Ruki sat in the corner of that dark and dank room, thinking about how things were 10 years ago. He and Aoi were in an orphanage and one day, Aoi got adopted by a rich, kind and loving family.

「You’ll come visit right? You won’t leave me? You’ll still love me right? 」11 year old Ruki stood beside Aoi as he was packing his things he had in the little room they shared in the orphanage.

     Aoi stopped packing and turned to face Ruki.「Baby, you’ll always be mine. I promise, I’ll visit you every chance I get. And I promise, I’ll never leave you, I’ll always protect you. No one, no one can ever hurt you. I swear that, upon my life. 」Without waiting for Ruki to reply, Aoi kissed him on his forehead.

     Ever since then, Aoi visited Ruki every once a week because his adoptive parents had a busy schedule. They tried their best to bring Aoi to the orphanage as much as they could because they knew what Ruki meant to him. But even still, Ruki missed him very much. He wanted to be with Aoi every day, no every hour, minute and second.

     It was a warm summer night; Ruki lied awake on his bed thinking about Aoi. He missed him so badly, he wanted Aoi to hold him tight every night, feel the warmth of Aoi against his skin… The urge grew stronger and stronger until Ruki couldn’t hold it back any longer. He jumped off his bed and picked up his backpack. Jumping through the window, Ruki made sure no one was around before taking off into the night. He knew where Aoi’s place was and he knew how to get there.

There was a bus stop not far from where Ruki was. He was nearing the bus but all of a sudden someone grabbed him. Ruki struggled for his life. He tried to scream but his attacker covered his mouth with a piece of cloth. Before he knew it, Ruki out.

Ever since then, Ruki was forced into the ion business and he has been for the last 10 years. So many times, he had the thought of just killing himself, escaping the pain and the torture but he couldn’t. Something was holding him back. Aoi. Aoi’s promise to keep him safe, to save him and to protect him was the only thing keeping him alive, because he knew that one day, Aoi would sure keep his promise.

 As thoughts of the past raced through his mind, the door opened with a loud bang. Ruki didn’t flinch. He could care less about what happens to him next. Two men with masquerade masks walked into the room and threw a dress in front of him. The dress was lacy and it felt like silk.

「Put that on. 」one of them said with a deep voice.

Ruki did as he was told. Besides memories of the past playing through his mind, he was also wondering why he was well fed and dressed. Some fancy rich looking guy had bought him off his “employers”. Ever since then, he was locked in that dark room, well fed and dressed. Whatever it was, he didn’t want to think too much about it.

After putting the dress on, one of the two men blindfolded him with a piece of lacey cloth. Although it was lacey, he couldn’t see anything. They led him somewhere, then, they threw him into a cage. Or so he thought. He could feel the cold metal and bars. He leaned back against the metal bars and relaxed. What else was he supposed to do? Scream for help?

After a moment of silence, a voice started to speak. It was loud and clear as a whistle

「Ladies and gentlemen, tonight, we’ve prepared something a little more “special”. I hope it is to your liking. And please remember, the highest bidder get’s what he pays for. 」

「So… this was another human trafficking scam…」Ruki thought.

Before long, Ruki could hear the raising of curtains. His other senses were sharper as Ruki was used to being blindfolded and kept in the dark. He could hear them mumbling. Some even gasped.

「Such elegant skin… 」

「So young… 」

「I’m getting this one…! 」

For some reason, Ruki could tell that the room itself was dark. There was a strong sweet smell in the room. Perfume. So even women were into this?

Before he knew it, the bidding started. Ruki sat back and ignored them. The bidding went on and on. By now the highest bidding price was already 1 million yen.

「1 million. Now, is there anybody who is willing to pay higher than that? No? Well, -」

「10 million. 」came a voice from the back. To be honest, Ruki was taken aback by that price. The audience gasped.

「10 million…?」Even though the host tried to keep calm, his voice was shaking. No one has ever bid that high before.

Whispers could be heard. The host cleared his throat.

「W-Well, seeing as there is no higher bidder…」

Ruki heard footsteps approaching. The door on the cage opened. A strong sweet smell invaded Ruki’s lungs. Before he knew it, it was lights out for him.

***

Ruki woke up on a soft and warm bed. His blindfold was still on but the clothes he was wearing was different. The texture. He was wearing a pair of denim jeans and a cotton shirt. His wrist and legs were loosely tied. The chances of him escaping were slim. But who was stupid enough to leave them so loosely tied?

Before Ruki could make a move, someone entered the room. Ruki was tense.

「You poor thing… 」he said.

The voice sounded so familiar to Ruki that it sent shivers up his spine. Ruki’s mind went in circles trying to figure out whose voice it was and why it sound so familiar. The man sat down beside Ruki and caressed his face. His hands were so warm that Ruki shivered at his touch. He whispered into Ruki’s ear.

「So long… I’ve been waiting for this day for so long… 」

Ruki was scared. What was he going to do to him?

His hands moved to the binds on Ruki’s hands and legs. He untied them. Before he could proceed to do anything else Ruki asked him in a shaky voice.

「You untied my binds. Why? Aren’t you afraid I’m gonna run? 」

There was a moment of silence before that man gave his answer.

「You can run. But wouldn’t you need to take that blindfold off before you can do that? 」

Was he asking Ruki to remove the blindfold? Why?

Ruki paused for a moment. Should he take it off? His hands were shaking as he untied his blindfold. The lacey piece of cloth fell to the ground. It took some time for Ruki’s eyes to get accustomed to the bright lights. He was in an expensively decorated hotel suite.

It didn’t take long for Ruki’s eyes to get used to the light. The raven man who was standing in front of him made him gasp. He was wearing a black long sleeved shirt and black jeans. Tears formed in Ruki’s eyes. He couldn’t believe the person standing in front of him. The very person that always taught him not to give up hope. The very person who said he would always protect and love him until the end. He would never forget that face, not even in a millions years. It was Aoi.

Ruki jumped off the bed and tried to run to him but his legs were still weak. Aoi caught him just in time.

「How…? 」Ruki asked as the tears rolled down his cheeks.

「Does it matter? 」Aoi asked as he held Ruki in his arms. He too was close to tears. 「Why… That night… Why did you run…? 」

Ruki’s sobs filled the room.「I-I missed you… so much… I just wanted to be by your side… All I wanted was to see you… 」Ruki said through his uncontrollable sobs.

Hearing that finally broke Aoi’s limit. He tilted Ruki’s face upwards and kissed him passionately. For a moment, it seemed like time stopped. Feeling the warmth of Ruki’s soft lips made Aoi shiver. 10 years, and not one day he could forget his lover.

「I promised. I’ll never let anyone take you away again. We’ll be together forever… 」Aoi finally said.

「I don’t need anything else but you… Well and maybe some hot chocolate would be nice. 」Ruki said, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

Aoi laughed. 「Sure. C’mon, you always wanted to go sight-seeing in Tokyo right? 」

Ruki replied him with a big smile. Now they were reunited, no one could ever separate them ever again.