Kihara Ayumi

PART I

Cold. I'm always so cold when I wake up. Why? Why is it so cold?

Splash.

Huh? Water? Is someone draining water right now? My five senses slowly came to as I began to take in my new environment.

I heard the rushing sound of water draining.

I felt a cold metallic object similar to a helmet encasing my head.

I tasted an unnatural liquid that spread down to the bottom of my esophagus.

I smelled strong chemicals that permeated throughout the area.

I managed to open my eyes to discover the scene unchanged, a black void occupying an unknown scenery. It was nothing like waking up to a pitch black room. No, it was far more dreadful than that. Something was purposefully blocking my field of vision. I raised my hands remove the object and it dawned on me. Why I was always so cold. The sound of water draining, the liquid filling down to the bottom of my throat.

I was submerged. For how long I did not know but I panicked and reached out in front of me to swim to the surface, my hand was abruptly stopped by a hard and smooth surface.

Glass? But, why here? I began beating on the glass desperately in futile hopes that it would break or catch someone's attention.

"Calm down will ya? You're not going to drown." A muffled voice echoed.

Someone's here!? With even more vigor I repeatedly slammed my hands onto the glass to escape, swallowing the urge to scream as fear began to envelop my mind.

"I get it, I get it. You'll be out of there in a sec." the person spoke again with a familiar tone?

Where have I heard that voice from?

My thoughts came to a stop as a mechanical whirring sound reverberated in the water and followed immediately was a strong current dragging me out of whatever I was in. Then I felt it.

Air. How long has it been since my body felt this sensation? Freed from the underwater prison, I gasped for the fresh air as my soaked body struggled to regain it's balance on the floor. With my free hands I grasped the metallic object clasped to my head and hastily removed it, tossing it aside with slight bitterness. I tried to quickly open my eyes but the light contrast was too much for any immediate scenery to be clear. All I could make out were blurs of color and one specifically stood out. A long white blur with a scuff of green at the top.

"What the hell were you doing holding your breath like that? I told you before, You weren't going to drown." The voice was quite clear this time.

A woman, no, most likely a young girl. There's some irritation in her voice. She's not the one who should be irritated right now! "Who the hell are you?"

Her blurry image drew closer to me, each audible step putting me on high alert. "... You don't know?"

"How the hell would I know? I don't even know where I am!" Her words and actions placed me all on edge and yet there was something familiar about her. An uneasy familiarity that squeezed my chest with unrelenting force.

Just who is this person?!

"Hmmmm… Why do you sound more like that guy than the original? Just the thought of him actually having any similarities is disgusting…."

"Well whatever, The Testament did implant basic knowledge so that's good and no noticeable differences from the original aside from certain elements that couldn't be replicated. Motor skill seem efficient. No muscle deterioration or major organ failures. Surprisingly, the subject has quickly grasped speech and language and is currently displaying discourteous and unruly behavior. Eyes still seem to still be adjusting to light exposure. Hey Miss rude, can you see? If you can please describe what you see."

Who the hell are you calling rude?

The blurs began to solidify and unclear colors were now desk and tables. Some of the tables were cluttered with medical tools and medicine bottles while others had clipboards and stacks of paper. "Is this some sort of physical exam?"

"A somewhat logical conclusion to your current situation but no. This is a bit different. So no issues with your eyes?" The woman asked with no concern in her voice.

My eyes darted over to her figure. Long, green hair braided neatly into a ponytail. Hazel eyes covered by thick framed glasses. Her slender figure well hidden by her lab coat. Her appearance emitted an aura of weakness but her words and actions ultimately betrayed that.

"None. I can see fine." I begrudgingly responded.

Being cooperative is my best course of action. Based on this room and appearance this is most likely a laboratory. The lack of mechanical tools and robotics, a medical or biology lab. But… Why am I here?

She continued on to the next question, "Now on to the more advance stuff. First off, Who are you?"

Eh?

For some reason, I was taken aback by the simple question, "W-why are you asking me? You already know don't you?" I responded with unusual hostility.

The green haired woman instead of replying calmly began muttering to herself, "I guess I should've expected this response. Basic knowledge such as reading and language the Testament has no problem implanting but there seems to be a sort of delay when it comes to memories. Is it just the host rejecting this unknown information or maybe the Testament has difficulty processing the information due to how memories and knowledge are stored. I should've asked Nunotaba-senpai for more clarification."

A headache seized all my thoughts and brought immediate and unbelievable pain.

Nunotaba? I think I've heard that name before…Yeah I think I have a senior who's a third year named Nunotaba Shinobu.

"D-do you know a girl named Nunotaba Shinobu?" I asked attempting to push away the painful headache.

For an instant, a sadistic smiled flashed on her face before returning to her stoic expression. "Why does it matter if I know her or not?"

Why this fucking…

Without any more patience to spare I raised my voice to a shout. "Just answer the damn question!"

"No." I was met with an immediate response that threw me off guard. She scratched her head in irritation. "I'm not answering any of your damn questions because you already know the answer to them!"

Eh?

"I get that this is a perfect response to your current situation but it still pisses me off! Stop trying to wring information out of me! Stop attempting to avoid my questions! Just answer this! Who are you?"

I already know the answer? How?

My headache returned with far more intensity than last time. I held my head as if to ease the pain but it was a pointless gesture. "What are you sa-"

"Who are you?" She repeated cutting me off.

Don't tell me to answer that!

"I don't know what I don't know!"

"Who are you?"

"Like I said I-"

"Who are you?"

"I AM…."

PART II

"Well, what do think, Gensei?" A woman with short brown hair asked the elderly man next to her as they strolled down the hall of the Kihara Research Institute.

"Hmmm?" The elderly man flipped through the stack of papers he held with little interest. "Duplicating the human soul? What a ridiculous motion. All the human individually or soul is can be broken down to the smallest part, the hypothalamus. Why so curious about such a fantasy?"

"So you're saying it's possible for two individuals to have the same individuality? Do you have proof of such a thing? Even genetically human twins and even other species display major differences."

The elderly man merely sighed in response, "I'm saying the exact opposite. It's impossible for any two humans on the planet to have the exact same preferences, taste, emotion, intelligence, gender, thought patterns and experience. There are too many uncontrollable variables that shape the human soul. I've skimmed through most of the project so I already have an idea of what your point is but we don't have the current technology to support this."

"SYSTEM, huh" She said slowly. Gensei glanced at her curiously. "In order for us to reach God's Calculations we must first develop a body that can exceed humans and do God's calculations. Tell me Gensei. Do we know everything about humans? Their limits? If we don't know this how can we develop a body that can do God's calculations?"

The old man slowed his pace and began to contemplate on the idea. "as I said before this experiment isn't possible with our current technology. Even so, cloning a Level 5 isn't possible. There seems to be a drastic power difference between clones and the original."

"Ah, Gensei. You only skimmed through and didn't see it? I've already accounted for that in my notes."

Gensei mulled over her response, "Personally it's not in my taste to wait so long for results."

The brown haired woman only chucked at his honest reply, "Haha. You always are trying to advance so quickly to the next level. But please be patience and I promise you this will yield interesting results to say the least."

The old man had no interest in the experiment of producing the human essence, only the results that will help further his goal of achieving SYSTEM. In that regard, he had held some respect for her research. He didn't hold it against the woman; pursuing something he himself had no interest in. After all, he disregarded everything in life to pursue the things that interest him. One could say it was the only human characteristic about the Kihara family. "I'll begin directing the necessary resources to your private lab. Who's the subject? It's in your report however you never named it."

The woman flashed a smile and gently rubbed her stomach, "I have that under control. Ayumi-chan will be a good girl."

PART III

It all came back to me in a violent flash of light. The experiment to duplicate the human soul.

How it began with taking a cell culture from the original embryo.

How my mother happily told me of her plan when I entered Elementary school.

How every single event, from birth to now were all memories that belonged to her.

All the physical pain that I ever experienced, any relationship that I had, was hers.

My whole body ached. Vivid memories and thoughts passed through my mind in a pulsing rhythm. A nauseous wave attacked my senses as I attempted to stand only to slip and fall back on all fours. Unable to hold the sickening feeling in my stomach, I puked. My own body forcefully rejected the idea. That thought, that reality of it all.

That these scars from life were artificial, this skin was man-made.

I wanted to deny it.

I wanted to reject it.

I couldn't believe it.

I wouldn't believe it

That I'm…

"I'm… I'm Kihara Ayumi." Even when I spoke those words. I didn't truly believe them. How could I be Kihara Ayumi when she's standing in front of me?

"Correct~. I guess with this I can still salvage this experiment."

Experiment? Ah that's right. I'm nothing more than a disposable lab rat at this point. Just something called Kihara Ayumi but am I? Everything down to the genetic and even our thought process. How we were raised, life experience, traumas, Both of us to the world are Kihara Ayumi. And yet, I'm so sick and disgusted with myself. Glancing up, I noticed her hurriedly organizing some items on the lab table.

"Why?"

"You alread-"

"No I don't." My body still ached and each movement made me want to vomit my guts out again but I calmed myself enough ask her. "Why did you wake me up now? The incubation time was 20 years. It's only been 16. Furthermore, I was suppose to be released without my knowledge of me not being the original. The notes called for a year of observation while the subject would replace the original and document any notable differences. Why did you interfere? You ruined the validity of the experiment!" I shakily rose to my feet, glaring daggers at the back of her head.

"Were being cut." She quickly responded without turning back. "Something happened that has all the bigwigs spooked and now they're cleaning house. Anything dealing with the underside of Academy City is being cut. Cleaners are already on their way here to deal with you."

Deal with me huh? Sounds final.

I had no idea how to respond, what emotion to display. In the end, it was all going to end. I held no anger, no relief, no sadness. I was surprised my lack of caring. Maybe because I was an artificial soul was the reason I'm unable to feel anything right now.

"One more question." Kihara Ayumi turned to me with a serious expression. "What's your opinion on Sogiita Gunha and Kazeyare Kouta?"

"Huh?"

"Just to be clear, I don't want you beating around the bush. I asked myself what I think of them but I always end up with an inconclusive answer. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to ask myself what do I think about those two."

Out of all the things she could've asked me about, she wants to know her own opinion about those idiots? I let out of sigh of disappointment before answering her question. "Sogiita Gunha is an idiot. You could search the entire world and you wouldn't find someone else who matches the word like Gunha. He's reckless and prone to giving absurd explanations to his powers. What really irritates me the most about him is his heroic nature. disappearing for days at a time wandering the city like some goody two shoes."

"But?"

Tch… She's sharp…

"I, I guess I enjoy his company. Something about him appeals to my human nature and makes me happy that he is a reckless idiot." As truthful as these words were I wanted to burn my tongue knowing that I spouted some sentimental crap about my research project. Kihara Ayumi also displayed the same grotesque face. But there were still more words that needed to be said. "And also… It wouldn't be too far from the truth if I called him my...f-f-friend…"

And I finally understood why she couldn't answer the question herself how she felt about Sogiita Gunha. Admitting that the idiotic, reckless, self proclaimed hero who shouts nothing but nonsense is the closest thing I have to a friend is a tough pill I was forced to swallow. "I'll die before I'll admit it to anyone!" admitting to myself was hard enough.

She nodded her head in agreement. "Of course! So, what about Kazeyare?"

It was odd that she asked about him but I decided to answer nonetheless. "An anomaly. Some of his actions are noteworthy while his day to day presence could be ignored. His intelligence is higher than expected and yet he'll do something stupid. His whole character is inconsistent! I can't tell if he's a boring person or someone worth noting." I released a breath of exhaustion. "To be honest, I have no idea how to categorize my opinion on him. He understands the limits of reality yet has such hopeless dreams and ideals. Plus…" I recalled back to what he said after he fought with Gunha.

'For someone who's picking a fight with the Kihara Family, you sure take pride in your name. Listen, Before your a Kihara, you're a human. Before you're a Kihara, you're a girl. Before you're a Kihara, you're Kihara Ayumi! You should prioritize yourself more than anyone else.'

Does that also apply to me, the clone of Kihara Ayumi? Can I prioritize my individuality? If so, where exactly is this individual? This body isn't mine. These memories are someone else's. Even these emotions and thoughts belong to Kihara Ayumi. So what do I have that's mine? Who's the individual standing in front of Kihara Ayumi?

"If I have to say anything about it, I would like to know him more… I guess?" In a passing thought I hoped he might have the answer to these questions.

"I see." was her only response. Maybe the same thoughts were passing through her head. Maybe she was questioning her own self as she asked me these questions. It was a strange feeling, not knowing what I was thinking at that very moment. Her eyes glanced at the wall clock and she clicked her tongue in annoyance. Without a chance to react she pulled a large metal object from her white lab coat and placed it in my hand. "You're going to need this before the cleaners get here."

I immediately recognized the object and held it with care in my hand. "Wha-! But you said-!"

"You think I'm going to forfeit 16 years of work just because some old, limp dick bastards? As a Kihara, I want to know. Can we truly control that which is life? The essence of a human? Can we recreate a Level 5? Or even historical figures?"

"Even with this, we can't escape the entirety of Academy City!" What's going on in her head? What exactly is she thinking about?

She gently grabbed my hand wielding the gun and leaned in close proximity to my face. "'Before you're a Kihara, you're Kihara Ayumi. You should prioritize yourself more than anyone else.' A certain idiot once said that to me."

!

A light smile appeared on her face, yet it seemed so bright to me. "Judging by your reaction you thought about what he said too." I felt her thumb slowly press over my index finger. "But I just can't do that. After all, I'm a Kihara."

I can never forget what happened next.

The sound of my entire world breaking at the seams.

The crimson liquid splattered all over my exposed chest and face.

The ringing in my ears and the light numbness in my hand.

I couldn't think. I couldn't even breath.

Everything stopped for that instant, I saw her face as her limp body fell backwards. A smile. A smile fitting a girl named Kihara Ayumi.

I remained motionless, lying in my own pool of blood and only one thing had came to my mind.

"What… What do I do now?"

PART IV

The Cleaners had finally come. Men dressed in construction clothes donning dust filters to conceal their face. Not that it mattered though. Few people payed attention to the background workers as they began to gather up the materials in the lab. None of them even so much as looked at me. I remained on the floor with the corpse of a girl that is neither dead or alive. Kihara Ayumi is dead. I understood this as an undeniable fact. Yet no one could ignore that Kihara Ayumi is alive and well. This was also an undeniable fact. The cleaners began moving her body into a large black bag and cleaned the fresh blood off the marble floor.

"Kihara-san." someone was calling my name. No. Someone was calling her name. I'm merely a placeholder for her.

With a lifeless reaction, I slowly tilted my head to the direction of the voice. He definitely stood out compared to the other cleaners in the lab. First off, He wore a black suit with a red tie. His short, black hair neatly styled to give off the impression of a businessman. No matter you looked at him though, he was a suspicious character. That feeling he gave of warded caution as he hid his eyes behind his round frame sunglasses.

"What?" Regardless of whether he was a suspicious person or not was of no concern to me. I didn't care what he had to say or what he had to offer. It wasn't directed at me but to the dead Kihara Ayumi being dragged away in a body bag.

His expression remained calm but I could tell he was analyzing me, "One of your disposable assets, Moroi Tataeru, was just admitted to the hospital after confronting Sogiita Gunha. Would you like us to dispose of him ma'am?"

"Moroi...Tataeru?" The name sounds vaguely familiar but I couldn't recall anything.

Ah… That's right. She has a hard time remembering things that don't catch her attention...

As if reading my thoughts, the suspicious man further elaborated, "Moroi Tataeru is the boy attending Nagatenjouki. You provided him with the experimental body crystal to use his powers as a catalyst towards Sogiita Gunha. You were hoping to move Sogiita-san's powers past the stagnate stage."

That disgusting seaweed leech. "So? What were the results?" I asked, continuing to play the part of Kihara Ayumi.

"Unfortunately I cannot relay that information to you. All projects with connections to 'that' are being distinguished."

"I see." Not particularly upset about the news I stared off past the suspicious man.

Are they trying to erase the existence of the darkness? Impossible. All they're doing is a superficial cover-up to disguise the root of it all. The Board of Directors, The Kihara Family. As long as these elements remain, this city will never rid itself of darkness.

"Not that it matters to me." I mumbled to myself. My eyes then fixated on the well dressed man who appeared to be waiting for my response. "Why're you asking me about this? If he's connected to that he should be taken care of."

"His only connection to us is through you. My leadership would like to avoid any unnecessary collateral damage so we're delegating the decision to you."

They made the logical decision, leaving it up to me. Whether he dies and some unexpected backlash occurs or lives and seeks revenge, they won't be at fault. It was logical and in their position I would most likely do the same thing and yet, a distasteful emotion swelled up in me.

"Before I make a decision, I want to see him." I no longer had a reason to stay here yet I had no reason to see him. I couldn't decipher what I even wanted at this point. All actions seemed pointless. Her death was in vain, attempting to continue with this flawed item. I can't even tell if I'm Kihara Ayumi or someone trying to be Kihara Ayumi. Do I even know who Kihara Ayumi is? Yet I continued to speak as if I was her. I continued to live as if I was her. But was I truly the individual known as Kihara Ayumi? "I want to see Moroi Tataeru. He might still be worth something."

PART V

I walked around the dimly lit hallways of the hospital. My 'conversation' with the recently paralyzed leech has put him under my care for the time being.

"Revenge huh?" I recalled what I said to the parasite about claiming vengeance on Academy City. The very foundation of this city consumes it citizens to feed it's unnatural hunger for science. I couldn't really grasp what Kihara Ayumi was looking for. Even she was merely a pawn for progress, a disposable item to reach the so called SYSTEM. Her death, my life, were inconsequential to those who pulled the strings. I gazed out the window to see the skylight of Academy City along with the superstructure at the center.

"Even if I killed them, nothing would change. life would be tossed aside like spare change while the guilty reap the benefits. No matter how many I would kill some other bastard would take their place." I began to formulate a plan against the city. Whether it was my own idea or Kihara Ayumi no longer mattered. I wanted to destroy the root of it all.

"I'm going to burn this city. Burn it to the ground."