Chapter 4

Haruka woke up to the dimly lit room. The back of his head throbbed as the fragmented memories pounded his head repeatedly. Geez, whoever hit him must be a retarded goon. Not only his head hurts, but also a massive chunk on the back of his neck feels like a hot iron was pressed on it.

He cracked open his eyes to scan his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was the stone ground. He could feel the moisture penetrate into his kimono. Haruka couldn't hide his disgust as he scurried into a dryer corner. It's cold and wet; as far as he can recall, he hated wet surfaced. He would never leave a place undried, much less intentionally pouring liquid over the surface. Everything should be in perfect condition. Much of the reason for his hatred for wetness was caused by him spilling the tea onto his work surface. Which ruined most of his manuscripts. But none of these matter in this type of situation.

Haruka took his chance to stand up, but the throbbing pain increased significantly, causing him to let out a gasp and to lose his grip on the cold, hard wall. His fall was hard and deafening. In a split second, he could feel the hotness spreading across his body like a wildfire. His throat was parching and aching, begging for water to soothe the burning pain. His face was flustered and damp, his hair was sticking to his face. He was sweating buckets. His hands used to support beneath him started to shake.

What's happening?

Haruka's breath became short and ragged. It's like the fire had licked him. Is this a fever?

A harsh cough erupted from his mouth. He continued to cough his lungs out as he curled up in a fetal position on the moist ground to ease the hacking. His lungs burn hotter than before. How long has he been out?

Hours?

Days?

Even weeks?

Haruka finally stopped his coughs. He slowly flipped his body onto his stomach. Now that he could see clearly, he weakly crawled toward the source of light. It was a tiny candle attached to the rusty old sconce on the wall. In front of him was a chipped wooden door with windows and metal bars. He tried banging on the door, but still no use. No one was coming. Nobody can hear his weak calls.

His body started to act up in desperation. Fear has once again taken over his rational thoughts. He began to bang on the doors harder regardless of his helpless situation. Each hit on the old but sturdy door, Haruka unknowingly inflicted more injuries to his hands. Soon his hand gone raw with speckles of blood. His throat was too parched to even utter a sound. He had no sense of pain, not even after wrecking his hands. Why was he feeling like death was haunting him again? Shouldn't he be familiar with this tight clutch in his chest?

How was he able to comprehend this body response?

His stomach growled in hunger. How long has it been since he was last eaten? He can't even think clearly now. Everything was hazy in his vision. He started to hear voices that were not even there. Defeated, Haruka slid down from the door feeling the strange wetness rolled down his cheeks.

For the first time in five years, he finally cursed out loud.

"Fuckin' hell."

-o-

The stranger smiled in delight.

"What a wonderful addition you have given us!" The stranger chirped happily as he gave a twisted smile to the old man before him. "To think that you'll offer your blood kin in exchange for power and protection. What a sinful act of sacrifice!" He added with a crinkle in his eyes.

The old man sneered at the stranger's pretension.

"Preposterous! Collect what you have given and be gone!" The old man growled. Just before he stood up to leave the room, the stranger knocked him down. The stranger was back in his previous position with multiple bodies littered on the floor in a snap of a finger. The stranger flicked the blood from his hands, his lips curled up into a Cheshire smile.

"My, aren't you eager to break our deal~" The stranger's yellow eyes glisten with bloodlust. "If I were you, I wouldn't try to eliminate myself either~" Despite his cheerful tone, there was an underlying threat in his message. He was oozing out a dark aura, spreading out the room. The old man trembled under the cold gaze of the stranger.

"Ah, so wonderful~ Having a tub of lard shaken before my presence makes me want to dominate you!" The stranger quivered pleasured. He hugged himself as he continued with another round of tingles, "If only I could wring your blood out of your guts-Ah!" His face flushed heavily as he gave a moan. His knees buckled beneath him. He continued to utter out groans and moans, with pleasure completely took over him. He couldn't hold back his hedonistic tendencies.

The old man can only watch with fear and bewilderment as the stranger fell down to his knees.

The stranger threw his head back and let out a maniacal laugh, "I have to wait for another time then." Then he looked at the old man in the corner of his eyes as he grinned wickedly.

The old man gape at his reflection in the stranger's glowing yellow orbs. Terror started to creep up his skin. Then suddenly, a kunai nicked his cheeks, drawing the blood out before piercing into the wall behind him.

"Be sure to tell your master that I said hi~" The stranger smirked before jumping out of the window. The moon basked his slender body as he continued to flee away from the scene.

Unbeknown to the old man, the stranger had planted a bomb on the kunai.

The tiny cottage exploded in bright orange color, alarming the guards. Everything was eradicated by the bomb. That explosion cleared out any possible trails that the stranger could have left behind.

The stranger grinned ear to ear as he heard the explosion gone off behind him, such a delightful sound, he may add. He stopped to admire the beautiful raging fire spitting out the blaze, burning everything within its vicinity.

Oh, well. All things must come to an end.

His long silvery hair fluttered behind him as he continued to run.

-o-

The stranger walked into a rundown building, but he was stopped by a burly man.

"State your name and business." The stranger rolled his eyes.

"You already know who I am and what I'm here for." He walked past the burly man, "Besides, I think this protocol is stupid."

"Ginketsu, your stuck-up attitude is overbearing." The burly man stated monotonously.

Ginketsu flipped his hair back as he speaks, "Your bland demeanor is boring~ No wonder people call you Square." He retorted teasingly.

Square looked down from his nose at Ginketsu, "Square is named Square because he surrounds his opponent on all sides." He narrowed his eyes, "Do not tempt Square if you wish to keep your pathetic life." He warned.

Ginketsu put his hands up in surrender, laughing cheerily.

"I was only joking, Square~" Ginketsu pulled his tongue of childishly. "By the way, the mission was a success~" He found a table to leaned onto, using both hands to support his weight. Square perked up at Ginketsu's announcement.

"Young master is certainly an Obra Maestra!" Ginketsu chirped, "pale complexion, beautifully sculpted feature, and petite figure! I'm quite certain that young master can boost our revenue~."

Square hummed, "Perhaps, they could be of some help." He sounded his opinion before turning back to Ginketsu. "You'll have the next shift."

Ginketsu groaned. He pushed himself up from the table. "Fine-, I'm going to change my underwear first!" He disappeared into the shadow, leaving Square at the gate post.

"Underwear?" confused, Square raised his brow up.