Black Marigold

Karasuno House

Scuffling and curses, heavy breathing; all caused by Kageyama's own struggles as he tried to get the ropes off his wrists. Where had they taken him? It had been far from where they'd snatched him up and they'd had to take several different turns to get to where he was now, and on the way, he'd heard the sound of laughing and bottles being smashed, but aside from that, there were no clues as to his current location.

Damn slavers. They probably made deals with some city guards to avoid getting caught. After all, they'd nabbed him in broad daylight. Kageyama let loose a fresh string of curses, wiggling around into a position where he could push himself upright. He still wasn't getting anywhere with the rope, although he'd managed to push the gag out of his mouth with his tongue.

He contemplated shouting for help, but was that a safe thing to do? He still didn't know where he was. For all he knew, they could've dumped him in a cell with a hungry bear. Though that was pretty unlikely, he wasn't willing to gamble with his life. Dammit, if he had been more aware of his surroundings, this never would have happened! One minute, he'd been on his way to the well to fetch water, and the next, they'd smacked him upside the head with something hard and had him bound and gagged before he could fully process what had occurred. His grandfather was probably missing him by now...

Kageyama let out an angered growl and pulled against his restraints again, which only succeeded in cutting his wrists to ribbons. He winced and ceased thrashing around, taking deep, shaky breaths and trying to think through the situation rationally. He had been captured by slavers, didn't know where he was and was blindfolded and tied up. Those were the three facts. Now, what else can you find out?

Taking a deep breath, Kageyama closed his eyes under the blindfold, focusing intently on his other senses. Underneath his palms, he could feel a smooth wooden surface, and when he scuffed it with his nail, it made a hollow sound. Probably bamboo wood. The smell of burning incense hung in the air, along with the bittersweet scent of cinnamon and rosemary. Definitely an odd mix of smells.

If Kageyama tilted his head to the side and really focused, off in the distance he could hear the sound of a flute, and the beating of a drum, accompanied by a sweet sound, almost like birdsong. What... what is this place?" he murmured allowed, forgetting his no-speaking rule. This was just too weird. Those smells and those sounds... Kageyama couldn't place them.

A faint pattering sound drew his attention then, almost like raindrops. Kageyama tilted his head, confused. "What is that? It's not... raining, is it? No, so then what..." His words trailed off as the sound grew louder and more pronounced. He realized it was footsteps about ten seconds too late, but it probably wouldn't have mattered anyway: He was tied up, after all.

Still, Kageyama stiffened when he heard a door slide open, bracing himself for whatever would happen next. To his great surprise—and relief—the footsteps crossed over to him, pulling the blindfold off his head, allowing him to see once again. He blinked to adjust his eyes to the light—which he hadn't noticed with his eyes covered—and found himself staring up into the concerned face of a boy around his age, maybe a few years older, with tousled silver hair and soft brown eyes—oddly pretty for a boy. "Oh, gosh, are you alright? How long have you been in here?"

Kageyama pushed himself up and eyed the boy warily. "Not long. They just threw me in here a few minutes ago."

The boy let out a relieved breath and smiled at him. "Oh, that's a relief!" Seeming to realize Kageyama's predicament, his eyes widened. "Oh! Let me untie you!" He hurried around to his back, and Kageyama bent over to allow him better access to his bound wrists. "Thanks. But... who are you? And what is this place?"

"I'm Kōshi Sugawara," the boy told him, finishing untying his wrists and moving to his ankles, though Kageyama quickly ushered him away to do it himself after he had introduced himself. Sugawara sat back on his heels and looked at him curiously. "This is Karasuno House. Why did they bring you here, Kageyama?"