Disclaimer: The Executioner, The Watcher, The Chooser, and Hotaru (along with some assorted Fangaire) all belong to me, but pretty much everybody else doesn't.
Note: This is an AU written early on in the series (in fact, I started writing it just before I saw episode 3, and finished it after episode 4). In that time, TV-Asahi changed the spelling of the main villains three times (Fangaia, Fangaire, Fangire), so I stuck with the middle spelling that was used during most of the time I wrote the fic. Certain elements that showed up later in the canon storyline (such as Nago) are absent because they had yet to be introduced when I wrote this.
Boxed In
by Estirose
c 2008
Part 1
She surveyed the reports and files with a faint air of distaste. She'd spent years tracking the various hunter groups in Japan - and some around the world - making sure they were not a threat to her people.
She herself was nondescript, quiet, didn't make waves. The local populace was used to her, used to the fact that she only came out to feed, didn't bother her. The rise of technology meant that she didn't have to. She had moles in hunter groups that reported to her, agents ever vigilant looking for new groups and individuals.
Her files categorized each group and individual, evaluating their threat to her own people in certain criteria - their beliefs, their fanaticalness, their ability to carry out an attack. Some hated all of her kind, the Fangaire, considering them parasites upon humans; others only wanted to execute the Fangaire who attacked humans, killed them.The Fangaire had their own executioner for those cases, but some humans wanted to do it anyway, no matter how much the Fangaire pointed out that the rogues were under control.
She opened one file. Group 17-A-R. It had been operating for some thirty years, enough to have some second generation members. Its members were only after the rogues, which had made them less of a threat, until yesterday. She remembered the phone call from her mole within their group.
He'd used a service that made it hard for his cell to trace his calls. Call a number, hang up, have it call you back, and then dial the number. She recommended that all her agents and moles use it if possible, to make it harder to be found out. And this mole was sensible - he used it for everything, from her independent examination of his own records. Never trust moles completely, after all.
"They have Kivat," he said simple, the simple sentence making even her shiver. Kivat was a sentient, biomechanical bat that gave its possessor the ability to form the Kiva armor, an armor effective against her own kind.
"Who wields it?" she asked, letting no trace of her fear enter her voice. He no doubt thought her the shadowy voice that reported to a true master, as if a woman couldn't be responsible for running their intelligence operation.
"I don't know," his voice was hesitant. "I couldn't ask without seeming suspicious." She'd always counseled patience with her agents and moles; it was good that this one was heeding her advice. "Kivat rests in Kurenai Otoya's house."
"Understood," she said, terminating the call.
And now she was looking at the records. Kurenai Otoya, a violinist and violinmaker. Reports painted him as a romantic and a womanizer. He had one son, Wataru, who looked like he'd follow his father in both the violinmaking and the hunting aspects of his life. Wataru was one of two second-generation members; Aso Megumi was the other. Little was known about Wataru's mother; how Otoya had gained custody was also a mystery, and he'd never married.
To use the Kiva armor, they'd need either a sympathetic Fangaire to donate blood to a human wielder, or a half-Fangaire, a Fandiri. Enough Fangaire blood in the wielder's system and the armor would form. She hoped it was not a Fandiri; to have humans pervert the children of the Fangaire against them made even her blood boil. If it was a hunter-raised Fandiri, they'd have a hard time holding on to the child, much less rehabilitating it.
It would take a little time, going through each member's records and discovering any irregularities that meant that this group had hidden a Fandiri; she'd pay special attention to Wataru's and Megumi's records, with Wataru's records of the more importance because of the seeming lack of them. Humans were not supposed to have custody of the Fandiri; the Fandiri were the Fangaire's children, and were raised as such.
The next difficulty would be in isolating either child for testing. The testing was easy enough, the right herbs, the right food, they would cause the hidden Fandiri to show their true ancestry, a blush that echoed their Fangaire ancestors'. Most hidden Fandiri were taught to avoid those foods, those herbs, to run and hide if accidentally exposed. And their hunter parents would protect their Fandiri offspring, and become fanatical if their child was taken away.
She could do without another fanatical hunter group.
Investigation first. Then she'd figure out what to do if it turned out that there was a Fandiri in this hunter group's midst. That delicate operation probably wasn't hers to do anyway; all she could do was advise them on how to proceed. And hope that they didn't botch things.
The Executioner sipped at his tea. "A hidden Fandiri. Interesting." He was average too; someone that most humans wouldn't take a second look at, most Fangaire either. Neither of them associated much with other Fangaire, their duties too important to deal with the rest of their kind. She liked it, and she knew that he liked it too. He looked over at her, studying her, smiling as if she was the greatest thing in the world.
"Interesting to you. Dangerous to the rest of us." She took a sip of her own tea. "Hunter groups aren't as harmless to the rest of us as they are to you."
"This is what happens when you raise Fandiri to not know how to hunt," he pointed out. "If they knew how to hunt, knew how to defend themselves, then the human hunters wouldn't be so dangerous to most of them." He settled back in his chair. "A side effect of making sure we don't cull the humans to the point where they're not useful."
"Hunter-born Fandiri aren't exactly compliant when they're caught," she pointed out. "The last few have had to be kept confined for the rest of their lives. They either try to kill us or they go back to their groups. They never accept what they are."
He grinned. "To them, that is what they are; you've got to understand their mindset. To them, Fangaire - at least some of us - are the enemy. It's like dealing with a rogue."
"That's your area, not mine," she said. She eyed the roll, so innocent-looking. A Fandiri would blush for hours after eating it; for her, it caused a brief, rainbow-colored blush to appear on her skin.
"Of course," he told her. "Our jobs are simple. I end lives, Chooser finds worthy new ones, and you make sure the humans don't kill us." He grinned again. "My job is simple; I don't envy Chooser."
She nodded. Unspoken was the fact that even among the rare Fandiri, most of them would live mortal lives, grow old, and die. It was only when the Fangaire were in need of replenishing their numbers was Chooser called to find worthy Fandiri to convert to Fangaire. There were a few exceptions - her successor, Executioner's, Chooser's - their apprentices would be converted as soon as they were ready - or at least legal adults.
"Watcher," he said, leaning forward and addressing her by her title, "I think I know what to do with Kiva's wielder. And if you're right, your little rogue Fandiri."
"Tell me," she said, intrigued.
"It's not well-known, but the Kiva armor can be shattered," he said. "It's not well known because it's hard to pull off. But I've shattered the armor several times, it can be done."
She gave a tight nod. If the armor could be shattered, all well and good, but that would put the human or Fandiri inside in danger if they were near a rogue. Not that she cared much for hunters, but even misraised Fandiri were their people, their children, and a human life was worth saving. Even if only to be fed off of later.
"There's a rogue that I've just confirmed," he said. "A rogue that's killing humans. We've kept it under wraps, but it would be a perfect opportunity to leak it to your hunter group. I'm sure they'd deploy Kiva - they'd be insane not to."
She nodded again. "You'd have to stop Kiva before engaging the rogue. If there's no Fandiri, if Kiva's wielder is human..."
"Human or Fandiri, I'll make sure they're safe," he said. "Then I'll contain the rogue." She didn't need to question what would happen next - if Kiva's wielder was human, they'd be warned, and then taken to a Fangaire-run hospital until their blood was clear of Fangaire elements; if it turned out to be a Fandiri - Kurenai Wataru, if she guessed right - then they'd be taken into custody. "I'd like to take custody of this one. A Fandiri who knows how to fight would be a good apprentice."
"If he is one, he's apt to run away," she warned. "It won't be all fun and games." Though, for the Executioner, it might be; he was not exactly typical.
"I know," Executioner said. "I've talked to the ones who had custody of them. It's because they expect that these kids will be able to adapt - and then they handle them like that. They should be going with the hunter instincts, not trying to suppress them."
"And you want to try your hand at it?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. Somehow, he didn't strike her as being a good choice for a parent, more likely to play games with an apprentice than properly raise them.
"If it is a hunter-raised Fandiri," the Executioner said, "He won't understand what most Fangaire would try pushing on him. Me, on the other hand, I know what it's like to hunt and fight. I think he'd feel more comfortable with me."
"Or she," the Watcher pointed out. "Kurenai Wataru's records could have been made in such a way to distract us if, say, Aso Megumi is their real Fandiri. If they have one."
"I don't care," the Executioner said. "Either way, it's a feral child. I'm probably the only one that can handle it. And you know that the Council's been pushing me to find an apprentice anyway."
"Usually, that means someone fosters them first, and then you find them and persuade them, not foster the child in the first place," she felt obligated to point out.
He shrugged. "Why not cut out the middleman and get it right in the first place?"
"You're serious?" she asked. "He - or she - is going to be a lot of work."
"I'm always up for a challenge," he said, taking a large sip of his tea. "And it'll keep me in practice."
She shook her head. "You're impossible."
He answered with a laugh. "Maybe I am."
Executioner kept Watcher's words in mind, though, as he hid. The rogue Fangaire was in his house, waiting for the pretty girl he'd invited that night to snack upon. Watcher had promised him that she'd found a realistic way to alert this hunter cell, and just the hunter cell they wanted, and so they should be coming. Or at least Kiva's wielder should. There would be a complication if the others came, though he'd brought his own restraints for Kiva's wielder, restraints that would keep said wielder from being carried off by his cell members while the Executioner's back was turned.
The girl went to the door, the rogue invited her in. He'd take his time, the Executioner knew; the rogues usually liked to play with their food. If the Executioner could save the innocent human, he would, but capturing Kiva and then taking care of the rogue - preferably capturing him as well, but if needed, the execution would take place then and there. After all, there was a possible Fandiri child to keep safe, not to mention the human if she was at risk.
He heard conversation soon after, quiet conversation. One speaker was bobbing up and down, one was steady. He recognized the bobber; it was Kivat, and the other voice was male. Kurenai Wataru, perhaps? He wouldn't know until he saw the person in question; he'd at least seen all the photos for the members of that cell.
The biomechanical bat floated into his view, followed by another form. Kurenai Wataru, he recognized the boy from the pictures. Kiva's wielder, it seemed. Talking about their target.
As the Executioner watched, Wataru reached for Kivat, capturing the bat in his hand and then bringing him down to bite his other hand. Patterns formed on his body - face and neck, actually, though Executioner had no doubt that the pattern continued under his clothing - and Executioner took a breath. Hunter-raised Fandiri Wataru was, then, and as a Fandiri, had to be neutralized and taken to safety quickly.
The armor formed, and Executioner watched as Wataru-as-Kiva walked past. He'd have to strike fast, and blessed the fact that the rogue had soundproofed his manor, not likely being able to hear the fight. He struck quickly, and soon the Kiva armor was dissolving, Kurenai Wataru laying on the ground. He picked the boy up before Wataru had a chance to fully regain his senses, dropping him into the box he'd prepared earlier, and locking it. It would be too heavy for the rest of his cell to move quickly, and the Executioner should be done with his true prey before they could otherwise get him out.
Then he took care of the rogue. The rogue forced him to execute then and there, which he didn't mind, but he knew the council did. They liked to draw the death out, make sure the one who killed understood why he or she had to die. Executioner preferred the clean way, the fast way.
As the shaken human thanked him, he sipped a little bit of her energy to help regain some of his own. She didn't seem to mind, they never did. He just smiled, gave her the card of a local trauma counselor sympathetic to the Fangaire, and escorted her out.
Kivat dove at him several times as he went back to retrieve Wataru. Once he got to where he'd put the boy, he could see why; Aso Yuri was standing there, weapon at hand, while Wataru's father Otoya was attempting to pick the lock. He wondered where Aso Yuri's daughter was, and then decided probably someplace nearby. "I suggest," he said, "That you leave the area. The occupant of that box is under my protection."
"The occupant of that box," Aso Yuri said sharply, "Is not going to become your next meal."
He stopped himself from laughing at her. "You know as well as I do, Aso Yuri, on what the boy is. And why I can't allow your group to keep him."
"You," she said, gesturing with her weapon, "Are not going to be allowed to kill any more humans."
This time, he did laugh. "I am not the rogue, Aso-san," he said. "He was my kill, and I took care of that one." He didn't shift out of his armored form; he wasn't stupid. "That one, on the other hand, is the Fandiri child your group has hidden for seventeen years." At that point, Kurenai Otoya had managed to unlock the third tumbler and pop the lid of the box. "And before you run off with him, thinking you can keep him away, I'll let you know this: he will be registered and he and your cell will be hunted until he is safe."
Kurenai was helping his son out of the box, Aso was standing firmly in his way. He really couldn't blame them for thinking he was the rogue, and even if he wasn't, a danger to Wataru; hunter cells had a bad tendency to do that. Hurting them and taking the boy would only make them fanatical, and he owed it to the Watcher to not let that happen.
"I am the Executioner," he said, noting from Aso Yuri's posture that she recognized the name. "I have done my duty. I have killed the rogue you sent Wataru after. But Wataru is Fandiri, not human. He doesn't belong in your world."
"Kivat?" Aso Yuri asked, not taking her eyes off of him.
"He is who he says he is," the bat responded. Kivat wasn't on his side, the Executioner knew he wasn't, but he was glad that the bat would affirm his identity. He didn't want to fight with these people, just protect the child.
"Wataru is human," Aso Yuri said. "I can guarantee that."
Executioner snorted. "Then why don't we all go down to the local hospital and test him? If he's not, I relinquish my claim." He knew she wouldn't; he knew that the tests would confirm what Wataru was, then and there. Kurenai was disappearing with Wataru, and Executioner strode forward. "I don't hurt humans unless I have to," he said. "But if you don't move out of the way, I will." It was an empty threat, he knew he'd have to let them leave to preserve the peace. Besides, he knew what the boy was, he could be retrieved. It would be good to match wits with the hunter cell, test Wataru's skills. He'd know what training the boy needed when he gained custody of him.
Suddenly letting the boy go seemed like a really good idea.
Bullets struck his armor, bouncing off harmlessly. He turned to look at the source. Aso Megumi; he recognized her too. But he said nothing. He turned back around, to look at her mother and to watch Wataru.
But the boy and his father were gone. Mentally sighing, he strode away, not in the direction the Kurenais had likely gone, not threatening in any way to the Aso family. For the moment, they had Wataru... but he'd get the boy back.
"So, you had him, and you lost him." Her tone was not judgmental, she endeavored to keep it neutral and unattached.
"Temporarily," he said. "We know where he lives, what's the hurry? We want them to relax. Besides, you didn't want them turning radical on you."
"No, but I was rather hoping that you'd have at least tried to retrieve him," she said. "Though I hear the Council is less forgiving about that than I am."
"They still gave me custody," he pointed out. He examined her files, the ones that she had brought. "Technically, Kurenai Otoya doesn't have any legal authority over Wataru anymore. I just have to pick Wataru up."
"By waiting for him to transform again?" she asked, watching as he flipped through photographs. At least he was careful to keep her items in order. "They'll be anticipating that."
"I've assured the council that I will have Wataru in my home within a month," he said. "Right now, he's in hiding. Give them a week, and he might be allowed to go out. I'll hunt him then."
"You've started calling him by his first name, then," she noted.
"He is my child, Watcher," he reminded her. "And my apprentice. I called him such before the council."
"You have to find him first," she said, taking the file back.
"And try not to enrage the hunter cell he's in." the Executioner leaned forward. "You know, that cell would do a lot of good if we brought them in."
She could have been forgiven if she dropped the file, scattering the contents about on his floor. But she didn't, because she retained enough control, even though she nearly did, and she frantically straightened the papers and photos.
"Or at least let them be involved," he said, musing it through. "It might make them happy. And that would remove any complications with Wataru; if he's happy, if they can see that he's doing what he's been brought up to do, they might back off."
"You're proposing diplomacy with a hunter cell?" she asked.
"Why not?" the Executioner asked in response. "That would give the next Executioner some hunter ties, and if we worked on making sure that cell stays alive and reproducing, there might be several generations for us to draw on. Can you imagine third and fourth generation hunters that are willing to help instead of hinder us?"
"They wouldn't precisely be a hunter cell," she pointed out. "They'd be a group of helpers, nothing more. And how do you plan to breed hunters without making them resent it?"
He shrugged. "I'll figure out a way. Bring in new members, have them get married, make sure the next generation's indoctrinated. Can't be that hard."
"Speaking of that cell," she said, making sure her file was still straight and together, "You do realize you've left a Fandiri not only with humans, but with a hunter cell?"
The Executioner shrugged again. "It's not like they're going to harm him, Watcher. I'll have custody of him eventually... why make it more painful than it has to be? Besides, it's a hunter cell. I trust them to take care of him until I can hunt and capture him."
She resisted commenting on how strange it sounded to her, much less other Fangaire. Humans might be needed to feed upon and breed with, protected because of that, but she'd never heard of leaving a Fandiri with a biological human parent. It ran counter to making them suitable to being changed into Fangaire. Then again, if Wataru was the Executioner's apprentice, he was allowed some eccentricity; he'd be changed regardless.
"I'm aware of the risks, Watcher," the Executioner said. "I think they're worth it if I can do this."
"If you can do this," she echoed. She looked down at the file. "This is a risk that could destroy us."
"Or maybe just me," the Executioner said. "I better get Wataru and start training him then. You never know when we're going to need a new Executioner." His tone was laced with a wry humor. "Now that he's named as my successor, at least there will be a succession. Humans and Fangaire wither without change; I figure five years into the twenty-first century is a good time to start bridging ties with the hunters."
He got up. "Thank you, Watcher, for letting me look at these again. I'm sorry I won't be available for a while. I'll be busy hunting my apprentice and training him."
"I have a feeling that you will do what you need to do," she said simply.
Grinning at her, he bowed and left the room.
tbc...
