Chapter 37

Mamoru stood in front of the door, behind which he would soon meet Seiya. The man who, with his appearance, had actually set everything in motion. He was tense but knew he had to take this step.

Mamoru contemplated his plan a bit more, then allowed one lock after another to click open. Seiya heard someone at the door. He was curious about what would happen next. Would they take him to Osaka now? What was even in Osaka? But the moment the door opened, he couldn't believe his eyes.

"You?" Seiya gulped, looking directly into Mamoru's eyes.

Mamoru closed the door and leaned against it, his expression unchanged, weighing how much or what he should tell Seiya. They stared at each other, neither wanting to be the first to look away.

"Yes, me. Stay seated, I'm going to tell you a lot now, even at the risk of you, or rather Bunny, hating me when she finds out, but Bunny needs us. Both of us..." Mamoru began calmly.

"Why? What happened to her?" Mamoru didn't miss the concern in Seiya's voice. He tossed a water bottle to Seiya.

"Bunny has been kidnapped," Mamoru said tersely.

Seiya let his gaze sweep over the four black walls, to the 68 tiles on the floor, and then back to Mamoru.

"I have too, which leads me to the question, why are you here? How did you get in here, and where is Bunny? Is she down here too?" Seiya looked skeptically down at Mamoru. He didn't look like he had struggled to get to him.

Mamoru clenched his teeth tightly, his hands balled into fists, but if he wanted Seiya's support, he had to establish a foundation of trust.

"No, Seiya, she's not here. I made a mistake, you were brought down here on my orders. I wanted to apologize for that," the last words almost choked him. Bare horror reflected on Seiya's face. "Why on your orders? I can't follow you, and what about Bunny?"

Mamoru sat down on the floor, casually resting his forearms on his bent legs and tilting his head back. He knew it was time to open up about his past.

"Before I met Bunny, I was the deputy leader of the Black Moon Circle, Tokyo Metropolitan Area. You're in the basement of the headquarters. I was blinded by jealousy and just wanted you out of the way. I know now that it was the wrong approach... I heard what she said to you, that she wanted to leave me, on the night before you disappeared... I just couldn't accept it, she's the most important to me, and then you came along. After I was ordered to remove you, I resurfaced on the radar of some people I still have unsettled scores with. Bunny was kidnapped by my former arch-enemy, Shin. Until a few days ago, I firmly believed he was dead... unfortunately, that's not the case. Shin isn't squeamish when it comes to torture and suffering, which means every second counts. How far are you willing to go for Bunny?"

Seiya stared at Mamoru in disbelief. Was he serious? He had allowed himself to be kidnapped. Seiya's mind was racing.

"How far would you go for Bunny?" Mamoru asked again, growing a bit impatient.

"I would give everything for her, up to my last breath, as a life without her is unimaginable for me."

A reassuring grin spread across Mamoru's lips. "Good, then at least I don't have to worry about you. So, are you in?"

"Yes, definitely, when it comes to saving Bunny," he assured his help without thinking much.

"Good, then come upstairs, you can shower and have something to eat there. In the meantime, I will take all the necessary precautions. I know you probably have many questions, I will answer them when the time comes, but Bunny's life is at stake, time is against us."

Bunny still clung to her aching arm, her tears had slowly stopped, and she looked around. She suspected she was in a large warehouse. So many questions raced through her mind, to which she simply couldn't find an answer. But what did Mamoru have to do with all this? That was the question that troubled her the most. Then she heard firm, fast footsteps approaching her again, and shortly after, the man stood in front of her again, an unpleasant grin on his face that sent shivers down Bunny's spine. Her body trembled with fear.

The man stood just a few steps away from her and watched her like a predator observing its already weakened prey.

He pulled on a rope hanging from the ceiling, and Bunny was jerked upward by her arms. She was now against the wall, both arms tied above her head. The cut wounds had reopened due to the sudden movement, and blood once again streamed down her.

Her abductor came closer and tilted her chin up so he could look into her eyes. "So, my sweet, now I have time for you," he whispered over to her.

"Why... Why am I here?" Bunny sobbed through tears.

Completely unprepared, he pressed a brief kiss on her lips. "It has nothing to do with you personally, believe me." Bunny's throat was tight. What did this guy want with her?

"You're just the bait," he explained his reasoning further, and as soon as he uttered the sentence, Bunny felt another burning pain, this time on her left flank. Her scream of pain filled the silence, then she noticed something warm and wet running down her side. Even without looking, she knew it was her blood.

His fingers brushed her cheek and then moved down to her chin. "Luckily, I've decided to leave your face intact. That will make it easier for us to sell you. Most buyers care about a beautiful face, and you have that. You'll probably fetch us a nice sum."

A firm blow to her stomach knocked all the air out of her lungs. What kind of monster was this? While he calmly spoke to her, he repeatedly inflicted pain on her, without warning and without changing his expression. How long could she endure this without breaking? How long could her body withstand this torture?

Mamoru led Seiya into one of the many guest rooms, showed him the bathroom, and had some food brought for him. "I'll come back as soon as I've sorted everything out. I hope you have everything you need," Mamoru said, turning to leave. "Wait, where's my phone? I need to at least inform my brothers," Seiya asked. "I'll have it brought to you shortly, and Seiya, thank you." Mamoru was grateful that Seiya understood the seriousness of the situation and wasn't asking uncomfortable questions for now. He hurried back to Celeste's office, but as he reached the door, his neck hairs stood on end, and a shiver ran through his body. He froze in the open doorway. Celeste was sitting at her desk, Diamond across from her, watching the live transmission from the bug. Bunny's screams pierced Mamoru to the core. When they noticed Mamoru, they immediately muted the sound. Mamoru slowly regained control over his body. He sat down in the armchair in the sitting area. "Celeste, I'd like a Scotch now," he said, starting to scribble notes frantically on a piece of paper. He couldn't leave anything to chance. They had only one shot, and they couldn't afford to fail.

As Seiya emerged from the bathroom, his phone was on the small table, along with a plate of fried rice. He quickly turned on his phone and without reading any of the many messages, he dialed Yaten's number. "Seiya?"

Taiki's voice sounded. "Yeah, where are you guys?"

"In Osaka in half an hour... Yeah, it's really Seiya... no idea, let him answer first... where are you, Seiya?" "What are you doing in Osaka?" But even as he asked the question, he remembered what he had written in the letter: "searching in Osaka." "Forget the question, turn around and head back to Tokyo as fast as you can."

"Uh... Seiya, we're in the car, that was a six-hour drive... Yaten, turn around..."

"Is he crazy?! First he sends us to Osaka, and now back again! He better have a good explanation for this," Yaten shouted from the driver's seat. "Yeah, I'll explain everything when the situation calms down. Quick summary, Mamoru had me kidnapped, which led to Bunny being abducted, and now she's in the hands of a maniac. I'll send you the location once I know where it's heading."

"Seiya, you're talking so fast and saying confusing things, please take a deep breath. Yaten has turned around; if we drive straight through, we can make it in about five hours."

"Alright, hurry up." Seiya collapsed onto the bed and closed his eyes. This nightmare come true was draining him. Bunny had been kidnapped. Just an hour ago, he was in that dark basement, and Mamoru was a gangster boss. His brothers had decrypted his message and were planning to search for him in Osaka, but he hadn't left Tokyo. None of this could be real. He felt the weariness taking its toll on him, but he didn't have time to sleep. They had to find Bunny, and they had to do it as soon as possible. Seiya sat up and tied his hair back. "I will find you, even if it's the last thing I do, my dear. Hang in there."