"You know what? I don't know why we're keeping you alive." A trickle of blood flowed down Rei's neck and chin as Rosa pressed the blade ever harder against the side of her throat. "Oh, wait, now I remember. It's because you're being used as collateral. That means we can't kill you, not if we want to receive what we're asking for."

Her voice could barely surpass a whisper, so encumbered was she by fear. "W-what do y-you want from m-m-me?"

"Not anything you can provide." She pulled the knife away from Rei's neck and took a step away from the frightened girl. "However, your lovely father is in a prime position to meet our demands. He just needs a little bit of motivation, that's all. You're that motivation, you see."

A whimper slipped through Rei's lips as she nodded. Her body relaxed the moment she saw the knife disappear behind Rosa's back. She turned her head to follow the woman as she walked around to the other side of the bed, passing to her a questioning gaze.

"Ah! I sense you want to ask what our demands are. That much I can tell, but not right now. You'll find out soon enough, dear. Understand?"

"Y-yes."

"Good." Rosa hummed a delightful tune upon spotting the food tray. "Wow! I'm happy that our playful little ruckus didn't ruin your breakfast. Salmon is hard to come by around these parts, you see, and I come from an upbringing where we try not to waste food. Don't you agree?"

By Rei's estimation, the smile she received appeared remarkably genuine. However, she had good reason to be wary, and offered the smallest reply possible. "Sure."

"I'm not the best cook around here, but I'm sure a lot better than anyone else here, I'll tell you. Anyway, since I'm sure you wouldn't like the taste of blood mixed with your food, I'll go grab you a cool towel and some bandages."

Her sigh slipped free the moment the door closed shut behind Rosa, one of two she spotted. If even for a second, she was alone—which meant she was safe. She ran her fingers along her the thin line where the knife had broken her skin. That it had already begun to heal did not surprise her one bit.

Thank God for my healing powers. The blood that coated her fingertips was old, but it was a potent reminder of what could have been. She pulled her knees into her chest, buried her face into them, and shuddered. That crazy woman nearly killed me. She actually nearly killed me. I didn't expect her to go that far. What the hell did I get myself dragged into? A hitched breath came first, followed by a gasp that echoed throughout the room. Wait! I should be able to get out of this. I'm a senshi after all. Once I find my transformation pen I should be good to go.

There would be no such search for that magical item, at least not at that time. Before she could swivel around to plant her feet upon the floor, the door swung open to reveal Rosa. The woman held a bottle of peroxide in one hand, a towel and bandages in the other, and an almost friendly grin on her lips.

"I wouldn't go messing with that and risk getting an infection." She sat down at the same side of the bed from where Rei would have departed had she gotten the opportunity. "Now, let's have a look, shall we."

Begrudgingly, Rei allowed the woman to lift her chin with one hand. The peroxide-soaked towel felt cold and somewhat uncomfortable to the touch, as she expected. She heard the woman hum after putting away a towel that once was white but had turned a light shade of crimson.

"I guess I didn't nick you there as deeply as I thought." Her smile widened. "Then again, I wasn't trying very hard, either. But, that means we probably won't need to use any of these. Anyway, hurry up and eat your breakfast before it gets cold, okay? I'll be back in about ten minutes or so." She patted Rei atop her head once more before walking out of the room.

Her visage twisted with revulsion, but only after the woman had exited the room. She turned to the tray and the plate of rice and smoked salmon it held and scoffed.

What the hell kind of game does she think she's playing? One second, she's trying to kill me. The next second, she's acting all friendly to me. There's no way I'm going to go along with this quietly.

Her overwhelming hunger, prompted by her stomach's loud complaints, nixed any immediate start to her planned defiance. Seconds later, she grabbed the fork that rested next to the plate, skewered a piece of fish, and tentatively placed it in her mouth. It felt dry and tasted bland compared to what she preferred, but it was unmistakably salmon. The rice was worse, but still quite edible. In the end she had completely cleaned the plate of food. She had not kept time, and she lacked a means to do so, but she reckoned that she had a few minutes before Rosa returned. So, she completed the task she had attempted once before and rolled out of the bed. Her gaze immediately latched onto the second door, and her curiosity was piqued soon thereafter.

Hmm. I wonder where this goes.

The other side of the door revealed absolutely nothing spectacular, and she frowned because of it. All that was there was a western-style bathroom, one that was as sparsely decorated as the bedroom. The only notable addition was a floor-length mirror, one that produced a hazy reflection at best. Nevertheless, provided her the only opportunity to study herself, and she wasted no time in doing so.

I don't want to sound too much like Minako-chan, but I look absolutely hideous in this. Her frown vanished, but only because she felt even greater depression in place of disappointment. These look just like the robes Usagi-chan was wearing the last time I saw her. She did not bother to fend off the tears that soon flowed freely down her cheeks. God, I wish I get an opportunity to see her again. If I make it out of this alive, I want to be able to hug her and tell her how much I miss her.

Her gaze was lowered when she walked back into the bedroom, a byproduct of her despair. That might have been the reason she failed to realize that she was not alone in the room until she caught a glimpse of a second pair of feet. Standing next to the bed was another woman, one who was taller and, quite frankly, stouter than Rosa. Her expression was one of outright hostility. That was the last thing about the woman that Rei could discover before finding her world filled with darkness once again.

—|1|2|3|—

Rei's first utterance upon regaining consciousness was a low groan, which perfectly suited her disposition. In fact, it far exceeded the alternative, given her severe nausea. She knew in her heart the room could not have been spinning as wildly as her senses appeared to tell her. However, she could do little to quell her dizziness even as she grasped her head in her hands and attempted to breathe as slowly as possible. It appeared another trip to the bathroom was in order.

"Oh. You're awake. That's good news." The female voice sounded familiar, but for some reason she could not pin a name to it. "Margaret really packs quite a punch, and she seems to hate your guts. It took a while to get her to stop, yeah. Sorry about that."

Agony wracked her body as Rei turned to where she guessed mysterious woman was standing. Her eyes remained shut the entire time, fearing what would happen if she opened them yet. She did open her eyes a few seconds later, but not because she had wanted to. The hands that pried open her eyelids were soft but incredibly cold to the touch. Yet, the brash maneuver gave her a glimpse of the person who had addressed her. Only then did recognition strike.

"Rosa…?"

The woman took a step back and frowned. "I'm not so ugly that you can't stand to look at me, am I?"

"N-no." Her answer, though delivered in shaky tones, was swift, for with recognition came recollection. She did not want to see that knife again.

"Then, that means you think I'm pretty, ne?" She walked toward the shrine maiden once again, and her grimace morphed into an impish pout as she did so.

"Uh…"

"Come on, don't be shy. It's a simple question." Rei did not hear the callousness she anticipated in that voice. That made her even more anxious.

"Um, I guess."

"You do?" A warm smile graced the woman's lips as she sat at the edge of the bed. "You have no idea how happy that makes me."

"Huh?"

Rosa's antics left Rei incredibly confused, but that emotion swiftly left her barely a second later when she felt the woman's embrace. One of those soft hands grasped her around the waist while the other gripped her shoulder, and both worked to pull her into a surprisingly tender hug. Her mind seemed to go blank at that point. She heard the woman whisper something, but the words and their meanings just seemed to float away in the face of her dueling sensations. In one sense she felt relaxed, if not also thrilled, to be held so delicately. Sure, the person doing so was part of the group who had kidnapped her, but she preferred being hugged to being beaten to the point of unconsciousness.

…At least, that was true up to the moment when she felt that same cool touch roam about parts of her body that decidedly weren't her waist or shoulder. The wary portion of her mind enjoyed fleeting vindication before the feeling of utter disgust overtook everything.

"You know, I look at you and wish that we could have met under more pleasant conditions." Rosa's lips were only inches away from Rei's left ear as she whispered. "Such a beautiful young girl like yourself gets caught up in such a horrible situation through no real fault of your own. It's quite a pity. You can blame your father for that. But, that all will be resolved in due course, and everything will be right again. You'll be let go." There was a brief pause punctuated by a sigh. "You'll be let go, and I won't get to be with you anymore. That fact depresses me the most. But, there is a way that both of us can gain some happiness out of this misery. When I said there was nothing you could provide me, it turned out I wasn't being completely honest. There might not be anything you could give my partners, but for me…"

Her words came to an end upon an earsplitting scream and a flinch so violent that she found herself lying face-down on the floor. She hastily pushed herself upright, only to meet a pair of eyes burning with hatred so fervent that, for a moment, it left her truly shocked.

"Don't you dare!"

It did not take Rosa very long to recover, and her resulting grin was wicked. "Or else what? Would you prefer seeing Margaret again instead of me? You didn't have enough fun with her the last time? Better yet, do you want to meet Alex instead?" She stood up and dusted her pants with one hand while the other moved to her back and grasped the handle of her knife. All the while, her heated glare remained fixed upon Rei. "I did say I was your friend in this mess, didn't I, but only if you work with me. Right now, you're not working with me. As much as it pains me, I would not hesitate to send you to them. You'll wish to die, and they will not grant you that wish." She pulled the knife out of its scabbard. "At the very least, I'd have the decency to kill you quickly."

Rei's fury and resulting bravado vaporized when she saw that silver blade inch ever closer to her chest. She scurried to the edge of the bed, but her haste gave her no more safety. Her eyes darted to the door, but she knew her chances were poor. They became much worse when Rosa, sensing the obvious, moved to block her only path of escape.

"I can see that you're flustered right now, and who can blame you. That's not what I want. What I want is to be your friend, but you're not giving either of us many choices here. So, I'll tell you what. You can calm down and understand that I don't want to hurt you, or you can continue acting this way and I'll give you to the people who do want to hurt you." She hid the knife away once again and walked toward the door. Right before she crossed the threshold she turned around and winked. "I'll give you a few minutes or so to think about your options."

It was an absolute miracle that Rei managed to suppress her fierce urge to vomit once she heard the door close shut. She eschewed the bed, opting to shuffle to the far corner of the room and curl into a ball with her legs pulled tightly to her chest.

God, what do I do? I honestly thought Rosa was best until she tried to… to… The tears formed quickly and slipped down her cheeks unabated. Her entire body shuddered merely at the thought of what might have been. I don't want to be here anymore.

"Hey, Rei-san? Can you hear me?"

It was a voice she recognized, but it belonged to neither of the two women she had encountered thus far. She lifted her head and started to turn it in the direction from where she heard the voice emanate but stopped midway through. Instead, her lips were tugged into a weary smile. She had not expected her prayers to be answered so swiftly.

Oh, salvation!

"Um… Rei-san? Hello?"

"Yes, I can hear you." Rei was on the verge of crying purely from the sense of relief she felt, even though she could not see her rescuer. "Thank you so much for finding me."

The woman sounded slightly smug, yet it was generally kind. "That task took way more time than I would've wanted. Trust me. By the way, what are you doing in an abandoned military bunker in Albania? That might as well be smack in the middle of nowhere for goodness sake."

"All I know is I was kidnapped by a bunch of lunatics."

"But, you're Sailor Mars." Confusion permeated the woman's voice. "These were just normal people, and not nearly as strong as the youmas we fought at your shrine. Why didn't you just fight them off?"

"It's not that easy. For whatever reason, I never knew they were even after me until I woke up here."

"Well, that's not good. What's stopping you from going to them and kicking their collective asses?"

Rei exhaled a dismal sigh. "I don't have my transformation pen. They took it when they took my clothes. All I have to wear is this horrible dress."

"I see." Sounds of contemplative humming filled the room for several moments. "If I remember correctly, there were five people here not including you. Hopefully I didn't miss any as there weren't any auras I could feel. It might be a little dicey trying to take them on, especially when they're armed and you're not, I'd imagine. My skill set is poorly suited toward fighting creatures that don't use magic, but I'll try my best to help you regardless."

"We need to hurry." The once sullen Rei leaped to her feet and jogged toward the door. "That woman should be coming back soon."

"Which one? There are three that I recall."

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. They're all crazy and they're all trying to hurt me, or worse."

"Well, in that case, I have a plan. I'll do what I can to distract them. Since they're normal humans, I'm pretty sure they'll be spooked if I give them a demonstration of my powers. I'll let you know when it's safe to leave here."

Understandably, Rei was hesitant to immediately trust that enigmatic woman's plan, but she had little time to complain or create her own strategy. Almost immediately she heard a series of booms and bangs immediately across the door, followed by a loud scream and rapid stomping sounds that faded over time. She assumed it were the footsteps of someone sprinting. The door spontaneously opened seconds later, momentarily frightening the shrine maiden, followed by the woman's excited whisper.

"Quick! Run to the end of the hall!"

She wasted no time in doing exactly that. Meeting her at the end of the narrow corridor was a pair of doors, one on each side.

"Which way now?"

"Um…" The brief period of silence left Rei feeling even more anxious as she waited for some answer. A sharp explosion that rattled one of the doors and nearly knocked her to the ground prompted her to grin. "Left! Go left!"

With a sharp tug of the handle, she pulled open the door and darted into a cloud of dust so thick that it was impossible to see anything more than a few feet in front of her face. She covered her mouth with a sleeve to muffle a coughing fit.

"Keep going, Rei-san!" The voice originated from the end of the hallway, as if to lead the way. "You're almost there. Just a little bit…"

An odd zapping noise in the same place she heard the woman's voice fade away, followed by a sharp yelp and a thud, caused Rei to immediately freeze in place. A pall fell over her as confusion and fear set in, emotions exacerbated when the hallway was plunged into complete darkness.

"Hello? A-are you okay? What happened?"

"Oh, I'm perfectly fine, thank you very much." The masculine voice that responded was unfamiliar to Rei, but she immediately recognized the sarcasm in his tone. "Though, I can't quite say the same for you."

Frightened by the strange man's sinister voice, Rei swiveled on her heels and started to dash for the door, but she heard it slam shut before she could take even two paces. Footsteps echoed off the concrete walls as another person made a slow approach.

"You shouldn't have tried to escape." This one was a gruff feminine voice, and it was just as new and frightening to her as the man's. "Now there's nowhere you can go, and my idiot sister isn't around to help you."

"Hey, who's the idiot around here?" Rei immediately identified the third person, but that only intensified her despair. "I don't go around damaging the goods before we have a chance to use them. And, besides, you wouldn't even be on this operation if it weren't for me, dear Margaret."

There was a dismissive snort. "Damaging the goods? Speak for yourself, sis! Or have you forgotten why you were left at home the last time?"

"It was mutual! She wanted it as much as I did!"

"Yeah. She wanted your 'friendliness' so much that she killed herself before we could collect any real profit from it. A month's hard work ruined just so you could satisfy your sick urges."

"Girls!" His shout startled Rei, but it also achieved his primary goal of silencing the other two women. "Stop your pointless bickering for God's sake! It's getting on my nerves. Besides, we do have a hostage that we need to take care of. So, while I take care of this other one here, go make yourselves useful and take Miss Hino to the room."

"Yes, sir."

Hints of irritation lingered within their joined tones, but they immediately set off to work. Rei realized that fact when she heard the pair of footsteps grow louder. Before she could turn around she felt one hand tightly grasp and twist her arm and another shove her in the back. She collapsed to her knees, wincing as she felt sharp pain shoot up her legs from the impact. Her agony was increased by the chilly sensation she felt around her wrists. Metallic clanking and the inability to separate her hands no matter how hard she tugged them apart informed that it was due to handcuffs. It made her forget about the pressure across her eyes and ears caused by the blindfold that was tied tighter than necessary.

"Come on, move!" Rei figured it was Margaret who had hoisted her to her feet. "And you'd better not say a goddamned thing along the way, or else."

Several minutes and a lot more walking than she ever anticipated found the girl sitting alone once again. She did not know if it was the lack of cushioning in the flat surfaces of the steel chair or the fact her arms and legs were solidly handcuffed to it that was more painful. No amount of wriggling could free her appendages and swaying side-to-side or back-and-forth did nothing to move the chair. It must have been bolted to the floor. The blindfold prevented her from seeing anything within the room, but her ears told her there was a television somewhere in front of her. Not only was turned it on, she could easily comprehend the voices that came from the set as the people were speaking in Japanese. Her heart sank deeper into her stomach the longer she listened, for she knew exactly the subject of the news report.

"Yes, dear Rei, those people on TV are talking about you."

Rosa's entrance startled the shrine maiden, reducing her to whimpering tones. "Please, don't hurt me."

"Hurt you? You silly girl. As I said before, I don't want to hurt you. They do."

"B-but…"

"Oh, you're still thinking about those lies my dear sister Margaret told." Her voice betrayed a curious disappointment. "She didn't kill herself because of anything I did to her, because she actually wanted to be with me. No, she killed herself because of the constant torture from those two brutes, torture that I want to save you from having to endure. But, that's only if you want to be saved."

Rei could barely perceive the faint thuds of footsteps. Only when she felt the familiar cold touch of a soft hand caressing her cheek that she knew just how close Rosa was to her. She resisted the urge to flinch when she felt a finger slowly glide down the middle of her chest.

"So, have you made up your mind yet?"

She knew there was no real choice to make in the matter. Both of her available options were beyond terrible, especially since escape was no longer one of them. The knot in her throat was difficult to swallow as she performed the cold calculus necessary for survival.

I hate this disgusting woman with a passion. The last thing I want is to be her plaything. But, I might just be able to get the hell out of this if I'm with her than with them. I have no idea what they're going to do to me. This Margaret woman would probably beat me to death, and that man sounded even more sinister. I don't know how, but he even managed to defeat my guardian angel without using magic. If Rosa's being honest about not wanting to hurt me—well, beyond what she's already done to me—then it's an easy decision to make.

Though her mind was made up, Rei's whispered answer provided no outward indication of such certainty. "It's you."

"Is that right?" Almost childlike excitement permeated Rosa's voice. "You really do want to be friends with me?"

A hesitant nod of Rei's head was enough to change the entire atmosphere of the room. She groaned when she sensed an incredible weight settle upon her thighs. The ensuing increase in warmth across most of her body confirmed her suspicion of its source. She squirmed under the woman's tight embrace, one that pulled the two so close together to the point of almost suffocating. In her mind, that was merely the start of her misery. It worsened dramatically when she felt a smooth and pliable object brush against her lips. An intense desire to fight back surged within her, but she knew she could do nothing while she was restrained. A tear slipped down her cheek as she tried her best to ignore the unwanted sensations that filled her as Rosa pressed deeper into a passionate kiss. Though only a few seconds had elapsed before the woman pulled away, to Rei it felt like an eternity of torment.

"Oh, we're going to have so much fun together." Rosa leaned forward once again, but stopped right before their lips touched. She exhaled a sigh of frustration before letting go of the girl and rising to her feet. "Dammit! What horrible timing. But, we might as well stop and listen to this, as it has everything to do with both your current and future predicaments."

Thank God, Rei thought, but for good reason dared not utter aloud. Instead, she squealed when she felt the blindfold ripped free of her head. A winking Rosa was the first thing she saw upon opening her eyes.

"I might as well let you watch as well."

Rei turned her gaze toward the television, the large screen being unique in its modernity among the many items strewn about the room that were decades older. It displayed a large red curtain, before which stood a podium surrounded by microphones and handheld audio recorders. Several bright flashes indicated the presence of dozens of photographers who joined the television crews and reporters in documenting the event. The enormity of the scene confused her immensely.

"W-what is this?"

The woman laughed. "Your dear father fulfilling his promise to us. At least, it will be once the dullard shows up. Then you will learn the reasons why we brought you all the way out here from your home."

The excitement portrayed on television came to a crescendo when the man in question walked toward the podium. He carried a binder in one hand and a long cylindrical tube in the other. Several conflicting emotions flooded Rei when she saw her father step toward the microphones. Irritation and defiance had dominated during her last encounter with the man, and even despite her predicament they did not completely disappear. Those negative feelings were shoved aside in her mind, replaced by anxiety, regret, longing, and hope. In her nervousness, she almost failed to perceive Rosa arms gently wrap around her stomach as the woman leaned in and hugged her from behind.

"Heh. Though, if nothing else, it should be great entertainment."

—|1|2|3|—

"Hm. Touching." Sarcasm laced Rosa's giggles as she lifted a hand and used it to gently stroke Rei's cheek. "A bit delusional of your father, though, I must admit. And, sad. Quite the pity, really."

Rei did not hear a single word that flowed from that strange woman's lips. She barely even flinched when she felt the cold touch on her skin. Her gaze was fixed on the television screen and the continuing broadcast. Even though he no longer was on camera, having long departed to be replaced by network talking heads, her interest never wavered. In her mind she replayed the first part of her father's speech, the part addressed specifically to her.

I love you too, dad. I love you too. A tear fell from her eye and trickled down her face, to be wiped away by the back of Rosa's hand. She hardly budged. I'm here, dad. Please, come get me.

The screen flashed and went black, and it seemed to finally snap the girl out of her daze. Her return to reality occurred just in time to see Rosa slide around the chair and lean over her. Her arms and legs tensed as adrenaline surged through her body. Though, with those very appendages strapped to the chair, there was nothing she could do when the woman straddled her lap once again and draped her arms over her shoulders.

"You're mine, and I really don't want to give you up." Her impish smile widened as she brought her lips closer to Rei's. "Certainly not to a man as careless as him."

The shrine maiden narrowed her eyes into a fierce glare. "What are you going to do to me?"

"Honestly, I wanted us to enjoy our time together. Maybe… somewhat like this."

Despite Rei's desperate struggling, she could not escape from yet another long kiss from the woman she hated deeply. It eventually ended, but not soon enough to prevent being overwhelmed by disgust. Rosa's tone was more sardonic when she started to speak again.

"But then, there is the little issue of what you father did just a few minutes ago. He really went and made things so unnecessarily complicated, you see." The sight of the girl's furious expression shattering in the face of confusion made her chuckle. "I mean, you paid attention to what he did during that press conference, right? Not only did that make my job far harder than necessary, but frankly it ruins the mood." A minute grin flitted across Rosa's lips for the briefest moment as leaned in closer to Rei's ear to whisper. "And, probably more important for you, it makes it a whole lot more difficult for me to save you."

The implication behind Rosa's final sentence was not lost on Rei, and her resulting anxiety made her feel nauseous.

"N-no… Please, don't…"

"Shh. Hush, you. Remember, I told you that I'm not going to hurt you." Rosa gently caressed Rei's lips with the fingers of her right hand as she spoke. "I really do mean it, honest to God. But, my success depends entirely on you and what you decide to do. So, I need you to cooperate with me. Can you do that, if not for my sake then at least for yours?"

To say that Rei didn't need very much time to answer was an understatement. Despite the intense disgust she felt, all borne from that woman's proximity, and her more immediate fear and confusion, she still retained enough of her wits to sense that only one answer was correct. She loathed Rosa, wanted nothing more than to be as far from her as possible. But, as she trembled upon sucking in a shallow breath, she knew that wasn't the absolute truth. There was something she wanted even more than that. Rosa's request stood in her way. It was also her only route to escaping her present nightmare.

"Y-yes."

"Ah! Excellent!" Rosa squealed with excitement, eliciting a surprised yelp from Rei. "Now, I get that you don't trust me all that much, all things considered. I mean, who blindly trusts their abductor, especially one who's nicked you a time or two with a big, scary knife, hmm? But, no worries, dear lass. When I'm done here, I assure you that you'll be able to see your family and friends once again. Absolutely! I mean, you'll have to put up with me as well, I'm sorry to say, but I guess I can learn to share. Anyway, isn't that such a tiny price to pay—" she leaned forward once more so that her nose came barely a hair's width from touching Rei's— "especially when you want to see her again?"