It's Warmer in the Basement

It's Warmer in the Basement. (Closed for marauder13.)


It was snowing.

In the middle of winter, in a smalltown like Whispers Spring that was only famous for its cold seasons, it would seem like fact. But not to Izumi Amaya, a young college student who was too busy trying to catch a bus ride home. The dark haired woman realized that too late as she tried in vain to chase after the bus, the final bus she might want to add, as it drove away from the local library and her. She tried to cry out for the bus driver to stop, to let her in since she was half a town away from her home, but her teeth were chattering too much for her to do or say anything truly effective.

There was simply nothing she could do to make the bus stop.

Finally, much to her own dismay, stopping after she nearly slipped on a patch of black ice, Izumi just stopped and doubled over to catch her breath and watched with morbid fascination as her breath turned into white, puffy clouds of steam as it rose away from her mouth and into the free air. As she struggled to breathe properly again, she knew that she was hearing the sounds of the bus growing fainter and fainter until she couldn’t hear it or anything else anymore.

Well, not really. She could hear her own erratic heartbeat, thanks to all her running, and her heavy pants for breath as more puffs of steam exited her mouth. She stopped up straight, wrapping her arms around her body in a vain attempt to keep herself warm. Was it really that cold?

Apparently, said the winter air.

Absolutely!, said her shivering, shaking body. If only you hadn’t left you backpack behind, we could call your parents or find a cab to go to!

The young college student smacked herself on the forehead over and over again she leaned against the lamppost, looking up at the chilly, clear night in despair. How could she have forgotten her bloody backpack, of all her things, that held all her important items when she went out of the house, like her wallet and cellphone?

Had she been in such a blind panic, when she had been told that the library was already closing and the bus was leaving and they had been telling her over and over again but she was too busy studying for her exams that she had simply stood up and ran out of the library to get to the bus? That was apparently the only answer because, either that, or she was the most oblivious victim of a robbery that had ever lived.

Now, she couldn’t call her parents or find a taxi to get a ride home. Not that she was eager to call them about this anyhow. They were no doubt freaking out about her lateness, they would be furious to learn she was irresponsible enough to forget her backpack in a public area. If her parents found out about her blunder, and no doubt they will, they would no doubt scold their only daughter within an inch of her life and ground her from all social activities from friends, not that she had anymore friends since her only two friends moved out of the Whispers Spring a dew months back for at least three months.

The college students sighed miserably, her slender, shaking shoulders slumping in defeat. What a mess she was in. All because she wanted to study hard enough to get good grades in a futile attempt to gain friends.

Izumi had been raised as a sheltered only child her entire life, so she had basically grown up without friends since most people her age thought she was ‘weird’ and ‘funny’ and not the ‘ha ha funny’. Shunned by others for such a long time, it was basically a dream for the pale-skinned Asian beauty to have someone interested her in anyway. She had gone to community college, and rejected the scholarship to an Ivy League school, in hopes that everyone will be more open to her. No such luck. Everyone formed to cliques and she was outright denied a chance to join a sorority with others when she tried to enter them.

It hurt to be this alone, really. Naturally shy and naturally friend, it hurt Izumi that no one besides her family and her two friends showed interest in her of any kind. Now that her friends were gone, one travelling the world and another going to a school in Paris, Izumi felt the crushing loneliness even more.

She shook her head, mentally telling herself to get out of this slump and think of something to do about her current mess. Her lack of friends would still be there but not a car or bus. The roads were empty of any life besides her and the the flickering lamplights that lined the sidewalks. Maybe she can go back to the library and ask to call her parents or, better yet, her backpack. That was a good idea. It gave Izumi hopes and those hopes were quickly dashed when she turned to look at the now closed, dark library.

The parking lot was empty of any cars or scooters or motorcycles and the front doors of the library was locked and chained to prevent people from breaking in. The employees must have rushed out, eager to get back home and have some rest before heading back here to do their cycle of work all over again. Sighing, Izumi pushed herself off the lamppost and breathed on her bare, cold hands to give warmth before pushing them deep into her pockets. She was dressed warmly enough, so that was one (maybe only) positive thing in this entire event.

Looking down after her neck started to hurt too much, Izumi knew she had to walk to her parent's home or just stand here and wait till morning. That option was not appealing for the young woman, at all. She was far away from home and the town, no matter how nice it was, always seemed scary to Izumi. Especially during nighttime when life had simply stopped and rested itself, choosing to continue the next day.

“At least I’m kind of warm,” Izumi said as she started to walk towards the vague direction of her warm, two-story home, her voice soft and sweet like the stars that glittered above her as her only source of light in this pitch black darkness. She hunched her shoulders and ducked her head, letting her loose, long locks of sable hair frame her flushed and pretty face while she tempted to keep herself warm as possible. “And at least I love in a small town and not in a big city like New York, where bad things happen. I-I-I mean, I just got to walk home. I have legs, no? I’ll be fine. I’ll be fine.”

Frank

deleted as requested

She looked so peaceful curled up under the blanket. Anyone would have thought she was asleep, if they overlooked the purple ring about her throat. She would be fine, just a little sore from the way he quietened her down.

Of course, Alan had been in the library the same night as her. She was studying hard, writing notes and summaries of the work she had been given. The focus she showed would benefit her greatly. Couple that with the upbringing, and her family's heritage, she would make the perfect partner for him. He had hoped that there would be a time when the library would be quiet enough for him to finally approach her and tell her how he felt about her. But there were too many people about for him to do that.

He left twenty minutes before closing time, frustrated at himself for his lack of courage to fulfill a desire he held for over a year. Her parents invited him as part of the select group to celebrate the transition of Amaya Izumi from being a girl to being a woman. He remembered looking at the woman almost a decade younger than him and thinking how beautiful she was. Blue black hair that framed a face that could have been made of the finest porcelain. But her deep brown eyes seemed to pull him into the warm void that housed her soul, beckoning to embrace him forever. She was demure, petite but so well shaped.

During that party, he found out that her parents wanted her to marry another Japanese man. Not that they had anyone specific in mind, but only one of her own people would be worthy of sharing their daughter with them. He had been crushed at the news, though it made his desire for her stronger over the following weeks.

He shook his head, starting the car and letting the engine and the passenger compartment warm up. Alan looked around at the carpark, noting the layer of snow and ice. He rubbed his face, sighing as he wondered whether to take his normal route home.

"I'll see if Prentiss is OK before I take Washington. At least, if I do take Washington, I'll be able to sleep in tomorrow so the extra time wont be a big issue." He left without waiting further, discovering to his dismay that Prentiss was covered in too much snow for him to safely drive down the significant slope.

He wrenched the wheel roughly as he reversed and headed back in the opposite direction to get to Washington. The extra 30 minutes added to his travel time was due to the gradient being more favourable in the inclement weather.

As luck would have it, it took him past the library. When he saw the huddled figure walking down the street, he knew it was Izumi. He wasted no time in pulling over beside her, winding down the window for her.

"Izumi! Please, hop in the car. I will take you home. I can't let you walk out in this kind of weather." He waited for her to get in, winding up the window before any more of the warm air escaped. He started moving as soon as the door closed, concentrating on driving rather than looking at the vision of beauty seated next to him.

He so wanted to talk to her, tell her how he felt. He had her somewhere private where he could do that. He also had her somewhere private where no one else knew she was there. He had wanted her for so long. He had even made some arrangements at his home. Just for her. If he ever had this kind of chance. He even had some chloroform too, but not in the car with him. It was the golden oppourtunity. He had to take the chance while he had it.

They reached a section of road that was dimly lit, and there was no other traffic. Alan pulled the car over, looking at Izumi longingly. His lips curled into the shyest of smiles before his hands lunged for her throat. His hands tightened around her neck, squeezing shut her windpipe and the vessels that carried oxygen to her brain. He ignored the struggle, her attempts to break free of his grip. He knew that there was no way he could entice her to come back with him. He knew Izumi would not want to shame her parents by going against their will. After what felt like an eternity, Alan watched Izumi finally slump in the seat. The remainder of the drive was a blur of conflicting emotions as he realized the enormity of what he had just done.

Yet standing in the room that was Izumi's new home, he didn't care about anything else. Apart from her family, no one would miss her. No one would think that Alan Trent, Whispers Spring's sole accountant, would have kidnapped the young Asian woman, locking her away so she would learn to love him, please him and serve him.

He closed the door behind him. "Sometimes, being almost invisible has its benefits."

Hearing a car pull over and a window winding down, Izumi tensed and was about to (politely) tell the person to please please please go away when she heard the man speak to her. She knew that voice. It sounded familiar. She didn’t know the voice of the person enough to gain instant recognition from her but enough to let her know it wasn’t a complete stranger ready to harass or hurt her. Looking up and turning to face the car, she saw it was…

Izumi blinked her large, dark eyes in surprise at the owner of the voice. It was Mr. Alan Trent, offering her a ride in his car.

"Izumi! Please, hop in the car,” he said to her, giving her a friendly, albeit shy, smile at her as he talked. “I will take you home. I can't let you walk out in this kind of weather."

The girl blinked again, somewhat stunned as this was the first time someone besides her parents, or their influence as her father was one of the most successful lawyers here in Whispers Spring and her mother was a businesswoman for a famous line of coffee ships across several states, offered her some kindness. It made her feel nice… but also wary.

Izumi took a step back away from him, unsure of how to deal with this. She vaguely remembered the man at her party that her parents had thrown for her when she finally became 18-years-old with the guests people she barely knew thanks to her non-existent social life, mostly as the man who kept staring at her and making her feel uncomfortable and wonder what was wrong with her to warrant so much staring. Not like that he could have made her uncomfortable the way her parents had that day when they had announced, just before she was going to blow the candles on her birthday cake, that they were ‘looking’ for a ‘good man’ for their only daughter to marry off.

Since then, the young college student had seen Mr. Trent now and then around Whispers Spring but never had a full blown conversation with him or even actual interaction besides a smile at him when he seemed sad or tired and a polite hello. Mr. Trent seemed nice but she was too busy with college life and attempting to make friends with people her age to try and socialize with him and get to know him better. She didn’t know him well enough but had gotten a basic impression, thanks to her parents, that he was a nice, quiet man, works as the town’s accountant and was someone who rather keeps to himself since the death of his parents several years ago.

Izumi didn’t know the man well but well enough to understand that he wasn’t going to end up hurting her. She bit her lower lip, thinking about it. Hesitating for such a long time that it would have left most people impatient and just drive off without her, Izumi finally at last nodded and slipped in the car to accept the ride home. She sighed in relief as warmth washed over her, glad to be out of the bad weather. She hadn’t realized how terrible the coldness was until she just realized how loud her chattering teeth was to her.

“Thank you for the ride, Mr. Trent,” she said with her voice so soft and quiet that car’s engine overpowered her voice, looking at him shyly with a grateful smile. He didn’t respond, keeping his eyes on the road and the smile faltered a bit and she looked away, blushing and berating herself for being so clueless on how to interact.

The drive went on in amiable silence until they took a turn that was not going to take her home but the complete opposite. It would take her farther away from home and that was all she knew. Beyond that, she had no clue where they were going now. Alarm bells went off then and Izumi looked at Mr. Trent with some fear as they drove further and further away from her home. “Mr… Mr… Trent, what’s going on?” Izumi asked as he drove them to a stop at a deserted, dimly lit street as the lamplights here were still under repair. He looked at her, smiling so sweetly that it scared her even more. She reached behind her, trying to get the door open but found it locked from the outside somehow.

Child-lock, she managed to think just as he lunged toward her, wrapping his hands around her throat. Then, the nightmare began.

“Please stop!” Izumi cried out, crying a bit, immediately trying to kick and push him away from her as he continued to strangle the precious life out of her. Tears ran down her terrified face, streaking across the flushed skin of the Asian woman as she tried to pull away from the insane man. “P… Pl…Ple…! M… Mr--!”

Her desperate need for air overrode her speech ability, her words lost in frantic gasps for air as she kicked and withered under him still, pressing her body against his as he literally lay on top of her and kept his iron grip around her delicate neck the whole time. Soon her kicks and hits to his chest were becoming weaker and weaker, as were her shallow breaths as she felt her last drops of strength and energy leave her to this awful fate. Why was this happening to her? Why? What had she done to make Mr. Trent to mad at her like this?

The last, terrifying thought that she had before she slipped into the darkness was that he looked so sincere as he choked her to death.


Izumi wasn’t dead. That was her first thought as she drifted back into consciousness, the pain around her neck horrible and sharp. The girl was frightened, hurt and confused but still alive. That was probably(?) a good thing at this point. Wincing a bit, she pushed herself off the surface of the comfy bed and looked around. The terror she felt earlier when Mr. Trent was strangling her came back as she took in her surroundings. This wasn’t her home. This wasn’t her bedroom. Not at all.

Her room wasn’t this small and it wasn’t dominated by the color pink, her favorite color. There was no large, wide window that let her see her neighbourhood or the large collection of pictures of her beloved family. There was no large couch lounge for her to curl up in when she wanted to write or study or her potted plant that was basically her pet.

Instead, the room she was inside was very, very small to the point it made her claustrophobic, painted simple beige and the walls were so bare that she felt rather naked for the poor walls. The only window, she noticed, was behind her, too small and too high for her too see anything besides the light that streamed through it which wasn’t a lot thanks to the bad weather they were having so of late. There was no lounge or plant but a simple chair and table that had a lamp and (fake) potted plant on top of it.

This wasn’t her room, that she knew of. Where… Where was she? This wasn’t home, that was all she knew. She didn’t know and it terrified her, making her wonder what had happened to her when she was passed out and what would happen to her now that she was awake. Wasting no more time, she sat up and rant straight to the first (and) only door she saw, reached for it--

--And fell.

Something tugged on her ankle, making the bone hurt and ache, and made her fall when it refused to let her right leg move. Izumi fell to the ground with a thunderous crash, no doubt alerting anyone who would have heard her. The girl cried a bit, the pain so sudden but she calmed herself enough to sit up and see what on earth what that was. Izumi sat up and turned around, seeing that it was a manacle, a manacle, that kept her from moving any further as it chained her ankle to the leg of the bed.

“What’s going on?” Izumi asked her, covering her mouth to prevent herself from screaming, her dark eyes wide as saucers as tears filled them again as the horror of her situation came in certain clarity: She had been kidnapped.

Alan had seen to a couple of chores while Izumi slept. He checked that the food levels were good, that he hadn't left anything obvious in the car. He would clean it up in the morning, making it nearly impossible for anyone to find anything incriminating. He made himself some hot chocolate, and went to wait in the basement.

Izumi's room used to be a well stocked wine cellar. Unlike his parents, he didn't have the palate for wine, and he didn't know enough about wine to maximize the investment potential in the contents. He called in a broker he knew shortly after the inheritance was complete, and sold it all. The windfall was a significant one, and he put the money to good use. Three to four months after Izumi's 18th birthday, Alan began transforming the room into her room. He worked slowly, calling on contractors spread out over time to help not raise suspicions. Anything he could do himself, he did it alone. But he never did anything that could get him into any trouble with the local building authorities.

He barely heard the thump coming from the other side of the room, pleased that the sound proofing was working. No one would hear her from upstairs, particularly if he took the time to restrain her. He knew, in time, she would come to like her new situation, but in the beginning she would be reluctant to settle in.

Setting his drink down, he moved to the door to her room, which would be easily concealed behind some simple shelving. He punched in the code to open the door, which included a similar keypad on the other side. Having the standard digits, plus the letters 'A' through 'F', it would be difficult for Izumi to crack the code to open the door. Even more so when he changed it.

He filled the doorway. There was only a few inches of space above his conservatively cut brown hair and the top of the doorway. He leant against the side of the doorway, looking down at the tear stained woman who would call the room home. He eased his broad shouldered torso off the wall, letting the door close behind him. He eased himself down into a squat. His sky blue eyes scanned that part of her face that could be seen from behind her hands.

"Hello, Izumi. I am sorry for hurting you." His hand lifted enough to indicate the growing ring of purple. "But it was a moment that I couldn't let pass. I had no idea when I would be able to bring you home, if ever." His breath escaped in a rush through his nose as his lips pursed. "But you're here now, so everything will be fine. You wont have to worry about making friends. Or about how everyone thinks you're strange or weird. Not to mention having to live up to your parent's ideals."

Alan stood up, and checked the small window. He bent his head from side to side before pulling it closed. "It's warmer in the basement than outside right now. Your parents will be quite upset that you're missing. But it would be more for how it impacts on them than for what you are suffering. They will probably be thinking that their little girl is being raped repeatedly by burly rednecks who think Japanese girls are nothing more than sex toys. Nothing could be further from the truth. You have been taken to a place of safety, where you will be looked after, loved and cared for. Of course, you will help me, but that is something we can talk about later."

He walked back over to Izumi, squatting down again. "I can't believe that you don't shine more than you do. But then again, you'll fade from everyone else's minds, and we will be enjoying our lives together in peace."

As the door opened and Mr. Trent came inside the room, just filling the doorway, Izumi was surprise by how… how big he really was compared to her. It sounded silly, she knew that, but it was true. He was tall and toned, lean with muscles but still graceful in a way. Of course, everyone was bigger than her given her smaller, more delicate shape due to her Asian blood and lack of growth spurts but she now knew why she had such a difficult time in defending herself when Mr Trent was… was… was harming her in his car. When she reminded herself of that, the bruised round her neck throbbed in response and another scared, quiet whimper passed her trembling lips as he moved towards her.

He always had his shoulders slumped, his back hunched so it made the girl think before that he was smaller than her. To see him like this, so tall and big and being so capable of doing anything to her and she had no ability to overpower him even if she tried her hardest.

It made her more afraid of the man.

In response, the scared, shaking Asian girl backed away until she was pressed up against the bed and she knew there wasn’t anywhere she could go. Watching him with large, large eyes as he crouched down next to her, dark meeting blue, it was clear that Izumi did not trust Mr. Trent one bit for what he had done to make her end up here.

What he said next didn’t help ease her anxieties against him.

"Hello, Izumi. I am sorry for hurting you." He gestured to her bruised neck and it throbbed again, out of reaction, and Izumi pulled back to him in response when she felt like his hand was coming a bit closer than she would want him to be near her after strangling her till unconsciousness. "But it was a moment that I couldn't let pass. I had no idea when I would be able to bring you home, if ever. But you're here now, so everything will be fine. You won’t have to worry about making friends. Or about how everyone thinks you're strange or weird. Not to mention having to live up to your parent's ideals."

Izumi opened her mouth, to protest or to deny his words or simply beg that he let her go home. That she won’t tell anyone what had happened between the two of them if he did so and she’ll keep it a secret long as she lived. He continued though, talking with such certainty and sureness. Like what he was saying was facts to her. “You won’t have to worry about making friends,” he told her, speaking in a voice that befitted little children or scared, witless animals. “Or about how everyone thinks you're strange or weird. Not to mention having to live up to your parent's ideals."

Each word was like a physical punch to her being and she reacted like it. She kept wincing and whimpering as he spoke to her, trying to pull back and ignore him somehow but there was just no way she could. Her hands clasped over her ears and she shook her head back and forth frantically, quietly mumbling ‘No’ under her breath again and again and again but Mr. Trent’s voice penetrated her feeble attempts to block him out of her head. His words rang in her ears, echoing in her mind and just branding themselves into her memories without her allowance.

Izumi watched him go to the window, wondering what he’ll say to her now. He was trying to convince her that she was safer with him, which was clear. But why do that? Why do this, all of this, just for her? What was going on? Why was he doing this to her? What had she had done to warrant this type of nightmare from one the seemingly nicest people in town? Had she offended him somehow? Did she unknowingly done something to entice his wrath? She hadn’t even spoken to the man longer than five minutes.

The young Asian college student hated having so many questions but so little answers so she made herself just sit there, watching and listening and looking utterly fearful for her life as tears ran down her flushed, pink cheeks.

"It's warmer in the basement than outside right now. Your parents will be quite upset that you're missing. But it would be more for how it impacts on them than for what you are suffering,” he said her as he pulled the curtains closed on her small window, closing the window to not only her room but her connection to the outside world now. “They will probably be thinking that their little girl is being raped repeatedly by burly rednecks who think Japanese girls are nothing more than sex toys. Nothing could be further from the truth. You have been taken to a place of safety, where you will be looked after, loved and cared for. Of course, you will help me, but that is something we can talk about later."

He walked back over to Izumi, squatting down again. "I can't believe that you don't shine more than you do. But then again, you'll fade from everyone else's minds, and we will be enjoying our lives together in peace."

What Mr. Trent said to her made Izumi feel… very ill now. It was the only set of words she could use right now with how lightheaded her head felt, with how anxious and nauseous she felt. It made her stomach churn, her head light, her breathing quicken and her heart beat faster and faster until it felt like it would explode and burst out of her chest. It would be a welcome relief with how she felt right now. All those images, thoughts, which he had planted in her head in his small, prepared speech of his.

(Oh God, she realized. He prepared that speech. He’s been preparing for this for a long time.)

"No..." Izumi said, scooting away from the man until she was pressed. She was crying quietly at that point, hiccupping and rubbing her teary, red eyes. "No. No! M-My parents will be lo-looking for me u-until they found me. T-They wo-won't stop until they f-find me, Mr. Trent. Pl-Please let me go. They’ll f-find me s-s-soon. I’m t-their only child."

Her claims, to the both of them her and Mr. Trent, were clearly doubting and unasserted of the assertion that her parents would not stop for their search of their little girl if she winds up missing. Her parents, more than once, made it clear she was to survive on her ‘own’ now she was an adult. Even if they loved her, they expected her to raise herself basically now that she was 19-years-old and though she still lived with them during her college studies. She was a full grown adult under law. No one would

His other words, about her desperate attempts in friendship and how she’ll be forgotten by everyone soon, made her shudder and let loose a small, piercing cry that she immediately silenced when she remembered that he was in the room with her. The harder she tried to ignore them, the more they took over her memories and made her watch and wonder what if he said was true.

The memories of being forced to study night after night by her parents so she could achieve good grades for honors.

The memories of those crushing, lonely teenage years as she struggled to make friends with people who had already labelled her as someone ‘unlikable’ simply because she was Asian and rich and quiet.

The memories of people, men he had described, harassing her and paying her attention only because of her looks and form and adding to her guilt and shame for her blood.

What he said did have some truth in it. She couldn’t deny that. It would be a foolish thing to do and her parents tried so, so hard to raise a wise and witty girl.

But he was right about everything else. What if her parents really did forget about her? Given enough time? Make them wait long enough? That wasn’t a question she wanted to know anytime soon, especially in this situation of hers now that she was kidnapped and held against her will by Mr. Trent. And… and there were certain words that were nagging Izumi. Words that he had said, with such confidence and ease that made it clear that they’ll happen whether she wants them to or not, that made her both horrible curious and afraid for her own life once more.

…you will help me…

With what?

“I… I… I just want to go home,” Izumi whimpered, regaining her voice after she finally managed to get it back from her fears. She curled into a little, smaller ball and hugged her knees. She refused to look him in the eye now since she was rather preoccupied with trembling to her very bones to do so. “Please, Mr. Trent? Let me go home. I won’t tell anyone what I saw here, I promise. J-Just don’t hu-hurt me.”

As Alan had expected, Izumi's reactions were ones based around fear and disbelief. He knew that it was a massive moment of readjustment, but she was young, intelligent and raised by a woman that believed in the woman's role as being subservient to the man's. He just needed to maintain his demeanor, and she would fall into line and adapt to her new life.

She ceased her childish attempts to not listen, and tried in vain to put some more distance between them. He looked on as she cornered herself, feeling slightly guilty at the way he had disturbed her. He felt he needed to comfort her in her time of suffering, but he knew that she would not be accepting of it and would probably make things worse. Still, he found it hard to stand there, watching her crying like a little child. Her hands took away the tears from her puffy eyes.

"No. No! M-My parents will be lo-looking for me u-until they found me. T-They wo-won't stop until they f-find me, Mr. Trent. Pl-Please let me go. They’ll f-find me s-s-soon. I’m t-their only child."

Alan heard the tremors in her voice, the clear signs of doubt in the young woman's mind coming out with her words. He wasn't sure if it was legitimate thoughts, or just the confusion of her situation that robbed her of her confidence. But it didn't matter to him. It was something he could use either way.

"How will they find you soon, Izumi? They have no idea where you are. No one in Whispers Spring would do such a thing as kidnapping someone. So, someone from outside of town must have done it. But of course your parents will look for you. How are they going to report it though? Kidnapping? a Plain missing persons? Will they try and hide what they suspect is the truth from everyone else?" He took a step closer to her, once more dropping down to the same level as her.

“I… I… I just want to go home.” She was curled up tight, almost a fetal position. She trembled violently, trying to close out everything about her. “Please, Mr. Trent? Let me go home. I won’t tell anyone what I saw here, I promise. J-Just don’t hu-hurt me.”

"Izumi... you are home. This is where you live now. You'll be fine here. As for hurting you, that's not up to me. That's up to you. If you behave, and not try and cause trouble, then you wont get punished. You will be happy here, I know that. Because I know you, and value you.

"You're not a mere trophy child, Izumi. Yes, a trophy child. Two successful parents with only one child. They value your achievements more than your happiness. You have been taught how to behave properly from a young age. They took you to charity functions and other special gatherings. Proudly showing off their little girl, talking animatedly about how well she was doing in school. What special studies and hobbies you excelled at." He rested a hand on the edge of the bed to help steady himself. "They came to America to benefit from what the country had to offer them. But would they let their daughter benefit from a relationship with an American? Of course not. Could they let her choose? Of course not. She would have to marry someone they approved of, that would ensure that their image wasn't tarnished.

"They don't love Izumi, they love the little girl, now young woman, that reflects on how good they are. They will look for you, but they will give up. Maybe they will claim that you left to live your own life. They will minimize the damage you did to them, then they will move on. But, Izumi, I love you. I want to make you happy, and feel like a the real person you are."

Alan stood up and walked to the door. He blocked the keypad from Izumi's line of sight and punched the code to let himself out. He went to the wardrobe in the basement, picking out a simple, flannel sleep dress that was the right size for Izumi. He returned, waiting in the middle of the room.

"Now, Izumi, you need to get changed into this. I will help you with the chain when you need to get the clothes off that leg."

Her parents weren't the best. Izumi knew that. She knew it so well.

Why wouldn’t she? They were the ones who raised her since birth, clothed her, fed her and watched every step she made and was there to scold her if she even wobbled. She lived with them for her entire life, had to sleep in the same house, eat meals with them every morning and afternoon if they bothered to come home on time and had to report to them every flaw and success she had done. They were quite obsessed with her success in life and were quick to disappointment and scolding.

(Scolding was her parents’ best ability if Izumi had dishonored the family somehow and Izumi’s fear if she had done something to ‘dishonor’ the family. There were times that she became so scared of asking a question wrong or received a reprimand (be it in jest or not), she would throw up if she was in correct in the middle of the class. It was another reason why she was considered such a ‘weirdo’ for her actions.

Her parents didn’t make it any better for the girl. There was that infamous time, a few months ago, when she had gotten a B- in her math classes, due to a time she had become sick and missed a few lessons, and her mother was simply furious at her and her ‘failings’. As they sat in the Café Quaint, her mother assaulted her with lectures and screams of how she, Izumi, had brought great shame to the family and how Izumi was a ungrateful ‘pig’ who they needed to throw out of the house to show how lucky she was.

People passed them by and never stopped once, only staring and whispering but never intervening to stop it. The Amaya family was always… Odd and, truth be told, the people were frightened of the small but iron-willed mother. They let the woman do as she pleased because not only for her wealth and power but because they were flat out afraid of her. Even if it meant an innocent child was scarred for life.

The girl cried and cried and cried and no one stepped in to help her. Not even her own father, who was still as the cold ice on the ground that lay under their feet. He disapproved of her ‘failure’ too.)

Her parents weren’t the best. They weren’t but they were her parents and she was their daughter. Surely they’ll move Heaven and Earth to get her back. But what Mr. Trent said to her made her feel the seeds of doubt, having long been planted in her heart since she was a mere child, start to bud at long last. Was she truly just a trophy child to them, a sort of ‘pet’ people showed around and kept out long enough to be admired but not loved? Will they truly not put effort into finding her if they see this as a betrayal on her part? Will they only make a ‘show’ and stop after a period of acceptable time and move on with their life?

The people in Whispers Spring will not care for her, she knows, but her own parents can’t do that. They simply just can’t.

And after all that Mr. Trent has said to her, this will now be a small, scared Izumi crying again her heart out again -- Simply sobbing and shaking and wanting to just get out of there -- after Alan points out the obvious to her and makes her feel even worse. She has no words or comebacks, just sniffles and sobs and screams as her emotions break through her usually quiet, reserved form. The toll of tonight, the emotions were getting the best of the girl. If she didn’t get control of them soon, Mr. Trent could use them against her but, right now, she didn’t give a damn. She just wanted her mother and father to come and save her.

She bowed her head, refusing to look at him or even acknowledge his presence as he moves away from her to go somewhere. She heared the soft, 'beep' sounds of a keypad and knows she should be looking up and paying attention to get out of here instead of moping but... but what he just said to her utterly devastated the girl. When he leaves her alone, she pulls herself up on the bed. Her body was sore, her eyes hurt, her neck felt simply awful… Izumi was thankful there was no mirror here because her mother and father forever put emphasis on her looks and would throw a fit at the sight of the shaken, messy girl now.

Mr. Trent came back into the room, large and imposing (to her) as ever and she whimpered and tried to pull away by backing up on the bed. He held something in his hands and showed it to her. The girl stopped in her backpedalling and blinked, surprised to see what it was. It was a… nightgown. Not a scantly clad one that was translucent to the point it defeated the purpose of wearing clothes but a simple, nice one she would have worn any night.

It was simple and clean, cut well to show her figure but not enough to leave her shivering even if there was heat here. It was the perfect size for her, she noticed.

(She didn’t want to dwell on the fact it was the perfect size for her and never once she went to a tailor shop here in Whispers Spring. She always had her clothing made by her mother. How did he get the measurements? A shiver ran down her spine and she tried, in vain, to ignore it.)

"Now, Izumi, you need to get changed into this. I will help you with the chain when you need to get the clothes off that leg," he told her, his voice so calm and reasonable as if everyday he kidnapped her to bring him to his basement to dress her up. He waited for her response, watching her watch the dress with a slack, open jaw and wide, wide black eyes that showed her surprise and… spark as her head gears begin to churn and move now.

Izumi, the bright girl she was, immediately saw an opportunity to escape. If she got her leg free from the manacle and found something that could subdue him long enough, she could run out of here. She didn’t pay attention to the movements of Mr. Trent’s arm when he hit the code earlier but the sounds were distinct to her thanks to her hears of playing music. If she could knock him out somehow and get to the pad with enough time on her side, she could hit all buttons, hear them and punch in the code towards her freedom and his imprisonment. She had to be careful though. If she was caught, who knows what he will do to her. Another shiver ran down her body and it wasn’t from the cold but it could be interpreted as one.

“Okay,” she said, bowing her head so he couldn’t read her expression, her desperation and hope as she quietly prayed to herself that this just had to work. “I’ll… I’ll change. But you promise not to… touch me anywhere, right?”

Alan waited patiently for Izumi to calm herself. He knew his words had a great deal of power. They hit directly at points that would create a great deal of doubt in a confused person. He would make her question everything about her life prior to being brought into his home and into his life. He would make her totally dependent on him for everything. To a far greater degree than her parents ever did. Furthermore, he would be a far greater source of reassurance than her parents, because he would be kinder to her than they were. He would be more stern, and his punishments would be harsher, but he would show her love, affection, pride and all those other positives that the young woman never received.

Even looking distraught, and physically a bit of a mess, she was still very appealing to him. She was a very attractive young woman, one that Alan would show exactly how sexy she really was. He couldn't wait to finally claim Izumi as she needed. He knew that she needed a man to take her, to show her the fullest bounds of the glorious sex she would have. The times they would have together would be full of great passion, cries of the highest reaches of pleasure. And because of her heritage, there were also many other things that they would enjoy together, things that most people scoffed at. But again, he knew that she would like them, revel in them, beg him to indulge them with her for their mutual pleasures.

He was pleased when Izumi finally reached her state of calm. It was his choice in her clothing that seemed to dispel whatever nightmares she was showing herself. He wondered if she thought he was going to bring her some negligee that only served to show off the woman's body before being removed to allow the proper fun to follow. It was not time for those just yet. Practicalities first.

“Okay. I’ll… I’ll change. But you promise not to… touch me anywhere, right?”

The bowing of her head in a pose of near innocent submission sent a wave of heat through him. Just as a well trained daughter of immigrant parents would, she was being deferential to Alan, sensing he was now in charge of her. Internally, he smiled broadly at the move, and what it signified for their future together.

However, her words indicated that she hadn't worked out exactly where she stood in there newly formed relationship. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he crossed the room to stand beside her. He reached out, firmly cupping the bottom of her face before his hand locked tightly on her jaw. he used as much force as needed to turn her to look up at him.

"Izumi, my dear little one. I will touch you when, where and how I please. You are here to make me happy. It is what you desire to do. I will take care of you. Look after all of your needs the way your parents never did. You will become the person you were meant to be, no longer some living bauble for your parents to show off. You wont be alone anymore, Izumi. But you are a young woman, and you will fulfill my needs and desires as a woman does for her man. Being the good Japanese woman you are, one that has been properly educated in the right ways to behave, you will do as I tell you. Unlike a good Japanese man, I will ensure that you enjoy things just as much. We will find out what excites you, and ensure that you get those needs filled too."

Using his grip of her face, Alan led Izumi off the bed to stand on the floor beside the bed.

"When I release your face, Izumi, you will remove as much of your clothing as you can, placing it on the bed. Once you are completely naked, only then will you receive your new clothing. Behave yourself, Izumi, and all will go very well for you. Misbehave, and I will make your parents look like complete angels. The choice is all yours, Izumi. Your life is now with me. It can be heaven, or it can be hell."

He closed the gap between them, placing a warm, gentle kiss on her forehead. As his lips touched her skin, his grip lightened until his hand parted from her skin the same time. He took a step back, intent on enjoying the revealing of Izumi.

Not having the strongest spine in her family would be an understatement for someone Izumi, personality-wise and childhood-wise. They breathed down her neck the moment she could walk and talk and instantly made their displeased feelings known if she wasn’t performing the way they felt like she was supposed to. Ever since she was born, Izumi was always a bit more sensitive.

Compared to them, she was a delicate, fragile flower that needed constant reassurance and love and warmth so she could be able to grow and that was in little supply but slaps, harsh looks, passive aggressive remarks and shamings were abundant. As a result, she was easily swayed by intimidation, persuasion and threats against her.

And look where she was! In someone’s basement, shackled like a prisoner and held against her weak will after she was strangled into passing out mere hours ago.

(Or was it days ago? She wasn’t sure with her time and she wouldn’t put it past Mr Trent anymore to strangle her in her sleep or… or… She couldn’t think of the rest. It made her too sick.)

So the bold, reckless and risky plan in Izumi's mind withered into dust and ashes when he grabbed her by the chin and made her look into his icy blue eyes with her own, wide, scared, midnight black ones. Izumi can't hide the whimpers that are cowering in her throat and, one by one, they come out of her in signs of submissions and quiet pleases of, 'Please don't hurt me.'

He tries to be gentle with her, she knows she knows she knows, but the fact he touched her after what he's done to her makes her skin crawl. The way he spoke to her, cooed to her like she was just a baby or pet that needs to be reassured, both insulted and worried her for her wellbeing. The way he is acting, so kind and loving and sweet like they were old and familiar lovers, was a bizarre and creepy contrast to the actions he had done this evening.

"Izumi, my dear little one,” he said, looking like the saint of infinite patience. “I will touch you when, where and how I please. You are here to make me happy. It is what you desire to do.”

What…?

What?

What?!

Those words floored the girl, scared her to the point she felt like she could have a heart attack any second and died there in that awful room – If only! Izumi will reflect later on in her later, more terrifying days – and she makes her feelings to his words known as she tries to pull away but her body, her long arms and long legs, felt like heavy lead to the girl. Or maybe wood like a large, pretty puppet doll. It seems to be the favorite image that she gives off to people these days. First her parents and now Mr. Trent who she actually thought was a kind soul.

“I will take care of you. Look after all of your needs the way your parents never did. You will become the person you were meant to be, no longer some living bauble for your parents to show off. You wont be alone anymore, Izumi. But you are a young woman, and you will fulfill my needs and desires as a woman does for her man. Being the good Japanese woman you are, one that has been properly educated in the right ways to behave, you will do as I tell you. Unlike a good Japanese man, I will ensure that you enjoy things just as much. We will find out what excites you, and ensure that you get those needs filled too."

How could he ask such things for her? Treat her like she would be some… some whore who would spread her legs easily. Her mother taught her that her virginity was her most important asset and now she understood why it was so. People would go after her like this. They would assume she was weak and friendless and… and…

Izumi just turned her head and looked away, shivering like a lone leaf in the roaring winter that was possibly going outside now, and clenched her thighs together for she was scared for her safety of her virginity. Oh how the questions and thoughts and worried swirled around in her head, demanding for answers and peace, and it left her vulnerable to him forcing her to stand on her feet.

He then demanded her to take of her clothing and in front of him no less! Izumi was about to protest, this was just too much!, when he continued:

“Behave yourself, Izumi, and all will go very well for you. Misbehave, and I will make your parents look like complete angels. The choice is all yours, Izumi. Your life is now with me. It can be heaven, or it can be hell.”

The idea of him harming her, with no one to help her if anything serious were to happen, made her start crying quietly. Tears ran down her now paler, colorless skin that was the work of the almighty fear. She had to cover her mouth with both of her hands as he kissed her forehead and stepped back, looking at her like she was a gift that was now ready to be unwrapped.

In his head, she could not help but think bitterly, she probably just was to him. Did he really know anything about her? What her favorite movies were? Her favorite music? Her time of spending the weekend that she actually enjoyed doing?

She wanted to so desperately demand for him to answer those questions but new better.

Letting her crying subside first and wipe away the tears, Izumi knew she had to begin… begin stripping now or he would lend her a ‘hand’ if she was too fussy about it. The thought of his hands on her skin again terrified her and she got to work, unravelling the scarf that she wore around her neck still that protected her from the warmth. Looking at the scarf for a few second in melancholy, as the scarf was a gift from one of her only friends before they moved away to see the world, Izumi hesitantly folded the scarf properly and laid it on the bed.

Soon, her other clothing would join her and it was morbidly fast for the poor girl. Her jacket was next to go, as the buttons were large and often difficult to get off so it gave her time to keep her clothes on even if it was for a little while, revealing the thin, white shirt she had hastily putted before she left her house and it showed, much to her neverending shame, her bright pink bra, no doubt with a matching set of underwear since her parents insisted on symmetry, and Izumi paused. He was staring at her, she could feel it even though she kept her head bowed and stared intently, desperately, at the ground as if it was an intricate pattern and not just plain, polished wood.

Shaking violently, she pulled off her shirt next, revealing the soft, milky white skin that held hints of a rosy pink complexion, and the pink cotton that held her full, fleshy orbs. Izumi felt humiliated and ashamed more than ever, wondering how low this could possibly go when she continued taking off her clothing.

She placed her bra away, trying to shield nakedness from Mr. Trent’s eye. It didn’t do a lot. Only a few feet away, the man saw everything. Her wet eyes, her flushed, skin, her trembling body, her shaking, her heaving breasts and hard, light pink nipples could not escape his gaze no matter how hard she tried.

She unzipped and unbuttoned her jeans, pulling them quickly so she didn’t give the man a show. The last thing she wanted was her kidnapper getting a kick out of her humiliation. No doubt he already had with her being topless but it was nice to try to put some sort of fight. She didn’t have her boots so there was no worry for that.

The manacle, she later discovered, was just wide enough for her to ease the pant leg of her jeans off. Her smooth, long, dancer legs were enclosed in a pair of black tights and the bright pink pair of panties were showing through the thin material.

It didn’t take long for both panties and tights to be off her, much to Izumii’s dismay and fear. She tried to cover her breasts, her smooth, hairless vulva but it was no use. She was just shaking too much and she suspected that if she tried, Mr Trent would get mad at her. The girl wasn’t eager to know if he could pull of his promise and make her feel like her parents were angels compared to him.

So she put her shaking arms to the side, looking away still and just praying, praying so hard, that he’ll just give her the gown so she could sleep and get away from him.

Alan saw the tears start to water her pale cheeks. He wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms, giving her the comfort that her parents had denied her. But Alan knew that she was adjusting to her new situation, along with the means he was employing to give her the change in her life that she so needed. He could see how fragile she was, how much she needed someone who loved her, and showed her that they loved her. He would be stern with her, because she was used to that and needed that strictness in her life at that stage, but as time progressed, he would lessen it as she would not need it so much.

She slowly brought her tears under control, which is turn eased him a little. She had still to show any sign of following his last order, and he hoped that she would. The last thing he wanted was to punish her over something so simple, but she would learn that when he commanded something of her, it was something she would do. Again, in time, she would learn that following his instructions would make him happy, and that she wanted him to be happy.

As he expected of a strictly raised Asian woman, she was neat in carrying out her instructions. He did nothing but gaze at her as she removed her old clothing. Each element neatly placed in a pile on the bed. Outwardly, he remained calm and in control, but inside, he was overflowing with delight and arousal as Izumi slowly revealed herself to him for the first time. Once the jacket was finally laid on the bed, he saw the bright pink of her bra showing through the thin, white fabric of her top. Just that tantalizing image made him fully erect, leaking some precum. She was amazing; her body even still clad and hidden by numerous garments was shapely and completely desirable. The shirt revealed skin that was delightfully pale and unmarred. He wanted to run his hands over her exposed chest and shoulders, confirming whether or not the skin was a silky soft as it appeared.

There was the barest audible release of breath when her bra was removed. Her breasts were perfect in their size, shape and placement of the aureola and nipples. The rest of her torso was a collection of well placed curves and planes that only God or Mother Nature could have shaped.

The removal of her jeans and other underwear was hampered by the manacle that she had on her left ankle. But with little delay, she had removed the tights and pink panties to reveal the last of her treasures. Alan was surprised to find that Izumi was bare between her legs, thinking that the young woman would have not touched the growth on that part of her body. But to clearly see her sex, and when the time came, to know that it was ready to receive his cock, made it less shocking and more appealing.

With everything removed as much as she could achieve, she just stood there, looking at the floor doing her best to ignore his presence. Izumi surpassed Alan's imaginings concerning how she would look naked. Her physical beauty, in his opinion, only grew seeing her completely unadorned by clothing. He smiled warmly as he closed the distance between them.

He reached out, and gently cupped her chin, lifting her face until she looked at him. He kept his eyes on hers, showing her how proud he was of her doing as he instructed. He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. He then stood back just a little, getting her nightie ready for her to put on.

"Here you are. Just put your arms through there, and then over your head like that." He released the nightwear, letting his hands caress the back of her neck before easing her hair out from under the cloth. He continued to help her adjust the lie of the nightie, his actions purely functional with the intent of having it not scrunched up, or causing her any discomfort. "There, much better. Now, sit down while I fix up the clothing stuck on the chain."

Once Izumi sat down on the bed, he pushed the clothing back up her leg until the manacle was uncovered. He pulled a small key out of a pocket, unlocking it. He then efficiently pulled off her old clothing and restored the manacle to its place around her left ankle. He gathered the liberated clothing, adding it to the pile Izumi started.

"Thank you, Izumi, for following your instructions very well so far. I had hoped you would be intelligent about this, and see it for the excellent opportunity that it is. Now, it is time for you to get some sleep. It has been a busy night for you. Sleep well, Izumi." He stood up, giving her another soft kiss on her forehead. He gathered her clothes from the bed, taking them out of the room with him. before he closed the door, he turned the light out.

In the basement, he had a wardrobe set aside for her possessions, current and future. Inside was a washing hamper, where he put all of her clothing into. He then went to his own bedroom, and got himself ready to sleep.

He lay down on the bed, completely naked as he chose to sleep, flat on his back. He casually started to stroke himself, graphic images of Izumi coming to his mind, augmented by his most recent images of her naked. His firm cock hardened as he continued to run his hand along his fully hardened length. Along with the more accurate images in his mind, he found himself getting close to climaxing a lot quicker than he normally did.

"No. There is no need for that anymore. Unless I want Izumi to do it." His cock twitched as if it understood what he said. "No, from now on, Izumi will be the one to bring me pleasure by stimulating my cock. That is one of the reasons she is here. Plus, the longer I go without cumming, the better it will be when I do."

He allowed himself to drift off into sleep. Flashes of the nights activities filled his mind's eye until exhaustion finally claimed him, and he fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

For Izumi: She didn’t have much luck when it came to sleeping.

After Mr. Trent left the room, leaving her in the darkness and to her frightened thoughts and fears, she curled up in a little ball on her side and struggled to not cry. It was hard though. The stress and fear she felt at the moment was probably going to blindside her any second now. Her throat felt like something was blocking it in a way, letting her breathe but not enough to make her feel safe. Her heart hammered against her chest.

Emotions rushed through her body, crunching and turning into a toxic and confusing mixture of feelings, thoughts and reactions. She was angry that he was doing this to her. She was bitter that she was so weak against him. She was bewildered that he was doing all of this just for her. She was scared that he’ll hurt her somehow and that no one will actually find her. She was humiliated that she had been forced to strip down naked in front of a complete stranger.

(At that point, she pressed her thighs together and tried to ignore the wet sensations she felt in between her legs.)

So many thoughts clamoured for her attention but one in stood out against the rest. Mostly because she had been thinking about it the entire night:

How could this happening to her? That thought continued to play in her head over and over again like some demented CD player in her mind was stuck in a vicious loop of reply. How could this be happening to her, of all people?

What had she done to deserve this fate? She tried to be nice to people even when they weren’t nice to her. She studied, she was cordial to everyone, she obeyed her parents and even donated blood and clothing when those drives were happening in the town. And yet she was in here, a room in a house that was possibly far away from her home. She was locked inside a small, small room with a manacle around her ankle by a mad man.

The thoughts were too depressing to bear at that moment and she banished them from her thoughts. Izumi than shivered again, the slight cold she had been feeling the entire night deep in her bones getting to her now. It was there that Izumi forced herself to swallow the little pride she had and made herself sit up and crawl into the bed properly, snuggling into the mattress and carefully pulling the sheets over her to warm up.

She tried to get comfortable in the bed, needing all the energy she could muster for tomorrow morning. Who knows how long it will be before her parents find her? She hoped it would be soon. The girl closed her eyes and prayed, prayed, prayed for a quick and kind sleep. If anything, she just wanted that.

No such luck, though. The rest of the night would be plagued by thoughts of insecurity, moments of dread and nightmares of that oh-so kind smile.


Too soon it was morning for the kidnap victim and her body slowly forced her awake.

Judging by the dim but somehow sharp lit the room had when Izumi opened her eyes hours later, it was already morning. The room was chillier, confirming her suspicions that it was morning. But the time was something she wasn’t sure of. What exactly was the type of morning was it? Was it early morning? Was it late morning? Was it even close to the afternoon?

She wished she had her watch with her but that had somehow gone missing from her wrist last night. Only now she had noticed it and wished she had realized earlier. That was a gift from her friend and it was quite reliable for the girl. She wondered what Mr. Trent would be doing with it and stopped herself, the first thought in mind was that he was holding it and… The girl made a face of pure disgust, shivers crawling across her skin and the girl didn’t want to know what state her clothing was now.

Reluctantly, after deliberating for some time on this, the young Japanese woman moved out of the bed and looked around the room carefully to see what she had in it. It wasn’t a lot. It was still the same simple, beige-colored room from last night. There was nothing there besides the fake plant and chair and bed. The only thing that was different from last night was the curtains on the tiny (and only) window were pulled back.

She tried to get closer to the window, so she could pull the curtains back and hopefully see where she was and what time it was, but the manacle and chain stopped her just a few feet from it. The chain was unbearably short. Only long enough for her to move around the bed from one side or another but it didn’t let her go beyond that.

After experimenting on how far she could go with the chain, about only a three - four feet she discovered, the college student made half-hearted attempts to tug on the chain but it was no use. It was steady and firm as her mother, cold as well, and she would have just injured herself in the process.

Seeing there was nothing else she could do, Izumi sat down and just waited for Mr. Trent to come here. Her stomach growled for food and that was one of the few reasons she wanted to see that man’s face. She also hoped that she could convince the man to let her go or, at least, leave this room from time to time to stretch her legs. And give her time to plan her escape. She couldn’t stay here. Izumi knew that. The longer she stayed here, the shorter of her chances of ever returning home were. She had to get out. She had to.

But, first, she had to survive her encounters with Mr. Trent. She hoped all of them will end well.

Since Alan had no clients that day, he hadn't set his alarm. So when he woke, he felt truly refreshed. A small part of that refreshment was also attributed to his new lodger. The recalling of Izumi standing before him, essentially naked brought a warm glow, as well as a rather insistent erection. He smiled, and chuckled to himself as he stretched in his bed. With a mild groan, he pushed the covers back, and got out of bed. He walked quickly to the bathroom, answering the call of nature, then quickly got himself dressed.

"Nine AM. Not that late." He stretched again. "Time for some breakfast." He strode off to the kitchen, making himself a simple breakfast, and started cooking some porridge for Izumi. He hummed to himself as he moved around the kitchen. he nibbled on his breakfast, checked to make sure Izumi's didn't burn, or get lumpy. By the time Izumi's breakfast was ready, he had finished his own.

"Mmmm. Can't forget those." The last pieces of his breakfast muffled his voice as he went to the pantry, and got a small collection of pills, placing them into a clear cup. He put her porridge into a bowl, got her a spoon, honey, sugar and milk. He added a large plastic cup full of water to the tray with the rest of her breakfast. Continuing to hum, he headed down to the basement.

When he got down there, he shuffled a small table closer to the door to Izumi's room. He put the tray down on it, and he punched the code to open her door. Once the code was entered, the door was easily pushed open by his hip as he brought the tray through. The door was constructed so that it would close, reengaging the lock after it had been opened and released.

"Good morning, Izumi." Alan's voice was warm and friendly as he took the tray over to the table. "I have made you some breakfast. Some porridge, as the English would call it. I also have some things if you want to add to it, to sweeten it. I have also brought you some painkillers, a multivitamin and some contraceptive pills." He picked up the clear plastic cup, rattling the contents for her.

"For the moment, if you need to use the bathroom, there is a chamber pot under the bed for you to use. There is also a small container of sawdust and a roll of toilet paper. The sawdust is to help keep the odour down. In time, you will be able to make use of proper facilities, but for now, that is not possible." Alan moved the table closer to Izumi's bed, allowing her to remove anything from the tray safely.

"Now, since we are going to be living together, I know you probably have a number of questions for me. Please, be civil when asking them. I will answer them to the best of my abilities, and I will be completely honest with you. Also, if there are any requests, within reason, I will be more than happy to fulfill them for you."

Alan looked at Izumi sitting on the bed. The night dress was lifted enough for him to see the lower ends of her shapely legs. His mind wandered to how they would feel clamped about his hips, or even wrapped around him. Or watching them come out of a steaming shower they had shared. He longed to look at them again, as well as the rest of her body. She was so beautiful in a sweet and innocent way.

He felt sad for how her parents treated her, never showing the young woman the love and tenderness she needed. He had seen one of their dressing down of Izumi, and like everyone else, he didn't want to interfere. Not at first. He plucked up his courage and went back to tell them about their unacceptable behaviour, but the entire family had left. He felt angry with himself for not moving sooner, and showing Izumi that she had someone who cared about her.

"Izumi, I am truly sorry for the way I hurt you last night. I am, to a degree, sorry about doing all of this to you as well. I have watched what you have endured, and been able to piece together all that has happened to you while you have grown up. You are a very attractive woman, Izumi. You are someone who deserves better than what your parents have allowed for you." He sighed. "I want you to know that you are loved. I want you to know that someone cares for you, for who you are. Not for what you mean to someone else's ideals. Then I came up with this hare-brained idea, and last night, I had my chance to make it real. To get you away from them and show you a new different life.

"You wouldn't have accepted me if I tried to win your heart. If I had, then your parents would have rejected our relationship and you would remain locked in a family that cares little for you, only what you can do for them. I don't want you to live in a family that cares only about your academic achievements, your philanthropic endeavours, how amazing you look in a particular outfit or how much honour you bring to your family."

He crouched down in front of Izumi, looking into her large dark eyes. He felt himself being drawn into the warm darkness to be enveloped in her loving soul. "But, with what I have done, I can't let you go. It would be too damaging to everyone, including us. And given time, your family will accept that you're gone. The locals will forget about you even quicker. You'll come to love your new life, and all that happens within it. I will show you what it is like to be loved, to enjoy the passions within you, and show you the joys of being a woman. I will blend the best of your world with mine, and you'll find yourself joyously happy."

His happy expression morphed into a more reserved, neutral expression. "But, in the meantime, you will follow my orders, Izumi. You will learn about your new life by doing the things that you will need to do. Do as I say, and things will be smooth, calm and happy. Resist, or try to escape, and I will punish you severely. I wont be doing it to be sadistic, but the punishments and restrictions are meant to help you adapt and change to your new life. You may not like what is happening, but it is for your own benefit, Izumi."

Alan leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Izumi, holding her tenderly and affectionately. "I know I sound like some crazy man. But this is for the best, Izumi. You will finally get to bloom as you were meant to." He pulled his head back, and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. "I do deeply and sincerely care about you. Regardless of how it may appear." He reached over, grabbing the clear cup full of pills, and the cup full of water.

"Now, Izumi, take all of your medicines. Once you have done so, you will show me that you have swallowed them all. If you don't swallow them, then I will punish you, and make you swallow them, which will be rather uncomfortable for you. It is very important, Izumi, so please be an intelligent and sensible woman." He present both for Izumi to take.