Before I forget (haha, I'm listening to the Slipknot song by that name…). Ahem, before I forget, Lalage is not pronounced "la-laj" but "lal-la-jay" (with a soft j sound.)

In silence, Seto slipped in and out of sleep. He lost all track of time in the eternally dim dungeon. Upon waking, one time, he discovered the bread replaced with a more decent-looking stew and a mug of milk. But still, he turned up his nose, even as his limbs grew weak with hunger, even as it felt as though his stomach was caving in.

If he wasn't going to get out one way, he'll get out another.

A close examination of the bars revealed that it was almost impossible to get out with just his bare hands. The bars went into the stone ground. He wished he had an electric current and something to help dissolve the bars, or at least a spoon to sharpen and do something with. But alas, his captors seemed intelligent. They gave him nothing useful.

The man Mamoru constantly tried to strike up conversations with Seto, who steadily ignored him. Seto didn't want to bother himself with this silly old man with his silly belief in vampires. But his unresponsiveness did not stop Mamoru. Oh, not at all.

"So how did Lalage get you? Me, she faked my death. Pushed my car off a bridge, and when they couldn't find my body, they pronounced me missing, presumably dead…."

Another day: "You need to eat. Look, she even gave you nice food. Please eat, I don't want you to die. It's been so lonely, and I finally have someone to talk to… You need to eat. Nothing will be solved if you die. Lalage… she won't let you die, either. There will be repercussions…."

And another day: "Do you have any family? I think about mine every day, even as their faces and names fade from my memories. My wife, oh boy was she a beauty. Quite the personality too. She was quirky and hard to please, but so very loving and loyal. When it was her funeral, the sky cried along with everyone there."

It was here that Seto cracked. "Just shut up! Okay? Shut up! I am sick of hearing you pity yourself and moan on how you can't remember your life! Just suck it up. Life is unfair, and you just need to see that!"

Mamoru was silent for days after his outburst.

There came a day when Seto couldn't move for the hunger. The fresh stew set at the front of his cell tempted him, baited him. But he wouldn't give in. He'll escape on way or another, and this way was coming to a close soon.

Or at least, that's what he thought. That day, when he couldn't move, a dark figure entered the dungeon. Heels click-clacked against the stone steps. He watched the shadowy figure of a woman walk towards his cell as Mamoru whispered, "Oh no, you've done it now."

She stood in front of the bars, and he could see her eyes glow red. From her silhouette, Seto could see that she was wearing what looked like a medieval dress. Her voice was sharp and angry. "Seto, I know what you're trying to do. I won't let you do it."

Seto glared at her, staring her down. "You can't keep me here."

She snarled and stepped forward. The bars lifted up to let her pass. She strode towards him quickly and grabbed the front of his shirt, lifting him up against the wall. Boy, was she strong. If he had the strength, he would have punched her in the face, but he could barely twitch a finger, let alone raise an arm. She got close to his face, and he could feel her hot breath on his skin. "Listen, you little spoiled twerp. I give you food, and you refuse it. You can't starve yourself to death. I'll force feed you if it comes to that. I'm sure you know what happened in history, when the women in jail refused to eat. They held her down and shoved a tube down her throat." Seto forced himself not to flinch. "I'll do the same to you, if you don't crawl over there and eat."

She dropped him, and he crumpled to the hard ground. She moved like she was going to walk away, but as if in an afterthought, she whirled around and kicked him in the gut. Hard. He gasped despite himself, curling around the sudden pain that blossomed from his stomach. He glanced up at the woman, breathing heavily. Her eyes were still glowing that horrible, horrible red. "If I come back in ten minutes and find that food untouched still, I will personally shove a tube down your throat. You hear?"

She marched out of the dungeon. Ten minutes later, she came back to find the food untouched. And Seto learned the hard way that when she made her threats, she upheld them too.

Yes. They did actually do that to women in jail. It was one of the few facts I remember from last year European History. Eventually, they simply released the women until they started eating, and then recaptured them. A vicious cycle, it was.

Sorry it's a little short. Please review. :)