"Your plan is dumb!" Sawamura aggressively whispered, rather needlessly considering they were the only two in the room at the moment. Not that Kazuya could fault him, since there was no evidence proving whether or not their kidnapper had the place wire-tapped. What he was sure of, was that there weren't any cameras strategically placed to monitor them. Kazuya knows because their kidnapper has taken to bringing a camera in to record during each of their torture sessions. So why would he bring a camera if there were some well-hidden to capture every angle? It was easy to deduce that there weren't any from that as well as the fact that there really wasn't anywhere to hide surveillance cameras without them being noticeable. However, the same couldn't be said for microphones. Before Kazuya hashed out his plan to Sawamura, he had scoured the place for any indications that bugs had been planted. And when he found none, he swept the room again and even recruited Sawamura to search for a second opinion, in case Kazuya had missed a location that could be deemed suspicious. Which was highly possible since his glasses had been broken, leaving him to squint into the far corners of cabinets. It didn't help that neither of them would be able to see any taps on the ceiling from their positions on the floor, even with Sawamura's excellent eyesight.

Kazuya was especially concerned with one being hidden in the vent.

Call it paranoia, but Kazuya wasn't going to take any risks. His plan itself was already going to be sketchy, and the chance of it succeeding was low and could result in their untimely death, but Kazuya would rather chance an opportunity to escape rather than be found out before they could put the plan into motion. Even after Kazuya couldn't find any wire-taps, he still sequestered them both into the bathroom, where there were fewer areas to hide microphones, to lay out his scheme to Sawamura in hushed tones. He had even turned the faucet of the bathtub on to help cover their voices from the echo of the bare walls.

Kazuya internally enjoyed the switch of emotions that played distinctly across Sawamura's face as he relayed his plan; starting with confusion, shock, to full bewilderment. The explanation was interrupted multiple times with exclamations that Kazuya waited out with practiced ease before Sawamura fell tentatively quiet towards the end.

"It is dumb," Kazuya readily agreed. They sat next to the tub, facing each other, as water crashed against the porcelain and gurgled down the drain. Sawamura had been in a kneeled position previously but had slapped his palms on the tile in front of him to lean into Kazuya's bubble with his heated outburst. At Kazuya's easy concession, Sawamura simply glared at him for several long seconds until, with a sigh that Kazuya didn't so much hear as see, he sat back against his heels and shifted completely to sit criss-cross; defeated. Kazuya had to fight back a sad smile at Sawamura's blind trust in his calls, that it extended outside of the field where it could literally cost their lives. That he would fight Kazuya in pretense more than to actually debate against him. Kazuya allowed himself a moment to mull over the wonderment of someone trusting him so thoroughly; he knew Sawamura believed him when it really mattered, but he had no idea it grew to this level of faith. A conviction that was as solid as glass yet just as fragile. And if mishandled, could cause it to shatter completely; never to be pieced back together. He couldn't even be sure if Sawamura was aware of how easily he placed something so delicate in Kazuya's hands. It was gratifying and utterly terrifying.

Kazuya clenched his fist in his lap against the sudden, strong urge to hold Sawamura; to protect him from the evils that roamed the world, but now wasn't the time. If, when, they make it out, then, and only then, will Kazuya allow himself to give in to the desire. For now, the revelation instantly had him come to the resolve to ensure the plan succeeded, regardless of the low odds, not for himself, but for Sawamura's sake.

"Then, who's gonna do what?" Sawamura finally asked. The main strategy consisted of a distractor and an attacker. One of them would need to somehow distract the kidnapper to give the other an opening to attack, and hopefully knock the man out, or incapacitate him long enough for them to escape. Whichever roles they took were entirely situational.

"That'll depend on whoever is given the opportunity to distract him first." Kazuya began to explain, "There's a high chance we won't even be able to plan the exact moment to act, and instead rely on striking whenever we see an opening." He paused to allow Sawamura a chance to intervene; however, he simply stared at the tile between them, brows furrowed in thought, so Kazuya continued, "Whichever one of us is able to read the situation and react first will be the distracter." He finished; silently telling himself to make sure he notices before Sawamura, knowing that the confrontation will be especially violent for whoever approaches the man.

"Okay," Sawamura immediately concurred as he quickly lifted his head to make eye contact. Kazuya saw the familiar look of determination in the set of his jaw and the hardness of his eyes, and normally Kazuya loved to see it, but here, it filled him with concern that Sawamura might do something stupid.

"I'm gonna remind you how much of a disadvantage we are in," Kazuya felt he should add, "We're malnourished and injured, and for whatever reason, he's a lot stronger than he looks. Even without the injuries, we would be hard-pressed to take him on, regardless of it being two-to-one." Sawamura simply nodded once; determination unphased. Kazuya could only release a sigh of his own, knowing full well he'll just have to work around Sawamura or act before he can do something foolish.

With that, they wrapped up their meeting by shutting the tap off and exiting the bathroom to begin preparation before they can even think of enacting the plan. The most important thing they would need was a weapon; there was simply no way they'll be able to pull it off bare-handed, and Kazuya already had a choice in mind. As soon as he left the bathroom, he strode over to the pipe that jutted out of the floor and into the wall; the one he had been tied to several times already. The first time, when the kidnapper had taken Sawamura to the bathroom, Kazuya had noticed the connection of the pipe was loose somewhere but forgot to check it out more thoroughly afterward with all the events that had followed. It remained in the back of his mind, however; and when he started to formulate a plan, he worked it around using the pipe.

The pipe was rather thin, but not overly so, and should be quite comfortable to hold in a tight grip. If anything, Kazuya was more concerned with how old and rusted it was, and how that may affect its integrity. Regardless, it'll have to do, seeing as there were no other options. Kazuya examined where it connected to a piece that protruded out of the ground and the part just before the ninety-degree bend into the wall to figure out how to even separate it; all while Sawamura hovered over his shoulder with many questions and unhelpful tips. For his sanity, Kazuya shooed Sawamura towards the door to be on lookout duty in case they were granted a surprise visit. Rather predictably, Sawamura sulked, and Kazuya couldn't help but kiss the pout from his lips before he shoved his flustered boyfriend in the right direction. With his new semi-peace, other than Swamura loudly whispering to ask how it was coming every couple of minutes, Kazuya found that with a strong grip, and ignoring the pull on the wounds along his palms, he could twist the entire middle segment of pipe that caused flakes of rust to sprinkle down and rub off onto his hands, but it worked.

At least, the bottom came free. The top may require force, which Kazuya didn't want to do until the time for its use came. He wanted to be able to prop the pipe back into place to make it appear as normal, and if he accidentally broke it in the process, the kidnapper would find it and remove it from the premise; if that were to happen, Kazuya wasn't sure if there'll be another option before they inevitably die from starvation, dehydration, or from injury.

Not even moments after he set the bottom end back into place, that he heard the familiar hiss from the vents. Sawamura immediately rushed over with the need to be close before they both fell under. The wait for the gas to kick in was beginning to take longer each time, leaving Kazuya to assume their bodies were adjusting to the dosage. That discovery had been what initially launched Kazuya's brain into action with his plan. He counted the seconds as well as he was able before the haze clouded his mind and tugged him into his conscience. His last thought was that he got somewhere around four minutes until the gas fully took over and everything went black.


They did not get an opportunity to enact the plan during their kidnappers' sick torture session and were forced to endure it as if they didn't have a scheme. A part of Kazuya was afraid the man would somehow know or find out what they were planning with each sudden pause or outburst of laughter. That he would turn and accuse them of trying to escape; that he'll wander over and tear the pipe right out of the wall and take it with him when he left. Kazuya made a conscious effort to not look anywhere in the pipe's direction, in the off chance that his gaze gives everything away. Thankfully, the man appeared to be unaware; unless he was toying with them, to build them into a false sense of security then rip it right out from under them.

They had to proceed as if the kidnapper did not know. They could not hesitate.

A chance did not arise for what felt like weeks but could have easily been mere days. It began with the vent spewing out gas that had Kazuya immediately instructing Sawamura to hold his breath before he towed him into the bathroom and shut the door behind them. Kazuya cranked the handle of the only faucet on the sink as far as it would go and made Sawamura thoroughly flush his eyes out and stressed to him to not use his hands. After he was done, Kazuya took his turn while Sawamura shook the water from his fringe and blinked the drops out of his eyes. Kazuya ignored the sting in the wound on his face from the water that seeped into the gaps as he focused on counting the seconds. He was nearing roughly ten minutes since the initial moment the gas flowed, but it should have stopped by now. Kazuya was unsure how long the man waited to enter the room after he gassed it, but he didn't appear affected by any of the remnants that may still linger in the air.

Unless, that is, if he filters the room before he comes in. At least, that's what Kazuya was banking on. The bathroom door would lower their exposure to the gas, and flushing their eyes would help rinse out any of the chemicals that may have leaked in through them. Since their bodies adjusted to the gas, they should be able to withstand the little they may take in from here on out.

Kazuya slipped out of the bathroom with Sawamura close behind him and made a bee-line for their usual spot in the corner. The hardest part was now; the moment where they needed to act like they had been knocked out by the gas, and make it as realistic as possible to not raise suspicion. Quickly, they both laid down on the floor and tailored their positions in a way to hopefully not appear intentional. They didn't know how much time they had before the kidnapper showed up, so they had to make sure they were ready as soon as possible to not get caught off guard.

Slowly, breathe slowly!

Kazuya had to continuously force himself to breathe deep, and slow enough to replicate someone who was actually asleep; however, that was easier said than done with how fast, and hard his heart was beating in his chest. The kidnapper hadn't even entered and Kazuya was already on the verge of panic, and he knew Sawamura wasn't faring any better, what with the shaky exhales that ghosted over his shoulder from their proximity. Even simply keeping his eyes closed was difficult as he found they would instantly pop back open each time he tried. The urge to squeeze them shut was strong, and he caught himself doing just that a couple of times before he forced himself to relax them again. For whatever reason, his body refused to allow him to leave his eyes closed. From fear, probably. Fear of not knowing what was going on around him and being left in the dark.

They lay there for quite some time. It had gotten to the point where Kazuya was flipping between hope that the kidnapper showed up soon so they could get it over with, and wishing that the kidnapper wouldn't come in at all and they could try again another time when Kazuya could mentally prepare himself for the complete stress he was under from the wait alone. He could hear how antsy Sawamura was growing as the minutes ticked by as he shifted his limbs every couple of seconds before he remembered he wasn't supposed to move.

And of course, that was when a sound at the door startled them both into paralysis. Kazuya even held his breath as the door creaked open followed by the heavy thuds from boots as they stepped over the threshold. The door closed more silently than when it was pushed wide.

Breathe!

Kazuya had to remind himself to actually release the breath he held in a slow exhale from his nose, fully self-aware of the rise and fall of his chest, and how something as small as breathing too fast or short could ruin everything. He tried to lay as still as possible as the footsteps made their way around the room, and he was so focused and high-strung, that he very nearly flinched at the sound of something being set onto the metal table.

He remembered too late that he was supposed to be searching for an opportunity as the air beside him shifted with movement. Kazuya's eyes snapped open to first locate the kidnapper, and seeing his back turned towards them, he allowed his eyes to drift to Sawamura; where he had silently pushed himself up to all fours, poised on his fingertips and toes, and appearing like a spring-loaded piston about to release all its tension. Kazuya hadn't had a lot of time to process what was about to happen before Sawamura launched himself at the man, full throttle. The sound of bare feet slapping concrete quickly drew the mans attention in surprise, but with Sawamura's headstart and speed, he was only able to turn his head slightly before Sawamura dove and tackled the man around his waist; using his momentum to topple the man painfully against the edge of the immovable, metal table.

Immediately, Kazuya rolled to his side and leveraged himself up, and pulled his feet underneath him before he, too, launched himself the short distance to the pipe; all while he tried to ignore the distinct sounds of flesh being struck behind him. With both hands, he gripped the pipe and tugged, the bottom easily popped free, but unfortunately, the part connecting it to the wall remained steadfast. Kazuya was afraid this would happen.

"Fuck!" Kazuya grit out under his breath. He adjusted his grip and pulled; putting his weight behind each forceful tug until it felt like all he was doing was simply trying to bend the pipe. An abrupt yelp, that couldn't be anyone other than Sawamura, followed by the sound of a body dropping, had Kazuya switch his grip so his hands were closer to the bend and placed his foot on the wall for better leverage. Again, he dropped his weight backward, but this time with the added push from his leg. The metal groaned in protest before suddenly, it snapped free and nearly caused Kazuya's own momentum to send him sprawling to the floor. Thankfully, Kazuya brought his foot back down just in time to catch himself.

Kazuya spun around to find the man towering over Sawamura's form. It took all his might not to immediately charge. He only had one shot, and he couldn't rush hastily in, even if it pained him to watch the man's booted foot slam into Sawamura's side. It wasn't until he was making his slow approach that Kazuya realized he couldn't actually hear anything over the sound of his own heartbeat, almost as if it had relocated itself inside his head with how loud it was.

As he got closer, his vision tunneled until all he saw was the back of the man's head and raised the pipe up in preparation.

Just imagine you're swinging at a baseball; aiming for a homerun! Kazuya told himself as he stopped directly behind the man; hands tightly wrapped around the pipe. The kidnapper must have sensed his presence because Kazuya could see that he was about to turn around, but too late, Kazuya had already swung, full force at the back of his skull, where the pipe collided solidly on bone. The shock of the impact radiated down his arms, but Kazuya refused to lose his grip. The man toppled to the side, with barely any support with Sawamura clinging to one of his legs and preventing him from even righting his balance. Kazuya hadn't seen Sawamura move, but he must have noticed Kazuya's approach, and reacted accordingly. At the moment, Kazuya didn't have time to think about that as the man had flopped over onto his back and was already pushing himself up.

Without hesitation, Kazuya rounded the man and raised the pipe high above his head before swinging it back down until the ninety-degree bend of the pipe smacked him dead center of his face, where blood instantly flowed from the man's nostrils. Again, Kazuya raised the pipe once more and swung it down with the added force of his adrenaline. Over and over he beat the man's face until he finally stopped moving. Kazuya could no longer make out the kidnappers' features through all the blood, but he didn't trust sticking around any longer to see if he was going to stay down. They needed to leave, now.