A/N: NEVER FEAR, PAPILLON IS HERE~! *throws colorful confetti*
Chapter XIV: Damsel in Distress
The blonde man known as Ryou led Papillon and Gozen to a secluded area deep in the vast forests. As they got closer to the laboratory faculty, Ryou's demeanor progressed to be much more paranoid and anxious. Ryou glanced back at Papillon who had been very quiet for the whole time they had been traveling.
"The building is up ahead but I'm sure the boss has the place surrounded by the alchemy warriors. But I have a plan to get in without being detected. It might take a bit of sneaking though…Not much but just enough to get to a safe location, so we aren't as easily detected."
Papillon gaze turned to the blonde grey eyed man and he nodded slowly, "Anything to get Yumi back…Where do you suggest we go?" Papillon asked sternly.
Ryou walked a bit ahead and scanned the area with his grey eyes. There were two alchemy guards patrolling by the door and another alchemy guard pacing back and forth around the compound that Ryou could see.
"We need to get over there." Ryou said quietly as he pointed over to a certain spot on the building that had an air vent opening that was covered by steel bars. Papillon looked over to where Ryou was pointing and he scoffed quietly.
"An air vents passage? How cliché…" Papillon insulted Ryou and he looked back at him with a dull expression on his face.
"Well maybe but it is but it is the only way that I know we can get through without the boss or his guards on our trail!" Ryou defended with frustration. Papillon didn't seem fazed by his bickering and he just eyed the ongoing patrol guard that was walking around somewhat closely by the air vents.
Papillon sighed and glanced over at Gozen, "Distract the guards…" he commanded impatiently to Gozen and Gozen gave him a startled expression.
"ME…?! WHY ME...? They'll kill me!" Gozen whined and Papillon rolled his eyes and grabbed on to Gozen to much of his dismay and threw him forwards. Gozen yelped loudly as he hurled forward and crashed into the dirt in front of the guards.
Ryou gave a doubtful expression towards Papillon's action but he was soon brought back to reality as Papillon began to swiftly rush forward towards the air vent opening. Ryou bit his lip hesitantly and followed after Papillon while sneaking to the best of his abilities.
The guards stiffened and pointed their weapons at Gozen who was whining and pulling himself out of the dirt where he crash landed.
"What is that thing…?" the one female guard with dark red hair asked her comrade as she pointed her gun at Gozen.
"Some kind of pink bug…?" her male comrade muttered in confusion.
The male guard that had been patrolling the compound away from the door and by the air vents walked over to the other guards while pointing his gun towards Gozen who was now looking up at them in fear.
"WAAAHHH, DON'T KILL ME…!" Gozen cried out and began urinating on the spot from being so scared.
"Ew… That's disgusting!" the female alchemist warrior declared loudly in pure disgust.
"I didn't know bugs could pee…" the male guard next to her said dumbly while scratching his head in confusion.
"You're an idiot of course bugs can pee!" the male guard that had been by the air vents replied smugly to the other guard.
"I'm not an idiot!" he detested bitterly and soon enough both of them were arguing back and forth whether bugs could urinate or not as the female warrior stood there stammering her feet and twisting her face in disgust as she still was repulsed by Gozen's accident.
Papillon glanced over at Gozen and the guards and shook his head with an eye roll, "You can tell Mr. Ruji only hires the brightest of employees."
"Heh yeah, right…! Wait…What's that supposed to mean!" Ryou said in defense as Papillon ignored him and started to pull off the steel bars to the vent with ease (being a homunculus defiantly had its pros).
Once Papillon tore off the bars he ushered Ryou to get in hastily. Ryou nodded though still offended by Papillon's remark, he jumped up and pulled himself into the air vent. Papillon glanced over at Gozen one last time before pulling himself up into the air vent easily while behind Ryou. He then turned to the best of his abilities and brought the bars back up to the vent to make it unnoticed that anyone has been snooping into the vents.
The vent was very tight and Papillon had not the best view of Ryou's backside in front of his face.
Papillon scoffed loudly, "Maybe I should have gone in first. Magnificent butterflies are not meant to be crawling around in filthy vents…How degrading…" he complained and Ryou rolled his eyes and huffed as he soldier crawled through the cramped claustrophobic air vents in front of Papillon.
"I don't know about all that butterfly stuff but it's not like I wanted to crawl through here either!" Ryou protested and Papillon sneered in response.
"Just hurry up so I don't have to sit here facing your ass any longer than I have too!"
"Shut up…! People might hear us through the vents!" Ryou argued back in which making Papillon more frustrated and feeling tempted to kill him right there and now, but he knew that was defiantly not going to help anything. If not make everything worse than it already was.
I lie there miserably and felt absolutely terrible. That repulsive gas that Hotaka had sprayed in my face was making me suffer with intolerable pain. I hoped and prayed that Ryou was successful in finding Koushaku than again, I was just hoping Ryou was going to help me at all. I lay on the icy tiled floor in the corner and closed my eyes. I was so exhausted, I felt like I could sleep forever. I shivered and laid there for a good couple of minutes with a mind full of thoughts. I felt myself doze off soon enough but it was all too good to be true. Hotaka stormed back into my holding cell and looked down at my small quivering body.
"Get up, girl." He commanded coldly towards me. I glanced over at him with narrowed eyes. My body was in no shape to put up with anymore of his damn research. I attempted to stand up but my body was not allowing me. He growled deeply in his throat and walked over and kicked me on the floor, "GET UP!" he roared in fury as I stumbled to force my ill body up.
By some miracle I pulled myself up while using the wall beside me as a strong support. I scowled softly and looked at him with tired eyes. "W-what…?" I questioned and he reached forward and grasped my slim arm roughly. He then grabbed my other arm and put my hands back behind me into a submissive position, just like a prisoner.
"It's time for more testing." He stated icily and he began pushing me forward to start walking out of the cell and back on to the catwalk. I had no choice in the matter and I walked with my head down to where ever he was planning on leading me.
He walked me into a room that looked similar to what a doctor or dentist office would look like. There was a metal bed in the middle of the room that had restraints connected to hold someone down. He pushed me forward and ordered me to lie down on the metal bed. With no freedom, I obeyed his command to much of my distaste. Four new people began to fill the room, they all had white lab coats on and masks that a surgeon would wear.
They began to restraint me to the very uncomfortable metal bed. Before I knew it my whole body was unable to move other than my head, fists, and feet. I stared up at the ceiling that had a very bright white light that shone down on me.
I glanced over and saw that the scientist people began messing with the machinery in the room and began turning things on and moving different things in the room. Hotaka walked beside me for me to see him and I glared him hard.
"You won't get away with this, you bastard." I threatened but he was not even slightly faltered by my threat. He said nothing and began putting on these wires that connected to different parts of my body. Most of them were connecting to my head and forehead. I sighed and closed my eyes from the blinding light. Once Hotaka was done putting the wires on me he walked over towards two of his scientists and started talking to them in a hushed voice.
I could hear my heart rate now on the small monitor that showed my life lines. It beeped at a normal rate. I never liked the sound of those machines. I always expected to see the lines drop and the noise of the machine start making a constant and long dreaded beep. It signified death, which wasn't too far from what I felt like at the moment.
Suddenly, I felt a jolt through my veins. I snapped my eyes opened and looked at my still black vine marked arms. I felt a throbbing sensation enter my whole body. Whatever, Hotaka was doing to my body it did not feel good at all. I clutched my teeth together in agony as the pain began to skyrocket. I put my fists into hard small balls and my whole body stiffened. I began making grunts and groans as the electrifying pain subdued my entire body. I snapped my head back and forth wildly as it got worse and worse and all Hotaka did was watch with a hard cold stare.
My yellow eyes began glowing brightly once again and my body heaved up once or twice even in the restraints as the power within me was being forced to protrude through my body at an intense rate. I screamed and cursed but it was left to deaf and uncaring ears.
Ruji paused in the vents as he looked through an opening that both Papillon and he could look through.
"Do you see that…?" Ruji said in a hushed tone to Papillon.
Papillon looked through the opening to see something happening in one of the rooms. There was a bright white light that flickered off and on from the large windows the room had that led out to a catwalk. Papillon narrowed his eyes and felt heaviness take over him slightly, "Is Yumi in there…?" he questioned with anger induced in his tone.
"I think so…" Ruji answered and he sighed and spoke up again, "Well I didn't really plan this far to tell you the truth…I don't think it would be possible to break Yumi out while sneaking. There is WAY too much security watching her. I was lucky enough to talk to her when I did…"
Papillon then did something that was completely unexpected. Papillon shoved the vent opening wide open with a kick and jumped down onto the catwalk. Ryou gasped loudly and shook his head wildly, "PAPILLON…!"
Papillon's eyes were fixed on the room that had the flashing lights as he began storming forward and pushing random scientists out of his way roughly. It seemed all logic and safety had fled away from Papillon's mind and his only goal now was to save Yumi…Even if things were to get nasty…
Ryou battled what to do in his mind but their cover was already blown from Papillon. He had no choice but to jump down and assist Papillon now. With much hesitation he followed suit and clumsily let himself fall down from the vent opening that was kicked open by Papillon. Scientists gasped and began running away from Papillon. Soon enough a latch was opened and a lever was pulled and an emergency siren began to erupt through the whole laboratory. Bright red lights also began flashing across the whole place but none of it was stopping Papillon from his progression to the room that Yumi was probably in.
Hotaka's brown eyes flickered over to the lights and sirens that began roaring through his lab. He scowled loudly and rushed out of the room to see Papillon standing there; now they were standing face to face.
"Impossible…! How can you be in here…? Why haven't my guards exterminated of you?" Hotaka roared in fury as he glared Papillon furiously.
Papillon had a crazed expression glaze over his eyes and his body trembled with anger, "You're going to regret the day you stole her away for your ludicrous testing. I will kill you painfully…You too will experience what death tastes like! I found it to be quite addicting…" Papillon said with a voice that was filled with hatred.
Hotaka growled and glared him, "You will not ruin years of delicate research! What I will accomplish will change the world. Now you will die here homunculus. You will not ruin what has already commenced!" Hotaka yelled and soon two alchemy warriors ran to Hotaka with their arms alchemy weapons out and ready to fight with.
Ryou stood behind Papillon with a sheepish expression. Hotaka glanced over at Ryou and sneered with rage, "HOW DARE YOU DEFILE ME. You too will be put to death for such treason. KILL THEM BOTH…!" Hotaka screamed and two more guards from behind grabbed on to Ryou from behind. Ryou yelped and attempted to fight off the guards that were now struggling to put him down and kill him.
Papillon paid no attention to Ryou as his attention was focused on getting to Yumi. He lurched forward and slashed his long blade like nails at the guards that were protecting Hotaka and the door to Yumi's holding. The guards both had gun like alchemy weapons and they began shooting at Papillon and attempting to avoid being slashed by his nails.
Papillon gracefully dodged incoming bullets and the ones that did hit him didn't even make a scratch just like they had done when Papillon was attacking the Chouno residence. The guards were so fixated on Papillon's nail slashing attacks that they didn't notice the black butterflies that were floating behind both of them. The butterflies exploded behind them and sent both of them flying off the catwalks and down a floor to the ground.
"It seems you are teeming with your own alchemy warriors but they seem less than qualified. Honestly, I'm quite offended that you would even insist these fools could even hector me." Papillon implied smugly as he glanced at the guards that had fallen from the catwalk.
Hotaka growled and pointed towards Ryou ragingly, "You come any closer homunculus and I'll have him killed!" Hotaka roared as Ryou was now standing there with two guards holding him hostage.
Papillon glanced back at Ryou uncaringly and then glanced towards Hotaka, "You put on like that would bother me."Papillon said nonchalantly. "Hand Yumi over and I might give you a few more seconds to live."
Ryou's grey eyes opened widely and he started to plead to Papillon, "P-Please Papillon..! Don't let me die! I-I don't want to die!" Ryou cried hoarsely and Hotaka chuckled at his pleads.
"So homunculus are you ever so heartless as to let the poor boy die because you are too obsessed with the pretty little plant girl behind me…? Ah, as such expected from a homunculus such as yourself…" Hotaka said with a smirk forming on his lips.
Papillon stood there with his expression unchanged, "I wouldn't look so confident, Ruji…" Papillon uttered out with a smirk also forming on his own lips.
Hotaka looked at him strangely and then noticed that he was surrounded by black gun powder butterflies that were waiting to blaze into a tremendous explosion. Hotaka shuttered slightly as the butterflies fluttered oh so innocently around him. He glared back towards Papillon's hotshot smirk.
"You better wipe that puffed-up smirk off your face, boy." Hotaka stated nastily but he knew he was at loss in this situation.
Papillon cocked his head slightly and shrugged and began walking forward towards the room Yumi was contained in. Hotaka panicked and ran in front of the door, "YOU WILL NOT RUIN THIS. I'VE WAITED TOO LONG. HER POWER IS MINE. YOU HEAR ME…? MINE…!"
Papillon glowered at him and shoved him down to the ground and the butterflies still floated around him carelessly. Papillon walked through the door of the room and saw Yumi.
She was completely unclothed and lying motionless on a metal table like bed. She had wires from all over the room connected to her. Papillon paused for a moment and fought the temptation to take in the moment of her exposedness. He was much more concerned for her safety now than enticements of sensualities.
He rushed over to her side and looked down at her clammy face. She was unconscious and looked deathly ill and it pained him to see it. He quickly began pulling off the wires while ignoring the four shaken scientists that were still in the room. They pleaded for him not to take off the devices but Papillon send them deathly looks to reciprocate. Papillon then carefully picked her up and brought her into his arms protectively. No one was ever going to do this to his Yumi ever again.
Once Papillon walked out of the room with Yumi in his arms he saw Hotaka was yelling at the guards. Ryou had escaped and he was running towards the greenhouse. The guards ran after him and were shooting at him but he was able to get down to the greenhouse unharmed. Hotaka glanced back at Papillon and roared out once he saw him with Yumi in his arms.
"YOU WILL NOT TAKE MY RESEARCH."
Yumi shifted in Papillon's arms, she was defiantly still alive too much of Papillon's gratitude. Hotaka was about to run at Papillon but Papillon was making a snapping gesture with his hand.
"One snap… That's all it takes…" Papillon warned him.
"BOSS… HE'S OPENING THE GREENHOUSE…!" the guards yelled as Ryou had the code put into the greenhouse and the vault door was opening up.
"N-no…" Hotaka said in horror as the greenhouse door opened and right as it did Yumi's eyes snapped open and her eyes were glowing brighter than ever. Papillon looked down at Yumi and was shocked when she struggled out of his grip and stood firmly in a trance like state.
"Yumi…!" Papillon uttered out but Yumi made no sign that she was aware of him. She just stood there looking off into space.
Suddenly a horde of thorned vines blasted out of the greenhouse and began attaching itself to everything and it all grew at a rapid pace. The vines flew past Ryou and entangled every scientist it got its hand on. Hotaka yelped and began running away as greenery rushed towards him. About five alchemy warriors ran in and they attempted to shoot and slash and do whatever they could to get rid of the vinery infestation. Yumi turned and watched him run off with narrowed eyes but she didn't seem all there.
Ryou ran back over to Papillon and looked at him, "We need to get out of here or the plants are going to attack you too!" he yelled and Papillon looked at him and nodded.
Papillon was about to grab Yumi but vines from around Yumi slapped him away in the process cutting his hand pretty badly with its abnormally sharp thorns.
Papillon glanced at his bleeding hand and then at Yumi who turned to look at him with a blank expression.
"Yumi, snap out of it!" Papillon urged her but she continued to stand there unresponsive.
All of a sudden Gozen flew in and started screaming at the top of his lungs, "THOSE PLANTS ARE EVERYWHERE. YOU SHOULD LOOK OUTSIDE!"
Hotaka ran past Gozen and began spraying every plant he ran past with his chemicals. He ran outside and Papillon was not going to let him go so easily. Papillon narrowed his eyes and ran forward and grabbed Yumi before the vines could react. But once he did the vines started to go after him. Ryou gasped and decided to run after them and Gozen followed behind.
They were able to escape the vine infested laboratory to see Hotaka jumping into a truck. The vines attempted to grab on to him but were unable to as he closed the door on them. He quickly pushed the throttle and was beginning to zoom away from the compound. The grass from below became razor sharp and attempted to blow out his tires but the attempt was failed as he drove off onto a dirt path and drove as fast as the truck would let him go away from the plants that were after him from every direction.
Papillon was going to go after him but the vines grabbed on to him and threw him down, making him drop Yumi to the ground in the process. Yumi rolled a couple feet away from him and she seemed to hit the ground hard enough to wake her up out of the state she was in. Ryou ran over and took out a can of chemicals that were just like the one Hotaka had and began spraying the vines on Papillon as he struggled to get free. The vines backed off Papillon and began shriveling up into crusty brown vines of rotten greenery. Yumi groaned on the ground and tried to regain her composure.
I felt my head spin like I was just inside a tornado or something..! I was on the ground…The last time I remember I was on a metal bed that Hotaka retrained me on. I glanced over to my side and saw Koushaku, Ryou, and Gozen. I gasped loudly and pulled my ill bare body from the ground.
"K-Koushaku….!?" I yelled in happiness and fear. I noticed the plants were attacking him. I quickly brought out my arm and focused hard on the life around me.
"Leave them alone…Hotaka is to blame and his cronies… Not them…" I stated with my eyes closed to the nature around me. The nature seemed to listen as it backed down from the three. The black vine markings and glowing yellow eyes began to fade away. I looked over at them as Koushaku pulled himself up from the ground.
"I-I'm so sorry…! I'm so sorry…!" I cried out in hysteric as I ran over and basically tackled Koushaku with a longing embrace.
Koushaku seemed to be somewhat startled from the sudden hug but he quickly returned it passionately. He put his face into my hair and kissed my head a couple times. Ryou and Gozen stood or hovered there awkwardly as we both embraced. I suppose it was more awkward since I was completely naked…Wait…
I was completely naked…
I felt my face go completely red and I pushed back from the hug and began covering myself with my hands in sheer embarrassment. Koushaku noticed this notion and he looked at me with an unreadable expression.
"U-um… c-c-can we please get me some clothes. That bastard took them away." I murmured timidly and Koushaku stepped forward and brought me close to him again.
"I can cover you until then" he said sounding rather perverted to me. I went completely red once more and pushed away from him and ran behind a tree.
"No, you're not!" I yelled from behind the tree.
"I didn't mean it to sound that way…" Koushaku replied but I doubted he was telling the truth.
"Are you okay, Yumi…? Did that Ruji guy do anything bad to you?" Gozen decided to pipe in and change the topic. I peered from the tree and looked over at them.
"…I-I'm fine…I'm just glad you guys came to save me… I-I don't know what I would of done if you hadn't." I admitted solemnly. "C-Can we talk about this later…I feel really uncomfortable talking like this." I also admitted while still peeking from behind the tree.
Koushaku nodded and Ryou decided to suggest something, "How about you use one of your plants leafs to cover yourself?"
I gave a doubtful expression but decided it would be better than naked. I thought in my mind what I wanted and suddenly a plant grew beside me and a large leaf that was enough to cover me appeared. I sighed heavily and took the leaf and began rapping it around me like a towel. Now I look like some freaking female version of Tarzan or something!
I stepped away from the tree and crossed my arms and walked over to Papillon and put my head to his chest. He put his hand on my head and ruffled my hair slightly and his other hand ran through my hair and down my back comfortingly.
"I'll take you home. You look horrible and need some rest. I'm sure your Father wants to see you too." Koushaku said somewhat sadly and he picked me up and kept me in his arms in a bridal style.
I nodded tiredly and looked over at Ryou, "Thank you, Ryou…I really mean it. You're not as bad as I thought you were." I said and gave him a weak smile.
Ryou smiled back, "Don't think of it. Just get better okay? I think I need to get a better job… Maybe something simple like a… life guard… Yeah, I like that… I can just picture all the hot chicks now…" Ryou grinned dreamily. I chuckled slightly and rested my head closer to Koushaku's chest.
Koushaku smiled down at me and glanced over at Ryou blandly, "Humph…I guess I appreciate the assistance. I could have done it myself though…" Koushaku said but muttered the last part. Ryou shook his head and waved his hand airily.
"That's what good people do right…!?" he said enthusiastically and Koushaku shrugged.
"Yeah, I guess…." Koushaku uttered doubtfully, knowing he himself wouldn't have done it for anyone else.
Ryou waved them off and Koushaku's wings appeared and he jumped upwards into the air and began to fly away to Yumi's home with her in his arms once again.
Gozen followed suit and also waved Ryou and good bye.
"Thank you, again Koushaku…Thank you so much… That man was a monster…B-but I feel kind of bad… I interrupted you from going to the Newton Apple Girl School…" I muttered and he looked at me like I was mad.
"Yumi…Why are you apologizing…? Your safety is much more important to me than that…I'm just glad that you are okay." He said while looking down at me with a caring expression.
I looked at him as he flew me across the sky and I smiled sheepishly, "I love you so much…"
Koushaku smiled at that and closed his eyes for a moment in contentment, "I love you too."
"Ughhhh, I don't know what's worse hearing you two be all mushy or hearing Pappi all moody without you around…!" Gozen whined and Koushaku turned and gave him a scary expression and made one of his black gun powder butterflies chase him.
"GAAAHH….! I-I DIDN'T MEAN IT! DON'T KILL ME…!" Gozen cried as he began flying away from the gun power butterfly in the sky.
I watched Gozen's suffering and chuckled, "You two haven't changed at all."
"What…? Did you expect that small experience to bring us together…?" Koushaku mused teasingly as he glanced at Gozen as he was crying and throwing a fit from the stalking menacing gun powder butterfly.