(Warning: This roleplay deals with the topic of human trafficking. If this is a trigger or something you wish to not read about, do not continue reading. The suggested age for a reader is 18+) Nelli was so excited. She had been all around the US before. She had even visited England with her father when he went to visit his family. But to go somewhere like Japan! It was an amazing opportunity and she was so thankful for it. She couldn't stop thinking about all the things she would do. Go on tours, visit all the landmarks, meet new people. She would of course still be taking classes in between, but that was a minor issue in her mind. All she could think about was how lucky she was to have been chosen for this. She had been, for the last two months in preparation, learning more Japanese. She had taken two courses of it in High School for her foreign language classes, but she had been a bit rusty and had to brush up on it, as well as lean more then just the basics her old high school teacher had taught her. She was fairly good at speaking it now, but sometimes had difficulty hearing certain phrases or speaking them. She was hoping the next few months in Japan would fix that right up. When they landed, she was quick to grab her carry on and walk off of the plane before she picked up her luggage. Once that was taken care of, she moved to the front of the air port, where she had been told she would be picked up and taken to the campus. She waited a little while before a car finally pulled up and a tall Japanese man rolled down the window looking at her, "Venelopi Stryder?" Nelli, hearing her name, quickly stood up from where she sat on the bench and nodded, "Yes sir. That's me. Are....you here to take me to the campus?" The man merely gave a nod and a wave of his hand, gesturing for her to get in the back of the car. She carefully put her suitcase int he trunk before she did just that, climbing into the back seat and buckling up. It was a longer drive than she thought it would be and what she found strange was that the man pulled up to a building that sure didn't look like a school. "Um...I thought we were going to the campus?" "Is check in. You check in. Then go to campus." Nelli began to grow wary of this, but she supposed the Japanese did have different ways of doing things when it came to schools. So, she got out and followed the man inside where she was lead to a small isolated room and asked to sit for a moment. Not even five minutes later, the man returned with two other men. One of the new men seemed to be the leader of the three and came right up to Venelopi, circling her in a way that made her feel uncomfortable, "Yes...nice...blue eyes...blonde hair....very tempting...exotic...men will love an American girl." Nelli was confused by the statement and looked at the man, "U-uh...when do I get to go to the campus? I'd like to go there now, if you don't mind." This caused the men to laugh and the one leaned forward, "There is no campus. You are mine now. You will do as I say and not argue. You must be a good little american girl. If you are, then you will become my prized girl. If not...heh...I'll break you into the position." The girl stood up nervously, wide eyed, "I....I don't understand. There must be some mistake. I'm a foreign exchange student. I don't belong--" Before she could finish, the man suddenly drew his hand back and slapped her in the face. "You belong to me. Now strip. Off with the clothes. I have to inspect you before lending you out." Venelopi, sobbing and trembling, slowly did as the man said and took off every article of clothing, standing before the men. It was an embarrassing process, but even when it was over, her nightmare went on. Within the hour, she was sent to a motel, where she had her first costumer. This man paid extra to be the one to be the American girl's first. It was painful, extremely so and the man was in no way gentle. In fact, he was more violent then most. It was a terror she would never forget, and one that was repeated with almost every man she was with. ...Three Months Later... Nelli, although she now knew how the her owner did things, was sure she would never grow used to this. The Yakuza man controlled five girls. Two were Japanese, one was Spanish, one African, and there was her. The American. Each had their own 'labels' he had given them as well. The African was the 'wild' one, the Spanish girl was the 'lustful' one. The two Japanese girls were 'sensual' and 'rough'. She was the 'exotically innocent beauty'. The man who had bought her had been right. She was a favorite among all the men. Her blue eyes, blonde hair, pale white skin, and British accent to boot, was something that lured men in. Unfortunate for her, her 'innocence' tended to lure in the more violent costumers. While she had come to expect the violence, it was something she dreaded. Now, she sat in a motel room, on the king sized bed, wearing a beautiful kimono. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into an elegant bun with decorative chopsticks in her hair. She found it strange for someone to pick this for her to wear(her owner always gave pictures to the men when choosing not only what girl they wanted, but also what they wanted them to wear. if they didn't get a chance to choose, he chose fr them). Normally the men asked for her to wear more westernized clothing that was seen as 'skimpy' in America. She had never had anyone ask for her to be in the kimono. But, she supposed it was just the man's taste or her owner just liked seeing her in it as he sent her off. She had been told to show up there ten minutes before his arrival time, which she had indeed. Now, two or three minutes past when he was supposed to arrive, she sat on the middle of the bed on her knees in the way a traditional Japanese woman would be seen sitting, something that would look strange yet even more exotically beautiful for herself considering the american girl didn't match with such a culture. She stayed in that position, waiting for the customer to walk in.

Jun packed his things and stood up from his desk as the class ended. It had been an especially grueling day of English, and he was exhausted. He would never understand why the language had so many exceptions to its rules. It was impossible to keep track of which words followed what. Still, he felt like he had done well on his exam. Apart from two unusually complicated sentences, he was sure he had translated the paragraphs accurately. In any case, he would find out how he ranked next week. Jun stifled a yawn as he ambled down the hallway. He still had some studying to do for his Business and Commerce class, so he headed for the library. As usual, the room was filled with students working on various projects and reading for their classes. He managed to find an empty seat near a window in the corner and sat down to work. He had only spent about thirty minutes going through his lecture notes when his cell phone went off. It buzzed against the wooden table, earning Jun a furious glare from a nearby student. He dipped his head in an apologetic bow towards the boy, and then checked to read the new message. It was from his friend, Koji. Meet me by the tower at 9:30 Jun checked the time. It was 8:46 at the moment, so he could finish up his studies first. He stared at the cryptic text message for a moment longer before he put his phone away. He wasn’t surprised that Koji didn’t give him any details. He always loved to surprise Jun with spontaneous plans, whether or not he would enjoy them. His surprises never caused any harm, so it wouldn’t hurt to humor his friend one more time, right? -- “You’re late,” Koji frowned at Jun in mock offense and tapped his watch with a finger. “It’s 9:37.” “I showed up, didn’t I?” Jun rolled his eyes. “True,” Koji shrugged and wrapped an arm around Jun’s shoulders, guiding him down the road. “Come on, then. The others are waiting for us at the bar.” “Wait,” it was Jun’s turn to frown. He slowed his step. “A bar? You know I don’t drink, Koji.” “Oh come on,” Koji let out an exasperated sigh. “Live a little. You’re young, and the world is your oyster. You can’t stay in your safety box forever, Jun. Besides, it’s not like I’m asking you to get wasted.” “I guess so,” Jun said uncomfortably. “Fine, I’ll go with you.” “Ah, look at that,” Koji grinned and tousled Jun’s hair in a fatherly manner. “My boy’s growing up.” -- “One more over here!” Koji called out to the bartender. He downed another shot of gin while the others cheered him on. Jun closed his eyes, trying to stop the room from swaying. He hated alcohol. He never had a high tolerance for the stuff, and he was already feeling severely tipsy. He disliked feeling out of control like this, but the slowness wouldn’t go away. Someone clapped him on the shoulder and he opened one eye to see Kenta’s mischievous grin. His friend’s face was almost as flushed as Koji’s was. “Hey, Jun,” Kenta said in a voice low with melodrama. “We’re gonna take this party somewhere more fun.” “I can’t imagine a place more exciting than this,” Jun drawled. He shook his head. The alcohol was making his mind hazy. He didn’t feel like his regular self. Had he always been this sarcastic? He suddenly couldn’t remember. “Oh, you just wait and see,” Kenta’s grin widened and he grabbed Jun’s arm, lifting him to his feet. He dragged him towards the door where Koji was leading the others out to the street. Jun staggered drunkenly, leaning heavily on Kenta’s shoulder. He didn’t recognize this area. Koji was guiding the group down a dark alleyway that opened up again on an empty road. On the other side was a row of old buildings. Most of them looked abandoned, but one had windows that were lit with a dim red glow. Koji glanced back at Jun and smiled wryly. He was planning something. Jun knew he should have been wary, but he just smiled back. Curse that incessant drunken fog. The group stopped outside the door of the red-windowed building and Koji stepped forward to make an exaggerated announcement, “Men, behold. I have brought you here today to celebrate my good friend, Jun.” He swept his hand out dramatically and the others hollered their approval. Jun just swayed on his feet. “Tonight, I have deemed him ready to take his next step into manhood. Tonight, he will sleep with his first woman.” What is he going on about? Jun’s unease returned. Koji went on: “I’ve even done him the courtesy of reserving a beautiful American girl, since we all know how he wants to get involved with foreigners.” He paused while the others laughed. “Oh, and I went ahead and made reservations for the rest of us with the other girls as well. You can thank me later.” The others hollered again and Koji opened the door for everyone to come inside. The low-light had a strange effect on Jun’s eyes. Everything was washed in red. It made him even more disoriented than before, and he could only stand and watch as Koji approached a well-dressed man at the back of the room. The two exchanged words for a moment and his friend offered the man what looked like a large sum of money. Afterwards, the man gestured towards a door at the back of the room and exited through a different door off to the right. Koji came back to the group and approached Jun with his ever-present grin, “After you.” He held out a hand towards the back door. “Your innocent beauty awaits.” Jun hesitated. This didn’t feel like a good idea. The whole atmosphere of the building made him uncomfortable. It seemed so… dark and secretive; not at all the kind of place he would want to sleep with a woman. But… maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. It was just one night, after all. He made his way to the door. On the other side, there was a narrow, red-washed hallway with three doors on either side. Five of them were labeled with different titles. Jun racked his brain to remember what Koji said. Innocent beauty, right? That was the title on the farthest door on the left. That must be the room Koji had reserved for him. Jun opened the door and stepped inside. The room was lit in red, like everywhere else in the building. The only piece of furniture was a bed, and on top of that bed was a girl. Jun stared at her for a moment, his depressed mind processing her features slowly. She was a beautiful Caucasian girl, with blonde hair and blue eyes, and she was wearing an elaborate kimono. He wondered if that was Koji’s idea. His friend was always poking fun at his traditionalism. Jun stood in the doorway. He suddenly realized he had no idea what to do. Was he supposed to get right to business or talk to her first? A flush rose to his cheeks that had nothing to do with his intoxication. He swayed against the doorframe and cleared his throat awkwardly. “So… how does this work?” Jun’s words were slightly slurred. He frowned. The girl was American, so she probably didn’t understand his question. He attempted to repeat it in English, but he couldn’t remember the grammar. His sentences came out broken: “How this go? You do something? Or me?”

When she heard the door unlock, Nelli looked up and was just a little surprised by the man that had entered the motel room. In her three months of being forced into this, every man she had been with had been, well, different. Most were older men looking to cheat on their wives and have a good time with a younger woman, or they were men who were not attractive at all and had no chance of getting a girl on their own. This was the first time some one who as actually young and quite attractive come to her as a costumer. He looked like he could easily get any girl he wanted if h tried. It was strange to her, but she of course didn't let it show on her face. Instead, as she sat there, she did a slight bow as the Japanese did when greeting before she sat back up straight and listened to him speak. English. He spoke English. It was a relief to hear English, even if it had a little off and slightly slurred. It was English either way. Though, he seemed to have more trouble speaking it in what seemed to be his drunken state, and so she figured it might be best to, when h got a chance speak in Japanese herself to let him know she could indeed understand it despite what he may have thought. Her moment in her own thoughts were brought back from language and back to remembering why this young man, no matter how handsome and professional he looked, was here. Pleasure. And unfortunate for her she was the one who was supposed to give it to him. From her understanding, this costumer, or whoever had paid for him, had paid for the whole night. She only hoped this didn't turn out to be an all night thing though. Maybe he would just fall asleep if he was drunk enough? She hoped. Looking at him with her blue eyes, she brushed a stray strand of blonde hair that had fallen from the elegant bun back into place, speaking in perfect Japanese, her being able to perfect the language in her time here. She had already been fluent in it and her few months here hearing nothing but the language had left her speaking it almost as well as the locals who had been there all their lives. As she spoke she gave another respectful bow, being sure to not look him in the eyes so as not to offend him, "I am yours for the night to do with as you wish, Sir. You give me a command and I am to fulfill it."

The American girl’s response was unhelpfully vague, but at least she spoke fluent Japanese. Jun doubted he would be able to converse well in English while his mind was so slow. Perhaps she hadn’t even understood his first question. Or, maybe she expected him to know what he was doing already. In her line of business, she probably saw dozens of men in a week, all of whom would have been far more experienced at this sort of thing than Jun was. He found it ironic that he was apparently more innocent than the so-called “Innocent Beauty,” herself. Well, this was embarrassing. Desperate not to look like a novice, Jun approached the bed and stripped off his jacket, letting it fall to the floor at his feet. He started unbuttoning his shirt next, a process which took some time with his clumsy, alcohol-depressed hands. His heart was racing. In spite of himself, he felt a twinge of excitement to sleep with such a gorgeous American girl. He wanted to blame the feeling on his intoxication, but maybe he was giving himself too much credit. Koji and the others came to places like this often. Wasn’t there even a proverb about attracting others like oneself? Maybe he was more like them than he realized. The thought was unnerving. “I command you?” Jun said, returning to his native tongue. He let his shirt fall to the floor with his jacket, and then hesitated, standing at the bedside. The whole situation still felt strangely surreal to him. He never dreamed he would find himself in a place like this, with an American prostitute like her. Why was he even here, again? It had been Koji’s idea, but he normally would have declined the offer… had he been in his right mind, that is. He suddenly put two and two together and realized why the others had taken him to the bar first. They must have planned the whole night out. Unfortunately, it was too late to back out now. “Take that off,” Jun indicated the kimono the girl was wearing. It felt unnatural to order the girl around like that, even though she had told him to do so. He had to remind himself that she was used to this. It was her profession. It wasn’t like he was taking advantage of her or anything. She slept with men for a living, and he was just one of many. Yes, that was all this was.

There was something strange about this man. Despite him causally stripping out of his jacket, he seemed so unsure and out of place standing there in the room with her, knowing what the two of them were supposed to do together. Silently, Nelli couldn't help but wonder how a young man such as himself, with probably the choice of any woman he laid eyes on, would be here with her. Why wasn't he off getting himself a girlfriend or at a party. Why would someone of his status need to pay(or in his case, unbeknownst to her, have someone pay and set him up with her) to have a woman for the night? It was so out of out of position from the kinds of people she was used to coming into this room to pursue a night with her. She looked up at him as he approached the bed, watching as rather clumsy hands unbuttoned his shirt. Clumsy hands. Slurred speech. This man was clearly in some way intoxicated. To the extent of his drunkenness she didn't know. Was it why he was here? Maybe, maybe not. She began to go through reason in her ind once more, putting pieces together as though this disarranged man in front of her was a puzzle she could solve. He was very well dressed, so maybe he was a business man? No, no. He was too young. A student perhaps? He was around her age it seemed, so maybe he was a college student as she herself was. Or well, had been. Being sold against her will to the Yakuza had uprooted her plans and hopes of one day making a life for herself. Now, she was nothing more than a tool to these men. And the young man's words to order her about were a stinging and painful reminder of the truth behind her thoughts. Her blue eyes met his once more and she slowly nodded, "Yes Sir." With that, she did as he requested, slowly and numbly, almost robot like, untying the sashes and ribbon. She took her hair down from its bun, removing the decorative chopsticks from it first, her blonde curls falling over her shoulders, before she finally slid the kimono off of her shoulders, not letting her gaze meet the young man's as she did so.

Jun wasn’t sure what he expected when he ordered the girl to take off her clothes. It was still difficult for him to wrap his head around the fact that she would even bother to do anything he asked. He had seen prostitutes on the streets before, but he had always kept his distance from them. As a result, he never knew much about how they conducted their work. Just being in the same room as this girl was the most intimate he had ever been with one of them. The feeling remained to be surreal as the girl obeyed his command and slid the kimono off of her shoulders. Jun instinctively turned his gaze away, the nearly-muted, sober morals in the back of his mind telling him to avert his eyes from her bare figure. The whole situation still felt wrong, but… this was why he was here, wasn’t it? It would be difficult to finish what he started without looking at the girl. He lifted his gaze from the floor. She really was beautiful. Jun could see how she would flourish in a business like this. She probably attracted customers like bees to a flower. He offhandedly wondered how much money she made. From what he had heard from Koji, prostitutes weren’t cheap. They demanded high prices for their services. Koji must have been saving up money for a while to pay for everyone that night. Just how long had his friend been planning to do this? Jun realized he was still staring at the girl. She was probably waiting for his next move. He hesitated. The silence between them felt unnatural, but he wasn’t sure what to say. Giving the girl another command didn’t feel right, but idle chatter would probably be much worse. He took a breath. He might as well stop delaying the inevitable. And who knew? Maybe he would even enjoy himself. Even if he hadn’t planned on these conditions, he had always looked forward to spending the night with a woman, as all young men did. Now he had a chance to do so. Jun finished stripping off the rest of his clothes and moved to join the girl on her bed… -- He woke up in the morning to the pounding of a merciless headache. He groaned and rolled over, opening one eye, and was immediately struck with confusion. This wasn’t his dorm room. He bolted upright, an action that only sent another stab of pain through his head. He shut his eyes, waiting for the migraine to fade to a dull throb while he wracked his brain to remember where he was. The events of the previous day came back to him slowly. Koji had convinced him to come out to a bar with a group of his friends… He had had too much to drink… They left the bar and went to an empty street, and then into a strange building… There were red low-lights… Jun’s eyes shot open again. A brothel. He was in a brothel, and he had just spent the night with a prostitute. Part of him wanted to punch Koji for tricking him into doing this, but at the same time, no harm had really been done. Koji had spent his own money and Jun had even enjoyed himself with the American girl. In the end, it was just another one of his friend’s elaborate pranks. Perhaps Jun could at least justify giving Koji a decent sock in the shoulder for his hangover. The pain was relentless. He slid out of the bed and collected his clothes from the floor, which he put back on. He straightened himself up as much as he could —he didn’t want his peers to find out about his stay at the brothel—and turned to the American girl. He dipped his head in a slight bow. Now that he was sober-minded, he could speak to her in more fluent, moderately accented English: “Thank you for your time.” With that, he turned and exited the room.

This man was nothing but another costumer. This was something that Venelopi was used to. Waking up beside a man she didn't even really know had become the norm every morning. Sometimes the men would be perfectly fine and relaxed the next morning, and others, much like the young man that had been her costumer the night before, were in pain with a immense hangover, trying to remember the events of the night before. At the movement beside of the man waking up, Nelli opened her eyes and sat up, the sheet from the bed wrapped around herself as she looked to him. Yes, he seemed very confused at first. Men were known for coming to see and the other girls in a drunken state, not really in the state of mind to think but to get an easy girl to lay with, even if they had to pay for it. Soon though, he seemed to remember what had happened and had seemed to come to terms with it. Well at least he wasn't like some men who in their shock had in the past yelled and even lashed out at her. She had that happen to her too many time to count and she always got hurt, whether the pain be emotional or physical. The man got dressed and in a short goodbye left like all the other men did, taking, like all the others, a piece of her with him. That's what it felt like every morning to her now. Like every man had taken a piece of her and now slowly everything she once was had been cracked and broken, the shattered pieces of her staying with those men. After a few moments of sitting in her emotional pain, Nelli looked up to see one of the men that worked for her owner walk in. He threw a change of clothes at her, and as soon as she was changed, she was lead out of the motel. When not on the job, she was to wear normal clothes that were plain, as instructed by her owner because such clothing was inexpensive and in a case where he or his men wanted her, the clothes were easily ripped and replaceable. He was an evil and conniving Yakuza who bought girls and used them as much as he wanted. And Nelli was his latest and most successful purchase, as well as his favorite to take on. How it usually went for lending her out when he wasn't using her though, was he had a list of assignments for her. People would make appointments and it was always a first come first serve. If someone wanted her all night, they would have to set it up early. Sometimes, rarely, people would even have her all day and all night. Sometimes she didn't sleep for days depending on how many appointments she had. She would be taken to her owner's high class hotel room, given the assignments, taken to the place by one of her owner's assistants, then when it was all over, the same assistant would bring her back to her owner so he could do whatever he wished with her, whether that be to ask her questions and send her on her way, or to have his turn with her. So, that's what was happening now. She entered the hotel with the assistant and took the elevator up to his his room at the top floor, only to enter and find three of the four other girls still there and looking very much worried and frightened. She paused, hesitant and unsure as she stood there until one of owner's men who worked for him grabbed her roughly by the arm, leading over to where the other girls sat on the floor in the corner. This was something that hadn't happened before and it scared her. She looked at the other three girls as if to ask what was going on, but they quickly shook their heads. It seemed they had been there long enough to know what exactly what was happening and it wasn't good. They stayed that way, huddled in that corner until someone else came through the door. Hirosin, their owner, entered and coming in behind him was one of his man, carrying the struggling girl she knew as Rosa. Rosa was the Spanish girl he owned. All the girls knew each other fairly well by now, considering they shared the tiny warehouse hidden behind the hotel as living quarters. Rosa was a...rebellious sort and had always spoke about how one day she would try to escape, though had never braved it. Until that day. She was thrown onto the floor, already a bloody mess from probably getting caught in the first place, only to be jerked up and set upon her knees while Hirosin approached the four of them in the corner, "Apparently, you all have forgotten the consequences of what happens when you try to double cross me. So, I will give you all a little reminder..." He turned, lashing out at the already bloodied girl, kicking her, hitting her until she was nothing but a sobbing mess on the floor. For a moment, Nelli so naively thought that was it. That they were just going to beat the girl. But it wasn't. They raped her as well. And, as if that wasn't enough for the men, when they were through torturing her, two of them head her up with Hirosin drew a pistol from the pocket of his coat. Suddenly realizing what was going to happen, Nelli buried her face in her hands so as not to watch. She hated this. Hated she wasn't brave enough to say something against it. But she was smart enough to know if she did, that would just get her punished as well, if not given the same fate as Rosa. She heard Hirosin order one of the men to 'take care of the American girl' and her eyes widened and she looked up in fear, one of the men slapping her on the face and then restraining her so that she was forced to look upon Hirosin holding the gun on the girl's head, Hirosin speaking to Nelli, "Listen well American. When there is punishment, you will watch. And let it be known, that if you cross me, " Nelli yelped, tears streaming down her face as the gun shot rang out and Rosa fell onto the floor, blood pulling out from her head, "this will be your fate." Nelli was let go, and the girls were kept there as the mess in the hotel room was cleaned. Once that was taken care of, Hirosin gave the order to send the girls back to their home, making the girls leave out the back way. They were too much of a mess and emotional for the people in the hotel to see. Once taken out the back way, the four of them were lead to the small warehouse behind the hotel that their owner lived in. This was their home. It had thin sheets for dividers that divided the room into five parts, one for each girl. No one dared look into Rosa's room. Each went to their own section that was barely bigger then a closet, and the whole warehouse itself was no bigger than a normal bedroom itself. The five of them shared this space. Well, four now that one of them was gone. They weren't allowed anything from their other lives. Clothes they had brought with them were burned. No photos were aloud. Everything that had once held dear was gone. Once in here and in her section, it was there that Nelli curled up on the small futon she had to sleep on, sobbing. Her plans had been after college she would get a good job. She would be something and make something of herself. But, obviously that wouldn't happen because she never was going home. She would be stuck in Japan used as a tool for the Yakuza until they grew tired of her and killed her. She would never see her home land again. There was no hope for her as far as she knew. Sighing, she rolled over and curled up, hoping to get at least some sleep after the horrific night she had just endured.

When he left the American girl’s room, Jun quickly discovered that his friends had already gone back to the campus— well, either that or they were still asleep in the other rooms. They had had much more to drink than Jun, so he wouldn’t put it past them to sleep through the morning. He decided not to wait up for them. The owner would probably kick them out soon enough if they really were still here. As he headed down the hallway to leave the building, Jun saw another man walking towards him. He stepped aside to let him pass. The man nodded at him curtly and went into the American’s room. Jun stared after him for a moment. She had another customer so soon after him? She must be very popular. He wasn’t sure why he was surprised. She was a beautiful girl with her exotic blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. Of course she would draw in many customers. He wondered if she compared the men who paid for her services, and if so, what she thought about him. Jun shook his head. It didn’t matter. He meant nothing to that girl who slept with dozens of men for a living. He was just one of the many faces she saw throughout her work, and their night together was just part of her income. He knew he shouldn’t think of it as anything more than that, but somehow it didn’t feel right to turn something so intimate into an unimportant event. Your innocence is showing, Jun. He could almost hear Koji’s mocking voice in his head. His friend came to places like this all the time and never thought anything of it. Did his numbness grow overtime? Would Jun turn out the same way? He wasn’t sure how he felt about turning into a person like Koji. Sure, his friend had some great qualities, but sleeping around in brothels was not one of the things Jun admired in him. He was still reeling from the fact that Koji had managed to trick him into doing this in the first place. Jun left the run-down building and headed back to the college campus —now that he was sober, he was able to figure out where was and find his way back— nursing his hangover the whole way. He didn’t have another class until later in the day, so he went to his dorm room to take a nap. He hoped the pounding ache in his head would fade. It would be difficult to focus on the lecture if it persisted like this. He lay down on his bed and closed his eyes, drawing his blanket over his head to block out the daylight that filtered through the window curtains. Eventually, he drifted into a light sleep. -- Fortunately, Jun’s headache had faded to a dull throb by the time he went to class. He showed up early and found an empty seat near the back of the room and watched the other students enter through the door. He found his eyes wandering back to the girls, and his thoughts circled back to the American. She had been about the same age as his peers. He wondered how she ended up working as a prostitute in Japan, while she could be studying to make a more honorable living in her home country. “Hey, Jun,” Koji’s voice drew him from his musings. His friend smirked at him mischievously. “Did you sleep well last night?” Jun rolled his eyes at the blatant double entendre in Koji’s words. “I can’t believe I let you convince me to go to that place,” Jun said. “Hey,” Koji held up his hands innocently. “No harm done, right? You didn’t lose a single yen. So…” He leaned in close and dropped his voice to a whisper. “Did you sleep with her, or did you chicken out?” “I didn’t want to waste your money,” Jun replied with a shrug, trying to sound as carefree as his friend was about the whole matter. “Really?” Koji’s eyes lit up with a mixture of surprise and amusement. “You mean you actually went all the way with her? I have to say, I’m impressed, Jun. I thought you’d run out the instant you realized what was going on. I guess I can’t call you innocent anymore, huh?” “I guess not,” the lightness in Jun’s voice wavered. “I just… never expected to lose that innocence to a girl like her, you know? I always thought I’d be with someone I actually cared about.” “You sound like my old man,” Koji shook his head. “Jun, come on. Sex doesn’t mean to people what it used to. Everyone’s having it, and you just happened to have it with someone who costs money. What’s the difference? If you really want to sleep with someone you ‘care about,’ just take your pick.” He gestured at a group of girls towards the front of the classroom. “I mean, look at you. You could have anyone here if you asked. It’s your own fault for never putting any effort into building a love life.” “I need to focus on my studies, Koji,” Jun said. “I don’t have time to get into a relationship.” “Which is why I paid for your stay at the brothel,” Koji replied. “You got your night with a girl, no relationship necessary. See? I do have your best interests at heart.” “If that were true, why did you have to be so sneaky about the whole thing?” Jun muttered under his breath. “So,” Koji went on, unable to hear Jun’s softly spoken comment. “What did you think of the ‘Innocent Beauty’?” “She’s a beautiful girl,” Jun replied vaguely. “She seemed kind of… detached though.” “I’m not surprised,” Koji shrugged. “She’s only been in the business for about three months, according to her pimp.” “Three months?” “Yeah, he struck a good deal for her with an American man.” “So she was a prostitute in America before she came here?” “I don’t think so. Her pimp said she was new when he bought her.” “Then… how did he buy her?” “I don’t know. Does it matter?” Jun opened his mouth to reply, but the professor stepped into the room and Koji had to return to his seat as class began. Jun had a hard time focusing on the lecture, so he turned on a recorder and let his mind wander back to his conversation with Koji. He felt a growing sense of unease in the pit his stomach. It sounded like there was more to the business of prostitution than he originally thought. Just where did the American girl come from? Where did any of the girls come from? He had never really considered their backgrounds before. He had always assumed they went to the brothels of their own accord in order to make money. Was there something else going on that Koji hadn’t told him about? -- Jun went straight back to his dorm room when class was over. He pulled out his laptop and opened up a web search page. He wanted to find out for himself what his friend had kept from him. It took some time to sort out the informational sites from the obscene ones, but eventually he managed to find one article about something called ‘human trafficking.’ By the time he finished reading the article, Jun felt sick. The girls weren’t choosing this lifestyle of their own free will; they were tricked, abused, and threatened into it. Once trapped by their pimps, they hardly ever received any compensation for their constant mistreatment. He finally understood why the American girl had been so robotic and unemotional the night before. She had been turned into an inhuman slave to be used by uncaring men who only wanted to have their way with her. Uncaring men like me, Jun fought the bile that rose in the back of his throat. He was disgusted with himself. He had completely taken advantage of the girl and made her life all the more miserable. Before he realized what he was doing, Jun picked up his cellphone and called Koji. “Hello?” his friend answered. “How do you make an appointment at the brothel?” Jun said in monotone. He could hear Koji whistle on the other end of the line, “That girl must have been good if you want to go back so soon. Her pimp has a private number. Do you have a pen?” Jun acknowledged that he did indeed have a pen, and Koji gave recited the number for him to write down. “He changes phones every few weeks, but the number should still be the same this time. I used it to talk to him only a few days ago.” “Okay, thanks,” Jun said. “That’s all I need.” “Okay,” Koji said. “Glad to see you’ve come around to my way of thinking. See you, Jun.” Jun hung up and dialed the number his friend gave him. “Hello?” a deep voice answered. The man sounded frustrated. “Err, hello,” Jun said uncertainly. “I want to set up an appointment. I was at your motel yesterday.” “Who is this?” the man replied warily. “I was part of the group that came with one of your regulars, Koji Nakahara,” Jun dodged giving the man his own name. “Ah,” the man said. He sounded less suspicious, but his voice was still terse. “Which of my girls do you want to see, and when?” “Umm, is there an opening with Innocent Beauty tomorrow?” “Tomorrow,” there was a pause and an indistinct noise from the man’s side of the line that sounded like rustling papers. “Yes. She only has one other appointment at 9:30PM.” “Could I see her at seven?” Jun’s stomach twisted when he heard about the other appointment. After everything he’d learned about human trafficking, the thought of the girl being forced to sleep with yet another man made him feel sick. “How long will you have her?” the man went on in a businesslike fashion. “Two hours.” “Fine. What do you want her to wear?” “I’m sorry?” “You choose what you want to see her in, and I will have her wear it.” “Do you have anything casual? Modest, even?” “A good-girl fetish, eh?” the man chuckled. “Err, something like that.” “I can fulfill that request,” the man said. He paused again and Jun heard another noise on his end of the line. “Two hours with her will be twenty thousand yen. You will pay up front.” “Okay,” Jun said. He heard the man hang up, and that was it. What am I doing? Jun lay down on his bed and stared at the wall. He wanted to make things right with the girl; atone for what he did to her somehow. He just wasn’t sure what he would do or if it was even possible. The most he could do was confront her and try. Jun closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep.

It was around ten in the morning when Nelli fell asleep there on her futon and when she woke it was five in the evening. The girls didn't head out for their jobs until six when it would start to get dark, so for now the four of them were stuck within the ware house, keeping mainly to themselves with very few words spoken between them. As Nelli was just laying there, she would imagine she was else where. Back in her home town with her father. Sometimes even her mother, though even though she had only seen the woman in pictures still couldn't help but be fond of thinking about what it would be like to meet and spend time with her. Sometimes she would picture herself finally graduating college with her degree. But most times she would think about how life would have been for her if she hadn't come to Japan. She would be so close to finishing college by now. She would be doing great. She would have a wonderful life. She would be all around happy. Not scared and alone, trapped in a small warehouse by a Japanese gang. Lost in her thoughts for a long time, she layed there for a few hours before she crawled over to the cracked wall in her space and from the cracks pulled out a small locket. The Yakuza had forbid them from keeping anything person it was true, but Nelli had kept this trinket a secret. Opening up the locket, she looked at the picture of her mother and father. "Is that them?" Nelli turned to see one of the Japanese girls peaking through the dividing curtain at her, "Is that your mother and father? Confused, she thought for a moment before she spoke back, by now having gotten very good with her Japanese, "How do you know this is them? I've never spoken of him to anyone. The girl, who was perhaps a year of two younger then herself walked over and sat down beside her on the futon, looking at the picture inside of the locket, "You talk in your sleep. You act as if you are speaking to someone and the you always say is always 'mum' and 'papa'. Is this them?" She asked once again, nodding to picture that both of them knew very well she shouldn't have but neither mentioned that fact to one another. The girls would rather keep quiet if one another did something wrong, then risk getting accused of something themselves when ratting the other girl out(not like Nelli would do such a thing anyway, though she could only speak for herself and not the other three girls). Nelli nodded slowly, her eyes on the picture, "Yes. They are my parents." "Do you miss them?" "Yes. I do." Nelli whispered, staring down at the picture still sadly. She could feel tears stinging her eyes but didn't dare let them escape. Especially when she hear the lock on the outside of the warehouse began to get unlocked. Not having time to fold the photo up as she normally did, in a quick movement, she slid the picture under her futon and the Japanese girl moved over to her side, just in time for Hirosin to slid open the door. "Up now. Time for work." Each of the four girls were given their clothes they were to wear and a key if needed. Taking the clothes, she was quite surprised to find what she was being changed into was something, well, normal. Something she might have worn when going on a date or going out to eat with her father in the past. It was a very cute dress, which is what confused her. But, she wouldn't question it either. She just got dressed and then she walked out from the warehouse and sighed as she was lead by her owner's assistant down the street toward her next costumer. Walking in to the place, she was led to the room by one of Hirosin's men and once inside and left alone to await the costumer, she sighed, sitting down n the bed, ready to get this night over with.

Jun spent the following day completely distracted. He couldn’t focus on his class lectures, yet again, and found himself acting even more reclusive than usual. He avoided large crowds of students and ducked out of sight when any of his friends tried to approach him. Locked in a stern self-deprivation, he didn’t want to talk to anyone. He still felt like scum of the earth after what he had learned the day before, so when Koji came up to chat with him, he wasn’t in the mood to humor his friend’s antics. “Hey, Jun,” Koji greeted him cheerily. “Was the number I gave you helpful?” “Yes,” Jun said simply, his eyes darting past his friend’s head as he looked for an exit. He really didn’t want to stay and talk. “I’m a little surprised,” Koji went on, completely unaware of Jun’s anxiousness. “I never dreamed that you’d want to go back to the brothel on your own.” “Neither did I,” Jun muttered. “Do you mind? I’m in a bit of a hurry.” “Hang on,” Koji continued relentlessly. “You have me curious now. What was she like, that American girl? She must have been great in bed for you to want to go back so soon. I think I might want to give her a try, myself. Come on; give me something to work with here.” “Koji, stop,” Jun said sharply. “It has nothing to do with that. My business is my own, and whatever it is you think I’m planning is wrong.” “Yeesh, Jun,” Koji grumbled. There was an uncharacteristic glint of worry in his eye. “Bite my head off, why don’t you? I didn’t mean to offend you or anything.” “I know,” Jun sighed. “Sorry. Just stop asking, okay? I have my reasons.” “Okay, okay,” Koji relented. “I’m done. I guess I’ll… see you around, then.” “Yeah,” Jun said. There was an awkward pause, and then the two parted ways. Now that his sudden burst of anger had passed, Jun felt guilty for snapping at his friend like that. Did he blame Koji for what happened? Well… yes, partly, but not nearly as much as he thought he would. Jun honestly doubted that his friend knew any more about what was going on that he did. Koji was always a fan of having a good time, but he never intended to hurt anyone. His jokes had always been harmless in the past. Most likely, he was blissfully ignorant of the inner workings of the human trafficking machine and thought the girls were just making a living by what they did. Exactly the same mindset Jun carried not two days before. But would Koji change his ways if he found out the truth? He had been visiting various brothels for so long now that Jun suspected it had become an addiction in him. It wasn’t like he could just flip a mental switch and stop going back. He was too far gone for that, and the trafficked girls were Koji’s only source of sexual satisfaction. He had always been jealous of Jun for his appearance. Having been friends with him for many years, Koji had to endure watching girls fawn over Jun, while they never paid him so much as a second glance. It was no wonder he was always frustrated with Jun for never getting into a relationship. His friend thought he was wasting his good fortune. To satisfy his own impatient urges, Koji felt forced to resort to the only option he had left: paid sex with prostitutes. Jun felt a pang of sympathy for him, but that didn’t change the fact that his friend was making a bad decision. -- Jun headed back to his dorm room at after eating a quick dinner at a cheap, nearby restaurant —he didn’t have much spending money left after setting aside the twenty thousand yen for his two hours with the American girl— and checked the time. It was getting close to seven. He grabbed his jacket and left again, wanting to be sure he would make a punctual arrival. He didn’t want to waste a minute of the time he would be paying for with the girl. On the way to the motel, Jun tried to plan out what he would say to her, but he came up blank. What could he possibly say to make things right? He was starting to think the whole endeavor was pointless. Still, the leaden guilt in his stomach refused to let him turn back. He had to at least make an effort. If the girl refused to accept his apology, he could at least rest with the comfort that he had tried to make peace with her… He hoped. Jun’s feet dragged as the brothel came into view, and he had to force himself not to turn back. He stepped up to the entrance, opened the door, and was greeted by the same red low-lights he had seen the last time he was here. He blinked as his eyes adjusted to their strange glow. That was when he saw the man standing at the desk near the back of the room. If he remembered correctly, it was the same man Koji had exchanged money with, which could only mean one thing: he was the pimp who owned the girls here. They stared at each other for a moment on opposite sides of the room before the man spoke up, “Well? Are you just going to stand there?” Jun snapped out of his trace and crossed over to the desk. He got out his money and handed it to the man, who took it and counted it meticulously. After a moment, he looked up at Jun again and nodded, “Twenty thousand. You have two hours. If I catch you lingering or trying to sneak into any of my other girls’ rooms, you will be forcibly removed, and make note: I am not a merciful man.” Jun swallowed and nodded vigorously, “I believe you.” “Then we understand each other,” the man said. He gestured at the back door leading into the hallway. “Please, enjoy your stay.” “I will,” Jun gave him a curt bow and hurried to the door, eager to escape the pimp’s daunting glare. He scanned the doors on either side of the hall, looking for Innocent Beauty’s title. Something seemed strange, though. One of the doors had its label freshly scratched out. He wondered what that meant. Perhaps the girl’s title had changed? He wanted to believe that was all it was. Jun came to the farthest door on the left, labeled with the name “Innocent Beauty.” Now that he was here, he could feel a wave of anxiety settle in his chest. Why did it have to be so difficult to humble oneself like this? He stopped and took a breath to calm his nerves. It didn’t work, so he gave up and opened the door, slowly stepping inside. The girl looked almost exactly as she had the last time Jun saw her. She was perched on the bed, waiting for him to come in and looking just as beautiful as he remembered. The only difference was her clothes. This time she wore a simple but elegant dress, such as he would have expected to see on one of his peers. Somehow the sight just made him feel even worse. Still standing by the door, Jun squeezed his eyes shut and bent forward in a deep bow. “I’m sorry,” he said to the girl in English. “For what I’ve done to you.”

It was about ten minutes that passed as she sat there alone in the room. So many thoughts went through her head. Mainly of the events from that morning. Poor Rosa. She hadn't asked for any of this. None of them that were there had asked for any of this. Most of them had lives and families back in their home land(well Nelli didn't, but the others sure did). One of them, the African, even had a husband and child back home. They had so easily killed Rosa for attempting to escape, and that meant for sure that if any of them tried to escape as well, they would surely meet the same fate. Or even worse. After all, yes they had raped Rose and shot her in the head, but Rosa had no warnings. he four of them that were left did. If they tried to escape what was stopping those men from making it slow for the other girls due to them already having warned them. They would be sure to make their deaths slow and suffering. The thought of it made her shiver. She really was never getting out of this nightmare, was she? The only escape she supposed would be the death that might come from an escape attempt. That was a thought, but then again, a deep fear was still rooted in her and there was no way she was going to try that. Not at this point in time and not so soon after the death of one of the other girls. She heard the door knob click and looked up, a little confused to see the young man from the night before standing there in the door way. Now what was he doing back here? Last night was something not too surprising. He had been drunk and probably stumbled his way here. But tonight? What was his reason? Why come here and pay a good sum when he could have, thanks to his looks, any girl he laid eyes on? She watched him with her blue eyes as he closed the door and then, in turning to her, he did something she definitely had not been expecting. When a very regretful expression, the young man bowed to her and apologized in very clear English. She blinked in surprised, a confused and slightly worried look on her face. What was going on? Had her owner sent him in to test her? Was this young man about to do something horrible to her and that was why he was apologizing? She didn't understand the situation happening and it scared her. She stared at him worriedly and fearfully for a long moment before she finally swallowed and spoke, "S-sorry? For....for what?"

The girl was quite obviously frightened by Jun’s unexpected apology. He could hear it in her voice, in the way she stammered out her response. But he didn’t want her to be afraid of him. He was still unsure exactly what led him back here, but he knew he didn’t want to worsen her situation by causing her more worry. Jun straightened his posture but kept his eyes fixed on the floor. He couldn’t meet the girl’s gaze; he was still too ashamed of himself for that. He hesitated, grasping for words. No matter what he said, there was no justification for what he had done. He would just have to be straightforward with her. He took a breath and slowly looked up, “I didn’t know… I wasn’t trying to hurt you...” He paused again, collecting his thoughts. “I’m sorry. I know there is nothing I can say to make up for my actions. I just want you to know that I know it was wrong of me to treat you the way I did, and I regret every second of it.” With his feeble apology completed, Jun found a spot to sit on the floor, leaning his back against the wall. He made sure to keep as much distance between himself and the girl as was physically possible in the confines of the room. He didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable or lead her to believe this was all some sort of twisted plot to trick her into letting her guard down. “I paid for two hours,” Jun said, looking away from the girl again. He drew one knee to his chest and draped his arms over it while he reclined on the floor. “I hope that’s enough time for you to get a break from… all of this.”

Venelopi listened to him speak, her mind wandering at all that was happening here. This young man, who had come to her last night and paid(or someone paid for him) to sleep with her. And yet here he was apologizing for all he had done to her last night? What had given him the change of heart? Why was he apologizing now? She was very confused and still didn't quite understand all that was happening. Had this young man not known what all the girls in this place were? Well, she supposed that didn't surprise her. What men did know about where all the girls had come from and why they were here? Not a lot probably. So, what had made the man suspicious? And how had this young man stubble across the news that all the girls in this were Natashas? More so, why did he even care? After all ,this wasn't affecting his life directly. After being all so many heartless men these past three months, it was hard for Nelli to believe that anyone in this whole country would even so much as feel any sort of emotions or have and empathy for the girls that were trapped in this horrible life style. And yet, here was a young man that seemed to be feeling just that. She was quiet a long moment after he finished, sitting there on the bed, her curly blond hair hanging in her face and acting as a curtain between the two o them as she looked down in thought, avoiding his gaze as she did, though that didn't really matter much considering he was avoiding her gaze just as much as she was avoiding his. Taking a deep breath, Nelli slowly looked back up at him, an unsure and cautious look on her face now, "I'm.....very confused.....why....why do you even care what happens to someone like me? I mean....I'm just...." A tool. An object. A worthless human. So many horrible terms that had been branded into her mind by the men that had abused and used her. Terms that after so long of hearing them she thought of as truth, "...just....bad."

There was a pause as neither of them spoke. Jun continued to stare at the floor. He didn’t feel like talking anymore. He just hoped the girl would believe him… at least, enough that she could relax. He doubted she did, though. Considering the type of men she dealt with every day, she was probably quite on edge to be with him in the room. Well, even if she didn’t know what he was doing, he knew that she was safe for the next two hours. That was enough for now. “I’m... very confused,” the girl spoke up unexpectedly. “Why... why do you even care what happens to someone like me? I mean... I’m just...” She trailed off, searching for words. “Just… bad.” “Bad?” Jun echoed, shaking his head. “No. It’s not you who’s bad.” He glanced up at her hesitantly. “I didn’t know before… about all of this. I only found out yesterday, but…” It was his turn to be at a loss for words. If he tried to explain himself to the girl, it would only sound like he was making excuses, and he didn’t want to do that. “I’m sorry. I really am. I made a bad decision and I regret it.” He sighed. “I know it doesn’t matter how many times I say it. You have no reason to believe me, and I don’t blame you for that.” Jun let his eyes wander over the plain, dimly lit room, “I can’t even begin to imagine how terrible life is here. It really is slavery.” His gaze fell again on the girl, and he looked into her eyes searchingly. There was still one question he wanted to ask her; he just wasn’t sure how she would react. He shifted his weight uncomfortably. “Have you ever considered… running away?”

Venelopi really wasn't sure just what to make of this man He seemed genuinely regretful for all that had happened when they had been together and just being here seemed to make him just as uncomfortable about it as she was. She glanced up at him and he was shifting his weight uncomfortable, hesitating with what came out of his mouth next, and it was something that, after last night, she really didn't want to hear, “Have you ever considered… running away?” Just those words and the prospect of what he was saying, mixed with the harsh memories of the events that took place the night before, was enough to send a wave of absolute terror into the poor girl. At his question, she began to quickly and frantically shake her head, "No...we can't...I can't..." Finally stopping her head shaking she looked back to him, "They won't let us. If we try...they'll....Rose-she.....she tried....they'll do to us what they did to her.....maybe even worse. We can't run away...I can't run away." Wrapping her arms around herself she moved to sit more comfortably on the bed wrapping the blanket in a comforting way around herself, "Running away isn't something we can do and still hope to get home." She grew quiet again, in thought for a moment before she looked back to him once more where he sat against the door, her voice hesitant, "How...did you find out about what was going on here? Don't you know the Yakuza could have both of our heads if they caught you talking like this with me?"

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. “How... did you find out about what was going on here?” the girl asked hesitantly. “Don’t you know the Yakuza could have both of our heads if they caught you talking like this with me?” “A friend tipped me off yesterday,” Jun answered her first question vaguely. “He said something that just sounded… odd 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.”

As much as he said he didn't think they were going to get in trouble, Nelli couldn't exactly be so sure. The Yakuza were conniving and she had a feeling that, even if hey didn't find out right now, they woudl find out some time later on that this young man was talking to her in such a way. Then things wouldn't turn out good for either of them. She would end up either badly wounded or dead, and he would surely end up dead for, in their terms, 'sticking his nose where it doesn't belong'. She could only hope it didn't come to that, but so far hope had pretty much turned its back on her. Any time she hoped for something during her time here, it did her no good and always got her hurt. “My name is Hirose, Junichi… In case you were wondering.” Neli looked up at the sound of his voice again, drawing her away from her thoughts as he introduced himself to her, “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.” She had to think on that for a moment. Should she really tell him her name? Was it safe to tell him? Well, the more she thought about it, the more she couldn't really see it hurting anything. After all, who would he tell? What would he do with such small information as a name Probably nothing. And that's why, after these small thoughts, she looked back to him and spoke quietly to this young man she now could know as Junichi Hirose, or, well, probably just Hirose right now as the Japanese tended to go by their last names, "My name is Venelopi Stryder." She went quiet a moment again, looking down at her hands for a few second. She wasn't really sure what to say next. She had asked him so many questions already and it just felt like in most of them she was repeating herself over and over, trying to gain understanding of why he was even here. Why bother coming her to try and apologize to her? Why was he here trying to make it up to her? Why should he even care what was happening to her? Why? Why? Why? Sighing slightly to herself, raking a hand through her blond strands slightly, she turned her gaze back up to him. What did it matter why? This was just for a couple of hours. Just something to clear his conscious so he could go home and sleep at night without having to worry about the poor Natasha girl getting raped. H would forget about her just as quickly as people did with those sad animal commercials on tv. enough to piece a bleeding heart, but easily forgotten when the next distraction came around. Sitting back on the bed, she turned her gaze away from him again, looking to the clock. One hour gone, and one left. Then she would have to go back to work. "How did you feel? When you found out about all that was happening here?"

“Venelopi Stryder,” Jun said her name slowly, narrowing his eyes slightly. It was a bit difficult to pronounce. In fact, it didn’t even sound like any American name he had ever heard before. He wondered if her parents came from another country. It wouldn’t be surprising. America was full of different nationalities; quite different from Japan’s homogeneous population. Thinking about her parents led him to yet another question. Did they know where their daughter was? Were they concerned? In his research on human trafficking, Jun had discovered that sometimes the parents were the ones who sold their children into slavery. But surely that wasn’t the case for this girl. She was from America, quite the opposite from the impoverished countries where families relied on their children’s trafficking incomes to get by. Her parents would have had no reason to sell her. But did they know what happened to her? Did they even know she wasn’t in America anymore? He had so many unanswered questions. “How did you feel?” Venelopi Stryder spoke again. “When you found out about all that was happening here?” Jun stared at her curiously. That was a strangely personal question. But then again, it only made sense that she would want to know his thoughts about what was happening to her. He was an outsider, a man who —until now— was just another customer. Of course she would want to know what changed his perspective. “I was shocked and disgusted,” Jun said, bringing his other knee to his chest. “In all honesty, I used to think prostitution was voluntary. I thought you did it for money.” He shook his head and gave a mirthless laugh. “I never expected to learn that it was forced on you. And then there’s everything else… the things that happen behind the scenes…” He trailed off. “It sounds like something out of a horror film, so… I also feel guilty for taking part. It doesn’t matter that I was unaware of the truth, I was still wrong for coming here and…” He swallowed. “And taking advantage of you.”

Nelli listened to the young man talk and when he finished speaking of how he felt guilty for even coming there and taking part in all that was going on, she slightly shook her head, avoiding his gaze, "Does it matter? If you hadn't come here, another man would have. There will always be other men. Whether you were one of them or not really doesn't matter."She stated. It was a fact of life for her now. She always had such a full schedule and never had she not had some one assigned to her.

Some nights she didn't get any sleep at all. The longest she had stayed awake straight without sleep day or night was probably about three days. That had been very difficult for her, taking on so many men. It had been when she had first been put into this position and so the constant torture of it so soon had almost been unbearable.

"You'd be surprised how many people who do know come here often. There are a lot of usuals who know exactly what is going on here and don't care. Then there are those who come here willingly that know something is wrong but don't really know what. They're always too busy getting what they want to really ask questions...." She sighed slightly, moving to sit more comfortably on the bed, straightening out her dress as she spoke again to him, meeting her gaze, "I think...you're the only one to really figure out what's going on here and seem to care. Everyone else just kind of turned a blind eye and went on with their lives. I'm grateful for your apology."

She gave a small bow of respect before pausing and looking back up to him, her bright blue eyes looking into his. Should she be really telling him all of this? Was it safe? Would it get her in trouble? Had she spoken too much? Would her owner find out? Suddenly at the thought of saying too much, worry flowed back into her and she nervously looked to him still, "Y....you're not going to tell anyone I said any of that, are you?"