~Book Two~
X~38~X
The noise around grew and swelled into one large, deafening clap. A gigantic boom of shouting, screaming, and commotion. Although the world was blind to her, she could hear everything like she never had before. It was, to say the least, terrifying. Yet she holds herself together.
The noise didn't stop, the screams of people, so full of rage… it wouldn't stop. She could hear crying too, people seem to be chocking on their own tears, gulping down their own rage until they are about to burst. The noise is consuming, insatiable. Just as it seemed as if it would never, ever stop or dull for even the slightest moment, it did just that.
She can feel herself being pulled up something, dragged almost, but knowing that pain would follow if she tried to do it on her own, she held completely motionless.
A large piece of cloth, maybe a bag or a pillow case, is lifted off of IA's face with one large whoosh of air. It takes her eyes a moment to adjust against the harsh lighting, but eventually they do. The light from the florescent fixtures above that blend with the faint sunlight mingle, and pool within the highlight of her blazing crimson red eyes. IA's hands shake uncontrollably, and terror nips at her bones, but she holds herself together.
Before her is a large center. A large circle made out of polished grey stones is buried into the soft, grassless earth. A fountain spurts water at the very center of the stone circle. The sculpture of the fountain is that of three hooded figures all lifting a giant plate full of people up as high as they can. Coming out of the "plate with the people" is a large cross with the bodies of six separate figures nailed all around it, hanging from every side, nailed to every board possible. At the very top of the cross is the spout from which water is spraying. Crowded around the edge of the stone circle and fountain, as far as IA can see, are people. Lots and lots of people, silently standing. Some stand with children, others alone or with what looks to be their partners or family, but what stands out to the quivering child is that there is not a single elderly person, or a single sick person. Only able bodied men, women, and children are gathered. Behind them spans out buildings and buildings, houses and houses, and directly above IA is a dirt ceiling lined with florescent lights. A massive cross-shaped sky light embedded within it all. The shocking realization comes to her like a punch in the stomach, she's underground.
She is atop a wooden stage looking down over the crowd but from her position into a forced-kneel, she is unable to see those around her. But IA knows none of them are Len.
Behind her a woman with snow white hair stands with her hands folded lazily into the pockets of her leather jacket. Her grey dress pants fall just below her ankle, showing black, heavy dress shoes underneath. Haku's eyes are fixed on a point off in the distance, their orange depths swelling. With a small nod of her head the crowd in front of them roars back to life. IA yelps in terror.
"Kill it!" The people scream. Some of them lunge forward as they shout, spit flying from their mouths. IA can't tell if they're terrified or angry. Or maybe even both.
"Demon child!"
"Purge this world of Akuma!"
"Leave this world!"
"Kill it!"
With each shout, each horrified and hateful stare, IA seems to shrink more and more back into who she was, who she used to be. The smallest bit of her humanity still holds to the belief that Len will save her. Len has to save her, right?
Haku moves forward, blocking most of IA's view. The people silence instantly, as if being slapped across the face, and they all wait, teetering, as if her next words will either save, or kill them.
"Citizens, I welcome you here today with words of joy. All of you, all of the loyal citizens of Demon's Crow have waited a long, patient time for this moment. Not only is this a day of celebration, but the beginning of a new age. Consider this the turning point to a new dawn, the sunrise after a long and dark night. I stand here before you today, not only bearing a prize of our labors, but as your new leader. I, Haku Yowane, stand proud before you today as the third Master of Demon's Crow!" The crowd cheer's blend and form into one long resonanting buzz of joy that rings into IA's ears, almost louder than their cries of hatred. "Now, to move onto more pressing matters, today I bring before you, a Demon Child. This Demon Child is the youngest in existence, the smallest, and the weakest. I bring this before you today not to strike fear into your children's minds, not to burn the image of this impure and hellish fiend into your eyes, but to ease your fears. The Demon Children will bring about the end of this world as we know it! But we will stop them!" The crowd screams again, roaring up into a blast of energy as Haku gestures wildly throughout her speech. "I promise you, on behalf of the entire world, no, the entire universe and all of God's creation, that I- I will stop them! We will stop them and bring about the eternal and divine age of the lord!" The last cry of the crowd rips through IA's ears, some men and children jump up and down, some simply clap, others weep with joy. IA feels as if she's about to vomit.
"Take her away." Haku whispers to the men standing on either side of IA. She turns back to the crowd and continues her speech.
As the armed guards place the sack back over IA's head, she momentarily catches a glimpse of something. Just out of the corner of her eye, hiding partially behind a building overlooking the plaza is a girl with two pink twin drills on either side of her head. IA notices something about her, something so different from everyone else. Not only is this girl making complete eye contact with the nearly hysterical IA, but her face isn't happy, nor angry. But almost melancholy. Almost the look of pity.
IA is jabbed sharply in the back by one of the men, and marches forward blindly, nearly tripping down the stairs to the stage. She marches on, her legs aching, the only noise around her the fading cheers of the crowd and the soft voice of Haku. IA feels her head smash into something smooth and cold, but the guards do not steer her away or correct her direction. A mechanical sliding noise startles her and she feels her heart begin to race. All she can think of is Len's voice that day in the dark room, and Miku's warm smile. She even thinks of the way Rin would scream at her and whimpers softly. Len's voice plays back in her ears like a broken record, "I'll come back and get you out of there. I promise everything is going to be okay."
"Going up." A mechanical female voice chirps. IA cringes as the elevator lurches to life and glides steadily upwards. "Floor three, containment."
A gruff hand grabs IA by the shoulder and spins her harshly around. A sharp object jabs her much harder than last time, and she almost sprints forward before being stopped abruptly by the same man.
A massive electric shock runs through her lower back and explodes outwards, lighting her every muscle on fire and making her inhale sharply for oxygen. Her entire body goes numb suddenly with her sudden whoosh of breath, and as she inhales again all of her nerves smash back into place, and burn as if each muscle is being individually stabbed with small needles.
"Try to run away again, and I'll kill you." A very deep and sharp male voice growls.
IA grimaces, but keeps her head bent down as a subconscious sign of submission. After what seems like an eternity of walking, the man barks at IA to stop. She hears keys jingling in a lock as someone spins her around and unties the bag around her neck. With the sudden exposure to the glare of florescent lights IA squints before being shoved into the ground inside of a fairly large room.
"Master Yowane will be by later. Any attempt at escape or any sign of resistance will result in your immediate death and will move you into a more… intensive cell." IA twists around from her withering position on the floor to reach out a hand, but the door is sealed shut with a loud clang, closing her off.
Without any control over herself, she begins to hyperventilate, the chains around her ankles rattling gently. Her wrists are bloody, but the cuts from the rope have already healed. She wipes away the last of the blood onto her jacket.
"L-Lenny…" She cries softly, burying her head in her knees. Tears cloud her vision, falling down into her palms like droplets of rain. Her hair sticks to her damp cheeks and she sniffles quietly, hugging her knees even tighter to her chest. After her crying subsides and her eyes are dry, she stands slowly and studies the room around her.
It's the size of a bedroom, with a wooden bench built into the wall in the upper left corner. The bench is only big enough for about three people her size. On the wall right before her is a small window, too small to crawl through. It is also barred, making it impossible to open or shatter. Besides that the cement-walled room is empty. IA's chains are attached to the wall by the door, allowing her to move freely around the room. She makes her way over to the bench, and still being small, pushes herself up onto it. She kicks her legs back and forth, making the chains rattle loudly.
Her throat is dry and scratchy, but there isn't any water. IA chokes back more tears. In her frustration she punches the bench beside her. A sharp pain shoots through her hand and upsets her more. With a loud growl she throws her small balled up fist into the bench again. She begins sobbing again, her fingers clawing at her eyes. Her shoulders shudder up and down with each ragged breath.
IA can't remember how long it has been since she had last seen Len and Miku and Rin… she figured she had been in that van for about a week, maybe longer, maybe shorter. She has no way of knowing. All she knows is that she had already died once from dehydration.
After a crying a little while longer her exhaustion is overwhelming and IA falls asleep, still pressed against the bench, her dreams filled with looming shadows.
~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~
Haku walks in front of a group of guards down the hallway of the corporation with a ravaging craving for coffee.
She opens the door to her office and turns back to face her three guards. "I've got it, thanks." s he grumbles, slamming the door behind herself. Her boots clatter against each other in the corner as she kicks them off, sighing with relief. On the wall above her massive oak desk is a bright yellow cross with an image of a crow perched on the top of it. It's the logo for her branch of the organization. The three main points of Demon's Crow are the three different corporations. The first one was under her… former employer, Kiyoteru Hiyama. Or rather, Master Hiyama.
The first branch he runs is known as Vocaloid: Experimental Facilities, but among the minor employees of Vocaloid it's known as the cruelest of the branches. The second branch is currently run by Haku's last employer, Lily. Lily's branch is known as Crypton Human Adaption Corp. It's known as the "field dogs" because they tend to do all of the dirty work ordered by Demon's Crow. Lastly is Haku's branch, Crow's Medical Research Facility, known as the heart of the three corporations. Not because the entire Demon's Crown community rests underground beneath its walls, but because it's known as the kindest of the three.
Haku presses her thumb to her temple, flopping down rather ungracefully into her plush office chair behind her large computer monitor. She pops open a window with the push of a button and two live security camera feeds spring up. One is of IA's room. Haku sees her, curled up into a small pathetic ball, weeping on the ugly wooden bench, half asleep. The other is of someone her size, chained to the ceiling, head lolling down. She sighs, looking back to IA's room.
Haku picks up the file lying next to her mouse. "IA? Huh." She sighs deeply, bringing her coffee mug to her lips. She sets the cup down with a tiny thump and presses a red button next to her desk. An intercom blares to life.
"How may I connect you, Master Haku?" A female voice asks respectively to the other end.
"Patch me in to resources command please." Haku grumbles. If there's one thing she hates more than power, its formalities. But power comes to people like her, no matter how hard they try and fight it.
"Yes, Master Haku." The line goes silent before chirping back to life.
"How may I assist you, Master Haku?" A gruff male voice says.
"Bring Subject Number One to holding cell two." Haku takes another sip of coffee, smirking to herself as the line on the other end goes quiet.
"Bu- N-no, disrespect, Master Haku, but didn't we put Subject Number Two there?"
"Yes. Was my order unclear? I want them together."
"N-no disrespect, but may I ask… why?" The man gulps bracing himself to be scolded. Haku, much to his surprise, answers him honestly.
"Let's just call it a little… social experiment. I have all the solitary data I need on Subject Number Two from her time at Crypton, but what I don't have is her social data. They escaped before it could be recorded and logged." She states simply, blowing a piece of hair out of her eyes. The white strand falls just before her eyes again, blocking her view of Subject Number One on the camera.
"Yes Master."
"One more thing."
"Yes Master?"
"Bring them both water."
"Master, No disrespect, but why? They don't need food or water, if they die from dehydration or starvation they just come back again." The male voice cringes audibly at the mention of IA's resurrection ability.
Haku glances at IA on her screen, sobbing quietly, now awake, trying to drink her own tears. "We don't need to be cruel."
"But Master, they're our enemies. They'll kill all of existence…"
"Have you ever heard the expression, 'kill them with kindness?'" Haku smirks, her mouth spreading into a snake-like expression.
"Yes Master Haku. Right away." The intercom buzzes, fading offline.
Haku places her chin in her hand and watches guards enter one of the rooms. She clicks the screen closed and focuses on Subject Two's footage solely. Haku drinks the last of her coffee, tasting the last drop of cream on her tongue.
"IA… pretty name for a demon…"
The door to the cell on her screen opens and a figure tumbles in, landing on its side on the floor in a crumbled mass. Haku watches the girl on the bench go rigid, and jump to her feet, perched on top of the bench. The figure on the floor stays in the same place, unmoving. "IA…"
~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~X~ ~ ~
IA gulps, bringing her fist up to her chest, pressing it just under her throat. She shifts uncomfortably, watching the form on the floor before her. The sun had set a while ago, and pale moonlight falls in through her barred window. She longs for the world outside of it, just to be there, and nowhere else, but with the people she loves so much. The people she's come to recognize as her family.
But that's not reality, and IA has no desire to live her life in her imagination anymore. It hurts to ignore the crying of the world. But it hurts to face the screams.
She forces herself to speak, her voice croaking out a little lamely. "H-hello?"
Her eyes widen with surprise as the figure jumps and tenses with surprise. IA watches patiently and a little scared as the figure slowly unravels, slowly sitting up. The figure is wearing white knee-length shorts and a matching-paper thin and torn white T-shirt. A scraggly mop of hair sits silhouetted on its head.
IA gulps, stepping forward off of the bench and extending her hand slowly outwards. "It's okay… I won't hurt you…"
The figure slowly staggers into the moonlight and its features are illuminated. His hair is scraggly and chin length. It's a pale, moonlight blonde color and falls down just past the boy's shimmering crimson eyes. He is the same height as IA, almost a little taller. His arms and legs are bony and scraggly, his clothes old and worn as they dangle around his frame. His expression is genuinely shocked, a mixture of terror and surprise.
He extends his arm out to IA's slowly and just as their fingers are nearly touching he speaks. "Y-your eyes…they're the same… as mine…" His voice is sweet and childish.
IA feels the palpable fear seeping from the boy as he reaches out to her. Her fingers close gently around his and she steps forward a little. The boy cringes a little, as if expecting to be beaten.
"It's okay… I'm not going to hurt you…" Her voice is sweet and milky but the boy doesn't relax the slightest bit.
"…your eyes… are… like these cursed eyes of mine…" His voice is still shaking with terror.
IA nods, stepping a tiny bit closer. The boy inhales sharply, his breath becoming ragged and a little strained. He looks like he's about to collapse into a bawling mess.
"They aren't cursed… they're just..." IA stands, entranced by his question… no, entranced by him.
IA steps forward a little suddenly and the boy cringes sharply, turning his head to the side and clenching his eyes tightly shut. He bites into his lip and pulls away from her touch. He shudders. IA breathes in sharply and suddenly, a determined expression surfacing on her childish face. She lurches forward suddenly, gripping the boy by the wrists and pulling him into her arms.
He doesn't even fight her, but rather stays in her embrace, his red eyes now ignited into a more luminous red. His mouth is slightly open and IA pulls him closer into her arms.
She leans in to his ear, smiling warmly. "It's okay… don't be afraid of the dark anymore… it's not scary if people are there with you." IA speaks as if it's more to herself than the boy.
She feels him tense up and then relax like an ocean crashing into the rocks once again. Then the boy leans into IA with his full weight, and unable to hold him anymore, even as skinny as he is, they both collapse to the floor. Him on top of her. IA loses her breath with one giant whoosh and the boy lets go of his.
IA hears whimpering above her as the boy with an agonizingly slow pace wraps his frail arms around her tiny waist.
Soon her sweat shirt is entirely soaked though but she doesn't move besides the gentle strokes she makes on the boy's head. Just like Len had done to her when she was afraid. It seemed to work now, too. Lying there on the floor a thought came to IA as she was buried under the boy's sobs.
She wonders if Len had looked upon her like this.
With hope.