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Tonight was the night of the auction.
Isagi had tried everything at his disposal to escape but to no avail. He was chained in an iron cage inside a secured room with no windows. Several trained and experienced watchmen stood guarding the inner and outer room, ensuring that no one could get in or out.
There wouldn’t be a need for such heavy security if it wasn’t for Isagi being the head of one of the country’s most dangerous assassination organizations. He’d never imagined himself getting caught, much less being sold at an auction house.
When he was caught, the country’s elite police bureau had held him in captivity for less than 3 days before he was transferred. It was then that he found out an auction house, operating under the guise of a charitable organization, had bribed the police for millions to “purchase” him.
Whether it was the auction house’s intent on selling him to patrons that covet his value as a head of the assassination organization, to gain top secret information from him or something else, none of it was anything good.
“How is my golden boy doing?” A stumpy old man with the support of a cane walked in, asking in a loud snarky voice. “I hope you enjoyed the flower bath I personally prepared earlier.” The grin on his face was so unbearably wide that Isagi wanted to rip the corners of it all the way up to his ears.
“Once I get out of here, you’ll be the first I kill,” Isagi warned.
The stumpy old man, whom Isagi could tell was the owner of the auction house, knocked his cane against the iron cage, reminding him of his current predicament. “All dogs bark the same as you did.”
Isagi shot daggers at him, his eyes dangerously cold.
If it hadn't been for Isagi being tightly bound, he would’ve never dared to make such remarks. The owner knew exactly how dangerous the boy in front of him was. He tapped his cane against the floor and ordered, “Guards! Bring that here.”
In a matter of seconds, a guard entered the room with a tray in hand. With a snap of his finger, the two watchmen tugged at Isagi’s chains, fixing him with arms spread out. The owner took whatever it was that was on the tray and got down on a knee, his cane discarded onto the floor, evident that it was merely for show.
“Look at you,” the owner started, patting Isagi’s face with the back of his hand. “So young and so vicious. A monster like you, clothed in skin this pretty will definitely fetch a high price.”
Isagi’s eyes widened when the owner brought what he was holding in front of him. “Don’t worry, this is just a little something to make you feel… Good.” As soon as he finished, he jabbed a syringe filled with clear white liquid into Isagi’s neck.
Isagi yelped in pain. Once the syringe was empty and out of his neck, his breathing started to become ragged. “What did you do?!”
“Like I said, it’s just a little something to make you feel good. I need you to be obedient during the auction too. I invited some of your old friends so you’ll definitely see some familiar faces.”
The watchmen let go of his chains and Isagi immediately fell limply against the iron cage. His body was heating up and his head was getting fuzzy, colors leaping all over the place. He felt drained at once and immediately knew he must’ve been drugged.
The owner took one last look at him. “Change his clothes and get ready to wheel his cage to the main stage in 30 minutes.” The two watchmen nodded in response. “Once we sell him off, we’ll be bathing in riches.” Isagi heard him say before his heavy eyelids closed.
Isagi was startled awake by a loud ringing. When he opened his eyes, bright glaring lights greeted him. The cage he was in had been reeled to the center of a stage with an audience of about fifty people seated in front of him. Most of them were holding a number paddle in their hand.
Isagi was slumped weakly against the cool irons of the cage, giving an illusionary relief to his body that was going up in flames.
“We’re sure many of you have been waiting for this. Please welcome the highlight of tonight’s auction! Known as one of the most elusive and dangerous assassins in the country—”
Isagi could barely hear the continuation of his introduction. He didn’t know what kind of drug he was given but as an assassin, he had trained his body to be able to resist all sorts of poison. Even if he was under the effect of some unknown drug, it would slowly wear off after some time. He just needed to wait it out.
Even though he had set his mind to do so…
It was still unbearable.
His body burning up was one thing, but his heart was palpitating way too fast as well and down below, he was getting an erection. Isagi looked down to see what he was wearing, feeling the fabric clinging to his skin from the sweating. He caught his own breath in his throat and his flushed face bloomed from pink to red from embarrassment. What exactly had they put him in! He might as well just go naked at this point!
All that he had on was a white lacy fabric. He couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be a shirt or a dress. The length of it was only long enough to cover his privates, giving a full on view of his pale, muscled thighs. Only a string tied at the back of his neck was holding up the sheer outfit. His back was bare and the cloth covering his chest was so damp in sweat that the outline of his nipples and a faint shy pink could be seen. To make things worse, he had no underwear on. The fabric was translucent at best but from the sweating, it had clung to lithe curves of his body, inviting hungry eyes for a feast.
Isagi immediately backed against the cage, stretching a leg over to cover his erected private in front. This shift however, had given an elusive view of the back of his inner thighs that led to a lubricious hole at the end, a sight that only drove the auction into a wild frenzy.
With eyes watering like dew from the drug, Isagi turned to the audience and regretted it in an instant.
“I invited some of your old friends so you’ll definitely see some familiar faces.”
Friends, Isagi almost spat. Those people were his enemies! All those people he almost killed were seated comfortably in their seats, looking at him with some form of amusement.
“We’ll start the bidding at 5 million!”
Almost all the number paddles rose up at once. The amount increased in millions with each bid and overtime, as it reached up to 40 million, more than half of the bidders had dropped out.
“Reo, do we start bidding now?” Nagi, who was slumped lazily in his seat, asked. Reo pondered for a bit. “Maybe when it hits 80 million? Isn’t the amount still a little low now?”
Nagi could never find himself comprehending rich people’s value on money. “What if someone buys him out before that?”
“That doesn’t seem possible.” Reo nodded towards the seat a few rows in front of him. As soon as Nagi saw who it was seated there, he sighed.
“Looks like the auction won’t end that easily.”
The blonde in front smirked. “Yoichi is really selling for a high price. I wouldn’t expect any less.” Ness, who was seated beside asked, “When do we start bidding, Kaiser?”
“Of course when it hits 9 digits. Buying him too cheap will make me feel almost sorry for him,” Kaiser said with feigned sympathy and turned to his right. “Wouldn’t you agree, Itoshi?”
Rin clicked his tongue and before he could throw out a curse, someone on Rin’s right leaned forward and spoke first, “You should be clearer on which Itoshi you’re referring to.”
Kaiser let out a small laugh. “Ah, my apologies, Sae-san. It bothers your little brother quite a bit, doesn’t it?”
Rin started and Sae pushed him back down. “Don’t cause a scene here. Do you want to get both of us kicked out?” Rin muttered a curse and sat back down.
“Bad blood aside,” Kaiser started, “I’m surprised you manage to sneak your own people into Yoichi’s organization. It’s really not an easy task. Heard you spared no effort in giving the bureau assistance in capturing him after that too.”
“Just child’s play,” Rin said casually. “He always did have a soft spot for newbies.”
Rin knew his words were rubbing salt on an open wound. Everyone in the underworld knew Kaiser had been hunting Isagi for years. All his plans in capturing him had failed until the Itoshi brothers successfully planted a mole in Isagi’s organization which led to his capture. They had planned on bribing the bureau to hand him over but Kaiser had gotten to them first. “A pity that your plan fell through with the bureau.”
“No matter,” It was Sae who answered Kaiser this time. “Getting Isagi too easily would only end our game of cat and mouse. Prolonging this game is what makes it interesting.”
Prolonging… Kaiser almost cursed. Even though he had succeeded in bribing the bureau in releasing Isagi for 5 million through the auction house as a third party, the Mikage Corporation had caught wind of it and expressed interest in the auction for the leader of the country’s top assassination organization. He had blackmailed the auction house that if they didn’t put Isagi on auction or if they had given him away to another party through private deals, he would reveal all their money laundering activities. The owner of the auction house did not have a choice. They were operating under the guise of a charitable organization. If they were exposed, it wouldn’t only be them going down alone but their list of elite clients. They cut off the deal with Kaiser and instead held the auction, leading to the event in the current time.
“A bid of 70 million from number 30! Going once! Going—”
“80 million,” Nagi held up his number and proclaimed.
“And a bid of 80 million from number 7!”
“Guess we better get started, Rin,” Sae said.
Rin raised his number and said, voice clear and sharp, “85 million.”
“A new bidder had joined the bid along with number 7! 85 million! Do we have another bid?!” The auctioneer was hyped up, unable to contain his excitement from the amount of money being poured into this auction.
“100 million,” Kaiser finally said.
“100 million! We have an overwhelming bid from another new joiner! Will anyone place—”
“105 million,” Nagi said from above without waiting for the auctioneer to finish.
“105 million! Do we—”
“111 million,” Rin stood up and said.
This time, before the auctioneer could say anything, Kaiser had gone for a higher bid. It wasn’t long until the auctioneer’s job had become almost redundant. Bids poured in before he could get a word out. He turned to the “golden boy”, a nickname the owner had given him, not because of his accomplishments at such a young age, but because of the people who had wanted him. These were all top leaders of the underworld. Just what did that golden boy do for them to be this crazy over him?
Most people in the audience were enjoying this chaotic bidding with whispers and gossip. News like this would spread like wildfire once it got out. Ness and Reo were starting an argument of their own, the former claiming he had used underhanded methods by blackmailing the auction house. While that was going on, Nagi, Kaiser and Rin had raised the bids so high that they were about to hit the buyout price. Sae, on the other hand, only kept his eyes on Isagi.
Isagi watched this madness unfold in front of him. He knew they didn’t have the best relationship because he’d almost killed them during his missions. Still, because no one could ever afford the money to have them assassinated, neither Isagi nor anyone in the organization had ever deliberately targeted them. They were usually only caught up in his missions which he had no choice but to hurt them just enough not to kill them to get them out of his way. In his defense, it was all just bad timing.
“Buyout price!” Three voices yelled in unison with their number paddles held up.
“…” The auctioneer was speechless. He had never conducted an auction this chaotic. No less with more than one bidder willing to hit the buyout price.
Reo sighed, seeing that this was not going to end well without some bloodshed. He stood up and asked the auctioneer, “Are there any more items up for auction after this?”
The auctioneer shook his head.
“Then let’s end it here. We’ll discuss privately among ourselves with the auction house.”
“What?! Kaiser was the first to bid buyout price. There’s nothing more to discuss!” Ness shouted.
Reo’s face darkened. He hated dealing with people who couldn’t read the room. “So what? If he bid buyout price, I can bid twice or even ten times as much. But you’re not capable of doing that, are you? You’ll go bankrupt otherwise.” Ness got up, ready to climb over the seats to grab Reo by the collar. Kaiser stepped in and stopped him. He glared at Reo and said through gritted teeth, “Fine, we’ll settle it among ourselves then. Let’s see what kind of deal all you losers can cough up.”
“Glad we decided on that,” Sae said from his seat. He got up and fished a dark shaped object out of his pocket and pointed it towards the ceiling. “The auction for Isagi Yoichi will officially conclude here. Everyone who is not involved,” Sae pulled the trigger, firing two shots at the ceiling and continued, “Get out.”
Everyone scurried out of the room in a matter of seconds, fleeing for their lives while cursing.
“How did someone manage to sneak a gun in here!”
“These people are all psychos.”
“This is the worst auction I ever participated in!”
Once the room was cleared out, only the eight of them remained. It was silent except for the sound of Isagi’s heavy breathing. His body was still burning up and this time, he could feel precum leaking at the front, wetting the measly fabric.
“What did you feed him?” Sae threw a glare at Kaiser.
“Don’t look at me like that, Sae-san. I had the owner do me a little favor. It’s just aphrodisiac.”
As soon as he finished, Isagi yelled profanities at him with all the energy he had left. “You fucking bastard! I’m going to kill you!”
Kaiser’s lips twisted to a distorted smile, having caught Isagi’s attention. It had been a long time since Isagi had looked his way. “We’re not even in bed yet and you’re already saying such romantic things.”
Isagi wanted to slice off his head and ripped that smile off his face.
Rin grabbed Kaiser’s collars and Kaiser put a hand up to signal for Ness to back off. “Bed? That wouldn't happen even in your dreams,” Rin spat before he looked at Reo and declared, “You said we would discuss it among ourselves? Then I’ll start. I’ll be the one buying him and all you other lukewarms can fuck off.” Rin let go of Kaiser’s collar as if he was flinging trash.
“We don’t do one-sided discussion here, younger Itoshi brother,” Reo retaliated, him and Nagi walking to the front. “If we go by one-sided discussion, obviously me and Nagi would have the upper hand.”
Another round of back and forth began once more. It was endless. No one wanted to back down. As soon as all of them decided to take part in this auction, they were determined to not leave without Isagi.
Isagi, on the other hand, was suffering from the heat coursing through his body and the pain from his erection that was begging for release. He knew he would feel better once he had that sweet release, but he didn’t want to do it in front of them.
Hurts… It hurts.
But the pain of it was simply too unbearable. Isagi looked down to see his erection hard and clear through the soaked fabric. He needed to get this aphrodisiac out of his system. At this point, he had reached his limit and decided to just not care anymore. Shame, pride, ego, whatever it was, he would discard it.
All of them whipped their heads towards the stage when they suddenly heard a wet squelching sound coupled with soft, sweet pants. Isagi was fondling his own dick underneath the outfit. Due to his posture, they couldn’t see much except for his rhythmic hand movement. The way he touched himself was erotic, from his voice to his face, from his slight jerk to his curled toes. Because they couldn’t see everything, the sight gave birth to the most forbidden and wildest of thoughts. Tears spilled from the reddened rims of his eyes and his pretty face was shaded in the most lustful pink.
The tension in the air was strung to a tug that it could snap with just a drop of a needle. Kaiser giving aphrodisiac to Isagi and his earlier words of “not even in bed yet ” made it clear what his intention was. It resonated with everyone else in here. No one was here out of anything as sickeningly innocent as love.
They just wanted to devour Isagi.
Hunger. Thirst. Obsession.
Just pure, raw infatuation.
“Isagi…?” Nagi was the first to speak. Once he did, the abyss swallowed him whole. He was desperately running towards the stage, climbing up and stumbling his way to where Isagi was. He wanted to touch Isagi. Wanted to help him. Wanted to fuck him.
But because of the iron bars, he couldn’t reach him.
Nagi turned to the auctioneer at the podium. The man immediately flinched. He felt like the person looking at him didn’t seem human at all. “Hey mister, where are the keys?” The auctioneer couldn’t get a word out. “Could you open this cage before blood starts flying?”
“I-It’s with the owner! I’ll go get it!” The auctioneer shrieked before speeding backstage.
“Isagi, lift your head. I wanna see your face,” Nagi said almost too desperately. Isagi shook his head, his hand picking up speed. He just wanted to get this over with.
The heat in his body slowly coursed towards his lower stomach and feeling that release was near, Isagi shredded all modesty to let out the moans he had been holding back. The heat reached the tip of his erection and in a lewd voice, he came squirting into the fabric. His ejaculation after a long agonizing period of time was intense. It didn’t stop after a while and by the time it did, white thick release had pooled below him. Isagi fell to the side, breathing hard, his sighs irresistibly sweet.
To his relief, his body was no longer burning insatiably. He was beginning to feel better but his head was still fuzzy. Isagi lifted his head and froze as a chill ran down his spine. All six pairs of eyes were fixated on him. The look they had was almost crazed-like, with endless swirls spiraling in their eyes.
Isagi swallowed. He didn’t know what they would do to him if he wasn’t in this cage.
“Keys! I got the keys!” The auctioneer came shouting and Isagi’s heart sank.
Reo got up from his squatting position in front of the cage and rushed over to the auctioneer to snatch the key from his hand.
Quickly, he fumbled over a few keys before he found the correct one to unlock the cage. Once the cage was unlocked, Isagi backed in deeper if it was possible. The chains on his arms and legs were short. He wouldn’t be able to escape even if he wanted to.
He had seen the way the six of them looked at him. And he knew what they wanted. Needed, even.
Reo opened the cage and no one moved. Isagi wasn’t sure if anyone was even breathing. The state he was in incited all sorts of thoughts. He was pink and blushing all over; it was too adorable. Isagi shook his head to clear the heavy haze eclipsing his mind. He felt like he was going to pass out anytime soon.
His eyelids grew heavy and before he sank into the darkness, he heard the sound of his chains being unlocked and someone coming into the cage to scoop him up. Against his skin that was soaked in cold sweat, the warmth of this person’s body was comforting.
Isagi let his eyes closed and the abyss to swallow him, deciding to think of the consequences later.
“…” Isagi’s eyes fluttered.
“He’s awake.”
Isagi heard someone say and slowly, he opened his eyes and sat up. His head was still fuzzy and his body was still weak. He hadn’t regained all his strength yet, most likely due to the aftereffect of the aphrodisiac. But he was no longer shackled in a cage or dressed unreasonably. Right now, he was on a couch in the middle of a luxuriously bright room in a clean set of clothes. Everyone who was in the auction hall was here in this room, the auctioneer included.
“Water,” Kaiser said and handed him a glass of water. Isagi took it from him and was about to take a sip before he remembered.
The auction hadn’t ended yet.
Isagi looked Kaiser in the eye, his gaze cold and piercing as he dropped the glass, indifferent as it shattered on the floor.
“What do you take me for?” Isagi questioned him coldly. “Do you think I’ll be dumb enough to take anything from the likes of you?”
Kaiser looked at him incredulously. “Shit, this is what I get for being a good person?!”
“A good person wouldn’t senselessly drug someone,” Sae reminded.
“Rich coming from you when you and your brother were the ones who led to his capture in the first place,” Reo cut in.
“At least we weren’t the ones who pushed for this useless auction. Had fun burning daddy’s money?” Rin threw out a mocking remark.
Ah, so that’s what happened.
All of them played a part in driving him to this state.
“Gentlemen?” The auctioneer cautiously inserted himself in. “About the auction…” He glanced towards Isagi then back at them.
“How should we—”
“There’s no auction. I’m leaving,” Isagi didn’t let him continue. This was ridiculous. He proceeded to get down the couch he’d woken up on but before he feet touched the floor, someone grabbed at his wrist to stop him. Isagi looked over.
“You’re not going anywhere.”
“Sae-san, I took you as someone with more rationality than this but now it seems like you’re not that different. If I want to leave, who’s to stop me?”
Nagi walked over to the couch, towering. “Then if I were to say we have your organization in our hands?”
This time, it wasn’t just Isagi who couldn’t believe his ears. Everyone except Reo couldn’t believe what Nagi had said.
From the side, Reo facepalmed. “Nagi, we were supposed to use that as our last bargaining chip.”
“But Reo,” Nagi said, his voice taking a dangerous turn as he revealed, “We’re not the only ones with a bargaining chip here.”
Isagi looked at Nagi. “What do you mean by that?”
Nagi didn’t answer him. He said to everyone, “Rather than fighting among ourselves on who gets to buy Isagi, how about we let him choose instead?”
Nagi made his way to the couch and without any regard for personal space, he closed in on Isagi, only stopping when their lips were a breath's away from touching. “The Mikage Corporation bought your organization after your capture. If you want a place to return to, choose us.”
Choose?
Isagi was at a loss for words. Sure, he had been captured for almost a week now but could things have escalated this bad in just that duration of time? Isagi peeked at Reo. The Mikage Corporation is the richest company in the country. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration if someone were to say the country’s economy would collapse if they were to go backrupt. What’s more, their dealings with the underworld were extensive as well.
“Auctioneer,” Reo suddenly called. “Could you leave us alone for a while? There’re lots of things for us to go over. Things that can't see the light of day.”
The auctioneer looked over at Isagi. Even at the state he was in, he still didn’t dare to underestimate him. Reo, seeming to see the auctioneer’s ordeal, said in return, “Don’t worry, don’t worry. With all of us here, he wouldn’t be able to escape even if he wanted to.” The auctioneer nodded unsurely and left the room.
When the door closed, Isagi was left with the six of them.
Hearing no objections to his suggestion, Nagi turned to Sae who was standing by the couch. “Your turn.”
“Last week, we managed to track down your Master who’d retired years ago. If you don't want anything to happen to him, well, you’ll know what to do," Sae said the last sentence almost too nonchalantly. Before Isagi had the time to digest Sae's words, he called for the last person, “Kaiser.”
“You’re all nothing but a bunch of sick fucks,” Kaiser commented. “But well, I’m not much different.”
He walked up to Isagi and leaned over the couch. “Yoichi, the Mikage Corporation had stake a claim on your organization but your top execs who had managed to escape are in my hands right now.”
Bargaining chips… They called these their bargaining chips?
“I trust you’ll know who to choose if you want them back with all parts attached.”
These were all nothing but blackmail!
The organization that was his pride, the master who had raised him as his own and taught him everything, and his friends who had been through thick and thin with him… All of these were Isagi’s weaknesses and the fact that these people knew it so well terrified him.
“Now then, which will you choose?” Kaiser leaned in close. “Should we start bidding with you as the bidder now?”
Eventually, everyone had surrounded the couch he was on, waiting for his answer. It had taken a long time for them to get up till here. To them, Isagi’s existence was like a firefly, bright and fleeting. He left the cruelest and most beautiful of light before disappearing into the darkness, making one wonder if he’d been real. Right now, having him here was like a firefly caught in a net and the last step now was to put him in a jar and admire him until his light goes out. And even after that…
Six pairs of eyes pierced him in hollow silence and Isagi lowered his head.
Even after his light goes out, he still wouldn’t be able to escape.
After a long silence, Isagi finally opened his mouth. What came out was a murmur too soft to be heard. It was as if he was answering to himself. He said it once more, this time a little louder but too quick for anyone to catch it.
“Isagi, can you say that again?” Nagi, who was the closest to him, leaned in and was stopped suddenly when Isagi lifted his head to kiss him on the lips. Before anyone was fast enough to pull Nagi back, Isagi had retreated. Now, a crooked smile graced his face. “I said,” He looked at each and every one who surrounded him and said word for word. “I. Want. Everything.”
“What?”
“Really, thank you for suggesting that, Nagi.” Isagi’s smile grew so wide that even his eyes were smiling. “Thanks to you, I was given choices.”
No one knew what Isagi was saying. Had he lost it?
Rin stepped forward. He had enough of this. “We’re giving you a choice to choose one. You don’t get to choose everything.”
“Why not?” Isagi asked as he got up to his knees and grabbed Rin’s tie, tugging him towards him. Isagi felt Rin swallow a lump in his throat at how close their faces were. “Then should I put a bullet through my head right now?” Rin’s eyes widened. Isagi leaned into his ears and whispered, as if this was a forbidden secret reserved for both of them, “It’s pitiful that you can’t just admit you like me.” Rin hitched a breath as Isagi retreated and said to him, loud this time for everyone to hear, “If you force me to choose only one, I’ll kill myself in front of you. That way, you’ll never own me.”
“That! That isn’t part of the auction!” Ness yelled. Isagi looked over at him. His reaction was just as Isagi had expected. It was adorable.
“That’s not true. All of you are being auctioned and I’m the bidder. For me to start bidding, you need to first show me your worth.”
They couldn’t understand what Isagi was saying but one thing was certain. When Isagi said he would kill himself if they forced him, he had meant it. They were the ones blackmailing him, holding the things he value most hostage. But now, Isagi had turnt the situation around by becoming the hostage.
“Choosing everything, aren’t you being a little conceited right now?” Sae asked. He was probably the most cool headed among the six right now. “I am,” Isagi openly answered. “I have always been this way.” He let go of Rin's tie and turned to Sae, hand sliding into his hair. “If you hadn’t come to me, sooner or later, I would’ve come to you,” Isagi said wetly into Sae’s ear and backed away, making the warmth that he had left seared Sae’s entire being.
“So at this moment, I’m truly, truly,” Isagi turned to Kaiser as he finished his execution, “Delighted.”
At this point, they could tell something wasn’t right with Isagi. But then again, wasn’t there something wrong with them too? Looking back at it now… Why were they so infatuated with him? Something didn’t feel right.
A sudden fleeting possibility crossed their mind, sending chills all over their body. Did Isagi do something to them?
They stared at him and immediately knew. What they had caught wasn’t a firefly. But darkness itself.
“You bid for me and now you’ve got me so what are you scared of?” Isagi stifled a laugh, a faint pink blooming across his doll-like face. His voice, accompanied by a soft chuckle in between, was so melodious that it could weave the most beautiful tragedies. “It’s not like I’ll eat you.”
Even though Isagi merely meant those words as a joke, the possibility of it being the truth wasn’t too far off. They could no longer escape. His smile was too divine, his existence too captivating, so much so that they couldn’t look away. Staying in the abyss was akin to loving him. But there was no love in him.
“Who wants to start first? Or should I be the one choosing?”
They hadn’t realized, and they probably never will. This place wasn’t the abyss. Isagi was.
And he had swallowed them whole.