Akari laid down in the bed after sharing his story, attempting to watch the female's response to it, hoping to see a spark of remembrance in her (e/c) pupils. She gave a horrified look, understanding just how insane he was that he would kill people for small and seemingly insignificant reasons. The blonde gave a pained expression, knowing that she wouldn't appreciate his past actions although he didn't regret them.
"I'll make you remember," he whispered, tucking a stray hair behind her ear, "You don't need to worry."
(Y/n) began to shake, hearing his words, and though she tried to get away from him, he reached around her waist and hugged her tightly. He wouldn't let her put a gap between them and pressed his chest against hers, taking a sharp intake of breath. His eyes wandered down to her chest and they paused, focusing on it before he lowered his head and buried himself there, letting out a sigh.
"Your body is so perfect," he said almost challengingly, "It's so hard to restrain myself."
"And yet, I think you can manage," Shota scoffed, appearing at the door with a growl, "It's nine. Get out."
Akari and the redhead had a staring contest, each of them silently threatening the other. The blonde lost his focus, allowing (Y/n) to wiggle out of his grasp and fall to the floor, pressing her back against the wall and throwing her arms up in defense. He turned his head to look at her, feeling a twinge of guilt at her fear and looked at the journal on the bed, gripping it tightly with one of his hands.
Before the girl knew it, the door was closed and she was given a "good night" by Shota, both of the males leaving her alone. As she stood up, she noticed her legs were trembling and she quickly covered herself with the duvet. Though as she did so, something shifted on top of the blanket and she peeked up to see Akari had left his precious journal with her. It struck her as odd, but she figured she'd look through it later and placed it on the bedside table, falling into a light slumber.
She was awakened in the morning by some metal object tapping against her forehead. As she opened her eyes and sat up, she realized that the key Shota had given her was being used to wake her up. She cocked her head at the gesture, looking into the redhead's emerald eyes to see if she could catch a glimpse of his objective, but he only gave a chuckle and placed the key in the palm of her hand.
"Good morning, my dear," he smiled, gripping her chin lightly and bringing their faces slightly closer, "I hope you slept well."
She jolted back, his hand remaining the air in a sort of surprise, the same astonishment easily readable on his features. Then he gave a small amused scoff and shook his head, running his hand through his red hair. He took her hand and gave it a small, gentlemanly kiss before standing up and giving a slight bow at the waist and turning around to open the door. Then he motioned for her to follow.
She raised an eyebrow, not knowing if she wanted to follow the male or not, but ultimately decided it would be better if she did. He offered his arm to her, but she refused it since she could walk by herself. He gave a disappointed expression but shrugged it off, following behind. They arrived downstairs to see everyone awake, including Yamato who typically never woke up so early in the morning. That being said, he wasn't fully awake, laying down on the couch, his eyes closed as he munched on some kind of cake.
"Morning," he mumbled, giving a weak wave.
Takuya turned his head, giving a large grin and ran over to hug the girl, nuzzling his cheek against hers. The girl, reluctant to be touched, pushed him back to gain her personal space, though it didn't stop him from beaming. Haru gave a wave to the girl and though he was focused on his game, he held up a controller as an invitation for her to join him, frowning when she didn't accept right away.
She did join, just not as quickly as he would have liked. As she grabbed onto the controller, he pulled her into his lap and locked his arms around her so that he could still play. She found the action odd, wanting to sit by herself, but he restrained her movement so that she sat with him, encouraging her to play with him. It took a while, but he got what he wanted and he grinned largely because of it, his cheeks pink as he giggled childishly every now and then.
The two of them played for what seemed like an hour before Takuya came over with a plate of waffles and strawberries with whipped cream. He sat down next to the girl, ignoring Haru, and began to spoon-feed her. She turned her head away, refusing to be fed by someone else but the brunette kept insisting she eat something. It wasn't that he was happy that Takuya was feeding her, but he'd rather have that than have her go hungry. Besides, he was busy playing games.
"What is it with you guys?!" she said, finding her way out of Haru's grip, "Can't I just have my own personal space?! Leave me alone!"
"I haven't touched you," Shota said, bringing it to her attention in hopes of gaining some kind of recognition, "Shouldn't that count for something? I've been giving you your space, too. Some compliments would be nice. Perhaps a nice 'thank you'?"
"Gee, thanks, Yasojiro," she said, putting emphasis on his last name, making him flinch, "If you hadn't abducted me and threatened the people I loved, I don't know what I would be doing right now!"
"Sarcasm doesn't suit you," he said, glaring at her.
She scowled back, crossing her arms over her chest, and turned her back on him, making him clench his fists in anger. Something about that made him more furious than anything else and he wanted to strangle someone to death. Yet he remained where he was, tapping his foot impatiently as Rei gave a whistle at the girl's sudden attitude.
"Didn't know you had it in you," the blonde chuckled, "Well done, cupcake!"
"You're no better," she scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"Ouchie," he exclaimed, clutching at his heart and pretending as if he'd been shot, "It hurts! Kiss it better, sweetie pie!"
The girl only proceeded to storm up the stairs, but not before clutching at the key Shota had placed in her hand and throwing it at the back of his head. He paused, hanging his head as he stared at the gift he'd given her laying on the floor at his feet. Reluctantly, he kneeled down to it and picked it up, pressing it to where his heart would have been. The others were in shock of her sudden outburst, but Yamato just found it humorous.
"(Y/n)'s upset," Takuya said, pulling his knees into his chest with a frown, "Did I do something wrong?"
"She was content before," Haru pointed out, figuring it had to do something with either him or the white-haired boy beside him.
"No, she wasn't," Yamato yawned, continuing to munch on his slice of cake, "Use your brains, dumbasses. You can't really expect her to withstand this situation without snapping once in a while. We kidnapped her, killed and hurt some people that she was close to, and now you guys are all over her. It's a wonder she doesn't yell more often."
"Never thought you'd be the wise one in this situation," Shota scoffed, pushing his hair back with his hand and letting out a sigh.
Akari and Takuya remained silent, feeling immense guilt for (Y/n) while Rei and Haru argued about who started it. Shota didn't say a word, struggling to think of something to remedy the girl's attitude toward him. He looked down at the key he held and let out a scoff, an idea coming into his mind. While it wasn't one he would typically condone, she wasn't bound to open up to him without incentive.
. . .
(Y/n) laid down on her bed as she tried to calm her frustrations. She had never intended to lash out at the males, but she couldn't take their constant smothering and the anger bubbling within her released itself. She had known it was better to keep it inside, lest the boys do something violent to either herself or someone else, but it wasn't as easy to do as it sounded. Haru and Takuya never stopped touching her or demanding attention and Rei's constant teasing was enough, but with Akari's behavior as of late, she couldn't take it.
She growled, burying her head underneath a pillow and screaming her frustrations out. The pillow didn't do much to mask the cry, but it gave her some small semblance of peace, knowing she could take her frustrations out on the inanimate object despite it not having ears. Then again, it wasn't enough to let it all out, some of her rage still boiling within her. Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door and snapped at it.
"Leave me be!" she growled, hearing a guilt-ridden pause after she yelled.
"I have something for you," Shota said quietly, "I think you'll like it."
(Y/n) turned her head away, refusing to hear what he had to say. Taking the silence as just that, Shota let out a frustrated breath and unlocked the door, stepping through. He closed the door behind him but he didn't make any moves towards her. He just remained where he was although he did toss the key to the girl. She didn't try to catch it, but let it fall by her head, uncaring of what it was.
"I'll let you see Narahashi," he said, a fit of jealousy buried in his words, "All you have to do is find the lock to the key."
"I'm not playing your game," (Y/n) said angrily, throwing a pillow at him.
The male dodged the pillow easily, only having to lean his head slightly to the right. He found her actions to be predictable, but irritating nonetheless. He watched as the girl observed the key he'd gifted her, hoping she would come to her senses. Yet she only tossed it back, rejecting it and crushing the redhead's spirit.
"You were the first one I met," she said, a disgusting taste in her mouth as she spoke, "The first one I thought of as my friend."
"I never wanted to be your friend!" the boy yelled, waving his arm around in an almost violent manner, "How dense did you have to be to ignore my feelings?! But I...digress. Just...you know the others. Make an effort to know me."
"Make an effort to treat me like a human being," the girl snapped.
The redhead felt so angry but at the same time so thrilled to be able to have an argument and not win it. He gave a loving sigh and chuckled, stepping forward to place his hand on the bed next to the girl's hand. She took it back, making him grin wider and he sat down next to her. Even as she stood up and sat on the other side of the room, he found an excitement within the action and laid down on the bed.
"You're so...bothersome," he sighed, running his hand down his body, "Why is it that I love it so? It thrills me to no end. It's...addicting."
The girl did her best to ignore the male, but when he began to whimper and groan, she wasn't able to take it. She stood up and slammed the door to the bathroom in an attempt to shut his voice out. While it worked, not long after, he opened the door and appeared more composed than he was a moment or two ago. He had a bashful expression across his features, feeling more than a semblance of guilt for what he'd done in front of her.
"I...um...," he said, trying to figure out what to say, "That...wasn't like me. I apologize. You just...you make it hard to control myself when I'm around you. And I try my best to keep myself a perfect gentleman, too."
He placed his hand in the girl's hair, wrapping his other arm around her waist to tug her close to himself. She growled and told him to let her go, but he only held her tightly, running his hands through her hair. He found it oddly relaxing, finding it so alluring. It was soft and tangle-free, likely the work of Yamato brushing through it. Yet he didn't mind. It only seemed to benefit him. He pressed the (h/c) locks to his lips, finding it blissful and to a certain extent, relaxing.
"I must tell you that you look lovely today," he said, leaning his forehead against hers.
"And I must tell you that you're still as awful as ever," she growled, pushing herself away from him.
While she was successful, she had used too much force and stumbled back before the redhead was able to reach her. She tripped, her head colliding with the bathtub and making her whimper in pain. She didn't know whether or not it was bleeding but it certainly stung as though it did. Shota crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at the girl as he gritted his teeth, trying to contain his anger.
Why she would rather be hurt that way than be in his safe arms was beyond him and seemed more of an insult than anything else to him. His pride was weakened by her simple choice and he found it didn't stop violent thoughts from running through his mind. However, his thoughts differed from the others'. Even when she had rejected them time and time again, it was mainly Rei who had thought of harming her. And that was only because he was a sadist.
But Shota had thoughts of torture. While the girl had been gone, he'd done his research simply to amuse himself in the meantime. He watched as she rubbed at her head, narrowing his eyes. He didn't necessarily expect her to reach out to him for assistance, but it still would have been reassuring for him. Turning his head, he opened the door, walking through it slowly, some small part of him hoping that she would tell him to stay with her.
"You have an hour," he said, tossing the key back at her, "Find the lock within an hour and you'll get to see the student council president. I don't care for his name anymore. Speak it and I'll ensure you won't get to say anything else ever again."
His tone was cold and distant and though he closed the door to the bedroom softly, he did it in such a way that it conveyed his disgust and rage. (Y/n) still sat on the floor, having caught the small key, and narrowed her eyes at it. She wasn't entirely sure whether or not she wanted to play his game. Though the reward was enticing, there wasn't any guarantee that he would be unharmed if she did see him. So she decided it was best to ignore it.
She placed the key on the necklace tree in the bathroom and walked back to the main bedroom, looking around for something to do. She spotted the television but figured she'd rather do something productive to keep her mind sharp. So she found a puzzle and began to arrange it on the table across from the bed. It wasn't anything special; just a picture of some beautiful and natural scenery.
. . .
Before she knew it, an hour had passed and she had missed out on seeing Narahashi. While it pained her, she knew it was best for him. Displaying affection towards him would only ensure he would be further harmed. Yet she shrugged it off, trying not to think about it. She picked up a piece of the puzzle and fiddled with it before placing it down, connecting it with two other pieces.
It was a relaxing hobby that she partook in, finding her stress and anger melt away with each piece she solved of the puzzle. In the background played relaxing music that allowed her to enjoy the small sense of privacy she was given. Every now and then, she would eye the cameras watching her, knowing that they took some semblance of that privacy away. She could almost feel the males' eyes on her as she went about her own business.
Before she was able to react, the door was flung open, revealing a very pissed off redhead. He was panting heavily and his pupils were dilated in heavy rage and overwhelming bitterness. Pausing for a moment to make eye contact with the female, he stood up straight and ran his hand through his unkempt hair. He had bags under his eyes as if he was stressing deeply about something, making (Y/n) tilt her head at his state.
Though, he launched at her, tackling her to the ground and closing his grip around her tightly. His choking forced her to claw at his hands, but he only seemed more upset at her resistance. As her air tubes were blocked and her vision was beginning to blur, he released her, letting a stream of air within her as she coughed out. Then he grabbed at her wrist and dragged her to a room she'd never been in before.
He opened the door violently, some freezing cold air escaping from it. Her mind quickly figured out what the room was and she was thrown inside of it, the door shutting behind her as Shota stalked towards her. He still had the same rage and stress within him and he tugged at her hair, making her emit a cry from her lips. The cold air made the girl shiver and as she exhaled, she could see her breath.
"I'm so done with this," the boy growled, slamming the girl to the freezing wall.
He grabbed at her dress and warned her not to move, lest he get the idea to take out his frustrations on Narahashi. She stiffened up as he began to unbutton the clothing, stripping it from her body. He blushed for a moment, though his rage-filled expression didn't fade. The girl wrapped her arms around her body, trying to hide herself from his gaze, but he walked away, the dress in hand and closed the door on her without another word.
She didn't bother getting up, knowing he had locked it and furrowed her brows at his action. The room was unbearably cold and since he had taken her dress, it had gotten that much colder, the air nipping at her skin. Within mere minutes, her body was shivering, turning against her and she began to feel numb. Her bottom lip trembled as the icy air bit at it and though she tried to warm herself up, it wasn't very effective.
Time passed and she was still locked in the freezing room, leaving her to her thoughts; most of them pertaining to Shota's sanity. Something had gotten to him. Something enough to make him torture her. Though...was it a question of what? Or who?