"I seek you but all you do is hide."

“Just a little longer...”

Whelmed by an ocean of fantasies and illusions, she once again disappeared from life like a tiny red star. ‘Is that a bunny? IS IT ON THE MOON?’ Thinking about random nothingness, she kept trying to dream longer. ‘Why are the felines screaming?’ ‘Why is there fire-‘

“Oi bitch, wake up or I’ll kill you,” a husky voice threatened.

“Just a little longer- “ Yuki whispered drowsily while drooling.

“NO THAT’S IT. WAKE UP NOW.”

“Ugh. You’re so annoying.”

“Who’s annoying?”

Yuki reluctantly got up from the floor, stumbling, but stood straight at last and she then questioned, “What time is it?”

“Eight p.m.”

“Hehh? Why did you wake me up?”

“Dinner. Also, how can you sleep for so long? This place is so cold too.”

"I don't care."

“Whatever, need food?”

It was then Yuki realized she did not have any food that day. “YES PLEASE.”

“‘Kay, c’mere.”

Yuki followed the guy and while walking she stated, “Ne, you are actually pretty kind-hearted. You don’t seem like a criminal.”

“You are just lucky you got me or else right now you wouldn’t even be able to sleep or eat.”

“Umm thank you, I guess.”

An awkward silence imparted their distance as they walked along the path of the hallway. After walking for five minutes, Yuki started getting annoyed.

“Oi, how long is this hallway?!”

“Shut up and keep walking, we’re almost there.”

And within one minute, they reached the kitchen, where Zen had prepared the dinner already.

“Ah, what’s for dinner?” Yuki enquired.

“Ramen.”

“Ehhhhhhhhhhh? I thought you were rich. Why only ramen?”

“Shut up. I don’t know how to cook.”

“Really? I thought you were good at doing chores.”

“Not cooking.”

“Well, I can’t cook to save my life so I guess we’re even.”

“You’re just useless.”

“Rude.”

They both sat opposite to each other on the chairs behind the dining table and Yuki grimaced.

“What? So my dinner is supposed to be plain cup ramen? What the fuck? I will die if I don’t eat more.”

“Well, that would be good for me but you can eat out.”

“Sorry, I couldn’t be of any use. But seriously out? This place is fucking deserted, though? Is there even a convenience shop here?”

“You’re useless, just like I said, so do not mind it. By car, you can reach the convenience store in like five minutes.”

“Ehhh? I don’t know how to drive. And I don’t even have a license.”

“Well, that’s because you are underage, idiot. I’ll go with you.”

“Really? I looooooooooooooove you~”

“Should you be saying that to your abductor?”

“Why not? You’re kind, just like a big brother.”

“Society won’t look at it that way, though. And I am not kind, I’ve killed hundreds before.”

“Fuck society. I don’t care about that. You kill only bad people, right?”

“The mafia tortures the innocent.”

“I don’t think you are like that, though. I believe you are generous, and you can be sometimes humorous. And your eyes are really pretty~”

Zen’s eyes widened, and he faced down and put down his chopsticks. Zen quickly jumped down from his chair and faced the other side.

“You’re too trusting,” Zen mumbled lightly enough for Yuki to not listen.

“What?”

“Well, let’s go.”

“To where?”

“The convenience store, dimwit.”

“Yessir.”

When he faced the other side, he realized that his heart totally skipped one beat to Zen's surprise. Nothing of that sort would occur whenever somebody else complimented his eyes.

‘Ah, I must be tired,’ Zen assumed.

“Ne, ne, let’s go,” Her somewhat delicate voice calmed down his nerves as he looked into her alluring yellow eyes that symbolized the gemstone, citrine. Those eyes crowned the monochrome background which grace and fulfillment. Zen remembered his father presenting his mother with a citrine stone ring when he was still tender and guiltless.

‘It’s pointless to be thinking about that now,’ Zen assured himself and walked towards the kitchen door.

“Heh, do we have to walk through that long hallway again?” Yuki drowsily yawned.

“Of course, it’s obvious.”

“Ne, I just noticed.”

“What?”

“I have been wearing these clothes for four days now.”

“Hah? I just brought you here yesterday.”

“You won’t understand the life of a shut-in.”

“Whatever, get out of those filthy clothes.”

“HAH? Then what am I supposed to wear?!”

“Calm down, I can lend you my clothes.”

“Wouldn’t they be too big?”

“Well, big for you.”

“There’s another thing that I noticed.”

“What?”

“You are actually smaller than a normal adult male.”

“Uhm. Go to hell you bitch.”

“Hehe.”

“Don’t ‘hehe’ me. Now follow me, twerp.”

“At your command, Oji-sama.” [A/N: Oji-sama stands for Prince.]

“Pfft.”

“Did you just snort at me?”

“No, it’s just the ‘Oji-sama’ reference you made.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Young princes are usually pretty fragile and naïve, you know.”

“That’s not true. I don't know much history, but I am pretty sure that there must be those perfect young princes, valiant, handsome, and who would love their partner to death. The elder princes are scary. I like young prices better.”

“Meh.”

Their conversation ended, and they reached the front of the house, where there was Zen’s room.

“Wait here. I’ll find some clothes for you,” Zen said.

“Do you have anything light-colored?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so. All my clothes are pretty dark.”

“Okay...” Yuki didn’t seem to get it, but she shrugged it off.

Zen walked into his room and closed the door. Yuki just stood there playing with her long and bushy auburn hair. ‘Ah, I need a hairbrush.’

After a few minutes, Zen came out of his room and handed a set of clothes to Yuki. 

"You can go ahead and take a shower, I'll go to the convenience store for you."

"Really? But I need to visit the shop too."

"Why?"

"I'm a girl. I need my stuff."

"Ah, okay. I'll wait for you then. Make it short."

"Okie."

"Wait. Where's the bathroom?"

"Just walk down the hallway and there are a few doors before the kitchen arrives, the farthest one from the kitchen is the bathroom."

"Ah, okay."

Zen walked into his room and locked the door, leaving Yuki behind.

'I am totally not going to get lost,' Yuki reassured herself.

While trying to find the way, Yuki stumbled upon a room with a rusted doorknob, and the wooden door was covered in cracks and crevices. All the other rooms looked kind of decent but this one caught Yuki's eye. Yuki curiously grabbed the rusted doorknob with a disgusted look on her face and tried to open it but it wouldn't budge. She looked in from one of the slim cracks on the door but it was to no avail because of the darkness shrouding her vision. She simply decided to ask Zen later what that was about. 

She took a step back from the door to turn around but her eyes suddenly heard a thud. The thud came from inside the room. Yuki was too curious now. She tried to open the door again but failed once again.

"What are you doing here?"

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"What are you doing here? I believe you were supposed to take a bath."

"Um, there's noise coming inside from this room..." Yuki stuttered after seeing Zen with his cold blue eyes.

"Huh? This one hasn't been used in long. You okay?"

"I am sure there was something!"

"Eh? Are you sure? If there's nothing, I'm kicking you out."

"Jeez. So rash," Yuki rolled her eyes.

After a few more counters and arguments, Zen forced himself to slam the door down. Despite the door being jammed, he so effortlessly broke into the room in lesser time than imagined that Yuki had her eyes a little too agape. But it didn't last long as she covered her small mouth using her hand, coughing and closing her eyes because of the dust dancing around the air particles silently in a frivolous yet sickening manner. After a minute or two, Zen and Yuki recovered from their symptoms and Zen gazed into the room. It was nighttime, yes. Yet the moon cast its scanty light through a window, which was probably no bigger than the moon from a distance of 384,400 kilometers from the earth.

But what they saw there was able to keep on their faces a look of astonishment and perplexion.

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