THE PRISON

Ken slowly opened his eyes, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over him. The first thing he saw was Hikari, sitting near him.

"Hikari..." Ken whispered,

She looked at him. "Ken, are you okay? Do you feel alright? Are you hurt or something?" Her voice was gentle, filled with worry.

Ken tried to sit up, but his body felt unusually weak. He frowned, struggling to find his words. "I can feel... I'm so weak."

Hikari reached out, her hand resting lightly on his. "Don't worry. Everything will be alright. We'll escape from this place. Someone will come to save us, I'm sure of it."

Just then, a voice interrupted them from behind. The man, looking to be around 46 or 47 years old, spoke in a cold, ominous tone. "No one is coming to save you two. This place... no one can find it. You're just going to die here... just like I will."

Hikari turned to him, "Why are you talking like this? From the beginning, when I came in... Why are you saying these things? There has to be something, right?"

The man sighed, his eyes shadowed with sadness. "I'm sorry if I've worried you. But... I'm certain we can't escape from here."Ken stared at the man,"If you're saying we can't escape from this place, that means you know about this place, right?"

The man nodded, his face grim. "Yeah, you're right. I know about this place."

Ken, still feeling weak, turned his gaze toward the man. "Then tell me... what is this place? Why are we all here?"

The man sighed, looking away for a moment. "I'm here because of some... personal problems. As for why you two are here, I have no idea. If you've been kidnapped, I don't know why they brought you here. That's all I know."

Hikari's expression shifted to one of surprise. "What? How did you know we were kidnapped?"

The man's voice remained steady, but there was a hint of bitterness. "When you two were brought here and thrown into this prison-like structure, I overheard someone say that you were kidnapped. That's how I know."

Ken stood up, his legs unsteady, and slowly surveyed the area around them. He looked at the cold, confining walls and realized the grim truth. "This is a prison," he muttered to himself.Ken, still processing everything, stared ahead blankly. "So... this is what... that means we're in prison..." he muttered, his voice filled with realization. Slowly, he sank back down to sit.

Hikari, feeling a rush of fear wash over her, clasped her hands tightly. "Yeah, we're in prison..." she said softly, her voice tinged with sadness and helplessness.

Ken turned to the man, his eyes still searching for answers. "As you said, it's your personal reasons you came here. Can you tell me why you're here? What did you know about these people?"

The man didn't meet Ken's gaze. He stared off into the distance. "I can't say anything about them... or my personal matters right now," he said, his tone darkening. "If I say anything to you, it won't be good for me." He turned his face away and didn't speak further.Hikari, feeling more nervous and unsettled, shifted her gaze to the man.

"Why won't he tell us anything? Doesn't he see we're trapped here, too?" she muttered quietly to herself,Her hands shook slightly as she clenched them, unable to hide the unease she felt from the man's guarded silence.

Ken observed the man's behavior for a moment, sensing there was more to his story. "He's hiding something," he said, almost to himself. The silence hung thick in the air between them.

Ken looked at Hikari, and he immediately noticed her hands were trembling, the cold visibly affecting her. Her hands were shaking, like a vibration running through her. Without saying a word, he stood up slowly, moved toward her, and sat down beside her. He looked at her, concern written across his face, and asked gently, "Are you okay? It seems like you're not."

Hikari looked at him and gave a small smile, trying to downplay it. "I'm okay," she said quietly. "It's just the cold. The frost... it's a little much. But compared to earlier, I'm better now."

Ken could tell that she was still struggling, so he rubbed his hands together to create warmth. Then, he placed his warm hands over hers, trying to give her some comfort. Hikari looked at him in surprise at first, then smiled faintly as the warmth spread through her cold hands. "It's warm," she whispered, feeling the relief.

Ken didn't say anything at first; he simply kept holding her hands, offering what little warmth he could. After a moment, he spoke, "I know this little warmth can't make you feel better, but... I don't know what else to do." He paused, giving her a reassuring look. "I just want to help."

Hikari smiled softly, "Thank you," she replied quietly. "It's enough. What you're doing... it helps."

Ken nodded, his hands still resting over hers, and they sat together in silence, sharing a quiet moment of warmth in the midst of everything else.

A few hours had passed. Hikari was fast asleep, her head resting near Ken, who sat quietly beside her. His eyes scanned the room, lost in thought. The sound of footsteps echoed in the distance. The man—who had been with them since they arrived—was still in the corner of the room, a shadow in the dim light.

Ken's eyes flickered over to him as the footsteps grew louder, and the prison door creaked open. Three men entered, each of them laughing as they barged in.

"We're just here for some fun!" one of them chuckled, his voice thick with a hint of malice. "You know, a little entertainment," he added with a wicked grin.

"Yeah, yeah, just let us do what we want!" another man chimed in as they strolled inside, each carrying a cocky, dangerous air.

Ken stood up quickly, instinctively stepping in front of Hikari, even though she was still asleep. His eyes narrowed, ready to defend her if needed. But the men seemed to have something else in mind. One of them turned to the man who had been sitting in the corner.

"Hey, man," the first one said, a smug smirk forming on his face. "Bored yet? Want me to give you some 'amazing beats'?" He snickered, making a mocking motion with his hands as if playing a musical instrument.

The second man laughed, joining in. "Yeah, it'll be fun, trust me."

The man in the corner, visibly nervous, seemed to shrink under their mocking gaze. He stammered, "I think you guys know... it's because of the deal I'm here. Don't you think your boss would... wouldn't forgive you for doing this?"

He looked almost pitiful as he tried to reason with them, his voice trembling in fear.

One of the men—who appeared to be the most confident—stepped forward, his smirk widening. "You're just ordering us around now? How cute. You think we care about boss?" he laughed, turning to his companions. "I say we teach this guy a lesson."

The man's words hung in the air for a moment before the second man raised his fist and punched him hard in the mouth. The sound of the impact echoed through the room, and the man stumbled back, falling to the ground.

Ken's fists clenched, ready to move, but he stayed still, his eyes locked on the scene. He couldn't let them hurt the man more, but Hikari was his first priority right now.

One of the men laughed loudly, seeing the man on the ground. "That's what happens when you try to talk tough, huh?"

The third man joined in with a laugh. "Let's just keep this going, yeah? A little fun, just like we planned."

They continued to taunt and laugh, each of them taking turns pushing the man, kicking him, and mocking him.

Ken suddenly lunged forward, shoving one of the men away from the man they were beating. "You want to play, right?" Ken's voice was cold and firm. "Leave him. Play with me instead."

The man who had been taunting the prisoner stopped and looked at Ken, a smirk forming on his face. "You want to play? Look at yourself," he said with mocking amusement. "You look so weak. You're all confident and brave, huh?" He laughed, the sound cruel and dismissive.

Ken's gaze never wavered as he stood tall, his fists clenched. But the man wasn't impressed. He sneered, "How dare you touch me, you bastard?" He snapped, before throwing a punch at Ken's chest, sending him crashing to the ground.

Ken hit the floor hard, but before he could recover, the men began to kick him relentlessly. Each blow seemed to hit harder than the last, his body bruising and his breath coming in short, pained gasps. They continued for what felt like an eternity, laughing and mocking him all the while.

After about ten minutes, they grew bored.

"That was quite fun, but he's not even worth it anymore," one of them said, his tone disappointed. "Let's go. He's useless."

They kicked Ken one last time before walking out of the cell, locking the door behind them.

Ken lay on the ground, his face battered and bloodied. His body was a mess, but he didn't let it stop him. Slowly, he pushed himself up, his hands trembling with pain. His body ached in every possible way, but he forced himself to stand. His legs were unsteady, and his vision blurred from the blood dripping from his wounds.

With shaky steps, Ken slowly made his way toward Hikari. Every movement was a struggle. He was so weak, each step feeling like it took every ounce of energy he had left. His knees wobbled, and he barely managed to stay upright as he approached her.

When he finally collapsed near her, his body sliding to the floor with a weak thud, he sat down slowly. His breathing was labored, and the blood continued to drip from the cuts and bruises.

The man who had been sitting in the corner watched him, surprised.

The man watched Ken, his eyes filled with confusion and disbelief. "Why did you do this?" he asked slowly, his voice tinged with a mix of frustration and curiosity. "Why did you come here? Even after you asked about the people who kidnapped you… I never said anything to you about them. So why did you help me?"

Ken, still struggling with pain and exhaustion, looked up at the man. His body was shaking, but he didn't speak right away. The question hung in the air, but Ken remained silent, his thoughts racing.

The man, sensing Ken's hesitation, pressed on. "Why would you help me? Even though I never told you anything about those people… why?"

Finally, Ken managed to speak, his voice hoarse but steady. "Why? Because that's me. That's who I am."

The man paused, taken aback by the simplicity of Ken's answer. He looked at Ken for a moment, clearly shocked. Then, after a brief silence, he spoke again, his voice quieter this time. "I have a kid... I have a daughter."