Love and Lies [Saioumami]

Gambling Was A Mistake

Kokichi stumbled over his feet as Kenji shoved him into the stone floor again before the ringleader. Another day, another beating. "You know, this will never get boring, kid. No matter how much we hurt you, you never crack. I wonder what gets under your skin," the ringleader chuckled, kneeling in front of the prisoner. "Is that stubbornness because of a shitty relationship with your parents?"

His heart stopped, the boy looked up at the older man's face and sneered. "You know nothing of my family."

"Oh, touched a nerve did we?" The ringleader chuckled, ruffling up the boy's hair. "I know more than you think. After all, what kind of parents would tell us to have their kid instead of paying us?" Kokichi's eyes sparkled in confused curiosity, the man narrowing his eyes and smirking. "You haven't realised? Wow, we were told you're dumb but not that idiotic."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't speak without permission," one of the gang members approached Kokichi, kicking him in the face. He swayed in place, attempting to balance himself so he didn't fall over, his hands being tied behind his back making the task difficult.

"You should've learnt that by now Ouma. Now, back to what I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted. We sent that ten thousand dollar debt to your parents, and if they paid it off then you'd be returned safe and sound. How curious, that they told us to keep you, that they didn't want you and weren't going to pay for a... What word did they use Kane?"

"Little cunt."

That's the best insult they could think of? Kokichi huffed, slowly breaking into laughter at the sore attempt of an insult. Surely Mother and Father could think of anything better than that for little ol' me? "What makes you think they're telling the truth? How could you fall for something like that?!" Continuing to laugh through the kicks to his chest, Kokichi merely wanted nothing more than to place doubt in the minds of his kidnappers, knowing no one was coming to save him anyway.

"Take him to the dungeons, I'm bored of him," the ringleader ordered, waving the room off as he turned his back on the captive. Kokichi had no strength as two people yanked him to his feet, dragging him back down the hallways towards his cell. The boy had become accustomed to his bland, quiet home where he'd accepted inevitable death. Reaching the room, Kokichi's handcuffs were removed, only for his hands to be tied to the rope hanging from the ceiling.

He'd realised that the longer he stayed, the more lethal his injuries became. After a week or so had passed, they started tying his hands to the ceiling, his feet barely tapping the ground as he spent days in the position. "This is going to be fun," a stranger grinned, cracking his knuckles before throwing his fist into Kokichi's face.

~💙/💜/💚~

"Thank you for your help Ma'am," Shuichi smiled, taking the key from the student services administration.

"It's quite alright, please return it when you're finished." The woman smiled at the two boys as they left the office, making their way towards the hallway where Kokichi's tiny locker resided.

"Do you think we'll find anything in there? Surely just looking at the security cameras is enough?" Rantaro asked, taking the tiny key from Shuichi's grasp and flipping it over in his fingers repeatedly.

"He was last seen at school, so we need to search everywhere we can for clues. It can't hurt to check."

"The lockers can only fit what, like eight textbooks? What could possibly be in there?"

"I don't know, but if it helps us find Kokichi, I don't care." The two reached the batch of lockers containing Kokichi's. Rantaro slipped the small key into the keyhole, taking off the padlock and opening the locker.

Nothing looked outwardly abnormal to the two, five textbooks and spare stationery crammed into the tiny space with the owner's schedule taped to the inside of the door. "What's this?" Pulling out a small note, Shuichi noticed a small, deep red and brown stain. Opening it up, he read it aloud to Rantaro. "You owe us money, and we're going to get it one way or another. Watch your back, we're coming for you." The couple shared a worried glance, Shuichi being the one to voice their concerns. "Someone kidnapped him."

"Who would do that though? No one saw anything on school grounds that we know of, so I guess we have to wait and see what Kyoko gets from the security cameras."

"Maybe we don't have to..." Shuichi trailed off, squinting at a small black stamp in the top corner of the handwritten note. "That's the logo of one of the local gangs, but they're destructive, we need to get the police force on board with us."

"Let's talk to your uncle, if we act now then he might still be alive." Rantaro closed and locked Kokichi's locker, snatching the note from Shuichi and interlocking hands with the boy, rushing from Hope's Peak Academy.

~💙/💜/💚~

Pop. Kokichi coughed, blood spluttering from his lips as he came to, his body screaming in pain and exhaustion. Bang. They're probably having a duel or something again, although I don't know why anyone would allow their own members to murder each other. Pop. His head swayed, too heavy to stay in an upright position. The popping and banging are getting closer.

"Seems like a few little friends of yours have arrived. No matter, I'll kill them myself if I have to, but wouldn't it be fun for you to watch?" The ringleader entered the cell, a sadistic grin beaming from his face as he stared at the boy suffering in front of him. Without warning, a loud pop and flash of red overwhelmed Kokichi's senses. Falling to the ground with a lifeless thump, multiple police officers stood behind the man, rushing in to untie Kokichi from his restraints.

Unable to move his tired, beaten up body, Kokichi allowed the officer to lift him over their shoulder and carry him throughout the labyrinth of tunnels. On the way, the boy noticed other police officers aiding frail, beaten captives. They must've hunted as many people as they could for money. Yelping, Kokichi squeezed his eyes shut as the bright light of midday burned into his retinas.

Feeling his body hover midair, Kokichi peeked through his orange eyelids, noticing his body being transported to a stretcher. Paramedics checked his body, wheeling him towards an ambulance. "Ouma, you're okay, everything's alright." Listening to the words of comfort, Kokichi caught a glimpse of Shuichi and Rantaro smiling at him before the world went black.