In A Lifetime ( KBTBB : Eisuke Ichinomiya )

Chapter 1

As soon as I was wheeled off the stage and away from the prying eyes of the audience, I instinctively got up. Whoever bought me, I wanted to meet them standing on my own two feet, not kneeling on the cage bottom like a coward. After all, cowardice was one of the things which bothered me the most. 

No sooner than I had got myself back on my feet, the bird cage's door opened and two men, one with a stripped jacket and the other with a black fedora on his head, appeared at it. Both were wearing masks --- not the balaclava type, the type you wear at a masquerade ball --- but still, it felt as if I could recognize the faces behind those masks somehow. I couldn't put my finger on it or pinpoint it yet but something was definitely familiar about them. 

"Awww, she looks so cute." said the man with the stripped jacket, breaking my chain of thoughts. 

"I agree." said the man in the fedora with a grin. "Come with us, pretty lady." he added on, stepping inside and approaching me. And before I could get one word out, he had his arm wrapped around my waist and was pulling me out of the birdcage. I wanted to cringe away from him more than anything but his tight hold around me didn't necessarily seem like the type of thing I could get myself out of. But as I found out next, it was only going to get worse because as soon as we were out of the cage, the other man, the one with the blonde hair and striped jacket, swiftly linked his arm through mine and the pair started leading me towards what looked like another elevator.

"W-wait! Where are we going!?" I ask them, as soon as I decide to get a spine and stop being such a wuss. They look first at me and then at each other before silently walking me inside the elevator. Obviously they heard me so why weren't they answering my question? I went quiet as various thoughts skimmed my mind and barely registered as the elevator reached where ever they were taking me with a ding. I was almost 100% sure that they'd be taking me to some disgusting old fart but I still couldn't convince any small part of myself to even think of any plans of escape as the pair led me through the lobby of the hotel, up a grand staircase and into another elevator. Honestly, I think I'd had more than my fair share of elevators today. Well, actually, I'm pretty sure I've had more than my fair share of a lot more worse things today.

As the elevator doors closed in front of us, the man in the red coat and fedora hat pushed a key card into the area where the buttons were and immediately a button which wasn't framed by a circle of light before, lit up. It said '51' on it and though my eyes scanned the rest of the buttons, I couldn't find a number any higher than that. What? Are we going to the penthouse or something? I thought, as we all waited quietly waited inside as the elevator whizzed up the floors of the hotel. 

I wasn't sure if it was the elevator's speed or the nerves doing it but I was starting to feel extremely queasy now. Jesus Christ, please don't throw up. I thought, making a silent prayer to my body. That was the very last thing that I needed right now. 

When the elevator finally arrived at the 51st floor with a ding, I wasn't sure if I was meant to be thankful or not. One side of me was glad that I didn't have to stay inside the thing any longer but on the other hand there was also the fact that I'd just gotten closer to seeing my buyer, whoever that was. I don't care how twisted it may be for me to be having these types of dreams; I just hope it is one. I think just as the elevator doors open and I'm ushered out by the two men. 

They lead me through a hallway before arriving at a luxurious lounge area which is very open and spacious. Two more men sat on one of the sofas with their legs crossed. One was wearing a dark, black suit and the other one was wearing a grey suit and had his hair slicked back. Wait a second, wasn't that the man I crashed into earlier this morning when I was trying to photograph the front of the hotel? Realization washed over me and I stare blankly at the two men.