Stockholm Syndrome [ chapter 8 ]
Title: Stockholm Syndrome
Author: hikaru_is_love
Pairing: Yabu Kota/OC
Rating: PG-13
Genre: AU, Noir
Summary: What do you do when you begin to fall for the one holding you hostage?
Like the seasons, things began to change. The small, prison of a room was no longer like iron chains that bound me, I was free to roam the building in the absence of its owners. The choice of escape was also available, considering the fact that regardless of whether I chose to leave or not, I doomed my hostage takers. If I escaped, chief Nakajima would cling to me like a parasite, tenaciously attempting to draw the information of BEST’s whereabouts in order to convict them for their countless crimes. I paused in my thoughts, realizing this was the sane option, the most rational. If I remained with the gang, I would attract the authorities to them like a magnet. I curled up on the couch and sighed. Regardless of what option I chose, the danger for the gang would not cease until their capture.
I shot up at the creak of the entrance door moving on its hinges and the sound of footsteps echoing in the stairwell, an unexpected return to home that was far sooner than the time of which I was informed. My breath caught in my throat. Was it the police? My insides contorted with the sudden realisation that, were this true, it would all be over. All that Yabu worked for, all that I did to escape the clutches of Kei’s world to which I did not belong - it would all go to ashes.
Before I had the opportunity to hide, a figure entered the room. I sighed with relief as I realised it was Daiki. My feeling of relief ended as soon as it began upon the realisation that Daiki should not have set a foot in this room at this time - he should have been participating in a crucial deal. Why was he here instead? Chills ran down my spine as I trembled with fear, remembering the night Hikaru left…
“Relax…” Daiki held his arms up in front of his chest, a gesture to show he meant no harm. “I told you once before that I wouldn’t…don’t you trust me?”
My lips parted in an attempt to answer, but whatever sound came out was inaudible. Instead, I thought and eventually nodded.
Daiki smiled causing me to stare for a moment to become familiar with the image. I had never seen him smile before, his features were always pulled in the same, cold, hard mask and his deep eyes emptied of emotion. It was like a flashback of the innocent boy who resembled the sun before the shadows of the underworld consumed him entirely. His voice interrupted my thoughts. “Good, because you are going to need to.”
I stared at him questioningly.
“We need your help…” Daiki started. “We wouldn’t usually ask, but with Hikaru gone…” I flinched at the mention of Hikaru’s name. “…and our numbers low, we really have no other options.”
“What do you need…” The words were spoken so soft they could have been imagined.
“We need you to do the exchange in a crucial deal.” Daiki began. “Because this is a new dealer we are talking about, we cannot tell whether he can be trusted or not.” He explained. “Usually, this was Hikaru’s area of expertise…” I flinched once again. “…but since he isn’t around anymore, we need someone they can’t touch during the deal, you usually wouldn’t attack someone who is doing an exchange on someone’s behalf.” Daiki’s eyes glistened. “Kind of like a messenger in war.”
“Still…” I whispered. “It’s dangerous.”
“It’s okay.” Daiki spoke reassuringly. “We have that part covered, we are going to watch the deal take place.”
I nodded.
“Just remember to do everything they say, if you don’t resist the chances of attack are lessened. Just do what they say and we will find a way to help you…” A sparkle appeared in Daiki’s eyes. “Yabu really needs this…”
My head snapped up, my eyes locking with Daiki’s as my heart clenched and burned as if it had burst into flames. “What’s the plan?”
My heels clicked on the street-light lined pathway as I stepped past the uninhabited hairdresser and pet store before halting at the mouth of a dark alleyway. I glanced across the street where another alleyway paralleled the one I was soon to enter and nodded at Daiki who was hidden in the shadows. He smiled slightly in response. On the other side of the alleyway across the street, a small, black car was parked. Takaki observed the scene from inside the car. His eyes seemed to house the type of cumulus clouds that appeared before a storm, he desired to be here as much as I. Perhaps it was the mere fact that he was here to protect me from harm when every ounce of his heart bitter towards me willed him not to - and I couldn’t blame him. Inhaling a deep breath, I stepped around the corner.
Click, click, click
The sound of my heels coming into contact with the cool pavement was in synch with the violent thudding of my heart against my ribcage.
Click, click, click
The air was thick and hazy, fog shrouded the entire alleyway. Every breath I exhaled was condensed by the frost that caused my skin to numb. The hairs on the back of my neck stood as shadows flickered eerily across the two walls like ghosts in the night. The clicking of my heels came to a halt as I halted in the middle of the alleyway. Anxiety flooded every inch of my body as I stood in wait, but the wait did not last long…
CRASH!
The sound echoed throughout the alley. Turning abruptly to the source of the reverberation, I squinted into the thick fog in search of the culprit.
No one.
My breaths were now heavy as fear was pumped through my veins by my rapidly beating heart. The darkness was like an ocean I was drowning in while being stalked by a predator. I took one step backwards before quickly turning 180 degrees. Screams escaped me like knives slicing every inch of my throat before my horrified cries were muted by a hand so cold it could have belonged to the living dead.
“Shhh.” Its owner smirked deviously, his eyes sparkled with mischief. “I’m only here for the same reason you are.” He was dressed smartly in black from head to toe, his dark hair and eyes matching his ensemble. He seemed wealthy and overly confident; he was handsome, had a sense of charm to his tone; but it was in the way of the devil himself rather than an angel.
“So wh-what do you have f-for me.” I stuttered, attempting to pass my trembles of fear off as shivers from the cold.
“Aren’t you a pretty one.” He smirked once more, completely avoiding the previous question. “Did they not consider that when thinking of your safety?” His eyes glistened with amusement. “Did they not consider the thought that another man might be…” He leaned closer, until I could feel his warm breath on the frozen tip of my ear. “…tempted?” He whispered finally.
I shivered, and if the cold hadn’t already caused me to pale I may have turned chalk white in an instant. It was almost as if he knew…
I shook the thoughts from my mind and repeated firmly. “What do you have for me?”
He sniggered. “What do you have for me?” He questioned almost mockingly before smirking once more.
“The money.” I spoke through gritted teeth. “So. What. Do. You. Have. For. Me?”
He turned, so his back was facing towards me. “Nothing.” He replied, glancing over his shoulder slyly, still smirking with that devious sparkle in his eyes.
I froze in a state of shock and confusion. This was not the plan Daiki had described.
The man in front of me, who may as well have been a demon, clicked his fingers. “Ryutaro, Keito, Yuuri?” He stared over my shoulder.
I turned, only to see the figures of three unfamiliar men standing over the collapsed bodies of two others. My eyes widened as I realised…
“Takaki…Daiki?” The frightened whispers escaped my lips.
“Just as you ordered, Ryosuke.” The smallest spoke, a surprising hint of malice evident in the eyes of such an innocent looking boy.
The demon in front of me, Ryosuke I knew now, smirked once more. “Well done, Yuuri.” He complimented in the same low voice full of authority - quite like Yabu’s. I guessed Yamada was the leader. Leader? I questioned my own thoughts. Then they must be…
“You aren’t dealers…” I spoke. “…You’re another gang…Seven?”
“She knows too much!” The tallest spoke through gritted teeth,
Ryosuke held his palm up to silence the boy. “Keito, we’re fine.” His eyes locked with mine. “But you are an intelligent one, aren’t you.” He smirked.
I stared down at Takaki and Daiki, badly bruised. Daiki was bleeding from a gash across his cheek. “What did you do to them?” I whispered. I shook violently, every ounce of me wanted to lash out at them, become a barbaric being and rip them apart. My wishes of brutality vanished as Daiki’s voice echoed in my mind. If you don’t resist the chances of attack are lessened. Just do what they say and we will find a way to help you …
The one I figured must be Ryutaro spoke in a voice as dark and confident as his leader. “What anyone with common sense would do.” He glanced at me. “Take them out before they could realise you weren’t doing the exchange, you were the exchange.”
The shock came like being hit by a freight train, leaving me breathless. “What…?” I squeaked, but it was too late.
“Now!” Ryosuke ordered.
And everything went black.
_________________
So I have FINALLY managed to update after 6 MONTHS!!! I apologize for it taking SO LONG but school work and work and taekwondo really caught up with me so I was absolutely DRAINED of free time and when I had it my mind was just DEAD.
I actually plan on finishing this fic so I will update soon, it just won't be daily like the reposting. I'm just mapping out how the fic will end and have discovered I have a few blank spaces I must feel. If there is anything you would like to see, or any suggestions please do say so...I really would appreciate it and your updates will come A LOT sooner ;)
But yes, our little protagonist has gotten well caught up in this new life of hers. Just incase people begin to comment about how ridiculous it sounds, it HAS actually happened before...hostages ending up joining their captors in committing crimes! Some of them have even become ENGAGED to their captors!! All because of this inbuilt mechanism in the mind that causes hostages to sympathize with their captors...some psychologists believe that it is the same thing that causes women to stay with the men that abuse them. And this little thing is called...you guessed it...Stockholm Syndrome. Theres even this reverse mode of Stockholm Syndrome where the captors begin to feel sympathy for their hostages and eventually release them. This is called Lima Syndrome. I tried to make sure I made Yabu experience that in this fic in the chapter where he urges her to leave despite the fact that she doesnt want to and he knows it will screw him over.
I just thought I would give some background info on the inspiration for this fic :)
Author: hikaru_is_love
Pairing: Yabu Kota/OC
Rating: PG-13
Genre: AU, Noir
Summary: What do you do when you begin to fall for the one holding you hostage?
Like the seasons, things began to change. The small, prison of a room was no longer like iron chains that bound me, I was free to roam the building in the absence of its owners. The choice of escape was also available, considering the fact that regardless of whether I chose to leave or not, I doomed my hostage takers. If I escaped, chief Nakajima would cling to me like a parasite, tenaciously attempting to draw the information of BEST’s whereabouts in order to convict them for their countless crimes. I paused in my thoughts, realizing this was the sane option, the most rational. If I remained with the gang, I would attract the authorities to them like a magnet. I curled up on the couch and sighed. Regardless of what option I chose, the danger for the gang would not cease until their capture.
I shot up at the creak of the entrance door moving on its hinges and the sound of footsteps echoing in the stairwell, an unexpected return to home that was far sooner than the time of which I was informed. My breath caught in my throat. Was it the police? My insides contorted with the sudden realisation that, were this true, it would all be over. All that Yabu worked for, all that I did to escape the clutches of Kei’s world to which I did not belong - it would all go to ashes.
Before I had the opportunity to hide, a figure entered the room. I sighed with relief as I realised it was Daiki. My feeling of relief ended as soon as it began upon the realisation that Daiki should not have set a foot in this room at this time - he should have been participating in a crucial deal. Why was he here instead? Chills ran down my spine as I trembled with fear, remembering the night Hikaru left…
“Relax…” Daiki held his arms up in front of his chest, a gesture to show he meant no harm. “I told you once before that I wouldn’t…don’t you trust me?”
My lips parted in an attempt to answer, but whatever sound came out was inaudible. Instead, I thought and eventually nodded.
Daiki smiled causing me to stare for a moment to become familiar with the image. I had never seen him smile before, his features were always pulled in the same, cold, hard mask and his deep eyes emptied of emotion. It was like a flashback of the innocent boy who resembled the sun before the shadows of the underworld consumed him entirely. His voice interrupted my thoughts. “Good, because you are going to need to.”
I stared at him questioningly.
“We need your help…” Daiki started. “We wouldn’t usually ask, but with Hikaru gone…” I flinched at the mention of Hikaru’s name. “…and our numbers low, we really have no other options.”
“What do you need…” The words were spoken so soft they could have been imagined.
“We need you to do the exchange in a crucial deal.” Daiki began. “Because this is a new dealer we are talking about, we cannot tell whether he can be trusted or not.” He explained. “Usually, this was Hikaru’s area of expertise…” I flinched once again. “…but since he isn’t around anymore, we need someone they can’t touch during the deal, you usually wouldn’t attack someone who is doing an exchange on someone’s behalf.” Daiki’s eyes glistened. “Kind of like a messenger in war.”
“Still…” I whispered. “It’s dangerous.”
“It’s okay.” Daiki spoke reassuringly. “We have that part covered, we are going to watch the deal take place.”
I nodded.
“Just remember to do everything they say, if you don’t resist the chances of attack are lessened. Just do what they say and we will find a way to help you…” A sparkle appeared in Daiki’s eyes. “Yabu really needs this…”
My head snapped up, my eyes locking with Daiki’s as my heart clenched and burned as if it had burst into flames. “What’s the plan?”
My heels clicked on the street-light lined pathway as I stepped past the uninhabited hairdresser and pet store before halting at the mouth of a dark alleyway. I glanced across the street where another alleyway paralleled the one I was soon to enter and nodded at Daiki who was hidden in the shadows. He smiled slightly in response. On the other side of the alleyway across the street, a small, black car was parked. Takaki observed the scene from inside the car. His eyes seemed to house the type of cumulus clouds that appeared before a storm, he desired to be here as much as I. Perhaps it was the mere fact that he was here to protect me from harm when every ounce of his heart bitter towards me willed him not to - and I couldn’t blame him. Inhaling a deep breath, I stepped around the corner.
Click, click, click
The sound of my heels coming into contact with the cool pavement was in synch with the violent thudding of my heart against my ribcage.
Click, click, click
The air was thick and hazy, fog shrouded the entire alleyway. Every breath I exhaled was condensed by the frost that caused my skin to numb. The hairs on the back of my neck stood as shadows flickered eerily across the two walls like ghosts in the night. The clicking of my heels came to a halt as I halted in the middle of the alleyway. Anxiety flooded every inch of my body as I stood in wait, but the wait did not last long…
CRASH!
The sound echoed throughout the alley. Turning abruptly to the source of the reverberation, I squinted into the thick fog in search of the culprit.
No one.
My breaths were now heavy as fear was pumped through my veins by my rapidly beating heart. The darkness was like an ocean I was drowning in while being stalked by a predator. I took one step backwards before quickly turning 180 degrees. Screams escaped me like knives slicing every inch of my throat before my horrified cries were muted by a hand so cold it could have belonged to the living dead.
“Shhh.” Its owner smirked deviously, his eyes sparkled with mischief. “I’m only here for the same reason you are.” He was dressed smartly in black from head to toe, his dark hair and eyes matching his ensemble. He seemed wealthy and overly confident; he was handsome, had a sense of charm to his tone; but it was in the way of the devil himself rather than an angel.
“So wh-what do you have f-for me.” I stuttered, attempting to pass my trembles of fear off as shivers from the cold.
“Aren’t you a pretty one.” He smirked once more, completely avoiding the previous question. “Did they not consider that when thinking of your safety?” His eyes glistened with amusement. “Did they not consider the thought that another man might be…” He leaned closer, until I could feel his warm breath on the frozen tip of my ear. “…tempted?” He whispered finally.
I shivered, and if the cold hadn’t already caused me to pale I may have turned chalk white in an instant. It was almost as if he knew…
I shook the thoughts from my mind and repeated firmly. “What do you have for me?”
He sniggered. “What do you have for me?” He questioned almost mockingly before smirking once more.
“The money.” I spoke through gritted teeth. “So. What. Do. You. Have. For. Me?”
He turned, so his back was facing towards me. “Nothing.” He replied, glancing over his shoulder slyly, still smirking with that devious sparkle in his eyes.
I froze in a state of shock and confusion. This was not the plan Daiki had described.
The man in front of me, who may as well have been a demon, clicked his fingers. “Ryutaro, Keito, Yuuri?” He stared over my shoulder.
I turned, only to see the figures of three unfamiliar men standing over the collapsed bodies of two others. My eyes widened as I realised…
“Takaki…Daiki?” The frightened whispers escaped my lips.
“Just as you ordered, Ryosuke.” The smallest spoke, a surprising hint of malice evident in the eyes of such an innocent looking boy.
The demon in front of me, Ryosuke I knew now, smirked once more. “Well done, Yuuri.” He complimented in the same low voice full of authority - quite like Yabu’s. I guessed Yamada was the leader. Leader? I questioned my own thoughts. Then they must be…
“You aren’t dealers…” I spoke. “…You’re another gang…Seven?”
“She knows too much!” The tallest spoke through gritted teeth,
Ryosuke held his palm up to silence the boy. “Keito, we’re fine.” His eyes locked with mine. “But you are an intelligent one, aren’t you.” He smirked.
I stared down at Takaki and Daiki, badly bruised. Daiki was bleeding from a gash across his cheek. “What did you do to them?” I whispered. I shook violently, every ounce of me wanted to lash out at them, become a barbaric being and rip them apart. My wishes of brutality vanished as Daiki’s voice echoed in my mind. If you don’t resist the chances of attack are lessened. Just do what they say and we will find a way to help you …
The one I figured must be Ryutaro spoke in a voice as dark and confident as his leader. “What anyone with common sense would do.” He glanced at me. “Take them out before they could realise you weren’t doing the exchange, you were the exchange.”
The shock came like being hit by a freight train, leaving me breathless. “What…?” I squeaked, but it was too late.
“Now!” Ryosuke ordered.
And everything went black.
_________________
So I have FINALLY managed to update after 6 MONTHS!!! I apologize for it taking SO LONG but school work and work and taekwondo really caught up with me so I was absolutely DRAINED of free time and when I had it my mind was just DEAD.
I actually plan on finishing this fic so I will update soon, it just won't be daily like the reposting. I'm just mapping out how the fic will end and have discovered I have a few blank spaces I must feel. If there is anything you would like to see, or any suggestions please do say so...I really would appreciate it and your updates will come A LOT sooner ;)
But yes, our little protagonist has gotten well caught up in this new life of hers. Just incase people begin to comment about how ridiculous it sounds, it HAS actually happened before...hostages ending up joining their captors in committing crimes! Some of them have even become ENGAGED to their captors!! All because of this inbuilt mechanism in the mind that causes hostages to sympathize with their captors...some psychologists believe that it is the same thing that causes women to stay with the men that abuse them. And this little thing is called...you guessed it...Stockholm Syndrome. Theres even this reverse mode of Stockholm Syndrome where the captors begin to feel sympathy for their hostages and eventually release them. This is called Lima Syndrome. I tried to make sure I made Yabu experience that in this fic in the chapter where he urges her to leave despite the fact that she doesnt want to and he knows it will screw him over.
I just thought I would give some background info on the inspiration for this fic :)