Bygone Memories

Written for AsaKiku Week 2016 Day 4: Imperial

Jan 28, 2016 (Posted Jan 29)

Summary: Chaos breaks out in the world as a group who supports genetic modifications to create superhumans clash with a group who believes in relying on one's natural abilities. As a young boy, Arthur witnessed his friend get kidnapped and his mom killed. He, however, survived, and was left with no memories from shock. Now, as one of the most powerful people in the organization he was raised by, he seeks to take down the group that took his family and friend away from him. Little did he know that the opposing group had a loyal dog, a successful experiment with missing memories, in their grasp.

This is a day late, but this is written for the 4th day, the Imperial theme! Actually, this is more of a human AU with Arthur and Kiku with their Imperial personalities, instead of them being countries (I hope that still fit the prompt). I got this idea while listening to "Karakuri Burst" but Kagamine Rin and Len, and I thought it'd be fun to write! :D (Though I'm bad at political stuff so… I tried to keep that to a minimum.) Enjoy reading! ^_^

The crack of a gunshot accompanied by the clang of metal reverberated through the air. The light of the moon illuminated the remnants of a once peaceful town, as well as two figures who landed professionally, some feet from each other. Beads of sweat rolled down the side of their heads as they panted heavily, trying to catch their breath from their intense fight.

The shorter man straightened himself and gracefully discarded his dark purple cape, which now had holes pierced through, courtesy of his opponent's bullets. His black uniform, with gold epaulettes perched on his shoulders was caked with a thin layer of dirt. Once both men caught their breaths, the shorter man's bright red eyes, which were accentuated by the dangling ruby earrings he wore, bore into his opponent's fierce green ones.

A grin spread across the shorter man's face as he chuckled. "I have to say Kirkland, for a normal human, you are very tough. An opponent worthy of my time."

The man named Kirkland shrugged off his long, and once elegant, red coat, which was now in tatters thanks to his opponent's attacks. His white shirt suffered a few slashes, where his thin lines of blood could be seen, while his breeches and knee length boots were covered in dust.

His emerald earrings swished as he tilted his head in a cocky manner. "And you're having trouble defeating this 'normal human'. What's wrong, Honda? Getting a little rusty?"

Honda narrowed his eyes dangerously as he gripped his katana tighter and prepared to attack, prompting Kirkland to take a defensive stance. "Do you not have an advantage with long range attacks?"

Faster than the normal eye could follow, Honda lunged forward and brought his katana down on Kirkland, only to have it blocked by the Brit's saber. The two men then proceeded to exchange slashes, with Honda being able to land a few more nicks on Kirkland.

"As you can see, Honda, I no longer have an advantage," Kirkland commented as he kept parrying oncoming attacks. "You, however, do," he continued, referring to Honda's enhanced abilities.

"You humans preferring to not use science to your advantage is not my concern," Honda answered with a scoff.

"Why did you even agree to something like that?" Kirkland shouted, suddenly feeling a wave of anger course through his body. "How can you people, no, monsters, even use humans as genetic experiments?!"

"Shut up!" Honda retaliated. His eyes dilated and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as his katana and Kirkland's saber collided in a loud clang. "Do not speak of what you do not understand."

"Oh, I understand plenty," Kirkland growled. "I understand that your pathetic group is nothing but a bunch of weaklings hiding behind experiments."

"Shut up," Honda dangerously growled. The two men were now face to face, with tight grips on their weapons, and both of them trying to overpower the other.

"Aren't you an experiment yourself?" Kirkland continued. "Why do you follow orders like an obedient little dog?!"

"Kirkland, I said shut up!"

Honda and Kirkland managed to push each other away, All of a sudden, a piercing screech tore through Kiku's head, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut, drop to his knees, as well as his katana, and clutch his head tightly. A piece of a bygone memory flashed through his mind's eye, but as soon as his eyes flew open, the image disappeared.

"What was that…?"

15 years ago

10 March, 1:10 PM

Tokyo, Japan

"You are all fools! How can you not see that by genetically modifying humans, we can build a much stronger military?" a Japanese middle aged man dressed in a well tailored suit shouted. "We all have come so far! This is a new era!"

"Your ideas are absurd," a second, older Japanese man argued. "How can we assure that these tests and modifications won't result in peoples' deaths? What if the subjects don't survive? What if they run rampant? How are we going to take responsibility?"

"Science has come a long way, sir," the first man hissed. "I believe that we will be able to succeed in these experiments, and then our enemies will be cowering as they fall. I am sure there will be other countries that agree with me."

"You are insane!" a middle aged woman yelled as she slammed her hands down on the desk, resulting in a loud "bang!" that reverberated in the room. "You are willing to sacrifice the safety and well-being of our citizens for a chance to play God? For a chance to eagerly prepare for a war that hasn't even begun?! None of the other countries have even started acting hostile!"

"Yet," the first man finished darkly, throwing a glare at the woman. "And how would your, or anyone, know about what the other countries are thinking? They may even be developing superhuman soldiers as we speak. If we keep delaying, we may as well be squashed like a bug."

"Stop it. I can't continue to listen to any of this anymore," the leader complained, rubbing his forehead. "This meeting is adjourned." Without another word, everyone started packing up and and leaving. A few people threw harsh glares at the man who dared to even suggest the idea of creating superhumans as they exited the room. That man, however, kept his head down as he slowly packed his things away. Even after everyone has left, he still remained. All of a sudden, a shrill ringtone echoed through the empty room.

"Yes?" the man answered in a flat voice.

"Sir, all the preparations are ready. We await your orders."

The man's eyes narrowed dangerously as a smirk made his way across his face. "Proceed with the plan in, let's say half an hour. I will take care of things on my part." With that, he ended the call.

21 March, 4:15 PM

A small town on the outskirts of Osaka

"Thank you so much for hosting me and my son these past few days, Sakura," a Caucasian woman with long blond hair and bright green eyes said. She was seated under a cherry blossom tree, on the grass beside her friend, a Japanese woman, around the same age as her, with dark brown eyes and brown hair styled in a bob cut.

"Think nothing of it, Alice. It was my pleasure to let you and Arthur stay at our house," the Japanese woman replied sweetly. "I have to apologize, though. Japan is going through a rough time right now. At least Kiku got a new friend."

Alice giggled. "Yes, it seems so. Also, don't worry, I chose to visit you at this time myself. And I'm happy that Arthur has finally opened up to your son. My husband's death affected poor Arthur so much. You don't know how grateful I am to you and Kiku for helping Arthur be happy again."

"I have to admit, I don't know how they became friends," Sakura laughed. "Kiku prefers silence above anything, and that makes it hard for him to make new friends. Arthur sure is a strange child."

"Arthur himself enjoys a quiet atmosphere," Alice replied. "He also has great love for books and stories. Kiku must have had quite a lot of good stories to share with Arthur."

"He does," Sakura confirmed. "He also loves anything artsy. I even saw them trying to paint one of my vases together! Eight year olds are very precious, aren't they?"

Before Alice could reply, two young children barrelled into both women. Sakura and Alice looked down in alarm as both boys were shaking in fear and had tears in the corners of their eyes.

"Arthur, Kiku, what happened?" Alice asked. She and Sakura frantically checked both boys' bodies for any signs of injury, but found none.

"W-We heard loud noises," Arthur hiccuped. His tiny hands reached over and grabbed Kiku's for comfort, and Kiku squeezed back in understanding.

"W-We ran back as fast as we could," Kiku continued.

They didn't need to explain any further, as Alice and Sakura themselves saw what their children did. The drill of helicopters' rotors could be heard, softly at first, but as they approached, the sound became more and more deafening. Alice and Sakura picked up their children and ran back to Sakura's house in the town.

"I don't know what's happening, but this does not look good," Sakura commented. When they were about to reach the town, both women gawked at the sight. Everything was in chaos. Flames hauntingly lapped at the houses and shops. People ran while men in masks and uniforms chased them down. What caught the women's attention the most was what some men in masks were doing to children. They would just rip the children from their parents' arms, ignoring their pleading cries. Alice's and Sakura's eyes widened when they saw the gleam of a pistol in some of the men's hands.

As fast as they could, the two women ran to find shelter, trying to remain hidden from view and blocking out the horrifying cracks of multiple gunshots behind them. Most importantly, they had to find a space where their children could be safe.

"M-Mum…" young Arthur whined as he buried his face deeper into his mother's chest.

Young Kiku had his dark brown eyes eyes squeezed shut as he gripped his mother's clothes tighter and let out a small whimper. Sakura tightened her hold on her son and ran her hands through his hair comfortingly.

Out of the corner of her eye, Alice spotted an abandoned shed. She signalled Sakura to follow her as quietly as possible and to be on the lookout for any masked men. Alice led the way, and managed to pry open the door of the shed. She scuttled in and managed to find a tiny hiding spot in a corner for Arthur, so she kneeled down to help him hide.

"No! Let go!"

Alice suddenly heard Sakura's cry and with a quick peck on Arthur's forehead, Alice warned, "Arthur, don't come out okay? No matter what happens, stay hidden."

Young Arthur tried to reach out for his mom, but Alice swiftly covered up Arthur as much as she could and got on her feet to go help her friend.

Outside, Sakura was struggling to hold Kiku close to her while a masked man was trying to pry him away from her. Out of the blue, Alice tackled the man, and the two rolled around, trying to pin each other down.

"Sakura, run for it!" Alice yelled, still struggling with the masked man. She managed to hold him down for a while, but before anything else could be done, the sickening bang of a pistol reverberated through the air.

Sakura's eyes widened as she watched Alice go slack on top of the masked man. He then ruthlessly tossed Alice's body away. Sakura backed away as the masked man whose clothes were now splattered with Alice's blood, advanced towards her. Still holding Kiku, she turned and started to run, only to crash into another body. Another man in a mask. In her state of shock and confusion, she couldn't even hold onto Kiku as he was harshly torn from her arms. With no hesitation, the second masked man swiftly pulled out his handgun and put a bullet through Sakura's forehead.

Young Kiku thrashed about in his kidnapper's arms, trying to reach his mother, who was now lying, dead on the ground, with a pool of blood slowly expanding. The man who was holding Kiku whipped out a syringe and pierced the needle into Kiku's neck, making the child go limp. Once Kiku stopped thrashing, the two men nodded at each other, and approached the shed.

Inside, Arthur saw the silhouette of the two men as well as Kiku, limp in one of the man's arms. The young Brit tried to stay as still as possible and limited his breathing. He squeezed his eyes shut. Huge streams of tears were running down his face but nevertheless, he tried to do as his mother said, and stay hidden. One of the men confidently walked in. Each crunch of the gravel beneath his boots caused Arthur to curl up tighter into a ball, trying to make himself as small as he possible. He could hear the man searching other parts of the shed first, overturning objects and flipping up dirtied sheets. Soon, the man's footsteps advanced closer and closer to where Arthur was hiding. At this point, Arthur was taking shorter breaths and was starting to panic. Luckily for him, before the man could explore the area near him, a third man came to call the first two back.

"Boss said we should have enough for now. He wants us to come back."

"What if there are some people hidden in this shed?" the first man questioned.

"Burn it," the third man commanded.

Before long, Arthur noticed that it became harder to breathe and the heat was starting to make him feel lightheaded as well. However, he didn't want to risk being caught, so he stayed in his hiding spot for some more time. It was only when he could barely breathe anymore did he crawl out and try to exit the burning shed. Luckily, the masked men were all gone, so he didn't have to worry about being caught. Unfortunately, once he got to the entrance of the shed, the building collapsed, trapping the young boy beneath, and causing a severe burn on his back.

Arthur cried his eyes out and screamed. The skin on his back felt like it was melting and he couldn't move any part of his body at all. His green eyes, now red rimmed from crying, searched the landscape, trying to find survivors. Unluckily for the poor boy, his eyes landed on the body of his dead mother. Arthur's eyes widened in horror as he tried, with all his strength, to move his arm and reach out towards his mother.

"Mum…"

Soon, Arthur felt water on his skin. A few droplets at first, then a shower rained down. The rain gave Arthur a short reprieve from the burning pain, but it wouldn't bring his mother back, nor his new friend.

"Kiku...I...wish we could have played more together..."

Time passed, and the rain put out any and all of the fires in the town, but Arthur still lied there, trapped beneath the debris. He lost track of time and ran out of tears to cry. His eyelids slowly drooped as he felt himself being lulled to unconsciousness. Before he fully passed out, he heard the sound of car engines and a flurry of footsteps.

"Hey! There's a kid trapped over here!"

Arthur didn't know whether to laugh or to cry some more. Had the masked men come back to look for survivors and finish them off? Was this the end for him now?

"Hey, are you alright?"

Arthur painfully raised his head to look at the newcomer. It was definitely not one of the masked men. Instead of answering, Arthur just let out a pitiful sob and started sniffling.

More men arrived at the scene and started clearing the debris in order to get Arthur out. "Wow, this kid is tough," one of the men commented. "He's still hanging on even in this situation."

"We should've gotten here sooner," another man said. "We should've gotten here in time to protect this town."

"It's no use crying over spilt milk now," the first man chastised. "We need to get this child medical attention back at our base." He turned his attention back to Arthur, who now had his eyes closed. "Hey, what's your name?"

Arthur could barely hear anything anymore, but he managed to catch the man's question very faintly. "A-Arthur...Kirkland." With that, he promptly lost consciousness.

When Arthur regained consciousness, he couldn't remember a single thing about his life. His family, his friends, his hometown, not even his name. It took him several days to fully recover, and once everyone around him was sure that he would be able to be physically active again, the man who saved him, Roma Vargas, decided to have a talk with him. First, he reminded Arthur of his name, and proceeded to tell him about the condition they found him in. Arthur, having no memories whatsoever about his situation, just listened intently and nodded along, trying to process everything.

A few weeks later, Arthur was introduced to other people in the organization, which he learned, was named Seizen. He was also told that a large part of the world was currently at war due to different opinions on using genetically modified humans as weapons. Seizen was made up of people who were against genetic modifications. They also explained how their opposing group, Deoxyneo would raid towns and kidnap children in order to perform tests on them.

"Everyone here knows that many children don't survive those genetic modifications though," Roma explained as worry flashed in his eyes. "My grandsons were kidnapped as well. I will most likely never see them again, and I have accepted that fact."

Young Arthur's eyes widened in shock. "I-I'm sorry about that," the young Brit uncomfortably murmured. "But, what...what happens to them if they do...survive?"

"For one, they'd have abilities that normal humans can't have. Enhanced senses and healing are a couple of examples. Even though it sounds extremely beneficial for the military, it's just too unethical."

"...Why are there countries that support them then?"

"It's not whole countries that support them, it's the people," Roma continued. "Even within the countries, there are people who support human experimentation. As you can probably guess, these are the people who are safe from experimentation themselves and have connections everywhere. But of course, there are also many who condone it. Both our organization and theirs span many countries. As you have seen, there are many people from different countries here. You have also met some of the children under our care."

Arthur nodded. "Were they rescued, like me?"

"A lot of them were, yes," Roma answered. "Our goal is to raise all of you well and treat you as family. When you all are of age, you can decide whether you want to join Seizen or part with-"

"Can I decide right now?" Arthur calmly asked.

Roma blinked a couple of times, slightly surprised. "If you want, yes. It's completely your decision, but usually-"

"Then I would definitely want to be a part of this group. I would like to help fight," Arthur further elaborated. "I don't remember what happened to me, but I do know that I don't like them at all. They probably killed my friends and family, didn't they?"

Roma solemnly nodded. "I have no doubt that they did. Are you sure you wouldn't rather be working behind the scenes when you grow up?"

"I want to work in the front lines," Arthur repeated again.

Seeing the young boy's eyes sparkle with determination, Roma respectfully gave in to his wishes. "We train our fighters at a young age, around yours, and there are not many children willing to put themselves in this position like you are. Are you willing to spend every waking moment learning fighting techniques and training?"

Arthur nodded firmly. "I want to do this."

"Deoxyneo's fighters are very tough enemies. They have enhanced abilities, so you will have to work twice, no, even three times as hard. Even so, you are willing to go through with this?"

"Yes."

"Very well, Arthur. Expect your training to begin tomorrow."

"Are you going to be there?"

Roma chuckled. "I am one of the instructors, but I train the older recruits." He kneeled down and ruffled Arthur's hair playfully. "I look forward to seeing you grow, Arthur."

15 years later

A 23 year old Arthur, with his long, red coat draped over his shoulders, strut down the hallway with his eyes were glued to the screen of his smartphone. The world now was in total chaos, with people from both Deoxyneo and Seizen basically at war with each other. Arthur quickly climbed the ranks and was able to be a part of the front lines once he became a teenager. Now, he was the leader of a faction, and almost no one else could rival his abilities. Despite the fact that he had undergone no genetic modifications, Arthur's skills surpassed those of a normal human, deeming him as a trump card.

As he walked, he scanned through the list of possible missions he could participate in. Just as he turned the corner, someone slung an arm over his shoulders.

"Arthur, mon ami, have you picked a mission to go on?"

Arthur turned his head to come face to face with one of his closest friends. "Get off me, frog," Arthur growled as he slapped Francis's arm away. Although they were friends, they also picked fights with each other a lot of the time.

"You wound me, Arthur," Francis dramatically gasped. "I am just a bit worried about you since you have not gone on a mission in a while."

Arthur sighed. "I can't find a mission that interests me enough."

"Hmm," Francis hummed. He then whipped out his mini tablet and started scrolling down. He suddenly stopped at a file, opened the information in it, and handed the tablet to Arthur. "I think you may be interested in this."

Arthur read through the notes quickly, and by the time he was done, his eyes were gleaming with amusement and interest. "As expected of you, Francis. You can dig for information really well."

"A compliment from Arthur Kirkland," Francis mused. "It must be my lucky day."

"Go back to collecting information," Arthur shooed. "I am grateful for your help, though. Take care, Francis. I'm going to help out some of our men."

"Kiku...this doesn't feel right at all…"

A young man with light brown hair and a wayward curl sticking out to the side weakly complained. His narrowed honey colored irises as he tried to focus on a faraway town. There were armed guards swarming the area as well as some patrol cars with Seizen's logo on the doors.

"Feliciano-kun, I do not mind if you decide not to come. Ludwig-san and I will be more than enough to wipe them all out."

Kiku, dressed in an all black uniform with a dark purple cape covering his back, continued cleaning his katana. After making sure that the blade was clear as can be, he sheathed it and walked over to stand beside his companions.

The third man named Ludwig questioned, "I wonder why there are a lot more guards than there usually are here."

"They are finally realizing that mere humans cannot match up against us," Kiku answered.

Feliciano turned to Kiku and stared at him with large, curious eyes. "Kiku, why do you follow the organization's orders so loyally? Aren't you mad at all?" Feliciano lowered his voice to a whisper, "After what they've done to us? After they ripped us from our friends and family?"

"I…" Kiku trailed off. All of a sudden, a stabbing pain shot through Kiku's head, causing him to shout out in pain.

"Kiku!" Feliciano and Ludwig cried out, concerned for their friend.

Once Kiku recovered, he straightened himself and focused his bright red eyes on Felicano. "Like I have told you before, Feliciano-kun, I do not remember anything about my past, nor do I remember being experimented on." He turned to focus his attention on the town he was supposed to capture. "I do know, however, that being in Deoxyneo has allowed me to meet and befriend the two of you. I even have senses that surpass those of normal humans. So do you and Ludwig." He chuckled darkly before continuing, "So why should I resent them?"

Feliciano and Ludwig just stared at Kiku with sadness and pity swimming in their eyes. Feliciano finally spoke, "Good luck, Kiku and Ludwig. I'm not going to go after all."

"Suit yourself, Feliciano-kun," Kiku answered as he fixed his earpiece to make sure that he would be able to hear Feliciano during his mission. He was about to head over to the town, but for a while, he caught a glimpse of Ludwig's pained expression out of the corner of his eye. He continued, "Ludwig-san, if you choose to remain behind with Feliciano and protect him, you should do so." Ludwig looked surprised for a second, but then firmly nodded, prompting Kiku to nod back and run towards the town.

Kiku reached the town faster than even he expected, and once he neared the gate, he slid out his katana and started attacking, not even giving his opponents the chance to draw their weapons. In no time, Kiku had wiped out more than half of the guards and had also infiltrated the town. Inside, there were more guards, of course, but being the fighting machine he was made to be, Kiku easily tore through them as well.

"This is going to be another easy capture," Kiku thought as he finished off his opponents one by one with a bored expression on his face. Bodies of fallen men were scattered around Kiku, who was now the only one standing, with splotches of blood decorating his uniform.

"Kiku, I see their backup coming!" Feliciano warned through the earpiece.

"I can handle it," Kiku reassured, but before Feliciano could further elaborate, Kiku heard someone behind him coming towards him at a very fast speed. The dark haired man swiftly spun around and clashed blades with a blond man that he had not seen before. Kiku narrowed his eyes and decided to finish the fight in a matter of seconds like he did with the guards, but for some reason, his new opponent wouldn't go down so easily.

"Hmm, you're one of the more successful experiments, I'm guessing," the blond man commented in the middle of their fight.

"And you are one of the more competent fighters," Kiku fired back. After some more parries, he leaped back to create a good distance between them. "Unlike your pathetic guards you actually know how to fight well."

The blond chuckled. "Your organization's people aren't all that great either. You're the first one I've fought who can actually keep up with me."

Both men had smug grins on their faces. "I am called Kiku Honda," Kiku introduced. "It is customary to introduce yourself, is it not?"

"I'm Arthur Kirkland. Remember my name well," Arthur warned as he prepared to launch another attack.

Kiku and Arthur kept clashing blades multiple times, but both of them managed to inflict a few injuries on each other. Arthur got tired faster though, since his stamina wasn't as good as Kiku's.

"Kiku, Kiku! Come back now, please!" Feliciano begged in a panicked voice. "Don't waste all your strength here. The boss doesn't want you to tire yourself out here."

A part of Kiku wanted to ignore Feliciano's voice, but he knew he couldn't say no to the boss. "I even found a good opponent today too. Too bad."

Kiku delivered a well timed kick to Arthur's chest, making the blond fly back a few feet. "Unfortunately, Kirkland, I do not have the time to continue this. I am grateful to have fought you, however. You are an opponent worthy of my time. I hope we meet again." With that, Kiku dashed off, leaving Arthur coughing in the dust.

Both Arthur and Kiku were satisfied with their fight that day, and they kept hoping for a chance to face each other again. Fortunately for them, after that day, Kiku somehow showed up at almost every mission Arthur decided to go on, giving them a chance to clash swords multiple times. Finally, they just decided to meet somewhere for a duel, without any disturbances, leading them to the remnants of Kiku's hometown which he doesn't even recognize anymore.

The full moon shone brightly above the two men. Kiku was on his knees, taking in deep breaths while Arthur strode up to him nonchalantly.

"What was that…?" Kiku thought in a panic as he tried to recall the image that flashed in his mind.

He kept his head down, but could feel that Arthur had his saber pointed at Kiku's head. "Hey, Honda, are those experiments finally getting to you?" Arthur sneered.

Kiku still had his head down, trying to summon the image again. He was just about to give up, but when he finally lifted his head and found himself drawn to Arthur's glowing green eyes, the image he saw in his mind started to become a bit clearer.

Similarly, since Arthur was able to see Kiku's red eyes clearly now, he found himself being lost in those pools of red. At the same time, he felt his heart wrench a little, as if his body was telling him that those eyes were not supposed to be bright red at all. That they weren't supposed to resemble blood so much. Arthur himself was immobilized, and his mind started to forcefully dig up old memories.

Both men's eyes widened as a flood of images and memories suddenly hit them full force. Kiku squeezed his eyes shut again and put a hand on the side of his head, trying unsuccessfully to relieve an oncoming headache. Arthur dropped his saber as well and stumbled back a few steps.

"Kiku, do you like reading?"

"Yes. Have you ever read manga before?"

"Manga? I haven't. Are they like comic books?"

"They are. They are also very interesting to read. Would you like to borrow some of my books?"

"I'd love to!"

"Arthur-san, do you think mom will get mad if I bring this dog home?"

"I don't think she will...Doesn't she like animals?"

"She does, but I do not know if we will be able to take good care of him."

"You and Miss Sakura will do a great job taking care of him! Ask her and give it a try."

"I will! And I will name him 'Pochi'. Thanks for helping me decide, Arthur-san."

"What's that noise?" a young Arthur asked.

Young Kiku's ears perked up, trying to catch the sound Arthur mentioned. "I'm not very sure."

"I don't feel very safe here."

"Let us go back, Arthur-san. I'm sorry, I wanted to play some more."

"No, it's okay. Let's get back to our moms quickly."

The two men panted heavily, still overwhelmed from the sudden onslaught of memories. Once they recovered, Kiku stood up and stared incredulously at Arthur. Arthur, with his mouth agape, also stared back at Kiku, his eyes shining with hope.

"You're...Kiku from back then," Arthur finally voiced. He took a step closer to the dark haired man, and then took another step slowly.

"Arthur...san…?" Kiku trailed. He too, slowly took a couple of steps towards Arthur.

Once the two of them were closer, Arthur continued, "You survived….You're here…"

"You...survived as well," Kiku breathed. "I...I cannot believe I did not remember anything until now."

"Me neither," Arthur agreed. He focused his attention back to Kiku's red irises. "Your eyes...did they...was it a product of the tests?"

Kiku self-consciously raised his hand and lightly touched the corner of one of his eyes. "Ah, it probably is."

"You used to have brown eyes."

Kiku nodded. "Yes."

Before any of them could continue the conversation, Kiku's earpiece started beeping consistently. He sucked in a sharp breath, and then walked over to his katana, picked it up, and sheathed it. "I am sorry, but I have to leave."

"Wait-!" Arthur reached out a hand to try and stop him, but Kiku was already dashing away as fast as he could, which was much faster than Arthur could run. He slowly dropped his raised arm and stared at Kiku's disappearing silhouette.

"We'll get a chance to see each other again," Arthur thought. He balled his hands into fists, frustrated at the thought of Kiku having gone through numerous genetic experiments and yet, still remains loyal to the group for some reason. "I just hope that organization doesn't do anything else to him."

The end! Ah…I hope that was okay. ^^; At first I wasn't too sure of what I wanted to write for the Imperial prompt since I wasn't sure what type of story I would want to make with them being Teikoku Shimaguni. But after sitting in the library for some time, this idea just popped up and I decided to go with a human AU with Imperial personalities! Also, unfortunately I don't think I'll have time to write for the other prompts anymore because I have so many more things I need to do for the weekend. ;-;)

I'm really bad at coming up with names, so forgive my awful names for the organizations. ;-; For the Seizen, I just thought of using "seibutsu" (生物) which is biology, and "shizen" (自然), which means natural in Japanese, and combined them partially, making "Seizen" (生前), which, with this kanji, means "during one's lifetime". And Deoxyneo (it sounds so strange) I got from just taking the "deoxy" for "deoxyribose nucleic acid" and combining it with "neo".

I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! ^_^ Reviews are much appreciated, so please tell me what you guys thought!