Yet again, a really short chapter. Sorry! Oh, and thank you to everyone who reviewed!
Tsume
It's been days. I can't tell how many, but judging on the feeding times, it has most definitely been days. We've watched as others have been taken from their cells, and brought back, and taken again, some are only gone for an hour; others are gone for a few meals. They leave our light on all the time. Maybe so we won't be able to sleep and it would make us easier to control, maybe so they can always watch us, I don't know, I don't care about that anymore. What I do care about is the fact that they've turned off other cells' lights and the halls' lights countless times, and Kiba still isn't back.
Others get taken to the 'bathhouse', as I've heard them call it, about once a day, it was hard to be sure. They also had toilets in their cells; we had been given a bucket. Also, Kimi never got taken to see 'clients', or 'customers', or 'guests'. She sat in her cell with a book, glad when food came, happy when she was brought some colouring pencils, and bouncy while spending hours talking to Toboe. Why was she even here? What happened to that so called 'heat' she'd been getting, when we first awoke here, they had implied that she was over worked. I'm glad that she isn't, being so young and all, but why the hell isn't Kiba getting some down time? Why the hell isn't he here!
"Where is he?" I yell at our guard again. I'd been asking nonstop. We'd had the guard called Tay again, who liked to taunt us with statements like 'look at the pretty wolves, totally defenseless, totally at my mercy'. He had issues. Other guards whose names we didn't catch, would just look at us and sneer, and liked to toss our food at us. And when we demanded some water, it was tossed at us, drenching us. At least we didn't have to ask for a wash then.
I start pacing again. I hadn't been able to sleep, and not because the lights were on. It kept running through my head, it should have been me, I should have stepped forward, and I should have pulled him back. There were so many things I should have done. And something was wrong, very wrong, it was a feeling that ran down my spine, something was happening to Kiba, something terrible, worse than what he had to do before. He had been angry after that first…customer. Anger we could deal with, if he was angry it meant he could still come back from this, but what would he be feeling now, going through…whatever, for so many days? Can he still survive after that?
Steps echo down the hallway and Kai comes into view. He wears army clothing like the other guards, boots, dark cargo pants, tan or green coloured tops, sometimes a vest or jacket, occasionally a green beanie. His sharp blue eyes glance over at us briefly and then he heads to the cell opposite ours. Kimi's cell. I watch him with narrow eyes; what's he doing there? A few of the guards often paid visits to some of the other 'workers', he better not be doing that, with a child.
"Kimi, how are you?" he says quietly, sitting next to her on her cot. She smiles happily up at him, dark curls bouncing.
"I'm fine! How are you?" she chirps
"Fine. Do you need anything? Want anything?" He's straight and to the point.
"I've got everything I need I suppose, but I'd like something to play with, or another book to colour in!" she grins at him. "Thank you so much for the last one!"
"It's no problem Kimi, just let me know the second there's something else you want" He hugged her close. "I should be on guard duty tonight, but I'll tell the men in the kitchens to give you an extra serving of desert first"
"Thank you, Kai. I love you" He brought her extra close, and mumbled something to her. Then he stood and exited her cell. I don't know what to think.
"Oi!" I snap as he walks past. He stops, standing still as a statue. "Where is Kiba?" He shifts uneasily.
"He's being punished. He displeased a guest." He doesn't even look at me; just keeps staring straight ahead.
"Being punished? What does that involve? What are they doing to him?" I manage to keep the desperation out of my tone, keeping my voice rough and angrily demanding.
"It depends. Could just be a beating. Or rape. If the humans are getting really into it, they employ various forms of torture." He says it in his usual deadpan voice, but he still stand tense, and it didn't escape my notice that he said 'the humans', I knew there was something different about him. No human has the strength and speed he displayed on our first day here.
"Well, what are they doing to him?" I growl "How long has it been?"
"I avoid the bad room when I can; I don't know what they're doing. He's been there for nearly a week now." He pauses "They have more fun with wolves". I don't know what to say. Why would they have more fun punishing a wolf? Because we can take more pain? Because we're harder to break? Because they know he could hurt them, but won't? And then, they've had other wolves here. That was also implied when we first got here, but I wasn't thinking then.
"Are there other wolves here? Or did they get out?" One way or another.
"No one gets out." Is all Kai says.
"I will get Kiba out! And my pack!"
"What makes you think you can, when others couldn't?" He finally turns around. He stares right at me with open curiosity, ignoring my pack; who are listening in. I falter. I don't know how I'm going to do it, I don't why I believe I can, all I know is that I will do it. I have to. He saves me from having to respond. "You love him don't you?" I glance back. Hige is looking at me knowingly, an eyebrow raised, almost challenging me to admit it. Toboe cocks his head to the side startled by the question, and hopeful?
"...Yes" I finally murmur. "Yes, I do."
"Would you take his place?"
"Yes." I don't pause this time; I would definitely take his place.
"What's your name?" I blink at him; that came out of nowhere.
"Tsume." I state uncertainly. Where is this going?
Kai nods, and walks away.