Like I said, this story is an experiment. It's a little short than I usually write. Please enjoy.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea.
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"Live. You must…live."
Faint, garbled words from somewhere above him. Contradicting them were the fierce whispers inside his pounding head – "Keep your eyes closed. Never open them. Refuse to live for her."
But the voice refused to relent.
"Live…live! You're the last…the last chance I have…"
Drops of liquid assaulted his face. Hot, salty trails made their way slowly down his chubby toddler cheeks. The thought of seeing this person suddenly became irresistible.
At first, his eyes could open only a little. A thin line of crimson appeared between dark lashes to glimpse golden hair. All at once the internal voice, which had never been more than a whisper, screamed.
"Light! The enemy! Hurry, close your eyes!"
He complied immediately, squeezing his eyes shut again. The voice frightened him. However, the movement didn't go unnoticed.
"You're…you're alive, aren't you?" Hope was injected into the voice.
Soft, thin hands encircled his body and lifted him into a pair of arms. He realized that he was very small compared to this person. Fingers pressed lightly against the fabric of his shirt to feel for a pulse. His strong heart betrayed him.
"Open your eyes. Open your eyes…Hiroshi." The voice coxed.
Now this interested him. He never was called anything before. The whispering voice always spoke indirectly, never mentioning any names.
He dared to open his eyes. Innocent scarlet eyes met intense blue ones.
The face smiled softly, suddenly looking very kind. She nestled the boy's face into the crook of her neck, where he could faintly feel her wavering pulse. It was a very comforting, safe position.
"You are here at last." she whispered lovingly.
"My precious, precious Hiroshi."
The little boy clutched her closer, absorbing her warmth into his cold body.
He could hardly hear the screaming voice in the back of his head.
--- --- --- ---
"May?"
The golden-haired woman turned around with a smile, watching the little boy trail after her, arms held out.
He was only a little older, probably only five or six, with bobbed ebony hair and stubby Umbreon ears. His tail swished with excitement as he reached up to her.
"May, May! Are you going outside now?" he asked, tugging at her kimono.
"That's right. You like it outside, don't you Hiro? Come with me."
She took one of his tiny wrists and gently led him outside. The breeze was blowing serenely, rushing over the serene yard outside the intimidating chrome building. He closed his eyes as he was led, trying to burn every second into his brain.
He hadn't heard the voice in a long time.
Outside waiting for them were two children. One of them seemed just about Hiroshi's age, a cute little girl with curly blonde hair.
"Hiro-chan!" she called, running towards him with arms outstretched.
"Li-chan!" he responded, running to her and playfully tackling her to the ground.
Amidst their giggles, the third child interrupted, "Hey, don't leave me out."
Hiroshi looked up at the older boy. The sun glinted off his dark gold hair, illuminating his smiling face. He helped them both up and dusted off his sister.
"Come on, Lily and Hiro! I know a place where we can play!"
Hiroshi looked tentatively back at May, who nodded. It was approved. He could go.
"Oi, Hiro! We're going!"
"Ah, coming!" he replied, following them into the green paradise.
--- --- --- ---
"Hiro-chan, have you ever met my daddy?"
Both Hiroshi and May looked up from the book they were reading together. Lily had walked into the room, lingering in the doorway in her nightgown. The innocent question affected them in different ways.
Hiroshi was curious. "Your daddy…? The professor?! Ah, I haven't met him! I want to!"
May's expression tensed. "No, he can't see you!" she replied harshly.
Hiroshi and Lily jumped, unaccustomed to her using such a harsh tone. Her expression immediately changed to apologetic, the tense lines of worry still across her face.
"Ah…I mean…" she fumbled for an answer in front of the children, who were staring at her worriedly.
"Hiro is…a surprise…for the professor! Yes, that's right! You're a surprise, Hiro – you don't want to ruin the surprise, right?" She smoothed his dark hair with a trembling hand.
His scarlet eyes widened in understanding. He bobbed his head up and down, replying, "Yeah, I understand! I'll be the best surprise ever!"
"Good…whenever he comes, hide, okay?" she mumbled, running distracted fingers through his hair.
"Okay." he replied.
The story was finished, Hiroshi falling asleep long before it ended. May pulled the covers carefully over the boy, smoothing his hair one last time before leaving the room.
She paused in the doorway, staring back at him with narrowed blue eyes. She then turned off the light and wandered into the hallway.
It was the first indication that anything was wrong.
--- --- --- ---
"Waaaaah!!!"
"Waaaaah!!!"
The twin screams came from inside the lab room, immediately following the shatter of glass. May rushed into the room immediately, worry etched onto her face.
Lily and Hiroshi were sitting on the ground, crying loudly with broken glass all around them. Lily had a few cuts, but Hiroshi was hurt far worse. The two seven-year-olds continued to bawl their eyes out.
"Lily!" shrieked May, snatching up her daughter. "Are you okay? What were you doing? Oh god, I'm going to have to clean that up…"
She was almost out the door when she was stopped by a small whine. She turned back to see Hiroshi staring at her with wide, teary eyes, ears pinned back to his head. A pool of blood was forming around his glass pierced feet.
"Oh…Hiro…" She hesitated, then walked back, gingerly stepping around the glass shards. She struggled to pick him up with one arm, then carried both children out of the room.
It was after both children had been cleaned up and May had left the room that Hiroshi spoke up.
"Li-chan…why did May almost leave me there?" he whispered, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Gee, I don't know Hiro-chan… Maybe it's 'cause you're not her kid?" Lily guessed, a finger on her chin.
Hiroshi's face fell. "But…why? Haven't I always been a good boy? Hasn't she always acted like my mommy? Why would she stop now?"
"You don't understand, Hiro."
The two children on the bathroom sink looked up to see Chris walking into the room. The eleven year old walked over to his sister and inspected her knee.
"What don't I understand, Chris?"
Chris looked up, fixing his hazel eyes on Hiroshi's crimson ones. He then reached up and tapped the golden circle on the boy's forehead.
"You're not her kid, Hiro. Of course she'd be more worried about Lily than you. You're not our brother. Geez, I'm not even sure that you're human." His voice was blunt, but not malicious.
Hiroshi's voice wavered. "Not…not human? You mean my ears and tail? But I'm mostly normal, aren't I? Besides…May said that my Umbreon D…D…DNA made me special."
"Well it doesn't, okay!" Chris replied harshly. He slid his sister off the counter and grabbed onto her wrist. "It's not fair that our mother always favors you!"
He dragged Lily to the door and added quietly, "This…this is only fair. She's our mother, not yours…"
He continued to drag Lily out into the hall, leaving Hiroshi alone in the room. The boy curled up in a ball and cried, stroking the bandages that May had tied herself.
--- --- --- ---
May watched the children playing from the shadows, blue eyes narrowed. They were playing tag or something, running around and laughing. It seemed that Chris and Hiroshi were getting along today – that was good, because then Lily wouldn't cry.
She noted vaguely that the children were growing. Hiroshi was getting tall, already outgrowing the jeans she had given him just that year. He was already ten, and she could tell he would be handsome. Lily was the same age but a couple inches shorter, with curly blonde hair falling to her shoulders. She bore a striking resemblance to May. Chris, being four years older, was a foot taller than the two. His dark honey hair glistened as he reached out a long arm to tag Hiroshi.
"There isn't much longer…" she whispered to herself, burying her face in her pale hands.
"He doesn't have much longer."
--- --- --- ---
"YOU'RE LYING!!!" May shrieked, trying to struggle past a man her age with dark green hair.
"May, calm down! There's…there's nothing to be done." he replied, restraining her.
"LIAR! You're lying, Ryuji! He can't…he can't…HE CAN'T BE DEAD!"
The three children stood to the side, remaining silent. The boys stood on either side of Lily, clutching her hands. Hiroshi glanced to his right solemnly to see tears rolling down Lily's cheeks. She was shaking and squeezing her eyes shut, trying so hard not to make a sound. To her right was Chris, who was holding her hand so tight to turn his knuckles white.
May had broken down, holding onto Ryuji as if he were her only lifeline. His arms dropped to his side as he stared past her with a blank expression.
"May…" he mumbled. "Do you really intent to use that boy as planned? He's still so young…"
The woman turned to gaze at Hiroshi with hollow eyes. He had never seen such a look on her face.
"Of course. He means nothing to me compared to Ryan."
--- --- --- ---
Hiroshi's life became a blur, everything contradicting what he had ever known.
"You're a tool, Hiroshi."
"Training begins now. You will fight like the animal you are."
"Your mother gave you to me! She sold you as a lab rat for a few dollars! Aha ha ha!"
"I never saw you as my brother. Quit talking to me."
"I'm sorry Hiro… I just want Daddy back…"
"YOU'RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!!"
"Maybe you should have died instead of the others."
"I wish you were dead."
"You're a freak of nature. An abomination."
"Your birth was a mistake."
"If you don't train hard enough, you'll die."
"Don't make that face. No one would care if you died."
--- --- --- ---
"May…"
A softly crying Hiroshi stood outside the closed door of May's room. He had bandages all over his body and one large, bloody piece of gauze over his eye. An Umbreon stood close to his side.
"May…did I do something wrong? Was I bad? Am I…being punished?"
The other side was silent, but he knew she was there. He suddenly coughed, coming away with blood on his hands.
The door open only slightly, revealing one of May's harrowed blue eyes. She looked worse than ever, sickly pale and thin with dark bags under her eyes. She looked down on him with disdain.
"Hiroshi…you're so useless. You can't even find Missingno."
"But-!"
"Shut up. I wish…" She paused, staring at the desperate boy.
"I wish you had never been born."
And the door closed.
Hiroshi stared at the door with wide eyes for hours after. Then, suddenly, a whisper glided through the air.
"Didn't I tell you not to open your eyes for her?"
--- --- --- ---
Hiroshi woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for air.
He looked around with lidded scarlet eyes. His cell was exactly as always – gray, cold, and nearly empty.
'Hiroshi? What's wrong?'
The morph stared into a pair of blood red eyes, illuminated by glowing gold rings. She nuzzled her "child" and licked the side of his freezing cheek.
"It's nothing, Mother. I was just dreaming." he sighed.
He fell back onto his futon, staring at the wispy shadows on the ceiling of his cell. He circled his arms around the comforting warmth of the Umbreon and tried to sleep.
"It's true, you know…" he mumbled, right on the edge of consciousness.
The Umbreon looked at him, but his eyes were far off.
"There was a time when I was precious."
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Ah, so deep. Well, please review.
