Yamaa knew he had to leave, it was already late. He had fed his dolls well, but he had been gone for hours, yet he couldn’t make himself leave. He was on his side with his arms around her with her back against him and he relished the warmth of her body. They had both fallen asleep a few hours ago but he had woken sometime ago and he had been watching her sleep and hearing her breath. It was REALLY time to go. He sighed and buried his face in her hair. Finally he forced himself to get up. He moved slowly so as not to waken her. He started picking up his clothes. He had finished pulling up his pants when he heard a ruffling on the bed.

“Are you sneaking out on me?” Said Akane in a sleepy voice but she was smiling. Yamaa smiled and shook his head. Akane put her head to the side and said: “Oh, look, you are wearing my favorite look.”

Yamaa chuckled a little. He got closer and gave her a quick kiss. “Go back to sleep.”

“What time is it?”

“4 am. I really have to go. I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay, but it’s late. Will you be okay going out at this hour?”

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

Akane smiled and said “Okay.”

Yamaa gave her a final kiss and put on his shirt and jacket. He gave one final look at her sleeping figure. She opened one eye, smiled and waved at him. He waved back and left aware of the big grin on his face.

About an hour later he was home. He went into his viewing room and the screen to check on his dolls. He zoomed in on each one of them to make sure they were okay. He decided to let them sleep and give them a big breakfast. Coming back from Akane’s place and watching his dolls he was totally at peace. It had only been one night, so far, but already he wanted (maybe needed?) Akane in his life. Maybe he could talk to her and explain, make her understand. He had never met anyone like her, maybe she would understand. Then again maybe not. What if he had to choose?

Yuuko woke up hungry. The man hadn’t come back last night for dinner (or what she thought was dinner since it came some time before the lights were out.) She was starting to worry in spite of the other women’s assurance that sometimes this happened and that he always came back. But what if something had happened to him? What if he was lying in a hospital bed or worse, in a morgue and never came back? If nobody else knew where they were, she and the other women would starve to death. God, please be ok.

She hated wishing well to the man that had taken her away from everything she knew, but what choice did she have?

She heard footsteps. Was it him? It was him. She heard him go in into every room. It was her turn again, last time it had been Takara, so it was her turn again to be taken.

She heard him leave Takara’s room and she prepared herself. They had all agreed she would try to make him talk again. Shige thought that since she had gotten him to talk to her before, she might succeed again.

She didn’t want to talk to him, but the others had discussed that if she could manage to befriend him, he might give her more freedom and she could get the others out or get help.

Yuko knew that she could act all sweet and cute so that most people did what she wanted. God knew she’d done it before to her boyfriends, her friends… her mom. The door opened and the man came in.

He was wearing the oversized hoodie as usual and all she could see were his lips. He had nice lips, she noticed, full and well shaped. He might be handsome under that hood. And he seemed young, not much older than her. She took a deep breath.

“Is it my turn?” She asked in a small voice as he was starting to leave. The man didn’t answer but he didn’t keep on walking either.

“If… if it is, may I ask you for something?” He is still giving his back to her but he turns his head a little. He was listening. Yuko hadn’t planned what to say, she hadn’t really believed he would talk to her again. What? What could she ask? Then it came to her.

“When you tie my hair. Could you not do it so tight? The pins hurt and I have to loosen them and I end up messing my hair.”

He turned around and set his head to the side. After a few seconds he nodded once and left.

Yuko let out the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.

“So?” came the voice of Takara after the man footsteps disappeared.

“He didn’t answer. But he did listen and nodded.” She answered after going to the hole connecting the rooms.

“I think that’s still good.” Said Takara. “Why did you ask him that?”

“Well, first of all I couldn’t very well ask him to let me go right away. It’s better if I start small. With some people it’s better to start small and get their trust little by little and then get what you want.”

Wow, the little brat knew what she was doing, thought Takara.

“Yeah, I know” said Yuko, as if reading the other girl’s mind. “I sound a little like a manipulative , but I’m really not that bad, I swear.”

“I never thought of you as a .” Takara said.

“Brat, then.”

Takara smiled, honestly was the girl reading her mind?

“Ok, maybe a bit. But I don’t think you’re bad at all. And second of all?” prompted Takara.

“Oh, it really does hurt when he puts up my hair with those pins so tight. I guess I might be getting one thing I want.”

Takara laughed. How could she laugh in a situation like this?

“I’m sorry you ended up here, but I’m glad it’s you on that side of the wall Yuko.”

“I feel the same way.”