A/N: I've been following Ultimo from the very beginning, and I think that Jealousy/ doesn't deserve enough credit. What if Jealousy was the one narrating Karakuridouji Ultimo?
Please R&R!
"If you want to test a man's character, give him power." – Abraham Lincoln
I opened my eyes.
I was laying down on something hard, and my hands felt equally hard walls around me. My vision wasn't very good – there was some sort of pink haze preventing my eyes from seeing details. But I could see light ahead of me. That much I could make out.
"Heh, he's supposed to be one of the Seven Deadly Sins? He can't even withdraw his visors!" A mocking, rough voice muttered from above me. Sudden anger took a hold of me and I furiously blinked, removing the pink haze (visors, he said?) from in front of my eyes.
I looked up, now clearly, at the person that was insulting me. He had a bald head, and he had narrowed, serious eyes and visors, like mine. He had on clothes that seemed unusually… outdated. I felt an instant dislike towards him.
I sat up. Even though he was standing and I was sitting, I could tell he was visibly shorter than me. I also noticed that he had delicate, ceramic-like skin that was similar to mine.
"Who are you?" I said, with as much authority as I could muster.
He smirked. "Regula. A karakuridôji. One of the Six Perfections. I represent Discipline." Regula said this with obvious pride, crossing his small arms across his chest. I glared at him, confused. I didn't understand anything of this. Where am I? Who am I?
I looked down to see that I, unlike him, was only dressed in a simple white hakama. There was spider in the middle of the sash that tied them.
"You said that I was one of the Seven Deadly Sins? What did you mean by that?" I asked him, busy taking in my surroundings. I was sitting in a wooden box, and there was writing on the lid on the floor next to it. I was in some sort of a lab, judging from the various technology and numerous measuring scales and graduated cylinders. I noticed that there were dozens; possibly hundreds of closed pods surrounding the steel walls, and that inside of them were people (Are they human?) that looked…. Just like Regula and me. Unlike us though, they looked incomplete, with bubbles, tubes, and pipes surrounding them.
I noticed that there were two pods in the center of the room that were empty. The imprinted label on them said Vice and Ultimo.
Directly behind me, there was another empty pod, labeled Envy.
I was confused beyond relief. Regula also said something about himself being a "dôji". Obviously from our similar features, I was one too. But what does that mean?
"Idiot." Regula rolled his eyes. Anger rose up in me again. "Don't you know? About the battle between good and evil? I'm on the good, perfect side, while you're on the evil, ugly side." He crossed his arms, looking down at me.
"So you think you're perfect?" I snapped, stepping out of the box.
As a matter of fact, I do," He said smugly. "Why do you think I'm one of the six Perfections? Unlike you, you dirty, nasty, ugly, stupid-"
I felt expanding power in my hands, and in an attempt to use it I made a dangerous, hard swipe at that stupid bald head of his. Regula quickly ducked, and I could his round face contort into a fiery expression.
It was almost as if I couldn't even control the situation. As if we were meant to hate each other.
Suddenly I felt a cold, strong hand on my shoulder. I glared up to see a tall man. He wore a lab coat, and under them a suit with a tie. The wrinkles on his hands and face were deep set, as if he's had them all of his life. His glasses had a shine to them that seemed to see right through me. That feeling of intimidation he was projecting at Regula and me was unsettling. He looked down at both of us, as if we were his pets.
Were we?
"Jealousy's awake." He remarks, directing his gaze at Regula, who was pointing his…. hands at me. Except they weren't hands, they were-
"I see that you both were able to activate your gauntlets." The old man said. I stared down at myself to see that I too, had blue gauntlets.
"Regula, go back to your case. I would need to transport you two soon. Besides… don't you think it's wrong of you? "
"Yes, Dr. Dunstan. I'm sorry." Regula nodded and walked away obediently, but I saw a hint of hateful rebellion in his eyes as he glanced back at the old man.
I was beginning to feel that this man was an enemy.
"As for you," Dr. Dunstan turned his head to stare at me, and I brushed his hand off my shoulder with my gauntlets.
"Where am I? What do you mean 'transport'?" I demanded.
He gently pushed me down back into the box before answering. "All of that will be answered in time." The knowing gleam in his eyes shined brighter.
As I sat down in the box, staring with confusion and awe at this man, he checked my eyes, arms, legs, whispering things such as "Motor skills are working fine…" finally he gave a hard knock on my chest, which made it open up. I saw – and felt – a mysterious glow from inside of me.
"This spirit sphere is very special," He whispered, almost talking to himself. "You must not let anything harm it or let anybody touch it unless you want to swear the vow with them."
The vow? What is that?
"You are a karakuridôji – robotic boy," He continued, before I could ask. "I, Dr. Dunstan, made you to follow your more powerful brother, Vice, whom I created before you. You represent one of the Seven Deadly Sins, not to mention one of the strongest, purest evils there are. You were made to fight alongside Vice, in a war to try to defeat another karakuridôji named Ultimo."
I absorbed all of this with curiosity. There were so many questions I wanted to ask him.
"But," He sighed. "You are not exactly as strong as Vice. Not even as strong as Ultimo, who opposes you. Vice is stronger, smarter, and most of all, eviler than you will ever be."
I was stupid then. I know that now. I couldn't realize back then that that charismatic, intimidating, pretentious Dr. Dunstan was trying on purpose to piss me off.
But I will never forget that moment. The feeling that washed over me, making me forget the questions I had about my creation, my surroundings, and the others that looked like me. My eyes widened at his insulting remarks as he gently laid me completely down on the floor of the case.
It made me so angry, so hateful, of everything around me. I wanted to tear the damn wooden box up and punch the doctor and that short, bald-headed freak Regula with my gauntlets. But I also felt a thrill along with this feeling, as destroying everything will make me happy. As if this feeling was a natural part of me.
But I refrained from doing these gratifying actions when Dr. Dunstan whispered, right before covering my case,
"Prove that you are stronger than everybody else, and you will be the greatest. Sleep now."
That feeling overtook me again, but instead of making me angry, it calmed me. I thought about these "brothers" I had – Vice and Ultimo. Were they indeed stronger than me? Could I ever beat them at their own game?
These thoughts fueled that feeling inside me that was now keeping me motivated, breathing, alive. I closed my eyes and smiled. Perhaps with evil thoughts in my head, perhaps not. For when I was first created, I did not know the difference between good and evil, unlike now.
My name is Jealousy. I am one of the evil Karakuridôji that represents one of the Seven Deadly Sins: Envy.