Of things to Come 2 : Returned sense of Pain
Begin
'How did this all happen ?'
That was the though of one Fujino Asagami as she followed this strange man . This obviously foreigner who introduced himself as Reinherz
This had started some time ago , a few months back when she'd been grabbed on her way home and pulled into some dark building . She vaguely remembered the place having a heavy and oppressive smell to it , almost making her nose in discomfort of memory alone .
Would it be odd that her memory put more emphasis on the smell of that place than what else had transpired .
She wasn't naïve or an airhead , she wasn't some fool , who was kept sheltered from some the darker elements of the world , she KNEW what rape was . But she didn't understand how some considered it something so traumatizing . It was just a sensation , just movement and something going in and out , but did people find it so horrible ?
Or did it say something wrong about her that she wasn't traumatized by it at all ?
Regardless , the incidents continued . At least once a week , though sometimes several in a row if they were particulary aggressive . They changed buildings a few times , though they were always abandoned and out of the way.
She never saw any point in fighting back , in some futile act she knew wouldn't work . It just would've been a waste of time and energy that would've caused them to take more time . Better to just be quiet and let it happen . It's not like it was unbearable .
It's not like it hurt .
Which made it all the more of a shock when it DID .
The moment when one of them brought a baseball bat down on her head , that shock that started from her skull before flowing the rest of her body , awakening her very sensation and feeling that had been aways for so long .
That was the first time she'd ever felt pain . The first time she'd ever screamed from it .
They made her scream for hours until they were done for the day .
It repeated again the next day , more of that new and horrifying feeling . Was this pain ? Was this why was so traumatized by such an expierance ? Was this what they were all afraid of ? Is this what she'd been so numb to all this time ?
Then it was repeated the next day , then next , and the next . Was this going to go on forever ? Just days full of endless pain and screaming until her throat was hoarse .
Until one of them pulled out that knife , its metal gleaming a sinister silver under the dim light , the holders smile full of dark amusement and malice .
She remembered feeling something in her eyes as it happened . A tightening sensation followed by her vision seeming to explode and expand into a spectrum of colors that completely defied her ability to quantify . And somehow , she saw how they all flowed together as a whole , something connected to her vision that she could interfere with .
She almost did , aiming it for the knife with a word on her lips , a command that seemed to instinctively appear in the back of her mind .
And then HE appeared .
iFlashback begin
Reinherz nervously scratched the back of his head. "Uh, sorry about the mess. I imagine you would've wanted to kill them yourself, but I got kinda worked up."
Actually, worked up was putting it rather mildly. Reinherz didn't consider himself a particularly violent guy, at least not without REASON, but these guys had really slammed down hard on several buttons of his that were best left untouched.
The end result was a substantial serving of severe bodily harm. Limbs twisted or ripped off, burnt flesh, pieves of them cut away by blades of air, not to mention his rather rage fueled choice of literally SMEARING one of them all over the walls. It looked like a bad artist came in and tried to coat the walls with a new layer of thick red paint.
It was practically a scene right out of a slasher movie. Which made the reaction of the girl in front of him, or LACK of a reaction at all, all the more disturbing on its own.
Fujino Asagami didn't react to the sight beyond looking around with a blank stare, as if entirely unconcerned with the world around her.
Definitely a ...worrying reaction, considering whet she'd been going through here for the past week or so. Then again, she was still acting much the same as she had in the original series, so maybe it wasn't THAT strange.
He was about to speak again, but was interrupted by a pitiful whimper of agony from a quivering form in the rooms corner. Keito Minato, one of the perpetrators. Fujino turned her eyes to him herself. "Why is that one alive?"
"For you."
She turned back to him, tilting her head slightly in an unspoken question.
"I originally planned on letting you decide what to do with ALL of them, but ... well, that didn't exactly work out." He gestured to the carnage of the room around them, sure she'd get the point. "But I thought you'd at least like ONE person to punish for this personally. Kill him or don't, it's up to you."
She still looked at him for a moment after that, head still tilted and that empty look in place before the words finally seemed to sink in and something approaching life appeared in her red eyes. Turning to the whimpering young man in the corner, the only source of noise in the room immediately fell quiet.
For a moment nothing happened, as if the place had been frozen in time. Until, finally, Fujino's eyes started to glow. "Bend."
The warehouse was filled with Keito's screams, the area beyond silent as a tomb due to the Bounded Field Rein had already put in place beforehand.
(Time later)
"Whoa," Reinherz quietly muttered, watching in morbid amazement as Fujino continued to twist and bend Keito around in every which way with her Mystic Eyes of Distortion. He had to admit, there was a small part in the back of his mind that was actually a little disturbed, in spite of the fact that he'd seen things easily worse than this before.
Then again, this little session had gone on for over TEN MINUTES now and showed no signs of stopping. Just how long was she gonna toy around?
"Bend," she muttered, apparently for one last time, twisting his neck around until it bent to the point of literally twisting itself off.
Well, looks like that finished it all up. Keito and his little friends were all dead, Fujino was safe and ... RELATIVELY stable, and he had a potential new ally. He only wished he'd have shown up before she'd been ... well, he was just too late to stop it all. At least he'd managed to find a way to unlock her Mystic Eyes, and now he could get her to a doctor to handle her illness early.
"Done?" he asked her, wondering if she wanted to mutilate the corpses a bit more. Considering what they did to her, he wouldn't be too surprised.
Fujino seemed to think on that for a bit, but eventually shook her head.
"Alright then. In that case we should get going. Oh, but first."
Taking his hand out of his pocket, grasping what looked like a loose collection of shredded paper, he cast his hand out with palm open. Free in the air, the shreds of paper seemed to mujltiply and seek out the bodies, covering them over completely until there was no trace of them to be seen. Then, with a snap of his fingers, they ignited and began to burn the evidence away.
Fujino was surprisingly unperturbed by the obviously paranormal display, showing no reaction beyond a slight widening of her eyes and a strangely rapt look as she saw the corpses of her tormentors burn away.
"We don't need to leave any evidence," he explained. "These flames won't stop burning until there isn't even ashes left, they won't even be able to do a DNA scan, so we'll be off scot-free."
He received barely a nod of recognition as a response to his words, Fujino still seeming enraptured by the sight. Maybe she was just really that spiteful towards them? Unsurprising.
The crackle of flames filled the room they were in, no smoke rising from the fires due to the unique chemical composition it was formed from. In a matter of minutes they were gone, all evidence erased from the world. And people said you couldn't get away with murder.
Well, if all else fails, he could definitely go into business as a cleaner for the mafia or something.
"Come on," he said, gesturing for Fujino to follow him. His steps were alone at first, before a second pair slowly joined him as he left.
"Where are we going?"
He smiled slightly. "To see a friend of mine. She's a bit eccentric but a goo- ... well, not a GOOD person, per se, but certainly better that THESE jackasses."
Flashback end
"Reinherz-san ?" Fujino asked quietly
"Just call me Rein," he insisted, "it's easier. What's up ?"
"The friend you're taking me to, what's she like exactly ?"
He was quiet for while after she spoke, seeming to ponder over a response before he answered her.
"She's ... a bit odd. Bit of hermit, but she's got skills. A wide variety, in fact. Bit of a jack-of-all-trades . Just our luck she's in town right now, though you'd never know it unless you knew where to look . "
She listened quietly , occasionally nodding her head in acknowledgment . He told her about some of the woman's hobbies, apparently including architecture , paranormal investigation , and ... puppets ? She was about to inquire as to the last one when a rather pungent scent reached her nostrils , causing her nose to twitch slightly .
"Is that smoke?"
"Yep," he answered , a smile in his voice as he continued leading . "When in doubt , follow the smoke . It's a dead giveaway."
Indeed, barely a minute later and they had reached what seemed to be their destination . It looked like a cross between an old apartment building and private studio , several floors high and seemingly on the verge of falling apart . Overgrowth on the walls outside , a number of cracks in the mortar , a rickety fire escape , and she could swear she heard a creaking noise from the foundation as if it were struggling to hold the weight ,
Not exactly an encouraging picture .
"Don't worry," he said, walking up the stairs. "It's sturdier than it looks. It has to be in case one of her projects goes wrong."
She tried not to worry too much about the implications of that as she followed him up the stairs . Once reaching the top he quickly knocked on the door several times and was answered by a joking and feminine voice from within.
"What's the password?"
"This," he responded drily, fishing a carton of cigarettes out of his pocket and opening the top, holding it in front of the door like someone presenting a cookie to charm a child into opening the door .
The response was so quick that she almost missed it, the door opening and a hand reaching out to grab the carton and pull them back in fast as sound, the door slamming shut. There was another sound of a lighter crackling to life and then a deep breath followed by a contended sigh.
"Okay, you're in."
The door opened again, this time fully and in a more welcoming manner.
Fujino almost gagged at the smoke that wafted out, surpassing a cough as she followed Reinherz inside and the door closed behind them.
Unsurprisingly, the interior was perfectly suited to resemble the outside. Nothing was actually broken, but it all had a very lived in and dusty feel, as if the hadn't been cleaned or maintained since they'd been installed. Not to mention the place was a veritable labyrinth of all kinds of odds and ends of more sorts than she could ever hope to sort out.
Then she saw the woman he'd led her here for.
In contrast to the surroundings, she was quite well put together, even rather attractive with deep red hair in a type of ponytail to match her eyes and fair skin , dressed in dark pants and wearing business shirt.
"Rein!" she greeted excitedly arms , opened wide in greetings as she beamed a smile. "You always know EXACTLY what to bring me as a gift."
He returned the smile. "Can't go wrong with Dragon's Breath, right? Those were your exact words."
The smile didn't last long , unfortunately. Seemed Rein himself wasn't any fonder of the smoke than Fujino herself, considering the twitch of his own nose. "And seriously, when are you gonna hook up some fans and open a damn window in here?"
"Why should I?" the redhead asked with a shrug, smile still in place. "The smell adds character."
"It also adds lung cancer."
The woman snorted. "Please, as if people like you and me need to worry about THAT."
Finally, the woman seemed to notice the two of them weren't alone, turning to look at her. It wasn't a threatening look, but it somehow felt … invasive. As if the woman could somehow look deep into her soul.
"Ooh , where'd you find THIS cute little delicacy?" She turned back to Reinherz. "Is she another gift for me?"
"Her name is Asagami Fujino . And no, you can't have her."
... Just what kind of world did she walk into ?
-Touko Aozaki-
The Magus had to admit, her interest had been piqued.
Granted, Rein always seemed to bring her the best gifts and surprise in general, but every once in a while he brought her a truly rare gem. And on a scale from 1-10 , she say this girl was a solid emerald.
Mystic Eyes of Distortion powerful enough to have almost instantaneous effects on the subjected matter, capable twisting limbs and possibly even steel. Such effects were rarely even PLAUSIBLE outside of someone who'd possessed them for several centuries to practice and hone their power, and this girl could do it at … what? Sixteen, seventeen ?
She even had a good number of Magic Circuits to be a Magus herself, with some time and teaching. Unfortunately, Rein would have to find someone else for that, it wasn't her specialty. Either way …
She took a long breath in from her cigarette, teasing the tip with her lips a little to coax out just one more puff of that sweet smoke to fill her lungs before she removed it and breathed everything back out. "So, where exactly do I come in for this?"
"There's an operation I need done. She's dying from something and it looks like you're the only one I know who can fix it."
She raised an eyebrow. "A regular hospital won't work?"
"Let's just say they might ask too many questions. "
She mouthed an "Ah," in understanding. "Okay then. In that case-"
"No, you don't get to dissect her when you're done."
Her expression immediately changed into a pout. "Killjoy. Fine, but for tuning away a great find like her I'll double find my usual payment."
"You'll get that AND free dinner at any restaurant of your choice. That includes drinks and desserts. "
"ANY place I choose?"
He nodded to her and it was a done deal.
Still … "Are you SURE I can't just pick at her a little?"
She could barely hold back a predatory smile as the girl shrunk back a little with a shiver.
She could be such a troll.
XXXX
After what felt like an eternity, Fujino's red eyes opened to the world once again.
She wasn't entirely sure when she had been put to sleep, it wasn't like she could tell the passage of time while unconscious, but she hoped she hadn't been out of it for too long.
She groaned and her hand came rest upon her head, memories seeming rather groggy. She had no idea what Ms. Aozaki could've used to put her under, but it must've been pretty potent to still be affecting her this strongly.
But, eventually, her head cleared enough for a certain question to surface in her mind. 'How did the operation go?'
She remembered some of the conversation from before it all started, Ms. Aozaki telling her that her condition was the unforeseen result of the medications she'd been given by her father for so long.
She vaguely recalled something about that, from many years ago. Something he said to mother about how her power was unnecessary and dangerous in the current day and age, that she was likely to attract all the most dangerous kinds of attention. How it was better to just keep them sealed away and give her a normal life.
There was no way for him to have known the side effects, the unfortunate results it would have on her. Fujino honestly believed that if he knew it would remove her sense of pain, not to mention eventually KILL her, he never would've gotten her on those medications.
But right now, none of that mattered. All that mastered was that…
"Oh," cooed a familiar voice, startling her. "Awake already?"
Fujino turned to the source, spotting the aforementioned redhead seated calmly in the corner of the room with a statisfied smile on her face and a cigarette in her mouth. "Ms. Aozaki."
She shook her head. "Just call me Touko, it's easier. More importantly," she paused to take one last draw from her cigarette before taking it out, turning to look at her seriously."How are you feeling?"
She blinked. "I'm feeling … good?"
Ms. Aozaki- Touko raised an eyebrow. "Let me rephrase that: Do you feel any discomfort at all? Any pain?"
Silently feeling the sensations of her own body, she shook her head in a no.
"Good" the woman chimed, her eyes closing as her smile widened. "That means the operation was a success. Now we've gotta wait for Rein to get here and-"
She was interrupted by the door opening, the silver haired young man himself walking in. "I'm back," he announced, not having seen her yet as he focused on his red haired friend. "How's Fujino? And , again, the payment is void if you couldn't resist the temptation to fiddle around with her."
Touko raised a hand to her chest with a faux gasp of disbelief. "How could you SAY such a thing? I gave my word, remember? My word is my bond and all that crap." She snickered. "Seriously, she's fine. Check for yourself," she dismissed, waving his attention over to her.
As Rein turned to see her, his features lit up slightly in surprise. Apparently he hadn't expected to see her up so early either. "Awake already?"
She slowly nodded her head, unsure of how else to respond. "Yes."
He walked over to her, grabbing another chair on the way and took a seat beside her. "How are you feeling? Anything seem off? Unusual?"
The redhead sighed exasperatedly "For the last time, I DID NOT meddled her while she was unconscious or try some kind of secret experiment on her. It would be unprofessional." She got up and headed for the door. "Forget this, I'm going out."
Silence reigned between them as Touko left, her footsteps slowly fading away until there were the only people present at all. "Okay, now that's she's gone it's time for a talk?"
She titled her head. "About what?"
"Your future," he answered cryptically to shift in the chair into a more comfortable position. The first attempt din't seem to work, so he tried again several times until he seemed to be comfortable. "What are you planning to do now?" he asked bluntly.
She opened her mouth to answer but… no words came. She had no idea. What COULD she do now that her life had changed so drastically, now that her very way of viewing the world around her was so deeply altered. "I… don't know."
He didn't respond to her for a while, just keeping quiet as he gave her more time to think, to try and find another answer. But no matter how long he waited, no matter how much she brainstormed, no answers were forthcoming.
And then he asked , "Would you like to come with me?"
-Reinherz-
"Go with you?" she questioned. Not confirming or denying, simply curious.
He nodded. "Chances are … you can't really have a NORMAL life anymore. That's … partially my fault for arriving late. But, if nothing else, I can give you somewhere to go. I can get in touch with your parents to get it arranged, make sure everything is sorted and then… well, we'll see when happens from there." He scratched the back of his head, slightly embarrassed. "Long term plans never have been a strength of mine. So I improvise."
He sighed. "But, if you want to TRY and live a normal life, I won't force you to do otherwise. I'll see what I can do to salvage this and you can try to get back on track. And of something happens … I'll know."
It was all he could do. Kinda funny that, novice of True Magic or not, being a Magician didn't really give you a magic wand to swish around to make your problems go away.
... Well, not the COMPLEX problems at least.
Either way, he wasn't going to force her into this. Besides being a MONUMENTALLY dick move, there was every chance she might suddenly decide to bend his head around on his neck until it popped off, regained mental stability or no. He rather liked having his head attached, thank you very much. It was where he got his brilliant ideas from.
… Well, half time.
And as she pondered his offer overm he waited with bated breath for the choice that would decide her fate.
Then, with shoulders squared and jaw set, she looked at him in the eye. "I've made my choice."
END