"I don't know anything."

Ranpo has no idea how many days pass. He's locked in the room for most of those days, finally getting some actual food though he's reluctant to eat it. He can't say if she poisons it or not. He's still bored out of his mind, but sometimes Ayame has Nezumi come get him and take him to her quarters, where she shows him documents and pictures and things unrelated.

He knows more about her now than he did before, but it still isn't enough to fulfill her request. And whatever she does to him when he's there, is nothing good. He wakes up gasping in his room each time, clamping a hand around the area that she wounded but finding nothing there. He's going stir-crazy with the way things are going. He's exhausted all the time and there's nothing to take his mind off of things.

He's spiraling.

Ranpo sighs heavily and rubs his neck, gazing at his feet before standing and making his way to the bathroom adjacent to his room. It's the only other space he has. There's a tub with a showerhead, a mirror that shows him his defeated expression, a sink with a few essentials, and a toilet. Ranpo doesn't like looking in the mirror. He finds he doesn't look quite like himself.

When he does glance into it, he sees a person he barely recognizes. His hair has gone white at the roots, the stress from all the mind games Ayame is playing with him catching up. His eyes have heavy bags underneath them even though he sleeps normally. His skin is black and blue and he's almost always covered in small cuts.

Ranpo sighs deeply and undresses, turning on the shower and rinsing out his hair, scrubbing away the feeling of dirt and grime. His skin crawls and he shivers, rubbing it red and raw to make the feeling go away. When he's clean, he steps out of the tub and rinses it, filling it with hot water to soak in. He waits for it to fill and stares at the water.

His head hurts.

When the tub is filled enough he gets in, relaxing as the water soothes his bruises. He sighs deeply and leans his head against the headrest, staring at the wall in front of him. He wonders what his friends are thinking, where they are, and what they're doing. He hopes, silently, that they're looking for him. He knows they are, but in the back of his mind, a small voice says they aren't. It whispers that they don't care about him, that they hate him because he isn't special, he's just a nuisance. He's nothing but trouble to them. He can't fight, he can only use his mind to solve a case, and while that does come in handy, when up against an opponent that can actually kill him, Ranpo is useless.

Ranpo growls to himself and dunks his head under the water in anger. He stays there for a moment, contemplating the world around him. He opens his eyes and glares through the water at the ceiling. He doesn't move and tries to surpass his two-minute mark of holding his breath. His lungs burn but he still doesn't move. Maybe he should just stay here, in the tub, underwater, forever. It would solve a lot of his problems and he would be useless to Ayame. He'd be dead.

Bubbles escape his mouth and water gets automatically inhaled. Ranpo shoots upright, choking as the water enters his lungs. He leans over the side of the tub and vomits the water back out, coughing until his throat feels raw. His cheeks are wet but he doesn't know if it's because of the tears or the bathwater. He can't believe he just did that.

Ranpo places his hand over his eyes and cries. Dazai is a bad influence on him. He stays like that for a long moment, seconds turning into minutes. The water goes cold around him but Ranpo doesn't move. His shoulders shake with the weight of his crying and he gasps through the tears, his vision a blur.

The water is freezing now and Ranpo shivers, finally getting out. His legs wobble but he keeps upright and grabs a towel. He wraps it around himself, gathers his clothes, and goes back into the room. He drops his clothes on the edge of his futon and falls on it, curling into a ball. He stares blankly at the wall, his head blissfully empty for once.

He's not sure how long he lies there, but at some point, Himari enters his room and places a tray of food on the table. She looks at him but doesn't say anything. She goes around the room cleaning a little bit, and she also pulls the plug in the tub. She can probably tell what happened, but she doesn't say a word. When she's done, she crouches by his side and her vacant eyes stare at his.

"Eat it before it gets cold," she says quietly, stroking a hand through his damp hair. "You'll need it."

Ranpo doesn't answer her and she stands, leaving the room and locking the door behind her. He doesn't move for a while after that, but eventually, his legs begin to cramp and he sits up. He dresses and walks to the table, pulling the tray toward him and looking at it blankly for a moment.

There are steaming potatoes, some gravy, vegetables he doesn't care to learn the name of, and a piece of chicken. Ranpo sighs and sits down to eat. He doesn't rush his meal and can't say it tastes great but he doesn't care. He feels exhausted and his brain hurts, he can't think straight. It feels like he's still underwater. His nose hurts and his throat feels raw. He rubs it softly and winces. It doesn't feel like all the water is out of his lungs but at least he's not drowning anymore.

Thinking back on what he just did stops him short. His fork clatters to the tray with a clink and Ranpo gasps. His chest hurts, his heart beating too fast. He stands up so fast his chair careens backward and falls over. He doesn't care. His whole body hurts and his breathing picks up. Ranpo falls against the far wall, pressing himself into the corner and gasping for air. His head spins, the room spinning with it. Dark shadows play tricks on his eyes and he sees Tachi everywhere. He squeezes his eyes shut and screams in anger and agony.

The world falls away and the only thing he sees is black. He can't feel anything and he can't see or hear anything. His breathing hurts him and Ranpo knows he's having a panic attack, but he can't control it, can't get himself out. He's had them before when he was younger. Fukuzawa was always there to help him get through them, but Ranpo isn't with him and he's not with Ranpo.

Ranpo gasps, too little air going into his lungs. His eyeballs hurt and he grips his hair tightly, pulling on it hard. The wall against his back is ice and his ears ring so loud Ranpo can't hear the blood rushing in his ears. His legs buckle and he slides down the wall. He'll probably have more bruises by the end of this episode, but Ranpo doesn't care.

There is no air and the room feels too small. It's as if he's locked in a bathroom with almost no space. Ranpo doesn't like small spaces and this only made his panic attack worse. He groans in pain and presses his forehead against the cold concrete of the wall. It grounds him a little, but his lungs still don't properly work and he's getting lightheaded.

Suddenly, someone is touching him and Ranpo practically screams. He slaps the person away and falls to the side, crawling out of their reach hastily. He probably looks like a thrashing child, but he doesn't care. He doesn't know who's in the room, and honestly, he doesn't care as long as they go away.

"Ranpo."

It's Ayame's voice. She's talking to him, gently and carefully placing her hand on his. Ranpo gasps, eyes clearing a little so he can see her. She looks worried, her brown eyes shimmering with fear and confusion. She obviously has no idea what's going on. Her hair is a mess and she has no makeup on. She's wearing a nightgown and no shoes. She wasn't prepared to see him, he realizes.

Someone must have told her he was having a panic attack. He glances past her and sees Himari in the door opening, looking concerned. Ranpo looks back at Ayame and she sees his eyes have cleared. She pulls him in, placing his head on her shoulder and stroking through his hair. She shushes him when he tries to pull away and makes a noise. He stops trying and lets her embrace him. Her touch grounds him and even though he is terrified of her, her presence calms him.

"It's okay," Ayame says. "You are okay."

It's a lie, he knows it. He's not okay and she doesn't want him to be, but he chooses to believe her words for now. He needs to calm down and get a grip. He takes a deep, stuttering breath and feels his racing heart slow down a little. The panic attack is slowly leaving him and he sags against her, defeated and exhausted.

"What happened?" Ayame whispers.

Ranpo doesn't answer her. So instead, she looks at Himari and the girl inclines her head toward the bathroom. Ayame looks through the open door and quickly concludes what has happened, sighing deeply. She strokes Ranpo's hair for a moment longer. He doesn't move, tired and hurting. She can hurt him now if she so wishes, but she doesn't. She just holds him and lets him calm down. When he's calm, she pushes him back a little to look into his emerald eyes.

"I can't have you kill yourself, Ranpo," Ayame says softly.

Ranpo doesn't look away and sees the disappointment in her eyes. He can't say he likes that look. Ayame sighs again and slowly stands, pulling him with her. She takes hold of his hand and guides him along, past Himari and out of the room. Where they're going, Ranpo has no idea. He looks at his feet, lets himself be guided, and forgets everything for a moment.

He misses his friends. He misses the President the most though. The bond that he and the President share is similar to father and son, though not entirely like that. Ranpo obviously had his parents, but after their deaths, he didn't have anyone until Fukuzawa took him in. He's been so grateful, and now he's causing trouble for him.

He's been kidnapped, beaten, and bruised, and his friends still haven't found him. Ranpo isn't saying that he thinks they're not coming, but they're sure taking their sweet time. He sighs to himself and blinks back to reality, pulling himself from his thoughts.

He's stopped in front of a room, Ayame opening the door. They enter some sort of laboratory. Ranpo doesn't want to go inside, but his legs carry him through anyway. There's a wall of monitors on one side and some sort of tanks on the other side. There's a desk with people working on it. They all look suspiciously alike. Ranpo looks to one of the monitors and spots the date, and his heart falls into his gut.

It's been three months.

He's been stuck in that room for three months, tortured and alone. Ranpo feels his breathing pick back up, but then a gentle hand takes hold of his chin and turns his face to the woman who has him imprisoned. She glances to the side to see what he has seen and her brows furrow. She sighs.

"Ranpo, I know you are freaking out," Ayame says. "But I need you to keep calm for a few moments longer."

Ranpo takes a deep breath and squeezes his eyes closed, grounding himself. He tightens his hands into fists and nods. He can do this. He'll figure out what Ayame wants from him and do what she asks. Then she'll return him to the Agency. And maybe he'll get rescued before any of that can happen.

Ayame takes his wrist and pulls him along to the tanks. Ranpo can see shapes inside them and he squints, trying to make out what they are. Ayame lets him move closer, watching him and waiting to see what he thinks. Ranpo wipes condensation from one of the tanks and looks inside, almost leaning against the glass.

He instantly jumps back with a yelp, eyes going wide. He whips his head back to look at Ayame, but she only smirks at his expense. He can't believe this. He turns back to look at the tank and feels his skin erupt with goosebumps.

"What are you-" he begins, but he doesn't continue.

Ayame's long-nailed hand lands on the back of his neck and he freezes. He glances at her through his peripheral and sees her smirking. She leans her head against his shoulder and speaks into his ear.

"I'm special," she says to him. "More special than you."

"What do you mean?" he asks quietly, head swimming.

How can she be more special than him? Does she have a strange Gift? What are her abilities? Ranpo has been thinking about it and he thought he had her figured out, but he guesses he's wrong. He thought her abilities were illusions, but her smirk tells him otherwise.

"I have two Gifts," she whispers. "My first Gift is this; Shield Thy Protector. I can switch places with whomever I want and cast a protective spell over anyone I choose."

"You have two Gifts?" Ranpo says, only focused on that fact.

Ayame nods her head. "My father bestowed me his Gift after my mother did the same. My second Gift is Take What Thou Wants."

"What does that one do?" Ranpo asks curiously.

He's immensely curious. He can't believe there's a person on this earth with two Gifts. It's so strange to think about. He knows there are ways to give your family members your Gift, but he never heard of two people doing it to one person.

"I can steal a Gift and give it to someone else," Ayame explains. "I can also keep it for myself, though I can't use it fully."

"You've been collecting Gifts?" he asks in realization.

Ayame nods in confirmation and slides her hand up into his hair. Ranpo shivers and looks ahead at the tank. In it floats a body. It's Tachi's body. The next tank over also holds Tachi's body, and the one next to that as well, and so on. Ranpo doesn't know if he's confused, impressed, or downright horrified.

"You can clone people," he whispers.

"I can," Ayame states. "I can also poison you, steal all of your memories, and remove any evidence from a scene of a crime. But what I can't do is deduce my past or figure out what happened to me after my parents gave me their Gifts, and why they did it."

"You need my ability," Ranpo says quietly.

"Yes," Ayame says. "But I can't steal it, because it's not an ability."

Deep down, Ranpo feels something shatter. It's the trust he holds in Fukuzawa, though he doesn't realize it then. His eyes widen and he glares at Ayame through his fringe. She grins back at him and pulls her head away, leaving her hand on his neck.

"What do you want with me, then?" the young detective asks.

Ayame sighs deeply and looks over her shoulder at the monitors. They display all sorts of things, mostly things about her past. She wants to know who she is, that much is obvious, but Ranpo can't completely help with that.

"I want you on my side," Ayame eventually says. "I'll get what I want from you first, then if you can still think for yourself I'll let you go back to the Agency. If not, well…"

A cruel grin appears on her face and Ranpo feels his whole body grow cold. She's going to hurt him. She's going to cause him pain and he can't do anything to stop her. His eyes are wide and he feels like he's drifting in an ice lake. It's so cold even his breath comes out in a condensed cloud. Ayame only smirks and presses her nails deeper into his skin.

Wait…

When did she do that? Ranpo curses and flings himself away from her. The room gross colder by the second and he feels his fingertips freezing. Ayame disappears in a flurry of snowfall but he knows she's technically still there, he just can't see her.

The room becomes a snowstorm and Ranpo falls against something harsh, but he can only feel ice on his skin. He looks at his hands and sees them freezing over, as if he's becoming a sculpture made of frozen water. His breathing picks back up and he gasps, the cold air stinging his lungs. His throat is still sore from his unintentional suicide attempt and it hurts. He curls in on himself and tears start pouring from his eyes, immediately freezing on his icy cheeks.

Ayame is playing with him, trying to break his mind so he'll do whatever she asks of him. Why not just mind-control him and be done with it? She is insane. And Ranpo is scared. He squeezes his eyes shut so he doesn't have to look at the illusion, but he can still feel the ice crystals creeping up his body and freezing over his skin. His heart stutters. Ranpo gasps.

And then he's sitting upright on his futon, heart racing and a splitting headache pounding inside his skull. He pants heavily for a moment, glancing around the room. There's a glass of water next to him with what looks like painkillers on the ground. Without a second thought, Ranpo downs the medication and swallows it with water. He drinks the whole glass and then gasps, looking at the wall in front of him.

Ayame tricked him again. She used her stolen Gift on him and he couldn't help but be afraid of her. She's dangerous. Ranpo knows it, and he also knows that there is no escape for him. He either resists her, or he becomes hers. It's one of the two. He hopes it's the former. God, how he hopes it's the former.

Ranpo looks down at his lap and feels tears fill his eyes. He squeezes them shut and interlocks his fingers, placing his head on them and leaning on his knees. He cries quietly, hoping nobody hears him and yet hoping someone does. He's alone and scared and he can't take much more of this. He doesn't know how long he can keep a hold of his sanity.

"Please," he whispers. "Please, President… Find me…"