When Hana eventually regains consciousness, she attempts to remain as calm and cool-headed as she possibly can. She finds herself unable to move much, aside from being able to wiggle her fingers and toes. She seems to be tied to a pillar-like structure, and her arms and legs are also securely bound by some kind of sturdy rope. The cloth tightly wrapped over her eyes obscures her vision completely, but she listens carefully to her surroundings in hopes of being able to gather information as to where she is, who has abducted her, and why they have done such a thing. She hasn't encountered such danger in the midst of her sheltered life until now, but there's a first for everything, she grimly supposes.

The last thing Hana recalls doing before waking up like this is having her usual afternoon tea in her personal leisure quarters of City Hall. Her father, the mayor, had invited some important guests over from a neighboring city, so she decided to stay out of the way until the meeting ended. She hadn't taken notice of any particularly suspicious activities at the time, though now that she thinks about it, her tea had tasted a bit off. The perpetrator(s) had most likely slipped something into the tea her maid had brewed for her, if the trusted maid herself isn't the one behind it (Hana highly doubts it). How in the world had she managed to get kidnapped, directly from the guarded confines of City Hall itself? 

Her train of thought is suddenly interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps, and Hana concentrates all of her efforts into eavesdropping on a possible conversation between her kidnappers. She doesn't recognize any of the men's voices, and she doesn't know whether she should feel disappointed or relieved. In a situation as precarious as this, betrayal is the least of her concerns.

"I can see that you've actually succeeded in retrieving the mayor's daughter. Unexpected but excellent work, my boy."

"Thank you, sir. City Hall was quite easy to infiltrate." Hana makes a mental note to tell her father to ramp up security...if she can make it out of here alive, that is. "What will we do now?"

"We shall commence setting our plan into motion. Let us make the necessary preparations to demand a ransom from the mayor."

It's strange how Hana can't see a thing through the blindfold, but she can practically feel someone's pair of eyes shifting their gaze towards her. She nearly shudders. "What should we do with the girl then? I believe she has finally awoken."

There is an audible pause before the seemingly superior man of the two mutters, "We've already taken a photo of the girl as evidence that we have her. She doesn't matter anymore. But it would likely be better for us to just kill her here and now, to avoid getting caught later. I think you've been itching to see some blood for a while, so I'll allow you to finish the job."

"Gladly, sir."

Hana can hear one of the men's footsteps drawing closer to her, and she can even feel the steady vibrations of his feet against the cold concrete, growing heavier with each step he takes. Panic quickly overtakes her as she struggles to break free from her binds, but it's absolutely no use whatsoever. She even tries to speak to the approaching man, reasoning and attempting to bargain with him in exchange for sparing her life. But he just laughs at her, his voice harsh and raspy. It's all futile. Even crying wouldn't save her, so there's no point in that either. This is it. She's going to die. She's already blindfolded but she closes her eyes anyway and braces herself for pain and death. She just hopes that it'll at least be quick. She's thinking of everything she hasn't done in her life, her deepest regrets, and how sorry she feels for her father as he will pay the ransom only to find out that his daughter had been killed nonetheless.

A single tear escapes from her eye just as a popping sound erupts out of nowhere, and she flinches, wondering if it has something to do with the way the man is planning to kill her. However, a hissing noise follows the pop, and she can hear numerous men shouting in confused voices, including the one in front of her. Hana eventually realizes that a smoke bomb of sorts had been set off, as she accidentally inhales the smoke and begins coughing. Oddly enough, there seems to be something else combined with the smoke, and she immediately recognizes the lingering scent in the air: Japanese cherry blossom. 

Amidst the chaos and bewilderment, Hana also hears a loud crack somewhere very close to her, likening to a scene in an action film where the hero's fist connects to an evil henchman's face. She figures that she isn't that far from the truth when her ears also pick up a pained grunt and she feels the ground tremor below her as a body collapses heavily onto the concrete. She isnt sure what to do when she's suddenly grabbed and told to hold still as the ropes around her arms, legs, and body seem to have simultaneously loosened and fallen off. In a less urgent fashion, the blindfold around her eyes is gingerly removed, and as her vision is restored, Hana gapes at the si