Disclaimer: All rightful characters are owned by their rightful owners, namely Amano Akira
Chapter 1
-D.C.A-
Summer never leaned in and gave a kiss to those in the underground. Only Winter gave them the embrace of pain with its nights below zero; torturing those bodies that desperately try to protect the flickering flame that dwelled so weakly inside.
Someone, stop the toll of the bell, rewind their lives and set it up again so they will never fall.
It would not stop.
The continuous sounds of it falling from the ruptured pipes haunted the narrow passage. Grime covered the rough stone floor like a second layer, mixing in with the rust, bones and blood of the past prisoners in a heap on the ground; their wrists too thin to be held by the shackles. The loose chains beat against the moss-covered wall, angered by the fact that they no longer burdened anyone, except for one.
Every so often someone would breathe in a harshly tone, as if they had given up on life but hadn't quite made it to death. Then there would be a hush, followed by the noise of chains hitting against each other, silently screaming as their links were torn apart.
It stopped.
The prisoner looked at the heavily bolted door.
Beyond those doors someone was coming, but he couldn't tell who.
A new fear clenched what was left of his heart, and he again tried to free himself of the chains. The blunt metal crudely pressed into his swollen wrists and ankles; digging in deeper till his skin broke and poured out young blood.
Unable to control their desires, the parasite infested rats skittered to the luscious source they were all craving for. In a matter of seconds, the first rat sunk its decayed teeth into his flesh and the boy bit his lip, too scared to make any sound. Sensing that the boy had let down his guard, the rats came at him; biting, scratching and tearing at his exposed skin.
They were all diseased with rabies.
His dry skin became moistened by the childish tears running down the purple bruises on his cheeks. He could feel the growing pain gnawing everywhere on his body, but as seconds passed, the feeling became fainter. His sight was starting to fail him, growing hazy and blurry, yet he could feel the presence of a person coming.
A…person…here?...impossible…
"I've finally found you," a voice whispered beside him.
Before the prisoner slipped away into the darkness, he saw those eyes.
The flames of life.
Number 27 begin reflex training level 19…do not let your guard down...
Number 27's reflex actions has become 0.7 seconds slower...revise reflex training level 18...
Continue the completion of program X...
Number 27 kill the opponent in front of you…do not let your emotions take over you!
Kill him number 27! KILL HIM!
His eyes twitched violently as the nightmares brutally lashed at him with its whip of nine tails. From afar he could feel pain shoot up his arm, as if 10 syringes were being simultaneously inserted into his veins, but the throbbing would die down the next second.
He opened a tiny gap in his eyes, however regretted it soon after.
The large glazed window was yawning open; its mouth revealing a whole set of white gold teeth, grinning like the happiest person in the universe. Instantly the boy rolled onto the floor, hiding himself from the glare behind the canopy bed. When his eyes had adjusted to the abnormally bright room, he looked up and saw a male figure holding a long strip of bandage.
"Are you alright Tsunayoshi?" The man reached out for the boy, but he rejected the hand as if it were covered deep to the pores in malicious sins.
"It's alright, I'm not a guard. I'm here to help you," he told him in a gentle tone, though the boy just shook his head rapidly with wide, unblinking eyes.
"Look," the man said as he rolled up his right sleeve. The boy peered at his arm and then relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief.
"See? Just relax and concentrate on healing your wounds." He carefully bandaged the boy's forearm, trying to not apply pressure onto his wounds and then smiled after clipping the safety pin on, satisfied of his work. The man stood up and packed away the tools of the first aid kit on a nearby table. Then, his movements stopped abruptly.
"Put the gun down Tsunayoshi."
He turned around to see the boy holding a revolver pinpointed exactly to his heart. The drawer of the bedside table was open.
"How did you know the gun was there?" His voice showed not a hint of emotion.
Tsunayoshi nibbled on his swollen lip. He couldn't see through this man at all. He had just suddenly switched off.
"I saw through the drawer." The words rolled unnaturally off his tongue. He really couldn't remember the last time he had spoken.
The man paused as if he were analysing the boy's words. "So you really are one of them."
The strength of Tsunayoshi's small but dangerous hands wrapped around the revolver weakened for a moment, and the man advanced forward. With no more than two steps, he had grabbed the gun off the boy and threw it to the other end of the room. He had the boy pinned down on the floor like a helpless calf, unable to escape the eagle's powerful talons. The man leaned in and whispered the words that Tsunayoshi didn't want to hear, ever.
"The DCA and your number is 27 I figure."
Tsunayoshi's pale eyes showed signs of distress but the boy knew that his identity had been exposed and so had no intention of trying to hide anything anymore. "You saw the tattoo on my back?"
The man slid his hand along the upper area of Tsunayoshi's back and tapped it knowingly. "Yes and I also know that the Government believes you are the last of them. The others were apparently killed by the Government because they were too dangerous to handle but I heard that a few went missing and landed in the black auction. You seemed to be one of them."
He then looked at the boy in the eye. "What happened to your master?"
The boy kept his lips shut, and it seemed as if he wouldn't answer. Whether it's by disgrace or remorse, for a moment something stopped Tsunayoshi from telling him.
You're worthless...you have no reason to live, other than kill before my feet you hear me!? You fucking fake-human!
A small laugh escaped his mouth.
Sympathise 'that' human? No way in hell.
"He died when I said 27 to him." There was no scrap of sympathy in Tsunayoshi's voice.
"How?" The man questioned, subtly startled by the sudden change of the boy's tone.
"He went up in flames and burned till he was completely black."
That was enough information for him. He was now certain.
The man got up, looking as if he were deep in thought and went to collect the gun.
"27!"
At first, the man felt a small spark of warmth from within him, but as the flames grew, he knew that Tsunayoshi still had the killing intent in him. The boy willed the murderous vermillion flames to grow and envelope the man's body. However, suddenly the flames were gone.
The two figures gazed at each other.
One pair eyes were full of disbelief, and the other now had a hint of understanding in them.
"I guess when there are two flame bearers, the other nulls each other."
Although the man had never told him how long he was allowed to stay or even who he was, Tsunayoshi decided that it was safer to stay in the room than flee outside. Because of a sensory cage around the house, invisible to the naked eye, he couldn't let his mind escape the building. However, his senses caught onto a radio wave of a news program and curiously, he listened to it in his mind.
"Yesterday in the city, there was an enormous carnival celebrating the ridding of all DCA and that peace had finally come into the hands of the country. Prime Minister Xanxus informed everyone this morning that the last of the DCA had been executed and disposed of by the country' best technology which turns all mechanical structures into dust and melts bodily functions to nothing. Along the..."
Tsunayoshi got rid of the radio wave.
He couldn't take any more it. It was just too horrible.
It's not my fault that I was sold to some science department and made into a human experiment.
Why did I have to kill my friends so they could monitor my strength? Why did they make me kill more and more and make me stronger?
Was there really any meaning to my existence? Why was I even born into this world if my only purpose was to just kill?
Why!?
A hand covered his eyes and Tsunayoshi was pushed back onto the man's shoulder.
"It's not your fault Tsunayoshi; it's not your fault." Even though his senses were yelling at him to not trust this man, Tsunayoshi relaxed into his arm and for once, slept without a care in the world. The man smiled seeing Tsunayoshi's angelic expression, almost impossible compared to the looks he was given a few hours ago.
He laid the boy onto the bed and tenderly covered the blanket over his body, then realized that Tsunayoshi's body was unnaturally cold.
Probably from all the anxiety.
Before he closed the polished yew door, he glanced at the sleeping child.
"14," he uttered under his breath and shut the door behind him, sighing a little.
A figure turned at the corner of the end of the corridor and the man quickly changed his expression to a bright one. The figure's whole attire was the colour of pure onyx, together with his hair in the style of a long rat's tail. He had a stern looking face, but his eyes showed a strong sense of loyalty within them.
"We have found two others at the Black Market in the south," he reported, skimming over his notes in a black clipboard as he came walking."They will be arriving at the Primo House later this day."
He looked up to see his boss with a delighted expression.
"Have they got rooms yet?"
"I have assigned them to one room with two beds as the two refused to be separated," he replied, knowing that this was not a rare happening.
The boss nodded understandingly. "That's fine. In the D.C.A circle they tend to develop mutual relationships. What are their names?"
His black eyes glanced at a particular highlighted area on his notes. "Gokudera Hayato and Yamamoto Takeshi, they are both 14 years old."
"I'll visit them later, after I check on the system."
The man sensed the subtle tone of pain in his bosses' voice. He had come to realise that his boss always talked about the 'system' in that tone.
"I will send a chauffeur when you are finished." He knew that all he could do was to support the boss to his fullest, making things the easiest for him, and be more sensitive to his feelings and actions.
"Thanks," his lips curved into half a smile. "And also Lal was asking for some more books down at the House. It seems like Colonnello's read all of them to the young ones."
"I see, more picture books for the younger children," he commented as the man noted down the request quickly in his unique font, which his boss had failed in working out.
"And perhaps we should get some new sports equipment too." The boss always looked in high spirits whenever he talked about the enjoyments for the children. He had that soft, warming aura that almost seemed to wrap whoever was near in a cosy blanket.
"They will be sent as soon as possible to the House." He again let his fountain pen glide over the page and underlined the note twice, so it would stand out from all the other writing.
"Good, thanks for that."
"The pleasure is always mine," he remarked with a small smile.
The boss started walking, and then he stopped when the two were standing beside each other. He put a firm hand on the man's shoulder. "Keep an eye out for Tsunayoshi while I'm away. If he becomes uncontrollable use….that, but it is to be used only under the direst of circumstances, do you understand me?"
"As you wish," the man bowed his head a little.
He nodded approvingly and walked off, his footsteps echoing through the long corridor, like that of a lost spirit in search of a loved one.
"Why do you care so much for them when they took everything you loved from your life, Giotto-san?"
The man sighed, putting his pen into a small container and then into his inner pocket. He closed the clipboard, containing all of the bosses' requests and news concerning the D.C.A.
Notes from Yuhazaki:
This was originally meant to be a oneshot birthday fic for my awesomeX2 game-freak friend Vonna Plum, but it just got too long and complicated so I'm gonna make it a story^^ Hope you enjoy my friend (even though it's quite confusing) and have a great Birthday!...wow so close till the next day o.O