A.N: *Sigh* I am becoming so disillusioned with this story. Like, really. REALLY. Is it possible to be both addicted to something and yet hate it with a passion? *ironic eye-roll placed here* Yeah... about that. Lol. I fully expect at least one person to go 'WTF?! HUH?' and another to go '... ... I'm confused.' Yeah, well... so am I. Or am I really? ... ... ... Let's face it, I probably am. XD
Let me just say this; don't read too much into everything, yet pay close attention to others. ;p Ambiguious much, Hari-chan? Really.
Many thanks to Kitsune55 for beta-ing this chapter (and who is just as sick of this story as I am! Don't worry, we shall... persevere... oh... look at that shiny new quarter... *both Hari-chan and Kit-chan stare at quarter* wow...)
Title: For Every Action
Chapter Fourteen: Remembering the Forgotten
Dark hair obscured the young woman's vision as she continued to hum a silly song to herself as pretty green eyes looking out the large window just across from her admired the lowering sunset just over the horizon of the city both her and her husband resided in. The small living room seemed to burn into life as the dark orange paint of the walls brightened the fiery colors of the coming of dusk within the barely furnished room, hardwood floors glistening with still-visible polish.
"Megu-chan, are you alright?"
The dark-haired woman blinked as she focused on the man standing in front of her, perching a hand over her enormous stomach as the blue-eyed man barely out of his teens himself gazed down at her with worried eyes.
"I'm fine, koi. Just resting, is all." Smiling, the young woman lifted a small hand as the other gently grasped onto it, helping her to her feet once more. The other's oceanic gaze seemed to soften as Megumi giggled, long dark hair flowing down her back as she walked past him and out of their cozy living room. The warm rust-colored walls and the still not fully furnished room began to bleed away as Megumi continued to walk down the elongated hallway that led to one room in particular.
The small apartment only had two rooms, and both future father and mother could barely scrap by to afford even that much space, but that was alright with the both of them. Eventually, her husband would be finished with his schooling and she would be able to contribute her own real share once she gave birth and was able to apply towards a much more stable job in the future.
Really, the two of them would do just about anything to get away from the people closest to them…
"Do you need help, Megu-chan?" Kosei whispered as he walked behind her, barely giving her a chance to answer as he planted his hands on both sides of her waist.
"Are you giving me a choice?" Megumi gave the man behind her a dubious glance as she continued on, the slightly opened door to the room revealing light blue walls and animal stickers as she continued to walk forward, only to stumble slightly.
Ignoring her husband's yelp, the dark-haired 16-year-old blinked as she felt her heartbeat accelerate within her chest, one hand holding onto her stomach as the other sat holding onto the wall. The dim light of the slightly opened room just a few meters away from her became all the more hazy as Megumi's jade green eyes became to blur, the bright colors now mixing together in an eclectic mix of red, yellow and green-
"Megumi!"
The world slowly became a beautiful black as Megumi's legs gave away, the young woman falling into another world that her husband just could not reach…
"Megumi…"
The 32-year-old raven-haired near-corpse kept her eyes shut as she lied on the cold icy floor, still damp with her own blood.
"Honestly, Megumi, you're losing your touch…"
'I could be like you, couldn't I…?'
A hand trailed by her bruised face as the broken woman held in a sob, eyes still tightly shut against the even colder familiar touch, wanting to break herself more than anything; even more than the man hovering over her right at this moment.
"You used to be so beautiful… did he destroy you so completely?"
'I don't want to be you… not now, not ever again.'
Slowly the hand trailed further down, skimming by her neck and down her now scarred arm, back aching from the lashes now decorating it. Blood stained the man's fingertips as traced the cuts decorating her wrists, the dark crimson liquid clumping together as the pain still tingled her limbs, the pale hand suddenly gripping it within it's own grasp as she cried out in pain.
"You think I don't know what you've been doing? That I didn't realize from the start just who's side you were really playing on?"
Instead of pleading to let go, Megumi silently cried as she whimpered in fear, those dark crimson eyes gazing down at her without remorse.
'I gave up so much so I wouldn't live in your shadow, and yet I feel like…'
The eyes above her seemed to glow as hefted her forward, ignoring the gasping bellow of pain on her part as his other hand supported her still raw and mutilated back, her barely cloth body shivering against the onslaught of fresh cold air and trembling terror.
"Did you really think you could ever escape me?"
'I failed. I failed, I failed, I failed… but I won't let you fall after me, Akira.'
"He'll never have you like I did…" The person above her sinisterly whispered within her ear, closing his eyes as she sobbed, wishing more than anything that if worse came to worse, she be the one scarred…
'There are so many things I already regret. Don't let this be another, Kosei.'
"Will he, sister?"
She deserved whatever fate her dearest brother had to hand to her, after all.
"It has to be… around here somewhere…"
Matsuda sighed as he ran a hand through his graying locks, splotched skin quivering as the masses of papers surrounding him nearly overwhelmed his kneeling body.
"Who would have thought that Kosei would have had so much junk in here…" Matsuda whispered to himself as his eye twitched as he continued going through files and papers, until a brightly colored tab in particular caught his attention.
"Ah-ha." The man grinned as he plucked up the folder, the manila material slightly withered as a large stack of papers inside poked out from the sides. "Gotcha."
Opening the semi-destroyed file, Matsuda blinked as the words and pictures came alive as years worth of information became all the more tangible and useful; things only Kosei had been able to put together in his mind now becoming all the more evident to Matsuda himself.
'Kosei, if you knew all this, why didn't you just say something…?' For once, the detective cursed the young prodigy that had gone from them so young and foolishly, the backlash of regret ringing valiantly in his ears as one name in particular caught his interest.
Tsukimoto Keitaro
The picture beside the name was a bit dark after years of wear-and-tear, the familiar tan skin and bright green eyes only held by one other. Matsuda's eyes narrowed as he closed the file shut and held onto it for a moment longer than necessary, wondering when the merry-go-round of connections would ever end.
"You have no idea what you kind of monster you created all those years ago, Raito…" Matsuda sighed as he eyed all the folders still surrounding him, the headache pounding against the base of his skull only increasing in tune. "None whatsoever."
Grabbing his cell phone from his breast-pocket, the 55-year-old felt his eye twitch as he eyed the blank screen, wondering if it was even worth the effort just yet…
Only to throw the contraption onto the floor, gathering the files and shifting them back into their origins, careful to leave out the one he absolutely needed the most. There were only so many distractions the old man could take, and if he could do this onething for Akira, he would.
Now, he could get onto more important matters that cried out for his attention…
And he would find her.
Matsuda narrowed his eyes as he shoved the boxes of files aside and grabbed his car keys, flipping off the light switch against the far right wall next to the abandoned desk that had seen years of non-use.
No matter what the cost.
Akira felt his eyes grow heavy as he continued to lean against his friend's side, barely conscious of the darkening sky hanging over the window they were still facing as drops of water began to gather at the corners of the window panes and lightly streak alongside the fogging glass shielding the two of them from the outside world.
"What is Akira-kun thinking about?" Ryo whispered within his ear, making the younger of the two shiver against his slightly broader frame. Mocha brown eyes drowsily glanced up at the man as the ache against the teen's chest intensified immensely.
"Nothing…" Akira mumbled as Ryo's dark wide-set gaze continued to penetrate his own, the sleepiness he felt crawling under his skin as the panicky feeling from before still lingered slightly, weighted more by worry than anything else. "Everything. I don't know…"
"Hm… Akira-kun does indeed carry the world on his shoulders... I fear he has even grown accustomed to it, in the strangest of ways." The light-haired teacher tightened his embrace over the teen's shoulder, the hand still running through his soft locks of hair pausing for just a brief moment as Akira sighed against his chest. "It does make me wonder what Akira-kun would do if he had led a rather normal life. Would he be the same person he is today?"
"I'd be bored to death and have too much time on my hands, that's what. Probably become all crazy and self-isolated… Jaded, maybe? At least, much more jaded than I already am… Besides," Akira chuckled slightly as he closed his eyes, pushing the anxiety away in a swift movement of emotions as his heartbeat finally steadied itself into a much more stable rhythm, matching his companion's almost completely. "I figure I have much more character with the way I was raised and the things I've done. No way for me to end up as some sort of crazy maniac this way, since I've basically lived with and took care of one, right? Can't miss what you've already been dealt with in life."
"The self-deprecation and distasteful jokes are not very much appreciated, Akira-kun." Ryo frowned as Akira laughed to himself once more, lips twitching as he once against glanced up at his friend, this time in silent mirth.
"I'm just kidding, Ryo. Though I'm sure it wouldn't be too far from the truth. I'm not the most stable mop in the bucket, you know." Ryo once again scoffed as he chanced a small glimpse over his shoulder, satisfied that Miko was still happily tottering about in the kitchen.
"Akira-kun should still not joke about things such as both his and Miko-chan's own past as he has become prone to doing. I am already worried about so many things concerning Akira-kun's well-being and whether or not we should trust these people, if anyone; there is no need to throw it around so carelessly in conversation." The older of the two muttered as they turned back to the student lying restlessly against their torso, narrowed caramel colored eyes tinged with the just the slightest bit of anger as Ryo sighed to himself.
"I'm not trying to be a jokester about it. I just…" Akira rolled his eyes as Ryo quirked an eyebrow under his dirty blonde locks, amusement completely gone from his voice. "I don't know how else to talk about it, Ryo. It's not like it's something you can bring up as dinner conversation. 'Hey, guess what? My sister and I used to be abused by our horrible mother who may be bordering between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder at best, and we're being chased down by some organization that may or may not want to kill me and apparently my supposed soul, whatever hell that's supposed to freaking mean! So, how are you doing tonight?'"
"At least it is something to talk about." Ryo smirked as Akira huffed, the warmth of the other's body disappearing as Akira leaned forward and jabbed him right in the chest.
"So you're allowed to joke about it, but I'm not? How is that fair?!" Flushed cheeks set over an expanse of perfect golden brown skin dipped as naturally tousled obsidian locks mixed with flaxen strands harshly twisted over almond shaped milk chocolate colored eyes.
Leaning forward, Ryo caught the side of the boy's face as the dark crimson settling over his face covered more of his skin, the beginnings of a temper tantrum set over the horizon increasing in velocity as the professor unexpectedly pulled the 16-year-old back into his embrace, catching his flailing arms before they could do any permanent damage elsewhere.
"It's not. But I think it is much less damaging for me to speak of such things, than for Akira-kun to do so." The man spoke quietly within the seething teen's ear as the younger of the two shivered at the small bit of contact, the flush staining his cheeks from both the combination of embarrassment and anger darkening even further against his semi-pale face. "When you speak of the things that have happened to both yourself and your sister within your past, Akira… it terrifies me."
The dark-haired student blinked as the professor seemed to snap out of his third person speech patterns in a small whisper, chancing a bit more embarrassment as he slyly slid down the other's strong embrace and caught a glimpse of Ryo's statuesque-like face. Dark eyes narrowed even further as a contemplative gleam lit up behind the normally dulled gaze, the twitch of the man's lips breaking the near stillness of the pale smooth skin lining the man's face as chestnut locks of hair slipped across the man's cheeks and eyes.
"I cannot protect you from things I do not know anything about or memories only you can see. I cannot give you anything more than vague words of comfort, because I do not know what you have truly gone through, nor do I have enough empathy to convey such surge of emotion, because I have never felt the need for it." Tightening his arms around the usually fiery adolescent, Ryo gave a shaky sigh as he tried to reign in what self-control he had left. "I give you what little I can, and though you appear to be satisfied, no matter how you say otherwise, I know you are not. It is then that I begin to feel weary, Akira. Something I have never felt before."
"How do I contend with a past I do not know how to fight back for you, Akira?" Ryo's eyes attempted to plead out the answer from Akira as the boy shifted within his grasp. "These people after you are just another obstacle, and the one's meant to protect you mean nothing to me. But, when you gaze at me with those haunted eyes and Miko-chan can do nothing but stare blankly at the ground as if she does not know where she is, how do I protect you two from such things without breaking what little is left within me, Akira?"
Hefting himself up, Akira felt the beginnings of his self-made stony interior melt away into himself as he laid his lips upon those cool cheeks which were now turning the most delightful shade of rose pink and raised his hands so that they now rested on the teacher's shoulders.
"Silly man… I don't need you to save me or Miko. These memories will always be a part of us, whether you want them to be or not. I can't change myself, and neither can Miko." Akira whispered softly, a small smile etched upon his lips, as the confused expression on Ryo's face did not lessen in the slightest. "All I want… all you can give me… is the privilege to just stay."
A hand slowly trailed up and caressed Akira's own cheek as the silence seemed to let go of it's former heavy load and evolved into something much lighter.
Yet…
Akira still couldn't let go of this feeling that stirred angrily within his stomach, rebelling against the relaxation the rest of his body seemed to cherish. The rain now cascaded in steady streams just beyond the walls of the semi-spacious apartment seemed to intensify with each passing second, bashing against the window beside the pair of almost-lovers tangled within each other's firm embrace.
For some strange reason, Akira just knew this was a feeling that would be sure to haunt for a very long time after this moment, even as Ryo's warm embrace cradled the small pieces of him that he thought to have lost so long ago…
"Megumi…"
The young woman moaned in agony as she held onto her stomach, the darkness slowly fading away as she blinked away the fuzzy patches of obscurity from her eyes in order to clear her sight.
"Megumi…"
Warm hands clutched onto her torso as she lurched forward once more, the room so much farther than before as she reached a hand forward, a voice lilting in the back of her mind so painfully familiar, and yet…
"Megumi…"
"Together, we could create a new world…"
And yet, not.
Her hands trembled as warm arms caught her once more before she fell forward, her breath frantic even to her own ears.
"Megumi…"
One small tear ran down her cheek as Megumi allowed for the person behind her to support her nearly-prone body, drowsy green eyes reflecting everything and nothing at all.
"Kosei…" Megumi could barely hear herself over her coughs, once again feeling the inky darkness pulling her within its grasp once more as she fought to stay conscious. "Please…"
Painted pictures she could not hold onto, along with half-printed images of faces she could not truly see replayed themselves behind her gorgeous green eyes as Megumi felt something crawl down her leg, while an overwhelming pain below her abdomen almost knocked her out completely.
"Megumi!"
'Not… now…' The woman thought to herself as she groaned in agony, the sharp pain dissipating for the moment, as a puddle of liquid beneath her feet caused her to just about slip up within her husband's usually sturdy arms.
"I think…" Megumi stuttered as she attempted to bring herself back into their apartment, and away from the horrible place her mind always wanted to come back to. "I think I need to get to the hospital, Kosei."
And that was all the warning they both had before Megumi swayed once more-
Only to fall back into the never-ending darkness once again.
The scenery didn't seem to change for her as she opened her eyes once more, the cold stale darkness only amplifying what little time she probably had left as half-broken dreams and forgotten words slipped by in a haze of pain and disbelief.
She was alone for the moment, but she knew that such a luxury would not last very long as echoes of voices and footsteps began to travel into her sanctuary of shadows. The young woman pleaded for the desolate dreams to take over and sweep her away from this place and these people; to once again be taken back to the days where it was so much more simple, yet all the more deceptive.
Megumi was letting them take pieces of herself that she knew they could not keep, at least, not if she truly wanted to survive. She was on the verge of something crucial, and something much more horrendous than death lay in the horizon for her…
'Akira…'
Voice blurred over as a door was swung open, tiny bursts of luminous rays of burning light and screeching noise killing the last of whatever self-control the 32-year-old woman truly held as Megumi wondered if death was really so bad compared to this.
"Do you see anything, Matsuda?"
"… No." Matsuda whispered as he glanced around the apartment, the strange silence emanating rather eerily from every nook and cranny, very much as if there had been no one living in the small bit of space, when really, it had been only hours before. "It's completely empty."
"I see."
"Yeah…" The older man ran a hand down his face as his age became all the more prominent against the darkening skies illuminated by the force of lightening striking just outside the window, a hail of rain attacking the city for all that it was worth. "We're too late."
"I believe that we've been too late for awhile now, Matsuda. This… This simply is another game to him; something to challenge us with while he plays with the rest of the pieces of the puzzle he has created. In fact…"
"What?"
"Make sure there are people constantly surveying Lowen's home at all times. We must not chance anything, and presume the worst is yet to come. Is that understood?"
"Of course." Matsuda sighed as he shook out his wet hat and placed it back on his head.
"I think I know where his next target may be, but I am not exactly sure… he is giving us small clues, of that I am sure. But, pointing to whom…"
Dark brown eyes trailed further into the apartment as pieces of trash littered the barely furnished space, inwardly smiling at the fact that if Akira himself would ever come to see this, he would have a conniption over it and then some.
"Matsuda, I shall cut contact now. It seems there is something that is calling my attention. If you find anything, notify me immediately."
"Sure…" Was all Matsuda replied before shutting his phone and sticking it within his pocket, still staring around the admittedly Spartan room.
Entering the boy's former domain, the pale white walls of the sterile room almost blinded the 55-year-old as he took in the dresser on his far right side and the small mattress right in front of him, a small night table sat next to the frame of the tiny bedding, along with a small bureau with an equally small TV on top of it. The rugged floor felt squishy against Matsuda's heeled shoes as he took a couple more steps and stopped directly in front of the bureau now beside him.
A small piece of paper on top of the smooth wooden surface of the bureau alongside the TV caught his eyes.
'What is…'
Picking up the tiny scrap of paper, Matsuda felt his eyes widen in disbelief.
12:42 a.m. January 12, 2040
Matsuda Touta
12:43 a.m. January 12, 2040
Megumi Miyanaga
12:44 a.m. January 12, 2040
Lowen Ryo
12:45 a.m. January 12, 2040
Miyanaga Akira
The paper was plain and not line, a small scrap of blistered that could barely be counted as paper.
But Matsuda knew there was a significance here that he just couldn't put his finger on…
'It's obviously not a piece of the Death Note itself, as you only have 23 days to actually be able to control your victim's death; if not, the victim dies of a heart attack instead. And since we can only conclude that it's been hours since the last person was here…' Matsuda felt his head ache with agony as the names and dates ran across his mind in a haze of discontentment.
Rubbing his temples, the old detective shoved the piece of paper within his pocket as he decided that tomorrow was another day and quite frankly, even he needed a break every once in awhile.
"I hate my job…"
"Megumi, you have to wake up!"
"Oh God…"
"Doctor, she isn't responding!"
"Oh my… in labor indeed…"
"Sir, you may be forced to make a choice."
"BUT I DON'T WANT TO MAKE A CHOICE! Just… JUST SAVE MY WIFE AND CHILD!"
"Sir, please…"
"Sedatives, Doctor?"
"No… he'll be fine. Now Miyanaga-san, your wife is bordering on a coma-like state, and the child is not waiting for her to wake in order to be conceived. With your permission, we can do a c-section to get the child out, but since it's too far into the labor to give her drugs, there is a chance she may wake up in the operating table while we are cutting. Are you willing to agree to this?"
"Ah…"
"Miyanaga-san."
"Is this the only way to save them both?"
"Unless she wakes up in the next five minutes… I believe so. We do not know what condition the baby is in since he's a good two months early, and your wife refuses to respond to treatment. This is your call, sir."
"Do…"
"Do?"
"Do whatever you have to save my wife and son. Please…"
"We'll be able to carry on just fine."
"Doctor? The operating room is ready."
"I can't believe this…"
"Why won't you wake up, Megumi?"
Dark crimson eyes underlined by a vicious cutting green stared at the young woman's outlined body, the darkness only giving her shape and not true form. Kneeling down, the man carefully fingered a lock of hair before stroking the woman's cheek.
"Why won't you wake up?"