40.5: Master

As the weeks go by my body is beaten into shape along with several other kids my age. Each morning we are let out of our cages and congregated into a room to follow the training regimen. We are taught martial arts, torture techniques, lock-picking, knife throwing and how to use various melee weapons. Everything is drilled into our heads and bodies over and over.

My body is bruised all the time, but I am getting stronger and more agile by the day. Each of their tests I pass with flying colors, but my previous martial arts training could be to thank for that to an extent. Was it to prepare for this? Was Mikado so adamant about me learning martial arts because he planned to send me here all along?

Despite everything, I still have not found where Yuna is. We are only allowed to go to a few areas where we are constantly watched by guards in cloaks and blanks masks that almost never move or speak. The only time I have witnessed one move is when another kid broke his wrist and one of the guards came over and snapped his neck right there in front of the rest of us. Several of us got whipped for becoming distracted by it, including me.

Once training is over, we are led back to our rooms to wait for food and for each group to be allowed a shower and to use the restroom. The silence is mind numbing as I have nothing but my thoughts to keep me company. The slit in the door opens and a tray is shoved between it.

I take the tray, looking over the rice and slab of meat with a bottle of water. The food is awful and always cold. The only thing keeping me from tossing it against the wall are my hunger pains and the fact that I know I need to keep my strength up.

“Shu-Chan?” I hear a voice whisper from the other side.

My heart leaps into my throat, tears springing into my eyes. I drop the tray, rice spilling onto the floor, peering through the slit to see Yuna in a uniform much like mine with ‘Maid 9’ on the front.

“Aneki!” I croak out.

She comes in then we are wrapping our arms around each other. “Oh, thank goodness I finally found you!” she says, her voice tight with tears. “I don’t have much time so listen carefully. I have a key that can open most of the doors here.”

She hands me the key, a pass card with a black strip, my breath shortening. “Why are you giving it to me? You should get out of here while you can.”

“They’ll know I’m gone faster than if you were to go,” she says. “But you have to be fast. Take this hallway all the way down and go all the way up the stairs. At the top of the stairs go through the door then right. You will see a door being guarded, but there will be a moment when you will be able to go past them. Go through that door and up the stairs again and you will be out on the street where you can find help.”

She shoves me out the door, “Go now. Don’t worry about anything else, okay? Just get out and find help.”

I nod and start running, my heart pounding as I grip the key. How did she know how to get out? Where did she get this key? All questions I would have to ask her later once I get her out of this place.

As I get up to the top, the door starts to open. I quickly press against the wall as the door opens in front of me, the cold metal just barely touching my nose. Two guards go through, silently walking down the steps as my heart pounds. I quietly slip through and head down the hallway to the right. Eventually I come to a spot in the hallway where it opens into a larger room. As I peek from behind the corner, I see the guarded door. She said I would have a moment to go through, but how will I know?

Suddenly, something is covering my mouth and my heart jumps to my throat. I blew it! I’ll either be killed or tortured for this!

“Shhh,” a voice from behind me whispers. “Follow my lead and be quiet.”

I look up, seeing a masked guard behind me. As I relax, he releases me. Then with a swift movement he throws his cloak over me, pulling me against his body. Then we start walking, me watching the floor from beneath the cloak.

He stops before one of the guards at the doorway. They exchange places and once the footsteps are gone, he releases me. He pulls a slip of paper out of his pocket, shoving it against my chest and I quickly take it. Then he is patting my head and giving me a gentle nudge. His gentleness brings tears to my eyes, not having felt something like it in so long. But I steel myself, knowing I can’t relent yet. I’m almost there.

I quickly go through the doorway, running up the steps two, three at a time. The closer I get to the door the faster my heart beats until I am sliding the card through the slot and bursting through it. The light blinds me, the heat from the sun like a long-lost friend. I’ll have to wait to bask in it later.

My eyes are on the paper, and I realize it’s a map. At the top is, “Find Officer Yamamoto”. As I run, I get weird glances from people, some noticeably moving away from me.

It doesn’t take long for me to find the police box, but when I do it’s like I finally hit the finish line. This can all finally be over. Yuna and I can be together and safe again.

I burst through the doors, finding a few officers inside. “Officer Yamamoto!”

A man with a mole on his chin and gentle eyes comes forward. “That’s me.” His gaze becomes alarmed as he looks me over. “Are you okay kid?”

Relief floods through me and I immediately start telling him everything. He takes me to a room with a table and chair, sitting with me. Someone brings me juice and snacks, which I scarf down as fast as I can as I recount my story. Officer Yamamoto asks me questions, wanting to know everything I know, writing everything down.

Then the door opens, and another officer comes in, his badge reading “Chief Higurashi”. He stands before me. “You are in quite a lot of trouble youngster, pranking all of us like this.”

I gawk at him. Does he not believe me?

“I’ve gotten several calls from other precincts about your antics,” he says. “And your mother is highly pissed.”

Tears spring into my eyes. But she’s dead.

“I’ll take it from here and send him home,” the Chief says.

Officer Yamamoto gives him a worried glance. “Sir, I think he really might be in some kind of trouble,” he says. “He definitely shows signs of trauma and there are bruises all over him.”

“I will make sure he is taken care of. You have another case to look into,” Chief tells him.

Officer Yamamoto looks at me again and lets out a breath, before looking down. He gets up and leaves the room. I chase after him. “Wait! Please!”

The Chief drags me out the door. “Come with me brat.”

What do I do? I have to make him believe me. He takes me to his cruiser as I try to convince him of the truth. As he pushes me into the seat, blocking my exit, he leans down.

“You really should learn not to disobey your Master,” he growls. “But maybe since I’m bringing you back, I’ll get some brownie points.”

My heart falls into my stomach and before I realize it, I am smelling the disinfectant again.

Once again, I wake in the cell. Only this time there is a dark figure in the corner, and I can feel my ankles shackled, chained to the wall. As I sit up, they rise. I immediately know who it is.

I crash to my knees, my forehead on the ground. “P-please Master! I am sorry!” I cry. I had only heard the product of her wrath once, the screaming that came from that cell was blood-curdling. My limbs shake, my blood cold.

“I hope you learned a lesson,” her voice fills the small room, somehow making it colder. “There is no where you can go that I will not find you.”

She stops before me, and I glance up. Nori is near the door, holding chains in one hand and a small, clear cup in the other. My stomach hurts, my breath short. She waves him over and he walks up, handing her the cup. She takes it and offers it to me.

“Drink.” Her tone is calm, hiding her intentions.

I take the cup, knowing if I don’t drink this I will probably be tortured even more, or it will just be forced down my throat anyway. But why does she want me to drink this tiny cup of clear liquid? What will it do to me? It smells like pure alcohol, burning my nose and eyes.

My body freezes. Something tells me if I drink this something bad will happen. It’s like every fiber of my being is screaming at me not to drink it.

“It’s medicine,” she says. “To help you learn.”

As I stare at this cup, my body is frozen in place, like I’m holding a venomous snake in my hand and one move could trigger it to bite me. But I know if I don’t let it, something worse will likely happen. So, I hesitantly bring it to my lips. The liquid ripples as my hands shake. It burns my nose and as I inhale, I can feel the heat on my tongue.

Suddenly, it’s like my survival instincts are on overdrive and I toss the cup against the wall. If I drink that I will die or wish it so. Then the realization of what I’ve done hits and I withdraw into myself, my arms over my chest. I watch as Master calmly looks at the broken glass amongst spilled liquid, then to me.

She lets out a disappointed sigh. “I was hoping you would be smart and do as I ask. You’ve gone and wasted it now. And for what? You know you are to be punished. Are you really so stupid?”

My limbs tremble as I stare up at her. She thrusts her hand out toward Nori. He pulls out a canister, silently handing it to her. She takes it, unscrewing the lid.

“Now, take your medicine,” she says.

When I don’t reach out to grab it, she lets out a sigh. Nori takes it as a queue to move, binding me in the chains and forcing my mouth open as I struggle. The liquid pours down my throat, feeling like lava against my insides, my tongue on fire, my eyes watering. I cough violently as Nori releases me.

“Good. It won’t take long to come into effect,” she says. “Now, I want you to tell me how exactly you got that key.”

I gag again, coughing as I sit up, the bitter taste still in my mouth. “I… f-find it,” I mutter.

She laughs. “You really are a horrible liar.”

My stomach aches, like I’m being stabbed over and over. “I find it! The guard… d-drop it!” I plead, struggling to remember the right words.

She goes back to her chair, sitting and crossing one leg over the other. “The longer it takes you to tell me the truth, the longer you will suffer.”

The stabbing pain begins to spread across my torso, making it hard to breathe. I start sweating profusely, my body feeling like it’s on fire. What did she make me drink?

“I can make it stop. Just tell me the truth,” she says.

My heart pounds and I pull at my chains as the pain gets worse.

“I find it! I-I find it,” I repeat.

Before long I’m writhing on the floor screaming. It’s like my body is being ripped apart from the inside while also being burned alive and stabbed from every angle. As each minute goes by it only seems to get worse. I beg and plead and cry, but no one helps me.

How long will this last? It has to end sometime, right? I just have to hold on! I can’t tell them about Yuna! I writhe, feeling as if I’m dying. Someone kill me! Make it stop!

It was the first time I begged for death.

But I refuse to put Yuna in danger. As long as she doesn’t have to suffer like this, I can deal with it. After what feels like hours, the pain finally eases away and I am left numb on the floor, my voice raw from screaming.

“You’re only the second to withstand that for its duration,” Master says. “I’m impressed. Your loyalty and willpower are indeed something to be admired. I’m wondering… Perhaps you are the one I’ve been searching for.”

I’m so exhausted I can hardly comprehend what she jabbers on about.

“You still haven’t told me the truth but considering what I have just witnessed I am willing to let it slide,” she says. “Your sister is already being punished. I just wanted to see how much you could take before you broke, but you went and surprised me.”

I become sick to my stomach, tears in my eyes. She knew. She knew and she tortured me anyway. Not to mention that there is no telling what Yuna must be going through. The guilt is suffocating. If only I could have gotten help. It’s all my fault. All of this is my fault!

As the door shuts, I close my eyes and immediately fall into darkness. But it’s like I only blinked as I am being ripped off the floor. Nori presses a cup to my lips, my body locking up as I try to resist, though my energy is spent. It drips down the sides of my face and neck and once I realize it is only water, my body relaxes. I allow it to cool my sensitive throat, gulping it down as if it were my first drink in days.

“Yosh, yosh,” he mutters gently and lets out a breath. “I’m sorry kid. Seems like your days are only going to get worse from here. I came to give you fair warning.”

He was right. I thought I was living in hell already, but that was a breeze compared to what was in store for me.

Translations:

Yosh, yosh – Essentially, “Yes, yes”. This is a comforting term, like “there, there”.