You lose a part of yourself when it happens; it feels like your whole body's coming apart, and it just keeps going. While it doesn't seem possible at the time, the pain just gets worse the longer it goes on. The stuff starts growing inside you, with nowhere to go but out... And it does come out. I almost wish the blood-loss killed you, but it doesn't, not unless you're one of the lucky ones. They couldn't waste a perfectly good subject, now could they?
Five clawed at the surrounding bars, more out of boredom than anything else. Escaping the cage only meant she'd be shot and thrown back in. Not worth the hassle. Whining in protest, she started to chew along the metal, making sure to sound as obnoxious as possible. Gnashing and drooling on the floor, she hissed when the humans ignored her. Five growled, and she began to make noises reminiscent of barking, as it was nearly all that her throat would allow.
"Number five is getting on my nerves..."
If she'd still had the muscles to smirk, she would have at that. Stupid humans. Five could hear them speaking, even from behind a wall. She flexed her fingers, her claws clicking together. Five raised her arm, before tearing at the roof of the cage. The metal squealed, stinging her ears, but she didn't stop. The humans didn't like her noise? Tough shit.
"Incapacitate it, now."
Five bore her teeth, a menacing series of clicks rumbling in her throat. One of the humans pointed something at her, and everything went white.
Two, that was his name now; he paced the length of the cage. Five had gone silent. Two had almost considered joining her in the outburst, but he wanted to stay awake. He felt better knowing what was happening. Two shook his head after a moment; nothing was happening.
It kept them amused when the humans got annoyed. It helped pass the time; they hadn't been allowed in the yard for days. One would probably just try and kill him again, but Two figured it was only because they couldn't quite be killed. She doesn't still hate me... Right?
An odd sensation trickled through his mind, something from back during his human days... A memory? He couldn't even tell anymore.
Two sighed, curling up on the floor. If I sleep too, maybe the time will pass quicker...
Four tried to peek out from the bars, but she couldn't get a good look at Five. Why did you go and upset the humans? Four let out sigh. Now you might not wake up in time to be fed...
Four's mind was almost swept away at the thought of food, but she reined it back. If we can still think, maybe things will go back to they way they were. Four twitched, excited by such an idea. We can still change back, right? She attempted to concentrate, flexing her claws, as well as the spikes upon her back. Her skin began to burn, slowly at first, but the sensation grew into a jolting pain, which quickly overwhelmed her.
Four wanted to cry, but her voice box wouldn't cooperate, and all that came out was a long whine.
One twitched her ears. Five finally shut up, and now Four's picking up where she left off? One rose to a crouch, and she let out a hiss, accompanied by a deep clicking sound. Her cage was almost directly across from Four's, and they could see each other clearly. One bore her teeth.
Four looked back at her, shuffling around her enclosure. She stopped whining.
One lowered her shoulders, and she lay down. Quiet... Good.
'Number one seems to be unusually agitated by noise,' the humans would often say. They think I can't understand them... One's claws twitched. Maybe if they hadn't rooted around in my brain, my ears wouldn't be so damn sensitive. Her pupils dilated as a human coughed in the distance, her ears picking up the sound from a room adjacent to theirs. Sickly, weakness, kill.
One's muscles seethed, but she forced them still. I'll just end up like Five if I make a racket.
Serah couldn't cry. For months, she couldn't cry.
The service was lovely, formal and quiet. It's what she would have wanted, a low-key event. Serah glanced around; there had been at least twice as many people present back when her parents had been buried, and even more the week previous.
Lightning wasn't... Serah looked at her feet. The most social person, I shouldn't be surprised. But... Why can't I cry?
The casket was soon brought out, but Serah refused to look at it. She knew it was empty, and it sent a bitter twinge through her stomach. They won't even release her body, something about contaminates... Serah clenched her fists, her face flushed. She didn't even notice when her shoulders began to shake, until someone from behind her pointed it out. With a flustered apology, Serah excused herself from her chair.
She leaned back against a tree, ignoring the bits of bark that poked through her dress. Serah focused on breathing, and she slowly calmed herself.
After a while, she glanced back at the service. One by one, each person walked up to pay their respects. Serah told herself to join them, but her feet wouldn't budge.
She felt it clearly now, that nagging itch in the back of her mind, the unsettling ache in her heart. It was illogical... But by instinct, denial, or something even deeper, Serah knew why she couldn't cry.
Somehow, Lightning was still alive.
