Jun bit his tongue immediately after he asked the question. He could tell by the shocked look on the girl’s face that he shouldn’t have asked it. Still, he couldn’t believe just how much control the Yakuza had over her. Fight or flight was a natural instinct in humans, and yet it seemed like she had no will to attempt either. She would rather stay and suffer than dare to hope for freedom. He wondered what happened to this “Rose” girl she mentioned, and then remembered the scratched-out plate on one of the other doors in the hallway. A shiver crept up his spine.

[b]“How... did you find out about what was going on here?”[/b] the girl asked hesitantly. [b]“Don’t you know the Yakuza could have both of our heads if they caught you talking like this with me?”[/b]

“A friend tipped me off yesterday,” Jun answered her first question vaguely. “He said something that just sounded… [i]odd[/i] about what’s going on here, and I went ahead to find out more for myself.” He took a shaky breath. “I had no idea.” He dropped his voice to a murmur and looked away, shaking his head. “I don’t think they’ll find out that quickly. They have no reason to investigate me, and I don’t plan on giving them one. We should be fine.”

Jun lapsed into silence again as his mind wandered back to the scratched door. If the other girl, Rose, had really tried to escape, how long did it take for the Yakuza to sniff out her plan? After seeing the complete and utter hopelessness in the American girl’s eyes, he found himself wanting to help her. Perhaps getting her out of this wretched place would bring him some peace of mind after what he had done. He just had to find a way to bring her will back.

Jun cleared his throat and glanced up at the girl again, “My name is Hirose, Junichi… In case you were wondering.” He hesitated. “What is your name? Ehr… you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. It’s not… a command, or anything.”