*** 14 is a nice song. I forgot, I think it's by Natalie sung by Len. I heard the Rin version in iTunes and I think it sounds real nice... Though that song has nothing to do with the title... Or maybe that's what I want YOU to think.***

Chapter 8: 14 Days

His head spun around, both physically and mentally. Something was holding him up in one place though he felt some sort of force pushing him back and forth, to the sides, a never ending loop. Len finally came to his senses, the cold breeze reminded him his clothes were soaking wet. He opened his eyes, or at least he "tried" to open his eyes. A cloth was blocking his view, tied up around his head. He couldn't move a muscle with both his hands tied tightly to a wooden pole.

What happened? The waves, the force, and how he could faintly hear the rain alongside thunder hinted him he was in a ship. The question was, how did he get there? Len remembered a girl, a seemingly innocent girl who pointed a revolver at him and pulled the trigger. He felt something just below his left shoulder but it was nothing serious, shoulder wound was rarely dangerous. It just sting a little and he doubted it was a bullet which shot him. So... If it wasn't a bullet, what was that thing? He couldn't name what, though Len knew something else was out of place.

"Awake yet?" That familiar voice startled him.

"... Kaito." So with that he knew he wasn't alone in the ship. What, was he back to the death ship with all the passengers there?

"I don't have much time, so I'll make this as quick as possible, as simple as possible for you to take in..." Kaito took a big breathe in. "You met my boss, right? The girl with the bunny doll? There's a chance that she might do something... Bad to you within the next fifteen minutes."

"Why do you sound so calm?" He didn't like where this was going, it felt like execution day all over again. Kaito wasn't untying him, or helping him, he might actually die within the next fifteen minutes. "What, are you going to kill me?"

"Shhh questions later. Whatever happens in the future, just..." Len felt Kaito sliding in something to his right pocket. Some sort of box, he was hoping for a weapon though other than a knife he couldn't picture any weapon in that small size. "You can't escape from this, so please, whatever happens after this just try and keep calm."

"I'm tied up to a pole, my friend's boss might kill me the next fifteen minutes and you're telling me to keep calm?" Technically though, Kaito was "somehow" correct. He shouldn't be panicking like that, his mind can't think clearly if he's panicking. Still, everything was going too fast for him to actually "calm down", it's natural for him to feel that way, right?

"Shhh, be quiet! My boss is a bit angry that you killed some of her men and how you destroyed our supply of champagne. A co-worker of mine forgot to bow at her and she cut his finger off, I've no idea what she has in mind for you." Kaito untied Len's ropes and pulled him up, his blindfold still on. "Don't take the blindfold off."

"Why are you letting me go? Are you taking me to that boss of yours?" He couldn't run away, he couldn't hide, it really was hopeless for him to resist. Why did he have to be in the middle of the ocean? His mind raced for plans of escaping, but he found zero results.

"Be a good boy and don't resist, please?" Kaito took his arm and led the way. Len heard a door creaked open, it was a storm out there and Len had a little trouble trying to keep his balance up.

"Do you really want me to die?" Len didn't want to die just yet, and even though he said to himself he lost all his trust to Kaito, it didn't change the fact they "were" friends in the past. Friends don't just give up and see you die like that, right? Former friends? Kaito seemed to be the only hope there in the ship. It'd look pathetic for him to beg for mercy for his life, still, it's better than actually dying.

"I apologized once, I don't need to do it again." They stopped and made a turn. Len wasn't sure why he was taking notes of that, it's not like he'd want to go back to the room he was tied in anytime sooner. "You're a talented one, and maybe she'll make use of you somehow."

"Would that be a good thing?"

"Either way there are two possibilities. One, you could either die in a way you could never imagine. Two, you could "help around" and do some "work" with us." Kaito stopped walking. "Do you think I wanted to do this?"

"If I could make a decision I'd choose the first one." He found it hard to believe that Kaito chose the second option, then again, he wasn't really sure of Kaito's background as to how he got there in the first place. Len never knew where and when he trained to be such an assassin, it couldn't just "happen" like that.

"Her choice to make, it's not your decision. Anyway, you should know that my boss, or your soon to be boss, that she... Has a split personality. I told you before, just keep calm while you talk to her. If she tells a joke, just laugh and..." He finally took Len's blindfold off, and opened the wooden door just in front of them. "May luck be with you."

Len hesitantly entered the room, his eyes still adjusting to the brightness; in front of him was a relatively long and small wooden hallway. Kaito closed the door behind him and followed behind, sometimes he would still be off balance here and there, though the condition of the ship wasn't that serious. Eventually the hallway reached a dead end, revealing another door. Len guessed that door was the one. He looked back at Kaito, his expression still blank, then back to the door knob; with a big gulp he opened the door. He either had fifteen more minutes to live, or fifteen minutes left of freedom.

He saw her at her desk doodling, the doll just right next to her. The room wasn't all as fancy as he thought it would be, considering she was a girl and she was the boss. It's no different from the servant's lounge only that room was just smaller in size. She looked up to see him and she gave a bright smile on her face.

"You're finally awake!" The girl stood up and put her pen and papers aside. "Sit down, we need to talk." Her tone was still friendly, and in a way, cute. Something most people would underestimate, but considering the circumstances he was in, Len didn't want to take any chances.

Len did as she said and sat down, he took a quick glance back to see how Kaito was doing and his face was no longer a blank expression. He was, what Len would call, his "usual self". All smiling like the idiot he was.

"Are you hurt? I'm sure I pointed somewhere just above your heart." She played with her doll's ears.

"I'm perfectly fine." Since the atmosphere was so cheerful, cute, and happy he figured he should do the same. He doubted whether he could fake everything since he felt nervous, and he wasn't sure what type of person Mayu really was. Can he read emotions and lies as good as Kaito? It's still worth the shot to act.

"Oh, I almost forgot! You know we haven't properly introduced ourselves, I know all about you but you don't know who I am. Still, I think it's a great conversation starter, you should go first!" Len twitched in the inside when she said she knew all about him (from Kaito, maybe). He really was at a disadvantage at the table.

"My name is Len and I work as a detective." There was no point going through in all the details since "she knew all about him".

"Well that was short! My name is Mayu and I guess you can say I'm the boss of this ship. I tell people what to do, I accept requests on behalf of this ship, I..." She leaned down closer to his face and deepened his voice. "Recruit people."

"That sounds lovely." Len went on with the conversation, trying to be as "friendly" as possible. Mayu sank back down to her chair and played with the bunny's ears again.

"Isn't it? I love my job, and I especially love helping people!" Her smile faded and it turned to a frown, surely everything would go downhill from there on. Len prepared himself for the worst and waited until the pause faded away. "Not too long ago one of my biggest business partner's company suddenly... How do you say it, collapsed? Burnt right down to the ground."

"That sounds horrible."

"Do you have any idea who would have done such a thing?" Her frown was gone, but Len knew that wasn't the end of it. "For the name of science, one of my biggest business ties asked me to collect some people, they pay us such a big price for so many years and everything ended just like that a month or two before."

Len couldn't comment anymore, he knew the position he was in. He'd say "that sounds horrible" though he wasn't sure if that could help him there in that situation. She did ask her a question, and even if she knew the answer it'd be appropriate to answer it anyway.

"I'm sure the person you're talking about is me, and I apologized if that made you sad." Telling lies have never felt so disgusting for him. For some reason though, Mayu started a small chuckle, which eventually turned into a laugh.

"Ah, Kaito, it's nice that you gave him tips on what to do when he meets me. You can drop the act now, it's fine." Her laughs calmed down, still smiling, she continued. "I can see you have potential, killing hundreds in a matter of weeks, alone."

"That's not something I'm very proud of." Should Len really follow her? It could be a test, and if he offends her in some sort of way that won't be good.

"But it is something to be proud of!" She stood up again and grabbed Len's two hands. "You're a detective, you're smart, do you know where I'm going with this?"

Len nodded, he knew exactly where the conversation was going. Mayu wanted her to join this ship of hers, traveling all around the world to kill hundreds of people. Kaito warned him earlier, he wouldn't be given a choice, she would choose it for him. Len thought about that for a while... How exactly could Mayu "choose it for him"? By a threat?

"Think about it! Sailing the seven seas, don't you think that would be great?"

"Why do you even bother asking me?" Len pulled his hands away from her. He thought Mayu would at least be a bit upset of that, but her expression was still the same. "I don't want to kill."

"Didn't you kill three of my men a few days ago though? And really, you lost your hand from killing, right?" She got him there. Mayu didn't give him a chance to give a comeback, she could read his face just fine. "Once you start, you can never stop."

During the brief pause, for some reason Len just couldn't speak. He wanted to give his comeback, but he just couldn't put his mind together, her words made him think a little bit. He'd be lying if he said she wasn't right, he thought it was true. Why exactly was he hesitating?

"So? Are you going to threaten me to join?" Len wasn't prepared for the worst just yet, in fact he wasn't sure what his answer would be if Mayu threatens him. Would he say yes to the offer if his life was in the line? He probably would decline and die in a way he could never imagine. Would he say yes to the offer if someone else's life was in the line? Rin's life?

"Hnn... I don't think I have any threats available. Your mansion? Your life? Friends? Hahah, I'm sure you don't have many friends. Kaito help me out here." Both Mayu and Len turned to look at him. Kaito shrugged as a response. "What to use as a threat, hmm... Oh, I should just ask you then! What gives you spirit and energy to wake up in the morning? To actually go through life? Most people would say friends and families, but you're not that close to your father and you lost your mother when you were small. What is it, then?"

"Do you really think I would tell you my Achilles heel?" Len tried to hide his sigh of relief, it didn't look like Mayu knew who Rin was and how she mattered to him. On the other hand, his own life seemed to be on the line there. If he at least "pretend" to say yes, would he be able to escape? Kaito managed to do it and if they put their heads together there was this chance of them surviving.

"I believe no one in this world is perfect, so there must be something!" Mayu put her hands on her lips, she seemed to be in deep thoughts. She walked around in circles around the room, every step making Len want to... Pull out the revolver on his left pants pocket and shot her to death. Look at how vulnerable that brat was! It's never good to underestimate, but they were in a room deep in the part of the ship while a storm was happening outside those walls, everyone should be busy, shouldn't they?

"Maybe you're just like me, you're the heartless type." Still circling around the room, she sighed in disappointment. "And just a few days ago you lost someone who I thought was really important to you."

"What are you talking about?" She raised an eyebrow at Len's response to that. For a second there was a faint smile on her face which made Len shudder a little bit on the inside, that smile disappeared, overlapped by confusion.

"Don't tell me you haven't told him yet!" Kaito said nothing and looked away from both glances. "What a friend you are. That's good I guess, it means I could tell him the big news!"

"The night you killed three of my men who worked so hard and loyal to me, I was really upset. To make it "even" I thought, maybe I should do the same to you and your assistant who worked so hard and loyal to you." She'd stopped circling around and went back to her desk, Mayu went under it, as if trying to find something. "You're a detective, you're smart, do you know where I'm going with this?"

"Oh, and Kaito, please be a dear and hold him off before he pulls his revolver out. In fact, I can't believe you didn't confiscate that in the first place!" Mayu said, still searching through her desk. He took Len by the shoulders so hard his fingers were crushing his soldiers.

"Is Rin really..." Len wasn't sure why, he just couldn't believe Mayu like that, his hands reached his left hands pocket. "The fact that you didn't tell me about this... I won't, I can't believe you two like this without seeing it with my own two eyes, right?"

Denial.

The first step on responding to someone's death, you just wouldn't accept it. Why? Len knew what it felt like to lose someone you truly care about, of all the memories his brain can store, he had an eidetic memory when it comes to his worst memories and nightmares. He refused to believe it, surely they were messing with his head, it was a trap! She still wanted him to join, right? Mayu was just shaking him and Kaito was a part of the act, to make it more realistic, right?

"Why are you so quiet?" Len asked the same question once, years ago. A flashback took him back to the day he heard the news, his father had no easy way to tell him and... Len denied it, being the little kid he was it was natural to feel that way. Age had nothing to do with deaths, it'd still bring sadness and shock regardless of age, he was just fooling himself, to what he thought was self-comfort. Half of him thought it was true, he hated to admit it, and he refused to admit how it's possible. He... Wanted to let the steam off his head, who's fault was it that he was angry, and worried like that? Of course, the girl right in front of him. The perfect time, and the perfect place, was then.

Kaito's grip on his shoulder was nothing, he pulled out his revolver, and with that, pulled the trigger. Then again, and again, and again. He missed all the four shots and he had no bullets left. Frustrated, he threw the revolver to the floor.

"Oh, Kaito? Why didn't you hold him off like I asked you to?" Mayu finally found what she was looking for and stepped closer to the two men.

"He was underestimating you and I just wanted to show him that." It was such a close distance, from Len's fuzzy point of view Mayu didn't look like she was moving or was she even dodging the bullets.

"Well, this is the end of the line for you." She took out what she was trying to find earlier, a shot. "Death is nothing to be afraid of once you have nothing else to live for, so it's a good thing I took away your will to live first, right?" Mayu injected the shot to his arm, it sting, though... Len was sure he would die on the spot right there. No, he was still living and breathing, it didn't hurt, it was an ant's bite.

"As of this day, hour, and second..." Mayu looked at the clock on the wall. "You have fourteen days left to live."