Kaoru flinched as he felt the stinging starting up in his leg again. He whimpered as the pain of skin being torn apart burned in his calf, wishing for Hikaru to stop. It made him feel sick to think of Hikaru hurting himself, knowing it was his fault. Kaoru was the one feeling empty and numb, but the twins' emotions were linked as if they were one. Hikaru was clearly feeling everything Kaoru was, and probably more.
Kaoru tried to ignore the pain, knowing he would only cry if he thought of Hikaru, and focused on the wall across from him. Tomorrow was the day he would begin taking clients again, despite his stitches being less than halfway healed. He hadn't had to pull his alternate reality out in a few days, which was nice. He also hadn't seen much more than the four walls of his cell in the past few days, which was not nice.
While Kaoru was lost in thought, Mikami came in with his daily bowl of rice and half apple. He set it down near Kaoru's head.
"Your first ransom note goes out tomorrow at three am." Mikami whispered as he opened the water bottle for Kaoru, who still had limited movement.
"Ransom note?" Kaoru asked, furrowing his brow.
"They send one out, then once that's paid, another demanding double the amount of the first. Once that's paid, they keep you for a few more days, make some more money, then…"
Mikami didn't have to say the rest. Kaoru should have been terrified, but he was beyond a fear of dying. Nothing could be worse than what had happened to him already. Dying could be kind of nice. If he died, he wouldn't have to live with himself.
Then, his thoughts turned to Hikaru. If Kaoru died, there would be no way Hikaru would ever forgive himself. Both twins knew that they were the only people on the planet that they couldn't live without. They needed each other. If one was gone, the other would go. Kaoru wouldn't be able to live with himself if Hikaru died, so why would the situation change in a role reversal?
"I have a plan." Mikami mouthed before rising and leaving promptly.
"A plan?" Kaoru thought as he sat up and picked up his bowl of rice. He didn't much feel like eating after Mikami's speech, but he was already starving as it was, he didn't need to skip any meals, or these sorry excuses for meals.
When Mikami came back, he discretely dropped a tiny piece of paper next to Kaoru's hand, which Kaoru scooped up while Mikami stood between him and the camera. As Mikami left, Kaoru rolled over and pulled the blanket up, turning his back on the surveillance camera to read the note.
After Kaoru had finished skimming the few scrawled lines, he sighed. Mikami's plan was insane, and put him in immense danger, but it was the only hope Kaoru-and everyone else being kept prisoner-had.