Chapter 12

I basically wrote this after drinking a large Costa latte. I'm high on caffeine, guys, and I can't sleep. It's two in the morning.

Rin never bothered you again after that visit. Well, probably not never, but you had a hard time telling what time it was with Yamazaki being so keen on drawing the curtains.

You had mastered the art of solitaire, but rarely ever played it any more because of the arrival of the board games. The competitiveness of Monopoly was just what you needed to take the edge off your boredom. It's a bonus to see Yamazaki's face as he loses yet again.

"If I win this round, you have to do whatever I want,Yamazaki," you said smugly as you rolled the die again.

"Nothing that involves your freedom," Yamazaki sighed as he landed on one of your properties. "Also, no loopholes, because I will know." He gave you a glare that sent chills down your spine.

"Are those conditions?" you teased. "C'mon, Yamazaki, don't be a party pooper."

"For the last time, call me Sousuke. We're living together."

"Isn't that the wrong level of intimacy between an abductor and abductee?" you asked light-heartedly as you held out your hand for the cash. If he lands on another one of your properties he's gonna lose, so you'd better seal the deal quick.

"Is that even a word?" He still had his usual emotionless mask on, but was that a trace of frustration you heard in his voice?

You laughed as he landed on your utility slot. "My dear Sousuke," you put special emphasis on the name. "I believe you just lost your sixteenth game of Monopoly."

Yamazaki leaned away from the board with a huge sigh and put his head in his hand. "State your terms, (Name)." It seemed like he was just as bored as you were, stuck in this room for days on end.

You pondered for a moment. "Can I step foot outside of the building?"

"No."

Well, it was worth asking. "Can I step out of the room and explore the building?"

"As long as you're blindfolded," Yamazaki offered immediately.

You glared at him. "How's that exploring? Also, can I request a plant for the room? It's awfully dull in here."

"Whatever." Yamazaki sighed and stood up, whipping his phone out to send some texts, probably to make arrangements to accommodate your requests. "Anything else, Your Highness?" He drawled. At least he was using sarcasm, and thus showing some sort of emotion towards you.

"I want your phone for five minutes, unlocked."

Yamazaki did a double take. "Say what now? No."

"Why not?" you said, standing up to make yourself more intimidating. It didn't really work because of the height difference. "It's not about my freedom. I'm just genuinely curious."

"About secrets of the organization, yeah, I get that," Yamazaki shot back. "No." He turned back to his screen and you wondered how hard you'd have to hit him in order to knock him out. Instinctively, you sized him up, and he must've seen what you were doing because he adopted a defensive stance.

"Oh, you wanna go, asshole?" you crouched in an attacking stance, preparing to launch yourself at him like how you did to Makoto just a mere few days before. Remembering this made you pause to think whether or not doing this would get you killed. You had to stay safe for Makoto. He's going to be so worried about you.

You only had a brief moment of hesitation, but didn't get the chance to initiate a fight with the man denying you his phone because the door burst open, and half a dozen men rushed in. They were all wearing black - no big surprise there - and had pistols aimed at you.

"Hello, gentlemen," you said calmly. Yamazaki never recovered his usual position and was still putting up his arms in an attempt to ward off any future attacks. "What brings you here?" You relaxed, but no one else did, which irritated you. Didn't they know pointing firearms at an unarmed person is considered rude?

"Put the fucking pistols down, dammit!" You yelled, and to your delight you swore a few of them nearly squeezed the trigger. Did you really terrify them that much? How are you going to take down seven people at once without getting shot anyway?

"Dicks." You sat down on the bed, whipping out the cards and dealing out a solitaire game. "Leave me alone."

Finally the men lowered their guns, but remained in the room anyway. You glared at Yamazaki. You seemed to do a lot of glaring lately, and it was really straining your eyes. "Make them leave, Yamazaki."

He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said you wanted a tour." He produced a blindfold seemingly out of thin air. That was a technique you needed to learn - how to conjure shit out of nothing. Everyone seemed to know how to do that except you.

"And they are here because…?" You gestured to the men who were shifting uncomfortably. "Do you really need seven people to escort me around the building?"

"You were… classified as unpredictable." Someone said. The men had formed a semi-circle around you. It made you think of the bodyguard days you had with Makoto. Oh God, I sound like I'm dying. Which you most definitely weren't, because you knew how to take care of yourself.

"Unpredictable my ass. You guys probably know how to read my mind or some shit." You stood up, which made the six newcomers step back. "Yamazaki, tell them to fuck off."

"Can't do that, I'm not responsible for them." But judging by his tone, you could tell he'd love to tell them to fuck off.

You sighed audibly, and stood up. "I'll be filing a complaint, just fucking watch me." Yamazaki came over to blindfold you, and you could just almost pretend there weren't six idiots following you.

After what seemed like an eternity, Yamazaki stopped leading you down hallways and corridors and took your blindfold. The darkness confused you. Why weren't you back in the room?

"Sit down, (name)," Yamazaki's voice echoed around the room weirdly. You immediately knew this was going to be a trick of some sort. Where were the six people? Probably hiding in the shadows. You crouched, ready to make a break for it… if you could locate the door.

"Sit down," he repeated, and you could make out the distinctive sound of a gun being loaded.

You glanced around for a fucking chair. "Do enlighten me on how to find a chair in total darkness."

Not a moment after you had said that, you heard a metal chair being dragged up. You shot out an arm to intercept whoever it was, but didn't hit anyone. Strange.

Feeling the pressure of more than one gun trained on you, you sat down, completely on edge. Your small triumph with the Monopoly game seemed to have been turned against you. Without warning, the lights came on, and ropes snaked across your chest, arms and legs, binding you to the chair once again.

You were in the same room you'd been in when you first arrived. Yamazaki was still by the door, and you expected Rin to show up at any moment. The six guys were standing in front of you, holding their guns where you could see them.

Rin came in a few minutes later, rolling a portable TV with him. "Oooh, is it movie night?" you infused as much fake enthusiasm as you could into your voice. "Are you trying to brainwash me?"

"Shut her up," Rin said in a tired voice. Yamazaki came over and stuffed a cloth down your throat just as you were about to object. Damn you should learn to control your mouth.

"Someone has requested an audience with you," Rin said, having his clipboard out again and was flipping through the pages. "I'm not sure how he managed to contact us, but the boss gave the green light so let's do this." He leaned over to turn on the TV, and you were expecting something more than static. Yamazaki came over to place a few gadgets around the TV, presumably a mic and a camera. What?

"Also, there's this script you're going to follow, or we'll shoot you in the leg or something." Rin seemed exceptionally tired today. Why? So many questions, not enough room in your mouth to form the words. He pointed to his clipboard, in which you could make out some words printed on there. They were ridiculous. No way were you going to say that.

You didn't have to, anyway, not with your mouth full of cloth.

After Yamazaki had tinkered with the contraption set a ways in front of you, you heard a familiar voice. "(Name)...? (Name)!" A man's outline gradually replaced the static on the TV.

You nearly knocked yourself over trying to scoot closer. It was Makoto! Makoto! You tried to assure him you were alright, but all you could do was make a few muffled sounds. You decided to give up on the scooting after balancing precariously on two legs of the chair, almost toppling over.

"You're alright? Thank God… I assumed the worst." Makoto looked ready to cry, but you could see underneath he had unlimited rage and fury. "Who did this?" Clearly he saw that you were bound and gagged, so this question was more to himself than you.

Rin cleared his throat and tapped his clipboard a few times. You glared at him, and made no promises. Meanwhile, Makoto was trying his best to triangulate your position and the track the transmission coming from the TV, but was probably having no luck.

One of the men detached themselves from the shadows to remove the gag. You gasped for air dramatically, managing to attract your boyfriend's attention without the need for words.

"Rin, Sousuke, how about you both stop being such big fat LIARS and come fucking join me!" you yelled loudly and clearly, emphasizing each word. You weren't sure if Makoto could receive sound, but you were certain he could read lips - and he should know how yours worked the best.

"Fucker," Rin growled at you, coming to stand beside you and glare at the TV. "Just when I was hoping I could get away with not joining this conference call. Hello, Makoto." He flashed the investigator his signature fake smile.

"So that's why I've been unable to reach you," Makoto said, his eyes lighting up in mock humor and sarcasm. "You've ran off to join a cult! And with Sousuke, too. No wonder no one's seen him at work for the past month."

Rin yawned. "I'm tired. I'll let your precious jewel here do the talking." His tone sounded almost apologetic as he placed the clipboard on your lap. You're guessing Makoto couldn't see that far down since he looked somewhat confused. You froze for a moment, realizing that Makoto meant that Sousuke had worked for the government before joining this… organization? So your sources hadn't been wrong in warning them to replace the government's circle. You did remember warning Makoto about spies… maybe you hadn't been specific enough. But then again, it would've been too late anyway.

Rin gestured impatiently to the script.

"Yeah, I'm supposed to read from this script here," you said, glancing at the piece of paper there. "It's, like, ransom statements or something. The basic kidnapping shit, y'know? Anyway," you managed to slide the board off your lap. Time to get some answers. "How long have I been gone for?"

"Nearly a week," Makoto frowned. "What do you mean, ransom?"

Off to the side, you could hear someone cock their gun. "Y'know, ransom, like money, lives, that kind of thing."

You felt something hard poke the back of your head. Glancing around, you found that Yamazaki had vanished. It was probably him who had settled himself behind you, while attaching the barrel of that gun to your head. From his angle, Makoto probably didn't see him. Your mind worked furiously. How could you get out of this? You were dimly aware of Makoto demanding what the ransom terms were. Like hell you were gonna give it to him. You knew from his face he would do anything to have you safe again, even if it didn't necessarily mean in his arms.

"You know what," you said, tearing your eyes away from the script to glare at Rin. "Fuck your script." You turned your attention to Makoto. "I don't need help. I'm fine."

Makoto looked like he doubted you. A lot. There were a few more clicks around the room. It wasn't like you hadn't been shot before. It wasn't too too bad.

"You want me to prove it?" You said light-heartedly, the faintest trace of a smile playing on your lips. You dropped the tone of humor and smile immediately, switching to your most serious and darkest expression so Makoto would know you were not shitting him. "I'll fucking prove it." You hissed.

You could tell everyone had questions. You leaned forward, away from Yamazaki's gun and taking your chair with you, and jerked sideways so you had floored Rin.