Light didn't know how long he'd been asleep. It'd definitely been a long time, because when he peered out between the iron bars he could see they were already in the basement of the ship - which was probably one thousand miles out to sea by now. A thousand miles away from his beloved homeland in Japan.

He twisted his arms in a failed attempt to get those dreadful shackles off his wrists. They had been deliberately tightened in order to cause him excruciating pain. But twisting only tightened them harder and after a while he convinced himself to quit while he was ahead, fearing he'd cut into his skin if he struggled any longer. He managed to sit up on his knees and painfully banged his head on the top of the cage. Biting his lip so not to curse out loud, he shuffled into a more comfortable position, so his back was leaned against one side of the cage and he was facing through the metal bars.

From this position, he could almost see everything outside. He looked around desperately for Matsuda, his best friend; another boy who'd also been captured by the men with masks. He urged to call out his name but the stony silence scared him and memories of those cracking whips sealed his lips even more. There were other boys in cages among him, but among their ashen faces, Matsuda was nowhere to be found.

Light leaned back against the wall of the cage, staring at nothing but the blank ceiling in front of him. He felt hopeless, like a wild animal caught in a trap. A trap set by men in masks with cloaks down to their feet. It'd all been so fast.

One moment he was outside in his front garden with with mother and little sister Sayu.

The next…

He shook his head at the memory. It didn't matter. All he knew now was that he didn't have a mother anymore, that he'd never see his little sister again. He was alone and whether Matsuda was alive or not, the possibility of ever seeing his best friend again was a taunting mystery. For now, he was internally alone on a boat that could lead to anywhere and could change his future forever.

Light buried his face in his knees and wept.