A/N: Edited as of March 13th, 2019, for both clarity and for breaking down bad, old writing that goes back at least seven years. That's a long time ago. Long enough for writing to change. Title change, picture changed as well.
Expect all chapters to be renovated and then updates.
""It's the easiest thing in the world. Just point, pull the trigger, and people go away."
― Obie Williams, The Crimes of Orphans
Chapter 3 The Black Cat encounters Kakuzawa
Professor Kurama was usually not a man who tended to miss details on people. However, at the moment, his mind was so set on his paperwork that he didn't really notice them at first. It was as though they were ghosts.
Kurama was under unnecessary distress for two reasons: first, due to all the paperwork he was dealing with (he was allergic to paperwork and couldn't handle it, he would much rather deal with people. But then again, so did the rest of his colleagues.)
Second, it was probably due to the fact that he had placed a young diclonius girl under observation in an orphanage not too far from this secret location. He tended to worry about the safety of those children with a being like that among them.
'I need to go take a look at that orphanage sometime soon, and put down that brat if she awakens.' He thought idly, using his pen to doodle some pictures.
To add insult to injury, there was some mysterious "guest" who was supposed to come here sooner or later in order to receive an interview for a job with them. He didn't know most of the details, but then again, he wasn't one of the higher-ups in the company. He only worked for them.
Director Kakuzawa had practically demanded that he pay attention to this situation, as it was a good opportunity to instill more loyal workers into his cause. Kurama minded his own business.
So what if the interviewees might look a bit strange? Professor Kurama tended to not judge by appearance, because he tended to view people from their actions-unless, of course, if they were known as diclonii.
The door opened just as he was dialing a phone number in order to speak to Professor Kakuzawa about new findings on the diclonius. It creaked open, a strangely eerie sound, and someone stepped in.
The person was so quiet that Kurama almost didn't even hear him come in. He was certain that maybe it was a ghost until the man coughed to signal his presence. Shit, now Kurama had to deal with this guy, at least until Director Kakuzawa came to entertain him.
Sighing, he put down the phone, ignoring the person on the other end who had just picked up; and directed his gaze to the person standing in front of his desk.
A tall young man stood in front of him.
The kid was wearing a business suit and a tie, but looked decidedly uncomfortable in it.
He was quite young-looking, so maybe he was a particularly chatty and annoying worker who wouldn't fit in anywhere else and was transferred here in order to shut him up. His hair was blond and messy and hung up everywhere, though for a second, he thought that maybe his hair was a wig.
That was nonsense, it was naturally his hair color. What the hell was he thinking?
He gazed at him, trying and failing to find any signs of horns or red eyes-just yellow eyes. Unusual eye color, but whatever. Still, they were quite an unusual eye color, so for a few seconds, Kurama was puzzled, until the young man coughed again.
Those eyes of his were so transparent that it seemed like Kurama was looking right through him.
This young man was too quiet for someone getting a job transfer. Something wasn't right here...where was his eagerness, his rudeness to be expected as of someone of his age?
"Can I help you, sir?" Kurama said, as politely as he could frame it. He may be a creepy person, but even creepy people needed to be politely addressed. The customer is always right.
The young man flashed him a cold stare and then he spoke, in a friendly but obviously nervous voice,"I need to speak to your boss. The head of this company is Director Kakuzawa, correct? I was looking forward to meeting him." However, his voice sounded awfully robotic in tone.
What a strange kid.
"Y-Yes. You can probably find him up on the top floor of this facility. You have to be careful of the experimental test subjects, they are quite a handful. They can kill without provocation." Kurama warned, certainly hoping that this one would heed his warning-he had seen more recruits killed on more than one occasion for not knowing how to handle a diclonius, or simply being killed for being there.
Kurama would not stand for allowing more innocent people to be killed by those monsters, so he hoped that this man had some common sense.
"...Killing without provocation, huh? Don't worry, I've met the type before. I'm used to it." The man chuckled before flashing him an ambiguous smile. It sent chills down his spine.
"What do you mean? Who are you people?" Kurama asked, reaching for the security system.
Another man entered from behind the first. He had white hair and purple eyes.
"...Why don't you mind your own business, now? Don't go yet." He whispered. There was something not right about these two.
The second man gave off an air of killing intent. What kind of evil had Director Kakuzawa gotten his hands on? These people weren't even diclonii, so why did they give him such a bad feeling in his chest?
He could only watch as they walked away from him, with a pit growing in his stomach. Kurama usually trusted his gut and his gut told him that nothing was as it seemed. Or else he really was losing his mind.
Train smirked at his partner, Creed, as the two of them headed down the hallway away from the annoying professor.
He was very glad indeed that the two of them had managed to shake him before he asked too many more questions, or else he might have been found out. Luckily, his disguise skills were quite supreme and Train had found it fairly easy to imitate people's voices once he heard them.
"That was a close save, Creed." Train whispered.
Creed merely laughed. "My dear Train, you will have to be more grateful to me, you know. I saved you from that simply annoying man!"
Train pouted. "Don't act like this. We have to keep why we're here a secret-"
Something stopped him in his tracks-a cry of pain.
A figure tried to run down the hallway, note on try, as her left leg was missing and a bloody stump was all that remained of it. Her brown hair got in her eyes as she lay on the ground, panting.
"Help me, please!" She begged, staring at Train, who was frozen in surprise. "Don't let it kill me!"
She looked behind her, terrified, and then suddenly, her head did a 180 and snapped off, landing in front of a disgusted Train and a delighted Creed, who smiled at the carnage.
Her body was still twitching.
Then, a small, pink-haired child walked into sight of the two assassins. Its red eyes stared up at them both for a few moments. Then it spoke. It was female, evidently, but she had strange white ears sticking up out of her head, strangely the exact same as Kaede's, he noted.
Was she a relative?
She sniffed the air for a few moments before speaking, addressing Train and ignoring Creed.
"Who are you guys? You smell like blood. Have you had your hands covered in blood, too?" She asked in a monotone voice.
Train looked her over. "Why is a kid like you locked up here?"
"They say I'm a monster and then they throw things at me and tell me they're tests. I have to endure them all the time. Even if I get really hurt-" The child stopped upon seeing Train's fists tightening in rage.
"...Those bastards. I'll take care of the bad men for you." He whispered gently to her, before speeding down the hallway, much to her astonishment.
How had he moved that fast?
"Watch out for my friends and their arms!" She called, but he didn't even hear her.
"That idiot...he's always starting fights he knows he can't win...I'll be joining you, Train!" Creed called.
He scowled at the child before him, and tried to make his way past the child, but she frowned at him, blocking his path. How vexing.
"I don't like you...you seem like a mean man." She deduced.
"I don't like you, either...you seem like a whiny brat." Creed spat back, not sparing the child any mercy.
He didn't like kids that much and he didn't know why Train spared women and children all the time. It seemed like a weak spot that could kill him, a spot that was perfect to exploit.
"I could call the professor in on you." The being challenged, staring at him coldly.
Creed stared back at her,"I hate whiny brats like you, you know. Always whining and complaining about everything they dislike. Why don't you grow up and stop complaining about reality?"
The child smirked suddenly. It was a cold, ruthless kind of smile.
"Why don't we try and find out-"
Her eyes widened as she realized the white-haired man was gone. "Dammit! I couldn't get at him with my vectors."
Just like the other one, he was too fast.
Suddenly, she realized a more interesting target was coming her way. Professor Kurama was coming. He was the man who had chained her up here and had made her life hell. Now she could finally meet with him and tell him exactly how she felt about him, while giving him a gift.
"Hello, Professor. I've been waiting to meet you for all this time. I'd like to thank you for your kindness, while you watched me be tortured, you were the only one to be horrified on my behalf. I want to thank you for your kindness."
Suddenly, he felt something touch his head, it was a strange feeling.
The girl slumped over, dead from a bullet through here head. Kurama stared with wide eyes at the men who stood over her dead body.
"That was a close save! Did you know if her vectors touch you, you can get infected-"
"I know that already. I know more about the Diclonii than you do, so you be quiet for a while, all right? Where is Director Kakuzawa at this time?" Kurama commanded.
The two men both flinched visibly.
"Umm...the last I heard was that he was meeting some client for a...job interview!" One responded nervously.
"Thanks...I've got to go right away..."
But then another staff member stopped him.
"Sir, there is some bad news coming from that orphanage. They say that the girl we placed in the orphanage shows signs of awakening her vectors. What do we do?"
Kurama's face paled visibly. "No...this can't be happening. If she is awakened, this could be the end of us all..."
"What could be, sir?" The other man beside him said stupidly.
Kurama glared at him. "Are you stupid? Get me their number right away! They need to get rid of that child right away! She will kill all the children there! We don't want her attacking humans, and especially not children!"
"But sir, if we do that, we're attacking a child as well. Doesn't that make us hypocrites?" The other officer pointed out.
"Shut up! Enough of your backtalk! Just get me their number right away-"
"I'm afraid you won't be going anywhere, Mr. Professor." A cold voice responded from behind him, and suddenly the same white-haired man appeared, wielding...a stick?
"Who are you?" He demanded.
The man smirked evilly and threw a rose at his feet. "Me? I'm a messenger...from the organization...Chronos! We're here to give your little director a message...stop abusing children or else we shall...erase you!" He said joyfully, before firing his gun.
The first officer fell, shot through the head. The second officer charged at the white-haired man, who merely smirked at his foolish bravery and stabbed him with his strange, invisible sword.
The second officer collapsed in a pool of blood. Kurama gaped at the carnage.
"N-no, why would Chronos come to a place like this? This isn't what you guys do! You're supposed to go after corrupt politicians, mafia men, and innocent people! Why are you going after us?"
"Chronos didn't send me. They sent someone else to do the job. I merely accompanied him in order to see all the chaos that's going to break out. Want a nice bottle of sake to celebrate, Mr. Kurama?" He offered, pouring himself a glass of sake and sipping some.
Kurama flinched. "...Who did you send?"
The young man merely chuckled.
"You see, when naughty little boys like you get your hands on things, think you can have all the power in the world, can go and throw baseballs in people's windows, smash cars, and not get caught, you make a big mistake. Sometimes, the people who have their cars smashed, get angry, and then they send someone to condemn you. I'm merely here as a spectator. The real judge will give his verdict in...oh, probably about five minutes!" The man ranted on crazily. There was a horrible glint of insanity in those purple eyes.
He raised his gun to defend himself, but then he heard insects buzzing, and he couldn't move. Why the hell couldn't he move?
"Thank you so much, Shiki. Get rid of the garbage now." He ordered. That was the last Kurama heard before he passed out.
Director Kakuzawa poured himself a cup of coffee and handed some to his guest, who declined.
He raised an eyebrow upon seeing the boy pull out a bottle of milk and drink from it.
"So...what did you come here to talk about? Where were you last employed?"
The boy remained silent for a few moments, drinking his glass of milk. When he didn't respond, Kakuzawa's fists tightened. So, this brat thought he could be a smart-ass towards an influential man and mock him by not saying anything! This was all just a prank done by some stupid kid who had his head in the clouds.
"Talk to me!" Kakuzawa screamed, banging his fist on the desk, which shook the desk and caused the bottle of milk to fall out of the boy's hands and shatter.
The boy's eyes drifted from the spilled milk to the man, but he said nothing.
"Don't cry over spilled milk now, you little shit. You can either get the hell out of here and take your prank elsewhere or else." He barked.
"Oh, I'm afraid this is no prank, Director Kakuzawa. Rather, I've merely come to deliver a little message. It's addressed personally to you." The boy remarked, throwing off his business suit and tie to reveal a black outfit with a long flowing cape.
He threw off his wig and then suddenly cold metal was being pointed at Kakuzawa's head.
The shiny golden-and-silver pistol gleamed in the moonlight. Outside, the white cat watched and meowed sadly, wishing his owner didn't have to engage in these activities.
"W-Who the hell are you?" He squeaked out, feeling sweat drip down his back.
"I'm sent by Chronos. I'm the Black Cat, Director Kakuzawa, and I've come to deliver some bad luck to you. Goodbye."The boy remarked, before his gun went off.
That was the last sound Director Kakuzawa would ever hear, as the bullet lodged in his brain, causing blood to spew all over his chair as his corpse slid to the ground.
Train stared coldly at the lifeless carcass of the man before him. "You brought death upon yourself by becoming an enemy of humanity. No sane person can watch you harm innocent children and not feel angered. Chronos merely wants lifeless scum like you off the face of the planet."
Creed walked in then. "We have a problem, Black Cat."
"You mean you didn't take care of the cameras?" Train asked pointedly.
"Of course I did that. What I mean is that these children are...killers themselves. That's the only reason why they're being kept here."
"Killers or not, they're still children, Creed! Free them at once!" Train ordered.
"Our job is done here, my dear Train. Chronos's orders were to eliminate Director Kakuzawa only, am I correct? Therefore, if you take any further actions, it will be out of line." Creed said.
"Is that a threat, Creed?" Train snapped coldly.
"No...just a warning. Let's go for now." Creed ordered, and then they vanished.
Kaede lay outside, allowing the cool night air to wash over her tired body. Being outside at night really allowed her to calm down and think over what her life might be like if she lived away from this orphanage, away from this hellish life, if she had a home and a family of her own...
Her mind drifted back to the girl from earlier. She seemed friendly enough, but could she really trust in her? Something about her...was a little off.
Her dog lay beside her, whining like always.
"I'm sorry. I don't have enough bread for now." She whispered. She didn't know how much longer she could keep on feeding this dog. She had no money and only thrived on the food the orphanage gave her.
As if hearing her thoughts, the puppy whined.
"I'm sorry...I just don't know what to do." She moaned. It was getting awfully chilly out here and she had to go back in soon.
A pair of brown eyes watched in curiosity as she saw the girl she had helped from earlier cuddling a dog. Their owner turned away from the window and snickered slightly. What a brave girl she was, fighting all on her own! Those stupid bullies were always getting under everyone's skin.
She had to confide in her about the dog, right?
"I really like her..." She whispered.
Suddenly, a brown-haired young man appeared before Kaede's eyes. "Here. Take some of these." He responded, before throwing a bag of biscuits into the girl's arms.
"How did you, Mr. Heartnet...?" She trailed off.
The boy turned and stared at her intently. She blushed deeply upon seeing him face her.
"Call me Train, please. I'm not fond of my last name."
"It's better than what they call me. They call me horned freak and an ox; Tomoo and his gang." She corrected.
"Them? I've dealt with them before. There are always going to be jerks in your life that pick on you. So, you have to learn how to stand up for yourself, all right? I'll be there for you whenever I can." He whispered softly.
Kaede's face heated up. "Why would you be so selfless?"
Train was silent for a moment before he answered, his voice soft and gentle.
"...You remind me of myself when I was younger, somehow. My parents were killed when I was young, and like you, I was all alone. I always have been alone and have gotten used to it, but I never let the people who hated me get me down. You shouldn't let people like that get you down, either. Just remind yourself that you are strong, and that they are cowards for picking on you."
"...O-Okay, Mr. Train." Kaede whispered softly.
Yukiko flinched. "He's interesting..."
Suddenly, she was grabbed from behind by a boy.
"See something interesting, Kataru? I heard you talking to yourself. Is it about the horned freak?"
Yukiko flipped the light switch on and saw it was Tomoo holding her by her arm,"You freak! Get out of my room! Have you no decency at all, you pervert! I was just starting to get into my pajamas!" She shrieked, throwing things at him.
"Stop the lying. You are involved with her, aren't you? Tell me what you know about her." Tomoo responded.
"Never. You shut your damned mouth, you stupid pig." Yukiko snapped.
"Fine, then. Let's start picking on the friend of the ox! We'll change it to oxen, then!" Tomoo cried, and his goons appeared from behind him and started beating her up.
They left her unconscious and smirked. "We'll just have to find out what it is that she's hiding on our own!"