Tough as Nails [Anguis Tenebris and Aiko]

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Birdsong filled the trees as flowers and plants grew, flourishing in the newness of spring. Bees buzzed, and the scent of life filled the air. It was peaceful, just as the forest ought to be. This was why the young Neko enjoyed it so much. However, she came here to do something more than relish in nature's tranquility.

Aiko had been in Team Dragonstorm her whole life, adopted by the Kaiju Draligon and mentored by a man she saw as her best friend, Arik. With their help, Aiko had become interested in becoming a real part of Team Dragonstorm, like them. She wanted to go on serious missions and handle them perfectly, much how Sly and Lexia did together. You could say everyone in the Guild was her inspiration to be the perfect fighter, but unfortunately she never got the chance to prove herself. . . Until now.

The young adult had been tracking an assassin known as Anguis Tenebris in hopes of taking him down in order to prove herself. Aiko was hoping to catch him here, in this very forest. So the Neko slunk about in the undergrowth, axes in hand as she glanced around the woods for any signs. Her tail flicked behind her. There were no signs, yet. . .

Anguis grumbled, "I could have, but didn't." The heat was getting to him as well. But Anguis powered through it. At least it isn't as hot as it could be, these trees are providing some protection from the sun. But his black suit wasn't helping, it clinged to his body and made movement slightly difficult and uncomfortable. Just a little further and we will be at the house. Then I can rest.

Under her blindfold, Aiko rolled her eyes. She would complain about the heat, but she knew that Anguis Tenebris couldn't change the weather so she kept her mouth shut. She continued to swivel her ears around her head, now picking up her feet as she walked to ensure she didn't trip over any more roots. She didn't want to make Anguis think that he was winning this battle, even though he already was. Aiko just wished that she would get another chance.

"Please tell me that we're actually close now," the Neko mumbled, her tail lashing.

Anguis looked up ahead and spotted the white exterior of the house. It was a fairly modern looking two story house. "We are almost there." He began to quicken his pace, yanking Aiko along. He pulled her up the stair and into the house. Without giving Aiko time to rest in the air conditioning, Anguis took her over to the hallway and down stairs to the basement. Once at the bottom of the stairs, Anguis tossed Aiko into a concrete room. Inside this room was an old broken bed and a toilet. A light in the middle of the ceiling barely lit up the room.

Anguis made the strings around Aiko's wrists disappear and closed the metal door, ceiling her in the room.

Aiko instantly used her claws to rip off her blindfold and slammed against the door, banging her fists on it until her hands hurt. She screamed at the top of her lungs. "Let me out, you fucking bastard!" She slid down to the floor, finally noticing the slices on her arms. She looked over herself and realized how much has happened in less than a week. The scrapes on her knees were healing, but they still stung. The scrapes on her hands were scabbing over and were painful to the touch. Now she had cuts on her shoulders that were relatively deep and had blood dried over the skin. If Aiko were to look in a mirror, she'd be even more shocked. She imagined she would look much more different than she did a few days ago.

The Neko finally used her claws to cut her jeans at the knee to make them into shorts, getting rid of the leftover fabric that was coated in blood. She then took off her hoodie and tossed it on the floor, now wearing a plain white tanktop. The cool air was refreshing. If Aiko ever needed extra heat, she could put her hoodie back on. The damage done to her jeans, however, was irreversible. She continued banging on the door. Sometimes she would back up then charge to it at full speed, trying to bust it open with sheer force. But to her disappointment, the door never budged.

Anguis didn't respond to her screams but rather walked away. He went back upstairs and picked up a book to read. The room downstairs was designed to be a mental torture room. With nothing to do, subjects would often go crazy to some degree. Their brains designed for social contact would do all the damage as you eliminate all senses. The light would remain on at all times and they had no source of entertainment. Their only source to tell time is passing is from the three meals they get a day. The purpose of throwing her in there was to see if Aiko could be broken. Lose some of her determination and accept her new life here as a slave. It was part of her conditioning process.

And so, Anguis waited, reading. Eventually his stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten since breakfast and he should make him and his new slave some food. He made simple chicken sandwiches with mayo, lettuce and tomatoes. He descended the stairs with the plate and drink in hand. He opened a tiny slot and slid in the food and drink. "We have limited dining were and plates, so when you finish slide it back out. Otherwise you won't get any more food. I'm not going in that cell just to collect plates."

Aiko narrowed her eyes dangerously at the sandwich and glass of water. She didn't trust Anguis Tenebris. Not one little bit. How was she to know that glass of water wasn't poisoned? What was a few days without food? However, she picked up the water. Instead of drinking it, she put it in her hands and did her best to clean the dirt and dried blood from her wounds. The Neko hissed in pain, but continued to clean up until her wounds looked as healthy as they could be, despite their condition. She slid the glass through the slot, and reluctantly bit through her sandwich. It was actually pretty good. When she was done, she slid the plate through the slot as well.

Anguis went back up the stairs and ate his meal before coming back down to collect the dishes. From here on out, he wouldn't speak a single word to her. He wanted her to feel alone in order for the torture to take effect. During the time between getting her food and such, he would read books or finding ways to pass the time.

Throughout the next two weeks, Aiko would continue striving to find a way out of the metal door. She continued slamming herself into it, screaming at Anguis Tenebris, and sometimes she even poked her fingers through the slot in the door and felt around, hoping to feel a type of lock or knob. She was never lucky. There were some points when she contemplated killing herself, via starvation or using her claws on her throat. However, she always came to her senses and concluded that she would never give up getting out of here as long as she lived.

The Neko had also gotten used to detecting the sound of Anguis' footsteps. She never saw the interior of the house, but by the sound of the steps coming from above, she assumed that there were stairs. Whenever she heard him, she would move to the farthest corner of the room away from the door, preparing herself just in case he walked in. However, all she ever got from him was plates of food and glasses of water. She wasn't ever sure what she would do if he actually came in. . . Aiko would find out soon.

It had been two weeks and Anguis felt that Aiko had been in their enough. He walked down the stairs and stood in front of the door. He unlocked the door, took a few steps back and deployed his strings. HE then made the strings open the door. He didn't know what kind of condition Aiko was in, but figured it would be best for him to be outside the doors reach should Aiko charge him.

Aiko burst out of the door in a blur, her ears flattened and her tail bushed up. She had her claws unsheathed, ready to slice at anything that got in her way. However, it wasn't her goal to injure Anguis Tenebris-- it was her goal to get out ASAP.

When she got out, she looked around frantically for the door that would lead to the outside world. Before she could leave, Aiko laid her eyes on Anguis Tenebris. Her eyes narrowed and she stiffened her muscles, prepared to lash out in case he pulled a move on her.

Anguis wasn't shocked to see Aiko furious. He knew that she might attack at any moment, but he was prepared. Since his strings opened the door, they were in the perfect position to wrap around Aiko's neck. And with one single twitch of a finger, three strings wrapped around Aiko's neck. "You remember what happened to those thugs when they attacked you? I could snap your neck in a single thought. So cool it. I am not afraid to throw you back in that room should you show any signs of disobedience."

Anguis moved to the side so Aiko had an unobstructed walkway to the stairs. "Now that you have chosen to live your life as my slave, I need to show you around the house. You will also receive a new room. That one you just left will be your punishment for any bad behavior."

Aiko hissed, yearning to pull away from the strings but not daring to make a move. She stared at Anguis dangerously, but it was rather hard to look ominous when she seemed to be a full foot smaller than him, if not more. Not to mention she was probably a mess from all those days in the room, so she might look more exhausted than fiery. She gritted her teeth angrily. She only nodded, lashing her tail and glaring at him. "Well, get to it then. Just tell me what you want me to do around here."

Anguis ignored the girls pathetic attempts to be threatening. If you want to appear threatening, you need your opponent to know he doesn't have all the cards. But I already know I am in control. I have nothing to lose if you attack while you can lose your life.

"What else does a slave do? You will be tending to the house and servicing my every need. Certain rooms and cabinets will remain locked so you can't kill me. But it will be your duties to clean everything else. If you behave enough, you may receive more freedoms. But for now, I will show you to your room." Anguis motioned to the steps. "Always walk in front of me so I can keep my eyes on you."

Aiko flattened her ears, grinded her teeth, but said nothing. It seemed that no matter what she spoke, it never helped to her cause. But why should she expect it to? She wasn't the one in control here. Despite this logic, it still infuriated Aiko to no ends. All she could do was roll her eyes, say "Fine", and continue trudging up the stairs. Obviously arguing will not help her. But maybe something else will. . . Besides, she was getting sick of these strings around her neck. They were almost invisible to the naked eye, but Aiko could certainly feel them, threatening to snap her neck. It was rather unnerving, knowing that if she dared turn around and lash out with her claws, she'd be killed in a second. So Aiko just obeyed Anguis and walked up the stairs.

Anguis walked behind Aiko and gave her a tour of the house and how to take care of it. Even showing her rooms that she had no access too. Finally he guided her to the upstairs and to a wooden door. "And here is where you will be staying." He pushed open the door revealing a small wooden room. It was a nice and cosy room with a newer bed, a wooden desk and a dresser. "I took the liberties of getting you new clothes. I had to guess the sizes though so I hope they are close enough. As for entertainment I left some books, paper and pencils in the desk. Do what you want with them. Just please don't destroy the books."

Shocked, Aiko slowly walked into the room, looking around. It almost felt like home. Her father gave her a room very similar to this one, but it was much smaller and not well kept after. The legs on the bed were squeaky, you could hardly open the drawers without wood chips coming off, and all the clothes she had were too small. If anything, this room was much better than the one she had at home, but it's not like she was going to tell Anguis Tenebris yet.

She opened a drawer and pulled out a shirt to look at its size. Anguis had obviously done a good job of picking them out. They were just a tad bigger than what she usually wore, but that was fine. Aiko loved bigger clothes. She loved drawing too, especially buildings.. As much as she hated to admit it, maybe this won't be so bad after all.

The Neko turned to Anguis Tenebris, keeping a blank face. "Th- Thank you." The words rolled off her tongue strangely, especially when she was saying it to Anguis. She quickly turned away, picking up a pencil and turning it in her hands, pretending to be interested in the piece of wood.

Anguis ignored her thanks and kept a stony face. "You start tomorrow. But the rest of the day you will spend in here. I will bring up dinner later." He then shut the door and locked it.

Aiko turned away from the door and moved to look out the window. This was her life now. It was still full of opportunities for escape, but those have not presented themselves yet. While this could be worse, Aiko was not ready to call this her home, and she wasn't sure if she ever would. So now, on her new bed, she rested. And waited.

[End scene.]