A/N: I really did not think this update would take this long. I'm sorry, I've been busy with school and work. I will go over this to see if I need to edit anymore. Hopefully my next update won't take as long, but I'm not sure when it will be. Let me know what you think.
Shinra was still struggling to get out of Celty's shadows as she pulled him over to where they were. He still looked panicked.
"What is going on here!?" Shizuo shouted.
Tsuki was standing slightly behind Delic, and Delic had reached back to hold his brother's wrist. They both looked like they were tensed to run away quickly.
There was too much confusion going on, and Celty just wanted to figure it out. She held a hand up to tell them to stay and then started her questioning.
[Have you seen him before?]
"Yes. We've seen him in the lab before wearing a white coat."
"WHAT!?"
"N-now Shizuo, calm down. I-it really isn't how it seems- "
[You knew there were clones of Shizuo!?]
"Well, um, yes but- "
[How could you be a part of something like that!? Shizuo is your friend!]
"Now hang on, you haven't let me- "
Shizuo let out an angry growl and stomped over to Shinra. Celty had to stop him from getting too close to Shinra, while trying to reign in her own anger. This was exhausting.
"Wait! Please! Just hear me out! Listen, you two didn't see me in the lab all the time, right?" He exclaimed, the question directed at the brothers.
"Well no."
"H-he wasn't one of the official scientists on the job. He was j-just there to observe, b-because of his father."
[So, his Dad was involved with the project.]
"Y-yes. Now please. I won't run away after you release me as long as I can be assured that I will be protected from Shizuo. I will explain, alright? I can assure you, that I'm not the bad guy here."
[Fine.]
After Celty released Shinra, he let out a sigh. It was still very tense in the room. Shinra shifted uncomfortably, clearly looking guilty. He pushed his glasses up.
"Yes, I was aware of the project going on with the clones of Shizuo. My father was the one who was more involved though. I had come in more recently to observe."
-About a year ago-
"Attention everyone. Pause your training for a moment. I have an announcement to make."
All the other clones paused the training they were doing to give the doctor their proper attention. They all walked over to the doctor to hear him better, since they were all spread out in the large training area in the lab's facility. Most of them were around the same age as Delic and had the same face. Although they had different eye colors. They were all wearing light weight white clothes and were still sweating from the training. Some were bruised looking and sporting new injuries. Tsuki was panting rather hard and leaning on his brother, being the newest to the training since until recently he had been believed to not have the valued Shizuo strength.
"This here is my son, Dr. Shinra Kishitani. He is not necessarily a new scientist for the project but will be mainly observing what it is you do and how we run this project. I figured it was fair since he's had minor involvement in the project so far. I'd be curious to see what it was all about if I were him, after all."
Shinra had felt a bit awkward and strange being introduced to all these clones like this by his father. Ever since his father told him about the project, of course he'd been curious to see the clones. However, he had been hoping to observe quietly from the back. Even if he knew they were different, it was a bit nerve wracking to know that a bunch of Shizuo genetic copies will be aware of him observing them, since the real Shizuo would get upset with Shinra observing him.
[Wait, what minor involvement is he talking about?]
"I um…" Shinra moved a bit closer to Celty, clearly nervous about something as he kept glancing from her to Shizuo and back.
"I'm the one who gave them samples of his DNA, alright?"
Silence for a moment.
"YOU WHAT!?"
Celty immediately restrained Shizuo with her shadows, even though she probably understood wanting to hurt him.
[How could you do that to him!? What do you mean!?]
Unbeknownst to them, Delic and Tsuki were beginning to get very uncomfortable with the topic at hand. It was very clear that Shizuo was unhappy that there were genetic copies of him. Even though it was understandable, they felt very uncomfortable knowing that the other was mad about their existence. Just another bitter reminder that they weren't supposed to exist, at least to Delic. If he wasn't so uncertain about the situation with where Ruby and the others were now, he would have already taken off with Tsuki again. However, he thought it might be best to wait and see where this goes before they try to flee again. He couldn't say he wasn't curious to hear about this anyways. It was strange hearing about how one's own existence came into being though.
Shinra gulped.
"Well, soon after I had befriended Shizuo when we were young kids, I would come home going on and on about how amazing Shizuo's inhuman strength was. Little did I know that this got my father very interested. He had just started working for a project known as project castor, which had been searching for a good subject to clone. Apparently, my chattering about his amazing strength convinced my father that he would be a perfect subject to clone."
[Wait, so the idea of the project existed before they even knew about Shizuo?]
"Yeah. Apparently, the founders of the project here in Japan had stolen it from some researchers in Canada while they had been a part of their project. Shizuo was not the only one they tried to clone, but one of the only ones who it actually worked for."
[So, how did you get samples his DNA from him? Did you help them drug him!?]
"What? No! Of course not. Shizuo is still my friend. I would try to get samples by little stuff. Like hair, nail bits, skin, blood from when he was injured. They probably would have tried to get more by drugging him, but it's likely that wouldn't have worked. I actually don't know if they did that or not. I mean it's not like how it was with…uh, never mind."
Celty was about to question that, but Shinra continued.
"I just knew what they asked me to collect from him. When my father asked this of me, I had been so excited to be a part of an important scientific project at such a young age. Plus, I had been curious about his strength as well. However, as I've gotten older and become more aware of what they do as part of the project, my enthusiasm for it has wavered."
"I'm surprised you even bothered with announcing him to us mere human lab rats, Dr. Kishitani. Aren't we just supposed to pretend like he's not here like all the time when you scientists are observing us? It's not like we get a say in it whether we know who it is or not." Delic jeered.
Shingen frowned at that and snapped his fingers.
"Ruby." He said. All eyes turned to Ruby, knowing exactly what was going to happen.
Ruby grinned sadistically and cracked his knuckles. His knuckles were already covered in blood. He then headed over to Delic and punched him so hard in the cheek that he fell to the floor as he exclaimed in pain. Ruby didn't train as much as the other clones anymore and was used more as physical enforcement.
Tsuki gasped.
"Nii-san!" Tsuki immediately kneeled by Delic and tried to see if he was okay. Shinra covered his open mouth with his hand, having not expected the sudden violence.
"You are not supposed to run your mouth, Delic. Don't forget what you are here."
And with that, he directed the other clones to go back to their training, leaving Delic and Tsuki there on the floor.
"That was what got me to be less supportive of the project. Clones or not, that wasn't okay. And it wasn't the only time I saw them treated horribly that day. The trainers were extremely harsh to them, not letting up on them until they reached a certain level they were aiming for. There were multiple times I saw clones being punished not only for not being good enough, but for words or behavior they did not approve of. From what I saw, Delic got it the most from things he said."
The others were quiet for a moment after hearing that. Celty was only partially aware that she had dropped the shadows off of Shizuo. She and Shizuo both turned to look at Delic. Delic sighed and looked away. Tsuki reached for his brother's hand and squeezed it for comfort.
"So yes, I was a part of the project, but I won't help them anymore. I know I'm not the greatest person, but it just felt wrong seeing how they were treated. I mean, they are still people. I have no desire to help them, if that's what you are concerned about. I won't tell them where you are."
Delic barely reacted to that, but Tsuki nodded hesitantly.
"T-thank you." He said.
Shinra gave a small smile at that.
"So, what are we going to do now?" Shizuo asked, having been quiet for a while now.
[We have to help them hide out.]
"What was your plan anyways?" Shizuo asked.
Delic looked up again.
"Well, my original plan already got ruined kind of right away. But I was planning on having us hide out at hotels until I could find a way to get us to America."
[How were you going to do that?]
"I don't know, alright? I'm realizing now that even though I managed to get us out of the lab, my planning skills aren't the greatest."
"Isn't that kind of close to where the original project came from anyways?"
"Well yes. But it had to be America."
[Why is that?]
"That's where our parents are."
[What do you mean by that? Aren't you clones?]
"Yes, but the clones of Shizuo still needed to develop as a regular fetus. They needed surrogates. Our parents were living on the street when the project's organization found them. They needed someone to take care of the young clones during the early years anyways. Somehow, our parents convinced the scientists to allow them to raise us at their own home and not the lab, as long as they came in periodically with us to record data and perform some tests. We are also the only clones to share a surrogate mom. So, we actually are brothers. Tsuki was the only one in his generation of clones to make it, which is why he is the youngest. However, as we got older, our parents weren't allowed to see us as much. And even eventually, we were included in the group of clones to move to the part of the project in Japan. We haven't seen our parents since the move. I know they would help us hide from Castor if we get to them"
[Well right now, I think it's a good idea to stay hidden since there are so many unknowns with this situation.]
"I agree with that." Shinra added in. Then, since some of the tension had eased, he suddenly realized that Delic was injured.
"Oh my! Here, let me take a look at that." He walked over to Delic and examined his arm. Delic winced, but hesitantly let the doctor look at it.
"Hmm. Adding ice to it was a good choice to make, it seems to have helped with some of the swelling. Along with having his arm propped up. As expected of my beloved- "Shinra went to hug Celty when she shoved in his face,
[Don't you think now is not the time for that! Tend to him first]
Shinra sighed and gave a sheepish look.
"Right. How did you get this injury?"
Delic sighed.
"Ruby. At the hotel we were staying at, he twisted my arm behind my back and kept bending it back unnaturally since I wouldn't tell him where Tsuki was."
Shinra frowned slightly at that.
"Well, if Ruby is the one who did it, then your arm is probably broken. Here, come with me into this other room so I can give you an x-ray to be sure."
Delic seemed hesitant, but still followed the doctor into the other room for his x-ray. There was some awkward tension in the living room after they left. This whole situation was so weird.
Tsuki looked at the door they had gone through for a moment, biting his lip. He glanced over at the others in the room, feeling odd and out of place. He almost wished he could sink completely into the couch.
Shizuo was very torn on how he felt about all this. Clearly, he was mad that clones were made from his DNA without his consent, but he knew that it wasn't the brothers' fault. He was about to excuse himself for a smoke when his eyes landed on Tsuki again.
The kid clearly felt uncomfortable. He was looking down and fidgeting with his scarf. Granted, he was like 16 so he wasn't that young, but still. Shizuo had felt a soft spot for him from pretty much the moment they met. Protective, like a big brother. Shizuo was already a big brother, so he knew what that was like. This kid was connected to him in a way that Kasuka wasn't though. It was kind of nice to know he wasn't the only one who had that inhuman strength. Not really knowing why, Shizuo walked over to Tsuki. Celty came closer to them, not really knowing what Shizuo was thinking.
Tsuki looked up, seeming surprised and concerned. Shizuo knelt down so that he was at eye level with him.
"Uh, you okay kid?" He asked awkwardly with a cough.
Tsuki still seemed confused but nodded.
"Y-yes. Um, I t-think so."
They were quiet again. Tsuki started fidgeting again. Celty was perplexed too, not sure what Shizuo was trying to do, but it didn't seem bad at least.
"So, er," Shizuo stood up again, feeling annoyed with kneeling. He sat on the seat facing Tsuki.
"Your brother said you had strength kind of like mine?" His wording made it unclear on whether this was a statement or a question, but Tsuki nodded anyways.
"How, uh, how do you know that?" Shizuo asked.
Tsuki finally looked up, but had trouble maintaining eye contact. Not that Shizuo was much better.
"Well, b-because the scientists told me I-I guess."
Shizuo wasn't sure if that answered his question, which must have showed.
"W-what I mean is, the scientists have an idea of what your strength is and would test us each to see where we are in comparison to yours. One day, a little over a year ago they discovered I had it by accident. I accidentally broke some equipment when something scared me. After that, they tested my strength on different things and I was able to lift up more than all the other clones. "
"Wait, so you've only known about your strength for a year now?"
Tsuki nodded.
"Before that, my strength had seemed average. They assumed I didn't gain any of your super strength."
There had also been rumors that he might have been let go from the program if his strength hadn't been discovered.
But since they were rumors, Tsuki wasn't sure if he should share that.
"Huh, that's kinda weird. I was pretty young when I learned I had this strength."
"I don't really know why."
Shizuo felt for this kid, knowing what it was like to have strength like that as a kid. He must still be getting used to it, yet unlike with Shizuo, Tsuki had to train in this stupid program because of it. The thought made Shizuo grind his teeth.
"Did you still train like the others?"
Tsuki shook his head.
"No. We didn't really start the training until they discovered we have some level of your strength. We were created to be fighters, but the goal was for us to have your strength."
"Were there any others who didn't have inhuman strength?"
"I'm not sure actually. There were a lot of clones."
Shizuo clenched his fists and glanced away. What those bastards did to these guys was completely messed up. He was just a kid! If Shizuo had any idea where those assholes who were doing this were, he would punch all of their faces in.
He stood up abruptly, causing Tsuki to widen his eyes.
"I'm going out there for a smoke. I'll be back." He was mumbling angrily as he headed to the balcony. Tsuki looked distraught, not knowing what he did to upset him.
Celty immediately started typing on her phone, hoping to reassure him.
[Don't worry. I don't think he is upset with you.]
"Oh okay. T-then why did he seem so upset?"
[He was probably upset about what you were forced to do in that lab.]
"Oh."
Then the door to the other room burst open, startling Celty and Tsuki.
"Well, it's definitely broken. There are some fractures in his elbow from the strain Ruby put into bending his arm. I've put his arm in a splint for now."
Shinra announced as he came out of the room, Delic following behind with his arm in a splint like Shinra had said.
"Where's Shizuo?"
[He went onto the balcony for a smoke.]
"Ah, alright. Do you think he'll want to know about this?"
[I'm not sure.]
"Well, I'm definitely not going to interrupt him when he's on his smoke break."
Delic sat on the couch next to Tsuki again, who was giving him a concerned look. Delic tried smiling.
"I'm alright Tsuki. I kind of expected this after our run in with Ruby."
"I just don't like seeing you hurt."
"I know, but I can handle it."
Tsuki tried to give him a side hug, but it was kind of awkward to avoid Delic's arm. Delic gave a small laugh.
"It's alright, Tsuki."
Shizuo came back in, a straight line on his face. His eyebrows furrowed slightly at seeing Shinra and Delic back.
"So, what's going on now?" Shizuo asked.
"Well, I don't think Delic should go anywhere with his injury, especially with others from Project Castor after them. I would suggest that Delic and Tsuki stay here for now. You can sleep on the couch. And there's even an extra room if Celty and I share."
Delic looked concerned.
"Um, I appreciate all that you've done for us, but- "
"You were nearly captured right away when you tried to stay at a hotel, and the jerk who broke your elbow has got to know you're hurt. You shouldn't be going anywhere."
Shizuo spoke up, surprising everyone.
Delic sighed.
"I know, but Shinra works for the project. They surely know where he lives."
"They shouldn't know about my opposition to the project. There should be no reason for them to come here. Besides, even if they do, we have my darling Celty to protect us! Even Shizuo can't get through her shadows."
"Shadows?"
"The black shadows that came from Celty earlier that pulled me back into the apartment and kept Shizuo from attacking me."
"Oh, that's what that was."
"Yeah. They are pretty much impenetrable. You would be safe here. We're not saying you have to stay here forever. Just while your injury is healing. We can help you come up with a plan for what to do next later."
"Why are you all helping us? You don't even know us. Plus, I'm sure you're not happy about there being clones of Shizuo he didn't know of."
[Because it's the right thing to do. We want to help you. What you've gone through isn't fair, and it's not your fault that Shizuo's DNA was taken. Plus, in a way, you are his family.]
"I suppose that's true." Delic relented.
"Shizuo will help too, I'm sure, right?" Shinra asked, turning to the former bartender. He grunted.
"Of course. They're connected to me. Might as well."
And it certainly wouldn't' hurt if I'm able to beat the crap out of those jerks who put us all in this messed up situation.
