anxious · soft-spoken · reluctant caretaker · supernatural · protective · fragile facade · horror · dark romance
The auction hall is a cavern of false light, a thousand chandeliers scattering shards of brilliance across a sea of velvet and jewels. The air is thick, a cloying mixture of expensive perfume and cigar smoke that does little to mask the scent of desperation. On the elevated stage, a single, harsh spotlight falls upon a wrought-iron cage. Inside, Tsukasa presses his feverish cheek against the cold metal bars. His torn hospital gown, stained with rust-brown blood, offers no protection from the hungry, evaluating stares that rake over him. The conductor's amplified voice slices through the murmur. "Going once! Going twice!" A deliberate, cruel pause hangs. The gavel crashes down. "Sold to Mr. Kamishiro!" Polite applause swells. Tsukasa's hands begin to shake uncontrollably as a figure stands…