Hi guys!
Sorry for the wait, I had a writer's block. Now, though, I finally have some new inspiration!
Anyway, onto the reviews!
Dierengek01: I'm glad I can be surprising, this is supposed to be mystery, after all! Sorry for the wait... writer's block :(
And then the sky: Glad you liked the twist! I'm happy you enjoy my stories so much :)
Coco Baldwin: Glad you like it!
TokutsaLuv: I won't spoil anything, but the real Tenma's fate will be revealed soon enough!
ShadowStriker: Surprise~! Nice twist, right? How do I come up with this stuff, you ask? No idea. I'm trying to kill you? How did you kno- uh, I mean, of course I'm not! That's absolutely ridiculous!
Mistylove: Glad you liked it! And thank you for the birthday wish, I had a great birthday!
Sonia Kumar: Muhahaha, gotta love plot twists! I hope your exams went well!
Hey: :'D wow Yaa-chan, I feel so loved
AmyGolden1104: I'm happy I can still surprise you guys~! I just do what I do best, annoy people... only in this case, it has a little more evil to it (gotta love plot twists)! About Tenma... he is messed up. Really, really messed up, and it shows in this chapter. I'm warning you, this isn't a happy story. Kinako is awesome, I love Fei too, and Asurei is going to have a bigger role here than in the anime. He's not a bad guy, so I hope you'll at least be able to tolerate him. I heard about Inazuma Eleven Ares, yes. I'm not too happy with it, because while I don't like it that Tenma isn't there, I still love the series without him. What I don't like, though, is that they take all these characters we've gotten to know and love and just... erase all that character development. I've been watching Outer Code, but I can't find a sub video so I haven't finished it yet... since Outer Code only has short episodes, I really can't judge...
xXxFeiRune11xXx: Muhahaha, that was the point~! If I don't update for fourty days, don't think I'm dead. I most likely have a writer's block when that happens, so I'll apologize in advance - I can't really say anything about when I have inspiration to write. Time Twins is on hiatus, but I have no idea when I'll get back to it :/
xHopeGurlx: Hi there! I'm glad you liked the previous chapter! If that chapter hurt, I don't want to know your reaction to this one... I apologize in advance...
annalisa7: Sorry for the wait, had a writer's block :(
hgf: Sorry for the wait... I hope you enjoy this chapter too!
Meri7: Sorry, sorry! Writer's block! :/
Cielmatica: Ehehehe... if you felt bad for Tenma then, I wonder how you'll react to this chapter... well, I'm not spoiling anything about the clone thing, you'll just have to figure it out for yourself. I'm glad you like it!
JEEZ GUYS I wanted to upload this before going to bed, but now I'm twenty minutes further and I've only now finished with the reviews :'D
Disclaimer: don't own
Anyway, enjoy!
(a monster)
.
Black spots dance across his vision and the last thing he sees before blacking out is his team, battered and hurt.
He wakes up in a room with white walls and unforgiving lights beating down on him. Though it doesn't physically make him shiver, it is cold and, most of all, lonely. There is nothing, nothing except white walls, white floors, bright, white lights, and a locked door. There are no sounds, no smells, no distractions. It is empty and he thinks, they will find me.
(they will find me)
They don't.
.
Neji's hand on his arm hurts. He's not trying to be gentle at all, digging his fingers in the brunet's skin harshly. His nails leave small imprints, barely not breaking skin.
Tenma could free himself with a flick of his free hand.
He doesn't.
.
He screams and cries and fights against his captors, as they spill his blood and coat the too white floor a dark red.
''They will not come,'' they say, and he screams at them to shut up. They will, he tells himself.
(they won't abandon me)
(I trust them)
(they'll come)
They don't.
.
He hears their shouts, sees their confusion and fear and desperation.
He watches them fight, using their barely figured out weapons, aiming desperately but at what he's not sure. He sees, more than hears, how Nagai orders to put up a shield to protect them from the attacks.
(why do they fight?)
(it's useless)
He sees their desperation and their fear. They know they will lose.
He sees it and he thinks, they deserve this.
.
He doesn't know how much time passes.
The lights are always on, bright and unforgiving and so, so cold.
He has questions, but the only answer they give him is more pain. Pain, pain, pain, so much pain, and he tries to remember what it feels like not to hurt.
Tries to remember what it is like to breathe freely.
(they will come, they have to come)
(they have to)
They will find me, he says, or tries to say- his voice is hoarse and barely audible after all the screaming. His throat feels like it's on fire, and he wonders how it's possible to feel so much agony at once.
He waits for the pain that will surely come, like the other times he insisted that he will be rescued.
It doesn't.
.
They keep fighting, but he's not sure what for. To protect themselves?
Revolve is not attacking.
.
It is dark, they have turned the lights off for the first time, and he can't see a thing.
It is also cold, for they have taken the warmth that the light brought. He can feel it as it settles in his bones, and he thinks that if he was able to see anything, his breath would be a little white cloud.
He is cold, freezing, but he doesn't move.
He feels the chill on his skin, he feels the floor under his body, and he feels the blood under his hands, his head, his back.
(I have to hold on, I need to hold on)
(this will end)
He can't remember what they did to him. He only knows that it hurts. It leaves his mind hazy and his thoughts muddled.
He thinks and he remembers, but his mind can't focus on a single thing.
Sky. Sun. Sasuke. Grass. Rice balls. Snow. Red. Birds. Laughter. Water. Heat.
(this has to end)
(it will all end soon)
He thinks of running, of wind and of teamwo-
(no)
(stop)
(don't go there)
He tries to remember it, the happiness.
He can't.
.
Revolve is not attacking, but then Nagai nods.
They fire with their own guns, driving their enemies back. Even someone who doesn't know anything of fighting can tell that they will not come out of this unharmed.
It's a miracle no one is fatally wounded.
(oh, the irony)
They would've been, if Revolve didn't start to retreat.
''We've got what we came for.'' Nagai turns his back to Raimon and a portal of indigo light opens behind his team.
Tenma doesn't resist as Neji pulls him to the portal.
The fire has stopped, a shield now separating them.
They are all looking at him and he doesn't know whose gaze to respond to.
Instead, he looks down.
Then he's pulled through the portal.
.
He thought, they will come, and they didn't.
They will save me, but they didn't.
''It's time for the next part,'' says Nagai – he has finally learned their names – and the lights dim as Revolve's captain walks towards the door.
Then he stops.
''You will help us destroy El Dorado.''
Nagai leaves and with him, the light.
It is cold and it is dark and he thinks, I won't help them, I will never help them, and the voices he has become accustomed to over the past few months laugh.
(you won't?)
They ask and they laugh some more.
(who are you trying to fool?)
He squeezes his eyes shut and thinks, I don't know.
(I don't know.)
''Welcome back.''
Tenma glares but doesn't dare try anything. It's useless and will only result in him getting locked up.
He wants answers.
He knows that Nagai knows, and Nagai knows it too.
The rest of Revolve leaves them and they both stay silent, even after the door has closed and given them the privacy both yearn for.
It's a room he's familiar with. It's round and high, without windows and with a door on one side. It's as white as the cells, but not as cold. The only thing that stands out is the round, black table standing in the middle of the room, six black leather chairs surrounding it.
Tenma would almost say that it hasn't changed, but it has.
There is a doorway without a door. There is nothing behind it, except for the same white wall. It's only the shape of a doorway, build into the wall, the same monotone color as the rest of the room. Above the structure is a circle that could be mistaken for black, if it wasn't for the indigo shine.
Last time he was here, it wasn't completed yet.
He focuses on Nagai again and breaks the silence with a simple, ''why?''
Revolve's captain smiles pleasantly and tilts his head. ''Why what?''
If it's meant to infuriate him, it doesn't work. Instead he keeps staring at the teen in front of him, two empty chairs on each side of him.
''You have questions,'' says Nagai when he stays silent too long. ''Ask them.''
''I will not lie in this room,'' whispers the memory of the teenager sitting in front of him. Tenma doesn't remember how long it's been since he was first brought to the truth room, and he doesn't particularly care.
''Why would you take me when you have the real Matsukaze Tenma?''
Nagai grins, everything that may have looked pleasant about him disappearing. ''I think you may have forgotten this, in the weeks you've been free,'' he stretches the word but Tenma doesn't react. Revolve's captain doesn't seem very bothered by it. ''You're a weapon. Clone or not, your powers are strong, and we can't let El Dorado have such a strong asset.''
The brunet's face is expressionless as he nods.
''Then why did you send me to Raimon in the first place? Why make the deal, if it was fake all along?''
Nagai tilts his head and his face tightens only the slightest bit. ''Why is this relevant?''
Now it's Tenma's turn to tense. ''Why is it not?'' he returns, his voice as monotone as the white walls surrounding them.
''You're asking the wrong questions.''
''Am I?''
Revolve's captain isn't happy. It's obvious to those who know him well. ''Don't test my patience. Maybe you've forgotten what we can do to you. If you piss me off, I'll send you right back to the torture you so desperately tried to escape.''
Tenma nods slowly, thoughtfully.
''Why did you clone Matsukaze Tenma?''
Nagai smiles sharply.
He's asking the right questions now.
''Because we needed a distraction,'' answers the captain. ''A way to bait El Dorado.''
''Through Raimon?''
They both know it's not a question.
''Yes, through Raimon,'' confirms Nagai. ''We knew Matsukaze Tenma wouldn't talk and his clone wouldn't either. It was a safety measure. If El Dorado found out about Matsukaze Tenma, we would need a way to lure them to us, and that would only work if they thought he was still alive. They needed proof of his survival, and your presence, as a distraction, would mean that the real Matsukaze Tenma is alive.''
Grey eyes narrow.
''You want to create a trap for them.''
Nagai smiles and it would look nice if it wasn't for the sharp edge to it. ''Yes. Do you care?''
He thinks about their distrust of him, their stunned expressions when they learned who Matsukaze Tenma really was. He thinks of blood and pain and screaming, and of yearning and fearing and drowning.
He thinks of being free yet being shackled at the same time.
(and even now you ignore the most important part)
He thinks and he ignores the voices.
(before)
They say.
Fuck off, he tells them.
He thinks of Raimon as he saw them last, fighting Revolve, and he says, ''No.''
''This is the truth room,'' Nagai reminds him, still smiling.
''I know.''
''Then why do you lie?''
The brunet doesn't lash out, like Revolve's captain might've hoped, and instead only tilts his head slightly. ''I don't.''
Nagai shakes his head in condescending amusement, as if he's talking to a stupid child. ''I don't believe you.''
''Fine, then don't.''
''Neji seems to think you still care,'' he says it as if he's merely making a comment about the weather.
The brunet rolls his eyes. ''Neji is a psychopath,'' he mutters and Nagai stifles a chuckle.
He's done with it, but the captain clearly isn't. ''I'll believe you if you look me in the eye and tell me you hate them.''
It's a test and they both know it.
(funny how you can't lie, not even to your own enemy)
He thinks of pain and fear, darkness and cold. He remembers thinking they will come, he remembers thinking they will rescue me. He remembers more blood and more pain.
He doesn't need to remember the anger. It's right here.
It burns and it rages, but if it hurts he doesn't feel it.
He thinks of Raimon, and lets the fire in his mind devour them.
Tenma meets Nagai's gaze without hesitation and says, ''I hate them.''
They both can tell truth from lie.
(at least now you're not lying anymore)
And Nagai smiles and responds,
''Good.''
They have chained him, and while usually he could easily break them, these are specials chains.
They block his powers.
Tenma shoots Neji an annoyed glare as the teen leads him through the familiar halls of the headquarters. From the high ceilings, cold white lamps beat down on the grey, tiled floors. The walls are bare and as white as always, with white doors at regular intervals.
Neji sees his glare and rolls his eyes. He shoots the brunet a smile, as if they're old friends. ''Could you get any happier?''
''Could you get any more annoying?''
''It was a rhetorical question.''
''Mine wasn't.''
The navy-haired teen rolls his eyes again. ''Snarky as usual.'' He places a hand on Tenma's shoulder as they're about to pass one of the white doors. ''We're here. This will only be a temporary cell though, until your old one is prepared.''
The brunet only narrows his eyes and watches silently as Neji grabs a key. The navy-haired teen pushes his prisoner inside and follows him, closing the door behind them.
Tenma glares at him for a moment longer and then takes a look at the new hallway they're standing in.
He freezes.
Neji keeps a close eye on him and a feral grin splits his face when he notices the reaction. ''Recognize this, don't you?''
He doesn't wait for a response and instead starts walking down the hall, grabbing Tenma's arm and pulling him along none too gently.
On both sides of the corridor are rooms, bars separating them from the hall itself, and white walls between them to create a block of cells.
(no)
(anything but this)
They stop at the end of the hallway, where the light in the ceiling is broken and the cells are casted in shadows.
The floor is stained dark–
–it's clean.
A smeared handprint on the wall–
–even in the shadows, it's a pristine white, like the rest of this place.
(you deserve this)
The cell door doesn't make any sound as it's opened.
–a sharp note, going on and on–
Screaming.
He stumbles forward as he's pushed inside the room. The cell door shuts behind him, the lock clicking in place as the key is turned.
His back is turned to Neji, but his captor doesn't care.
''Welcome home.''
His voice echoes and dies away as his footsteps retreat–
–the screaming, it won't stop–
–until finally, they disappear completely.
Tenma falls to his knees.
He can't breathe.
(red, red, red, there's so much red)
His clothes are sticky and his fingers are coated in some kind of liquid that has only half dried. It's on his face, too, but only one the side that isn't pressed against the white tiles.
He pries his eyes open.
The familiar sight of the hallway, but it doesn't explain any of… this.
He lifts one of his hands to his face, palm outwards. It's normal, nothing out of the ordinary. He turns it around and his fingers are coated in something dark and half-dried.
An unwilling gasp breaks free from his lips as he turns his head, wincing at the crick in his neck–
(what the…)
–the floor is covered in the same dark liquid.
(blood…?)
There's so much.
(is this mine?)
(it's so– much)
It's everywhere.
His eyes are slowly getting used to the lack of light and when he can finally make out more than just the floor directly next to him, he sees it.
There's… something on the other side of the cell.
He pushes himself in a sitting position, ignoring the dull ache that spreads through his body, and tries to make out what the thing is.
He starts to recognize the shape, as dark as it may be, his eyes moving up until they see–
–and he screams.
He and Fei, despite sharing a room for a few nights back at Saint Elda, have not returned to their former friendship.
In fact, they have barely talked to each other, and if they did, it was a mix of sarcasm and insults.
Fei knows he doesn't sleep well. It's a given if they share a room.
There are many times the two have spoken while on friendly terms.
(not friendly – honestly)
(or as honestly as you can be)
Only one of those conversations was after his three years of capture.
''Why do you hate Raimon?''
What a simple question to start with. So, so simple, but with so much meaning behind it.
He stayed silent, at first, but Fei has patience. So eventually, he answered.
(it's only because you wanted to rile him up)
(as if you could ever be honest)
''They remind me of something I used to hold dear.''
Well, that had certainly caught his roommate's attention.
''What, exactly?''
''My own team.''
Tenma kept his gaze locked on the ceiling as he answered. He didn't bother with sitting up. It was too dark. He would never be able to see Fei in the bed on the other side of the room, nor did he want to.
''Your team?''
Curious, inquiring.
(ignorant)
A bitter laugh, sharp in the night. ''Yes, my team.''
''What happened to them?'' Fei wasn't done with this conversation yet.
''I don't know. I don't care.'' Then, a pause. ''They didn't care what happened to me either.''
He heard movement from the other side of the room. ''You said they don't remember you.''
Even though his roommate can't see him, he shrugs. ''Who cares.''
''You're blaming them. For something they don't have any control over.'' Another pause. ''Are you really that selfish?''
Tenma rolls his eyes. ''I don't need you to lecture me about selfishness. You pushed your own friends away when they only tried to help you.''
Fei's voice tightens. He tries to hide it, but there's anger shimmering beneath the surface. ''I learned.''
''So did I.''
''I doubt that.''
He could stop now, but he doesn't. ''No, I did. I was once like you are now. I cared for my team. Loved them.'' He laughs, coldly, cruelly. ''Then I learned.''
''That's not what that lesson is supposed to teach you!'' there was anger in Fei's voice now, not hiding beneath forced calm anymore. But there was also something else, something unreadable. ''I've been there, and trust me, it's not right. If your words are true, you should know that. Your team is a gift, they're your friends and you cherish them.''
''Fuck off.''
''Matsukaze–''
(shut up)
(can't you see that I know?)
(you're right, I know that)
(of course I do)
He pushed himself up, a glare burning on his face. ''Stop telling me what to do,'' he hisses furiously. ''I don't care about you, about what happened to you and about your wise life lessons. I've been there, I know perfectly well what you mean. But you don't know what I mean. Why should I cherish my friends when they left me to rot? They forgot me, what a pathetic excuse. I gave my freedom for them, I bled for them! And what do I get in return? Hatred, fear and more pain. And guess what? I deserve it. I fucking deserve it. Don't say our situations are the same, when they're anything but. You know nothing about me and don't think that will ever change!''
''Matsukaze!'' Fei exclaimed as he sat up too. ''You don't understand anything, I only want to help!''
And then Tenma was screaming, not caring about who he woke up anymore. ''Do not dare, do not dare to pretend to care about me! Do not say you want to help me when, for three fucking years, I have begged for those I called my friends to save me! You know nothing, YOU KNOW NOTHING!'' his screaming turned to sobbing, cries and gasps tearing themselves from his throat. He hugged himself tightly. ''I was tortured until I lost my mind! Don't you dare say that you want to help me when I have prayed for someone to do exactly that and no one heard it!'' he lashed out, not caring about the repercussions anymore. ''I've endured pain like you'll never feel in your life, and I deserved it! You don't know what I've done! You don't know and you never will, so don't you dare say that you understand me!''
Fei climbed out of bed and took a step towards him. ''Matsukaze!''
He moved away until his back hit the headboard of the bed. ''DON'T COME NEAR ME!'' he raged and Fei froze. ''I held on, have you any idea how long I held on? I told myself, over and over again, that you'd come for me, that you would figure it out and would save me! I held on because surely, surely you'd care enough to notice the missing pieces, you'd realize something was wrong! I thought you would catch me, but you didn't even watch as I fell! You let me fall, YOU LET ME FALL! You didn't even try to hold on, you didn't even bother to look at me! I hate you!''
Through the haze of tears in his eyes, he could see how Fei stood, frozen in place. ''Matsukaze-''
''Leave me alone! Don't you dare, don't you dare say anything when you couldn't even bother to look at me!'' he screamed, his fist hitting the mattress. A bitter laugh tore itself from his throat. ''I'm not even surprised, I'm really not. Why would you care? Why would you? I'm a fucking monster! People hated and feared the Second Stage Children for a reason, because they were monsters, and I'm the last monster left! Every drop of my blood that was spilled, every cut and burn that they gave me, I deserve it! I should've died years ago, it would've been better for everyone if the monster was dead! You shouldn't have taken me with you, you should've left me to die at the hands of Revolve because that's the only thing that I could ever hope to achieve!''
Fei was speechless.
''Leave me alone,'' he hissed, his eyes flashing with hatred. ''Leave me alone, leave me alone, LEAVE ME ALONE!''
(after all, who would bother with someone like me?)
(no, not someone)
(something)
(that's all I really am, after all)
(a monster)
Yeah, that just happened. I don't really know what to tell you guys.
I said it would be dark, didn't I?
I'm not really sure about this chapter. It's different from anything I've written before, and it will continue to be different... so let me know what you think, alright? Because I really can't judge this.
Anyway, I'm going to sleep now, because I have school tomorrow -_-
- Yara Meijer