Author's Note: Now its time to wrap up the DNA collection (yet again). No major edits, joining up chapters together and adding more emotion. So we will have two Ryou-centered chapters! After that, I only have to re-write Zakuro's introduction then I'll be starting onto the new chapters~! The more I re-write this (Well, it's more just like editing now) the more I want to write, so my writer's block has hopefully disappeared!
We are almost there!
Note: I am Australian, and we have alternative ways of spelling certain words from America. Eg. Mum/Mom, -ise/-ize etc.
I know it is a major pain to do this, but please leave comments/reviews etc. because it really does cheer me up, knowing that this story is actually read and liked by people. Thank you and sorry for all this!
Chapter 7: This is Redemption
The Iriomote Yamaneko, or Prionailurus irimotensis, is a critically endangered feline that are related to the leopard cat. They are exclusively found on the Japanese island Iriomote and are called 'living fossils' due to it's primitive form because it has lived excluded to an island were it has lived comfortably. However after the spread of human colonisation and development, the Iriomote Yamaneko numbers have dramatically reduced due to destruction of habitat and being hunted by farmers. There are barely a hundred members on the island and it has never bred in captivity before. Never.
Until today that is.
Ryou and Keiichiro knew this information well, after researching the thousands of endangered animals on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. They stared wide-eyed at Suzuki-san, amazed at this fact. Japan now had a chance at restoring one of their national treasures!
"Ryou, let's check it out," Keiichiro said, the same thoughts just flowing through him.
The two followed Mr. Suzuki back into the in main building and walked down several corridors, swiftly turning left and right and threw numerous door to the point that Ryou's mind was clouded with the thought of getting lost in this massive complex. However, they walked through two thick metal doors and they were met by a draft of warm air, which enveloped them, embracing them like a maternal mother would. The room was thick with excitement as Zoologists and Biologists buzzed around, yet no one dared to make a racket as they smiled and carried on with observations and documentation. They started to ring up other Biology figures and e-mailing scientists and zoos, spreading the news across Japan and the world.
'Only a matter of time under the media will swamp this place,' Keiichiro thought to himself as he took off his thick, black trench coat.
"Please reframe from making a lot of noise," Suzuki-san informed the two, "We need to let the mother keep in a calm state. Since she has been in captivity for so long, we don't know how it might affect her natural maternal instinct. We have to make sure that she feels safe and imprints on the kittens so she doesn't reject them,' Mr Suzuki briefed, but his breath was just wasted. Ryou and Keiichiro already knew how important this was but they nodded back to him.
"Follow me," Suzuki-san told them and led them off to another room. After walking up some stairs they entered an observation area, overlooking a large enclosure. Biologists were observing with excitement and wonder, smiles plastered on their faces, yet Ryou could pick up the slight crackle of anxiety in the warm air.
'They are worried about the mother rejecting the kittens,' He thought to himself, 'Could having an animal in captivity really rip its feelings from its own blood and flesh?'.
The pen's floor was covered in sawdust, trapping in wastes and preventing the cold concrete floor from reaching the feline. Attached to the walls hung a few electric heaters, simulating the tropic environment of Iriomote and protect the kitten's from Mother Nature's harshness.
"Come, please look," Mr Suzuki walked to the large panels of glass and motioned for the two to come closer. He gazed down in wonder, smiling warmly as if he was watching over his first-born child. Ryou staggered forward and pressed his face to the glass to peer into the enclosure. Keiichiro followed Ryou and folded his arms, his trench coat hanging over his right shoulder. They searched the pen for any shapes and sure enough, in a shadowed corner was the brown feline. The mother was watching over five downy kittens that suckled furiously at her stomach. The mother had the distinct black markings and stripes down its body and white markings from its eyes to its cheeks. Its large yellow eyes watched its young as if amazed at them. Her rounded ears pointed towards them to listen out for any meows of attention.
"Amazing, this will be perfect for the population," Keiichiro smiled. Suzuki-san and Ryou nodded as he continued to watch the endangered feline.
'I still can't believe this happened,' Keiichiro thought. He gazed over and Ryou and was taken back at Ryou's deep expression. His ice blue eyes shone as his mind pondered and mused as he watched the mother Iriomote Yamaneko. Ryou could feel it, there was something strange, an attraction towards the cat that intrigued Ryou. His brain couldn't process where it came from or the feelings that buzzed around like a hive of bees but he wanted to get closer to it, understand it…
'Its DNA…' Ryou thought as he imagined what it could do.
"The caring and maternal love for its kits, the fierceness of its anger at anyone who dares to harm her beloved children… " Ryou murmured to Keiichiro. Keiichiro stared at his friend, understanding where he was coming from. He smiled as he thought of the possiblities.
"It would be perfect for the Mew Project," Keiichiro whispered, "But, we can't collect a sample, it has just given birth,". Ryou knew this fact to, he tried to get rid of the idea but it wouldn't die, it just kept flaring up in his brain.
'Its DNA…'
"But Keiichiro," Ryou said, glancing at his friend, "Those feelings we got… When we collected the DNA, the animal's behaviour as well. I thought that when we collected the DNA we felt its spirit…" Ryou mused aloud, he momentarily glanced around, making sure no one was in ear-shot, "We felt the spirit and its power," Ryou concluded. Keiichiro glanced off at the cat and processed what Ryou said.
"They know… Don't they?" Keiichiro summed up. Ryou nodded and he thought back to the day.
"The Black Finless Porpoise," Ryou murmured, "That feeling was so strong,"
"The Ultramarine Lorikeet, The Gray Wolf and Golden Lion Tamarin were strong too…" Keiichiro murmured back to him. Ryou glanced back at the Iriomote Yamaneko.
"If we approached it, it might come to us like all the other animals" Ryou said. Keiichiro glanced at the teenager beside him. His blue eyes burned with determination and zealousness. The way it glittered and shone reminded Keiichiro of that woman. Her long blonde hair that swayed in the winds as the amber flames grew behind her. Her eyes looked down on Keiichiro as they shimmered with resolution and single-mindedness as she stared down the path of Death himself.
"Keiichiro, I always enjoyed your company and our afternoon teas… Please, take care of my precious little boy…" Her voice echoed in his memory. Keiichiro was thunderstruck at the phenomenal change Ryou had gone under a twenty-four-hour period. He couldn't help but smile at this.
"As I said earlier," Keiichiro said aloud, attracting Suzuki's attention, "I can't ignore Ryou's intuition, he is the leader of the project afterall," He stated, massaging the bridge of his nose and his eyelids gently as he tried to hide his smile. Suzuki-san glanced at them questionably and walked over to them.
"What's the issue?" He asked.
"I know this is going to sound crazy, but get me closer to the Irimote Yamaneko!" Ryou pleaded, placing his hands on Suzuki-san's shoulders. Suzuki-san could feel the willpower in his grip but Suzuki-san didn't fall for it. His eyes widen with shock and horror at the request.
"What in the world for!" He asked the teenager, "We can't disturb her or the kittens! Especially at this time-period," He explained. "I respect you Shirogane-san but the answer is a big no,". Ryou stepped back from the spaz that Suzuki-san was performing.
"I thought you said to be quiet," Ryou muttered who was getting irritated the more Suzuki-san protested.
'Like he understands! This is a matter about the world's future!' Ryou thought to himself.
"Please just lead us there, or I'll get there myself," Ryou hissed to the Zoologist, Suzuki-san flinched at these words, "Or do you want to enrage a rich brat," He threatened.
"Ryou," Keiichiro sternly cut in, his fingers in a millisecond were painfully clamped around Ryou's earlobe. Ryou hissed in pain, feeling the perfectly trimmed nails of Keiichiro dig into his skin. It wasn't unbearable pain but it was like a bird's foot and claws were clamped around his earlobe. "Sorry about his attitude, but please show us there, I don't know how much I can hold back a troubled teenager," Keiichiro apologised to Suzuki-san. He glanced at the two, from Keiichiro's polite yet pushing hazel eyes to the blue fire enveloped gaze of Ryou.
"Remember the Wolf?" Ryou pointed out to Suzuki-san.
"Let him go, let's just observe, shall we?" Suzuki-san remembered Miyagi-san as he stood there, chuckling at the two boys, amazed at them. He gulped and slumped his shoulders and his head dropped down.
"This better have a damn good reason," Suzuki muttered. Keiichiro let go of Ryou's ear as he hissed at the pain that reverberated in his flesh.
"Thank you," Keiichiro thanked Suzuki-san as he led them the stairs and to a door that lead into a wire-framed, two by two room that allowed access inside the enclosure. Suzuki-san passed him the keys and ran his hand through his hair.
"I'll try and prevent anyone from coming in here to stop you but you only have a few minutes," He whispered to him.
"I will only go into the wire-frame room," Ryou stated, taking the bag from Keiichiro. "That's all I'll need,". He unlocked the door and closed it gently behind him.
As Ryou appeared in the pen, all of the Zoologists and Zookeepers screamed out silently at the bold step, and it wasn't even someone from the Zoo.
"WHAT IS HE DOING THERE?" They all called out, watching horrified at what might happen with the Iriomote Yamaneko and the kittens.
Ryou closed the door behind him as he stared into the pen. The smell of milk and newborn life immediately hit him like the Shinkansen. The next sensation he experienced was the 'caged' feeling again as he was trapped in the barred room. Even though the door sounded silent to Ryou's ears, the mother Iriomote Yamaneko ears flicked forward. Her head snapped to face Ryou's sky-blue eyes, which were filled with perseverance. The cat made no signs that it was going to move, nor any signs at all as it stared at Ryou. Ryou looked down, remembering how all the other animals came to them as soon as they made eye contact. Ryou shifted uncomfortably at this, wondering if this was a good idea.
'I have no idea what the hell I'm doing but,' Ryou glanced down at the bag containing the equipment and many vials of animal DNA.
"My son… I wonder if he would finish it…" Ryou could remember overhearing this father. The crown of his black hair and the back of his white lab coat was all Ryou could see as he hid behind the door.
"He might be able to complete and finish the Mew Project!" His father told the young Keiichiro.
'I have to do this!' Ryou summed up, his persistence withstanding the doubtfulness. He walked to the edge of the wire-framed room and crouched down. The mother just watched him with golden eyes as he pulled out the needle and an empty vial and set it up for injection. Ryou glanced over at the endangered cat, staring into its eyes but the cat just swept its tail protectively around her kittens.
'At least it wants to protect the kittens,' Ryou thought however the cat didn't move. Ryou sighed and took a deep breath.
'This is probably going to be the gayest thing I have ever done,' He thought.
"I know you want to protect your young," He murmured so only the Iriomote Yamaneko could pick it up. Its ears flicked as it tuned in the sound of Ryou's voice.
"I'm not here to harm them or you for that matter, but you can sense something bad can't you?" Ryou asked the cat, his eyes staring keenly at it.
'I'm talking to a cat, I think I'm insane,' Ryou felt like face-palming himself, but this was important. He needed that DNA. He had to take off his pride, swallow hard and only listen to his mind and heart. The cat's neck fur started to rise up, in fear or in anger. Ryou was relieved at this, because as he started at the cat, he knew that it wasn't directed at him.
"I need your help,' Ryou told the feline, 'if I take a DNA sample, I will help you protect your kittens and the world. I promise you! Please, just walk over here, it will only take a second and then, I'll do all in my power to protect our planet," I vowed to the cat, yet it felt like Ryou was pledging to himself.
What was happening was a matter of life and death, in black and white. He was the only human, apart from Keiichiro, that knew what was happening, they were the only ones that stood in the path of the planet's destruction. He needed the animal's help, the only living-things that had a connection with the land. Ryou looked down at the ground, he realised that his hands were trembling, his heart felt light and hollow. He gritted his teeth as anger spiraled up in gut, he hated this.
'I'm not a little child like back then,' He thought to himself, 'Why am I still scared of what approaches us?' However, mewling of kittens filled the air. Ryou looked up, wide-eyed as the mother stood up and pawed over to Ryou. Her eyes didn't move from Ryou's.
Golden fire staring into sky blue.
It was so sharp, the gaze the cat gave, it pierced into Ryou's heart and a strange feeling stirred in him. However, a meter or two from the barred cage, the Iriomote Yamaneko sat down and stared at him. Ryou's heart burned as he continued to be pierced by the hard gaze of the cat. He wondered why it was doing this, why it was hesitating to help when it hit him.
'We have caused this animal to become extinct, why would it want to help us?' he thought hopelessly, 'If someone culled 95% of the human race and then asked for our help… Why would we want to help them?' he realised. 'This animal has been hunted, its home as been destroyed and invaded as we brought in feral cats… We have damaged it so much… Why would it want to help?'
This is our redemption…
"I'm sorry, on behalf of human kind…" Ryou muttered to the cat, "We didn't mean to do this to you… We want to help you back on your feet and protect you… However, I will speak for humans when I say this…" Ryou murmured to the feline.
"We are sorry," he apologised to the cat, he glanced down, hopelessly at the ground when he heard a meow. The cat stood back up and continued to him.
"Thank you," Ryou smiled at the cat. She sat near the edge of the cage and glanced up at him and meowed at him.
Meanwhile, watching through the windows, all the scientist were frozen as their mouths gapped wide open.
Ryou clumsy looked for the injection spot, he cursed himself for not doing this more often. However, he softly injected the needle and watched as the precious DNA filled it. The cat flinched, but it wore off quickly as she watched her little kittens meow for her.
"Sorry, not much more longer now," Ryou apologised to the cat as her fur fluffed up but it wasn't because of Ryou.
A little kitten was gracelessly walking over to its mother, Ryou watched amazed as the newborn kitten, blind, deaf and helpless stumbled from the warmth of its brothers and sisters to the mother. The mother hissed at the kitten, but kept walking forward, unable to hear its mother's anger. Ryou then gently removed the needle and padded the wound dry as he drew glances at the kitten. It amazingly made its way over from its nest, however, to Ryou's surprise, the kitten didn't approach its mother for her warmth but collapsed in front of him. It mewed helplessly, its little body quivering. Ryou was shocked at how the blind kitten made it over here with its eyes closed but, it seemed to be 'looking' and meowing in his direction.
'Does it want to help as well?' Ryou though astounded.
The mother hissed at the kitten yet again, but the kitten stubbornly sat there. After a while, the mother gave up and licked the kitten on the head, wrapping its tail protectively around it and gazed up at Ryou. He placed the vial of mother's DNA in the bag, but there was no storage space inside the bag after that. Yet, there were a few small, empty vials left over just in case one broke. Ryou glanced at it as he picked it up.
"But then, what can we do when we sacrifice five young girl's lives? What is our redemption then?"
"You will figure that out,"
Ryou looked down at the all of the DNA samples that they had collected.
"All of these samples,' Ryou thought to himself, 'They are the only thing that could help us without having to call up the alliance… Yet they could be seen as the weapons of manslaughter… The Mew Project will create biological weapons that will effectively destroy their humanity… I'm leading this so I'm responsible for their 'deaths'… How do I redeem myself for that?' He sighed as he stared at the DNA then it hit him.
'What if need to test it…' Ryou thought to himself, he got the needle ready again. 'What if we need to test it on a person before the final phase?' He delicately injected the needle and he filled the little vial. The kitten squeaked in pain, the mother just licked its head furiously. Then Ryou pulled the needle out and put the vial in his pocket.
"Thank you," Ryou said as he stood up with the bag and closed the door on the watching golden eyes of the Irimote Yamaneko as he felt an overpowering urge to protect what was dear to him, to protect everything.
'I have to complete the Mew Project, for my father and for that Iriomote Yamaneko…" Ryou thought, 'Not to mention humanity…"
"That was amazing Ryou, good job" Keiichiro praised Ryou as they sped back to the café. The sun had fallen, leaving Tokyo in a world of darkness. Birds flew back to their nests and owls took to the starry skies. Ryou glanced out of the window, pondering his plan, the Kitten's DNA in his chest pocket felt so heavy, as all secrets do. The street lamps flew by, continuously lighting up Ryou's face before the lamp disappeared behind them.
"At least, we know that we are on the right track," Keiichiro added as he concentrated driving, "Shirogane-san would be proud of you Ryou,", Ryou froze at the sound of his father's name.
"Hmm, I hope I didn't screw up his research," Ryou mumbled.
"Says the boy that was cultivating uma cells before his father," Keiichiro laughed, "He is watching down on you right now from heaven Ryou and trust me, he would be so proud," Keiichiro added. Ryou smirked at this remark, he remembered the smell of his father's lab, the tangy smell of alcoholic disinfectant and old leather covered books. He could picture his father's thick black hair and his hazel eyes as he read notes of information.
"Shit!" Keiichiro cursed as he slammed on the brakes on the car, but Ryou had no time to be surprised at the rare site of Keiichiro letting fly with a curse. Ryou fell forward but the seat beat held him back but the stress it created on his stomach was unbearable and his lungs were pressed down so hard that his breath was ripped from him. The bag of vials fell forward and spilled its contents onto the floor, the tiny vial in Ryou's pocket slid out onto the floor as well.
"SHIT!" Ryou exclaimed as the vials fell onto the ground. Luckily, the vials were thick enough to withstand the impact to the ground.
"Sorry Ryou!" Keiichiro apologised as the car came to a complete stop. He looked fluttered at the fact that he had cursed and he wasn't paying enough attention to see the car come to a halt in front of him. Ryou checked the spilt vials for any cracks and placed them back in the bag. A long line of traffic grew in front of them as many commuters tried to get back home for dinner.
"Thank goodness for ABS brakes," Keiichiro breathed and he glanced at Ryou who was quickly inspecting the vials, secretly trying to find his Kitten DNA.
"I'm so sorry Ryou! Are they okay?" Keiichiro asked, Ryou nodded as he placed them all back
"Let me help out," Keiichiro said, picking up a vial that looked small in his hand. Ryou read the label.
'IRIOMOTE YAMAN…'
Panic ran up Ryou spine Keiichiro went to place it in the bag.
'THAT'S THE KITTENS!' He thought, 'If Keiichiro sees another Iriomote Yamaneko vial, that is the end of it!'
"Keiichiro! The traffic is moving!" Ryou exclaimed as the car in front started to move. Keiichiro continued drive as Ryou snatched up the DNA vial.
'Thank god, because if Keiichiro knew about the second vial, he wouldn't let me complete the final test,' Ryou thought, slipping his vial into his chest pocket. It was strange, because it seemed to fit not as snuggly as it did before. He just dismissed that as a trick of the mind.
"Ryou, I'll start extracting the nucleic acid from the samples and place it in the infusion machine, why don't you try to finish R2000?" Keiichiro asked Ryou. "Your father found that artifact along with the original infusion gun and you did hypothesis that it was needed for the project so why don't you finish it?"
Ryou had completely forgotten the strange device that was found with the artifacts that they had based the Mew Project off, except, they had no idea what was its importance nor enough process over the two years to even know if it was working. Ryou sighed as he thought about the seemingly unfeasible project however he nodded his head at Keiichiro before going back to musing about his 'final test'.
'No matter what happens, no matter the outcome, in a strange way… Ryou will die,' Ryou thought to himself as they continued to the Café.
Zoey Hoshi: We all know what he is thinking ;) But what is this 'alliance' Ryou spoke of? Almost done with re-writes! Hooray!