You stood against the cold bars of the jail cell, banging your head lightly in frustration. Once a detective, now a criminal. Ethan had left ages ago, leaving you with instructions to get your lawyer and fight in court if you believed you were set up. He promised to tell your brother about the set up. He after all was sent to help you out of this mess.
But you weren't worried. You had alibis, several of them. The case would be closed as soon as they were brought forward. So, you used your one call for Subaru.
As Subaru and the others approached, you felt a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos. If they told the truth, you would be out of this rotten prison soon. Subaru's silver hair came into view through the jail cell, followed closely by the others.
Just let me get out. I will free myself of all this
You reached the cell door as Subaru approached, looking him straight in the eyes. "Please, Subaru, tell them the truth," you pleaded, your voice barely above a whisper. Subaru nodded firmly. "I will say nothing but the truth," he assured you.
Takumi grimaced at Subaru's words, and Akira shot him an irritated look. Takumi immediately looked down at the ground, unable to meet your gaze. Kazuto couldn't bring himself to look at you either, his eyes filled with guilt. Yukio's expression was one of deep sadness, which broke your heart even further. Only Hikaru's expression remained stoic, his smile was gone.
You only wondered what made his lose his smile like that. But somehow you were comforted by the fact they all came to support you. They all believe this is was false.
As you sat on the ground, waiting in the dimly lit cell, the sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway, accompanied by the jangling of keys. Then, suddenly, a bright light blinded you as the cell door swung open. A hand reached out, and you grasped it, allowing yourself to be pulled out into the light.
Subaru wrapped you in a tight hug, holding you close for a few moments before Akira coughed lightly, causing Subaru to release you slightly. You blinked, adjusting to the sudden brightness as you looked up at them, relief flooding through you at their presence.
"What did you tell them.?" you asked curiously, looking at the group.
Takumi fidgeted with his dolphin keychain, about to speak, but Subaru cut him off swiftly. "Only the truth."
Akira rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, because Mr. Subaru here is the epitome of justice," he remarked sarcastically.
Yukio sighed at Akira's comment while Subaru shot him a look. Hikaru immediately hugged you tight and kissed your cheek, prompting Yukio to pull him back.
Subaru finally intervened, telling everyone to calm down, assuring you that you were safe now.
Subaru put you in the front seat while he sat in the driver's seat, with everyone else in the back. Akira and Yukio sat in the middle seat, while Kazuto, Hikaru, and Takumi squeezed into the back.
"Where are we going?" you asked as you saw the car nearing the school. You couldn't face people there right now.
"To the dorm room," Subaru replied. "Your house was trashed. I don't feel right letting you spend the night there."
"I have a cousin in the next town. I'll go there. Plus, Ethan must have informed my older brother. He'll be coming for me," you said.
"Ethan.?" Akira asked. "Howards."
You nodded.
"He got into a car accident. It's all over the net."Akira said making you frown.
Was Akira lying to you again. Just like he did before. Or did ethan really get into an accident.
Akira showed you the article with the headline "The Heir of Howard in Accident."
You panicked as you read about the brake failure resulting in the accident.
"An awful accident. Reminds me of how Subaru's parents passed away," Akira said, looking at Subaru.
Subaru nodded. "Yes, it's an awful accident. Just like my parents'. It's a miracle he survived."
You gulped. Hopefully, Ethan would stabilize, but it meant he hadn't been able to tell your family about your arrest.
"We should visit him," you said firmly.
From behind, Hikaru's voice rang out, "Come on, dove. You're tired. You must rest. Do you want a massage?"
Yukio hit Hikaru on the head, and Subaru agreed, "Only family is allowed to visit him for now."
You reached the dorm room, which was surprisingly quiet.
You expected it to be filled with boys accusing you. Some making their own theories about the situation while others quietly trying to sneak out. But the lobby was filled with nothing but echoes of footsteps. Footsteps that belonged to you all.
You did not appreciate such silence at all.
"Why is it so quiet?" you asked.
"They're sleeping," Yukio replied.
"At five PM?" you questioned.
"They're sleeping early," Yukio corrected.
The lift took you to the penthouse, and you sighed at the familiar sight. This might not be home, but at least it had better light than that jail cell. You had been in there for almost six hours, but you hated every moment of it.
"Are you hurt?" Subaru asked. "I have medical supplies near my room."
You checked yourself. You were slightly wounded, but those wounds were self-inflicted because you were bored and decided banging your hands and head against the wall was more interesting than sleeping.
"Slightly," you said, indicating with your fingers how minor your injuries were.
"Let's go to my room. Does anyone want to c—" Before Subaru could finish, Hikaru stood up from where he was collapsed on the couch, raising his hands. "I volunteer. I volunteer as tribute," he said.
You laughed at Hikaru's antics as he began to drag you towards Subaru's room.
"I know the way," you said, but Hikaru still dragged you all the way there, despite Subaru telling him not to. He did loosen his grip a bit after Subaru scolded him.
The three of you entered Subaru's room. You didn't particularly like how monochromatic it was—all greys and grey. Even the dustbin was a shade of grey. How could someone go to the shop and ask for such a precise color, you wondered.
Subaru moved to the couch, indicating for you to sit. You obliged, with Hikaru sitting down beside you.
"You are so gorgeous, dove," Hikaru said as he lovingly gazed into your eyes.
"Thank you," you replied.
"If you were a popsicle, I would eat you up. You would be most delicious," he said, licking his lips and giggling.
You raised your eyebrows, while Subaru gave Hikaru a look that made him snap out of his daze.
"I am going to get medicine from the cabinet in the back. Please bide your time until then," Subaru said, smiling at you and patting your head. He looked at Hikaru and added, "No eating popsicles." Hikaru groaned in dismay, but his smile remained.
He picked up the violin from the musical instruments that lay in Subaru's room and started to play a jovial tune. After recording it, he asked, "May I have this dance?"
You giggled and said yes. You both started to dance—it wasn't a waltz or any fancy dance, just two youngsters enjoying the music for what it was: freedom. Finally, you stopped and rested against a closet in the far corner of Subaru's room.
"That was fun," you said happily.
Hikaru smiled, agreeing breathlessly.
That's when you heard it—thud...knock...thud...knock.
"What is that noise.?" You sat up straight and asked, pointing at the closet. "It's coming from in there."
"Haha, it's a cat. A very naughty cat," Hikaru replied. His gaze flitted over the closet door.
"Inside the closet? Shouldn't we let it out? Since when did Subaru like cats?" you questioned.
"No, no, no," Hikaru said as he stood up in front of the closet door. "It's a secret room."
"Oh," you said as you kept your gaze on the closet.
"Why did it ask for help?" you asked, mimicking the Morse code message. "The cat did this on the door."
"A very naughty cat," Hikaru repeated. "Very naughty."
"How does it look like.?" you asked.
Subaru's voice came from behind, answering, "Black hair, yellow eyes. A very stubborn cat."
You slightly laughed at that because it reminded you of Ichigo.
Subaru stepped forward with his supplies. "I went out for a few minutes, and I find you both playing hide and seek."
You sighed at Subaru and explained that you had only sat there to rest. Subaru nodded and quickly started to work on your wounds; there were many of them. The police woman had been quite rough when handcuffing you, leaving some wounds. You winced slightly as Subaru traced your wrist.
"Is it hurting too much?" he asked as he put some ointment on your wound.
"Barely," you whispered.
"I will make you food. Come when you are ready, dove," Hikaru said as he happily hopped away, leaving you with Subaru.
"When will you leave?" Subaru asked, slightly frustrated.
"In an hour or so. If I leave then, I will reach her by 8. She lives on the outskirts of the neighboring city," you replied as you looked at yourself in the mirror.
Yasumi lived there with her twin brother Kiyoshi. You would be in safe hands. Both of them were your cousins, and no harm would come upon you. You will not notify your family. This couldn't be known to anyone.
The only people alive were these six boys. You couldn't let any more people fall victim to his killing spree.
This serial killer has to be caught.
"Eat before you decide anything. You can rest, I will prepare a room for you," Subaru said as he collected his stuff and began to stand up.
You grabbed his hand with force, startling him.
"I will rest here... I um like the aesthetic of the room."
Subaru raised his eyebrows as he looked at you, going on about how aesthetic his room was. He smiled as he switched off the lights and left you to rest.
You breathed a sigh of relief. Now you could see who the cat was. After making sure no one was outside, you quietly moved towards the closet.
Knocking a few times, you waited. The same noise came out again.
"Help me," someone knocked on the wall.
You groaned in dismay as you saw the closet was locked. No way you could open it without making some noise.
You searched around the room, hopefully to find something. While searching the drawers beside the bed, you found a key in the bottom drawer. A master key.
You ran your finger along its surface. With this, you could open any lock.
You hurriedly walked towards the closet and inserted the key. You waited to hear it.
A soft click.
The door swung open, revealing a cramped, musty space. As you entered, a cloud of dust billowed around you, causing you to cough.
Due to the darkness, you could not make out anything.
You traced your fingers along the wall to find the switch. Feeling the switch, you flicked it on.
Bright light filled the room. But your focus was on those yellow eyes which looked back at you.
"Ichigo."