Ryu felt the tension in the air the following morning. He woke up in his mansion with an ominous air that something extremely bad was going to happen today.

"Do you want any breakfast today, Ryu-sama?" a voice asked through Ryu's closed eyes.

"No, I'm not hungry. I'll get up in a minute." He didn't want to deal with these people, right now. He just…didn't.

Groggily, Ryu forced himself to get up and start this whole routine all over again. He put on the freshly washed clothes that had been prepared for him and left, skipping breakfast.

The train ride had a peaceful monotony as always until Kyu came up to him screaming in distress,

"Ryu! Did you hear? Ryoma's been convicted for murder!"

What?

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Earlier in the morning Rizaya made bail. His eyes surveyed Ryoma, noticing every detail to figure out how exactly he managed to get two billion yen in the space of twenty four hours.

Ryoma was sweating more than usual and a sheet of perspiration was forming on the edge of his forehead. He was twitching his fingers slightly and holding himself up a little too straight. Oh god… So the plan did work. For about a minute their eyes met and in a second they both knew what was happening. A flash of guilt, the first guilt he had ever felt passed through Rizaya's mind so fast he didn't really notice it.

Ryoma opened his mouth to speak. "Your Honor," he said, "I murdered those people."

"What?" All eyes stared at Ryoma.

"It was me, my brother had no involvement. I pretended to be him and organized the whole thing. I confess."

The entire courtroom was speechless. "W-well, what are you waiting for," the judge yelled at the police officer. Arrest him!"

The feeling of happiness that Rizaya felt was so sadistic it engulfed him with a pleasure almost sexual.

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"Where is he?" Ryoma asked a stranger while being given his one phone call. "You know who I'm talking about."

"He's safe," the stranger responded in a deep overly masculine altered voice, "He's being fed breakfast and dinner and the only injuries he should have is a callous on his ass for sitting so long. But it won't stay that way if I don't get the money soon."

"I understand. My brother will take care of that problem."

A sigh of gratitude, like having a tedious job taken care of, came from the other end. "With that done, there aren't any more problems in need of resolve?"

"No," Ryoma said curtly and hung up. Maybe juvy wouldn't be so bad if he only had to deal with mindless idiots instead of random people like whoever that was. Hell, maybe it could even be an improvement.

TIME PERIOD BREAK

Rizaya paced back and forth through his rented hotel apartment over a bottle of scotch weighing his options. On one hand he could annul the agreement he and Ryoma had, break off their connection for good, and bail out on the pay day he would have to give all the professional kidnappers Ryoma hired and who really cared about what would happen to the hostage? On the other hand, well… Ryoma was a good kitten. Seriously, he worshipped Rizaya, and Rizaya had to give him credit for that. The best thing to with Ryoma in mind would be swallow his pride, pay the kidnappers and hire a damn good lawyer that had strings attached in higher places.

But the infamous Echizen Rizaya couldn't be bothered with the task of thinking about other people could he, not in his position? Because, if he started adding in all the variables, he would be treading on ground which couldn't be stepped upon. And so, Rizaya made his decision.

He fumbled over the numbers on the phone before managing to press the right ones in order, "You know what, Ernie?" he slurred in drunken haze, "Cancel the payment and go fuck yourself." He didn't feel competent enough to say any more without passing out.

"Whatever shit got up your head, Echizen, you're going to regret it!" the voice blared out from the receiver, "I still got that Tezuka kid with me, and trust me, he ain't gonna be going anywhere!"

Rizaya lay slumped kneeling at the foot of his bed passed out, and Ryoma was being held in custody by the Japanese police possibly being convicted of more crimes than anyone else in the history of Japan. Nobody got the message.

That was three weeks ago. Judging from the fact that Ryoma was still in prison, waiting for the date of his trial to be announced, he got the feeling that the ransom wasn't paid. Oh Rizaya, I'm stupid. I'm so stupid. What was I thinking? Rizaya showing a thread of compassion? The world will end first.

But now, what would happen to Tezuka, and the rest of the people who were held captive? If his family found out then… oh dear.

"Get me out of here!" he screamed, "It's important! Of I don't the family, and the…"

"No one's gonna hear you kid and if fey do, what makes you fink fey gonna listen? Shut up an' let me sleep." A grime-cemented, toothless man croaked from the opposite cell.

So this is what he had been reduced to.

Forest on the edge of town

"Get out here! All of you! Kizuma, lead them out!" he called out angrily with a loaded 8-milimeter gun. The lackey obeyed.

He shot the one nearest to him, a woman no older than twenty seven. The bullet hit her on the bridge of her nose before she even noticed it and she collapsed to the floor. The rest of the captives, about twenty five people ranging from the ages of sixteen to sixty six were garbed in dirty clothes that they had probably been wearing for over a week. Their hands were tied together with coarse rope.

"Now there's a little problem that has yet to be dealt with everyone." He fired another shot at nothing in particular. "I'm supposed to be paid, you know, for keeping you all alive." He took a sip of whiskey with his free hand, "The thing is, I just found out that my payday ain't coming. So now I don't know what to do with you." Stifled gulps and sobs were heard.

"But the good news is that I've already thought of a solution," he continued. "I want 40 million yen from each of you in a week as compensation. If you pay you get to leave, if not you end up like whoever that is."