Reminder: Dialogue in parentheses means that the character is speaking in English...
Recommended BGM: Anthem by Emancipator
…….
"Remember everything!" A small voice had cried.
…
"(Two earl greys… is there anything else you'd like?)"
I scribbled the orders off onto the notepad, looking back up as I waited for more orders from the customers. The weird customers didn't seem to be listening. I couldn't help but start feeling uncomfortable when these two women kept on staring at me. "(Miss?)"
"(N-no… that's alright…!)" I raised an eyebrow when I saw redness come into their round cheeks but I didn't want to comment.
"(Here you go.)" Coming back with the two cups of tea, I carefully placed them on the round white table. I nodded off to the customers, telling them to call me if there was anything else they would need. I turned towards the back of the restaurant and headed for the storage room. Since she knew how strong I was, the manager wanted me to rearrange some of the boxes that were lying around.
"Hah…" I sighed when I heard some clicking from nearby.
I turned to the source and saw a camera peeking out from an adjacent hallway to the storage room. "…Edgar, can you please stop taking pictures of me?" As soon as I said that, a soft tuft of blonde hair had poked out with the camera. Edgar then walked out with his signature beret and lab coat that he had left unbuttoned, not caring about how out of place he looks. Pale gray eyes behind a pair of clear tactical glasses had skimmed over the image on his camera before giving me a cheeky smile.
"I can… but I won't! Your uniform really suits you and I want to capture this memory." He said as he took another picture. Sighing, I just kept going on my way into the storage room.
I'm not really sure if this uniform really suits me. Not that I care. The only reason that I'm working here is because I at least want to earn some money for myself. My family was already paying so much for me to study abroad that I couldn't help but feel guilty, even if we are rich. If I could at least pay for my daily necessities, the guilt could lighten up a bit.
"You know, you really should leave your hair like that, you look so beautiful…"
"…" Feeling the strong warmness fill my cheeks, I instinctively grabbed at one of the medium length locks of my hair. My hair fell way past my shoulders and I tied it in a loose side braid. After leaving Japan, I pretty much didn't feel the need to cut my hair as often as I used to. My hair grew pretty fast and I found it to be annoying to cut it every week. However, I did have to deal with the occasional pervert that thought I was a girl…
"Aww… is that a blush I see? You're so cute!"
"S-shut up! Aren't those glasses of yours prescribed? There's no way in hell I'm cute or beautiful!"
"Just embrace it!" Edgar had exclaimed as he ringed a long arm around my waist. "My little cub…" He cooed into my ear.
"I'm not a cub…" My nose immediately twitched at the soft scent that was starting to wrap around me. He smells like the sun…
"…" I felt a warm finger press up against the bottom of my chin. I looked up to see Edgar's clear eyes boring into me. They were so full of love and warmth that I didn't know if I even deserved it. "So cute…" He softly murmured, pressing his lips against mine.
"Nn…" I moaned into the kiss.
"Ah…" I parted my lips by just a sliver and Edgar had already slipped his tongue through. His hot breath filled me as his tongue gently lapped against mine. I could feel Edgar's tongue moving around even faster and deeper inside me. I ringed my arms around Edgar's neck, letting him push me down onto the boxes. He burrowed in between my legs, grinding himself against me. A raging blush filled my cheeks as I felt his half hard organ pressing against mine.
A strong moan spilled out of my lips into Edgar's mouth. I looked up to see the light pinkness in Edgar's cheeks, which was enough to know how much he was holding back. "I guess it's pretty stupid to do this here..."
"Of course it is, you idiot." We were still at work and what we were doing would be very hard to explain if someone walked in on us… the manager in particular, since she's Edgar's aunt…
"Hmm?" He raised a blonde eyebrow. "My, my, how my little cub has grown. It's really rare for you to voice out insults."
"Well, I…" My eyes widened at the sudden statement. "…?" I felt really confused me when Edgar gave me a big bear hug, nuzzling his straight nose into the crook of my neck. "Edgar?"
"I'm a little happy." He murmured into my ear. "No, I'm actually really happy." He lightly shook his head, letting the ends of his golden locks tap against my cheek.
"That I'm insulting you?"
"Yep!"
"…Why?"
"Because…" He had whispered into my ear. "It means your fire is coming back…" He pulled back and loomed over me. His warm hand had gently cupped the side of my cheek and he looked into me with nostalgia in his clear eyes.
"Is that really ok?" I nervously asked.
"Of course. Never let it die out." He murmured as closed in as he softly kissed me.
"Edgar…" Tears started filling the corners of my eyes. He moved his hand down my chest, gingerly opening the buttons as he continued. The frosty air of the room penetrated my bare chest, earning me more shivers when he unbuttoned my shirt all the way. "Unh…"
"That's quite a sight…" He ran his hand over my refined chest and abs. He then moved his hand up to one of the stray locks of hair that rested on my chest. He lifted it up with his hand and gently kissed it.
"…" Without warning, I let go of Edgar's neck and pushed him off me. I could feel the shocked eyes coming into my back as I got up and headed for the door. I turned the little handle to lock the door and turned to Edgar. "…Let's keep it as clean as possible, ok?" Reaching for the elastic that had bound my hair, I quickly pulled it off and let my braid come undone. My long hair flew loose and lightly wrapped itself around my shoulders.
"…" He looked at me with a stunned look in his eyes and pinkness in his cheeks before he gave me a goofy smile. "Don't worry, I got these!" Reaching into his white jacket, he pulled out a long strip of condoms that unfolded itself to the floor.
"Why are on earth were you carrying these around?" Grabbing the lower end I looked at the various colored condoms and raised an eyebrow when I read the back of one that said, 'grape flavored'.
"You never know when we're going to do it." He told as he pulled out a bottle of lube. "It's best to come prepared since I don't want to wind up hurting you. It's a good idea. Don't you think so, my partner in crime?" He cheekily asked with a wink. Thinking back on our relationship, it seemed like sex was spontaneous for the most part. We once wound up doing it at the school's locker room, a friend's attic, the backstage of a theater, an alleyway, the park…
We were about to start when we heard some nearby footsteps. "(Ritsu? You're still in there, right? Can you take out the garbage? You can go after that.)" We both flinched when he heard the slight turn of the knob before the manager's failed attempt at opening the door. "(…The door's locked. Is everything alright?)"
"(Y-yeah, I just n-need to finish stacking in here! I'll be right out!)" Oh god, I'm so glad I locked the door! I started buttoning up my shirt in a panic as I looked over to Edgar who had a deep frown on his face.
"Damn you, cockblocker…" Edgar hissed at the door with his fist held up high as we heard the footsteps fade away.
"…You do realize I'm free after this, right?" I sighed.
"Yay!" Edgar had cheered as he charged over and pulled me in for a bear hug. "I get to take to you home with me now…" Well, it's no surprise. The place I live in right now is Edgar's house. I used to live in the school dorms but later on, he offered me a place to stay. I was already trying to stay away from other people and having a roommate at a dorm wouldn't be good. Since Edgar had a whole house to himself, I figured the extra space would be nice.
"I can already feel my hips crying…"
"With joy!"
"Sure, sure." I chuckled out.
After getting my heart broken by senpai, I fell into a deep depression as time went by. It all started when I thought to myself, 'Ah… what's the point of trying if people find my façade more pleasant than my real self?' I had come to that thought when I thought of why senpai would use me as I did. If I had shown what I truly was, then the relationship would've never started. My real self would've never been acceptable.
My mother once told me that the reasons that humans and all living things had survived up to this point was because they adapted to their environment. It was the same exact principle that allowed my family to survive. But it's that principle that also causes so many problems.
If I had to live my life constantly adapting to everybody else's prejudices to the point where I won't be able to remember my real self, I'd rather not connect with anyone.
It was at that point where I decided to see if my father's words would ring true in one of the worst ways…
Even if we can't change who we are, things can still change if we fight…
So if I fight, maybe I can get rid of this unbearable feeling. Maybe I could actually connect with someone.
Since there was a lot of bullying going on in my school, I quickly wound up venting my frustration on all of the bullies one day. Many of them went to the hospital as a result and transferred away afterwards. But the news had spread to the neighboring schools and many of the upstarts wanted to challenge me. Wanting to vent my frustration even more, I happily agreed to use them as my punching bags.
I didn't bother thinking about the after effects of my actions. Some of the bullies might've had their own problems or family issues to deal with. Some of them might have family who cried their eyes out over their battered bodies, confused when the schools had all covered up the incidents. None of it seemed important to me.
Despite beating up nearly all of the bullies in my area, I still wasn't satisfied. At that point, I then started taking on the jobs that were similar to the ones that I had been offered in Japan. There was already one job that I've been on since I came here but I didn't mind taking multiple side jobs. Many of them included doing raids on local gangs that were responsible for a lot of incidents. There was also a possibility they were connected to the main job but that theory died quickly.
In the course of all the raids I'd participated in, I managed to send over 40 people to the hospital in critical condition. There was even a bodyguard job that I once took because I realized that anybody who would come to attack my client would automatically be cleared to be pummeled as much as I'd like to. On the first day, I sent two of my client's assailants into comas.
Really, I was so pathetic…
Around this time was where Edgar and I had first rejoined. One of the first things he asked me was if I wanted to move in with him. I guess he could already tell what was wrong with me. I believe that this move was one of the best choices of my life. He managed to snap me out of it.
As ridiculous as Edgar seemed, he was truly one of the most amazing people I've ever met. He knows all about me and my family's background. Hell, he was actually a childhood friend. We had to part ways when we were little because of an incident, sadly. We wound up dating a few months after I started living with him and now we're almost six months in. Out of all the people I met in England, he was pretty much the only one I had gotten close to.
I guess the reason he became so influential was because he didn't offer any sympathy or pity me. Nor was he terrified of me. Given what happened to his family after the incident, I actually didn't pity him either. I guess from the outside it seems kind of weird to have that mindset…
"You know, the fact that your hair grew so quickly reminded me that you were a pretty fast healer when we were little." Edgar had told as he braided my hair for me. My hands were already full with the boxes but I couldn't go back out without an explanation as to why my hair was undone. "Everything just faded away."
"Yeah, but it's pretty much faded away now." That trait is pretty common in my family, but it oddly goes away as we get older. My father probably would've had more scars on his body if it weren't for that.
…
"Heave ho…" Getting to the back alley, I lugged out the two garbage bags and tossed them into the nearby dumpster. I clapped away at my hands and looked up at the dim sky. It's always so full of clouds…
"H-help!" Somebody had cried out in Japanese. "Somebody help me, please!"
"A little girl?" I turned the corner to see a little girl being held by her hair by an overgrown man. "(Hey! Let her go!)" I had exclaimed to the two large thugs.
Snickering, one of the thugs walked over to me. "(Hehe… or what? You little-)" I extended my fist into his stomach, cutting him off. There was a crunch as I pulled my fist away. "Unh…" The tall thug groaned as I stepped to the side, letting him fall to his knees and flat on his face.
"(Must I repeat myself?)" I had sighed out as I turned to the other man.
"Oof…" My mouth slightly hung open when the man dropped the little girl onto the ground.
"(Hey!)" What the hell is wrong with him?
"(You little…)" He angrily marched over to me with clenched fists. "…!" He threw the first punch, missing when I sidestepped out of the way. I tugged his arm forward in one jerk and pounded my fist down on his back, sending him flat on the pavement.
"(…)" Just who are these guys? Could they be related to those disappearances I've been informed about? The main job I had was to investigate on the mysterious string of disappearances. It seemed that a large amount of people who were having financial troubles just started disappearing. Many of the people I had arrested were known for extorting money so it was thought that they'd be a good start but we had gotten nothing…
"Owwie…" The soft voice broke me out of my thoughts and I immediately turned to see the girl rubbing the back of her head.
"Are you alright, little girl?" The first thing I noticed about this girl was her eyes. They were a royal blue with little flecks of shining gold that were sprinkled all over her irises. They were so strangely beautiful that I momentarily questioned myself if this girl was human. However, that was a foolish thought. My grandmother had a similar set of eyes, along with my father and one other person I know of…
"Y-yes! Thank you so much, mister!" Thick black eyelashes were batted around as the little girl recomposed herself. Her long black hair was slightly disheveled from the earlier struggle. This girl was surprisingly weird. I thought most children would wind up crying from being manhandled like that. I guess she was the type that can handle stressful situations like that.
Crouching down, I patted the little girl on her head. "…Try to be more careful, alright? It's not good for a young girl to walk through these alleys." It didn't really help that this café was nearby a few bars that had histories of drunken fights breaking out. Every now and again, we would have these drunks come into the store to bring up trouble. It's ridiculous how large the manager's gun and knife collection had gotten…
"…!" With a small gasp, the little girl surprised me when she jumped forward into my arms.
"Oof…" Slipping from the moist ground, I landed on my back. Looking straight up I had looked to see the little girl looming over me with a big smile on her small face.
"Oh my gosh! Mister Ritsu, it's you!"
"Wait… Iris?" How on earth could I have not realized it sooner?
"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" She happily squealed in my arms before she took a long look at my hair. "When did you get so pretty, Mister Ritsu?" She innocently asked as she tilted her head.
"It really is you…" I chuckled before I realized what she said. "Boys aren't supposed to be pretty, Iris…"
"But you are…" She pouted.
"…" How could I have forgotten how cute she was? "Wait, was there anybody with you?" I looked around the alley but found us to be the only ones besides those two thugs on the ground.
"Yes, I'm supposed to be with my mama. Can I call my mama? We got separated a little while ago and she might be worried…"
"Here you go." Getting back up, I fished around my pocket for my phone and handed it off to Iris.
Iris glided her little fingers over the numbers and held the phone to her ear as she waited for the other end to pick up. "Mama! Don't worry, I'm alright! Where are you?" There was a lot of chattering on the other end and I noticed Iris's cheeks going red. "…I thought that was the bus we were supposed to take. But there were so many people getting on that I thought we were supposed to get on too!" She had exclaimed she swung her little fist around in the air. "No? We weren't? Oops…"
"Still an airhead, I see…" I chuckled to myself. "…Iris, I'm going to need you to go inside and find a weird looking guy named 'Edgar' for me. Alright?" I whispered.
"…" At first, she had given me a weird look but nodded and went inside.
"(Who's there?)" I had called out to the sky. I could've sworn I felt some sort of odd presence. I waited out here for a few moments before I sighed. "Hmph. Must've just been my…" I turned to see a figure falling in from behind me. I didn't have much time to react as the surprisingly tall man had grabbed the sides of my hips.
"You're…" Deep blue eyes pierced into mine. His wide eyes were filled with surprise for some odd reason.
"E-eh?! What are you…?" I nervously tried to get out of his hold as he rubbed my hips.
"You have surprisingly feminine hips for a male…" He said in perfect Japanese. His large hands slipped behind my back and slightly lowered them, groping that area as well. "And a surprisingly round ass…" He told with wonder in his deep voice.
"S-shut up!" My cheeks started burning from his comment as I broke away from his hold. I recall Edgar making those kind of comments from time to time whenever we got intimate. Even senpai had mentioned it once before…"I'll kick your ass!"
"…!" Slipping his hands underneath my arms, he held me up high with surprising strength. I couldn't help but be irritated by the way I was being held.
What am I? Four?
"I don't think you're really in a position to make threats. " He chuckled. "Pretty little kitty… "
"…" Not knowing what to say, I could only narrow my eyes at him as I felt the warmness course through my cheeks.
"Pfft…" Deep snickers escaped his throat. I slightly shook in his hold as he tried to contain his laughter. Finding it as my opening, I forced my way out of his grip and landed back on the ground. I took my battle stance, holding my fists up and keeping my feet spread apart. I wasn't really caring about the underlying ground cracking from my feet since I was prepared to send this bastard flying.
"I'll make you regret calling me a…" My heart skipped a beat as I remembered the phrase.
"Hmm…" He waited for me to continue.
"Ki…tty…" He gazed into me as I repeated that word. My hands fell to my sides as a pit formed in my stomach.
He knows…
"(Don't move!)" A new voice had called out.
"Hm?" We both turned to see Edgar standing before us with a gun in his hands.
"E-Edgar?" What's he doing holding that gun? It looks like he's aiming at the pervert standing in front of me…
"(I said don't move!)" Edgar had venomously hissed. But he's not moving! I don't really like this man at all but I'd never forgive myself if I let him get shot.
"Edgar, don't…!"
"…!" He fired a round.
I couldn't help but flinch at the sound until I heard a small cry of pain coming from deeper in the alley followed by the clattering of metal.
"(Dammit…!)"
"Eh?" I turned to the source of the cry and the found that it came from one of the men I had knocked out earlier. I thought I put them out of commission!
"(C-crap…!)" A dark look of dread covered their faces as they looked at the man in front of me. I noticed that the carefree demeanor he had before had disappeared and a look of pure anger and disgust took its place. He gritted his teeth as the two men bolted off in the other direction.
"(Hey! Get back here you fucking bastards!)" My assailant's deep voice barreled through the alley as he charged into the distance.
"W-wait!" I tried to go after them but it was too late…
…..
"Yumyum…" Iris happily munched down on the chocolate macaron.
"Do you like it?" I asked her. She was sitting on my lap as I had braided her long hair. She emanated the soft scent of strawberries.
"Mhmm!" She happily nodded to me as she continued to eat.
"She's so adorable!" Edgar had squealed.
"Thank you!"
After that incident in the alley, we wound up filing another police report. The authorities were already familiar with us since we always had to file one when dealing with a drunk. Right now, we're just waiting in the restaurant for Iris' mother to show up.
"(Great, another addition to the language barrier…)" Edgar's aunt had sighed. I guess she never really liked it when Edgar and I spoke in Japanese since she didn't know the language.
"(Don't worry! I can speak English too!)" Iris had happily said in English.
"(Well, I'll be damned…)" Edgar and his aunt had said in unison.
"(She's half Japanese and half Hispanic.)" I told. "(Actually, you'd be surprised how smart she is.)"
"(I'm not that smart, Mister Ritsu…)" Iris pouted before she smiled with a glint of excitement in her sparkly eyes. "(There are so many things in this world that I don't know about! I can't possibly be smart!)"
"…" Calm grey eyes looked Iris over before she pointed at Edgar. "(Don't grow up to be like this guy, alright?)"
"(Hey… what's that supposed to mean?)" Edgar had whined.
"(Of course not!)" Iris had proclaimed as she stood on my lap. "(I'm going to be a hero one day!)"
"(That's right.)" Looks like Iris still has that hero complex.
"(…A hero, huh?)" I had heard Edgar mutter to himself.
"Mama!" Hearing the bells at the door go off, Iris had darted towards the newcomer. The newcomer revealed to be a tan woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties. She had immediately crouched down to Iris' height and scooped her up into her arms for a hug.
"Thank goodness you're alright…" I heard her worriedly mumble. Her jet black hair had trickled past her shoulders and covered part of Iris' face like a curtain. She looked up and I saw that familiar set of deep blue eyes. "You?"
Come to think of it, I'm aware that plenty of people in England have blue eyes but it feels like hers are very similar to the man that I had encountered in the alley. They have the same shade of blue but her eyes seemed to show the memory of unbelievable pain…
"It's been a while." That's right… Iris' mother was a nurse. Last time I checked, she was a member of a medical division that treated people who became experiments. She traveled a lot because there was always a new case in different countries. I remember that my father first introduced me to her when she came to Japan to treat a pregnant woman back then.
From what I was told, nursing her was pretty difficult not just because she already had a weak body, but because her husband had no idea that she was even a victim of the experiments. Many of the drugs that had to be administered to guide her through the pregnancy weren't ones that you normally give to a pregnant woman and it had to be kept secret from him. I'm pretty glad that I never met him, mainly because I have no idea what expression to put on my face.
The patient's name was Sakura. Sadly, I don't know her last name and she doesn't know my last name. It seemed to be an unspoken agreement that victims don't share their full names with each other. For whatever reason, that's beyond me. No, I feel like I know the reason but it just hasn't surfaced from my mind yet.
"Thank you for watching over Iris." Without warning, she had come forward and given me a big hug.
"…It's no problem, really." Troubled as I was with coming into close contact with other people, she was one of the few people who were the exception. She never overstepped her boundaries since she seemed to know them without even asking.
"She had a safe delivery, just so you know." She whispered.
"Eh?"
"Sakura gave birth to a healthy baby girl." She told me with a smile.
"I see…" I could feel warmth gathering at my cheeks at the good news. "That's good to hear…" I feel like there's something she's not telling me though. But with the way she held up her smile, she looks as if she'll break down into tears if I ask her. What exactly happened?
"(Bye bye!)" Iris waved away as her mother held her hand and they walked out the door.
My chest had a slight ache as I stood in front of the entrance. I couldn't help but replay that painful smile in my head, over and over again. It was eerily familiar to me. Ah, that's right. There was only one other person who had ever given me that kind of smile.
"Takafumi…" I softly murmured to myself.
….
Cold… my body feels so cold…
"Uh… my head…" My eyes fluttered open to a grayish ceiling. I held a hand to my head as I tried to rub away my throbbing headache.
"Are you alright…?" A child's voice had called out.
"Iris?" My eyes focused on the beautifully colored ones looking me over. "…" I felt my heart stop at the sight of Iris' ankles. Chains… there are chains on her ankles. Looking down at my own legs, I found a similar set resting there.
"Pain, go fly away!" She rubbed my forehead and flung her hand away. "It doesn't hurt now, does it?"
"Of course it doesn't. You made the pain fly away." A second voice had called out. "Right?" I turned to see a teenage boy with shaggy brown hair. I couldn't distinguish his eye color mainly because he kept them closed for some bizarre reason. Despite sitting on the floor, I'm pretty sure he could tower over me if we stood up side by side.
"…Right." I assured. "Thank you."
"Thank goodness!" Iris held a sigh of relief before gesturing to the teenager. "Oh, Mister Ritsu! This is Mister Kanade!"
"Yo."
"…Yo?" Did he really just say that? "…Did you happen to hit your head by any chance?"
"No, isn't that how people address each other?" He innocently asked.
"Sort of…" I guess he's the type that doesn't go out much…
There are so many people here, it's unbelievable. Even with the dim lighting, it's easy to tell that these people had different nationalities. They all wore torn and dirty clothes that clung to their bodies.
"Huh? Where's your mother?" I stole a look at Iris before I did another search around the room but she was nowhere in sight. Maybe she's in another cell?
"I don't know. Those mean grown-ups took her away..." Iris whimpered. "But Mama is very strong! She'll find a way!"
"Stupid, stupid…" For the next few hours, I tried to think back on how I wound up here and I bopped myself on the head at my realization. "Oh my god, I'm so stupid!" I was abducted after I had slept with Edgar! When I was heading to school the next day, my hips were so out of commission that Edgar even told me that I was at risk on my own! We weren't really sure who those men were but we knew they were most likely related to the disappearances…
But I guess it's a good thing he wasn't with me, or else he'd be stuck here too…
In this underground city.
The only way I know for a fact that we're in an underground city is through that window on the wall. The first thing that would be noticed from looking out the window was that there was no sky. There was only a sky of earth that spanned far beyond the city's boundaries.
It's almost like the one beneath Tokyo. However, I've only ever had a glance at that city. My parents generally didn't like me going down there because slavery was apparently legal. It's not that I was at risk of becoming a slave, it was the fact that my parents didn't want me to see them. However, I did hear that it was only legal within the inner boundaries of the city. All of the residents of the outer area were free and never had to fear being captured. There's already so many people caught up in the black market that there was never a need to go after the citizenry, or so I heard.
But it is kind of odd. It looks we're being held in the outer boundaries of the city. I thought this city would have the same structure as the one beneath Tokyo. Shouldn't we be within the inner ring? I can't even see the coliseum from here.
The coliseum was basically the main source of entertainment. It was a lot like the Roman coliseum. However, instead of animals that would be one of the group of fighters, there were experiments that were put into the arena. I've heard that in Tokyo's coliseum, they've even put slaves up into the arena.
…..
"The experiments are…" There was a faint mumble coming from the door as we all sat, waiting for our fate. I couldn't help but hug Iris close to me when the footsteps had gotten close to the door. I held a sigh of relief though when the footsteps started going in the opposite direction.
Thinking about it, I guess I should evaluate the term 'experiment'…
People who were victims but had lost their sanity are referred to as experiments. This is because that's all they are at that point. They're called exact same thing as the cause. However, this is used interchangeably with victims who didn't lose their minds. Many people of the upper class who do know of the victims will lump us all in under the title of 'experiment', mainly out of belief that everyone will eventually go berserk. I'm already referred to as a 'lion of god' and it's troublesome that I have another irritating title to deal with. But I guess it's also appropriate…
After all, my family is also to blame for the experiments…
Our bodies are different from a regular human's, which is obvious for a fact. It's because of this that the first scientists that had experimented on humans had continued on ever since the olden days. If it's possible for us to exceed human limits because of the genetic make-up of our bodies, then it should be possible to breed people like us from normal people.
When I was taken and experimented on, they didn't just experiment on me, they also took my genetic map. They made a new serum out of it to test on all of the victims, to see if it could alter their genetic map. But… most of them wound up rejecting it, coughed up blood and died painfully.
I guess I'm technically a murderer…
"…Do you know why we have these things on our legs?" Iris' voice knocked me out of my thoughts as she fumbled with the rings of metal on her ankles. "They're so uncomfortable! I want to take them off so badly…"
"They want to make sure we don't try to escape. They'll probably take them off as soon as we're bought by our owners…" Kanade had solemnly murmured. "It depends on the owner's whims as well."
"…Owners? Then if we break these things, we're free?"
"…Even if my shackles are broken, I have no hope of escape." I had spilled out.
"…" Iris turned to look at me, completely dumbfounded.
"…!" Realizing what I had just said, I immediately assured Iris. "But if it's you, then you'll be fine! Don't worry! You can be free!"
"Really?" She asked. For a moment, I wasn't really sure how to answer. I could tell that Kanade and everybody else in the room were listening and waiting for a response. They all probably were more aware than I am of what could happen if I gave Iris the wrong answer...
I patted her on the head and smiled at her.
"Yes. I'll make sure of it."
….
We were together for who knew how long in that cold room. It seemed like days, but with Iris, the time just seemed to fly by, so it was probably much longer. She was the little ball of refreshing sunshine that kept me from wearing out completely. We told the little things about ourselves as time flew by. Iris told me the reason why she was visiting England with her mother. Apparently her father was somewhere in London and they were looking for him when they were taken.
"One day, my friend told me that I'll meet the person I'm looking for in England…" I told. The truth was that Kero had brought it up a few days after I stopped going to school. After that fight with senpai…
I couldn't even go to school after that fight if I wanted to because my body was so inexplicably tired for those next few days. Each morning, I had woken up with a bruised and battered body. I wasn't even training during that period of time. Hell, I don't even remember leaving my room…
I had already broken up with senpai so I didn't have the urge to tell him before I flew off to England.
"What kind of person?" Iris asked, curiously looking up at me.
"A very special person." I told her. "I've never met that person before though…"
"Eh? Why haven't you?" Kanade had asked.
"Because that person doesn't exist. A person I once knew was very sad because of that…" A tall dark-haired boy with sapphire eyes flashed through my mind before I looked up at the ceiling. "That person didn't exist, doesn't exist, but hopefully will exist." I couldn't help but frown at the memory of that boy's tears. "…Do you think they'll ever cast a shadow when they come into existence?" That's something I've been wondering the entire time I've been in England. Will finding that person really be helping considering how old they would be now?
"Hmm…" Iris tilted her cute head as she looked upwards. "That person didn't have a shadow, doesn't have a shadow, but possibly can have a shadow. The only way to find out is to bring them into existence instead of just wondering. At least, that's what I think, Mister Ritsu." Curling her knees up to her chest, Iris propped her elbows on them. Resting her chin on her hands, Iris had turned to look at me with sad eyes. "It'd be terrible if they never had the chance for themselves though…"
"…" I blinked twice at what she just told me. "That really is a good point."
"You think so?" She asked with surprise in her voice. I guess she still doesn't have that much confidence herself…
"Of course. Most people can't even come up with that kind of answer." Kanade had told her as he patted her on the head. "So what's that person's name? The one you once knew, I mean."
"Takafumi."
"Taka…fumi…?" Iris had asked. I guess his name was a bit unusual…
"A noble letter…" Kanade had mumbled. I guess he was trying to figure out the meaning. "Or a noble history, right?"
"That's right."
"That name sounds so heroic!" Iris had squealed. "Righteous and proud!"
"I know, right?" Kanade chuckled.
"I wonder if he lives up to his name. What's his full name?"
"He never gave me his full name and I could never find him…" I had sighed.
"Aw…"
"What a shame…" A woman's voice had sounded out through the large group of people surrounding us. I turned to see the vast majority of the people looking down at the floor but obviously listening in on the conversation.
"Not entirely. When we were together, my relative came up with the nickname 'Taka-pyon' out of spite." I told. "He always gave the funniest reactions whenever I 'accidentally' used my nicknames on him."
"What nicknames did you give him?"
"Takaka, Kafufu, and Fumimi."
"Pfft…" Everybody in the room started to snicker.
"He used to yell at me, 'How could you?! Boys don't give each other such embarrassing nicknames!'"
"I bet you said something like, 'My tongue slipped!' or something like that each time, right?" Kanade chuckled.
"Yeah…"
On the day I had found him, I was staying at my uncle's place in Ogikubo for Golden Week. My parents were going overseas and I found it to be the perfect opportunity to go visit my uncle and his wife. Edgar, Tsuri, who was my… relative, and I had been playing in a nearby park when I ran across Takafumi crying in a bush.
Well, that's the story I had told everybody else since they weren't nearby.
I first knew that Takafumi must've been in some way related to us since the way I had found him in the first place was unusual. I was just running around the park when I noticed some water in the form of a fish was floating overhead. It swam around the air as if it were in water and needless to say; I got kind of freaked out. However, when it went in a particular direction I couldn't help but follow it. It was then that I had found Takafumi in the bushes.
It seemed that he ran away from home because of what his parents told him about that person. He lived miles away in Shinjuku and only wound up in Ogikubo because it was the least likely place his parents would find him. That's what he told me anyway.
Long story short, I decided to have him stay with me. My uncle and his wife were alright with it but he had to go back on the following morning for obvious reasons. We spent the entirety of our day wandering around Ogikubo. Come nighttime, we all stayed in my temporary room, reading away at all of the books on the shelves that lined the walls. Edgar was even willing to bring over his grandfather's medical journals for Takafumi to read. Surprisingly enough, Takafumi was able to read and enjoy all of them in that one night.
I remember on that morning, my uncle's wife, Tsuri, a… relative of mine, and I went with him to his house. Edgar wound up sleeping in that day so he couldn't come with us. The nameplate to his house was just in sight before I heard the screams coming from inside. Everything that happened in the house after finding his parents collapsed on the floor in pools of blood was a blur. As far as I knew, I was knocked out and when I woke up, I found myself in a second nightmare…
After we had gone through that hell in the underground lab, Takafumi had just disappeared along with his family. I asked my father to track them down for me but he said we'd be doing them more harm than good if we searched…
But that very fact managed to give me hope, now that I think about it.
I've heard of stories of other clans that were gifted with supernatural abilities and were forced into slavery. But they supposedly died out a long time ago. But since Takafumi has a possibility of having a similar heritage to me, maybe there are more out there. The only other people who would have a special ability would be victims of the experiments. And that kind of case was extremely rare since they usually resulted in failures…
I still get nightmares about that incident but with Iris, they've pretty much disappeared. The cold floors and walls serve as a strong reminder. However, I do get the feeling that we're safer here than in that underground lab all those years ago. I've never heard any bloodcurdling screams, I've never seen any dried blood stains, and I've never seen anyone die in front of me. So I guess this place already has more pluses to benefit from.
….
"Iris was the goddess of rainbows."
"Really?"
I decided to tell Iris what I knew about the source of her name. "She's as fast as the wind, capable of traveling to the ends of the world, the deepest depths of the oceans, and even the underworld. She's one of the few who could go anywhere in the whole world."
"Really?!" Even in the darkness of the room, Iris's eyes managed to give a little sparkle. She excitedly grabbed on to the front of my shirt. "Mama never told me that, Mister Ritsu!"
"Maybe she wanted you to find out about it yourself." Kanade pointed out. This particular goddess didn't have a story like many of the other gods in Greek mythology so we didn't get to cover her in school. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if Iris didn't manage to find out about her name's meaning for her entire life.
"Tell me more!"
"She was a messenger goddess as well. Since she was as fast as the wind, she delivered messages from the gods to the people. She could disguise herself as someone the people knew so that they could stay friendly. I guess it's because of her that everybody was so close…"
We had two meager meals a day, they were barely decent but I made sure to take the first bite just in case they were drugged. They had no signs of it, so they were safe to eat.
It was easy to tell when night came because it became almost unbearably cold, given what we wore. It's the winter time and it was snowing a little bit before I when I was out on the street. Even though we were underground where there was more heat, it still wasn't enough to be considered comfortable temperature. We were given thin blankets but they obviously weren't enough. I've heard of those stories where skin on skin contact was enough to save somebody's life in cold conditions but I obviously didn't want to do that sort of thing to such a small girl…
Instead, I had Iris sit on my lap, snuggled into my chest as I leaned against Kanade's chest. As odd as it looked for him to hold us like this, it was enough with our combined blankets providing as shields. Kanade's blanket was put around his broad shoulders to protect his back from the cold wall and I had given my blanket to Iris for extra protection. Sure, my sides were exposed but Kanade seemed to have a higher body temperature than me.
The echoing clatter of our chains bounced off the walls as we slightly shifted about. Iris was surprisingly light, considering how I thought eight year olds would have some weight, but I felt the slight bumps of ribs on the side of her thin torso rubbing against my chest as I held her in my arms. That was enough to let me know why…
Each night, I had the habit of running my hand through her soft, strawberry-scented hair. The dark coloring kept reminding me about senpai… but I still couldn't help myself as painful as the memory of him was. At one point, Iris asked me why I did that and I could only say it was a force of habit. I asked her if she didn't like it and she surprised me when she asked me to keep doing it.
"It feels really good…" She snuggled up her little head towards my hand as she hummed. "It reminds me of Mama…" Her warm smile turned into a frown at her last word. "Mama…" Little tears surfaced at the corners of her eyes.
"Don't worry, you'll see her again." I assured her, holding her close to my chest. "Definitely…" But with each passing day, I couldn't help but put a little more doubt into my words. No one was coming to rescue us and some of these people, including Kanade, were already members of the underground slave trade. It wasn't just a new batch of people…
"Mister Ritsu…" I looked down to see her rubbing away at her tears. "What would you think if I was like that goddess?"
"Why are you asking that? I thought you wanted to be a hero."
"I do…" She gave me a small smile. "If she could go anywhere, then she must be a hero. Maybe she freed people like us when she traveled the world. Even people like that person who didn't exist. It'd be nice if mama named me for that reason…"
"…"
"Mister Kanade, you should be a hero too."
"Eh? Why is that?" He asked, letting his calm voice reverberate into my body.
"I bet your little sister would love it if you were her hero." That's right… he mentioned that he had a little sister. They had been separated for a few years after they were bought in an underground auction by separate buyers. Apparently their parents had sold them off because they had a large amount of debt and the auctions in the underground cities brought in a lot of money…
"…I guess so."
"Don't say something as awkward as 'I guess so'!" Iris had exclaimed as she hopped out of my lap. "No matter the person, everyone needs some kind of hero! Even if their hero is themselves! If her hero can't be herself, then it has to be you!"
"Iris…"
"Maybe it won't be today or tomorrow but as long as time keeps going you still have a chance at being her hero! As time goes on, you'll still have a chance at finding your hero too!"
"…" Kanade had looked at her for a brief moment of amazement before he rubbed away at a tear in the corner of his eye. "Thank you…" Hunching over, he wrapped his shaking arms around me as he started to sniffle to himself. Oddly enough, I didn't particularly mind him doing that since I don't like most people hugging me like that. Maybe it's because I can also feel water gathering at the corners of my eyes, but I don't really know…
"Really…" Somebody had sniffled. I looked around the dim room to see many of the people rubbing away at the tears in their eyes. They all looked as if a morbid shadow had been lifted from their faces. "Thank you…"
…
"Nh… where am I?" I opened my eyes to a wooden ceiling and my body was on some type of bed. The new room I was in was vaguely warm and lit by a lamp on the bedside table. Looking down at my chest, I realized that I was wearing a different set of clothes. Well, I could only see a navy blue jacket that went down to the middle of my thighs and my shackles. I was still so out of it that I couldn't tell if I wore anything else. I shifted around on the firm mattress as I tried to get up.
"Looks like you're awake. That's quite a surprise." A deep voice had called out.
"You…?!" I turned to the source and found the same man who attacked me in the alley all those days ago. He was lying right next to me, casually turning the page of a book he was reading. He had one hand behind the back of his head as held the book overhead in the other hand. "Oof…!" I tried to get out of the bed, only to find my shackled legs giving out from under me. Just what is this? My body's never been this heavy before…
"Pfft…" I heard a very deep chuckle and looked over to see the man covering his mouth as his broad shoulders quaked from his laughter.
"D-don't laugh at me!" I yelled, although my throat was painfully dry. I also felt a large loss of warmth in the room. It's not cold, but it was still odd. My head still felt really warm though.
"But I never expected that you'd fall out of bed…" The ridiculously tall man had told as he closed his book. He got up and walked around the bed to my limp body. "You were running a really high fever so of course I didn't see that coming..."
"Eh…?"
"You were having an allergic reaction to those drugs injected in you. Most people your size would be knocked out for days but you've managed to recover to this extent within a few hours… you're definitely stronger than you look." He picked me up into his arms, carrying me bridal style.
Looking up, I took in the man's features. He was very handsome, dare I say. I could see that he had tan colored skin that brought out his mysterious blue eyes. Feeling the oncoming heat encompassing my body, I realized that the reason this room felt so warm was because he was radiating enough body heat to warm me up just by lying next to me.
"Iris…?" I stole some quick glances around the wooden room but I found that she wasn't here. "Where's Iris?! Where is she?!" With the little amount of strength I had, I grabbed the front of this man's shirt. "Kanade…" Are they okay?
Before I blacked out, I remembered those men, who were the same individuals that attacked Iris in the alley, barging into the room. I remembered that they tried to take Iris again but I tried to stop them. My body was pretty slow so I had no time to react when they jabbed me in the shoulder with a syringe. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was the panicked look on Iris' and Kanade's faces…
"Iris…" His blue eyes momentarily softened at Iris' name before he gave me a reassuring smile. "She's fine, as are the others. You have nothing to worry about. "
"Let us go, then." I demanded.
"Be grateful."
"Hmph…" Why should I be grateful?
"Those men who imprisoned you and all of the others were planning on selling all of you to Janus." The moment he said that name, I could've sworn that my heart had stopped.
"H-he's still…" I involuntarily quivered in this man's hold as I went back through my memories of the experiments, the cause of nightmares. "Gh…" I held my weak hand to my mouth as I fought the urge to throw up. Remembering everything, I had no way of fighting off the tears that spilled from my widened eyes.
"Ah… I knew you were a victim with that air around you." He solemnly murmured. He sat me down on the edge of the bed as he reached for a ceramic mug filled with an odd liquid that rested on a nearby table. "Drink up."
"Nn…" I cautiously took a sniff of the drink and found it to faintly smell like lavender and honey. Just the scent of it managed to calm me down but the burning thirst in my throat forced me to tip the mug. "Nn…!" It's amazing! At the first sip of this slightly sweet tea, my mouth completely perked up to the delicious taste and I proceeded to drink.
"Rest assured, those men are already locked up and scheduled to stand trial after the investigation is complete. It goes without saying that you'll need to go to the trial to give your testimony. You'll see for yourself at that point." He told me as I vigorously drank down the lavender tea. I guess he's not worried for me burning my tongue since it must've sat out to cool for a long period of time. The cool sensation in my throat served to prove the benefit from that.
My mind then traveled back to the mention of the trial. It goes that without a doubt that those men will be immediately executed if found guilty. Unlike the surface where it'd be illegal to use execution as a means of punishment, it's actually legal in all of the underground cities. But anyone who supports the experiments should never expect mercy. That's the most well-known fact about the underground cities. But holding us in this city was a very stupid move…
"How… did you find us then?" I curiously asked as I handed off the mug. He placed it on the table and in that instant, I tried to shift my legs again to see if I got any energy back but it was only a small amount that I recovered. Eh?! I just realized it when I was looking at my legs that I wasn't wearing any pants! I was looking at them earlier and I didn't even realize! My nerves weren't completely awake so I can't even tell if I'm wearing anything underneath this zipped jacket. I hope I am…
"All of a sudden, people started to hear a bunch of crying from that abandoned prison and we went to investigate. It was well out of the slave ring but nobody suspected a thing until the crying started." He told me, unaware of my previous surprise. Crying? I remembered that after Iris' speech many of us had cried our eyes out…
So Iris was the one who saved us…
"What do… you want with me, then?" It went without a doubt that this man had actually looked for me. We already crossed paths before and he knew who I was. The fact that he waited on me of all people should be enough as proof. Thinking back on the alley incident, he seemed to have a different air than most people. The fact that he could tell what I was at a glance was enough for me to know that he was different. Also, there was the fact he could speak perfect Japanese…
"…" His face darkened. He quickly got up and stood in front of me. He grabbed my shoulders and pushed me down, letting my legs dangle over the edge of the bed. "There's something you should…" Climbing onto the bed, he loomed over me with his legs resting outside of mine.
"Just w-what are you…?" I tried to get him off me by pushing at his chest but it failed miserably when he grabbed my hands and put them next to my head, firmly pressing them down against the mattress. My body was still too weak to do any kind of resistance.
"You should know…" He told me. He leaned in closer, gazing into my eyes with his unsettling ones. I winced as my chest started to tingle. I felt what seemed like electricity coursing throughout my body. It really freaked me out. The next thing I knew, I felt warm lips pressing into mine.
In that moment, everything blasted into whiteness.
A/N: Ugghhhh... the word count is so high...
I hope this makes up for my lack of updating in the past though... a lot of work has been flying my way recently so...
But really, I'm pretty sure there are a bunch of technical errors floating around in this chapter since it was a big one.
I was also wondering if any of you guys like the direction that this story is going or my OCs...
You see, most of my OCs are charcters from my own original story that I've been working on. I figured testing them out here would be good way to see how people would react to them.
Please Review!
P.S: I'm gonna have to turn this fic into an M rated one because of the next chapter. I'm pretty sure lots of you might hate what's going to happen next... OuO