Title: Experiment
Author: Darkling
Rating: T
Fandom: Gundam Seed
Summary: AU In an attempt to create the perfect bio weapon, scientists twisted the DNA of one young human. The resulting creature, deemed untrainable and vicious, is set to be killed. However, nobody ever considered how HE would feel about it...
Date Written: No idea whatsoever…a long time ago. At the moment, it's 10/15/2010
Warnings: AU, youkai, hanyou…basic scifi/fantasy AU setting
Disclaimer: I do not, in any way shape or form own any of the characters or anything having to do with Gundam Seed.
Author's Notes:
Eheheheh…funny story, actually. About…oh, two years ago (?) I posted status updates on Nicol's New Fate and Oddity. I always intended to put a chapter of Experiment up as well but, for some reason, it slid through the cracks.
Anyway, yesterday afternoon I was really sick and couldn't look at the computer screen without seeing stars so I started going through some of my (very) old notebooks. Imagine my surprise when this showed up! Seriously, I read the first page and said "Wait, what? I don't remember this." Two pages later… "Er…did I ever put this online?" After I'd finished reading… "This is actually complete. What is it doing here?"
The rest is history.
Now, I should warn you that my writing style has changed since then but this was written at approximately the same time as the other chapters so it's at around the same level (but hopefully a bit better spell checked). However, it is not where my other, more current stories are; if you look through, there is most likely a distinct style change (or so I've been told).
I actually debated whether to put it up or not once I realized how long it had been and what the chapter was. However, I figured it couldn't hurt anything and I am still getting sporadic comments so those of you still watching/ new to watching might enjoy the gesture.
So…! Here's your first update in …holy shit, four years. Please don't kill me.
Chapter 11: Contemplation
"Do we really need to know what he is?"
"Huh?" Athrun jerked his gaze up to meet Lacus'.
"I mean, we know he's sentient and he needs our help, isn't that enough?"
"Unfortunately, no." the young man allowed his head to thud back onto the kitchen table. The two of them had been discussing their 'guest' for over three hours and had yet to get past 'he's not human', 'he wasn't treated well before we found him', and 'what do we do with him now?'
"Why not?" Lacus was sitting on the kitchen counter top a few feet away, just as tired of the conversation as her boyfriend but willing to stick to it in order to help her charge.
"Because," Athrun didn't lift his head; he'd already reiterated the line about five hundred times, who cared if this time it was muffled? "He doesn't act sentient. He can talk and understand, yeah, but we don't know how much. Plus, there's the whole matter of nearly killing both of us…"
"He didn't mean to!" the response was uncharacteristically lackluster (for Lacus). She'd repeated her side of the argument just as many times as he had.
"Maybe not." Athrun yawned. "But we don't know for certain. And there's still the matter that it happened in the first place. I'd almost rather he did it on purpose and be contrite; then we'd at least know what to expect."
Lacus blinked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?" He didn't say that last time.
"Well, if he meant it that means he thought about it and could control it. If he didn't then it was a natural reaction, an instinct that may react at any time, without warning. I don't know about you but I do not want a rampaging grizzly near me ever again."
"We're not even sure he was the grizzly! In fact, you said it was impossible!"
"I did? When?" Athrun blinked owlishly, attempting to remember.
"While we were at the crash site. We'd just found Mr. Kira and you were looking at his ears."
"I…" after a moment, he remembered the comment she was referring to. "…Oh, yeah."
Athrun frowned slightly at the memory. He'd been reacting to the moment when he'd said that and at the time it seemed perfectly rational. It still did but there was something…some piece of information he could feel right on the tip of his tongue, waiting to be said. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to dredge it out of his memory.
Noticing his thoughtful expression, Lacus perked up in expectation.
"Is it nonsense?"
"Hm?" he wasn't paying attention.
"Kira being a human youkai; is it nonsense? You've got that look on your face that says you remembered something important."
With a slight smile, Athrun shook his head.
"I haven't. I mean, I know there's something off about this situation, and that I should know what's going on, but I can't quite remember why. It's right there, I can feel it, but…" his brow furrowed, face concentrating hard for a moment as Lacus watched with fascination. After several seconds, he sighed and relaxed, leaning back in his chair with an air of disappointment.
"All I know is that it has something to do with shape-shifting and the time I spent working in that youkai lab I told you about. More information will need to wait until we get back and I can check my old lab notes."
Lacus shifted off her perch to join him at the table. Meeting his eyes, she smiled. "That's okay. I never thought we'd actually miss school work!"
The dark haired young man laughed. "Yeah, because we really expected something like this to happen."
"What's going to happen to him when we go back?"
"What do you mean?" he knew exactly what she meant but dreaded giving his opinion. Maybe she meant something else?
She gave him a vaguely annoyed, condescending smile that said she knew exactly what he was doing but would humor him anyway. Besides, it wasn't like she didn't understand how he felt; that's why she had asked the question in the first place.
"I mean, what will happen to Kira when we return to the city? If he came from the crash, he's hardly a wild animal. And with injuries like those…injuries with effects we don't really know because of the way his body is acting…"
"I know. Not to mention what might happen to him if whoever he was with before finds him again."
She smiled at him softly, charmed by the caring side he rarely allowed to show. He was so focused that he didn't even notice.
"IF he came from the crash and was the original occupant of the cage… I'm not saying he was, just throwing an idea out."
A restrained giggle was his only answer.
With an annoyed huff, a weak mask for his embarrassment, he crossed his arms and sat back in his chair.
Why did I say that? I don't believe he's human and he's definitely dangerous so why shouldn't he be caged? Hell, he's caged right now under my request!
A sliver of discomfort worked its way into his chest.
Maybe that's why; he responded so easily to being contained. The youkai I worked with before were always vicious, constantly attacking their cages. But Kira…he just walked in. It somehow makes him more human. But who would put such a human creature in a cage long enough for him to acclimate?
A new, even more horrifying thought struck. Was he raised in a cage? Maybe he's some scientist's escaped experiment…but if he is, what IS he? Or…what was he originally? What if he WAS human?
And the logical conclusion to that thought: What if he was human once, but isn't anymore?
What have we become involved in?
The puzzle pieces darted around his head, becoming more jumbled as he tried to sort them out. He had a sneaking suspicion that everything would fall into place if only he could remember what he'd learned at the lab…
Lacus' thoughts were also centered on their…guest? Pet? Captive? Tenant? Ward?
I hope he's alright out there. I know Athrun means well and Kira didn't protest to being locked away but his injuries are still healing. Has he had injuries like that before? Does he know how fast he's going to heal? What will he be like once he's fully recovered? What will we do with him then? Athrun will probably want to set him free in the forest but is that really the right thing to do? Ranger Elfman's probably looking for him still and even if he can turn into a grizzly, there have to be other animals strong enough to take him on, especially if he was raised in captivity. Does he even know how to fend for himself in the wild? And what if we need to leave before he's well enough to survive on his own?
As Lacus bit her lip in indecision and tried to resolve her questions, she also wrestled with another issue. So far, Kira's physical appearance told her he was human while his actions said he was an animal. Despite the fact that she believed he was intelligent, how should he be treated? Should they allow him to leave if he wanted to even if he might be captured, or worse, accidentally attack someone in fear like he had when they'd met?
It will depend on how he acts in the future. She decided. If he comes back with us, for any reason (something she was secretly hoping would happen; if only to help him become more human), he won't be turned away. There's' plenty of room in the car and Athrun…
She ground to a halt.
"Athrun, what ever happened to your car?"
"Huh?" he jerked out of his thoughts with a start, blinking at her in surprise. "What did you say?"
"What happened to your car? Ranger Elfman mentioned it earlier but never said what they did with it."
"My-." Athrun's eyes widened. He'd forgotten all about it. "Shit! It must still be out on the trail!"
"Are you sure the Ranger wouldn't have taken it?" there wasn't anything overly important inside but the thought still made her drum her fingers anxiously.
Athrun stood up and began to pace. "No but I'm pretty sure that would be grounds for legal action on our part and if he really is after Kira, he won't want to raise suspicions. If he's not, I doubt he'd care enough to drag a tow truck this far into the forest to get it out. I just hope those 'experts' Elfmnan mentioned didn't do anything irreparable to it."
Confused, Lacus watched Athrun continue his pacing.
"Shouldn't that make you happy?"
"That they might have done something to it?"
She giggled. "No, silly! That they didn't take it away."
"Well, yes, and it does, but…" he trailed off, giving up pacing.
Lacus watched him in confusion for a moment before prompting him to continue. "But?"
"If it's still out there, I need to go get it."
"I understand."
When he didn't respond, she furrowed her brow slightly. "Would you like me to come with you? Do you need help?"
"What? No! No, that's not what I meant. It's dangerous out there but… I don't feel comfortable leaving Kira here by himself or with you. We don't know him well enough to know what he'd do."
His girlfriend nodded slowly. "I believe Mr. Kira is trustworthy but he might have a problem while you're gone, one I might not be able to handle."
Letting out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, Athrun shrugged. "Sure. Any ideas on what to do?"
The silence lasted long enough for him to think she wasn't going to answer but then…
"We should ask Mr. Kira!"
"…what?"
"Well, it's about him, isn't it?"
"…I guess…"
The sounds of a lock clicking open nearby aroused Kira form his peaceful sleep. In the lab, such a sound would have been enough to drag him hissing and snarling to all fours in seconds but here…he cocked his fox ears but didn't move. Even his eyes stayed closed.
"Well?" the male's voice spoke in a low tone, not quite a whisper but close.
"Shhh! He's sleeping." Responded the female softly.
"Guess we can't ask him now then."
"No, we'll need to wait until later."
Ask me what? Though interested in their words, the hanyou wasn't curious enough to pull out of his comfortable cocoon.
The male's footsteps walked away, paused, and then walked back.
"Lacus? Come on; let's leave him to finish his nap."
"I know, it's just…." She sounded torn, uncertain.
"Hm?"
"He looks so human…. why would someone want to hurt him?"
"We don't know if whoever he was with hurt him or not."
"But they kept him in a cage. Why would they keep a human being in a cage?"
"He isn't human, Lacus."
"You don't know that."
A tense silence fell for a few moments, leaving Kira time to process what he'd heard. Why was it so strange for him to be confined? He was a dangerous animal, after all.
"Lacus…we're keeping him caged too." The comment was spoken reluctantly but with an air of necessity.
"We what?" she sounded startled and unhappy. Had she not considered the implications before?
The male sighed and moved back inside, stopping several feet away.
"Come on, let's leave him alone."
This time she followed him, as lost in thought as Kira who, after committing what he'd heard to memory, fell back asleep.
"What have you found?"
"We have the public profiles on Athrun Zala and Lacus Clyne as well as those of their immediate family members."
"And Kira Yamato?"
"There…we couldn't find any record of a 'Kira Yamato' in the public database."
"I see." Gloved fingers steeped as their owner considered his options. "Check the private databases and broaden the search to include anyone named Kira in the correct age range."
"Yes, sir."
"Speak with Mr. Elfman for the age range as well as physical properties."
The young man nodded but before he could leave, his superior hailed him back.
"Oh, and one more thing. Make sure to pay close attention to birth records. I want to know who his parents are and where he came from."
"Yes, sir. Sir?"
"Yes?"
"Did this Kira Yamato do something significant? Why are we looking into him?"
"That is not your concern."
"Yes, sir." The young man swallowed at the icy tone as he stammered out his reply and turned back to continue his work.
His superior watched him go expressionlessly, white mask hiding his eyes and emotions from the world.
TBC…
Review!
Well, bit of a false start there but the plot is slowly marching along.
Oh yeah…I wish this chapter could have been a huge plot revelation or exciting fight or something instead of boring ol' plot, but it really was necessary. The car needs to come back XD. And it's easier for Athrun and Lacus to talk about Kira (and in doing so, evolve their opinions of him) when he's not in the room.
I totally understand if no one is watching this story anymore but for anyone that is…I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think! Contrary to popular opinion, I AM still alive.
Somehow, I think sending out a free preview/summary doesn't really apply in this case, since it's been so long and most previous subscribers have stopped following. However, if you are interested in asking questions or getting responses to your comments, let me know. I don't have all that much information on when my stories will update, but I'm willing to talk about how they're going and what I have planned (minus spoilers, of course). I'll respond to anyone who reviews this week (so long as you're signed in). After that, I'll try but my responses will be much more delayed.
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