Now it's time for the moment you've all been waiting for…Shu's past…or at least some of it...::hides under desk::...
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from Gravitation, but the other characters belong to me…
Chapter Seven:
The Truth…
Ryuichi sat next to Shuichi on the couch and sipped silently from his cup of tea, eyeing Artemis expectantly the entire time. Shuichi looked back and forth between the two with a furrowed brow until Ryuichi sighed and set his cup on the table in front of him.
"Shu…" He stopped for a moment with a furrowed brow and glanced at Artemis. Shuichi saw her nod out of the corner of his eye and that seemed to give Ryuichi the push he needed. He continued after taking a deep breath. "Shu…I think it's time for you to remember… Everything…"
Artemis sighed. Shuichi turned to look at her but she turned her face away from him, focusing her attention out the window. He furrowed his brow and returned his attention to Ryuichi, who was sipping at his tea again with his eyes locked on Artemis.
"Why?" The question seemed to echo in the silence.
Ryuichi smiled and set his cup down on the table. "Do you not want to know about what happened to you to make you the way you are today? You can be such a heartless bastard sometimes, you know."
Shuichi frowned and looked to Artemis for help but she still refused to look at him. He sighed and shook his head. "No. I want to know, but why are you going to tell me? How are you going to tell me? You didn't know me until the compound so how do you know?"
Ryuichi smiled furtively. The look sent a shiver rippling down Shuichi's spine. "You interested me. As you know, I was one of Father's closest assistants. He granted us access to the charts and files of 'patients' at times. I wanted to learn more about you."
Shuichi scowled. "You read my personal files?"
"Hey. Artemis read them too so you can't only be pissed at me for not telling you." He held his hands in front of him defensively.
Shuichi growled and looked away from him, back toward Artemis. She was watching him and didn't look away this time. Her pale green eyes searched his face before she sighed and nodded.
"He's right. He shared the files with me and I read them. Your past was…tragic, to say the least." She frowned and furrowed her brow. "But I still never discovered how you managed to forget everything. It may just be that the small human part of your mind kicked in, giving you a kind of amnesia, but I'm not so sure. Father may have done something, but there's no way to find out."
Shuichi snorted. "How can you still call him that?"
Artemis glared at him. "It's not like he gave us any other name to address him by. What would you like me to call him, pray tell?"
"Bastard? Ass wipe? The man who ruined our lives? Anything but Father."
She shook her head and ran a hand back through her long hair, shaking it out of her face. "I don't understand why you hate him so."
"And I don't remember much about it, but I can't understand why you seem to think that he actually loved us."
Artemis's cheeks flushed in anger. She opened her mouth to retort but Ryuichi quickly interrupted her, silencing her complaints with a glare.
"Father isn't the problem at hand at the moment. Do you want to know what happened to you or not, Shuichi? I'm not going to sit here and wait for you two to finish arguing. I've got better things to do."
Shuichi glared at him. "And let me guess, telling me about my past is a waste of your time as well? Why don't you just go fuck yourself and leave me alone, Ryu? I'm sick of you acting like you're big and bad. You're just the same as the rest of us. Stop pretending!"
Ryuichi snorted and stood from the couch. "I don't have time to deal with whiny little insensitive brats," he muttered and walked to the door. "Call me when he's got his head out of his ass." The slam of the front door echoed through the apartment soon after and let them know that he was gone.
Artemis sighed and gathered the tea cups, replacing them on the tray. She stood and glanced at Shuichi out of the corner of her eye. "I'll be right back. Don't disappear on me, please."
Shuichi rolled his eyes and watched her leave the room. He sighed when he was finally left alone in peace and quiet. His anger was still raging around inside of him, but it confused him. What had gotten him so riled up? Sure, Ryuichi had the tendency to piss him off quite a bit, but he'd done and said worse things in the past.
He sighed and ran a hand back through his hair, willing the anger to calm. It did calm, but it didn't disappear. It boiled beneath the surface of his skin, just waiting for the right moment to come back again, and when it did, he knew that he wouldn't be able to control it.
The door opened and Artemis came back into the room, another pot of tea on the tray though there were no cookies or biscuits this time. She smiled halfheartedly at Shuichi as she took her seat and pushed his cup toward him, sipping silently from hers when she was finished. Her pale green eyes burned as they bored into his face.
"You need to stop pestering Ryu like that, Shu. He doesn't mean to do you any harm."
The pink-haired boy scoffed and rolled his eyes, slouching down into the couch. "If he would stop being such an asshole, I wouldn't treat him like that."
Artemis sighed and set her cup back on the table. She examined Shuichi's face with a frown of impatience and annoyance. "He's right, you know? You really are a brat."
Shuichi shrugged and glared at her from beneath his bangs. "Great! Are you gonna insult me too, or are you actually going to tell me something useful about my past? I'd like to know so I don't waste any more time here than I need to."
Artemis's glare was vicious, but Shuichi didn't flinch. He was used to driving Artemis to the breaking point and was almost immune to all of her glares and insults. He had developed it into an art form. Soon, though, Artemis sighed and shook her head.
"You're a piece of work, you know? You and Ryuichi both. You're too alike for you own goods."
Shuichi snorted and rolled his eyes. "We're nothing alike. He hates vampires."
Artemis shook her head. "And so do you. You just seem to have developed a liking for the Uesugi clan, is all. But you would kill them if you had to, wouldn't you?"
Shuichi shook his head and closed his eyes. No…he wouldn't kill them, would he? He sighed. Yes, he would. If his life depended on it, he would break down and kill everyone in the Uesugi clan, even Eiri. It wasn't because of anything personal. He guessed that it was just the way he had been raised. Whatever it was, it really didn't matter at the moment.
"Tell me something about my past, Artemis. Something from before the compound that you read in my file."
The raven-haired woman sighed and ran a hand back through her long hair. "Well…the things in your file weren't written with much detail, but I'll give you what I know.
"According to what we read, when you were four-years old your parents died in a car accident and you were given to distant relatives. They didn't want you so they gave you over to a very cruel man within a year later. The man took a liking to you over all his other 'slaves.' He let you stay in the house and took great care of you, but when you did something wrong, you were punished worse than any of the others. He let the others flog and throw stones at you, careful of your face, until you were a bloody heap on the ground.
"Around your thirteenth birthday, he started taking punishment into his own hands. He raped you every time you tried to run away, because you hardly ever did anything wrong. It went on for two years until you were taken away by another man during an attempt at running away. That man was Father and he took you to the compound because he knew what you were and wanted to help you harness your power…"
The woman sat back in her chair and watched Shuichi with an emotionless face, though her eyes burned with sadness, worry, and relief. Shuichi sighed and ran a hand back through his hair, tugging gently at the strands.
"But how did Father know all of that stuff? Did I tell him? I just don't understand… How did I forget it all if I was the one who had told him? It doesn't make any sense…" He rambled on to himself for another five minutes before jumping back into reality, a wild look in his violet eyes.
"Where is the compound? Do you remember?"
Artemis shook her head. "I don't. And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. You have no need to go rushing in there, you know that."
Shuichi shook his head. "No. I want to talk to Father. I need to talk to Father. Please, Artemis, if you know, tell me!"
She shook her head again. "I don't remember. Besides, you destroyed the compound when you went on your rampage, so you wouldn't be able to find it anyway. And I haven't seen Father since Ryuichi and I left with you. He's dead for all I know."
Shuichi sighed and closed his eyes. Father couldn't be dead. He needed to talk to him. As far as he knew, he would be the only one would could give him the answers that he so desperately needed. Artemis had been good for that overview, but Shuichi needed more. Where had he come from? Who were his parents? Were there any other dhampir in his family who he could rely on? The questions formed in his mind one by one, building up until he felt like his skull was about to explode.
"I need you to calm down, Shu. You're aura is going crazy."
He shook his head. "No. I am calm. I'm calm. I just need to see Father. He knows about my past. He knows everything. He's the only one who will be able to help me."
Artemis laughed. "You are a walking contradiction," she muttered. "I thought you hated Father. How can you say that you want to see him now? You're acting like your life depends on it."
"And what if it does? What if there's something I need to know. Like, maybe someone's after me or something like that. I mean, Father did steal me away from that other man. What if he's looking for me? Father would know!"
Artemis sighed and Shuichi jumped as the couch sank beside him. He opened his eyes and saw Artemis sitting beside him with a frown on her pretty face, sadness shining in her pale eyes.
"You killed that other man, Shuichi. He's the first one you chased down after you destroyed the compound. You massacred the entire town…"
"No!" Shuichi shook his head, his brow furrowed. "I wouldn't do that. I wouldn't kill a town unless I had a reason."
"You did… And then you tried killing yourself. If it wasn't for your Hiro friend, you wouldn't be alive, but you remember at least that much, don't you?"
He nodded and closed his eyes. He buried his face in his hands and took a couple deep breaths before trying to think. Small trickles of something had started to surface in his mind after Artemis' story. The small, separate puddles they formed grew and grew until they joined into a small pond. Flashes of faces, clips of sound and small gusts of smell assaulted his memories, but he couldn't make anything of them. Though they had grouped together to form a large body of memories, none of them were connected by strings. They were like a well shuffled deck of cards.
He wasn't surprised when he felt that he was crying. Out of frustration and guilt…out of sadness. For the first time since their meeting, he wanted his vampire lover more than anything. If Eiri were there, he would be able to hold him and whisper condolences into his ear while he wept. All he had now was Artemis, and though she was the most mature of their group of three, she had never learned how to handle others sadness in the correct ways. None of them had.
Emotionless.
Rage.
Yes. They had never learned how to deal with emotions like sadness because they had been taught to harbor nothing but rage. Only rage would help them through a battle. Trivial things like happiness and sadness would only get in their ways. They were to be emotionless unless driven by rage. A need for revenge…
Shuichi's eyes snapped open and his tears stopped abruptly. He sighed and relaxed into the couch, a foreign but familiar sense of tranquility settling over him. Yes…emotionless. It was for the best. He couldn't let his feelings for Eiri or anyone else get in the way of his mission. He was going to find Father and he was going to get his answers. And then, he would kill him, once and for all.
Artemis sighed and it pulled Shuichi's attention back to her. She offered him a small smile when she saw that she had his attention.
"I'm worried about you, Shu," she said and grabbed one of his hands with both of her own. She held it tightly in her lap. "I don't want you to do anything stupid. We can't risk you dieing again."
He laughed coldly. "I don't think Ryuichi would mind all that much."
Artemis scowled. "How can you say that? Ryuichi loves you like a brother. It's why he's so hard on you. He doesn't want to see you get hurt, either."
"He could have a better way to show it…"
Artemis growled under her breath and shoved herself up from the couch. "I can't believe the two of you. You can't be in a room together for five minutes without arguing! And when you're separated, you're like two completely different people. Ryuichi is kind and caring and worries about you, while all you can do is talk shit about him. Where is your love for him, Shu?"
She sighed and fell back into her chair, her face buried in her hands. "No…no. I'm sorry. That was wrong of me to say. But…" She glanced up at Shuichi and sighed again. "Ryu does care about you. He wants you to be happy, but he's like the rest of us. It's hard to trust those we were born to exterminate, Shuichi. You've already surpassed us because you are able to trust a coven of vampires. Hell…you even love one of them."
He opened his mouth to argue, but she silenced him with a glare.
"And don't you dare try and tell me that you don't love, Eiri-kun. You may be able to keep for face emotionless, but your aura belies it." A small smile graced her lips. "You're truly an amazing person, Shuichi, and I envy you. I wish I could be as carefree as you."
Shuichi laughed and shook his head. "It has its downfalls."
Artemis shrugged. "What doesn't? But to be able to follow your heart without any questions… Gods, what I wouldn't give to be able to do that."
A tense silence hung in the air between them for a while as they each wandered through their own thoughts. Artemis was the first to break it with yet another sigh. Shuichi blinked and watched as she stood from the chair and gathered their tea cups onto the tray.
"I'm going to get some sleep before night falls. Eiri-kun will come looking for you. I don't want to be unprepared when he finds you." She smiled and ran her free hand through her long hair. "You should get some sleep too. You've had a hard past couple of days. You could use the rest."
Shuichi nodded and lay out on the couch while Artemis left the room. He sighed and put a hand over his eyes, letting the other fall to the floor. Too was happening too fast. There was no way for him to be able to comprehend it all before his mind shutdown from overexertion.
Sleep tugged at the corners of his mind and he gave into it. A power nap would be useful. He didn't want to fall asleep in the middle of his plans. Then he would be killed for sure.
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A pair of cold blue eyes loomed before him. "Look at little Shu-chan run. He thinks he can get away from us. How funny."
Laughter. Then the blue eyes were joined by a pair of cold yellow ones. "Yes, funny, indeed. But we shall catch him. It will only take a little more time. Then he will be ours again."
"Yes…then we will torture him until he gives his final scream. He will feel so much pain and pleasure, that he'll die from it…"
A loud gasp filled the room as Shuichi awoke. Laughter surrounded him, drowning him. He couldn't breathe. He felt like he was going to die if he didn't get out.
He jumped up from where he had been lying and ran away. He didn't know where he was going, but he threw open the closest window in the room and jumped out, landing silently on the empty sidewalk below. The world was bathed in a calm twilight. Too calm.
Shuichi's eyes flashed and glazed over. He closed his eyes to concentrate on his target and sniffed the air delicately. A cruel smile form on his lips when he caught the scent. It had been so long since he'd smelled anything like it. He had been sure that he'd killed the man. It was a pity, but this time he would make sure that his face was the last thing the cursed man would see as he took his last breath. He would kill him.
He tore through the city like a bat out of Hell, not even taking the time to apologize to the innocent passersby he sent to the ground as he passed. There wasn't time for that.
The scent grew stronger with each step he took. When he stopped outside a large hotel building, he was drowning in it. It was sensuous and exotic…addicting.
With a quiet growl, Shuichi took the steps outside the building two-by-two and charged into the building. One of the receptionists behind the desk shouted that there was no running in the hotel, but he didn't care. Walking was out of his mental capacity, not when he was this close. He couldn't take any chances.
He couldn't wait for the elevator. He burst through the door that led to the stairs at breakneck speed and tore up the twenty flights like they were nothing to him. It wasn't like he had never done worse in the years he'd spent in training and hunting vampires.
He flung the door to the twentieth story open and dashed into the hallway. The scent up there was so strong he could hardly breathe, but he barely noticed it. He kept moving on, using all of his strength to break down the door to room 2542 without the courtesy of a knock. As if he deserved it anyway.
A loud scream rang out as the door shattered to pieces. Shuichi took a step into the room, crushing the splintered pieces of wood beneath his feet, and looked around. No one but a terrified young woman was there. She sat huddled on the couch, her body covered by a thin white sheet. It did nothing for her. He could still tell that she was naked beneath the cover.
"Nice of you to join us, Little One. You're right on time."
Shuichi growled and turned around. A tall raven-haired man was leaning against the doorframe behind him, his arms crossed over his chest. A cold smile was on his lips and his eyes were like ice.
"Father!" Shuichi gasped.
The man laughed and pushed away from the frame. He walked toward Shuichi with his arms held out before him in a welcoming gesture. Shuichi couldn't stop himself. Everything he'd built up on the way to the hotel faded away as he fell into the embrace with his eyes closed, a small sigh slipping past his lips. The man laughed again.
"It has been far too long, Shuichi. I have missed you."
"I've missed you too."
Father pulled away and held Shuichi's face gently in his hands, his cold smile turning kind as he looked upon his old student. Shuichi returned the smile. He'd found him! Father was alive. He would be able to answer his questions and help him find his family.
The man laughed. "Your family is dead, Little One. They have been for years."
Shuichi blinked and furrowed his brow. "Wh-what do you mean?"
"They are all dead. Killed in an accident, remember?" He sighed and shook his head. "No…you don't. It is a pity really, but you couldn't have come at a more perfect time."
Father smiled and looked over Shuichi's shoulder. Shuichi turned and saw the young woman standing there, dressed in a nice suit with her long blonde hair pulled up in a ponytail.
"Shuichi, this is Esther. She is going to make sure you are taken care of."
Shuichi nodded. The woman smiled and closed the distance between them. She stood by Father's side with her arms behind her back.
"It is nice to meet you, Shuichi."
Shuichi nodded. "You too."
Father laughed. "Have you ever been a hostage, Little One?"
A hostage? Shuichi shook his head. No. He had never been a hostage… Something in the back of his mind clicked. But it was too late. By the time he tried to make a run for the door, Father had a hand clamped around his upper arm in an unbreakable grip. Shuichi winced at the pain that shot up his arm to his shoulder.
"You are the pawn that is going to bring little Eiri to us. It has been far too long since I have seen him, as well. We need to have a…talk…"
The cold smile on the man's face told Shuichi that he wasn't planning on talking. Shuichi struggled against Father's grip, but the man only tightened it.
"You will not escape, Little One," he mumbled, his mouth against Shuichi's ear. "Not again. You are mine, and I am going to make that known to everyone, starting with your little vampire lover."
A cold sweat broke out all over Shuichi's body as a pair of lips was pressed against his throat. They moved all over, but stopped and hovered over his pulse. Shuichi knew what was coming and was prepared for it, but he still winced as the two razor sharp incisors sunk into his neck.
The man drew blood until Shuichi felt himself going weak in the knees. When he pulled away, there was a small trickle of blood that dripped from the corner of his mouth and down his chin.
"You have let him feed from you, even with the knowledge of what he was!" Father said with a laugh. "How amazing. I learn something new about you everyday, Little One."
"Fuck off!" Shuichi growled.
He laughed. "Such foul language." He beckoned to the woman with a small flick of his wrist. "Esther. Take care of him for now. I do not have the time to deal with foolishness."
"Yes, sir."
Esther took a step forward and revealed why she had been holding her hands behind her back. She held a tranquilizer gun in her hands. Shuichi tried to run, but the hold on his arm was too tight. The gun went off silently and the next thing Shuichi knew was black.
TBC…
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Meh…I like the ending of this chapter and that's about it. Poor Shuichi. He got what he wanted, so I guess he really can't complain, right? Yeah…that would be cruel. But we'll hear from him again in a bit. Next comes pissed off Eiri. HURRAH!!! ::happy dance::…
Anyway…thanks to everyone who reviewed. You know who you are and I should have sent you all PMs. If I didn't, I'm sorry and I will this time. ::hugs you all::…
Thank ya much for reading and, until next chapter, ja ne…
