You groaned and rolled to your side, pulling the covers tighter around you. The room was cold, and as you shifted a bit to the right, you suddenly fell off the bed. That shouldn't have been possible since your window sill was just to the right of your bed, slightly above it. You should have slammed into the wall instead.
Panic set in as you stood up, looking around in alarm. This wasn't your bed or your room. A wave of nausea hit you hard, and you had to balance yourself against the headrest to keep from falling over again.
The room you were in had light blue walls and smelled like roses. To your right was a couch and behind it, you assumed, the door to the bathroom. To your left was a window with tinted glass-the kind you could see through but people outside couldn't. Looking down, you saw a couple of kids from your class heading toward the school area. It was nighttime you wondered if they were sneaking out.
You were in the penthouse, the boys' dorm.
You pressed your head against the glass, brows furrowing in frustration as you tried to remember what had happened. It was all a blur.
After a few minutes, it came rushing back. Your brother, the drug, the phone. The PHONE. You quickly checked your pockets. Even if it was locked, you could still use the emergency call to alert someone. But it wasn't there.
You looked back at the door leading out of the room, slowly opening it to see if anyone was awake.
Yukio stood there with his arms raised as if he was about to open the door. You internally groaned. Of all the people you could have come across, it had to be Yukio.
"Get away from me, Yukio," you said, trying to move him out of your way. But he stood there like an immovable rock. You glared at him.
He held your gaze, taking a step into the room. You retreated, not wanting to be touched by him.
He took another step, making you take another step backward.
"Asuna," he said, taking his third step. His chocolatey brown eyes were tinged with emotions.
You took another step back, falling onto the bed. Yukio caged you with his arms on either side of you, the close proximity making you queasy.
"My mom told me to protect the things I love," he said, his breath smelling like roasted cinnamon. "And i will."
"You don't need to. I can protect myself," you said, looking away from him. He just called you "thing ".
"We brought you here because you couldn't protect yourself," he said, as if stating a fact.
"It was because you all put me in that trouble," you yelled, agitated by how much space he was taking.
You wanted to push him back or at least knee him between the legs, but you were trapped under him.
"I will protect you, Asuna," Yukio exhaled, his breath caressing your face. "You will be safe with me."
"She doesn't need your help to do that," a sharp voice emerged from behind. As you looked at who it was, you could only see the barrel of a gun pointed at Yukio.
Akira stood there with his gun trained on Yukio, his gaze fixated on the position you both were in.
"Get away from her, you big oaf," Akira sneered, motioning Yukio to move aside with a flick of the gun.
Yukio slowly stood up, shielding you from sight. "You aren't man enough to face me without that toy," he taunted.
You examined the gun. It wasn't a toy.
Akira removed the safety of the gun with a click. "Move away, Asuna," he thundered, his multicolored eyes focused on Yukio, who held your hand tightly, making it difficult for you to move.
"Akira, stop it. You are not a killer. Don't do this," you pleaded, standing in front of the larger male. Shielding him from his assailant.
Akira chuckled as if you had said something funny.
Yukio gently pushed you aside and stood in front of Akira, making him point the gun right at his chest. "Shoot," Yukio growled, holding the barrel of the gun in his hand.
Akira smirked.
You panicked, thinking he would really shoot Yukio. Before you could make a move, a hand grabbed Akira's shoulder from behind and pulled him back.
"That's enough, man. Remember, we all agreed to this plan," Hikaru said nonchalantly.
Accord struck in you when you heard that. With a split-second movement, you took the gun from Akira's hand and dashed away.
"Well, there goes our plan down the drain," Hikaru sighed, thinking about the trouble it would cause them.
You didn't stop to listen to the rest of their conversation. Your heart pounded as you ran through the hallways, the gun clutched tightly in your hand. You had to find a way out of this nightmare. You reached the end of the corridor and pushed open a door, finding yourself in the hallroom stairwell.
As you quickly ran down the stairs, you could hear the voices of Hikaru, Yukio, and Akira echoing behind you. Panic surged through you, making you clumsy. You slipped and tumbled down the stairs, creating a loud commotion. Subaru appeared out of nowhere and blocked your path.
"Move," you commanded, drawing the gun towards him.
"Sure," he said, raising his hands and moving aside.
"Stop her, Subaru!" Yukio yelled, almost catching up to you. But you had already reached the elevator.
However, the elevator was on the ground floor.
"Damn it. Install a staircase, will you?" you said, turning around and pointing the gun at the nearest member of the house.
"See? Even Asuna wants a staircase. Install it, Subaru," Hikaru said.
Subaru gave him a look that clearly meant, "Not now."
Subaru stood there calmly, observing his darlings desperate attempts to escape. It was indeed a smart move to swipe Akira's gun. He really admired your mind.
"Stay away. I am leaving," you declared, pressing your back against the door of the elevator.
It was well past midnight, and a lone light flickered, casting eerie shadows around the room.
"W-well, hold on, Asuna. You will be coming back, right?" Takumi walked up beside you, giving you a gentle smile that you did not return.
"No," you said firmly. "Go back, Takumi."
"You won't pull the trigger," Subaru deduced. "You won't hurt us."
He was right. Your hands began to get sweaty, and the gun felt slippery.
"My gun is fully loaded," Akira warned Subaru.
Subaru just calmly began to walk towards you, his strides small yet effective enough to instill fear in you.
"Give me the gun, Asuna," he raised his hand for Akira's gun.
"No," you said, raising the gun at the ceiling and pulling the trigger. But instead of a bang, there was only a click.
"What...?" Akira asked, confused. Then smirking as he realized what had happened.
"I unloaded the gun a few hours ago," Subaru said, smiling at the red-haired male who was shocked at the turn of events.
You were fully trapped. The elevator hadn't moved from its position, and your wild card was taken out, leaving you with an empty feeling in your stomach.
"I guess there is no longer any need to restrain ourselves," Akira said smirking as he walked closer to you. He took his gun from your hand and checked the bullets. It was really empty. Then he gave you one of those looks . Which you really hated.
"You will not be leaving, Asuna," Subaru said. "Not unless you have no care for the rest of your friends. Hayami and Inoue. I believe that Hayami has some fondness for me. I wonder if I took her out on a date and some accident occurred. Inoue will be more than happy to talk to us if we lure him with the truth about Aya."
You internally winced as he mentioned about your dead friend.
He smiled as he saw your expression falter for a second before you hardened your gaze again. He really liked it when his darling put up a fight.
"I wonder what will happen to your dear cousin Sayuri if you are no longer here. After all, she is our hostage. Locked down back in Georgia with those criminals," Subaru said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"You piece of cow poop," you said, your fists tightening. "How dare you go against my family and friends."
"I am not done, Asuna darling. Angelina is having her time at Yukio's mansion. The dungeon must be serving her as well as her drug did," Subaru said, glancing over at Yukio. "Do you want him to pay her a visit? A small play between his sword and meat?"
A lump formed in your throat. Subaru threatened you as politely as if he were offering you coffee.
"I want to leave."
"Not until we say so, darling. Now be a good girl and go to your room," Subaru said, ushering you towards the stairs.
As you left, you noticed the only sympathetic glance was from Takumi, who was promptly hit on the head by Akira.
You walked towards the room gingerly. Opening the door, you fell onto the mattress, feeling utterly defeated.
As Subaru heard the door shut, he looked at his companions and sighed heavily, sitting down on the couch.
"She helped Ichigo escape," he announced, his tone measured yet revealing a hint of frustration.
Everyone was taken aback, but none more so than Akira.
"That rat escaped? I told you we should have killed him," Akira said angrily, pacing back and forth.
"If he's a rat, then why bother?" Subaru asked, raising an eyebrow.
"A dead rat is better than a free one," Akira retorted, rolling his eyes.
Kazuto, who had been silent, tapped away on his phone. "I'm calling the lift back up," he said, ensuring the elevator would return to their floor.
Subaru stood up, looking at each of them seriously. "I want one person here at all times during the night. It better be Hikaru, Akira, or Yukio. You three have better fighting capabilities than the rest of us. Detain her if she tries anything again," he instructed, making his way to the stairs. "I'll go talk to her now."
They all nodded.
With that, he left, his footsteps echoing in the silent corridor. The rest of the boys began to disperse, heading to their respective rooms. But in their minds, there was only one thought
-Asuna.
You lay on the mattress, staring blankly at the ceiling, the weight of the situation pressing down on you. The door creaked open, and Subaru walked in, his demeanor calm but his eyes sharp.
"Asuna," he started, closing the door behind him. "We need to talk."
You sat up, your body tense and ready for whatever he might throw at you.
"Why did you help Ichigo escape?" he asked, his voice steady but with an underlying edge.
Is he stupid
"Because he's my brother. I couldn't just leave him there," you replied, trying to keep your voice strong.
Subaru sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You know that puts you in a difficult position, right? Helping him escape means you're directly going against us."
"I don't care," you said defiantly. "I'll do whatever it takes to protect my family."
He studied you for a moment, his expression unreadable. "I admire your loyalty, Asuna. But you have to understand, you're in no position to make demands or take risks. We hold all the cards here."
"Then let me go," you pleaded. "Let me and my brother go, and we won't come back."
Subaru shook his head. "It's not that simple. You're too valuable to us, and we can't afford to lose you."
You felt a lump in your throat, tears threatening to spill over. "What do you want from me?"
He took a step closer, his gaze softening slightly. "I want you to trust us. To understand that we're doing this for your own good."
Liar. Liar pants on fire
Subaru took a step closer, his expression turning more serious. "Look at this news you wanted to watch," he said, pulling out his phone and showing you the screen.
The headline read: "Death Warrant Issued for 17-Year-Old Girl Named Asuna Ikari. Orders Are Shoot on Sight."
Your eyes widened, and you sat up straight in the bed, desperately trying to reach for the phone which Subaru had deliberately placed out of your reach.
"Try as you may," he said, smiling amiably, "but all tech devices are controlled by Kazuto. You can't call anyone."
You bit your cheek on the inside, frustration and fear mixing in your glare directed at Subaru.
"Go ahead, try," he challenged, tossing his phone to you. Reflexively, you caught it, your hands trembling as you swiped through the gallery.
Your eyes teared up as you saw several pictures of Sayuri and Angelica. Kazuto's hacking skills were well known; he could easily erase any trace of their misdeeds. Your only hope was your brother, Ichigo.
Subaru watched your reaction, his gaze sharp. "Oh, Asuna did you tell him? Tell your dear brother that he was long ago removed from the family register."
The revelation hit you like a punch to the gut. You had kept this from Ichigo, fearing how he might react. Now, even your last shred of hope seemed to be slipping away.
"Well, too bad he can't help you either now," Subaru said, moving closer until he was down on one knee, meeting your eyes at level.
He leaned in, his voice a soft, menacing whisper. "The queen is out "
Your heart pounded in your chest, the weight of his words sinking in. You were trapped, isolated, and every avenue of escape seemed to be closed off. The room felt smaller, the walls pressing in on you as Subaru's cold, calculating eyes held yours.
He stood up and walked to the door, leaving you with a parting glance. "Stay put, Asuna. It's for your own good."
As the door closed behind him, the reality of your situation crushed down on you. Tears lined your eyes as you curled up in a ball and sobbed.
Oh I am going to get you all.